> Dragonlord > by underrated Drake > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Dragonlord Ch. 1 - A day in my life/Deal with... the Devil?!!! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Welcome to the city of Ponyville, the town I call home… and this is my high school, come on let’s go inside it… Welcome to Canterlot High, the best high school in the whole country, this massive building shelters, brings us together and cultivates our knowledge and skills… at least that’s what the pamphlet says… anyway, allow me to introduce myself… oh, speak of the devil, that’s me… no, not the tall bulky guy… That’s me… Hi, my name is Spike Ladon, if you’re wondering, my last name means Dragon in Greek, I’m 17 years old, and as you can see, I’m not exactly the biggest or bulkiest student, heck, I stand at 5’3” (1.60M) which makes me the shortest student in the whole school, to add insult to injury, I’m really lanky and weight 56 KG, and allow me to add the final nail to my coffin… I can’t use magic… yeah, quite the shocker I know, a Dragonborn that can use magic, how is also short and weak, ha, no wonder that my own people reject me,” Spike said “Talking to myself? The first sign of dementia... well I guess it’s better than to keep quiet for the rest of my life,” Spike said, not louder than a whisper, closing his looker. “Anyway… where was I?... oh yes, time for lunch… follow me, the cafeteria is just down the hall, past the rotunda, and I have to admit, the food there is to die for, I pro...UFF,” said Spike as someone pushed him, hitting the lockers and his books scattering all over the floor. “Get out of the way loser,” came a male voice as everyone near the incident started to laugh hysterically “And hello to you too, Flash,” Spike said. “Don’t talk to me, loser, you should be honored that I even touch you,” Flash said “Yeah, do you think anyone in their right mind would care for you? And they say that you’re smarter than everyone in this school combined, please,” Said another person as he walked up next to Flash. “I never said that Soarin, that’s just a myth blown way out of proportions, at most, my intelligence is average, with the difference that I study a lot,” Spike answered “Yeah, how can you be smarter than anyone, when you can’t even use magic,” Said Soarin as he and everyone started laughing at Spike, who was still on the floor. “If it were up to me, you would be able to set foot in this school,” said a boy with a southern accent. “You should be over the head grateful, that we grace you with or presence,” said another boy with curly hair “I am, really, I thank all of you for allowing me to continue in this school, really I mean it,” Spike said. “Caramel, Cheese sandwich, What is going on over there?” came an older male voice “Nothing sir. Just having a friendly chat with our classmate,” said Flash as Cranky walked up to them. “Oh, it’s just you… Well, It fills me with joy to see that members of the top tier magic-users in school are nice to… trash, but please don’t waste your air with this one, he wouldn’t even appreciate it,” Cranky said staring coldly at Spike. And with that Flash and his group walked away while kicking Spike’s books away from him. “Honestly boy, if it wasn’t because you’re Discord favorite, I wouldn’t even teach you, you’re just a waste of good space for capable magic wielders in my class, the school, and the world, you’re just a pathetic waste of space,” Cranky said as he kicked the books Spike had manage to bring near him and walked away, while everyone just continued laughing. “If you’re wondering what that was all about, well those guys are Flash, Soarin, Cheese sandwich and Caramel, they are the strongest male magic wielders in the whole school, and they are the backbone of the school's Battle squad...What is that you ask? Well, you know-how every school in the world has after school activities and sports clubs? “The Battle Squads are something similar, the team is composed of 6 members, 1 or 2 warriors, a paladin, 2 rouges, and 1 or 2 tankers, and as you can imagine Flash is the captain and Paladin of the team, as for the rest, that just a regular day for me… at least no one has shoved my head into the toilet or pushed me down the stairs, or even burn my belongings. But what can you spect, I have no one in this life, and even my own brethren abandoned me,” Spike said as a tear fell from his eye “Well, at least there are 5 people that treat me nicely… or at least acknowledge my existence, there is Ms. Cheerilee, she is a teacher at this school but mostly teaches junior high classes, she helps me study sometimes, then there is Discord, he is one of the Vice-principals of the school with his wives, Celestia and Luna, they’re sisters, and if you’re wondering, no… I have no idea who that happened, and he also became my “caregiver” but the only thing he does is make sure I can’t be kicked out of the school.” “He does come to my apartment once or twice a week, to “make sure” I’m still alive, of course, his wives don’t know that, than there is Granny Smith, God bless her soul, she is possibly the nicest person I’ve ever met, she is the schools head chef, and she always gives me large orders, she thinks that if I eat more I will grow bigger, she also gives me seconds, when my food hasn’t been thrown to the floor by other students, or I haven’t been hit with it, she even comes to my apartment to give me food sometimes, I wish I knew more people like her… I think, well, at least hope, that if I died, she’d mourn me,” Spike said as he reached the cafeteria. As Spike opened the door, he was met with the usual rejection from everybody inside, no one had even acknowledged his presence, and Spike kind of felt relieved for that, kind of. Spike quickly went to the food counter, greeted Granny Smith as she gave him his food, and he went to sit at his usual place, the old wear down table that no one used, it was at the very back of the cafeteria, in a corner without even a fully functional lamp, and it was always dirty, but it was better than eating on the floor or standing, and at least he knew that no one would bother him there. Spike started to eat quietly when the doors of the cafeteria swang open, catching everyone’s attention, then 8 female students walked into the cafeteria as everyone started to cheer or bow down to them, they sat in a table in the middle of the cafeteria as many students came close to them to try and talk but they were just shooed away. “I see, you guys are interested in what just happened, well, those eight girls are known as the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful, popular, important, and, due to critical acclaim, the most attractive girls in the whole city, maybe even the world… Do you want to know more? Well, I don’t know all of them personally, obviously, but I can tell you what I’ve heard about them.” “First we have Pinkie Pie, age 17 (She is one of the youngest members,), she is 5’9” (1.75 M), weights around 60 KG, has a C-Cup rack, Pinkie curly long hair, and blue eyes, and she is possibly the friendliest of the group, she has even acknowledged my existence, but I wouldn’t call us friends, I’m more of her “Domyhomework-o-Matic” and help her out since she isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. “One more thing, she is crazy hyper, maybe because of all the sugar she eats; to the point, I am genuinely concerned for her health, I mean she is possibly one cookie away from getting diabetes, yet she has a fit body, even if she is a glutton, she is known as the Element of Laughter, since she can make anyone laugh, well except me but I don’t really count, and she is an Earthling ” “Then we have Applejack, she is 17 but is older than me for about a week, she is 6’2” (1.83M) and weighs around 80 KG, but 98% of her weight is muscle, she is so intimidating, people call her the Canterlot Amazon, she has a DD-Cup rack and blond long hair, green eyes, and usually wears her favorite stetson cowboy hat. “Applejack is the Element of Honesty, and to be… Honest, she is really good at that, she has never told a lie and is not afraid of saying what she thinks, a lot of guys find her attractive, but she never really pays any attention to them, also she is crazy strong, like “pick you up and rip you in half barehanded” strong, and she is also intimidating, and hates me for whatever reason, I’ve never been brave enough to ask her why, she is also an Earthling” “Next is Fluttershy, she is 17, yet the youngest member, she is 5’7” (1.70M) tall, weighs around 60KG, she has an F-Cup rack, long pink hair, blue eyes, and she is known to be the element of Kindness, but she kind of fails at it, don’t get me wrong, she is nice and all, except to me of course, but if you get on her bad side, she can be your worst nightmare, and it’s kind of easy to do that, just say something about her body, criticize her likes or dislikes, or even romantic advances and she will “Kill you with honesty”. “She also loves animals, with a passion, and if you even dare to a lay a finger to an animal in an aggressive way, she will kill you, but I support that last one, honestly, animal abuse is one of the worst things you can do, she is a Pegasus… oh and before I forget, the reason everyone finds her attractive is because of her shyness, I mean, God Damn she is so cute when shy,” “Rainbow Dash, the other pegasus in the group, she is 17, has a B-Cup rack and a very toned body, since she is a sports fanatic, she has rainbow-colored hair, moderate cerise eyes, and stands at 5’10” (1.78 M) she is the captain of all the female sports teams, and most of the mixed sports teams. “She is quite competitive and can be a very sore loser, and even has a history of bad temper, to the point that one time she even through her water bottle to an opponent after he caused her to get a red card in a soccer match, but all in all, there is one thing that you can’t reproach her for and that is her loyalty to her friends and this school, that’s why she is the Element of Loyalty” “Then we have Sunset Shimmer, she is an Earthling, a unicorn to be more precise, 17 years old, she has long red and yellow striped hair, a DD-Cup rack, stands at 6’0” (1.80M), she isn’t exactly an element but, she is good friends with the group and 7th member, to be honest, I don’t know much about her, yes she has bullied me, called me names and once she even used me for magic target practice, I was in the hospital for a whole week due to the injuries, but other than that I’ve never talked to her.” “But I do know this, she had to rebuild her reputation from scratch since she became a demon and attacked the school, almost killing everyone, it took her a whole year but she was able to accomplish her goal, with some help of her new friends, of course, ever since then, and even more after becoming an S class mage she has always been with the Elements… I must admit, I’m happy for her,” “Next to her is Starlight Glimmer, she is the newest addition to their “Familia”, she is 17years old too (And I think she is the oldest member), she has Purple and Green striped hair which she keeps under a beanie, a DD-cup rack, and blue eyes, she is a unicorn too, I don’t know much about her, but I think she used to be the leader of a, now disbanded, “Familia” known as “Our Town”, and later joined them, apart of that she is an S class mage, and a member of the soccer and swimming team, sorry for the vague analysis,” “And of course, Rarity, she is, to put it simply, the true definition of beauty, at least in my eyes, but I know for a fact she doesn’t even know I exist, how do I know? Well, one day a dropped my notebook and she picked it up, she read my name and even said it out loud, even as I was standing before her, she didn’t even notice me, she just looked around for a few more seconds before throwing it to the garbage and walked away. What was in that notebook? Poetry and some songs I wrote, nothing important, but it still hurt. Anyway going back to her, she has purple long hair, gorgeous blue eyes, an F-Cup rack, blue eyes and stands at 5’7” (1.70M), 17 years old, and a unicorn as well, she loves fashion, with a passion, that’s why she owns a boutique, one time I heard she went a whole week without eating or sleeping just to have dresses ready for the Grand Galloping Gala… an annual celebration that happens here in Canterlot castle.” “If you are wondering, yes, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna are also the rulers of Canterlot, and they asked Rarity to make, not only their dresses but all of their close friends as well, needless to say, the publicity helped her boutique expand, no she even has a shop in Manehattan, MANEHATTAN,” “Oh and the girl standing next to her is her “Assistant” Coco Pommel, although to me she is more of a “Minion” whatever Rarity doesn’t want to do she does if she wants a massage Coco does it, heck she even made her look like a complete fool in front of everyone, I honestly feel bad for her, she tries so hard to fit in she actually allows Rarity and her friends to treat her like that, it’s humiliating, especially that Rarity is known as the Element of Generosity.” “Also, she has the “Princess Delusion” what is that? She believes that she is a Princess and as such she only likes to date guys with high standards, AKA, royalty, actors or models, but so far she has been rejected by over 10 guys, oh well, some people just don’t know when to quit,” “And finally… Twilight Sparkle, she is 17, 3 months younger than me, she has Violet eyes, Dark blue, purple and raspberry striped hair, a DD-Cup rack, stands at 5’6” (1.68 M) weight around 60 KG, a bookworm, possibly the smartest girl in the whole country considered a prodigy despite her late-blooming, loves Rom-coms, her favorite subject is Math, favorite food, club sandwiches, likes to write nobles, well-spoken, and, a bit above average when it comes to sports.” “She is an Alicorn, a rare breed that is born from unicorns, she is the only S+ magic-user in the whole school, and the element of Magic, which still makes no sense to me, she has an elder brother named Shining Armor, a Sister in law who is the Princess of the Crystal Empire, Princess Cadance” “Her dream is to open a library or become the principal of a magic academy, she is also a princess, thanks to a royal decree, and her magic, loves singing and even joined a band known as the Rainbooms, and became the leader of the “Mane 8 Familia”, how do I know all this?” “I was her childhood friend, we have known each other since birth, and even lived next to each other, I was her only friend ,actually, her BFF as they call it, but once we got to ninth grade and she awoke her powers she shooed me away like a dog and forgot of my existence, I don’t even think she realizes I’m alive or in her same homeroom and many classes, I wonder…” said Spike “AHEM!!! This seat ‘ere taken?” asked a deep bass voice with a southern accent Spike looked up to see Big Mac, “No, sit if you like,” he said “This, beast of an Earthling is Big Macintosh he is the only person I can genuinely call friend, at first he didn’t want to hang out with me, but after being scolded by Granny Smith, he, Very reluctantly, started to hang out with me, after 2 months we became good friends, that was 2 years ago, he is now a senior, about to leave for colleague,” “I’m guessing Granny Smith sent you over,” said Spike “Yup,” he answered “She must really like me,” Spike said “Granny Smith sees my dad in you, he was just like you, small frail and unassuming, until he awoke his powers at 17, and ever since he has become a very successful businessman, both him and my mom,” Mac said “Glad to hear,” Spike said “Come to think of it, you never talk about your family, what are they like?” asked Big Mac Spike just remained quiet for a while. “Touchy subject?” asked Big Mac “A bit, but it is only fair I tell you about my family… Where do I start? My dad was a Dragonborn general. Dragonborns are a type of overlord Dragons way stronger than regular once. He died before I was born so I never really met him, K.I.Ad near Yakyakistan, before the peace talks between them and the Moncoltians, started. My mom is a Scientist, the smartest Dragon to have ever been born, she took care of me until I was 7, before leaving me with my grandparents and disappearing forever,” Spike said “What do you think happened to her?” asked Mac “I think she discovered something that was meant to remain secret, and now some very dangerous people want her head in a silver platter,” Spike said “Do you believe it?” asked Mac “It’s possible, she always loved alchemy, to the point she could spend weeks without stopping, as for where she is, I think she’s down is Bramare, drinking a Pina Colada or some shit like that, maybe even married again,” Spike said Mac just remind quiet “And I lived with my Grandparents until I was 14, man I hate that year, not only did I lose my best friend, but my grandpa died 1 week from my birthday, and my grandma 5 months later just before Christmas, I’ve been leaving alone ever since,” Spike finished Big Mac was pail he even had tears in his eyes “How do you survive?” he asked “Believe it or not, when my dad died, she left my mom with almost a billion dollars in the bank, and when she left, she gave 70% of that money to my Grandparents. My Grandpa had a very successful winery, and he was really loaded, so when he died he left it to me, and the money to my Grandma, and when she died she left all the money to me, and now I’m kind of a billionaire, a very young billionaire, and I have learned how to look after the winery over this last 3 years and made it grow by 40%,” Spike said “That’s why you’re so good at Economics, but seriously man, I’m really sorry about your family,” Mac said “Don’t be… also, please don’t tell Granny Smith about it, she doesn’t need the extra stress, especially at her age,” Spike said getting up “My lips are shut, see you later, bro,” Big Mac said as he also got up and left for his locker. Spike started to walk to the exit “Oh, you guys still here… I take it you heard what I said, please don’t feel bad for me, it’s enough with how much I pity myself already, seriously, I don’t want the life of Spike the Invisible, ruin your day,” Spike said in his mind before the bell rang and he headed to class. The day went on, and for once Spike wasn’t humiliated for the rest of the day, which surprised him and even… scared him. At least when he was being humiliated he knew that people acknowledged him, as a living being, but now he was just worried, worried that he had finally become… invisible. UNKNOWN LOCATION, LATER THAT NIGHT “Flash, Are you sure this is ok?” asked Soarin “Don’t be such a pussy, besides this bastards had it coming,” Flash said “Flash, I’m usually up for all the good pranks but this is taking it to far,” Cheese said “Oh, come on, it’s not like we’re going to blow up the whole place, just show them who is the better school,” Flash said as he grinned evilly “We already did, plus doing it like this has no real honor,” Caramel said “Since when do you care about honor, second, if we already did, then let’s make sure they remember it,” said Flash as he threw a rock at the window, breaking it, “You see! Easy!” Flash said as he stepped aside to let the other do the same. At first, they reluctantly agreed, but then, after 3 minutes they had done quite the substantial damage to the property, but Flash wanted even more. So he started to gather some magic “Flash that’s enough, let’s go,” Soarin said “Not yet,” said Flash as he let go of his magic spell, the spell flew threw the air, and then made contact with a statue that was located at the entrance of the property destroying it “Now we can go,” Flash said as he and the guys ran to his car and drove away. Not realizing the problem they had created. CANTERLOT CENTRAL PARK Spike had gone home to change, and then go out for a small workout, he knew of a forest trail in the park that no one knew of and was perfect to run in, so every night he went there to run and clear his head. Spike had been running for a good hour when he decided to rest near an abandoned kiosk, and catch his breath, it was almost 9 PM and it was time for him to go home. “Well that was a good workout, but it’s only Wednesday and I must go to class tomorrow,” Spike said as he started to walk back to the entrance of the park. On the way, Spike noticed a very… peculiar smell, it smelled like burning, rotten flesh, his curiosity got the better of him and he started to follow the smell. Spike followed the smell until it got to an abandoned campsite, Spike then saw a small bonfire burning, when he was finally in front of the flame, the smell disappeared, at this moment Spike was really freaked out. “Hello? Anyone here?” he asked a bit scared The silence of the place was making Spike even more scared, and all of a sudden the floor started to shake. Spike thought it was an earthquake, but then a loud laugh was heard coming from the fire, and a massive figure manifested from the flames. “HAHAHAHA, WHO DARES WAKE ME FROM MY SLUMBER, AH IT WAS YOU KID?” said the figure. Spike just stood there quietly “I SEE THAT THERE IS HATE INSIDE YOU, YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY YOUR CLASSMATES AND EVERYONE ELSE, TO STOP BEING TREATED BADLY, TO BE… POPULAR, WELL I CAN HELP YOU,” said the figure “Who are you?” asked Spike “OH MY DEAR BOY, ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID? I AM THE PRINCE OF THE WORLD, RULER OF TARTARUS AND HELL, OR AS YOU CALL ME, I AM SATAN,” He said “Really?” said Spike “YES, AND I KNOW YOUR NAME IS SPIKE, THAT YOU ARE A DRAGON, WHO CAN’T AWAKEN HIS POWERS AND THEREFORE HAS BEEN ABANDONED BY HIS OWN BRETHREN, BUT ALL THAT CAN CHANGE, IN MY HANDS I HOLD A POTION THAT WILL HELP YOU BECOME THE STRONGEST CREATURE THAT EVER EXISTED,” Satan said “Really?” asked Spike in disbelief “OH YES, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET IT IS SHAKE MY HAND,” he said as he extended his arm Spike remained quiet for a few minutes, then slowly started to move his hand towards Satan’s. At this Satan’s eyes started to open wide in happiness, and just as he and Spike were going to shake hands, Spike quickly grabbed Satan’s wrist, picked him up, and body-slammed him. “Drop the act Discord, I know it’s you,” Spike said “How the hell did you know?” Discord said as he started to change back to his normal self “Many reasons, but most importantly you really have to stop, yesterday you disguised yourself as an attractive witch, and I don’t think Celestia and Luna are THAT into girls,” Spike said “I’m only trying to help you,” Discord said getting up from the ground “And I thank you for adopting me as my caregiver and allowing me to stay at the school even do I know it putting a strain in your marriage, but I would never do a deal with the devil, nor would I use a potion to “cheat” my way into power and popularity, I prefer to be ignored but pure, than popular and corrupted, like all the S class student at school,” Spike said with determination in his eyes. “If only the elements and Knights could learn that from you…” Discord said “Well they won’t, yet I am no one to judge… see you at school tomorrow,” Spike said walking away. “Good night Spike, maybe someday… maybe someday,” Discord said SPIKE’S APARTMENT That night Spike was having trouble falling asleep, no matter what he did, he couldn’t find a comfortable place in his bed. After tossing and turning for 10 minutes Spike had finally found a comfortable position and started to drift off into his slumber. “Where? Where I’m I? Asked Spike as he opened his eyes and looked around “Welcome to the Limbo Spike,” said a male voice from behind him Spike turned around and saw a male dragon walking up to him. “Do I know you?” Spike asked “No, not really,” the man said “You seem so familiar,” Spike said “I’m your dad,” said the man “My dad, no impossible, you died before I was born… wait if this is limbo does it mean I…?” asked Spike “No nothing like that, I just needed to talk to you before you ended up here for good, Son do you know what I want to talk to you about?” asked his father “About my powers?” Spike answered “Yes, I want to know… WHY THE FUCK DON’T YOU AWAKEN, YOU KNOW YOU CAN, AND YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT A LONG TIME AGO, SO WHY?” asked Spike’s dad “I’m afraid,” Spike said “Afraid of what?” asked his dad “OF BECOMING A MONSTER… A MINDLESS KILLING MACHINE… FUCKING WEAPON OF MAS DESTRUCTION...LIKE YOU,” Spike screamed Spike’s dad was enraged by this, he walked up to his son and slapped him on the cheek, this made Spike really confused, “I will not allow you to regard yourself as a weapon or monster, I might have been one, but you are not… you are the only good that ever came out of me… the only thing my demons did not destroy,” Spike’s dad said “What are you talking about?” Spike asked “My powers… they were so strong that I couldn’t control them, it made me a very notorious Dragon back when I was young… er, and I was quickly perceived as a beast, the perfect soldier, and as soon as I turned 18 I joined the army, by 20 I was a general, and by 23 I had the reputation of never losing a battle, that was when the Yakyakistan army called for the Dragonland’s army assistance. I was sent as a means to gain political gratitude for the Dragonlands for Yakyakistan, and then the war began, by that time, your mom was 7 months pregnant, and I had promised her I would return to see you both. But fate had other plans for me, and that fateful day, my ego, won over my heart and common sense, couldn’t think of losing a battle to my foe. So I loaded my base with explosives and waited for their general to come and finish me off when he did I quickly started the explosives, killing everyone in a 10-meter radius, and even though I made it into heaven, there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t taken care of both you and your mom while praying that you can forgive me, and I still do,” Spike’s dad said “Really?” asked Spike “Yes, son, who do you think stops you from killing yourself every time you try? I will not let you end your life before it begins, plus, if you were to die I preferred you died in combat like a real Dragon,” Spike’s dad said “What about mom? Is she ok?” asked Spike “Listen you are about to wake up, but all I can tell you is that she is safe, and thanks to me, leaving her my blessing to remarry, she has found love again, and you now have 2 step sisters and a step, younger, brother,” Spike’s dad said “I assume she is happy,” Spike said “She misses you but hopes you understand, that sacrifices must be made,” Spike’s dad said before he disappeared into nothingness, and Spike awoke from his slumber. All throughout the bus ride to school Spike couldn’t stop thinking about what his father said. “Sacrifices must be made, if only it were that easy to do so,” Spike said as he got off the bus and walked towards the school. Just as Spike had crossed the main entrance door, a loud BOOM was heard from outside. At this, all the students walked out to see what was happening, and there in front of the school was a large group of people, led by a very tall and bulky man. “DISCORD! CELESTIA! LUNA! I AM HERE TO REQUEST AN EXPLANATION!” the man said As if on queue, the three of them emerged “What is it this time Rover?” asked Celestia “I want to know, who is responsible,” said Rover “Responsible for what?” asked Luna “For all this,” said Rover as he used his magic to show the entire school the damage created. “I arrived at my school this morning to find all this destruction,” “What makes you think it was us? Your school doesn’t really have that much of a pristine reputation,” Discord said “Because one of you didn’t pay enough attention to your clothes,” said Rover as he showed everyone a jacket with the school’s emblem. “It can still be anyone else Rover, you need better evidence to accuse…” Celestia began “I knew you were going to say that, so here, this is the recording of the security cameras, is it enough for you?” asked Rover as he showed the video to everyone “Alright Rover, we will investigate this and…” Luna began “Oh no, Princess, you know the rules, this calls for a duel, and you can’t say no, cause if you do it will bring, not only shame, but it means I win by disqualification, and I am free to do what I want,” Rover said “Very well, Rover, we will search for the culprit and we will fight tomorrow at the arena,” Discord said “Ok, but let me set some things straight, the fight will be to the death, winner takes all. So if I win, your male students will become my slaves, and your female student will become my concubines,” Rover said “And what if we win?” asked Celestia “That is for your Champion to decide, Deal?” said Rover “Deal,” said Celestia, Luna, and Discord “Until tomorrow then,” Rover said as he and the rest of the students from K-9 High left. The 3 headmasters turned to the entire student body with angry faces. “OK, WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE?” said Luna in her royal voice scarring all of her students Then Soarin and Cheese Sandwich pushed Flash before them. “Flash Sentry, why?” asked Celestia “Before you say anything else… you are welcome,” Flash said with a smirk. > Dragonlord Ch. 2 - Thy art is murder > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” asked Celestia angrily. “Gave you an excuse to demonstrate which school is better, which once again, you’re welcome.” Flash said with a confident grin. Celestia and Luna were fuming and their faces were starting to turn red with anger. “Allow me to take care of this, all this stress is not good for the babies.” Discord said, earning a nod from both of the Principals. “Flash, you and your accomplices, TO MY OFFICE!!! THIS FUCKING SECOND!!” said Discord. Flash just shrugged and walked towards the office, a proud smile painted on his face, followed by Caramel, Soarin, and Cheese sandwich. “AND WIPE THAT SMILE OFF OF YOUR FACE!!!” Discord said now turning red. “I’m not really surprised that Flash did something so retarded and can even be so confident towards a deathmatch, I’ll be shitting my pants… oh well, retards come in all shapes and sizes.” thought Spike as he and the rest of the school watched as Flash, Soarin, Cheese sandwich and Caramel, marched to Discord’s office. DISCORD’S OFFICE MINUTES LATER “WHY IN GOD’S NAME WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING THAT STUPID?” asked Discord angrily. “Those bitches needed a reminder of who’s a better school, bunch of poor bastards, am I right?” said Flash raising his hand for a high five but being ignored by his friends. “That’s the dumbest thing you have ever said Flash, and taking into consideration that ever since you became the captain of the Battle squad I’ve had you in my office at least 10 times a week. What happened to you, you used to be one of the most responsible, respectful students this school ever had.” Discord said with a look of disappointment. “Well, it’s not my fault that everyone is jealous of my accomplishments and try to fight me.” Flash said with a confident smile. “Flash, from every 10 fights you are involved in, you start 9.5 of them, especially against other schools in the area.” Discord said, starting to get angry. “Really?” Flash said in a slight challenging tone. “Oh, you don’t remember? Allow me to jog your memory, May 12, vandalism at Seashore high, and the cameras caught you there, June 8 the turf war during the soccer match against Crystal prep. OUR SISTER SCHOOL, June 16 an assault towards some students of Griffinstone, who reported you and your friends came up to them and punched them for no reason, and now yesterday, July 1 Vandalism at K-9 high. Flash you were appointed to be the Captain 3 months ago, and in those 3 months you have been suspended from school at least 24 days, that’s almost a month, not to mention all your social calls here at school, and now… those derogatory comments. What exactly makes you think you are better than anyone?” said Discord. “What makes YOU think I’m not?” asked Flash in a more challenging tone as he crossed his legs on the desk, in front of Discord. “And you 3? Why? Just why?” asked Discord. “Flash made us do it.” said Cheese. “So, if Flash tells you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?” said Discord. “No.” the three said in unison. “To cheat, would you do it?” he asked again. “No.” they said again in unison. “To kill, would you do it?” he asked once again. “No.” they said “Really? Cause the way things are going, it does look like it.” Discord said. Cheese, Soarin, and Caramel remain quiet for a few seconds before Caramel said. “Discord is right, even if Flash forced us, we know better, and if that was the only way to remain his friends, then I’d have stopped that same instant, even quit the battle squad.” Caramel replied. “Yeah, what kind of friend would invite his friends into trouble?” Cheese agreed. “Professor Discord, we will humbly accept any punishment you see fit for us.” Soarin said as he and Cheese and Caramel lowered their heads. “Oh, you guys are so pathetic, have some balls. Goddammit, we are part of the best Battle squad in the country!” Flash said. “No, Flash it’s over, we are no longer your friends, and as of this moment we quit the Battle Squad.” Soarin said. “Huh, whatever, you bunch of losers, at least I don’t have to be worried about caring anymore dead weight on the team.” Flash said as he got up. “And where do you think you’re going?” asked Discord. “Back home, listen, teach, I know the drill, I did some wrong shit, you suspend me I go home and I come back a week later.” Flash said walking away. “Not this time, that shit-filled head of yours might be making you incredibly ignorant, but in case you haven’t noticed, your dumb ass just got us in a deathmatch, so…” Discord said. “So what? It’s not like any of them is stronger than me, even if they use “Rage” it’ll be a piece of cake.” Flash said. “I hope you're right, cause if you win, you can kiss your precious captain band and Death squad member benefits goodbye.” Discord said “Shouldn’t that happen if I lose?” asked Flash challengingly. “Oh, don’t worry about the consequences of losing.” Discord retorted. “Why?” asked Flash. “You’ll be dead.” Discord said as his eyes made contact with Flash’s. “Oh, whatever, I’ll go home and train so that I win easily.” Flash said as he kicked open the door, hitting someone at the other side. “UFF!” said a male voice as he hit the ground and papers flew everywhere “Ha, and they say you’re the smartest student in school, yet you haven’t learned to look where you’re going, HAHAHAHAHA, LOSER!” Flash said as he walked away. Cheese, Soarin, and Caramel saw this and quickly hurried to help Spike up and tidy the papers. “Thanks,” said Spike as Soarin helped him to his feet, while Cheese sandwich and Caramel gathered his papers. “You ok?” asked Soarin. “Yeah I’m fine… now who are you guys, and what did you do to the real Soarin, Cheese sandwich and Caramel?” asked Spike. “We are the real us.” Cheese said as he gave Spike the papers. “Doubt it, the real one’s would have never helped me up, let alone acknowledge my existence, and would be laughing their asses off.” Spike said. “All that was just a front so that we could fit in with Flash, but this is our real personalities.” Soarin said. “Professor, about our punishments?” asked Caramel. “For now, just hope that Flash’s confidence doesn’t make him do something stupid. If nothing happens, you will know on Monday, now go to class, I have to give the morning news.” Discord said. And with that, they all head to class, but none of them could concentrate, their minds were locked on 2 thoughts, “What if Flash loses?” or “What have we done?” LUNCHTIME, CAFETERIA That morning had been quite interesting and all the other students could talk about was what Discord said over the speaker. “Due to recent events, school is canceled tomorrow, but we will be expecting everyone’s presence at the arena tomorrow at 10 AM to witness Flash Sentry fight for our honor as a school, also It’s a pain to inform you that Cheese Sandwich, Soarin Tempest, and Caramel Durian have quit the Battle Squad’s, so if everything works itself out, we will have tryouts on Monday, have a nice day.” Discord announced. And all around the school, you could hear the gossip, “Oh, that Flash Sentry, he is so dreamy.” “There is no way he can lose, he’s the strongest student in town.” “Do you think that I have a chance to ask him out.” and “Those cowards, they must’ve realized that they were only trying to suck on Flash’s popularity, I’m glad they’re o longer in our squad.” And those were the nice comments said throughout school, but for Spike, it was really interesting, for the first time in forever, no one had shoved him into a locker, thrown food at him, or even called him names, it made him feel weird, but he decided to ignore it. So he made his way to the cafeteria, saluted Granny Smith while she gave him his typical massive serving of food, and then walked to his usual spot, to start eating. While walking there Spike passed by the Elements’ table, and couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. “So, Knight boy is going to take the fall for the school, huh? Cool.” said Rainbow dash. “Yes, he is such a good fighter, it’ll be a piece of cake.” said Starlight Glimmer “CAKE?! WHERE?!” asked Pinkie as she quickly stood up. “Pinkie, Starlight meant that it will be an easy task for Flash, not that there is any cake in the area.” Fluttershy said with her usual shy cute voice. “Oh, ok.” Pinkie said as she went back to her lunch. “Ha, easy? Those fools at K-9 high should start praying that my Flash doesn’t take advantage of them later.” Sunset said. “Sunset, Darling, not to be a party pooper, but, he isn’t YOUR Flash anymore, remember, you guys broke up back in Junior high, after dating for 6 months, plus you should know that Flash prefers more, “Lady-like” woman, like, I don’t know, moi.” said Rarity as she struck a sexy pose that accentuated her boobs. “Stop it right now, you gals, know that lil’ old Flash likes Twilight’ ere, he’s been head over heels for her since year one of high school.” AJ said. “Not for long.” said Sunset and Rarity at the same time. Spike felt weird, for one, he wanted to laugh, but at the same time he wanted to cry, so he decided to ignore his feelings and walk to his table. Just as he arrived, he noticed Big Mac walking towards the table. “Mornin’.” Mac said. “Hey man, you think we have a chance tomorrow?” asked Spike. “Yup, I might not know Flash personally, but I know that he hates losin’, so I can say we have a massive chance.” said Mac as he bit into his hay sandwich. “Hope you’re right.” Spike said as he started eating his lunch. 2 minutes later, 3 figures came up to Spike and Big Mac. “Mind if we join you?” asked Soarin, catching Spike and Big Mac’s attention. “If you want to, but don’t you usually sit with Flash?” asked Spike. “Yeah, but, taking into consideration that he isn’t here and that we’re no longer friends, we don’t have anywhere else to sit.” Said Caramel as they sat down on the table. “Still, there are so many tables to go to, why did you choose the… rejects table?” asked Spike. “With all do respect Spike but I don’t see how this is the rejects table, I mean Big Mac is here.” said Soarin. “Actually, I don’ count as a popular student, the only reason why gals talk to me is cause of my junk and muscles.” Big Mac said. “Oh, I see.” said Caramel. “So, you still haven’t answered my question.” said Spike. “After the news that we quited the Battle squad, we lost any status we had around school… we became the “Flash-fame-huggers” for everyone, and well, no one wants to be near us.” said Soarin. “Oh… in that case you’re welcome to sit at our humble table.” Spike said. And with that everyone started eating and having small awkward talks here and there, it seemed that it was going to be like that for the rest of lunch, but then Cheese asked an interesting question. “Say Spike… Mind if we exchange contact info?” This caught Spike off guard, but shrugged it off by saying, “If you want it.” And he gave them his phone number. “Sweet, does this make us friends?” Cheese asked again, making everyone at the table wait for Spike’s answer with bated breaths. Spike remind quiet for a good time before saying, “No, don’t get me wrong I do welcome your company and thank you for trying to make this right with me, but it's been 3 years of suffering, and I’m not the type of person to “Forgive and Forget” so easily.” Spike said. “So, what does this make us?” asked Soarin. “Friend'' is a very… strong word, and Friendship doesn't just magically begin, but I’d say we are… Very good acquaintances.” Spike said. “I can live with that, but I hope we can be friends someday.” Soarin said as he and everyone went back to their foods. “Yeah, me too.” Spike said in his head. The rest of the day went on with no major development except for the fact that Soarin, Cheese and Caramel had become somewhat members of Spike’s “squad” and even waited for him at his locker, walked with him to his apartment and even invited him to hang for a bit. “So, you like music? Do you play any instruments?” asked Soarin. “Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drumms, and I even sing a bit.” Spike said “Wow, you’re like a one man band.” Caramel said. “Thanks, what about you guys?” asked Spike. “Drums, guitar and Vocals.” said Soarin. “Bass, Accordion, but I can sing too.” said Cheese. “Guitar and Piano, I can also sing but prefer not to do it.” Caramel answered. “And I know Big Mac can sing and play the guitar, banjo, Mandolin and harmonica.” Caramel added. “It’s funny.” Spike said. ‘What?” asked Cheese, his mouth stuffed with french fries. “If we put our talents together, we can from the line up of a band.”Spike said. “That sounds like a very good idea.” Soarin said as everyone but Spike nodded. “What do you say?” asked Cheese at Spike. “Yeah, sounds nice, but… I don’t know.” Spike said. “Oh come on Bro, if we make a band, you can grow your status at the school,” Soarin said “That’s the thing, I want people to come to me, not because of my status but for who I am.” said Spike. “I see, but, you don’t have to befriend them, plus I can be really fun, and we all can finally compete in the school’s battle of the bands and end Flash’s Sentry Knights, and the Rainbooms domain.” Soarin said with fire in his eyes. “So you guys were in a band before?” asked Spike. “Wonderbolts drummer, but I quit and decided to stay as just another member of the sport teams.” Soarin said. “I was in a music project known as Party world, I was the singer, but I was replaced by Pinkie Pie, as she was funner than me, still no hard feelings.” Cheese said. “Oh yes, PW, I’ve heard of it, but they’re going through some tough times, now it looks more like Pinkie’s personal project, she is the only member left.” Spike said. “WHAT!!!!?” asked Cheese, shocked at the news. “If I ever get the chance to talk to her, I’ll give her a piece of my mind.” “What about you?” asked Spike. “I don’t really belong to a band, but I help AJ and Big Mac, in their families band as a studio bass.” Caramel said. “So, Spike, now you know of our resumes, now it’s your turn to tell us about your musical past.” “Don’t have one, I usually just upload to Youtube.” Spike said “What’s your channel's name?” asked Soarin “Nocturnal Grim.” said Spike. “The guitar maestro?” said Caramel in surprise. “I wouldn’t use that term but, yes.” Spike said. “Dude, half the school loves your channel, still since you usually wear a mask no one knows it’s you.” Cheese said. “Man we have the perfect mix of talent, What do you say? We’ll be unstoppable.” said Soarin “I’ll think about it… oh, I have to go, see you guys tomorrow.” said Spike. “See you bro.” Soarin said. “See you around.” Cheese said. “Take care.” Caramel said as Spike walked away. “You think he’ll say yes to the band idea?” asked Cheese. “I think so, but let’s not rush him, we still have a long way to go before he can forgive us for what we did to him all these years.” Soarin said. THAT NIGHT, SPIKE’S APARTMENT Spike was not lying when he said he was going to think about Soarin’s proposition, it had been the only thing in his head ever since he left the burger joint, but, even though he liked the idea, he still didn’t know if he could trust his new acquaintances, Still Spike never let the thought leave his mind, even when he was about to go to sleep. “Maybe it’s not such a bad idea.” Spike said as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. “Hello again son, so, how was your day?” asked Spike’s dad. “Dad? You’re here again?” asked Spike surprised. “Of course, it’s been far too long that I haven’t been in your life, plus I am somewhat your guardian angel, so how was your day?” Spike’s Dad asked again. “Well dad…” Spike began. “Smelter.” said Spike’s dad. “What?” said Spike, surprised. “My name is Smelter, sorry for interrupting.” Smelter said. “Ok.” Spike said as he started to tell his dad about everything that was troubling him. “Well, that sounds like a very… interesting idea.” Smelter said. “It does?” asked Spike. “Yeah, if you have a talent, it’s best if you take advantage of it.” Smelter said with a smile, but it faded away when he saw Spike’s face “I take it the problem is not talent, is it?” asked Smelter. “I just don’t… don’t know if…” Spike tried to say. “You don’t know if you want the attention, or if you can trust your new ‘Friends’?” asked Smelter. Spike simply nodded. “Listen son, I know you went through a lot of suffering this past few years but… it’s just a stupidity to keep yourself from enjoying the little things in life.” Smelter said. “It’s not that simple, how I’m I supposed to go from fearing everyone at the school, to just acting like nothing ever happened?” asked Spike. “I’m not telling you to act like that, I’m telling you to forgive but not forget, you might never know when one of them might need your help.” Spike just looked at him. “So you're telling me you would turn your back on them just like they did to you? Son, please don’t stoop down to their level, show them that you’re different.” Smelter said. Spike didn’t say anything, he really wanted to give everyone a taste of their own medicine, but he knew his dad would get angry so he said, “I’ll try.” “Good… now son, about your powers… What is that noise?” asked Smelter. “My alarm clock.” Spike said. “I thought you said that the fight was taking place at 10 AM?” said Smelter. “Yeah, but it might take me 2 hours to get to the arena by bus, so.” Spike said. “You only slept for 6 hours, that's not good for your health.” Smelter said in a concerned tone. “I know but I can sleep on the way there.” Spike said. “Why not take your motorcycle?” asked Smelter. “I still prefer to keep a low profile.” Spike said as he started to wake up, not letting his dad say anything else. CANTERLOT ARENA 9:45 AM The ride to the arena had been very uneventful, apart from Spike, the only people on the bus were a bunch of old ladies heading to the park near the arena, so Spike had time for a little shut-eye, before arriving, to his surprise his dad didn’t contact him while he slumbered on the bus. When he arrived he saw a lot of people, there were students from both schools and even some newspaper journalists and local news teams to cover the battle. A deathmatch is usually a very important thing, as everyone wants to know the outcome, there was even an ambulance just in case. Spike quickly walked to the entrance of the arena and took a seat, waiting for the battle to begin. Spike just sat there in complete silence waiting for the fight, when he started to hear loud cheers from all the girls in school, he quickly stood up to try and see what was happening. When he finally managed to get a spot to see the outside of the arena he saw Flash walking towards the Arena while everyone cheered for him. Spike then looked towards the street and noticed Soarin, Caramel and Cheese walking up towards the arena, before they were flagged down by Discord. Spike didn’t really care what Discord was gonna tell them, but he had a big curiosity and decided to head down and listen. When Spike arrived where the guys were at he could only listen to the end of the conversation. “The outcome of your battle will dictate your punishment, but until that, when you enter try to show off a bit, like when you enter a Battle Squad match, ok?” Discord said. “Oh, relax old man, there is no one in that school stronger than me, you give them too much credit.” Flash said arrogantly before walking towards the arena gates. “I hope his confidence pays off.” said Soarin. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Cheese said as they headed towards the arena gates behind Flash. Spike walked up to Discord and said “Final words of encouragement?” “Yes, but I think they fell on deaf ears,” Discord said “Listen Spike, I know today is a important day for the school, but please cheer and support Flash, right now he is our only hope, ok,” Discord said giving Spike his typical puppy dog eyes, “Ok,” Spike said as he headed back inside. While on his way Spike fished out his cell phone and texted Big Mac “Yo, were you at?” Spike typed “Had to stay home, AJ and Applebloom went to see the fight, and I couldn’t leave the farm by itself, tell me how it ends, aight,” Big Mac answered This made Spike a bit sad, since he was going to be here without no one to talk to, but he decided to ignore the feeling and went inside. Spike had barely reached the bleachers inside when the automatic announcer started to go off “WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, TO THE FIRST DEATHMATCH OF THE YEAR, BETWEEN K-9 HIGH AND CANTERLOT HIGH, THIS BATTLE IS DONE TODAY TO RESCUE K-9 HIGH’S PRIDE FROM CANTERLOT’S VANDALISM,” “FIGHTING FOR K-9 HIGH, WE HAVE, ROVER CANE CORSO, AGE 45, RANKED S IN ALL ASPECTS OF COMBAT AND MAGIC, FORMER MILITARY SERGEANT, AND COMBAT INSTRUCTOR,” said the announcer as Rover jumped into the arena “Rover? What is the meaning of this? You said the fight was going to be equal” said Celestia “Oh no, Princess, I said will fight to the death, I never said it was going to be between students, if you mess with my school you better answer to me,” Rover said as he went towards his gate to wait for his opponent After 10 minutes and no one coming out, made Rover really impatient “WHERE IS YOUR CHAMPION DISCORD? I’M WAITING,” Rover screamed But Discord couldn’t answer, nor could anyone in the Canterlot stands, since they had all gone quiet. Spike quickly headed back outside, and towards the gates. When he got there he found Cheese, Soarin and Caramel, looking stressed “Hey where is Flash?” asked Spike, catching the attention of the three “He… bailed on us,” Soarin said “What?” said Spike in disbelief “Yeah, he grabbed his things and walked away, he was saying he was too handsome, young and important to die,” Caramel said “I even tried to take his car keys and subdue him but he punished me in face and then kicked me in the gut, and walked away,” Cheese said At that same exact moment, they heard a car start, they all turned and saw Flash’s car speeding off really fast. “Now what are we gonna do?” asked Spike “I don’t know,” said Caramel “Can’t you fight him Soarin, I mean you and Flash were almost at the same level,” said Cheese “Even so, I’m still way weaker than him, I’m only an A+ battler,” Soarin said “We’re fucked,” said Cheese Meanwhile Spike just stood there quiet, an internal conflict going on in his head, “They don’t deserve your help, they have never done anything for you,” “Don’t stoop to their level, learn to forgive and forget,” were some of the thoughts that ran through Spike’s head. After standing there for another minute, Spike took off his backpack, and gave it to Soarin “Can you take care of this?” he asked “Sure, but where are you going?” said Soarin “To do something really retarded, take good care of it, my cell phone, keys and wallet are in there, it’s all I have left,” Spike said as he walked towards the gate. “We’ll guard it with our lives,” said Cheese “Wait, your not going to…” said Caramel but Spike crossed the gate into the arena before he could finish “10 SECONDS LEFT DISCORD, IF YOUR CHAMPION DOESN’T COME OUT SOON, YOU WILL LOSE,” said Rover Discord and everyone else turned pail, where is Flash? Was the question on everyone's head “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3,” Rover and his students started counting “Here I am, sorry for the delay, but you know… traffic,” Spike said as he entered the arena Everyone went quiet, looks of shock and surprise were all over the place, Discord however was pail. All around you could hear whispers “Who is he?” or “Is he a student at our school?” or “We’re so doomed,” “HAHAHAHA, IS THIS YOUR CHAMPION DISCORD? NOT SO IMPRESSIVE,” Rover said “Spike? What are you doing, get out of…” “Ah, ah, Discord, you know the rules he walked in he fights, he walks out you lose,” Rover said “Don’t worry I have no intention to walk away,” Spike said confidently “Dad, I hope heaven’s gates open for me when I arrive,” “Spike? That name sounds familiar, but from where…?” said Twilight in her head, then a tsunami of memories came back into her head, “SPIKE!?” “Well boy, are you ready to dance?” said Rover as he got in a battle stance Spike just nodded, him too getting in a battle stance. “3,2,1 FIGHT” said the announcer Spike hadn’t even blinked when Rover, punched him square in the face and sent him flying to the wall behind him, creating a deep crater in it. Blood came out of Spike’s mouth and back as he fell to the floor “Oh, was that too hard? Asked Rover cynically “well, it’s just gonna get worse,” he said as he lunged at Spike again. Spike had barely gotten to his feet when once again Rover grabbed him threw him to the air and punched him as he was coming down, flying towards the other wall, leaving an even bigger crater, with even more blood splattered on it. “Come on boy, this isn’t fun, fight back,” Rover said as Spike got up and charged at him ready to punch But Rover caught his punch, and used it against him, then kicked Spike in the stomach, making him fall to his knees, then he punched Spike in the face again making fall to the floor, and then he grabbed him by the leg and started to body slam him over and over again. Spike endured this torture for 2 more minutes before, Rover swung him to the wall, creating a smaller crater with blood splattered on it. Spike just fell to the floor, consciousness, or his life escaping him, he could barely see properly, as blood continued to come out of his mouth, nose, eyes, and other wounds. “Well Discord, it seems that your champion, wasn’t a match for me, so you all better get ready to serve me, but I am a merciful master, you can have this weekend off,” Rover said At the mention of this, Spike looked around he could see the faces of fear and panic in everyone, he looked towards the gate and saw Cheese, Caramel and Soarin trying to enter the arena to help him, then he looked at the bleachers and saw Discord’s pail face, and then he looked around again and was surprised to see twilight and her group looking at him, they weren’t exactly looking at him do to concern but out of disgust for the failed fight. Then Spike’s eyes made contact with Twilight's. She looked at him, but looked away 3 seconds after. Spike then looked up to the sky and started to close his eyes, but then he heard a voices in his head “Dragon’s don’t give up,” “Loser” “waste of space” “Ha, your so weak even your parents abandoned you,” “You should’ve never been born,” All this made Spike feel angry, and his body started to feel really hot, like if he was melting, which was strange since he was losing blood fast. The voices kept talking in his head until he could take either the heat nor the voices Spike then opened his eyes and started to roar. “I must hand it to you kid, even I would be dead at this… point…” said Rover as he saw the scene before him Spike was still roaring, but his body was being engulfed in flames, this made everyone look at Spike, his body was now totally engulfed in flames, yet the roaring got louder, and deeper. When the fire dissipated, everyone was shocked to see Spike. Had grown to be 6”6” (2.00 M) he had bulked up a lot, even having a bit more muscle than Big Mac, and even had wings, this was visible due to the fact that his shirt had been torn and burned off allowing everyone to see his chest and abs, for whatever reason this made many of the girls hot. But the most surprising things were that his head was now full of long green hair, his fangs were bigger, and the most terrifying of all, his eyes had flames in them, literally, his eyes were like bonfires. “I HAVE TO HAND IT TO YOU OLD MAN, FOR SOME SO ANCIENT, YOU DO KNOW HOW TO PUNCH,” Spike said in a deep guttural voice “ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE PLEASURE” Spike said as he lunged towards him, his fist engulfed in green flames. Spike’s fist connected with Rover’s stomach so hard, a loud CRACK was heard all throughout the arena, as all of Rover’s ribs, and Spine cracked, followed by a small shock wave. Rover flew towards the wall, going right through it, almost crushing some students, standing behind the concret. Rover was quick to return to the arena, “Impressive… boy, that was… a good punch,” Rover said as he wiped some blood off his mouth. “I’M GLAD TO HEAR, CAUSE I’M ONLY WARMING UP!” Spike said as he lunged at Rover and clovered him on the right side of his head. The impact sent Rover flying towards the other wall, while scraping the floor with his body, and making another crater as he landed. This time Rover had a hard time getting up, and stumbled once he did it. And as soon as he managed to stand straight again he was met with Spike’s knuckles as they sent him flying to the wall again. Spike pinned Rover to the wall and continued punching him on the face repeatedly. That part of the wall was now covered in blood splatters, but Spike didn’t stop. Rover used the last of his strength to kick Spike away, and try to run to safety, but Spike tackled him to the ground. Rover turned around and tried to punch Spike, but Spike caught his arm and forced it down, breaking it in the process. Spike then grabbed Rover by the throat and hoist him up, shocking him “Mercy… please… have mercy,” Rover pleaded while choking but Spike wasn’t listening. Spike then brought out his left hand’s claws and was preparing to rip Rover’s heart out, but a voice popped into his head. “Spike! Don’t let hate consume you, don’t become my image son, this isn’t you, please stop,” said Smelters voice With that the flames in Spike’s eyes dissipated, his eyes made contact with Rover’s, fear flooded them, then he looked around, faces of horror, amazement, and wonder filled the bleacher. “Mercy, please,” Rover said, catching Spike’s attention, Spike just looked at him for a few seconds, his face turning purple, while Spike decided if to end him or spare him. Spike then dropped Rover, who started gasping for air “Thank… you,” Rover said between gasps, Discord, Celestia and Luna got up and headed towards the arena. “You pleaded mercy, and I granted it, you have lost the battle,” Spike said walking away “Wait! What about my students?” asked Rover “Both your and their lives belong to me… you will know of my decision on Monday,” said Spike in an emotionless voice, before looking at the students of K-9 High, and giving them a warm smile, and walked out of the arena. ‘Dude you ok?” asked Cheese, Soarin and Caramel at the same time “I’m fine, thanks for taking care of my things,” Spike said “Don’t mention it, thanks for saving our lives,” Soarin said giving him his backpack back “Dude, what happened to you? You’re taller, have wings and your voice is deeper,” said Caramel Spike was about to answer, when Discord, Celestia and Luna appeared. “Spike are you ok?” they asked in unison ‘I’m fine, just get me a new uniform for monday I’m pretty sure my old one won’t fit anymore, “he said as he started to walk away. “Wait, you have to come with us back to the school, we have to update your school status and file,” Celestia said as she and Luna grabbed Spike by the arms and pulled him to their car. “You three! Where is Flash?” asked Discord “He bailed before the fight,” Soarin said “I see, thanks for the honesty,” Discord said And with that he headed for the car that contained Celesta, Luna and Spike, and drove back to the school. CANTERLOT HIGH The drive had been quiet, no one dared say a word to Spike, mostly because he had fallen asleep on the way, but also because they were afraid of the new Spike. And for some reason they felt they should. Once they reached the office the tension quickly disappeared. ‘Spike, may ask why you decided to fight?” asked Celestia ‘To be honest… I don’t know myself,” Spike said “Well, when you have an answer then please tell me,” Celestia said with a warm smile “Oh another note, where did Flash run off to? Asked Luna “He was to afraid to face the responsibilities for his actions and decided to run from them,” Discord said “To bad, he was a skilled fighter and wielder,” Celestia said “Now, Spike may you please enter the Range-meter, please,” Luna said Spike did as he was told “Ok , now release a small amount of magic,” Discord said Spike followed the order, but the machine started to go crazy “Spike stop, that’s enough,” Luna screamed and Spike did Luna, Celestia and Discord walked over to the computer to see the results. What they saw caused their mouths to drop wide open. “SO, how did it go?” asked Spike “You have one of the highest ranks ever, you’re a S++ rank, and you also have a skill called “Fear-Factor” never heard of it but it works as a strength multiplier,” Discord said “Cool, I guess,” Spike said awaiting for them to say something else But they remained quiet for a long while. Spike then, for some strange reason asked a very interesting question. “What will happen to Flash?” “Do to his action and record, he has brought great shame to this institution as of today he is no longer a student of this school,” Celestia said Spike had all the right to feel happy with that news, but, for some reason he felt… sad, and then did something that surprised everyone in the room. Spike dropped to his knees and begged “Please forgive Flash, allow him to remain in this school,” “But Spike, he bailed, he left us all for “dead” to save himself,” Discord said “I know, but, he was scared, and people can do crazy things when you’re scared, please, please forgive him,” Spike said still in his knees “Celestia, Luna and Discord, just looked at each other, “ Ok Spike, we’ll allow him to remain in the school, but he will be expelled from every team he belongs to and lose his school benefits,” Celestia said hoping that this will make Spike stop begging but, instead Spike just banged his head on the floor and said “Please refrain from passing that sort of punishment, please,” “I’m sorry Spike, but we most give him a punishment,” Luna said but Spike did bodge he remain on his knees, head stuck to the floor After a minute of silence Discord finally had enough, “Ok, he will be placed on the reserves, but will be stripped of his position as captain, and will only be able to practice with the battle squads and other teams if their leaders see fit, deal?” “Yes, thank you,” said Spike as he stood up. “Ok then, will see you on Monday, I’ll deliver your new uniform tomorrow,” Discord said Spike just nodded and walked out of the office. “Why do you think he did that?” asked Luna “Because, that boy has the biggest, purest heart in the world, dear,” said Discord “Should we give him a shirt to cover himself up?” said Celestia “Nah, let the world take him in,” Discord said with a proud smile “Discord, I don’t want anyone in this school pregnant!” Celestia said “But both of you are pregnant,” Discord said “THAT’S DIFFERENT!!” Celestia and Luna said at the same time OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL Spike sat down on the stairs facing the statue on the front lawn, trying to make sense of all that he just did. But his peace and quiet didn’t last long HONK HONK, came from a blue chevrolet camaro pulling into the school Spike watched it park and Soarin, Cheese and Caramel, running towards him “SO, what happened,” asked Soarin as they reached Spike “Somehow I’m the strongest beast alive,” Spike said “Cool,” they all said in unison “What about Flash, what are they going to do with him?” asked Caramel “Nothing,” Spike answered “EXCUSE US, WHAT?” they said at the same time “I asked them to forgive him, and they did,” Spike said “Why? Dude, he treated you like shit for years, like us, maybe even worst,” Caramel said “My dad told me to forgive and Forget,” Spike said “So you did?” asked Cheese “Forgive, yes, forget, I don’t think I can, I did the same to you guys, I might have forgiven you, but I haven’t forgotten what you did,” Spike said “Makes sense… here,” Soarin said as he handed Spike a Sports jersey “And this is?” Spike asked “You need to cover your chest dude, you’re attracting “Unwanted attention”” Soarin said pointing to a group of girls from across the street “The Dazzlings? Seriously?” said Spike “Dude, trust us, they won’t hesitate to get into your pants now,” Soarin said Spike looked at the jersey “ F.C. Barcecolt, at least you have good taste in soccer, and you’re kind of my size,” he said as he put it on. “Now what?” asked Caramel “Can you guys give me a ride to the mall, I might need to by a whole new wardrobe,” Spike said “Sure man, we’ll be your moral support,” Soarin said as he, Spike, Caramel and Cheese headed to Soarin’s car. > Dragonlord Ch. 3 Popular monster/ When reality hits. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MONDAY Spike, with help from his new friends, had successfully restocked his wardrobe, (to a degree) and donated his old stuff. But Spike still had doubts about going back, all throughout the weekend, Spike had remained in his apartment, no one heard of him, not Discord, not Big Mac, nor the gang, and at this point, everyone close to him started getting worried. Spike actually spent Saturday in bed, talking with his father, asking him for help. “So, you want me to tell you how to control your powers?” Smelter asked “Yes, I don’t want to go all psycho and kill everyone.” Spike said. “Ok, first that’s not gonna happen, and second your powers will only go psycho if you allow them to.” Smelter said. “Are you sure?” asked Spike. “Listen, Spike, I know and understand you’re scared, but, in some things, you just have to be brave, especially when it comes to your powers.” Smelter said. “So then, what you are telling me to do is, to go out and practice using my powers by fighting?” asked Spike. “No son, being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble or never being afraid, it’s being afraid and still do the right thing.” Smelter said. Spike just remained quiet. “Spike, never forget this quote, it’s possibly the smartest thing someone ever said. “With great power comes great responsibility.” That’s what I want you to be, responsible.” Smelter said. Spike stayed quiet thinking about it. “I’m not telling you not to fight either, but I want you to always try to find the peaceful way out of trouble, don’t be a younger me, who thought that blood and gore were the right diplomacies, ok?” Smelter said. “Alright dad, but, I still feel like if my power is hiding something.” Spike said. “You mean the abilities.” Smelter said. “Abilities?” asked Spike. “Yeah, every type of magic has its own abilities which you can master, do you want me to look into it?” Smelter said. Spike nodded. “Alright then… interesting, you have many abilities, but they are all really blocked subconsciously by your mind.” Smelter said. “Well that sucks.” Spike said. “Not that much, it seems you can unlock one of them… if I were you, I’ll unlock the ability named “Predator.”” said Smelter. “Why?” asked Spike. “Just do it.” Smelter deadpanned. “Ok, ok.” Spike said and started concentrating really hard, after a few seconds Spike started to feel strange, he felt lighter, stronger, and with a massive headache. “Well done son, you have successfully unlocked Predator.” Smelter said with joy. “Thanks, but what is so special about this ability?” asked Spike. “The ability of Predator is a neurological enhancer… unlike how it sounds, this ability lets you learn and master new abilities by, either seeing them, hearing them or reading about them.” Smelter explained “Wow, now that’s a bonus, do I have a limit?” asked Spike. “Only until you feel you have enough skills.” Smelter said. “Great, now what?” Spike asked again. “Now that I see these skills… I can teach them to you… I mastered many of them in my life, the other ones you might have to practice on your own. Would you like to begin?” asked Smelter. Spike nodded, and the training began. Spike and Smelter trained all throughout the weekend, and by the end of it Spike had mastered various skills. “Spike I know you’ll be going back to school tomorrow, but I want you to extra careful.” Smelter said. “With what?” asked Spike. “I have to stand with your friends Spike. Your new powers can be subject to a lot of things, and not to mention your physical change can also contribute to it.” Smelter said. “I don’t get it.” Spike said. “I’m telling you to watch yourself, from the jealous stares all the way to the bedroom eyes.” Smelter said. Spike just looked at him. “I mean it. Now I’m not telling you not to forget about sex all together, but I prefer if you do it with someone you like instead of being forced into it and on the other hand, be careful of jealousy. People might turn on you and try to do nasty things if you aren’t on high alert.” Smelter said. “I will… oh that’s my alarm clock, bye dad.” Spike said. “Two final things, 1) it's imperative you don’t disclose anything about your other abilities or how you earned them, and I know it’s gonna be hard to because it’s in your school record now, but try to dodge the subject ok?” Smelter said. Spike nodded and started to dissipate back to consciousness. “And 2) I really would like to see some grandchildren.” Smelter said as his voice faded and Spike awoke. “Well, that was a strange request.” Spike said as he got up and went to start his day. After one hour Spike exited his apartment and headed down to the parkade, he was about to walk to the bus stop when he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned and saw his motorcycle, A green Ducati Superleggera, Spike looked at it for a good 10 seconds before running back to his apartment and grabbing his motorcycle helmet, then rushed back down to the parkade and turned on the engine. The motorcycle roared as it came to life, “Morning love, sorry for not riding you for a while, ready to show off?” Spike said as he accelerated away. SCHOOL GROUNDS The school was starting to get crowded by various students, either being dropped off, driving in, or riding the bus. And It was also easy to start making out the different social groups or familias, all of them were starting to get together and talk, although the only thing coming out of everyone's mouths was Spike. The only people that weren’t part of a group were Soarin, Cheese, Caramel, and Big Mac (Although no one knows why). Soarin walked over to Big Mac and said “Hey... uhm… Big Mac, do you know when Spike is gonna arrive? We haven’t heard from him since Friday night.” he asked. “Nope, I’m in the same boat as the three of you.” Big Mac said. “Do you think the injuries he suffered were too severe?” asked Caramel. “Nah, he said that the heat in his body made him heal faster.” Cheese said. “And you trust him?” said Caramel. “He trusts us… sort of.” Cheese reminded them. Just then the sound of a motorcycle attracted the group's attention. The motorcycle in question entered the school parking lot catching everyone’s attention at that point, and came to a halt in front of them. Spike then proceeded to remove his helmet, and his long hair flew everywhere, now all eyes were on him, and he could feel all of the stares, the stares of surprise, of admiration, of lust, and of course, hate. “Dude, where have you been?” asked Soarin, as he and Spike fist bumped. “At home, sleeping.” Spike said as he finished greeting his friends. “Aight, now the most important thing is, what is going on in this department?” asked Caramel as he pointed at Spike’s head. “You mean my hair?” asked Spike. “Yeah, after the fight on Friday you didn’t have any, so… how?” Caramel said. “More importantly I didn’t know Dragons had hair.” Soarin said. “I’m not gonna say this out loud, so I hope you can add the points. Have you noticed that many female dragon “Models” have long hair?” Spike said. It took the others sometime before they finally understood what Spike ment, and quickly nodded yes. “We male dragons prefer to shave it of and use the scales in our head as hair,” Spike explained “So wait… those that mean,” started Soarin. “That all of this time…” continued Caramel. “You’ve been…” finished Cheese. “Bald? Yes, yes I’ve been, got a problem with that?” Spike asked. “You look much better this way.” Soarin blurted out. “Really?” Spike asked. “Yeah, but you should cut it a bit.” Caramel said. “I’ll think about it.” Spike said as he headed inside the school followed by the rest of the group. While they were walking inside, all of the girls started to whisper amongst themselves, things like “He’s so hot.” “Do you think he’s single?” “Should I ask him out?” “I wouldn’t mind going all the way with him.” And many more I am not allowed to write due to the graphic nature of their fantasies. Spike walked up to his locker and was about to open it but Big Mac said. “Are you positive that you’ll be ok? Changes can bring problems.” “I’ll be fine.” Spike said. He hadn’t even finished turning to face his locker when a flood of letters fell off it. “What the fuck?” said Spike. “Now that’s what I call fan mail.” Soarin said as he bent down to help Spike pick them up. “Why don’t you read some.” said Cheese. “Ok. ‘Dear Spike, I know I have been treating you badly for almost a year now, but, I really want to say I’m sorry, I know I was wrong, hope you can forgive me and we can be friends, best wishes, Lyra’ How nice of her.” Spike said. “Dear Spike, I’m sorry, if you ever need a favor you can feel free to ask me anything, Best wishes Bob Bon.” read Big Mac. “Hello, handsome, just wanted to let you know that I always found you really attractive, and I was wondering if you might want to go out with me, XOXO, Diamond Tiara.” read Soarin. “Interesting.” “‘If you ever feel alone, don’t hesitate to call me, I wouldn’t mind being in your company.’ and a phone number, Love Aria.” said Caramel. “This one is a package.” said Cheese as he opened it and a bra and Panties fell from it making everyone red, Cheese saw a note and grabbed it. ‘Here’s a little something to help you in your “Private time”, love Blossomforth.’ “What are you going to do with all this?” asked Caramel. “The only reasonable thing to do… read them all… oh and Soarin, may you please go find Blosomforth and give them back. I don’t want any funny misunderstandings.” Spike said. “That’s gonna be quite the problem Spike, If I show up with them and give the package back it might kill her with embarrassment.” Soarin said. “So then what?” asked Spike. “Keep them here, and when you leave, dispose of them at home or go to her house and deliver them to her.” Soarin said. “I’ll take your advice then.” Spike said as he quickly shoved the underwear into his locker and closed it. “Time to go to class.” Big mac said as the bell rang. LUNCH TIME The first half of the day had been as Spike predicted it to be, everyone came over to Spike to talk to him, everyone that wasn’t afraid of him of course, all the teachers started to refer to him as their “favorite student”, and he didn’t stop receiving little notes with someone's phone number or a message saying “I think you’re cute.” “The shallowness of people.” Spike said in his head as he walked into the cafeteria, and to his surprise all eyes were on him. Spike stood there motionless for a good 10 seconds before turning and heading towards Granny Smith “Well, Mornin’ Spike, I hear you became some sort of demon last Friday, might’ve to give you more food.” She said. “Who told you?” asked Spike. “AJ, and Applebloom were there, they were really impressed.” Granny Smith said as she gave Spike an even bigger serving of food. “Thank you.” Spike said as he walked to his regular table, which had his friends waiting for him. Spike sat down, he could still feel everyone’s eyes on him. “They really are trying hard to get your attention, aren’t they?” Caramel asked. “Yeah, but I just can’t believe how shallow they are.” Spike said. “Don’t worry about it dude. It’s in everyone’s nature, the more attractive, rich, athletic, or powerful you are, the more people want to be near you, we were like that too.” Soarin said. “But at least we realized that what we were doing was wrong.” Cheese added. “Glad to hear that.” Spike said as he started to eat. The table went quiet for a good minute while everyone stuffed their faces with their lunch food. “So, did you think about our proposal?” Soarin asked. “What proposal?” asked Big Mac. “We asked Spike if he’d like to join a band with us.” Soarin explained. “Cool, can I join?” said Big Mac. “Listen guys, I did think about it…” Spike began. “Cool, it’s time to think of our name, what do you guys think of “Death Hurricane”?” said Soarin. “Isn’t that the name of your special move? What about “Cowboys of Doom”?” said Caramel. “Not bad, but It almost sounds like the name of a gang.” Cheese said “Guys, I didn’t finish.” Spike said. Everyone turned to him. Spike saw their faces and couldn’t bring himself to say that he wasn’t interested so he quickly came up with a lie “I was thinking… that… maybe we can… form a Familia, too?” “Even better, so what should we name it?” asked Soarin. Spike remained quiet, he needed to think of a good name for it, for their sakes, “Let’s see, Dragon… wings, no sounds like food, Fire soldiers, no, too stupid, oh I know…” “What about Dragonknights?” asked Spike. “Dragonknights?” they all said. “I like it, it sounds powerful.” said Caramel. “Glad we can agree on this.” Soarin said. “Ok Spike, all we have to do is make it official at the Principal's office, the Familia, not the band.” Cheese said. “I’ll take care of that later. Something wrong Mac, you’ve been awfully quiet.” Spike said. “I just can’t take you seriously with that long hair of yours, you need to cut it.” Big Mac said, making everyone nod. “I told you I know nothing about hair and shit.” Spike said, getting angry. “Then ask someone.” Said Big Mac. “Who?” said Spike. “Well it has to be someone with an impeccable taste in fashion.” Soarin said “Someone, that loves to help people look better.” Cheese added. “Someone, who knows the best salons and clothes shops in the whole world.” Caramel added. “But who?” finished Big Mac. The group continued thinking for a good minute until they heard a voice in the distance. “Oh, Darling, I just love your new earrings, they make you look so fashionable.” “RARITY, OF COURSE!” they all said, scaring Spike, who hadn’t heard them talk due to his headphones. “What?” he asked. They all pointed to Rarity. “Oh no, there is no way I’m going to ask her, she hates me.” Spike said. “Do you know that for sure?” asked Mac. “I suspect so. She hasn’t been exactly friendly.” Spike said. “Well you don’t lose anything, plus if she refuses to help you she’ll be the one in the wrong side of the sword.” Caramel said. Spike just looked at them, feeling defeated he got up and walked towards her. Rarity had her back to him, so she didn’t see him come up to her. “Um, excuse, Ms. Rarity, may I ask for a favor?” Spike said as Rarity turned around. When she did Rarity didn’t scream or shoo him away, instead she turned red and had trouble looking at him in the eyes. “Sure, you can ask me anything.” She said “May you please tell me where is the best hair salon in town, as you can see my hair is way too long and it’s not exactly my style, also can you tell me where I can go to buy fashionable clothes, if you don't mind.” Spike said as he looked at her nervously. Rarity remained quiet, not because she wanted to be rude, but because she was star struck, you see, Rarity had actually had a crush on Spike ever since the seventh grade, but her own fear of rejection made her be cold or avoid him, so, his transformation to his true self had made it hard for her to control herself near him. “Sure, Darling, I’ll give you my number and I’ll give you some ideas of where to go, does that sound good?” she said as she got her phone out. Spike just nodded, and gave her his information, he thanked her once again and started walking back to his table. “That wasn’t so bad, right?” Soarin said. “No.” Spike answered as he went back to eating. 5 minutes later Spike felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and was surprised to see, none other than, Twilight Sparkle standing there “Can I help you?” Spike said in his emotionless voice. “Can I borrow you for a minute?” Twilight said. Spike nodded, got up and followed Twilight out of the cafeteria to the empty hallway near the auditorium. “So, I’ll ask again, can I help you?” Spike said. Twilight turned and gave Spike an envelope. Spike took it, opened it and started reading, “I Twilight Sparkle, leader of the Elements of Harmony, and Princess of Friendship invite you to join the Family, welcome aboard.” Spike finished. “Seriously?” asked Spike in his emotionless voice. “Yeah, I mean, it’s only natural, you and I used to be friends; to be honest I didn’t even know you still attended this school. So what do you say, you will actually be placed as one of the heads of the familia, doesn’t that sound nice? It’ll be like the old time, when you used to be my number one assistant.” Twilight said as she stretched her hand towards him to seal the deal. Spike looked at her hand, and then at the invitation. What he did next surprised Twilight. Spike grabbed the invitation with his both hands, and ripped it to small pieces. ‘Wha…” Twilight said. “What I’m I doing? The right thing.” Spike said. “I was your friend for 14 years Twilight, your BFF… your only friend in fact, the only friend who always stood up for you to bullies, the only one to make you feel better everytime someone called you “egghead,” or “nerd,” and many more, heck I even took beatings for you, but then your powers awoke and you changed, everytime I tried to get near you, you shooed me away like a dog, you even denied knowing me, saying I was just a ‘Nobody, who was trying to suck on your popularity.’” Spike said. “Is that how you thank a friend that helped you study, that helped you gather your things everytime someone bullied you, protected you from danger? Huh?! Cause I don’t fucking think so!” Spike screamed. Twilight remained quiet. “And you know what’s the worst thing? Even after all that I still cared for you, yeah! You heard me, I still did my best to help you. How, you ask? Simple, who do you think gave you a copy of the English assignments, when you forgot to do them, or who gave you the notes that helped you pass Math class, or who found your textbooks in the garbage can, and took them to your locker for you not to lose any marks? That’s right me, silly, old, stupid me.” Tears started to fall from Twilight's face but Spike ignored them. “And I did all that hoping that you remembered about me, and we could become friends again, but now I see it was a waste of time. I see now that I was never Spike “your friend” I was and still am Spike ‘Your number one assistant.’” Spike said. Twilight wanted to say something but her tongue was tied. “You know something, if you had asked me to join your group when you got your powers, I would’ve said yes, but now it makes me wonder: Was the girl I befriended all those years ago, just a facade, or is this actually your real personality? Cause if it is, I thank God, that he opened my eyes and we are no longer friends… don’t ever talk to me again.” Spike said as he walked away. Twilight just fell to her knees, grabbed the pieces of the invitation, and held them close to her heart, as she sobbed quietly. Unknown to her, her friends had been hiding in the background listening to their conversation. Fluttershy quickly walked up to her, kneeled down and hugged her. “The nerve of him, how dare he!” Rarity said. “Hold your horses Rare. Twi, was everything he said the truth?” asked AJ. Twilight just nodded. “That explains why he had tears falling down his face as he left.” Sunset said. “Oh dear, I never thought…” Rarity said, but was interrupted by the loudspeaker. “SPIKE LANDON, PLEASE REPORT TO THE BROADCAST ROOM.” came Discord’s voice. HEADMASTER’S OFFICE “What is this bullshit, why did I lose all my benefits?” Flash said angrily “I’m surprised you even have the nerve to ask. You bailed on the whole school, you should even be thankful you’re still allowed to be in this school.” Discord said. “Ha, why should I. I’m the strongest fighter ever. YOU should be thankful I even stay at this school.” Flash said “WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE, OUR DECISION WAS OVERTURNED BY SOMEONE ELSE!” Discord screamed in anger. “By who, the Mayor, the princesses, my fans inside the school?” Flash said. “No, by Spike, the strongest student in this school, and the new captain of the Death Squad.” Discord said. “The fuck you talking about, that pipsqueak can’t even lift a fork without getting tired.” Flash said confidently. “I beg to differ.” Discord said as he showed Flash a picture of Spike and his school record, “Does he look like a pipsqueak to you?” “But… But how? He was so tiny last week!” Flash said in shock. “That is none of your concern.” Discord said “And we even have the same grades in all our areas, so why am I an S+ and he is a S++!” Flash said. “Like I said none of your concern, now if you’ll excuse me I have an interview to do.” Discord said as he walked away. Flash remained in the office, his eyes firm on Spike’s and his record, scanning to find anything that would tell him Spike was cheating. After 5 minutes he finally laid eyes on something, but instead of getting even angrier he turned pale, and headed out of the office as fast as he could, running towards the broadcast room. BROADCAST ROOM “Hello all of you students, and welcome to another episode of “Know your Idol” today we have Spike Landon, the school’s new number one student and captain of most sports teams and Battle squad leader.” Discord said. “Why am I here again?” said Spike in his emotionless voice. “Because everyone wants to know you better.” Discord said. “They had 2 years for that.” Spike said. “Just humor them ok.” Discord said. “Ok.” Spike answered. “Ok, so I’m gonna ask you some questions and you have to answer them in all honesty. Ok, question one, do you have a girlfriend or someone you are interested in, and if you do, does he or she go to this school?” asked Discord. “Straight to the personal things? No I don’t have a girlfriend, and yes I am interested in someone, yes she goes to this school, and we are classmates.” Spike answered. “Not a chance you can tell us her name?” asked Discord. ‘No.” Spike said. “Ok, question two, gamer, athlete or musician?” “All of them, I’m a bit of all.” Spike said “Ok, next… oh, allow me to take this call.” Discord said as he grabbed his phone and headed outside to talk, unknown to him Flash was rushing towards the room. “SPIKE!!!” he said as he entered. “What do you want Flash?” Spike asked. “I want answers, why did you become better than me at everything, why did you take away my kingdom, and why did you cheat to become stronger!” Flash said angrily “Pardon that last one.” Spike said. “Yeah, like I said, why did you cheat to become stronger?” Flash said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Spike said. “Really, then what is this?” Flash said as he showed Spike his record Spike went pail “That’s my school record, what about it?” asked Spike playing it cool “We have the same rank on everything, but I outrank you in experience, and as you know, experience outranks everything.” Flash said. “Don’t try to Cpt. Rex me, it means nothing towards what you're trying to ask…” Spike said before being interrupted by Flash. “Then what is this “Fear factor” ability. I know all of the abilities and…” Flash began. “Then you know how to obtain it.” Spike blurted out. Flash remained silent, and quickly added 2 and 2 together. “Spike did you…”Flash began. “What do you care, you bailed on the whole damn school. Just because you thought you’re better than them, but in reality you’re just a big coward.” Spike said. This made Flash angry, who grabbed Spike by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “I’m serious Spike, the only way to get that ability in particular is to be willing to die… Spike have you thought about…” Flash began. “About killing myself? Spike finished. Spike remained quiet for a few seconds before replying. “Yes, I’ve tried to kill myself before, happy?” “Why?” Asked Flash. “Why you ask? My life wasn’t good enough to live it, every time I came to school, I was ignored, mistreated, bullied, for God knows why, heck, even my only friend turned her back on me.” Spike said. “For how long.” Flash said. “Why do you…” Spike began. “FOR HOW FUCKING LONG?” Flash said as he bumped Spike to the wall in anger. “EVERY FUCKING DAY, for the last two years, there hasn’t been a single day where I haven’t thought about it, ending it all.” Spike said. “I even tried, unsuccessfully, to kill myself many times, but… you were right about me Flash… I am a coward. I never had enough courage to… pull the trigger, to kick the chair away, to jump in front of a car or train, to “accidentally” lose my balance and plummet to the ground, to fall asleep underwater, to cut myself and bleed to death, I was too afraid to commit suicide, that’s why I decided to go into that arena and have Rover kill me.” “Yeah, I didn’t go in to become “this” I went in to die, not to save anyone.” Spike finished. Flash couldn’t find his words, he didn’t even know what he was so angry about. “I’m still ready to die, but not for a selfish reason… If my death means I can give everyone at least one more day of life, then I know it was worth it, that’s why I have the “Fear Factor” ability… also known as the “Suicide” ability.” Spike said as he freed himself from Flash’s grip and walked out of the broadcast room. Unknown to them, Discord had left the loudspeaker on, and everyone in the school had heard the conversation between them, making them feel terrible for how they treated Spike. FRIDAY The rest of the week had gone smoothly, girls were still trying to get into Spike’s pants, and Spike even had a fan group, which kind of annoyed him. The most surprising thing was that Flash spent the whole week trying to get in good terms with Spike, but Spike ignored him. Also, Twilight had been avoiding Spike like the plague, she even skipped class on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was now Friday evening and Spike had finally arrived back at his apartment. His backpack is full of new letters to read. Spike entered his apartment and quickly threw all the letters in the garbage bin, headed over to his bed and layed down. “That was a stressful week.” Spike said as his doorbell rang. Spike got up and walked to the door, he never expected to see who was waiting for him. “What are you doing here?!” > Dragonlord Ch. 4 To save a Friendship > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What are you doing here?! And more importantly, how did you find out where I live? You know what I don’t want to know,” Spike said The figure before him remained quiet “You have three seconds to give me a reason not to slam the door in your face, 1...2…” Spike started “I JUST WANT TO TALK!” Twilight said “You and I have nothing to talk about… leave,” Spike said as he started to close his door, just for Twilight to use her hand and little strength to stop it. “Spike, please… hear me out… for old time sake,” Twilight begged Spike remained quiet for a while and then motioned her to come inside Twilight did as she was told, walked in and took off her shoes, then headed to Spike’s living room and sat down on the couch “Thanks for allowing me to come in,” Twilight said “Don’t much of it, I just don’t want my neighbors to complain about the noise, so what do you want?” asked Spike “I really need to talk to you,” Twilight said “As long as you say something substantial… I’ll lend you an ear,” Spike said as he sat down on the floor in front of Twilight “Spike, listen, I know, I know I wasn’t… I know I wasn’t the…” Twilight began “Before you start talking… I would like to know what exactly are you doing here?” Spike interrupted Twilight remained quiet for a long while before answering “I just want your forgiveness, and I want to be friends again, just like the old days,” “First of all… there is nothing to forgive, I already forgave you… that doesn’t mean I have forgotten what happened… as for the second request… Twilight, those days are gone, and to be honest I don’t think we can ever go back to the way we were,” Spike said What Spike said shocked Twilight “But Spike… I’ve tried to make it up to you in many ways already!” Twilight exclaimed “Really? Forgive my ignorance, BUT I AM YET TO SEE IT!” Spike said getting angry “I sent you a letter, bought you things, heck I even sta… I mean, followed you at a respectable distance this past week, to…” “To learn where I live and what my hobbies are?” Spike interrupted “You make it sound so dirty,” Twilight complained “Twilight, allow me to clarify something to you… YOU WERE STALKING ME FOR THE LAST WEEK… how is that “healthy” also the letters and gifts you gave… they don’t mean anything,” Spike said “What do you mean they don’t mean a thing?” Twilight said raising her voice a little “The gifts you gave, all had a subliminal message of “join my Familia” did you really think I am that dumb?” Spike said Twilight didn’t have a comeback for that comment “Pinkie you idiot, I told you to write an apology, not a subliminal invitation,” “What happened to you Twilight? You used to be a nice person, always helping those in need, not carrying for popularity,” Spike said Twilight remained quiet, not because she didn’t know what to say, but because she was angry. “Is this really Spike, the little fool I “Befriended” years ago was much gullible to follow my instructions, and now he’s acting all high and mighty, just because he became more attractive, and has a higher rank in magic than anyone… the nerve on him, he is acting just like… just like me and the girls,” Twilight said in her head, then she looked at Spike and saw the look of disappointment on his face. A cold shiver ran down Twilight’s spine, and as she looked back at Spike, she made eye contact with him. “Twilight… please tell me what happened to you,” Spike said “I… I don’t know,” Twilight said “Well, I do… I know you always hated to be called “nerd” or “egghead” and you always wanted to be respected, but not like this, so the moment you got the title of princess and became “Popular,” you thought it was your chance to leave that life behind,” Spike said “I guess you’re right I did use it as an excuse to gain power on campus, not to mention, I guess, I made the power hierarchy in school worst, even though my main mission was to destroy it,” Twilight said “Worst is an understatement, you basically are the reason that powerful and powerful students treat lesser ranked ones like slaves, take Coco Pommel, for example, she admires Rarity so much she even allows herself to be degraded to the point she is, and all because she wants to fit in with the popular guys,” Spike said “I can believe I caused all that, I’m more of a monster than you… not that you’re a monster, I just… you know,” Twilight said “Yeah I know, I’m a Dragon, that makes me a monster by default,” Spike said “A very attractive one… did I just think that?! Bad Twilight, bad Twilight, he is almost like your older brother, not to mention those thoughts are mostly Rarity’s to make,” Twilight said in her head “Twilight, can you tell me why you think you were chosen as a princess,” Spike said Twilight didn’t want to say something stupid, but at the same time she didn’t want to look as she was ignorant so she answered “Because of my magical ability?” “No Twilight, it has nothing to do with magic or money, nothing to do with what is up here, or who your parents are, it has to do with what is inside here,” Spike said as he touched the spot on Twilight’s chest that was over her heart, “To be a princess or prince you need most of the aforementioned things, but you need a big, pure heart, a heart that knows what suffering feels like, that is willing to help those who are suffering, to bring a smile to anyone with a sad face, to be a symbol of hope, of righteousness… a symbol of harmony,” Spike said Twilight remained quiet “And definitely not a way to gain power, popularity, or even riches… what I mean is… you let your hate and anger get to you and wanted everyone else to suffer what you had to suffer, and that made you lose sight of what was really important,” Spike finished “You’re right Spike… I guess I owe you an apology… for everything I made you go through,” Twilight said “Oh no Twilight, the things you did to me hurt because I knew you since we were kids, but the things you did to other students, now that, is where you have to start apologizing, not me,” Spike told Twilight “But still I abandoned you, my only real friend,” Twilight said “Twilight listen, what you did is done, it can’t be erased, the best thing you can do is start over, but not with me like I said I forgive you, but all the other student you have mistreated, they need an apology,” Spike said “He, I’m glad you haven’t changed… on the inside! You’re still the carrier of the purest heart I’ve ever met,” Twilight said “He, guess you’re right, I hope,” Spike said “Just like the old days, you used to give me this pep talks, every time I lost it,” Twilight said “Well, that’s what friends are for,” Spike said “So we ARE friends?” Twilight said “I don’t think so,” Spike said “But you just said…” Twilight began “I know what I said, but it’s not so simple Twi, it can take you millions of years to earn someone’s trust, but you can lose it in an instant, and unfortunately I don’t trust you enough to call you a friend anymore,” Spike said “Then what are we?” asked Twilight “Let’s just say that we’re Good acquaintances that stand in very good terms,” Spike said “Just like friends,” Twilight exclaimed “No, you trust a friend, you don’t trust an acquaintance,” Spike said “Figures, well I prefer to have you in my life as a Good acquaintance that not having you in it, but believe my words, I will earn your trust back, that’s a promise,” Twilight said “Don’t make a promise you know you can’t keep,” Spike said “Now you’re just being harsh!” Twilight exclaimed to which both Spike and her burst into laughter. Twilight and Spike laughed for a good while, after talking for some more and almost laughing their bladder out, Twilight said “I should better get going, it was nice to have a chat like frie- I mean good acquaintances again,” “Need a ride?” asked Spike “No, I finally got my license and my dad bought me a car so I’m ok,” Twilight said Just as she was leaving, her phone bussed, Twilight quickly dug into her hand bag and fished her phone out, she quickly read the message and went pale. “Something wrong?” asked Spike “N- no… everything is fine… wrong number,” Twilight said Unfortunately for Twilight Spike wasn’t buying it, and before she knew it Spike grabbed her phone off her hands and read the text “We warned you princess, we told you to tell your boyfriend that his days were counted, but since we’re so merciful, we’ll give you one more day, tell your boyfriend to met us at the “Place where sun don’t shine” tomorrow at dawn, or else, we will personally, put you six feet under, - T” That is one strange wrong number message… so if I were you I’ll start talking,” Spike said Twilight remained quiet for some seconds, but when she saw the look on Spike’s face she started to talk “For a month, I’ve been receiving text messages for this unknown number, they keep telling me to tell my “boyfriend” that his days are numbered and that he has to pay for what he has done… I honestly just ignored them, but lately they have become more… aggressive, and now they’re just scaring me,” Twilight said trying to calm herself down Spike quickly scrolled the conversation up and down, reading every line, making sure not to miss one single detail. “So, what are you gonna do?” asked Spike “I honestly don’t know, I mean, I know how to fight and all, but this doesn’t seem to be an easy situation,” Twilight said as she started to cry “I take it you don’t even know who these people are, do you?” Spike asked “No, I wish I knew, it will make things easier,”Twilight said Spike walked towards Twilight and gave her a comforting hug to calm her nerves, which seemed to work “Would you like me to take care of it?” asked Spike Twilight just looked up to meet his eyes, the look on them made her shiver in fear, they were the eyes of a murderer, of a demon, but Twilight just nodded, maybe due to fear. Spike broke the hug and quickly headed to his laptop, and entered a program on his computer. “What are you doing?” Twilight asked “Tracking the phones IP address,” Spike answered “But how is that going to work? I mean this are text messages sent by a provably fake number,” Twilight said “Well being a social reject made me gain some very “Unpopular” friends, one of them Microchips, created a program that could help me out, he even explained to me that every phone in the world can be tracked, known or unknown,” Spike said “How?” asked Twilight “For a phone to work, it needs to be connected to a satellite, Right? Well every phone in the world has internet on them, even if you don’t pay for it on your plan, so that phone gains an IP address to allow you to enter wifi signals and be recognized by the satellite and antennas, this makes it easier to track back a phone call or even the phone himself,” Spike explained “I wonder why police officers don’t use this,” Twilight said “What makes you think they don’t?” asked Spike “The fact that there are so many crimes, even though they say that “We are winning the race against crime”” Twilight said “You will never win a race against crime, now a days, that’s what holds the economy together, it’s convenient for many people to keep it going,” Spike said Spike and Twilight continued searching the address until they result said that the signal was no longer available “Now, what?” asked Twilight “Give me a second… just as I thought, the fool who owns the phone that sent you the text didn’t change his cell phone chip before getting into place, look,” Spike said “What?” asked Twilight “Don’t you think that it’s too much of a coincidence that this IP address, just happened to “die” the moment this one existed and that it appeared again when this one “died”?” Spike said “Yeah, now that you mention it, it is a bit strange,” Twilight said as Spike quickly went back to tracking the new IP address After a few minutes Spike said “Bingo, 10211 Rose way, that’s the address of the current location of this cell phone, let’s see what this place is…” Spike said, but as soon as he pressed enter on his keyboard he went pail. Twilight was confused, at first, she thought that Spike had found a scary type of dead end like an abandoned cemetery, but as she peered into the screen and read what was on screen she did her best not to laugh. “Princess love Maid cafe,” you have to be kidding me Spike, don’t tell me you are still traumatized about maid cafes?” Twilight said almost laughing “It’s not traumatization, it’s mayor discomfort,” Spike quickly said, his cheeks really red “You only went to one of those once, it back in junior high, and nothing bad happened,” Twilight said “Please tell me you remember how annoying our waitress was, and she was at least 50 years old” Spike said “It was a one time Spike, trust me, they’re usually teenagers like us, or college students, don’t let your disdain for cosplay stop you when we’re this close to uncover the truth of our mystery caller,” Twilight said “Your right, just let me put this tracker on my phone...and... let’s go,” Spike said as he grabbed his motorcycle helmet and keys and headed out followed by Twilight. Spike rod his motorcycle with Twilight in her minivan close by “Say Spike, I know it’s none of my business, but, why did Microchip make that tracking program for you?” ask Twilight over the bluetooth. “Um… well, to be honest, Microchip and I are business partners,” Spike said “Wait what?!” said Twilight “Yeah, I have 2 businesses, I took over my Grandfather’s winery when he died, and Microchip and I created a software development company,” Spike explained once again “But, aren’t you too young to run a winery?” asked Twilight “I don’t “run” it, that’s my uncle’s (My Dad’s brother) job, I am just the legal owner,” Spike said “How?” asked Twilight “Before my Grandfather died, he called all his family together, by a cruel twist of fate, that only included, Me, my grandma and my dad’s brother, Spyro, on his dead bed, he told us what he had done in his will, and asked me and my uncle to come to an agreement for how and who would run the brewery, we decided to leave me as owner and my uncle as president, he gives 20% of what the company makes, which is about $950,000/month,” Spike said “And what about the other company?” asked Twilight “That was a chance “Investment,” last year while I was my usual, self being miserable, I ran into Microchips, literally, after helping him pick up his stuff we started talking and became somewhat friends, later that week, he told me he wanted to create a company, he later explained that he wanted to create a software engine that could help video game companies, and subsequently, tech companies, run faster and safer, he could this project “Ghost Bullet” he asked me if I wanted to be part of it, seeing as I knew my way around computers and I said yes, and that’s how “Megaflame” was born,” Spike said “That’s sounds cool,” Twilight said “Yeah, not to mention that our company is doing extremely well, heck, Microchips and I make around $10,000/week, which make my total earnings around $990,000/month,” Spike said Twilight had gone quiet, her brain was trying to process what Spike had just said, but she had to ask on last thing “And since when do you get this earnings?” “I’ve been the owner of the Winery for almost 4 years now, on my birthday it will be officially 4 years, and Microchips and I have been in business for a year now, that means that I’ve made almost $45,600,000 just from the winery alone, but add the $480,000 I’ve made from the Software company and you get $46,080,000 and if the investments I have planned work, I might get to the Billions before I turn 20,” Spike finished “R-really,” Twilight said over the speaker, Spike couldn’t tell but Twilight had actually gone pale from all the information he just gave her. “Yeah, even to the point that both me and Microchips are in a bunch of lists called “Young and Powerful” or “Top 30 under 30,” heck we’re even in the top 50 richest entrepreneurs, me being number 8 and Microchips being number 20,” Spike said “Wait Microchips, but the numbers don’t add up, you said You earned $10K/Week…” Twilight said “I earn $10K /week, but I only own, 10% of the company, since all I did was invest in it, Microchips does all the work, all I do is look over the finance and recruitment department, he makes $90K/week in this company, but he has other ventures as well,” Spike explained “As for the program on my computer… I hired his services to help me track down my money and investments, regardless of how they were made, I also use it for the Software company to track down equipment, that way we can see who buys the authentic one and not a pirate version of it, it also helps me track down hackers that want to steal from our companies,” Spike finished Twilight was still quiet, she didn’t even know that Spike had accomplished so much, he even had more money than her and she was royalty. “Say Spike, a part of me, who else knows about your wealth?” asked Twilight “A part of you, Big Mac and the guys, and Microchips, although he found out after the first list came out, but believe me, ever since the guys found out, it has been impossible for me to even get them a present, heck I even had to argue for 1 hour to convince Soarin to let me buy him a coffee, but he kept saying that he wanted to buy it himself,” Spike said “My guess is that they don’t want you to waste your money on them,” Twilight said “I know, but it’s not like I’m going to buy them really expensive things, they wouldn’t accept them anyway,” Spike said Spike and Twilight remained quiet for some time before twilight said “Spike, mind me asking, but, so far you’ve only mentioned your paternal grandparents, what happened with your mom’s side?” “My relatives from my mom’s side, I’ve never really met them, from what my mom explained, they distanced themselves from us by their own will,” Spike said “Why? Did they not like your mom,” Asked Twilight “My mom was not only from a wealthy family, she was royalty, or at least that’s what I’ve learned, apparently she was the youngest cousin of Lord Knucker, the greatest Dragonlord to ever live, when he passed away at age 40, his best friend, Dragonlord Torch, took his place, since he didn’t have kids,” Spike said “Not the ladies man I presume,” Twilight said “Nah, rumor has it, he was actually gay, or at least bisexual with a preference for men, also according to some source close to him, he was inferile,” Spike said “So going back to your mom,” Twilight said “Well. her dad, my grandfather, wanted her to marry into a rich and powerful merchant family, but she always found an excuse to delay the meeting with her sutter, then one day, she met my dad, it was love at first sight she said, he was 18 and she was 17, they dated in secret for 1 year, until her family found out, and gave her an ultimatum, the merchant or else,” Spike narrated “And what happened?” asked Twilight “She chose my dad, this infuriated both my grandpa and my grandma, so they disowned her and through her out of the house, she actually lived on the streets for 2 days until my dad found her, he had been looking for her all that time, he brought her to meet his family, and married 2 weeks later, due to her intelligence she had actually graduated when she was 15, and had gotten a stable job as a Alchemy professor, Thanks to my dad’s dad as reference of course, and later she and my dad found out i was on the way, and here we are,” Spike finished. “And what about the other engagement?” asked Twilight “My mom’s younger sister took her place, she married when she turned 17, and from what I’ve heard and witnessed her husband is really supportive of her, even allowing her to work with him in their company as chief marketing advisor,” Spike said “That’s nice… wait witnessed?” asked Twilight “Yeah, he is the owner of Powerhouse departmental store, I’m sure you’ve heard of it,” Spike said “Heard of it?! It’s everywhere in the country, there are even some in other countries,” Twilight said in surprise “Yeah… well they wanted to open a new department in the store that revolved around wines and rustic cuisine choices, so they called the best winery on the country, aka my winery, and as a result I had to go for a business meeting where I met them that is one of the investments I told you about, and well, I met them and we sealed an agreement, that was 2 months ago, she didn’t recognize me, but I’m pretty sure she is suspects something, I mean I have my mother’s eyes and many more facial features. While I was there I also gave them some other investment ideas, and from what I’ve heard they’re going very well,” Spike said “Care to share?” said Twilight “Only if you can keep them a secret,” Spike said For the rest of the way Spike told Twilight about all the investments he did, but one in particular caught her attention, and made her understand why Spike didn’t want that information going out to the public. After another 10 minutes of driving they finally reached their destination, but the cafe had just closed for the night. This made Spike happy as he didn’t have to lose his head over the annoyingness of the cosplayer girls and dudes. “Now what are we going to do,” said twilight as she got off her car “I still have the tracker on my phone… this way quick,” Spike said as he started to run with twilight in tow. When they stopped running Spike and Twilight saw that they were standing outside Canterlot’s Evergreen park (Called like that due to its connection with the Everfree forest) Just as Spike was about to check the tracker again, Twilight’s phone beeped, she quickly grabbed it and showed it to Spike. “Just a friendly reminder that we’ll be waiting for your decision on the matter, good night, Princess,” read Spike He quickly grabbed his phone and saw that the signal had been replaced with the earlier one, and that it was really close to their position. Spike quickly hacked it and started to text the stalker “And good night to you too,” “Are you messing with me? That’s one more nail in your coffin,” “Oh no, I really mean it, I wish you a very pleasant night,” “Why?” “Cause it’s about to be your last,” said Spike as he and twilight walked up to the hidden figure of the stalker When the stalker turned around, the first thing he saw were Spike’s flame-ignited eyes, which almost made him shit himself (he did scream like a girl though), then his gaze turned to meet twilight’s eyes and, by stupidity or impulse, he lunged at her “Ah, ah, Mr. Stalker, not so fast,” said Spike as he moved his hand up making the masked Figure freeze in his place “What is this? Why can’t I move… and why do I feel like I am burning?” asked the figure as he slowly looked down and saw steam forming what appeared to be lines in his clothes, and exposed skin “WHAT IS THIS?!” he screamed “Ah, you like it, is one of my abilities, “Fire thread,” it’s almost like a Spider web, the only differences being that my “web” is as hot as lava, and razor sharp, which means 2 things… I can slice you up with just applying pressure on the thread, and 2, and best of all, there would be no blood splatter, brings the whole “Clean cut” thing to a new level, don’t you think?” Spike said as he started to apply pressure on the thread. “Please don’t kill me,” The figure said, but Spike ignored it as he applied even more pressure “Spike stop!” screamed Twilight, and he did “We need to know who he is and why he did this,” she finished as she walked towards him and removed the mask. “Who are you?” asked Twilight “Exabyte? YOU are behind all this? Really?” said Spike, surprising both Exabyte and Twilight “How do you know him/me,” both Twilight and and Exabyte at the same time “Crystal Prep. Computer booth 616,” Spike said “Spike? Spike Landon? What happened to you, you used to be so small and frail,” Exabyte exclaimed “Wait, Crystal Prep., My old High School? We were in the same highschool/” asked Twilight “Yeah, but when you decided to transfer to Canterlot high, the school decided to enroll 2 new students, a girl by the name of Sundust Mist, and a Canterlot high “Defector” Midnight cold…” Spike said “I’ve heard of him, he was Canterlot’s student council president, and a bit of a tyrant, he was also the best caster in the school,” Twilight said “Yeah, well, since the school was already full they had to trade him, and… I guess you can add the dots,” Spike said “You were accepted into Canterlot high,” Twilight finished “Anyway… I think it’s time to address the “elephant” in the… park, Why did you do it?” asked Spike. “Believe me, I didn’t want to be a part of this, I was forced,” Exabyte said “By whom?” asked Twilight “Midnight Cold, he has turned the school into his one personal kingdom…” Exabyte started “Before you continue… what’s all this about a boyfriend you have been talking about?” asked Twilight “Oh, he’s not your boyfriend? I must really be stupid then,” Exabyte said “Who?” asked Twilight “A guy called Flash Sentry, I hacked into his account and found a lot of pictures of the two of you or you alone,” Exabyte said Twilight just froze up and turned red, redder than she has ever been, it was so bad she had to cover her face with her hands to try and hide her embarrassment Exabyte turned to Spike and said “What’s up with her?” “Dude, read between the fucking lines, she has had a crush on that full since she moved to Canterlot high, and I’m guessing they are reciprocated,” Spike facepalmed After 5 minutes Twilight finally left her daydream and composed herself “Ok, you were saying,” Twilight said “Midnight cold turned Crystal prep. Into his kingdom, it’s kind of impressive actually, it only took him a month, anyway, as you may presume, I’m not exactly popular, and compared to the other student’s in the school I’m one of, if not, the poorest student there, and well…” Exabyte said “He offered you money to do this and you needed it,” Spike said “Yeah, b-but it’s not that simple, he wanted me to do this to get revenge on Flash,” Exabyte said “Why?” asked Twilight “For all the vandalism he did to our… his school. Midnight Cold never likes to play by the rules and instead of challenging Flash, he decided to drive him mad slowly, you see, Flash is not stupid, contrary to critical acclaim, he just doesn’t know when to use his brain, that and the fact that he is hot headed and you get the recipe for a time bomb, which is exactly what he wants,” Exabyte finished “So all this happened because of Flash? That asshole,” Twilight said “Hey he is YOUR crush, and last time I checked, you were into “Bad Boys,” so suck it up,” Spike said “So what were you going to do now?” asked Twilight Exabyte was about to answer when his phone beeped “Give me your phone,” Spike said “I need you to let me go first, I can’t move,” Exabyte said “You’re a unicorn right? Use your magic, and don’t try to do anything funny, or I WILL and you,” Spike threatened Exabyte was so terrified he almost peed his pants, and quickly used his magic to levitate his phone towards Spike “The fuck you at? Lover boy is on his way to the meeting place to ‘Settle” this, and why the fuck haven’t you changed back to your real number? Man is your brain that fried from playing video games or were you born like that, regardless, hurry the fuck up,” charming fellow, woulnd’t you agree Twi?” said Spike “Agreed, so, what are we going to do with him?” asked Twilight “It’s your call, kill him or free him,” Spike said Twilight remained quiet for a few minutes and said “Are you sorry, about what you did?” “I never even wanted to be a part of this,” Exabyte said “Let him go Spike… and heal him up, we might need him,” Twilight said as she walked back to her car “Need him for what?” asked Spike, but he just earned a look from Twilight “Oh,” he said Spike quickly re-absorbed his thread and healed Exabyte with his ability called “Ignis Salutem” and pushed him towards the vehicles “Where is the meeting place?” asked Spike as he shoved Exabyte against Twilight’s minivan “Crystal Prep’s parking lot,” Exabyte said “You taking him?” Spike asked Twilight “Yeah, I need to have a word with him on the way there,” Twilight said “Good, I have some phone calls to make,” Spike said as he grabbed his helmet and started his bike 30 MINUTES LATER Spike, Twilight and Exabyte, finally made it to Crystal Prep. parking lot, but decided to hide their cars in the bushes and walk towards the meeting place, across the soccer, Football, and Baseball fields They quickly arrived at a small mountain near the parking lot, but it was pitch black “Can you see anything?” asked Twilight “No, I don’t get it, we where to meet here,” Exabyte “Cheeky, there are 4 living forms in that parking lot, plus 2 cars, and 2 of them are holding what appear to be baseball bats,” Spike said “How can you see?” asked Twilight “Thermal vision, every dragon has it, mine is just enhanced, so I can see clearly in the dark from very far away… oh there is a car pulling in now,” Spike said as the lights of a Sports car came into the parking lot. As if on queue, the lights of the other cars turned on, and the people dare moved forwards Flash came out of his car and walked towards the group “Exabyte, who are the people in the parking lot right now?” asked Spike “The one furthest to the left is Muscle head, he is the strongest warrior in our school, and Midnight’s “best friend” and bodyguard, the one next to him is Tatsumaki bureizu (Tornado Blaze), he is a transfer student from Marepan, and Midnight’s personal henchman, he is a pegasus, then we have Ivory Charm, she is, for lack of a cleaner word, the girl he has been fucking since he arrived to this school, and to be honest I’m surprised she isn’t pregant by now…” Exabyte said “She is his personal Cum Dumb, continue,” Spike said “The only one that has stayed from his harem, she is the president and captain of the martial arts and boxing club, trust me you don’t want to make her mad, and finally… I think that’s Crimson Bronco, our school's number 2, he is the only a tad weaker than Midnight cold, in both magic and fighting, but I don’t see… oh, there he is, Midnight Cold,” Exabyte said “Perfect let’s get closer, but not to close,” Twilight said as she crouched closer to the action “Glad to see you could make it Flash, I was starting to think you wouldn’t show,” Midnight Cold said “This is what you have become? A petty thug who doesn’t even fight his own battles?” Flash said “Says the gangster-wannabe that vandalised my… our school without putting up a fight, I don’t think you impressed your little girlfriend,” Midnight said “You leave her out of this, if a fight is what you want, you get it,” Flash said as he took off his jacket and shirt getting ready to fight “Ah, I like your enthusiasm, but let’s make this interesting, If I win you become my servant for the rest of your life, and quit school forever,” Midnight said “And if I win?” Flash said “That won’t happen,” Midnight said as he charged towards Flash Flash easily evaded him, but was by muscle head’s fist hitting him in the face, the force of the punch was such that Flash actually flew at least 50 Ft. before managing to stop, when he regained the notion of where he was he noticed Tornado Blaze and Crimson Bronco charging towards him. All he could do was brace for the hit, which sent him flying towards the wall at the other side of the parking lot. Flash tried to get out of the crater he had created but Ivory charm ran up to him and punched him several times in the gut, she punched him so many times that he was coughing up blood and could barely stand. MIdnight Cold just walked up to him slowly and, with his magic, hitted Flash so hard that he went through the thick concrete wall. Flash just layed there, his whole body hurt or broken, blood coming out of his mouth. “You know Flash, I’ve been thinking of getting me and my girl here a new fuck toy, I wonder if, what’s her name? Twilight, be up for some “Pleasurable Punishment” with us, oh but don’t worry, I’ll let you watch as I break her mind and turn her into the bitch she really is,” Midnight Cold said as he and the others laughed. This enraged Flash to a new extreme, his whole body began to shine in a golden fashion, just like when he has his armor on, except that this time, his skin was turning golden, and tough, just like real armor Flash quickly got up and said “Looks like Round 2,” and punched Midnight cold so hard he actually landed on the soccer field 80 ft away. Muscle head quickly lunged at Flash but Flash quickly caught both of his fists, Muscle Head tried to free himself but Flash had gotten event stronger than him, after another 3 seconds of the tug of war, Flash turned his wrists and with that broke both of Muscle Head’s arms, then while Muscle Head screamed in pain, Flash quickly kicked him on his right leg, breaking it, and just before he could fall to the ground, Flash did a reverse kick and sent him flying towards the school building, leaving a massive crater as he fell to the floor unconscious. Flash quickly turned to face the three remaining enemies Tornado Blaze, then lunged at him, but his aerial strike and his impulsiveness, quickly became his biggest problem, after free falling towards Flash, Flash moved a side and evaded his attack. Tornado Blaze couldn’t stop on time and his whole left arm ended up stuck in the center of the crater, Flash quickly lunged at him, kicking him so hard that he flew up into the sky, Flash jumped, and quickly caught up to Tornado BLaze’s body, punching him in the gut and send him flying, even faster, towards the ground, leaving a deep crater as he fell unconscious to the ground. Crimson Bronco followed and attacked Flash with a combination of Magic and Physical attacks, but Flash skillfully avoided them, Crimson didn’t stop the attacks not even a second, but forgot to measure his magicka, which cost him to lose energy fast and subsequently lose his stamina, Flash took this to his advantage and quickly counter strike, and with on punch sent Crimson Bronco flying towards one of the cars, crushing the whole engine and front of the car. He finally turned to Ivory Charm, she was shaking in fear, and decided to run for her life, but Flash wasn’t going to let that happen. He jumped up into the air and, using one of his abilities “Justice’s hammer”, punched the ground, making parts of it crack and send other parts of the concrete flying in all directions, when the shock wave finally reached Ivory Charm, it lifted the piece of concrete she has standing on, and sent her flying, back first into the roof of the other car parked there, the impact crushed the ceiling and made her fall to the ground unconscious. “How the hell did you become so hard?” Midnight said as he stumbled towards him “No clue, but I like it,” Flash said as he lunged forward and punched Midnight cold in the gut “Looks like you’ll have to search elsewhere for a servant and a fuck toy,” he said as Midnight cold fell to the ground. Flash then turned and headed to assess the damage to his car, unknown to him, Midnight Cold, refused to lose, and had a cheap trick in his pants Midnight Cold, got to his feet as fast as he could, and pulled out a gun from his pants, and aimed for Flash’s head. He was about to pull the trigger when “Ha, if you are this school's best fighter, I must say… I feel sorry for y’all,” Came Spike’s voice as a flash of fire quickly immobilized Midnight cold, making him drop the gun “Next time… if you’re going to kill someone, at least be a man, and shoot them between the eyes,” Spike said as he walked up to Midnight cold from behind the bushes “Spike? What the hell, are you doing here?” Flash said “You welcome, buy the way, and answer you… I’ll let them explain,” Spike said as he walked up to Ivory Charm and healed her. Flash turned and saw Twilight running towards him “Flash! Are you ok?” asked Twilight as she tackled Flash into a bear hug “Yeah, I’m fine, what are you doing here?” asked Flash Twilight explained everything, as Spike healed everyone and Exabyte used his technomancer abilities to fix the damaged cars. After everyone was healed, including Flash and Midnight cold, Spike finally realized him from his “Fire lasso”, Ivory Charm quickly hugged him to make sure he was ok. “Well, we’re still waiting for an explanation,” Spike said Midnight Cold said “He started, he came to our school and vandalised it, costing us almost 1 millions dollars to repair,” “I know he did, but you must realize that, you, not only forced someone to stalk someone else, but also sent death threats, and even tried to commit murder, luckly for you, it will only pass as assault with a deadly weapon,” Spike said “What are you going to do to us?” asked Ivory Charm “It depends,” said Spike “Depends on what?” asked Tornado Blaze “Depends on what they say,” Spike said as he motioned to several police cars entering the parking lot “We’re fucked” said Muscle head “Twilight?!” came 2 voices that Twilight recognized immediately “Cadence! Brother! What are you doing here?” she asked “Spike called us, and explained everything, you’re not hurt are you?” asked Cadence as she gave Twilight a hug “HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY SISTER?!” came Shining’s voice as he walked closer towards his students only to be stopped by Spike “Now, Shining, don’t do something you will regret,” he said “Wow, I heard you changed but this is… wow,” Shining said as he looked at Spike “So, Spike, It appears you won a fight yet again,” came Discord’s voice as he, Celestia and Luna walked up to them, with Deputy Copper behind them “Nah, I only stopped a vengeance filled idiot from doing something he will regret, the credit most go to Flash,” Spike said “That is true, But he did cause this commotion, did he not,” said Luna “Yeah, but he tried to fix it, not the most appropriate way, but he tried,” Spike said “So, Cadence, what are we gonna do here?” asked Celestia “To be honest I don’t know,” Cadence said “Why don’t you give them after school detention, making them fix this mess, with their own hands,” Spike said “You too Flash, you caused this,” he finished “That’s a great idea, that way no one gets expelled and bring shame to themselves,” Cadence said “Isn’t Flash also working to fix K-9 High?” asked Luna “You guys were supposed to finish today,” Spike said “Yes we did, K-9 High looks even better than when we attacked it,” Flash said “The come Monday you all are to report here and work, by the looks of it, it will be 240 hours of community service,” Deputy Copper said “It’s that or 5 years in jail,” she finished Everyone agreed to the community service “Well looks like our services are no longer required… ok people, let’s go we have a city to patrol,” Deputy Copper said before living in her Patrol car “I hope this finally teaches you a lesson Flash, next time you might not be so lucky,” Discord said Flash just nodded “Good,” Discord said as he walked towards the group of adults to finish negotiating expenses for the materials required Meanwhile at the other side of the parking lot Spike walked up to Exabyte “Good work fixing those cars,” Spike said “Thanks, I’m a Technomancer, I’m good with technology, any type of Technology actually,” Exabyte said “Good to hear, cause, you see I have Software company and we’re currently lacking capable codejunkies and programmers, so, I called my associate, and we decided to hire you, if you want that is,” Spike said Exabyte was silent for a few seconds before saying “When do I start?” “Immediately, I’ll send you the software, and Microchips will send you instruction to work on it form your laptop or home computer,” Spike said “I don’t have a laptop, I usually use the computers at school,” Exabyte said “Well then, tomorrow, you and I are going computer hunting,” Spike said as he extended his arm towards Exabyte who quickly shacked it. “One last question, how much will I earn?” asked Exabyte “About $2K every 15 days, but you can make more by doing designing your own software or making modifications for the existing one, they must pass our efficiency test before being released though,” Spike said Exabyte was now crying of happiness “You know what that means right?” Spike asked Exabyte shook his head “It means that you can work at your own pace, from home, and most importantly you don’t have to worry about searching for work after graduating college. “Thank you, thank you, Boss,” Exabyte said ‘Don’t call me that, you’re not older than me,” Spike said ‘Then what should I call you?” Exabyte asked “Call me Spike, also, you’re this companies 5th employee, so that kind of makes us equals, kind of,” Spike said “But for now let’s enjoy the show “Which show?” Exabyte said before Spike turned his face towards Flash and Twilight “You sure you’re ok?” Twilight asked “Yeah, I’m fine don’t worry about me,” Flash said “I can’t, I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Twilight said “I’m fine seriously,” Flash said “You fought for me?” Twilight asked “Yeah, I didn’t want you to suffer for my sins,” Flash said, before he could continue, he was surprised to feel Twilight’s lips on his; after a few seconds he finally gave in and Kissed back. They kissed for almost a minute non stop, catching everyone’s attention. “Those that mean?” Flash said as they broke the kiss “Yes,” Twilight said “Nice,” Exabryte said “Yeah… now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and stop Shining Armor from killing his future brother-in-law… Shining put that sword down, don’t make me,” Spike said as he walked towards him. After a few minutes of containing Shining Armor, Spike had enough and put him to sleep, earning thanks from everyone there. Minutes later, everyone left except for Spike, Flash and Twilight “You know Flash, you never seize to amaze me,” Spike said “How so?” asked Flash “You might be a bone head, and jerk, but at least you have a sense of honor in you, you just need prompting to use it, nonetheless, I respect that,” Spike said giving Flash a handshake ‘Say Spike, don’t you think that all of what we went through made us closer, like friends?” asked Twilight “Yeah,” Spike said “So what do you say? Friends?” she said “No,” Spike said “But I thought,” Twilight said “I agreed that it brought us closer, I didn't say that we were friends,” Spike said walking away “That doesn’t mean I’m not open to the idea of re-befriending you, sometime in the near future,” Spike finished as he continued walking to his bike. > Dragonlord Ch. 5 When Fire and Love collied Pt. 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It has been 6 months since Spike intervened in Twilight’s little stalker incident, 6 months since Twilight and Spike agreed to become friends again, 6 months since Twilight and Flash became a couple, and 6 months since The Dragonknights released their first official EP. It had been a very unamusing 6 months, with the only highlights being the soccer and cheer teams tournament wins, and the football and basketball teams qualifying for the final of their respective tournaments. But now, students were genuinely excited, not only was the school year weeks from ending, and then everyone was heading out to college, but the Graduation dance was coming up, and more importantly (for the musicians and fame seekers) the city-wide Battle of the bands was happening in 2 months. Now we find ourselves in Twilight’s mansion “Castle”, with the Rainbooms working in new material for the first album and Battle of the bands, which they want to win, again, but there were some minor problems they needed to fix, or at least prepare for them properly. The first one was… Twilight, ever since she started going out with Flash she has had less and less involvement with the band, granted both Flash and Twilight had agreed to “Not date” each other until the battle, and it has been working. Second, the new music, they were split into 2 groups, the ones that wanted to change their rhythm to something faster and awesome (Rainbow Dash, Sunset, Pinkie, and Vinyl) and the ones that didn’t want to change (Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy) And the last one, and possibly the most complicated one, a certain band that was taken the music world by storm, Dragonknights, in less than 3 months they had tied the Rainbooms in popularity and a month later they had left them in the dust, that being part of the problem, the other part was that they had no idea who were the musicians behind the masks, well everyone except Twilight, she just forgot to mention it. “I’m telling you if we want to defeat the Dragonknights we need to change our rhythm, make it faster, and probably heavier,” Rainbow Dash said “Rainbow Dash, that won’t help, and even if we did, none of us has the vocal ability that they have, especially on the gutturals,” Twilight said “Well I can learn, it’s not so hard, plus, it’s not like we don’t have what it takes,” Rainbow Dash said again “RD, you don’t have the instruments to compete with that type of bands, yes, we have a vocalist, 2 guitarists, 1 bass guitarist, and a drummer, and even Rarity’s Keytar, but…” Starlight said ‘But nothing Starlight, if what we need is another guitar then why don’t you join us?” asked RD “Cause I already told Trixie I will help her in her band,” Starlight said “Um… I can learn to play the guitar… if you want,” Fluttershy said “Really Flutters? Have you ever played before?” asked RD “I can play the Harp and Violin so I don’t think it can be that hard,” Fluttershy said “Ah might not be, an expert myself, but ah think that we should get Flutters a tutor don’t you think?” said Applejack “That’s not a bad idea, I can teach her,” said Pinkie said “No Pinkie, we need you to practice the double pedals for your drums, and you also have to work at Sugarcube corner,” said Sunset “Then how can teach her?” asked Twilight “What about your boy-toy, Twi, I’ve heard his an impressive guitarist,” Vinyl said “NO!” Twilight screamed catching everyone’s attention “I mean, no, his studio isn’t even in this town,” Twilight said, she didn’t want to say that she felt jealous of Fluttershy’s hooters, and knowing that Flash like’s them big, it made her feel uncomfortable. “Oh that was it?” said Sunset “You scared us there, Twi, you almost sounded like Rarity,” said RD “Speaking of which… where is Rarity?” asked AJ As if on queue, Rarity bursted through the studio doors “Oh Twilight I need your help!” she screamed “What’s going on?” asked Twilight “Why me? Of all the worst possible things that can happen, this is the... worst... possible thing…” Rarity said as she dramatically laid down on the sofa “What happened?” asked Sunset, but Rarity just continued saying nonsense for another 5 minutes. At this point even Twilight, the most patient of the aal of them had enough, she got up and headed over to Rarity, got down on her knees, grabbed Rarity by the cheeks and made her look into her eyes. “RARITY, SHUT UP AND TELL US WHAT THE FUCK IS THE PROBLEM, GOD’S SAKE!” Twilight screamed Rarity was taken by surprise by Twilight’s sudden actions, but came back to her senses, and realized what she had been doing. “Oh Twilight, Please, you’re the only one that can help me!” Rarity said dramatically “Ok, I don’t know if to take you seriously or not, plus you haven’t even told me what the problem is,” Twilight said losing her patience “I’ve fallen in love!” Rarity said “What else is new?” asked AJ “Excuse me?” asked Rarity “Rarity… no offense but you tend to fall in love once a week,” Sunset deadpanned “Oh, Darling, I have “attractions” once a week, but I’ve only fallen in love once,” Rarity protested “Really? Then what about Fancy pants?” asked Pinkie “He wasn’t into me, and I also realized that the age difference was way too big,” Rarity answered “Thank God, he was 30, you were 15,” RD said “That’s why I decided not to go out with him,” Rarity said “Really? I thought he was the one that rejected you,” said Starlight “It was a mutual Decision,” Rarity protested “Then, what about Trenderhoof, you even tried to change your personality for him,” AJ said “Fancy line coming from you,” Rarity shot back “I never intended to remain in that “Personality” I just needed to make you come back to your senses,” AJ answered “Regardless, he never showed any interest in you, and Applejack did refuse to date him, a fact we still don’t know why,” Sunset said while staring at Applejack “And what about Prince Blueblood?” asked Vinyl “Don’t even get me started on that Jerkblood Prince,” Rarity said “I’m surprised that he and Trixie started dating, they look good together,” Starlight said “And let’s not forget about Ragamuffin, he seemed nice,” Fluttershy said “I must admit I did find him really attractive, but after some days, I realized that my heart belonged to my first crush,” Rarity said “And he is?” they all asked simultaneously Rarity felt everyone's eyes on her which made her really nervous, but she finally broke “SPIKE LADON!” she screamed “WHAT?!” SOMEWHERE ELSE IN TOWN “Dude, is the heater on?” asked Spike “Bro, it’s sunny as fuck outside, plus we’re at 30 degrees,” Soarin said sitting down on his drum kit. “It’s just that I just had goosebumps,” Spike said “Well, you know what that means? Time to go ghost hunting,” Cheese said before both Spike and Flash pushed his chair over, “Rude,” said Cheese while getting up from the ground. “Anyway, what happened to your scales?” asked Flash “Hidden in my hair,” SPike said as he moved his hair for them to see “I like the hair style, where did you see it?” asked Caramel “Rarity told me about a very good hair barbershop she had heard of, and she took me there, I’ve made that my go to barbershop, and honestly I think this style is a keeper,” Spike said “Rarity, huh,” said Flash as he nudged Spike with his shoulder “What?” asked Spike “Oh, nothing,” said Flash Spike was confused, he was even more confused when he saw everyone in the studio staring at him. “So? Are you guys dating?” asked Caramel out of the blue “HUH?!” was all Spike could say BACK TO THE GIRLS “You like Spike?!” they all asked “Yes,” Rarity said “I still don’t see how that’s a bad thing, Spike is a very nice guy,” Twilight said while everyone agreed “The problem is not Spike, or my feelings for him, it’s something a bit more complicated…” said Rarity “And what’s that?” asked RD “Twilight, I need you to… TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT SPIKE, AND DON’T LEAVE ANY DETAILS OUT!” Rarity said as she grabbed her purse and took out a notebook and a pen “Wait, hang on a second, What?” Twilight said “You know him better than anyone here Twilight please I need your help,” Rarity said, getting on her knees and begging her. Twilight remained silent for a few seconds “I’m sorry Rarity, I just wasn’t expecting you to ask me that favor… how did you find out?” Twilight asked Rarity quickly sat back on the couch and started to narrate “Well it all started back in the seventh grade…” FLASHBACK Rarity was walking down the hallways, looking as fabulous as always, she had a very nice and stylish white sundress, a hat and a pair of matching sandals. She was as happy as happy could be, she had finished this dress last night and wanted to show it off to everyone. When she finally reached her class, she walked in doing the best impression she could of a supermodel. And although she did catch everyone's attention, no one complemented her dress, instead, some of the other girls started to make fun of her “Look I’m Rarity Belle, and I want to be a model, because I know that I have no brains,” said a girl while everyone else laughed, well not everyone, a boy,roughly her size and height, kept looking at her, he was starstruck he had never seen such beauty, yet he was to afraid to say something since he knew that his words will not mean anything to anyone. All throughout the class, Rarity, was made fun of by everyone around her, they gave her little notes saying things like “Dream real, not Fantasy, Piggy,” or “Turtle girl,” there was even one letter that said “If you want to be a model, you really need to lose weight, no one likes heavy set girls,” Rarity’s smile had disappeared before class started but now, after all the things that her classmates said to her she just wanted the day to be over so she could go home and escape this horrible nightmare. Finally class ended and she headed to her locker, she expected even more little notes inside it, but to her surprise there was only one she quickly grabbed it and opened it, just wanting to get her humiliation over with. But to her surprise, the letter said nothing humiliating, in fact it was the nicest thing someone had ever said to her. “I know that maybe what I write to you today may not make you feel better, but I just wanted to let you know that, I think you’re really beautiful, and that your dress was really nice, I hope that you can accomplish your dreams someday, and that I can be there to witness it, never stop being yourself. Ps. Don’t worry about receiving any other harmful letters in your locker, I placed a little spell on it so that those types of letters never hurt you again. Love S.L.” Rarity read A warm smile crept into Rarity’s face, she quickly, placed the letter into her backpack, locked her locker and hurried back home. She was about to turn the corner to get to the main entrance, when she bumped into something, or someone Rarity fell backwards do to the impact, and her dress managed to catch some air accidentally showing her underwear “HA, looks like Turtle girl wanted to become a rabbit, just like the one in her undies,” came a female voice Rarity quickly sat up to see Gilda and her friends laughing hysterically at the scene, then she realized what Gilda had said and she turned red, as tears started to form in her eyes. “Oh, look, little Ms. Perfect is about to cry,” Gilda said as she laughed even harder, after a few more seconds Gilda said “Sorry Fatty, sorry that you can’t be a cutie, hahaha, let’s go guys,” while kicking Rarity’s backpack, causing all of her notebooks to scatter all over the floor. Rarity just sat on the floor, tears falling down her eyes as she sobbed quietly, Rarity heard many students just walking by not even stopping to help, some even made fun of her and laughed at her. But then she heard someone grabbing her things and putting them in her backpack, she was too ashamed to look up, and her eyes were so full of tears that she couldn’t even see. After a few more seconds she felt someone hand her, her backpack, and then pick her up, Rarity still didn’t look at her savior, due to shame, she did, however, feel that someone was dusting her dress, and even used some sort of wet cloth to clean Rarity’s arms and legs from the dust she had caught when falling. “Thank you,” Rarity said, just a little louder than a whisper “For what it’s worth… I did mean everything I said in the letter,” said a male voice as it started to walk away This made Rarity quickly try to dry off her tears, when she did, all she could see was the back of a purple skinned dragon, Rarity was about to run up to him when she heard “Hey Spike, ready for tomorrow's mock test?” said another female voice “No, Twilight, I’m going home now to study, and no, I won't help you out this time, you’re to dependent of me,” Spike said “Oh, come on,” Twilight said as she and Spike walked away “Spike Ladon,” Rarity said dreamly as she walked home END FLASHBACK “That day I decided to change, I started to eat better and do exercise, I even opened my boutique when I turned 15, and it’s all thanks to Spike,” Rarity said “Well, if that’s the case, you sure showed him your “gratitud” very well Rarity,” said RD “Big words coming from you Ray,” Rarity said “Regardless, what exactly is the problem?” asked Twilight “For the past 7 months I’ve been trying to get him to notice me, but no matter what I do he doesn’t seem to notice me, I left letters in his locker, wore pretty clothes and “unconsciously” walked in front of him, I even became his second shadow trying to learn things about him,” Rarity said “Wait a minute… you left letters in his locker?” asked Sunset Rarity nodded “What’s his locker number?” asked Sunset “1999, why?” asked Rarity “Rarity, Spike’s locker number is 1997, 1999 belongs to Rumble,” Twilight said “Huh, that explains why there where so many letters in the trash can, now that you mention it they did resemble your handwriting,” Pinkie said “And why Scootaloo was always angry with Rumble, it’s a good thing she took it as a challenge and became even more possessive of him… that’s a good thing right?” said RD “So, you’re telling me that all this time, he hasn’t been ignoring me but that he didn’t know of actions?” asked Rarity “Maybe with the letters, but with the other things… he just thinks that you like to dress like that and doesn’t really think much of it… as for the Stalking, he does think it was Twilight, but he still feels followed sometimes,” Vinyl said surprising everyone “Wait a minute, how do you know all this?” asked Rarity “Spike and I do a lot, and I mean A LOT, of collaborations, heck he is the vocalist for all the songs in my last album Vinyl Bomb,” Vinyl said “You never said you were this close,” said Rarity, with a hint of jealousy in her voice “Well, we aren’t friends, but we have a very good Professional relationship, and I must admit, he is really fun to hang with,” Vinyl said Rarity was green with envy of how much time Vinyl and Spike spent together “But rest assured Rare, Spike and I are only good friends… yes he might have become a hunk, but he can’t defeat my Neon Lights,” said Vinyl as she started to drool by the wallpaper of her boo in her phone. “That is reassuring,” Rarity said “Going back to what you said… I don’t think he will ever notice you as a romantic candidate, or anyone in this room for the most part,” Vinyl said “What is that supposed to mean?” said Fluttershy in an angry tone, but since her voice was so low no one heard her. “Why would you even say that?” asked Rarity “Let’s face it, everyone here treated him like shit, and so far only Twilight has, kind of, cleaned her act,” Vinyl said At this everyone in the room went silent, they knew she was right, but for some reason this reality infuriated them. “Rarity, I’m not trying to discourage you, trust me, If I had done half of the nice things Spike has done, and still be treated like shit, I wouldn’t fall in love, or even consider befriending someone like that,” Vinyl said “You might not, but Spike would,” said Pinkie “No, no, she’s gotta point, we don’t really deserve his friendship,” said AJ “I have to agree with Applejack, we all failed at being real friends,” Twilight said “You might, I didn’t,” Pinkie said proudly “Pinkie the only thing you did for Spike this past 3 years was a welcome to Canterlot high party, which wasn’t even meant for him but for Twilight, you didn’t even do a banner with his name,” Sunset said “Yeah, plus, you did get his birthday date, and you never gave him, not even a card,” Starlight said At the mention of this Pinkie’s mane deflated and she became depressed. “What have I done?... I didn’t celebrate someone’s birthday… What type of party planner am I?... GOTTAGOBYSPIKESOMEGIFTANDBAKEFOURCAKESFORHISNEXTBIRTHDAY, TWILGHTMAYIUSEYOURKITCHEN?!!!” Pinkie screamed “Yeah sure just…” Twilight said, but Pinkie was gone before she even agreed After Pinkie’s meltdown and hipper reaction the room went quiet, no one wanted to talk, that is until Rarity said “So, about that request?” “Argh, give it up already Rarity, Spike is not going to notice you,” RD said “Yeah… I know you're trying to make up for everything but… not even I can be positive about this,” Starlight said “I’ll make him fall in love for with me, you’ll see,” Rarity said “Rarity… I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this but… Spike had a crush on you for the longest time, even before you became the hottest girl in school, but, just like me, you turned your back on him,” Twilight said “Not only that… Rarity, when Blueblood broke your heart and humiliated you, who was the only person to comfort you and keep you company while you were on your darkest moment?” asked RD “Spike” Rarity said looking down in shame “And who was the one to stand by your side trying to make you feel better when Trenderhoof ignored your feelings? Spike, Rarity he even helped you create a whole wardrobe and help you “work” at my farm, even though he was doing all the real work, for cryin’ out loud!” AJ said Rarity remained quiet, all her friends were right, she didn’t deserve him, she never has, she had spent such a long time trying to impress everyone with her beauty and creativity, she had completely overlooked the only person that had liked her before she was what she was today. “Rares, it’s not that we’re trying to lower your morale, let’s face it, if you or anyone in this room had a chance with him, not that I’m implying that I like him, you blew it,” Starlight said “How can you be so sure?” Rarity said between sobs “Not to discredit any of the aforementioned memories but, 7 months ago, didn’t you deliberately ignore his presence and threw his song notebook into the garbage can?” asked Twilight Rarity didn’t even move or say a word “Rarity, just like all of us, you placed status and reputation before doing what was right, and deliberately tortured him, any many occasions, I can bet every dollar I’ve got, and say that you haven’t even thanked him for lend you his shoulder to cry on,” Twilight said Rarity just remained seated in place not saying a word “And the reason I can say this with confidence is because, for the last 16 years that I’ve know Spike, I never, EVER, thanked him for everything he's done for me, not to mention being in my life, and I had no plan to do it, until recently,” Twilight said “Was it the day that Spike told you off in the hallway?” asked Fluttershy “That was the beginning, but then he did more things for me and, believe it or not, he saved my life… Rarity, you're one of my best friends, but I don't want you to be hard broken when he rejects you… So… just give up while you still have some dignity left,” Twilight said as she walked over to give Rarity a hug. Rarity just remained motionless, not a word, not a sound came from her body, but you could see a waterfall of tears falling down her cheek, she knew that Twilight was only trying to look out for her, and she knew she was right, and giving up would be the best course of action, but, then again, images of Spike with some other girl crept into her mind, and a feeling of rage and jealousy came over her. “I’m sorry Twilight… but I refuse to let Spike go, he is the only good thing that has ever happened to me, plus… It’s too late to give up,” Rarity said “What do you mean?” asked Twilight “Oh, I haven’t told you, Well allow me to narrate yesterday’s events,” Rarity said as she sat up and motioned everyone to sit down. “My day started like every other…” she began Rarity’s alarm clock signaled 6 AM “Time to get pretty,” Rarity said as she stretched, she then proceeded to get out of bed and head for the bathroom to take a long and rejuvenating bubble bath. After 30 minutes in the shower, Rarity got out and spent the next hour choosing her clothes for the day, and the next 30 minutes doing her makeup and hair Once she was done she hurried downstairs to the kitchen to prepare herself a small and healthy breakfast, Cherry flavored yogurt and some granola, and then waited for her sister Sweetie Belle to finish her eating her pancakes and packing her lunch. Then get into her white Cadillac XT5, and drive to school; Rarity liked to be on time, not because she was as much of a brainiac as Twilight, even if she did get good grades, but because she loved that all the boys and many girls had placed her in a pedestal, yet she only cared about one of them. Rarity parked her SUV, purposely next to the Motorcycle parking lots, and waited for her prince in scally armor to arrive, she had been doing this for the last 6 months, at first she had to remind her sister that she was waiting for someone and that she could get out of the car whenever she wanted. “I wonder if he’ll notice me today… he has to, I mean, come on Rarity, you wear this types of clothes just for him, you even park next to his usual parking space, yet I wonder why he never notices me,” Rarity said in her head, just then she heard the roar of a Ducati Superleggera entering the parking lot and getting closer to her SUV “Show time” As soon as Spike parked his motorcycle, Rarity began to open the door to her SUV, but lost her focus when he removed his helmet, making him look so much more dreamy than before. Rarity was so lost in thought she almost fell out of her car, but managed to compose herself and got out as gracefully as possible. “Morning Spike, fancy seeing you this… morning,” Rarity said but Spike ignored her “rude, but never mind that, take 2” she said in her head, “So... I was wondering, do you have a…” she began to say but Spike just walked away. Rarity thought that he was ignoring her on purpose, but unknown to her, Spike was actually wearing air pods and therefore couldn’t hear her, he didn’t even realize she was talking to him. Rarity felt a bit angry, and proceeded to follow Spike to his looker trying to make small talk, all which was going unnoticed by Spike. When he finally reached his locker, Rarity had enough and tapped him on his shoulder, this scared Spike, but he was good at keeping his poker face “Rarity! May I help you?” Spike asked taking off his air pods, this made Rarity realize that he wasn’t trying to ignore her; he just couldn’t hear her. “Morning Spike, I just wanted to know… if you have a girlfriend… What do you think about my dress? Really Rarity, your dress, that’s the best you can do, just be honest with him, tell him, Spike I’ve liked you for a long time, and I would like to know if you would like to go out with me,” Rarity said “It suits you, it makes you look really… beautiful,” Spike said in his emotionless voice “He said I look beautiful… ok Rarity, calm down, this is your chance, tell him how you feel about him, do it now that you have his attention… Say Spike would you like to go on a d… WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?!” said Rarity as the only trace left of Spike was an imaginary outline of his body where he had been a second earlier. Rarity looked up and down the hall for Spike, when she finally saw him, she felt her heart sank, Spike was talking to Cloudchaser and Flitter, and he was even laughing with them, HIM, Rarity felt rage crawl all over her body, and her face turned green with envy. The only thing that stopped her from going over there and telling the sisters to leave HER Spike alone was the bell signaling the beginning of class. During the rest of the day Rarity didn’t see Spike again, and not due to the lack of searching, he really was nowhere to be found. Since they didn’t attend the same classes she didn’t know where to find him, he didn’t go to his locker during break or everytime a class ended, even weirder he wasn’t at his usual table during lunch. Rarity asked her friends if they had seen Spike, to which they all said yes, they had seen him in their classes together but they didn’t know where he was at the moment. Rarity even went to ask Spike’s friends but they refused to disclose any information to her, not because they didn’t like her, but because Spike had asked them not to tell anyone where he was. During the rest of the day Rarity founded it hard to focus in class, all she could think of was Spike “What if he got hurt, and is at the infirmary, or had to go home for the day, or even the hospital! What if he is sick? What if it’s serious?!... no, no… come down Rarity, I’m sure Spike is ok… we might just have bad timing to meet each other… it’s not like he went somewhere to meet a girl, hehe, yeah that’s just ridiculous… who is he gonna meet, haha,” But then images of Spike laughing with Cloudchaser and Flitter, “Those two… no, that’s just ridiculous, they don’t have that femenine appeal to catch MY Spike… yes, Flitter has big boobs and Cloud Chaser has a nice body… but they are miles away from me… plus what would they be doing… talking to each other, laughing at each other's jokes...then hugging and making out with… each other… as Spike inserts his… big dragonian…” “Rarity?... Rarity?... RARITY?!!!!” someone screamed catching her off guard “Wha-what?” she asked “Are you ok, you’ve been standing in place for the last 5 minutes, it’s unlike you to get stage frights,” said a female pony called Coloratura “I’m sorry Coloratura, I just don’t feel like myself today… may I go home?” Rarity said “Sure, dear, just make sure to practice your lines for the play,” Coloratura said “Yes ma’am,” Rarity said as she got off the stage and left the Drama club “I need to get my act together, everyone is counting on me to portray Juliet to the best of my abilities, I have to stop thinking about Spike and his… beautiful eyes… or how cool he is… or the fact that those two sisters are after my man,” Rarity said a bit angry, just as she was about to turn the corner she felt her stomach tighten “Bathroom brake,” she said as she headed down the hall to the nearest bathroom. When she got there, she realized that the bathrooms were closed due to maintenance, she quickly turned and ran towards the other side of the school, there were some bathrooms there, but they were so old no one dared use them, except for the boys and 2 or 3 girls in dire emergencies like such. When Rarity arrived she started to regret her decision, but her bladder told her to hurry, and so she entered, the bathrooms were kind of dusty and unkept, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. When she was done, Rarity quickly headed to the sink to wash her hands and to use the dusty mirror to fix her makeup. After 15 minutes she came out of the bathroom. “Honestly they should demolish these bathrooms or at least renovate them, not to mention clean them,” She said as she started to walk down the hall. She didn’t make it far though, to her left, Rarity heard a strange sound coming from behind a close door; she had seen this scenario so many times in movies and knew she wasn’t supposed to go near the noise, but her curiosity made her do otherwise. Rarity slowly made her way towards the door, she slowly and quietly pressed her ear against the door. “What is that? Sounds like a very loud ghost,” Rarity said in her head, unknown to her, the door wasn’t closed properly, and due to the pressure she was exerting on the door, it swung open. Rarity fell flat on the floor, when she looked up, her eyes filled with confusion, in front of her was a gigantic vacuum cleaner. Rarity quickly got up to leave, not knowing she had sealed her fate. The vacuum turned to face her and started to suck on the air around her, Rarity instinctively grabbed the door frame and hung on for dear life. After a minute Rarity used all her strength to climb the door frame and close the door, sealing the vacuum cleaner in the room. Rarity sat down to catch her breath, but something felt wrong… she knew that it was the beginning of autumn but it was colder than earlier, not to mention that the floor was also surprisingly cold. Rarity then looked down at herself and made a horrifying discovery. The vacuum cleaner had stripped her down completely, Rarity turned bright red and let out a scream “Rarity are you ok?” came a familiar voice “Oh, Pinkie, it’s awful the vacuum in that room just…” Rarity said “Sripped you clothes up, I know we’re on the same boat,” Pinkie said Rarity quickly looked up at her, and noticed that Pinkie was butt naked, and more surprisingly, was doing nothing to cover herself “Pinkie, cover yourself someone is going to see you,” Rarity said “Who? Everyone already went home, it’s almost 6 Pm and it’s Friday,” Pinkie answered “Why do I feel this has something to do with you,” Rarity said “I might’ve… accidentally… wrongly modified my Party-to-go-matic,” Pinkie said giving Rarity a sheepish smile “What?” Rarity asked “It’s one of my inventions, you place all of the party inside and when you get to the place of the party you just blow it out, and once you’re down just suck it in, like a vacuum cleaner… but I might’ve broken the sucking system,” Pinkie said Rarity quickly noticed that she had a box of tools in her hand “Pinkie, you didn’t go to the school's garage naked? Did you?” Asked Rarity “Yup, I need to fix the machine, to get my clothes, and now yours, back,” Pinkie said “What if someone saw you?” Rarity asked “Well… I hope they enjoyed the show,” Pinkie said as he cupped her boobs “When can I get my clothes back?” asked Rarity ignoring Pinkie’s typical pervy antics “In a few hours,” Pinkie said “Hours?!!!” Rarity said in horror “Yup, or maybe even tomorrow, now if you excuse me… time for round 2 you dumb piece of mateiral!” Pinkie said as the vacuum wrapped itself around her body and pulled her into the room closing the door. Rarity didn’t know what to do, she didn’t want someone to see her naked, but she didn’t want to stay in this area of the school alone. So she came up with a plan “If I run fast and hide behind stuff, I can make it to my car, I’ve got my gym clothes inside, not like I have another choice,” Rarity said as she sprinted off Rarity had gone halfway to the main entrance when she heard noises coming from the school's weight room, she quietly peaked into the room and saw Coack Bulk and the bodybuilding club still at it. “Come on kid, more… more… one more… YEAH!!” he screamed at someone “Gym rats,” Rarity said as she hurried away Seconds later Rarity reached the school’s infirmary, once again she heard noises inside “Ah, nurse Redheart maybe she can help,” Rarity thought as she slowly opened the door but what she saw, almost hypnotized her. There on one of the beds where Whooves and Derpy. Although both of them had their backs to the door, Rarity could see everything, and she had to admit she was feeling aroused. Derpy was on all fours while Whooves fucked her stupid, he was going saw fast and hard that both Derpy’s massive jugs and the bed where swiiging wildly. “Faster… Faster… Harder, go harder DR.” Derpy moaned “Argh… Derpy… I’m going to…” Whooves said “Do it… make me yours… shot your seed inside me,” Derpy moaned “DERPY!!!” “WHOOVES!!!” Rarity had to use all her mental strength to avoid touching herself and blowing her cover, she quickly got up and ran as fast as she could A few seconds later she saw the main entrance “I’m almost there… one last sprint,” she said as she ran towards the door Just as she was going to enter the rotonda, she ran straight into something, or better said, someone. “Uff,” Rarity said as she fell on her back, her handbag, which had been her only clothing this whole time flew across the hall. “OW, oh, rarity are you… Oh God,” She heard a voice say, the voice she had been looking for, but also the voice that she hoped she wouldn’t run into looking like this. Rarity looked up and there standing with a massive blush and a small nosebleed was Spike, Rarity didn’t know what to do, on one hand she was happy that she had ran into Spike, but on the other hand, Spike or not, he had seen her naked, and that made her start crying. Spike quickly escaped his dazed state, grabbed his backpack, and pulled out a towel, and quickly wrapped Rarity’s body with it “Follow me,” he said as he helped Rarity up and pulled her to a nearby room When they entered Spike quickly made sure to close the shades, then he turned to Rarity and said “What are you doing?” Rarity explained the whole thing between sobbes, and Spike quickly, changed his facial expression from disappointment to a smile. “Knowing you, you have spare pieces of clothing in your car, I’m I right?” Spike said “Yeah, my gym clothes,” Rarity said “Give me your keys, I’ll go get them for you,” Spike said “I know your car it’s the white Cadillac next to my bike,” Rarity gave him her keys, and Spike told her to lock the door behind him, as he ran to her car. 5 minutes later, Rarity heard a knock on the door, she slowly opened it and Spike gave her the clothes, he stayed outside while she changed. Minutes later she emerged from the room and gave Spike his towel “Thanks Spike,” She said in a sad voice “Don’t mention it, seriously, don’t” Spike said “Why was your towel wet?” she asked “Cause I had a swimming competition today, I just came back actually, and since I am the captain I had to go and put the first place trophy in the stand. Rarity remind quiet while looking sad, this made Spike uneasy “I understand if you’re mad that I saw you naked, I’m really sorry,” Spike said “It’s not your fault darling, like I said it’s Pinkie’s,” Rarity said “Then why’re you still sad?” Spike asked “Because now, I can’t get married!” Rarity said “What?” asked Spike “I was hoping to have my husband see me naked for the first time, but now…” Rarity said “Is it really that important?” asked Spike Rarity looked at him in confusion “The marriage thing,” Spike said “Well, it is for me, I’ve always dreamt of getting married and having kids, have you?” she asked Spike as they walked to their respective means of transportation “Honestly, I never thought a girl would feel attracted to me, that, or that I would die before I get the chance to,” Spike said as he got onto his Bike “Oh,” was all Rarity could say as she got on her SUV and rolled down the window. Spike looked at her face and could see that she was still sad, so he said something, he didn’t know would change everything “Rarity… I know, I might not be the man of your dreams, but… if this is really important for you… then… I’m willing to take responsibility for everything,” Rarity looked at him, taking some time to process what he had said “Do you mean it?” she asked Spike nodded yes “So, did you just propose to me?” she asked with stars in her eyes Spike just said “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” and he drove away, leaving Rarity in a daze. Her head full of daydreams “He proposed to me! Oh my God! Thank you lord, thank you!.. Now I just have to find out more things about him, but I don’t want to ask him those personal questions, it might scare him, who do I know that knows him well… Twilight of course!.. I’ll talk to her tomorrow during band practice… I wonder how many kids would he like… I’d like 3 but if he wants more I wouldn’t mind.” Rarity thought as she drove away. END FLASHBACK > Dragonlord Ch. 6 When Fire and Love collied Pt. 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So that’s why you’re so fixated on knowing about him,” said Twilight “It is my duty as his wife-to-be, to know everything about him,” Rarity said proudly “Maybe I should flash him myself,” said someone in the background, but no one could make out who the voice was coming from. “That was weird,” said RD “Yeah, I could’ve sworn I heard someone say something,” agreed Sunset “Anyway, going back to you Rarity… I think you got the wrong idea about Spike,” Twilight said “Whatever do you mean?” Rarity asked “Well… I can believe that he did those things for you, but… when it comes to his response of “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he tends to use that line when he doesn’t really care about the conversation and just wants to get it over with,” Twilight said “So you’re telling me that what he told me, was just for me to shut up?” asked Rarity “Honestly, I don’t know what he meant with it, Spike might be smart, but when it comes to relationships and love things, he is as, for lack of a better word, an ignorant, and to be honest, he didn’t really believe that love existed, so…” Twilight said “So, you’re jealous,” Rarity said “What?” asked Twilight surprised by her logic “Your jealous that your childhood has the balls to propose to someone, and your prince doesn’t, well Twi I think it’s time you stepped up your game, I mean, looking at Flash, he looks like the type that likes assertive girls, you wouldn’t want one to steal him would you?” Rarity said “That’s not even the point, and for your information, he already did, here is the ring,” Twilight screamed. “Can you 2 horn dogs, stop fightin’ Twilight, just tell Rarity what she wants to know, let’er get hit by reality,” said Applejack “Ok, fine, but if this doesn’t go your way don’t come crying to us,” Twilight said “Oh Darling, I’m gonna make it work, you’ll see,” Rarity said with confidence in her voice “I hope you fail,” came the mysterious voice again “What would you like to know?” asked Twilight “Everything, favorite color, favorite food… how many kids would he like, favorite sexual position, if he likes big tits, like mine, or big butts, classy girly girls or athletic ones, things like that,” Rarity said after 10 minutes of listing things. “I don’t know the answers to all those questions, and I might be wrong in some of them, so don’t really take my word for it,” “Then help me find them out,” Rarity begged “I don’t know h… I’ve got an idea,” Twilight said as she grabbed her phone and started typing “What are you doing?” asked Rarity “Texting Flash,” Rarity said “Twilight, this is not the time to be lovey dovey with your boy, I’m in a life-death situation here,” Rarity said “Just shut up, I’m asking Flash to get me the information you requested,” said Twilight ‘How?” asked Rarity “Spike and Flash have become somewhat friends in the past months, and if I’m right, they might be hanging out together right now, so, you know,” Twilight said After a few more seconds Twilight said “He says he will ask him, to wait for his texts,” “Good, now, tell me what you know,” Rarity said “Well, Spike’s favorite color is green, his favorite pastime is either reading or working out, he used to be more of a bookworm like me, favorite food: pizza, he is a sucker for Horror movies, fun fact: he is ambidextrous, but was born left handed, he considers himself a loner,” Twilight went on listing things that Spike liked and disliked. 10 minutes later “And that’s about all I know for sure,” Twilight said “Twilight there has to be more, please think deeper,” Rarity said, her notebook fool of notes “Well I do know he hates drama, and always goes straight to the point...come to think of it, you 2 have a lot in common,” Twilight said “Like?” asked Rarity “Well, although he’s not crazy for it, he does like to look fashionable, you both tend to place your friends before yourselves, and your both extremely generous, and, although he denies it, he does like to go shopping,” Twilight said “Well, that makes as a perfect match, it’s all settled, I just have to get closer to him and make him see it,” Rarity said “That’s not all Rares… I promised Spike I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but… I think you should know this,” Twilight said as her face turned serious, “What is it?” Rarity said fearing for the worst “Remember when you started your boutique?” Twilight asked “Yes darling, one of the happiest days of my life,” Rarity said smiling at the memory “Well, remember that at the beginning you weren’t doing so well, and that you were barely scraping through?” said Twilight “Well, yes I do, It came to the point that I couldn’t even pay the schools fees, and I had to decide between school or the boutique,” Rarity said getting sad “Well what happened afterwards?” Twilight asked “A mysterious businessman started to invest in my boutique, and 3 months later, I was receiving many orders for the Gala, even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna placed orders, not to mention, that someone actually paid my tuition fees for the rest of the year… I honestly would like to meet this investor and thank him for all he did,” Rarity said “You already did,” Twilight said “Really? Who then? Was it you?” asked Rarity “You’re not fixated on marrying me, are you?” Twilight said When Twilight said that, reality hit Rarity so hard, she almost fell off her seat. “You’re not telling me…” Rarity said “Yup, Spike is your mysterious investor, he overheard us one day talking about you boutique, and well… you know the rest,” Twilight said “I didn’t know Spike had that much money,” RD said ‘Oh yeah, Spike’s loaded, I actually found this out when I stalk- I MEAN, followed Spike to his house and talked to him,” Twilight said “Dude’s got a mansion?” asked Vinyl “Nah, he lives on an apartment block near the school,” Twilight said “And you believe him?” said RD “Well he did mention that he was in some business magazines, and well, I went out to find copies of it, but it was hard to find them at the store, after some days I finally got them, look,” Twilight said as she showed the girls the list and the articles about Spike “Second “Youngest and Powerful” in the country, Spike Ladon, Owner of Ladon Wineries and Co-founder/owner of Meganet, this 17 year old’s annual income is anywhere around $9,000,000 to $300,000,000, he is also one of the few people on this list who isn’t royalty,” read Sunset “Number 8, top 50 richest entrepreneurs in the world, age 17, height 6”6”, weight: unknown, marital status: single (for now), strange things to write in a magazine,” said Starlight “That magazine is meant for teenage girls and young adults Starlight,” Vinyl said “Number 1, Top 30 under 30, name Spike Ladon, Dragonborn, age 17, this young entrepreneur is also one of the richest, if not the richest Teenager in the whole world, he even has more money than many Royal families or Knightdoms in the world, rumor has it, his list of suthers is as long as the statue of Liberty, yet, not much of his personal life is know, since he rarely appears in public or even parties,” read Fluttershy “Oh, look Rarity, you’re number 17, of the top 30 under 30, it says, Rarity Belle, Unicorn, age 17, The beautiful and one of the most talented fashion designers in the whole world, in under 2 years this creative beauty has taken the world by storm, not only are her dress totally IN, but masterpieces to wear, not to mention she is plain gorgeous, the man or woman that captures her heart is one lucky person,” read AJ “And here is Cheese Sandwich, Number 20, Pony, owner and founder of Amusement Factory… oh he is also number 15 on the youngest Entrepreneurs list,” said Pinkie who appeared out of nowhere and scared the hell out of everyone, especially Fluttershy who almost passed out from the fright. Unfortunately Rarity wasn’t paying any attention, her head was still trying to process all of what Spike had done for her “And there is more, Spike is both the owner and Landlord of the apartment complex he lives in, and he also owns other buildings in the area,” Twilight said. “Wow, who would’ve known, HA, think of it this way Rares, if you manage to get in his pants, you won’t have to worry about finances ever again, lucky you,” said Vinyl as she nudged her in the arm. But Rarity didn’t say anything, she was still in shock of everything she had just heard. “All this time, he has been taking care of me… he saved my boutique, my academic life, and even my dignity, and yet… all this time I’ve only cared about myself, even now…”Rarity said in her head but was interrupted by various pings coming from Twilight’s phone “Oh, it’s Flash he finally managed to get the answers from Spike,” Twilight said, catching Rarity’s attention “Let’s see… Spike says he doesn’t have a preference for boob or but size but, he if he has to choose he’ll go with big boobs,” Twilight said, as Rarity wrote it down “He doesn’t have an idea for a max. In kids, but he would like to have some… Oh and I asked Flash to ask Spike this question for me… do you think that Rarity is attractive?” said Twilight “And? What did he say?” asked Rarity with bated breath, unaware that someone else in the room was also paying close attention to the answers “Spike looked at me funny when I asked him this, and told me that I had Twilight and that she wouldn’t appreciate this question, going back to his answer he said… you can’t deny real beauty, but she’s way out of my league,” Twilight read. “But that can’t be… he said it was a proposal,” Rarity said “My guess, it was all a misunderstanding,” Twilight said “What do you mean?” asked Rarity “Like I said, he said “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” everytime he says that is because he is out of ideas for solutions,” Twilight said Rarity was confused “My guess is, he didn't ask to marry you as much as a date as friends, maybe take you out shopping to make up for the incident,” Sunset said Rarity was once again speechless, did she read to much into it or was Spike really interested in marriage, her train of thought, however, was interrupted by a male voice entering the studio “Hey, all, what’s all this I hear about someone liking big boons and butts?” “Zephyr Breeze?!” they all said “The one and only… so what’s going on?” he asked “Nothing much, just fixing some minor details for the bands future,” RD said “Ah, yes, Fluttershy told me about it,” Zephyr answered “She did?” asked RD “Yup, she sent me a text asking me if I knew someone who can give her some guitar lessons and so I did,” Zephyr said proudly Everyone looked at Zephyr in amazement “Oh before I forget, I got the things you asked for, there in my truck,” Zephyr said as Fluttershy got up and hurried outside. Zephyr looked into the hall and as soon as Fluttershy turned the corner he looked at the girls “So, what’s really happening?” he asked “Rarity has fallen in love with Spike, or as it looks, accepted her feelings for him, after he “Proposed” to her yesterday,” RD said “Congratulations,” said Zephyr “That’s not it, the problem is that Rarity doesn’t know if Spike was serious about it, and so far nothing we have heard makes it sound serious,” said Twilight “Let me guess, he said “Whatever helps you sleep at night” right? Zephyr said, as the girls nodded “How do you know?” asked Twilight “Spike says that a lot, to just about everyone… I don’t thinks it’s because he doesn’t know what it means, he just doesn’t talk much,” Zephyr said “So, any idea on how we can hook dragon-boy and Hornyty here?” asked RD “Rarity, do you love Spike?” Zephyr asked Rarity nodded and said “With all my heart,” “Then I think the best thing you can do is… tell him the truth, a little heart to heart always works, that’s who I got my girl,” Zephyr said “You have a girlfriend?!” asked RD in surprise “Yeah, I know Dash, what we had was something special, but, don’t get me wrong, we didn’t have a nice chemistry, I am too handsome and you’re too awesome, completely different worlds, but trust me, you’ll move on eventually,” Zephyr said as he gave RD a hug “Why are you here for, really?” asked RD “Fluttershy told me that you gals were having trouble with the AMPs so I came to check them for you,” Zephyr said “Oh thanks,” RD said as Zephyr got to work “So, who’s the lucky girl?” asked Starlight “Pixie Cut,” Zephyr answered “Wait for real?!” they all said in unison “Yeah, ever since last year I’ve felt a connection with her, and well, after almost a year of knowing her I asked her out, and we’ve been going steady ever since, and all it took was, like I said, a heart to heart,” Zephyr said “I hope I can have one of those with Spike,” Rarity said Just as Rarity said this Zephyr stopped working and turned to face her “Rarity, I know I’m not supposed to say this but… I hope you won Spike’s heart,” he said “Why wouldn’t you say that?” asked Rarity Zephyr quickly got up and headed for the hallway, he looked in to see if Fluttershy was around, then turned back to the girls and said “This was supposed to be a secret but, you’re not the only one in love with Spike,” Zephyr said “What do you mean,” AJ asked “It’s Fluttershy… she is in love with him to,” Zephyr said The whole room gasped in surprise “She is in love with Spike? That’s new,” RD said “Now that I think of it, in love doesn’t cut it, she is obsessed with him,” Zephyr said “Yeah right, our Fluttershy, the girl that’s to afraid of her own shadow?” said Sunset “I’m not lying, look I have proof,” Zephyr said as he grabbed his phone and opened his gallery Everyone’s faces went pale, Fluttershy’s room was filled to max with pictures of Spike, there were everywhere, both old and new, in casual attire and swimsuit, she even has a body pillow of Spike on her bed and a small plushy that resembled Spike “Are you sure this is Fluttershy’s room?” asked Vinyl “It’s even worse,” Zephyr said as he tapped a video on his phone When the video started to play, everyone went red, in the video they all could see a naked Fluttershy masturbating to Spike’s pictures she was even using the body pillow too. “See what I mean,” Zephyr said Everyone nodded “I love my sister with all of my heart, but this is going too far… I do want her to fall in love, and who knows maybe she and Spike get a chance but…” “You’re concerned that her feelings for Spike might scare him away?” said Twilight “Yeah, don’t get me wrong, Spike is one of the nicest guys I know, but, you’ve got to admit, even a perv would be freaked out by that,” Zephyr said as he got back to work. “Don’t worry Zephyr, I’m sure everything will be ok,” Starlight said Unknown to everyone in the room, Fluttershy had overheard the conversation; she had returned earlier than planned to thank Zephyr for his help. Fluttershy’s head was a mess after hearing her brother, on one hand she was angry that he would say and show her secrets to her friends, on the other hand, she was glad that her friends didn’t judge her, but most of all, she was nervous. She knew that Rarity was serious about dating if not marrying Spike, and now she knew of her feelings towards him. “I think it’s time for me to step up my game, believe me Spike, you will be mine,” Fluttershy said. BACK WITH THE BOYS “And that’s a wrap guys, now I’ll just finish editing the video and I’ll upload it,” said Neon lights “Spike you sure it’ll be a good idea to go public about our identities, I mean, it’s totally cool for us but, in your particular case…” said Soarin “You should get a couple of bodyguards,” said Flash “Or a restraining order,” said Cheese “Or even better, a possessive girlfriend to keep the groupies in check,” said Caramel But his idea made everyone in the studio facepalm “Someone please save his brain,” said Neon Lights “What, that’s what my girl is going to do,” Caramel said “YOU TOLD YOUR GIRLFRIEND ABOUT THE BAND?!” everyone said in unison “Nah, but she is going to react like that when this video comes up, she is a massive fan of us,” he said “Wait… Wait… you have a girlfriend?” asked Spike surprise “I’m not that hopeless you know, and before you say anything about, what exactly did I do to ask her out… she was the one to make the move, and believe me, I was really surprised when she did,” Caramel said “And who is the lucky gal?” asked Big Mac “You’ll find out sooner or later,” Caramel said as he left “Well it was fun guys, how about a barbeque tomorrow at my place? You know, to celebrate 10 million subs,” said Cheese “I never took you for the BBQ type Cheese,” said Spike “Nah, I’m more about the party, the BBQ is all you man,” Cheese said “Wait what?” asked Spike “Dude face it you’re the only one here that knows how to cook,” said Caramel as he re-entered the room with some sodas “Ok then, what time?” asked Spike “3:00 PM, oh and, let’s keep this one a secret from the girls ok, you know, guys night,” Cheese said Too which everyone nodded in agreement “Ok guys, video had been uploaded, now we just wait for the reactions,” Neon said “Nah dude, I’m going to the GYM, gotta get this ready to impress the ladies,” said Soarin “I’ll go with you, it’s been a while since I lifted,” said Flash as he got his things and followed Soarin “Love to stay guys but, have to go buy supplies for the party,” Cheese said “And I have to go run some errands,” Caramel said as they both exited the studio “Oh, it’s time for my 1:00 PM facetime with Vinyl,” said Neon as he quickly headed outside leaving only Big Mac and Spike in the studio. “So? Your thoughts?” asked Big mac “Neon and Vinyl are going to have way too many kids,” Spike said as he took a sip of his mountain dew. “What? No, I didn’t mean your thoughts on those to pervs, I meant about the band and the familia,” Big Mac said “Oh, I’m enjoying it, for the first time in a while I don’t feel so alone,” Spike said “But you still don’t consider them friends,” Big Mac said “Not yet, but maybe soon,” Spike said “Well, glad to hear that, anyway, gotta head back to the farm, Granny Smith, must be wonderin’ where I am,” BIg Mac said as he got up and grabbed his things “Tell her that I send her a hug,” Spike said as Big Mac left the room Spike was all alone now, him and his thoughts, now Spike was really tired due to all the recording of both the video and the new album, so he decided to catch some Z’s on the couch, he knew that Cheese wouldn’t mind. Spike had barely started to close his eyes when his phone rang. He quickly got up and grabbed it, when he read the number, Spike didn’t recognize it, he thought that it might be a new investor or potential business partner so he answered “Good Afternoon, Spike Ladon, how may I be of service?’ “Um, hello, I’m Erminty Kivku,” said a female voice at the other side of the line “Sorry, who?” asked Spike “Erminty Kivku, but you might know me as Erminty Caldera… I’m your mother’s younger sister,” the voice said “Who did you get this number?” asked Spike “My husband gave it to me,” Erminty said “So, my hypothesis was right, you’re Demiurge’s wife,” Spike said “Yes, you and I met not so long ago when you came to talk with my husband about his request… I have to admit, at first I thought you looked so familiar, but I shook it off, but after a while I realized it was you,” Erminty said “What do you want?” asked Spike “Well, I… I thought it’ll be nice to talk…” Erminty “If you called me to waste both of our times, I’m going to hang up,” Spike said “WAIT! WAIT! Please allow me to explain,” Erminty begged over the line “You have five seconds,” Spike said “It’s your Grandfather, he’s dying,” Erminty said “Tragic, I’ll send flowers,” Spike said “Spike please, his last wish is to get to know you,” Erminty said “He had seventeen years to do that, “Spike said “If you have nothing else to say to me, you can consider this conversation over,” he finished “Spike, I know you have a heart, I’m not asking you to forgive him, just, just come and talk to him, he wants to make peace with his soul,” Erminty said “That’s going to be a tad difficult,” Spike said “Please,” Erminty begged “Fine, when and where,” asked Spike “At the general hospital, room 2012, and if you can come here early would be perfect,” Erminty said happy “I’ll see what I can do,” Spike said “Oh, and, if you can bring your “fiance” too, he would like to meet her,” Erminty said “I don’t have one,” Spike said “I know, just ask one of your female or male friends to act like if you’re a couple, I don’t want to give you any spoilers but I think he wants to give you some things for your future,” Erminty said “Fine, Goodbye,” Spike said as he hang up “What I’m I going to do now? I don’t have a fiance, not to mention a girlfriend, and why do I care so much all of a sudden… I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” Spike said BACK TO THE GIRLS “Did you girls just see what I saw?” asked Rarity “I think we did, that was Soarin on the drums, right,?” asked RD “And Cheese on the Bass,” said Pinkie “Caramel?! Why didn’t you tell me about this, I have to keep him in my line of sight now, I don’t want anyone to steal him,” said AJ in her head “Neon lights! No wonder they have an awesome EDM as backing music,” said Vinyl “Oh, yeah I forgot to mention that Spike was a member of Dragonknights,” said Twilight “And what about Flash, he is also on the music video,” asked Rarity “He is like a secondary member, but he mostly sings with Sentry knights,” Twilight said “Everything ok Zephyr? you’re looking a bit pale,” said Sunset “I just made everything worse,” said Zephyr “What do you mean?” asked Rarity “Remember that earlier you were telling me about your feelings for Spike, and I told you about Fluttershy,” asked Zephyr “Yeah,” they all said in unison “And you told me about your issue with the guitar classes?” asked Zephyr “Yeah,” they all said “Well, the friend that said he’ll teach Fluttershy…” Zephyr began “Is Spike,” Said Sunset adding up the dots “Worse than that, Fluttershy is also really into Dragonknights, so…” Zephyr “She might have a hormonal breakdown and reverse rape Spike,” said Pinkie, making everyone look at her “Pretty much, yeah,” Zephyr said Just as he finished saying that, Rarity’s phone started to ring “Hello?” asked Rarity “Um, Hey Rarity, listen I need to ask you a favor, could we meet?” said Spike “Sure, where?” asked Rarity “I’ll send you the location by text, and please can it be ASAP?” said Spike “Yeah, I’m on my way,” Rarity said as she go up “Something wrong?” asked Twilight “Oh no, Darling, just a friend in need,” said Rarity as she hurried out Rarity drove all the way to the coffee shop that Spike told her about on the text, when she arrived, she had no trouble finding him, all the female customers and baristas were looking at him with hungry eyes. She quickly headed towards him, and sat down “Thanks for coming so fast,” said Spike “Not a problem Darling, so, what’s happening,” asked Rarity “I just found out that my Grandfather on my mom’s side, is dying, and he wants to meet me before he does,” Spike said “That’s terrible darling, but don’t worry I’m here for you,” Rarity said “That’s not the problem Rarity,” Spike said “Oh, then what is?” asked Rarity “I never told you about my family past right? Are you willing to hear me out? Spike said Rarity nodded yes and Spike started to narrate the whole story. After 30 minutes Spike finished telling rarity everything, and she was shocked “Oh dear, I never knew you had such a tough life Spike,” Rarity said “The favor I wanted to ask you… can you… come with me tomorrow to the hospital… you know for moral support,” Spike lied “Sure, Darling, anything for you, It's my job as your future wife to stand by your side,” Rarity said. THE NEXT MORNING AT THE HOSPITAL “Hello, can I help you?” asked the nurse at the front desk “Yes, we came to visit the patient on room 2012,” said Spike “I’m sorry sir, but only family are aloud to visit,” said the nurse “It’s alright, I’m his grandson,” said Spike The nurse then saw Rarity and was going to ask about her relationship with him, but decided to let them pass “Follow me sir,” said the nurse as she got up and started to walk towards the room “Spike, mind me asking, but, why did you want me to come, and not Twilight?” asked Rarity “Because, Twilight is still trying to be on really good terms with me, and well, I don’t know how she’ll react to all this, plus, I you’re more ladylike and respectful,” Spike said Rarity blushed at Spike’s answer After a few more minutes of walking they finally reached the room “Now, I know you two want to see him, but it’s better if one of you go in at a time, ok?” said the nurse “Yes, thank you,” Spike said as he walked in first When Spike entered he saw a male dragon in his late 60’s to early 70’s, lying on a hospital bed, tubes everywhere. Spike walked up slowly towards the bed and sat down next to it. As if on queue, the dragon on the bed woke up and looked at Spike “So, it’s you, huh?” said the man “Hi… grandpa,” said Spike in a cold tone “Spike is it… you have your mother’s eyes and lips, that’s a relief,” said the dragon “And that’s a good thing because?” asked Spike “I was afraid I wouldn’t recognize you,” he said “So, I came here, you met me, is that all?” asked Spike “No, no, I wanted to beg for your forgiveness, I know that I messed up in the past when I disowned your mother and…” said the dragon “If you’re after my forgiveness, don’t worry about it, my father taught me to always forgive…” Spike said “Smart man,” said the Dragon “But never forget, that’ll just be foolish,” Spike said “I agree with your dad, listen I know about your father, I know of his heroic deeds, and I was a fool to judge him without knowing him,” said the dragon “A tad late to apologize,” Spike said “I just hope, I have the chance to apologize to him before being judged by God,” he said “Then pray,” said Spike in his cold tone “What about your mom?’ asked the Dragon “Don’t know, she disappeared when I was 7, she left me with my other grandparents,” Spike said “Why would she do that?” asked the Dragon “To protect me, she made a big, yet dangerous discovery, and dangerous people where after her head,” Spike said “Oh, I see, I hope she is doing ok,” said the dragon “Something tells me she is,” Spike said “What about your other grandparents?” asked the Dragon “Dead, both when I turned 14, been living alone ever since,” Spike said “How did you survive?” he asked “Inheritance, I owe the Ladon brewery and other minor investments,” said Spike “Interesting care to share them with an old dying man?” he said “You’re 70, you’re not old at all,” said Spike “No, but I have metastasis, and I have probably a few more days, so…” the dragon said After that Spike and his grandfather started talking about business and what they had done in their lives. They talked for an hour non stop until Spike remembered about Rarity. “I have a friend here, she wanted to meet you,” said Spike “Is she your fiance?” asked Spike’s grandpa “I wished,” Spike said in a low voice as he walked up to the door, he thought his grandpa didn’t hear him but he did “Rares, my grandpa would like to meet you,” Spike said as he opened the door for her, and he stepped outside. Spike then went over to the seats in the room and sat down “What I’m I doing, I’m lying to a man in his dying days about my love life, not to mention I’m using Rarity for my own personal gain,” Spike said in his head Almost an hour later, Rarity came out of the room, and walked over to Spike. “He wants to see you one last time he says,” Rarity said “Ok, I’m guessing it’s going to be fast,” Spike said as he got up and entered the room “Hello, again, I just wanted to tell you some last things, is that ok?” he asked “Sure,” Spike said as he came closer “First, I just wanted to say thank you, for forgiving me, even if it’s just a symbolic deed, you coming her today really helped me kill my demons,” he said “Second, your “Girlfriend” told me of what you did for her, and also came clean on what she did to you, I’ve got to say, she is a keeper, she also told me about how you became, what you are physically, and I just want to give you a warning, never let your demons take control of you, I know it’s hard but, just keep on fighting, ok Champ,” he said Spike nodded “And the last thing, I’ve left my estate in this city, under your name, a little something for the 2 of you,” he said This made Spike confused but then he added the dots and understood what he meant “Take good care of her, ok,” he said before he fell asleep “Good bye, grandpa,” Spike said as he left the room Rarity was waiting patiently for Spike outside the room, and when he finally came out curiosity got the better of her. “What did he say?” she asked “Typical old man advice,” Spike lied “Let’s go,” he said HOURS LATER Spike and Rarity had actually walked to the nearby park for Spike to clear his head “Your grand dad is really something, I’m I right,” Rarity said “What do you mean?’ asked Spike “All this years he looked for you and your mom, after he found out of the death of your dad, but everytime he got close, he hit a dead end,” Rarity said “Maybe,” Spike said “ He wasn’t really a good person,” “I know, I wouldn’t be able to disown my own daughter, no matter what,” Rarity said “I hope you’re right,” Spike said “You can bet every dollar you’ve got, and I know they’re quite a few,” Rarity said “Wait, you know,” Spike said “I know everything, including the investment and school payments you did for me,” Rarity said “Twilight told you didn’t she,” Spike said “Yeah, and I thank her for it,” Rarity said Spike remained quiet “I’ve been meaning to thank you for a long time now,” Rarity said “Don’t mention it, seriously don’t,” Spike said Spike and Rarity remind quiet for a few minutes until Rarity said “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you about what you said in school on Friday,” Rarity said “Oh dear, look at the time I have to go,” said Spike as he got up and started to walk away “Oh no Spike, I want an answer,” Rarity said as she blocked Spike’s way Spike remained silent “Did you really mean what you said?” Rarity asked Spike knew he couldn’t keep lying, but the truth just wouldn’t come out Spike walked towards the lake near the bench they were sitting at and said “I wish Rarity, I would love to marry you but, I don’t deserve you,” Spike said “What are you talking about? I don’t deserve YOU, you saved my dream and my school life, and I treated you like shit without a second thought,” Rarity said “At least you were honest with me, I lied to you Rarity, I didn’t need you to go to see my grandpa for moral support, my aunty said that he wanted to meet both me and my fiance, and I used this misunderstanding for my own personal gain, I even lied to you about what he said, he gave me a house, for the 2 of us to live together, but I wasn’t planning on telling you, not to mention I hid my financial truth and… and…” was all Spikie could say before being shut up by Rarity When Spike came back to his senses he realized that Rarity was kissing him in the lips, he was so surprised he didn’t know how to react, but after a few seconds, he gave into the kiss and kissed back. After a few minutes of making out they finally parted. “I hope this helps you feel better,” Rarity said as she started to kiss him again Spike was the one to break the kiss this time and say “I think it makes it official, if you want,” Rarity just kissed Spike again “That’s my answer, Darling,” After a third make out session they finally parted and said goodbye to each other. LATER THAT DAY Spike walked into a jewelry store, to buy a present for Rarity, and once inside he got an idea DAYS LATER It has been almost 6 days since Spike met his grandpa for the first, and sadly, last time. Today both Spike and Rarity had met up together, to attend Spike grandfather’s funeral, it had been a very sad reunion, but Spike did manage to meet more members of his family and even paid respects to his late grandfather. After the ceremony, Spike took Rarity back to the park. “So, what are we doing here,” Rarity asked as she walked over the lake “I just wanted to make it official,” Spike said This confused Rarity and when she turned around, she found Spike on one knee with a ring in his hand “Will you marry me?” Spike said “Yes, one million times yes,” Rarity as she and Spike kissed once again. > Dragonlord Ch. 7 A very scaly apple > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It has been a week since Spike's grandfather's funeral, and his proposal to Rarity. At first both them still felt weird about the whole engagement thing, not because they didn't want it, but because they didn't know how their friends would react. So they decided to keep it a secret, Rarity even had to come up with an excuse for the ring, which didn't really sound too convincing at first. "It belonged to my grandmother," she said. At first, they didn't believe her since they knew her grandmother was still alive, luckily Rarity had called ahead of time to tell her the whole thing. And luckily for the 2 of them, Rarity's grandmother had been an award-winning actress, so she was good at keeping the secret. But let us get back to the story. Today was Friday, and once again Spike was sitting at his typical lunch table with his friends, excluding Big Mac, who was MIA for some reason. "Know where Mac is?" Asked Cheese. "Neg should be here by now, that dude's favorite subjects are lunch and Gym," said Soarin. "Come to think of it, where is Granny Smith?" Asked Spike. "Maybe in a meeting," said Caramel. Then they noticed Big Mac entering the cafeteria. "Wassup my dude," said Flash. "Nothing much, hey Spike can I talk to you for a second?" Said, Big Mac. "Yeah sure," said Spike as he got up and followed Big mac outside. "This is for you," Big Mac said, giving Spike an invitation. "You're invited to this year’s Apple Family reunion, to happen Saturday, June 17, do not be tardy," that's tomorrow," said Spike. "Yup," said Big Mac. "I'll be there, it's time I start thanking Granny Smith for everything she's done for me," said Spike. "Well, that's not the reason why you're invited," said Big Mac. "So then, why?" Asked Spike. "Remember that I told you that Granny Smith sees my dad in you?" Said, Big Mac. "Yeah," said Spike. "Well, you're to become an honorary Apple," said Bid Mac. “Excuse Me?” said Spike. “Yup, it’s been decided, you are to arrive tomorrow at 7 AM to be presented to the family,” said Big Mac. Spike just remained silent. “Do you not like it?” asked Big Mac. “No...No, I’m honored, I just doubt that all of the Apple family will come all the way here just for me,” said Spike “As observant as usual, you’re right tomorrow we’re celebrating 3 things, but I won’t tell you about them until tomorrow, deal?” said Big Mac. “Deal,” said Spike as the 2 friends shook hands, then Spike noticed Fluttershy walking towards the 2 of them in a very, seductive way, she was even wearing some very seductive clothes that accentuated her assets. “Hi Spike,” she said as she walked by swaying her hips. “Hey,” Spike said as she walked by with a fake smile. “What was that about?” asked Big Mac “No clue,” said Spike as he and Big Mac followed Fluttershy with their gazes until she finally sat down on the same table as usual “But, I think I have an idea,” said Spike as he walked towards the table. “So, how do you feel, Shy? I mean, you completely changed your image this past week,” said Applejack. “Yeah, I was really surprised when you came to me for fashion and love advice, but I do have to admit, I kind of like this new you, except for the tight clothes,” said Rarity. “I’m with Rarity in this, I like you being more upfront with your feelings and even being braver, but your clothes aren’t exactly… appropriate,” said Twilight. “I just want him to notice me,” said Fluttershy. “WHO?” everyone asked. “More importantly, what makes you think that “he” is interested in a girl that dresses like this,” said Rainbow Dash. “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy. “Well, I know that Soarin is kind of a horn dog, but he still wouldn’t like me to dress up like this,” said Rainbow Dash “Yeah, this just screams, “Hey, look I’m easy and desperate for attention,” it doesn’t suit you, or anyone in that matter,” said Sunset. Just then Fluttershy noticed Spike walking towards them, and she quickly composed herself to try and get his attention. “Hi, girls,” said Spike “Hey, Spike,” they all said “Is there something you need,” said Fluttershy, acting a bit like Rarity when she flirts with people. ‘Yeah, as a matter of fact, mind if I borrow her for a second? Thank you,” Spike said as he took Rarity’s hand, helped her up like a gentleman, and hurried away. This made Fluttershy a bit sad and she just rested her head on the table. At that second the girls remembered the conversation they had with Zephyr “Group huddle,” whispered Starlight “So, all this time Shy has been trying to copy Rarity,” said Twilight “Yeah, she even placed her own twist on her typical seductioning,” said Pinkie “By the way, am I the only person that thinks that Rarity and Spike have gotten close this past couple of weeks?” asked Twilight. “Now that you mention it, they do seem to hang out quite a bit, yet I don’t see anything wrong with it,” said Sunset as the girls broke the huddle. “A better relationship, always hanging out, the ring… something is up,” thought Twilight; unknown to her, she wasn’t the only one adding the dots. IN THE HALLWAYS “Did you need something, Darling?” asked Rarity “Yeah, I would like to know… were you the one to put these fashion ideas on Fluttershy’s brain?” asked Spike. “Well, she did come to me for Fashion, makeup, and assertiveness advice, but, I’m as shocked as you are with her fashion,” Rarity said “Well, that explains a few things, just do me… no, do HER a favor and change her back to normal with her clothes situation,” said Spike “Why, does it make you feel uncomfortable?” asked Rarity with an arched eyebrow “NO! I mean, no, I just can’t take her seriously dressed like that,” said Spike “So if I were to dress up like that… would it put you in the same position?” asked Rarity “Rares, I love you, but I don’t know if I could control myself if I were to see you dressed like that,” said Spike. “Well,” said Rarity as she got close to Spike’s ear “I’d like to see you lose control,” she whispered into his ear. Then without warning, Spike pressed his lips against her, and a full-blown make-out session started. MINUTES LATER “Was that a demonstration?” asked Rarity “Because I’d prefer a more… hands-on one,” she said suggestively moving her hand down Spike’s chest towards his crotch “Can we at least wait for until we have graduated to have children,” said Spike “Meanie,” said Rarity “Also, I will be unavailable tomorrow,” said Spike ‘Why’s that?” asked Rarity “I’m to be an honorary Apple,” said Spike “ARE YOU MARRYING APPLEJACK TOO!” asked Rarity “WHAT?!” said Spike “Applejack told me that the only way to become an honorary Apple is to marry someone in the family or…” started Rarity “Or be accepted by the Apple council, which is most likely what happened,” said Spike “You sure?” said Rarity as she looked at Spike “Yeah, plus, not to say that I’m not hot and handsome, but, I don’t think I’m Applejack’s type, plus I think she has the hots for Caramel,” said Spike “Yeah, guess you’re right, you might be the sexiest man alive, but… you’re my sexiest man alive,” said Rarity “And you’re my sexiest girl alive,” said Spike as he and Rarity kissed once again. “I love you,” said Rarity “Love you too M’lady,” said Spike as the 2 of them walked back to the cafeteria. “I wonder how our babies would look,” said Rarity happily. “Can we drop the baby subject for a while,” said Spike in a nervous tone. “Ok, I’ll stop… talking about it, but I promised nothing when it comes to fantasizing,” said Rarity as she looked at her belly “Wonder when we’ll have our first time?” THAT NIGHT ON SWEET APPLE ACRES A hooded figure is in the middle of the fields digging a hole. “And done, with this in place, they will have no choice but to sell me this land, if they survive that is, HAHAHAHAHAHA,” said the figure. “WHO’S THERE!?” said Big Mac as he walked towards the voice. The hooded figure just started to run as fast as it could. “STOP RIGHT THERE!” said Big Mac as he gave chase. Big Mac chased the figure for almost a mile until they reached the foot of the mountains and a dead end. “End of the line creep, now, who’s under the hood?’ said Mac getting closer “You’ll never know,” said the figure as he took out a bottle containing a blue liquid and smashing on the floor creating a massive blue cloud. When the cloud dissipated there was no one there. “What the hell was that? I must inform Granny Smith… yet again she’s a deep sleeper, I’ll tell her tomorrow,” said Big Mac as he walked away towards the barn. THE NEXT MORNING The next morning a motorcycle could be heard closing in on the farm, this caught everyone’s attention. They hurried outside just as the motorcycle came to a stop near the barn. “Morning,” said Spike as he removed his helmet “Good Morning Spike, glad to see you could make it,” said Big Mac “Yeah, I was kind of anxious about this but, It’s a great honor for me,” said Spike “Good to hear Sonny, now please follow me,” said Granny Smith Granny Smith and Spike walked through the farm, Spike couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of people there. “Don’t feel shy deary, this isn’t even all of our family,” said Granny Smith “And where are they?” asked Spike. As if on queue, a massive wave of cars, trucks, SUVs, and busses arrived all at the same time. “There they are,” said Granny Smith. Granny Smith and Spike then arrived at a closed down orchard, Granny Smith then proceeded to unlock it and then opened the gate for everyone to enter. Spike was confused at first but then he noticed that there were a lot of trees, some young others really old. “These trees represent every member of our family, dead or alive, present here or absent,” said Granny Smith as she gave Spike a seed, “This seed represents you, your life, and your spirit,” she continued as she motioned Spike towards a shovel. Spike took the shovel and started to dig. “He’s a natural at this,” thought Granny Smith as she saw Spike dig the hole, after a few seconds Spike placed the seed in the hole and covered it. “As of this moment forward, you Spike Ladon, are now an honorary Apple, Welcome to the family!” said Granny Smith as she gave Spike a hug while the rest of the crowd cheered. ‘Thank you all, this is a massive honor, to think that one day I’d had a family this big, thank you,” said Spike as there were more cheers and hat tossings. “Ok everyone, save some of that energy for the rest of the day,” said Granny Smith as she walked away followed by the rest of the members of the Apple family. Spike was about to follow when he noticed something with the corner of his eyes, he walked towards a small altar near 2 of the trees. “Bright Mac and Pear Butter,” said Spike “Hey Spike,” said Big Mac as he walked towards Spike, but stopped when he noticed where Spike was. “I take it this are your parent's,” said Spike “Yeah, I assume…” said Big Mac “They didn’t die today did they?” asked Spike “No, they both died in the 982 crash,” said Big Mac “The airplane crash from 3 years ago,” said Spike “You know of it?” asked Big Mac “It was in the news,” said Spike. Big Mac was about to buy the excuse but then he noticed something in his tone “How do you know of it?” asked Mac Spike knew he was cornered so he gave in “I witnessed the plane crash… I was 2 miles away from the impact zone,” said Spike. “Oh, well we have another thing in common,” said Big Mac “The fact that the 2 of us don’t have parents, due to circumstances,” said Spike “And that we’re now part of the same family,” said Big Mac “By the way, what are you celebrating today?” asked Spike “My engagement,” said Big Mac Spike looked at Big Mac in surprise, “She said yes?” he said “Yup, she is a firm believer in second chances,” said Big Mac “Uff, glad to know, I thought that we had blown your chance with the failed proposal idea,” said Spike “She was upset, but in the end, I asked her again and she said yes,” said Big Mac. “I still think there is more to it,” said Spike “Well, my father did propose to my mother today, so maybe that also counts… no, we’re celebrating love in general,” said Big Mac “I don’t get it,” said Spike “Well, Granny Smith is also celebrating AJ’s and my relationship,” said Caramel as he walked towards them. “Caramel!? What are you… Oh-,” said Spike “Yup, I’m AJ’s plus one,” said Caramel “And I’m also here,” said Pinkie as she popped out from behind a tree scary the three friends “Oh yeah, I forgot you told me that you guys were related,” said Spike “Yeah- hey Spike, I have a question,” said Pinkie “What?” asked Spike “Are you and Rarity in a relationship?” said Pinkie This made Spike turn pail, go silent, and start to sweat. “Your reaction tells me yes,” said AJ coming out of nowhere “AJ, you scared us,” said Big Mac “Ain’t that your job,” said AJ as she looked at Spike “I know I’m ugly, but, ouch,” said Spike “SO you and Rarity are a couple,” said AJ “What gave it away?” asked Spike feeling defeated “The fact that all of a sudden Rarity, who always fantasized about you in secret is now hanging out with you almost every day, the fact that she has your picture as her screen saver…” said Applejack “She ain’t the only one,” whispered Pinkie Pie “What?” said AJ “Nothing,” said Pinkie “And most importantly… The ring, yeah, the story and Rarity’s acting were superb, but she isn’t a good liar,” said AJ. “Ok fine, please don’t tell granny Smith,” said Spike ‘Tell me what, Deary,” said Granny Smith as she walked up scaring everyone, causing both Spike and Caramel to run into 2 separate trees knocking all of the apples off. “That’s a new record Granny,” said AJ “Thank you,” said Granny Smith “Granny Smith, something wrong?” asked Spike “Oh, no, Deary, just came to give you your own Stetson Hat,” She said, handing Spike a Black Stetson. “Thanks,” Spike said as he got up from the ground and put the hat on “Now you’re really an Apple, now come along, the party is starting,” said Granny Smith as she walked away followed by everyone. When they got back to the main orchard, Spike was amazed at all of the ongoing activities “Right there, we have the Apple Pie eating contest, where Apple Specter is still the winner and record holder with 40 Pies, I’m surprised he’s so skinny after that,” said Granny Smith “Next we have the Motocross races, they will begin shortly, followed by rodeo, and bull running, then we have the beauty pageant, and everyone's favorite, the apple bucking challenge” she continued as she showed Spike all of the activities “Finally we have our famous Cider drinking tournament, the record holder is actually your Friend Rainbow Dash with 36 jugs, that’s even more than Big Mac who’s record is 30 and Fluffy Blossom with 26,” said Granny Smith "Cool," said Spike "Wanna try some? Asked Granny Smith giving Spike a bottle of cider Spike looked at it and then back at Granny Smith. "Oh don't worry, this one is none alcoholic," she said Spike took the bottle and took a small sip and before they could ask if he liked it, he chugged down the rest of the bottle. "Ha, you drink like a real Apple, you make me proud," said Granny Smith "This is amazing, why isn't this in the supermarkets?" Asked Spike "Well, I'm to meet the president of the Ladon Breweries tomorrow," said Granny Smith. "At what time?" Asked Spike "First light," said Granny Smith "Well cancel that appointment," said Spike "Why," asked Granny Smith Spike just held up a finger and made a phone call "Hello, yes, Tempest, mind if you email me one of the partnership contracts… by email… right away please… Thank you," said Spike "What just happened?" Asked Granny Smith "Why wait until tomorrow, when you can sign it right now," said Spike "I don't get it," said Granny Smith "Oh, I'm the owner of Ladon Breweries," said Spike "WHAT?!!!!!!" said Granny Smith "Yup, my name is Spike Ladon," said Spike "Wow, that was unexpected," said Granny Smith "Yup, it surprised all of us when we found out," said AJ "You knew, and didn't tell me?," said Granny Smith "We didn't think it was necessary," said AJ "Well why don't we go and sign the papers and have another reason to celebrate," said Spike "Right, if you're so kind to follow me," said Granny Smith as she headed to the house. Spike and the rest of the gang followed her "By the way, what's that smell?" Asked Spike "What smell?" Asked Big Mac "It smells like sulfur and rotten flesh," said Spike "Oh, must be the new fertilizer, we're kind of used to this smells so maybe that's why it doesn't bother us,' said Big Mac "If you say so," said Spike as they got to the house. 30 MINUTES LATER "It's a pleasure doing business with you," said Spike "Likewise, said Granny Smith as they shook hands. "So what do you want to do now?" Asked Caramel Spike looked around and noticed a board with a to-do list "this," he said as he grabbed it "Really? But it's a party" said Granny Smith "Well to be honest, I kind of missed working on the farm, you know since Rarity's farm girl act," said Spike "Well, I certainly don't mind, but make sure to finish before the talent show," said Granny Smith "Talent show?" Asked Spike "Yeah, our family loves to have a little friendly talent show, especially when it comes to music," said AJ "Oh yes, I would love to hear you sing those beautiful songs you composed," said Granny Smith Spike was a bit confused, he knew that his and Mac's and Caramel's identities as members of Dragonknight were out, still, he didn't know which songs she was talking about. Then a memory came back to him and he turned to face Big Mac "I thought you were going to erase those songs," he said "I did, I even made sure… the cloud! I forgot to erase them from the cloud," said Big Mac "And there is where Applebloom found them and showed them to me," said Granny Smith. "Come on Spike, I'll be fun," said AJ "Ok, I'll sing," said Spike "Alright then, I'll see you around, don't be tardy," said Granny Smith as she headed to the orchard to see the events. 1 HOUR LATER Spike has been carrying crates left and right, non-stop, his arms, legs, and back were killing him, but he was on his last batch of crates from completing the chores. “Ok… these are the last ones,” said Spike as he neared the Barn. “My… you’re mighty strong aren’t you cowboy,” said a female voice Spike turned and saw Applebloom and Babs Seed. “Applebloom, Babs Seed, how long have you been following me?” asked Spike “For a while,” said Applebloom “Since you started working actually,” said Babs Seed “What is it with girls stalking me, first Twilight, then Rarity, and now these two,” said Spike After a few more seconds Spike made it to the Barn, he was covered in sweat and tired, he even had to take off his shirt showing his toned muscular body. Without warning both Applebloom and Babs Seed wrapped their bodies around Spike’s arms, surprising him. “I just love a man who ain’t afraid of some manual labor,” said Applebloom “My… you’ve got some big muscles, I like big muscles on a guy,” said Babs Seed “Back off, Babs, I saw him first,” said Applebloom getting in her face “Yeah, well, make me, miss Washboard,” said Babs “My boobs may not be as big as yours but I’m not flat, I’m a B cup,” said Applebloom “And Spike here likes them big,” said Babs Seed. This was the last straw for Applebloom who tackled Babs to the ground as they started a tickle fight. Spike quietly walked away. “So, I take it Applebloom and Babs have it in for you,” said AJ “AJ! Before you say anything…” said Spike “I know, you have no intention on dating them,” said AJ “Yeah, I’m 18, they’re 14,” said Spike “And already losing the battle against hormones,” said AJ “Anyway, I’m leaving them to you,” said Spike “Don’t worry sugarcube, I’ll handle em,” said AJ as she grabbed her lasso and made a scary face. MINUTES LATER “What do you mean you can’t drum?!” said Caramel “I busted My arm during the rodeo, I can only sing but it hurts to move,” said Braeburn “Oh, just great now what are we going to do?” said Caramel “What’s going on?” asked AJ as she walked up to them “Braeburn busted his arm,” said Big Mac “What Braeburn, are you ok?” asked AJ “Yeah, it’s just a muscle Spasm, hurt like hell when I move my arm though,” said Braeburn “Aren’t we about to go out on stage?” said AJ “Yup,” said Big Mac “Great we need a Drummer and Pinkie won’t be here until the cross country race is over,” said Caramel. “Who else do we know can play the drums and isn’t already taken by another group?” said AJ as everyone started to think. Just then Spike past by whistling, catching their attention “Bingo!” they all said as Big Mac grabbed a pair of headphones walked up behind him and slammed them on Spike’s head surprising him. “Bro, what the fuck!?” said Spike “Can you play this on the drums?” asked Big Mac “Easily, why…” said Spike as Big Mac picked him up and carried him on stage “We need you to play with us, please,” said AJ using her Puppy dog eyes “You only had to say please,” said Spike as he grabbed the drums sticks and sat down on the drums. “Sorry,” said Big Mac as he grabbed his guitar “Ok, ready?” asked AppleJack as she plugged her Bass guitar in and the curtains opened "Nice, now, What about something a bit more... Mellow?" said Applejack as she walked up to the microphone, while Braeburn left the stage Everyone cheered and clapped as the curtain closed. “Woohoo, that was fun wasn’t it Spike,” said Caramel “Yeah, well, now I’m out of here,” said Spike as he got up, but he was stopped by Pinkie Pie “Wow, Spike, I knew you could play, but it was really good, not as good as me though,” she said “Yeah, that’s cause, my boy Spike, is best on the guitar,” Big Mac said as he gave Spike his guitar and he grabbed his banjo. “Ok, take 3,” said Caramel “Take 3 of what?” asked Spike “Oh, Ma bad, I meant song 3,” said Caramel as he grabbed the microphone as Big Mac, once again gave Spike some headphones. The crowd went crazy when both Applejack and Caramel kissed at the end of the song and the curtains closed. “Hey save some of that for after the graduation,” said Big Mac This made the 2 of them stop and turn red “It’s too late, for you guys to feel ashamed,” said Spike “Oh, but they looked just so cute,” said Pinkie “By the way AJ, what did you do with Applebloom and Babs Seed?” asked Spike “Oh, nothing much, I just left them hanging,” said AJ BACK AT THE BARN Applebloom and Babs Seed were doing their best to free themselves from the ropes. “AJ, please let us go, I promise that I’d leave Spike alone… At least for the rest of the day, plus I have to go Pee,” said Applebloom. “Applebloom, can you please stop moving, you’re touching me there,” said Babs Seed in a very seductive tone. “Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this?!” said Applebloom. “I don’t like it, but it doesn't feel so bad,” said Babs in a pervy tone “Ok then Spike, we’re up in 30 minutes,” said Big Mac “Up for what?” asked Spike “For our Duo, and then your 2 songs,” said Big Mac “But I didn’t write… you wrote my name in the list didn’t you?” said Spike “Yup,” said Big Mac proudly “Now, I’ll go get my other guitar,” said Big Mac as he left “Well, I’m gonna go eat some pie,” said Pinkie “I’m gonna go and walk around,” said Caramel “Imma go and drink something,” said AJ as she headed towards the barn “And I’m gonna stay right here, questioning my choices in life,” said Spike in a sarcastic tone as he sat down. Unknown to all of them near the farm inside the forest a large group of shadows crept near and nearer to the entrance of the farm, waiting for the sun to go down. 30 MINUTES LATER “Ready Spike?” asked Big Mac “Sure, let’s get this over with,” said Spike as the curtain opened “Woohoo, that’s my fiance,” said a girl on the front line “Thanks, babe,” said Big Mac as the curtain closed “So when’s the wedding?” asked Spike “Right after Graduation,” said Big Mac “Nice,” said Spike “So Spike, now you have to wait for a bit before your songs,” said Big Mac “Yeah, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea that I sing those songs,” said Spike as they both walked away towards the barn “What do you mean?” asked Big Mac “Well, these songs aren’t particularly cheery,” said Spike “And you don’t want to offend anyone with them?” said Big Mac Spike nodded “Well, if Granny Smith likes them, and she approved of them, then it’s fine,” said Big mac “Still I don’t think it’s…” Spike began but stopped when he heard something “What is it?” asked Big Mac before Spike motioned him to be quiet Spike and Big Mac then walked slowly and quietly near the back of the barn. They slowly peered around the corner and were met with quite the scene. “Oh, yes, please, don’t you dare stop Caramel!” said AJ panting as her womanhood was being rammed by Caramel’s dick “Wasn’t… planning to,” said Caramel between pants as he smacked AJ’s butt cheeks “Oh, you naughty boy,” said AJ “Oh, stop it, I know damn well that you like this, be honest for once,” he said “Alright, I admit it… I love sex, I love doing outside, and I love you and your dick,” said Applejack After saying this Caramel thrusts even harder “Applejack, I’m about to…” said Caramel “Do it, stuff my corn hole,” said AJ “Applejack!!!!” exclaimed Caramel “Caramel!!!” exclaimed Applejack Before all of this, Spike and Big Mac had left the area to avoid getting caught by the 2 love birds. “Well, that was… interesting,” said Big Mac “I need bleach,” said Spike “What for?” asked Big Mac “You never understand my comedy do you?” said Spike “Nope,” said Big Mac Spike and Big Mac, continued to walk when they finally realized that it was time for Spike to go on stage. When they finally made it back, they noticed that everyone was there, Pinkie and her family, Granny Smith, Big Mac’s fiance Sugar Belle who sat down next to her, Applebloom and Babs Seed plus many other kids and family member, even Applejack and Caramel were there, which surprised him, since he had seen their little romantic adventure about 10 minutes ago. Spike then looked down and saw Granny Smith giving him in a thumbs-up, and then he started to play The whole crowd erupted in applause and cheers for the teens as they walked off stage. “Well done Sonny, And as you can see, everyone loved the songs,” said Granny Smith “Thanks, Granny Smith, it was better…” Spike said before a loud HOWL was heard Everyone turned and saw a massive group of Timberwolves charging towards them “TIMBERWOLVES!” screamed Granny Smith “Everyone, head towards the barn,” said Spike as everyone started to run towards it Luckily the Timberwolves were still far away giving everyone the time to get into the Barn. “Who here can use protection magic?” asked Spike as many unicorns razed their arms “Ok, start chanting,” said Spike as he headed outside followed by Big Mac, Caramel, Applejack and Pinkie Pie “Spike, where are you going?” asked Big Mac “Wolf hunting,” said Spike as his arms ignited into flames “Then I’m going with you,” said Big Mac as he punched the ground covering his arms in rocks. “Me too,” said Caramel as he summoned his rifles “We’re going too,” said Applejack “NO! You’re our last line of defense, if those Wolves kill us or get past us you, obliterate them” said Spike as he ran towards the big pack of wolves followed by Big Mac. Caramel was about to run when Applejack grabbed his arm catching his attention “Don’t you dare die on me, ok,” said Applejack, giving him a kiss on the lips. "Don't plan to, I promised to repay your love ten times didn't I," said Caramel as he ran off Oh-, may I be the Godmother?" Said Pinkie making Applejack turn red. METERS AWAY ON THE FIELD "Alright Romeos, I doubt that any of you want to die before the honeymoon, so, have no mercy on this beasts," said Spike as he attacked one of the wolves "Damn right, I ain't planning to die, especially with my new responsibilities," said Big Mac "This is gonna be fun," said Caramel as he opened fire. BACK AT THE BARN "Has anyone seen Big Mac?" Asked Sugar Belle But no one answered "Now that you mention it, Where are Spike, Big Macintosh, and the rest?" Asked Granny Smith. "I see them, they're fighting the Timberwolves," said Applebloom "WHAT?!" they all said looking out the windows. They saw the three teens bravely fighting and standing Their ground against the wolves. Just then they noticed that Big Mac was having trouble with his lot of wolves, even worse, he was completely overwhelmed allowing one of the wolves to flank him, and pounce at his back. "Mac behind you," screamed both Sugar Belle and Caramel at the same time. This caught Big Mac's attention who turned but didn't have much space left to dodge the attack. All he could do was close his eyes, but before he accepted his fate he heard the wolf cry in pain, he opened his eyes to see the wolf on the floor his chest impaled by a large fire arrow "Don't worry, I have your back Mac," said Spike as he attacked another wolf. "Thanks, man," said Mac as he lunged at the rest of the wolves near him. The bloody battle continued for almost an hour. Spike and the guys were getting exhausted, this allowed many wolves to run past them just to be obliterated by Pinkie's canons or Applejack's guns. "Spike, we have to end this, we won't last much longer!" Said Caramel "I agree, but how?" Asked Spike "Over there, that's their leader," Mac said as he pointed at an old looking wolf "Alright, we have to get near it, but first we must clean this area," Spike said looking at the 2 of them "thinking what I'm thinking?" "Death squad final move?" They both said at the same time "Precisely," said Spike as he grabbed both of them and lifted them off the ground with his wings. "ULTRA CANON!" they screamed as they combined their attacks to create a massive meteorite looking object, as soon as it touched the ground it exploded killing everything in its radius. As soon as they landed, Spike noticed that the wolves were trying to regroup themselves. "Oh no, I won't let you," said Spike as he ran towards the leader. When he finally came close to the leader, this one tried to defend himself against Spike and attacked Spike. But Spike, using his agility and strength stopped the wolf. "It's time for you to learn a new trick," he said as he continued to fight with the wolf holding his jaw "DIE!" said Spike in a guttural voice as he used his strength to rip the wolf's head in half, spraying its blood on him. "Who's next?"Asked Spike as he looked at the rest of the wolves which decided to run away. “Whimps,” said Spike as he looked down to the severed head of the Timberwolves’ leader in his hands “Who said that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” he said dropping it. “Spike, you ok man?” asked Caramel “Yeah, I’m fine,” said Spike “Let’s head back, I assume that everyone must be worried,” said Big Mac as they all walked back. BACK AT THE BARN “Do you see them?” asked Sugar Belle “No, and I’m starting to get worried,” said Pinkie “Caramel, please be ok,” prayed Applejack “There, I see them,” said Applebloom Everyone then came out of the barn and ran up to them, when they caught up to them they were surprised to see the condition the guys were in. “Are you kids ok?” asked Granny Smith as Applejack and Sugar Belle tackled Big Mac and Caramel into a massive bear hug, causing them to fall to the ground. “We’re fine Granny Smith, thanks,” said Spike “BS, you’re covered in blood!” said Granny Smith “It ain’t his blood, Granny,” said Big Mac “The who’s…” said Granny Smith as she added up the dots. “Well, Thank God you’re all ok,” said another man “Yeah, but what were all these Timberwolves doing all the way here?” asked a girl “You think they were migrating?” asked Babs Seed “They aren’t birds, Babs,” said Applebloom “I think I know what brought them here,” said Spike, making everyone land their attention on him. “Follow me,” he said walking off A FEW MINUTES LATER “Remember that when I got here I asked about a strange smell,” said Spike as he came to a halt Everyone nodded “Well, I think I just found the culprit,” said Spike as he punched a hole in the ground and pulled out a beautiful looking flower “What’s that?” asked Applebloom “It’s Devil’s root,” said Spike “Devil’s Root! In my property!? That’s impossible!” said Granny Smith “She’s right, Devil’s root only grows in the deepest parts of the Everfree forest, not to mention it’s suicide to go and get this, plus the flower would possibly die before getting here,” said Spike “So, what are you saying?” asked Caramel “He’s saying that this plant, or version of it, isn’t naturally grown,” said Big Mac “Exactly, someone tried to grow this flowers in their own backyard, but it must have failed,” said Spike “Because they need darkness and a lot of nutrients to grow, right?” asked Caramel “Yeah, my guess is that someone paid somebody else to grow them, or at least, create a variation with even deadlier abilities,” said Spike “Well, that would explain the Timberwolves, they love devil’s root,” said Applejack “Yeah, but I’ve never seen so many, just by looking at the corpses scattered all over the place, I have to say that not all these wolves lived in the forest nearby,” said Braeburn “So you mean… someone, brought them here from afar?” said Babs seed “It’s a possibility,” said Braeburn “Well, one thing is certain,” said Big Mac “And what’s that?” asked Granny Smith “Whoever did this has 2 things, Money, and more importantly, a motive,” said Spike “The figure,” said Big Mac “What figure?” asked Granny Smith “Last night, when I was doing my final round, I spotted a hooded figure in the orchard near here, I tried to stop it, even chasing it to Deadman’s drop, but he used some sort of position and disappeared,” said Big Mac “Well, that’s a lead,” said Caramel “I doubt that it was only the one flower, there must be more,” said Spike “We’ll look for them,” said Braeburn “Let us help,” said Caramel “Oh, no,” said Granny Smith “The three of yous, gonna go and take a shower… Sugar Belle, Applejack, Pinkie, help them with the laundry, please, thank you,” said Granny Smith “Yes, ma’am,” they said as they dragged them away back to the house “Granny Smith, who do you think was behind this?” asked Braeburn “I don’t know sonny, but we will investigate this, I will not tolerate anyone harming my family nor my land,” said Granny Smith “Braeburn, don’t even think of applying any pressure in your injury!” said Little Strongheart “Oh, come one!” said Braeburn “Stop trying to look cool in front of the kids,” she said “Ok,” he said defeated as he got up from the ground. IN A CLIFF OVERLOOKING SWEET APPLE ACRES “Dammit, all that money thrown to the garbage; I must rethink my strategy, especially with those damn kids being there… but what should I do? Well, It doesn’t matter, Sweet Apple Acres will be mine, I don’t care if I first have to kill those three, HAHAHAHAHA,” said the figure. > Dragonlord Ch. 8 Matters of the heart > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A FEW WEEKS LATER “TOE-TAPPER! SANDALWOOD! YOU’RE OUT!” screamed coach Bulk as the 2 boys walked out of the court and sat on the nearby bleachers. “SPIKE AND APPLEJACK WIN ONCE AGAIN. That makes it 500 victories straight.” said Bulk as Spike and Applejack fist bumped each other. “OK MAGGOTS, WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE ROUND BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY, AND SINCE NEXT WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK OF CLASS THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE TO DEFEAT THESE 2, ANY VOLUNTEERS?!” he continued. “I doubt it coach, we’ve been undefeated for 5 months, there is lit’rally no one in this school that can defeat us, not even you and Discord!” said Applejack. “Don’t remind me.” said Bulk as he rubbed his face. “Don’t sing victory just yet Apple-brain!” said Rainbow Dash as she and Soarin walked onto the court. “Yeah, first you have to defeat us!” said Soarin “Again?! Dudes we’ve defeated you almost 100 times not counting the friendlies we play at the park.” said Spike. “Ah, Rainbow Dash and Soarin Tempest, nice of you 2 to join us.” said Coach Bulk. “Did you finally get bored of swappin’ spit?” asked Applejack “Or other “Bodily fluids” on that note?” said Spike, his comment made both of them turn red. “WHAT WE DO, OR WHEN WE DO IT, IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” yelled Soarin. “No, but everyone here was kind of hoping you’d stop doin’ that here in school, or in class, for that matter.” said Applejack angering them even more. Rainbow Dash was about to say something, when Spike interrupted her. “No, no, she’s got a point, honestly skittles, everyone in the school is amazed you aren’t pregnant at this point.” said Spike with his typical poker/confident face. “Oh, IT IS ON LIZARD BREATH!” said Rainbow Dash. “Dragon… if you don’t mind.” said Spike in a mocking tone. “ENOUGH TALK! GET INTO POSITION!” said Bulk. ON THE BLEACHERS “Of course it comes down to these 4.” said Sunset. “Yeah, this is the “cherry on top” of PE class.” said Pinkie “I’m mostly amazed by the fact that both you and Big Mac were eliminated almost at the beginning.” Twilight said to Flash. “Well, when your first match is against a “Monster” and an “Amazon” you don’t really have much chance of winning.” said Flash “How’s your face holdin’ up?” asked Big Mac. ‘I think I lost a tooth.” said Flash as Twilight once again pressed a bag with ice on his right cheek. ‘Well I did say “DUCK” didn’t I?” said Big Mac. “Yeah, but I thought it was a literal duck.” said Flash. “I ALREADY SAID I’M SORRY!” yelled Spike. “I ain’t blaming you Spike!” said Flash. “Man, I have to admit, Spike’s got quite the arm.” said Caramel. “You think he “trains” it at night?” said Cheese Sandwich, earning a look from everyone. “You’re disgusting.” said Caramel. “Hey, they’re the ones that started the sexual puns!” Cheese protested. A FEW SEVERAL BAD PUNS AND INSULTS LATER “Man, this match has really been close.” said Sunburst. “Yeah, it seems that Rainbow and Soarin have been practicing… no pun intended.” said Cheese. “Not to mention that Spike and Applejack have a very good chemistry.” said Starlight Glimmer. “You know, you have a point there, I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before.” said Sunburst. “You 2 barely come to PE class.” said Flash removing the bag of ice from his face, just for Twilight to shove it back onto his cheek. “Back to the topic at hand, they are seriously good at this.” said Starlight “Hey Mac, why didn’t your sister team up with Spike earlier?” asked Cheese. “For the same reason all of you didn’t, he was invisible to your eyes.” said Big Mac. Everyone went silent “And why didn’t you join Spike for dodgeball?” asked Caramel. “I did, until a week after Spike became… “That”, then all of a sudden AJ was always asking him to join her during PE, and so Flash and I joined forces.” said Big Mac. “Well the plan really worked out for them, they have officially become the strongest duo in the school.” said Flash. “May I remind you that if Spike and Applejack win this match, they will officially break the record for the most consecutive wins in P.E. dodgeball, a record that stands since 1950.” said Twilight. “I wonder since when do they have this type of chemistry?” asked Caramel. BACK ON THE COURT "I must praise your reflexes guys, you finally made me sweat." said Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, usually by now you're on you're way home crying your eyes out." said Applejack "That's not true…," said Rainbow but stopped when she heard. "ARGH!" said Soarin as he fell to the floor holding his arm. "SPIKE! I SAID NO CRIPPLING!!! SOARIN YOUR OUT!" said Bulk. "Looks like it's only you left." said Applejack. "I like my odds." said Rainbow Dash. "Really? Cause I don't see a way for you to win." said Applejack. "Try me bitch, I'll show you my real abilities, and trust me you will regret ever making fun of… ARGH!" said Rainbow Dash as a dodgeball hit her thigh causing a loud SLAP sound; this caused her to call to the ground hugging her leg. "You bluff way too much." said Spike. "RAINBOW DASH YOU'RE OUT! CONGRATULATIONS SPIKE AND APPLEJACK YOU HAVE BROKEN THE RECORD FOR THE MOST PE DODGEBALL VICTORIES!!!!... SOARIN STOP CRYING!!!" said Bulk as everyone started to cheer. Spike and Applejack gave each other a hug, and then Photo Finish came up and took a picture of the 2 for the school newspaper. A few minutes later when the cheering was done, Spike and Applejack headed over to the bleachers and sat done. "You guys are awesome." said Flash as he fist pumped Spike and Applejack. "How do you guys do it?" Asked Cheese. "Do what?" Came a female voice behind them. "Oh, hey there Rarity, we were just asking Spike and Applejack how they created such good chemistry." said Twilight. "That sounds interesting, I would like to hear their EXPLANATION." Rarity said looking at both Spike and Applejack with a jealous look. "Hello everyone, what did I miss?" Asked Fluttershy. "Spike and Applejack breaking the dodgeball record, and displaying the best chemistry in school history." said Pinkie jumping up and down while mimicking Spike and Applejack's moves. "Cool, mind if I listen?" Said Fluttershy. For some reason Fluttershy's voice gave Spike the chills, but he rubbed it off as nothing. Spike and Applejack looked at each other and Applejack began talking. "Well, believe it or not, at the beginning I didn't really like Spike, I'll even admit that I… hated him…" She began. "We know that." said Rainbow Dash. "SHUT UP DASH!" everyone said. "Why did you hate Spike?" Asked Rarity. "Why did you?" Applejack shot back. "I didn't hate him, and you know it!" Rarity screamed. "Anyway, I hated Spike because I was… jealous of him." Applejack said. "Jealous of him?" Everyone said. "Yeah… since I was little I had tried to impress my family no matter what, and for a long time I did, I was the smartest one, the best athlete, the best businesswoman, and I liked being the center of attention in my family. But when my parents died, that all changed, no one paid attention to me, it was always sad faces and thoughts." said Applejack. "Then when I entered CH I thought that my grandmother and siblings would look up to me, but everything stayed the same, until one day." she said. "What happened?" Asked Pinkie. "Sh!" Said Twilight. "One night while we were eating dinner, I decided to start a conversation." said Applejack. "Hey Granny Smith, guess what, I was chosen as the strongest female student in school!" Said AJ. "That's nice, deary." said Granny Smith in a sad tone. Applejack went back to eating her stew, she ate it quietly for a few seconds before looking up and seeing her younger sister sitting right across from her. “So, how was your day, lil’ sis?” asked Applejack “It was ok, I guess.” said Applebloom as she continued eating her stew. “So, Applejack I heard that you were chosen as the strongest female student in school… Oh, yeah, it’s awesome, but I don’t really care about the titles… you’re kiddin’ right, YOUR AWESOME SIS!... why thank you Applebloom.” said Applejack in her head. Just then Big Mac barged in and screamed “HEY GRANNY SMITH, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TODAY!” “What is it sonny?” she asked as she entered the living room. “It was during chemistry class, I was sittin’ with Spike as we worked together on the class assignment, and, for a reason he didn’t discuss, Spike accidentally overloaded the mix with Magnesium, causing it to explode.” said Big Mac. “Oh, dear! Is he ok?!” asked Granny Smith worriedly. “He is a dragon, he’s just fine, but that’s not the funny part.” said Big Mac. “And what’s the funny part?” asked Applebloom. “The explosion blew off his shirt, and left his face and head covered in soot, and the only thing he did after that was cough out a cloud of smoke…” said Big Mac. “That does sound funny.” said Applebloom. “And that’s not it, the teacher came up to him and said “I understand you're smarter than the average dragon, but please don’t burn down the school… of course I don’t expect a creature like you to understand what I mean.” and he answered “Oh, don’t worry I understood, unlike some people who tend to hit on every man she sees just to get turned down every single time.” said Big Mac. “Oh dear, and what did the teacher say?” asked Granny Smith. “My personal life is none of your business! You freak of nature!” said Big Mac. “Please tell me he talked back.” said Applebloom. “Of course he did, he said, “Well, you’re right there Miss, but you don’t have to be a scientist to know that, men aren’t interested in a 30 year old woman with a God complex, who doesn’t even know how to start a conversation without referring to herself in third person.” At this point the teacher was red with shame and the whole class was laughing, then she said, “You’re only jealous, because no girl will ever find you attractive and/or hit on you.” to which he answered, “Seems like we’re on the same boat, but unlike you, I’m not desperate, must be really sad knowing that your golden years are about to be over, and you’re still a virgin.” said Big Mac. “What did the teacher do next?” asked Applebloom. “Nothing, she couldn’t think of anything, plus the bell rang signaling the end of class.” said Big Mac. Both Applebloom and Granny Smith laughed even harder. “Saved by the bell.” said Applebloom. “Nah, he had more to shoot.” said Big Mac. “I meant the teacher, who was it anyway?” asked Applebloom. “Oh, Ms. Nebula.” said Big Mac. “Wow, the “Smartest” teacher in school got roasted.” said Appebloom. “Oh, he reminds me so much of your dad, he was a bit of a rascal when he wanted to be.” said Granny Smith, as she and Big Mac sat down on the dining table and talked, all throughout the dinner, about Spike. “Really? That’s interesting?! He isn’t even part of the family, plus he doesn’t even have a title like me, Hey Bro, guess what? I was chosen as the strongest female student in school, what'd ya think?” said Applejack. “...And then Spike fell face first into the mud, leaving behind a perfect outline of his face… at least I think it was mud.” said Big Mac as he, Granny Smith and Applebloom continued talking about Spike. “Are they- Are they ignoring me?!! Are you serious, and everything because of that no good piece of wasted air?!!! I’M BETTER THAN HIM! I’LL ALWAYS BE!!!! JUST WAIT AND SEE, I’LL BECOME THE BEST, AND YOU WILL ACKNOWLEDGE ME, MARK MY WORDS!” thought Applejack as she continued eating with a murderous look on her face, and one little dragon on her mind. “And, from that day on, Spike was the topic of conversation in our house. It didn’t matter what we were doing, Big Mac would always come out with a remark or comparison to Spike, and. although I knew he didn’t mean any harm, it infuriated me… that’s why I began to dislike Spike.” said Applejack “Dislike is a very shallow word to describe your actions AJ, you should be more HONEST and say that you HATED him, with a passion.” said Rainbow Dash. “You’re one to talk, didn’t you send him to the hospital, after using him for target practice?!” said Applejack. “Well-.” said Rainbow Dash. “And, because of what? Because he nutmegged you during a soccer match!” “In her defence, I was being an asshole about it.” said Spike. “Besides the point.” said Applejack. “I never knew of this!” said Rarity. “Yeah, not my proudest moment.” said Rainbow Dash with a cheeky smile, “But all’s forgiven, right Spike?” “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” said Spike. “You tried to kill my Spike? You dared injure his precious scales? I’ll make you suffer.” whispered Fluttershy, but once again, no one paid attention. “Well that explains your feelings, but not the Chemistry.” said Flash. “We’ll get to that in a second.” said Applejack. “This better be good.” said Rarity, her voice making Spike uncomfortable. “Well, last year, the day after we all left for winter break, I decided to go up to the mountains in the Everfree Forest, you know, to raise my level, and well…” Applejack began. “Ok, I leave tomorrow at noon, hike through the Everfree forest towards the mountains, this might take me about 4 hours, then I’ll climb to the top of the mountain and set up camp; I must take provisions for at least 4 days, and be back for christmas eve… All right, everything is ready, now all I have to do is tell Mac to get ready cause I’m pretty sure he ain’t.” said Applejack as she finished packing her backpack. Applejack raced down the stairs out the front door and straight to the apple orchard. “Hey, Mac, are you ready for tomorrow?” Screamed Applejack as she reached Big Mac. “Eeyup.” said Mac, as he walked past her carrying a crate full of apples. “Man, when we return for our training trip we will officially be the strongest, most powerful students in school.” said Applejack as she followed him. Hearing this, Bic Mac stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Applejack “What trip?” he asked. “Our training trip to the Everfree mountains, you didn’t forget right?” said Applejack. “Applejack, I told you I had to cancel the trip, I’ll be heading out tomorrow for Maneston for the rodeo.” said Big Mac. “WHAT?!!! YO DIDN’T TELL ME ABOUT THIS!!!” screamed Applejack. “Yes I did, I’ve been tellin’ you for almost a month now… you weren’t listening were you?” said Big Mac. “What’s all this noise?” asked Granny Smith. “Big Mac cancelled the training trip.” said Applejack. “I thought you guys had agreed to that?” said Granny Smith. “Apparently, she wasn’t paying attention.” said Big Mac. “Well, you might have to re-think your plans sweety.” said Granny Smith. “Not necessarily, she just needs to find someone to go with her.” said Big Mac. “BUT WHO?! Everyone’s leaving tonight, and all of my friends are busy, even Rainbow Dash has something to do.” said Applejack. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to come with us?” asked Granny Smith. “NO!! I want to get stronger, not WATCH Big Mac get stronger.” said Applejack. At this point everyone went silent, thinking of a solution for this predicament. After a few minutes, Big Mac looked at Applejack and said. “I might know someone who might be able to help.” “WHO?!!!” asked Applejack. Big Mac quickly ran to the house and grabbed his phone, and rushed back to where AJ, and Granny Smith were standing. Big Mac quickly dialed a number, put his phone in loudspeaker and waited for the person at the other end to pick up “Hello?” answered a voice. “Hey Spike, how was your trip?” asked Big Mac. “It was ok… Productive.” said Spike. “Glad to hear.” said Big Mac. “So, what do you want?” asked Spike. “How did you know I needed somethin’?” asked Big Mac. “Cause, I doubt that Granny Smith would let you use your phone during working hours, so this must be important.” said Spike. “Busted… Listen, I need you to go with my sister on a training trip tomorrow.” said Big Mac. “Wow, that came out left field.” said Spike. “I thought you were left handed.” said Big Mac “Doesn’t matter please help me out with this.” “How long will the trip last?” asked Spike. “One week, maybe less, depending on how fast she gets better.” said Big Mac. “I don’t know man, I don’t think she likes me, plus…” said Spike. “Bro, help me out here, I’ll owe you big time.” pleaded Big Mac. Spike remained quiet for a few seconds before saying “Fine, I’ll babysit her.” “Thanks man, come to the farm tomorrow at 10 AM, and pack…” said Big Mac. “Camping and hiking equipment, I know.” said Spike. “Once again, thanks.” said Big mac “Don’t mention it… seriously don’t.” said Spike as he hung up the phone. Big Mac turned to look at Applejack, who had heard everything. “You gotta be shittin’ me.” said Applejack. “LANGUAGE!!!!” screamed Granny Smith. “Why him of all people? That little pipsqueak can’t even even lift his head, not to mention that he’s a snarky know-it-all.” said Applejack. “Beggars can’t be choosers.” said Big Mac. “ARGH! Fine but if he slows me down…” said Applejack. “You should better watch your mouth, he might be short, but Spike can easily keep up with me at full power, I can even say with confidence that he is much stronger than me, not to mention, Spike is a seasoned hiker." said Big Mac. THE NEXT MORNING "Thank you so much Spike." said Granny Smith over the phone. "Thank me when we come back." said Spike as he hung up. "Are you ready?" Asked Applejack. "Yeah, let's go." said Spike as he and Applejack walked away. AFTER A FEW HOURS OF HIKING "Do you do this a lot?" asked Spike. "Stop talking to me." said Applejack. "Ok, sorry." said Spike "Woah, someone missed their morning coffee." "Why does he try so hard to talk to me? Why did it have to be him of all people, his presence alone is enough to…" thought Applejack, unknown to her, while she was having this internal tantrum, she had lost track of where she was walking, and had turned straight towards a deep ravine. She was about to fall in, when she felt someone grab her from behind. "You should really watch where you're going." said Spike as he pulled her back to safety "well, moving on." he said as he walked away. Applejack just looked at him in anger. "How can he be so inconsiderate, it's his fault I almost fell." she said as she walked faster to be in front of him. A FEW MINUTES LATER "Walk faster, I ain't waitin' for you." said Applejack as she walked-ran up the mountain trail. "You should be more careful, it rained last night, the ground might be weak from the water." said Spike as he walked slowly. "You know what, I've had it with you! You're not my boss, you're not my dad… you aren't my older brother… YOU ARE NOTHING!... I don’t want to be in the same school as you, I don’t want to be in the same place with you, I didn’t want you to come and take my family’s love and attention, I didn't ask for you to come with me, and to be honest… I DON'T WANT YOU HERE! YOU STUPID LIZARD!...I WISH YOU’D NEVER BEEN BORN!!!!" Screamed Applejack, leaving Spike in shock, as she ran away. "APPLEJACK, WAIT!!!!" said Spike as he hurried after her. Spike turned the corner and saw the ground was about to give. "APPLEJACK, LOOK OUT!!" he screamed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed, but as soon as her boot touched that part of the track, the ground gave in and sank under her boot; this caused Applejack to lose her balance, and plummet over the edge. Time slowed down for Applejack as she started to fall. "Is this it? Is this how it ends?" She pondered. Before she could ponder the end further, she felt something wrap around her right arm. When she finally came to her senses, she looked up and saw Spike holding her by the arm. “That’s why I said… be careful.” he said as he pulled her back to safety. Once Applejack was back on the mountain path, it took her a few seconds to catch her breath. “Th-thanks, I should’ve listened to...OH MY GOD!” was all she could say before her eyes fell on Spike, who had a sharp piece of rock, piercing his chest near his heart. “ARE YOU OK!!?” she frantically asked as she tried to help Spike. “I’m fine, my scales protected me.” said Spike as he shoved her hand away. Spike then got up and saw over the edge “Well, there goes your backpack.” he said. “Oh, no, all of the food was in there, not to mention my sleeping bag, and first aid kit.” Applejack said. “Well, nothing we can do about it, better keep walking.” said Spike as he got up and walked away. Applejack followed close behind, they walked in silence for a few more minutes, but by now, the silence was getting to Applejack. “Hey, Spike?” she said. But Spike didn’t answer her. “Spike?” she said again. But again Spike remained silent. “SPIKE!!!!” she screamed. “Huh! What, what is it?” he said as he turned around removing his headphones. “Listen, I’m sorry for the things I said, I was… I was wrong to talk to you like that.” Applejack said. Spike looked at her and said “Sure you are.” “I mean it!” Applejack exclaimed. “Uh-huh, yeah.” Spike answered. “I’m being ho… wait, is that a snowflake?” Applejack said. “How observant.” said Spike. “The weather forecast said nothing about snow.” she said. “Oh, really, well, newsflash, we are in December, AKA winter, AKA it will snow.” said Spike. “What are we gonna do, I lost all of my extra clothes, I didn’t even bring a proper jacket!” said Applejack as she started to panic. “Well the first thing you shouldn’t do is panic, second… we’ll just have to keep walking until we find shelter.” said Spike as he continued walking. A few minutes later, the temperature had dropped much, much more, and it was slowly turning into a blizzard. “How are you holding up?” asked Spike. “I can’t feel my legs,” said Applejack, who had decided to wear shorts for this adventure. Spike started to panic, but then he noticed something. “There is a cave up ahead, just bare with it for a few more seconds.” “Ok.” Applejack said. Spike and Applejack made it into the cave, just as the blizzard showed its full strength. “We’ll be safe here for the night.” said Spike as he placed his backpack on the ground. Applejack sat down at the other side of the cave, she curled up into a fetal position, to try to keep herself warm. “Spike, I’m really sorry for what I said, seriously. I- I don’t know what came over me.” said Applejack. Spike just sighed and said “It’s ok… I’m used to it.” Applejack was about to answer, but then her stomach started to grumble. “Someone’s hungry.” said Spike. “IT’S NOT FUNNY!... but I lost my backpack, all of my food was in there.” said Applejack. Spike quickly dug into his backpack and tossed her some fruits “That’ll keep your stomach from hurting while I prepare the fire.” he said as he started to pull various branches and rocks from his backpack. “You’ve been carryin’ all that in that small bag? How?!!” she exclaimed. “Oh, this is a magical bag, it doesn’t have a bottom, and you can pack as many things as you want, it’s pretty handy for this type of trip.” said Spike as he began to fix the bonfire. “But those things must be worth a fortune, last time I checked, they were worth at least $20,000! How did you get one?” asked Applejack. “It was a gift from my dad.” said Spike as he used his flames to start the fire “Wow, you must be loaded.” said Applejack as she finished eating the pear Spike gave her. “Yeah.” said Spike in a solemn voice as he dug into the bag again and pulled out a sleeping bag, a sweater and a heavy blanket. “Here.” he said as he threw the things to Applejack. “Thanks… but what about you?” asked Applejack. “You worry about you, let me worry about me.” said Spike as he, once again, dug into the bag and pulled out some sandwiches “Do you want the Pizza Sub, or the Pepperoni-Bacon Sub?” he asked. “Pepperoni-Bacon please… Thank you… Wait how are they still warm?... oh, yeah, the bag.” said Applejack with a cheeky smile, but Spike just remained silent as he ate the sub. After eating and about 30 minutes of awkward silence between the 2 of them Applejack said. “Spike? Can I ask you something?” “Depends.” said Spike. “Why do you help me, even after all I did and said?” she asked. “I promised Granny Smith I would.” said Spike. “Oh.” was all that Applejack said. A Few more minutes of awkward silence passed and Spike said, “Now, may I ask you something?” “Sure.” Applejack said. “Why do you hate me?” he asked in a serious voice. Applejack went silent, she didn’t know how to answer that. “Why do you think I hate you?” she said, trying to avoid the topic. “Well, taking into consideration that ever since I started to attend this school, and our little “conversation” moments ago, I don’t think you’ve been complimenting me.” said Spike. Applejack remains silent. “Applejack, I’ve heard you’re the most honest person alive, so, be honest with me, no hard feelings.” said Spike Applejack just sighed and said “To be totally honest, I… Don’t know myself.” “Well, that didn’t get us anywhere now, did it.” said Spike. “It’s just that… ever since my parents died, I wanted to be the reason for my family's pride, their joy, their… happiness, and…” began Applejack. “And, the fact that I became the center of attention of your family irritates you.” said Spike. “How did you know?” said Applejack. “I was actually taking a wild guess… But, seriously, THAT’S why you hate me?” said Spike in surprise. “Yeah, I’m not proud of it… but… I don’t know… I became jealous of your popularity with my family, and…” said Applejack, trying to come up with a good excuse. “WAIT, WAIT, WAIT… YOU were jealous of ME?... WHY?” said Spike. “You said it yourself, I wanted to be the center of attention in my house, to be the new best Apple, and when Big Mac started to talk about you at home and everyone started to idolize you, I just lost it.” said Applejack. “Applejack… how old are you?” asked Spike. “That’s a strange question.” said Applejack. “How old are you?” Spike repeated. “A bit younger than you, so 17.” said Applejack. Spike remained quiet, and looked at Applejack. “Really, cause, right now, your excuse makes me think that you’re a 5 year old, who just threw a massive temper tantrum over a stupid toy.” said Spike. “You’re right, I think I was being a tad… immature.” said Applejack. “You THINK?” said Spike. “Hey! You don’t know what it’s like to work hard to be recognized by everyone just to be ignored because of someone else.” said Applejack “I don’t? I don’t? YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE ALONE?” said Spike. “No the way I felt!” said Applejack. “You’re disgusting, d’you know that?” said Spike. “WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT?!” screamed Applejack. “THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TAKE YOUR FAMILY FOR GRANTED!!!” screamed Spike. “I DON’T TAKE MY FAMILY FOR GRANTED!” Applejack shouted back. “REALLY?!! YOU KNOW WHAT I’D GIVE TO HAVE JUST 0.01% OF WHAT YOU HAVE?!” said Spike. Applejack remained silent for a few seconds before saying. “What d'ya mean?” asked Applejack. “I HAVE NO ONE IN MY LIFE!... MY DAD DIED BEFORE I WAS BORN, MY MOM, JUST PLAIN ABANDONED ME, AND MY GRANDPARENTS DIED WHEN I WAS 15! I’VE BEEN ALONE SINCE THEN!… with no one to talk to, no one to ask me if I had a good day, no one to hug me, make me feel loved… to make me feel better… to tell me that… I’m not a monster.” said Spike as he started to sob. Applejack went completely silent, what Spike had told her, it kept ringing in her ears, her thoughts about him, her actions towards him, to her family. He was about to say something but Spike continued. “And then… I hear you say… that you hate me, only because, YOUR family took a liking to ME, and ignored you?... Applejack… Do you know how much I would love to have a family that acknowledges that I even exist?” he said. Applejack didn’t even look at him. “Your family loves you, ignoring you or not… they will always be there for you, and you will always be there for them… but… in my case… they only pity me… Mac’s my best friend… my only friend, Granny Smith… she always smiles at me at school… but I know that it’s a smile for everyone, it has no love… or at least not a deep, family love… What I’m trying to say is that… I should be jealous of you and Mac… I have nothing… for you to envy me.” Spike said. At this point Applejack began to cry her eyes out, this caught Spike a bit of guard, and made him uncomfortable, so without thinking twice, he scooted over and gave Applejack a hug. “There, there, no harm was done.” said Spike in a soothing voice. “What d’ya mean… no harm was done… look at everything I did… to you.” said Applejack between sobbs. “Oh, don’t waste your tears on me… I’m not worth it.” said Spike, not knowing that what he had just said, infuriated Applejack. “Excuse me?!!!” Applejack said as she shot up “What do you mean you ain’t worth it?!” she said, tears still falling from her face. “A person like you shouldn’t cry over a monster like me… you should save those tears for… OUCH!!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” said Spike as he caressed the cheek that Applejack had slapped, which was now fully red. “THAT WAS FOR SAYING YOUR AIN’T WORTH IT… AND THIS IS FOR MAKING ME REALIZE HOW MUCH OF A FOOL I’VE BEEN.” Applejack said as she hugged Spike so tight that his back cracked. “I can’t… breathe… let… go!” said Spike as he began to turn into a darker shade of purple. “Oh, sorry.” said Applejack as she let go. “Well, if it makes you feel better… you are mighty strong.” said Spike catching his breath. “And, you sure know how to make someone think” said Applejack. “Well, only if they have a brain.” said Spike as he and Applejack began to laugh. They laughed for a while before Applejack went silent. “Something wrong?” asked Spike. “I was just wonderin’, now what?” said Applejack. “We do the only logical thing left… head back home.” said Spike. “Now?” asked Applejack. “Did all this talking fry your brain?” asked Spike. “No.” said Applejack. “Well then, it’s obvious that we must head back tomorrow, at first light.” said Spike. “Oh, by the way… do you think bears live in this cave?” asked Applejack. “Doubt it, it’s to far up, plus, this cave is “BEARLY” big enough for a bear family.” said Spike making Applejack laugh “Get some rest, I’ll take first watch.” “Thanks, for everything.” said Applejack as she laid down and fell asleep. THE NEXT MORNING “AJ, wake up.” whispered Spike. “Wha-what is it?” asked a sleep induced Applejack. “It’s time to head back, the skies have opened up, but judging by the wind, it’s going to snow harder later.” said Spike. “Ok, how much time do we have before the next blizzard?” asked Applejack. “About 3 hours,” said Spike. “Ah, a race against time, hiking in a snow covered landscape, this is turning out to be the perfect training trip.” said Applejack. “Yeah, hopefully nothing too crazy happens.” said Spike as he finished packing his bag and headed out. 2 HOURS LATER “So, I was wonderin’, what was all that farming act, from a while back?” said Applejack. “I thought you knew.” said Spike . “Oh, not Rarity’s act, yours.” Applejack corrected. “Oh, it wasn’t an act, my grandma came from a long line of farmers, she taught me everything I know, so… yeah.” said Spike “Wow, so you’re like a “jack of all trades.” That’s awesome.” said Applejack. “Yeah, I guess” said Spike. Just then, they heard a loud roar, and both Spike and Applejack, quickly jumped behind a tree. “What was that?” whispered Applejack. “Judging by the sound… that was a...TROLL!” Spike said as he pointed to it. In front of them, walked a 10 ft. tall troll. “That’s a Lake troll, what’s it doing all the way here?” said Applejack. “The cold must have frozen the lake solid, creating a bridge of sorts.” said Spike “No shit Sherlock, I meant, what is it doing all the way here?” corrected Applejack. “2 possible things, It’s just lost and it’s looking for his way home, or 2…” Spike was about to say when they heard a couple of Timberwolves howling and various paws heading their way “Quickly hide,” said Spike as the Timberwolves jumped for out of nowhere and attacked the Troll The troll, easily blocked the first attacks before he swung his arms and hit a Timberwolf so hard that it disintegrated, the other 4 remaining Timberwolves, didn’t give up and continued to attack and scratch the trolls scale like skin. But the troll barely even registered the damage done by the Timberwolves, and he quickly kicked a nearby Timberwolf, sending it flying towards a tree, disintegrating on impact. The last 3 Timberwolves, seeing this decided to leave, but, before they could start running, one of them was grabbed by the troll, it picked it up, brought it towards his face, and bit down on it. The Timberwolf cried out in pain, and tried desperately to get loose, but the troll grabbed its head, and bit down on the Wolf’s neck, breaking it, and killing the wolf, as blood splattered all over the snow and on the troll, as he continued eating the wolf. “He’s hunting.” said Spike. “Well, it’s stomach must be full, this is our chance to leave.” said Applejack as she got up only to be grabbed by Spike. “Are you crazy, that Timberwolf was basically a salad compared to what those things eat!” whispered Spike. “And what do they eat?” asked Applejack, just as they heard a growl near them. “US!” said Spike as the Troll lunged at the pair crashing into the tree. Spike and Applejack rolled away in different directions, and were about to make a run for it, when the troll noticed Applejack, and lunged at her. Applejack skillfully dodged the attack, but the troll wasn’t letting up, and continued to chase her. She ran as fast as she could until she tripped on a tree root, and fell to the floor, when she looked up she saw that the troll was about to crush her, so she closed her eyes, but then, a rock, covered in flames hit the troll in the eye, making it roar in pain and anger. “DEADLY ACCURACY!” yelled Spike as the monster saw him and roared as he went after him “TIME TO GO!” said Spike as he sprinted away. A FEW MINUTES LATER Spike finally ran out of air, and had to stop; he was so tired that he even fell to the floor. “I’m totally out of shape.” he said as he sat up and saw that the troll wasn’t following him “Where did it go?” “SPIKE! ARE YOU OK?!” said Applejack as she ran to him and helped him up. “Yeah, where… where did the troll go?” asked Spike. “I have no idea.” said Applejack. Just then they heard a roar coming east of where they were. “Oh, no, it’s headed to the town!” said Spike. “If it gets to it, it will be chaos.” said Applejack. “We have to stop it.” said Spike. “How?!” asked Applejack. “Applejack, you're the strongest female alive in the school, maybe even in the whole town, and I’m the quietest, and smartest motherfucker in town, we can defeat it.” said Spike. “I still don’t see how?” said Applejack. “With these,” said Spike as he touched her arms, “and This,” said Spike as he banged his head with his hand, “and a little bit of teamwork, and we might pull off a miracle.” said Spike. “Gosh, darn, Spike, you’ll make an amazing coach.” said Applejack “Let’s do it.” And they both headed off to fight the troll. A FEW MOMENTS LATER They finally caught up with the troll, and saw the amount of damage it had done to the forest. “This is why Trolls should stay in their cage.” said Applejack. “I think you mean cave.” said Spike. “Yeah, yeah, now let’s make him regret coming to our town.” said Applejack as she lunged at the troll. The troll heard her coming and quickly turned around and tried to hit her, but she skipped and punched the troll straight in the gut and, surprisingly enough, it was Applejack who was sent flying. Spike on the other hand used his speed and silence to throw rocks at the troll catching its attention and luring it away from Applejack, giving her time to recover. Spike kept the troll’s attention on himself, until he ran out of rocks to throw and had to use his fists, which went as well as you imagine. Spike flew all the way back to where Applejack was. “So much for strength and silence, huh.” said Applejack. “Well, when you’re at a disadvantage, set a trap.” said Spike. “I smell a plan.” said Applejack. “And I smell blood, do you?” asked Spike until he looked down and noticed he had landed in the wolf blood “Oh, fuck, disgusting!” he said. “Focus, what is the trap?” asked Spike. “Ok, We’ll lure the troll back to the mountain, and once there, you will use those muscular legs of yours, no sexual comment ment, and bury it under the rock.” said Spike. “Sugar cube, I hate to rain on your parade, but I ain’t strong enough to do that.” said Applejack. “Well, we’ll never know unless we try.” said Spike as he extended his arm to her. Applejack smiled and took his hand as he pulled her up. “You know, this determination makes you look really attractive.” said Applejack “Ok, now it’s your turn to focus.” said Spike, and with that they both attacked the troll. Spike used his speed to attack its legs and back, while Applejack used her strength and height to punch its gut and chest, and sometimes, with Spike’s help, the troll's ugly head. After a few minutes, the troll had enough and managed to shake both Spike and Applejack off. “We’re so close, we can’t give up now.” said Applejack. “Look out!” said Spike as he shoved her out of the way of Troll’s fist, taking the hit and slamming against the mountain wall. The troll rushed towards Spike’s unconscious body, picked him up and brought him near his face. Just as the troll was about to eat Spike, Spike woke up and said “You look cold, why don’t you WARM UP!!!” as he blew his fire all over the troll’s face, burning it “NOW AJ!!!” “GOOD RIDDANCE!” said Applejack as she kicked the mountain, causing a few large size rocks to fall towards them. Just as the Troll managed to regain it’s composure, the boulders fell on it, squashing it. After the dust and snow settled Spike and Applejack assessed the result of their plan. “Well, I’ll be a son of a gun, it worked, that thing is deader than a motherfucker.” said Spike “We make an awesome team don’t you think?” said Applejack as she hugged Spike. “Surprisingly, yeah.” said Spike “Listen, about what I said and did.” said Applejack “Don’t mention it, literally don’t, what happened on this trip, stays on this trip, ok?” said Spike. Applejack nodded in agreement. “Good, now, let’s head home before it starts snowing for real.” said Spike. They were just about to start walking, when they heard footsteps coming towards them. “Who’s there?” they both asked. “Do not fear my children, I mean you no harm.” said Zecora. “Zecora! What are you doing here?” asked Applejack. “I had heard that a troll had come to cause trouble, so I rushed to end his little spectacle.” said Zecora. “Good to know.” said Spike “Allow me to inquire, for what reason are you so far from your domiciles?” said Zecora. Spike and Applejack explained everything, and I mean EVERYTHING to Zecora. “The trip to grow your strength, might not have been what you expected, but I can say, that you gain something much better.” said Zecora Applejack and Spike looked at each other and smiled. “Come along my childs, I will get you home, warm, safe and sound.” said Zecora as she guided Spike and Applejack to her cottage. “And that’s basically what happened.” said Applejack. “Wow, you guys took on a lake troll… and survived!” said Pinkie. “What was Zecora doing in the forest?” asked Twilight. “She has a cottage in the woods, she says it helps her aura “clean.”” said Fluttershy. “I thought she lived in a Bachelor’s apartment at the Canterlot towers.” said Flash “You n’ me both,” said Soarin. Just then Applejack opened her hand, and a soda can landed on it. “Nice catch.” said Spike as he walked up to the group carrying various sodas, and handing them out. “Wow, you guys are definitely the perfect duo.” said Cheese. “Yeah, I’m amazed that you chose me over him.” said Caramel. “You know, I was kind of concerned, with all this chemistry talk, I almost thought you were talking about romantic attraction, but now you have said that you view each other as friends, I feel much better.” said Rarity, as she took a sip of the soda. “Well, she did ask me out… twice.” said Spike, this caused everyone to spit out their drinks. “WHAT?!!!!” they all screamed. “Yeah, I asked him out a week before he became… this… and a few weeks later too.” said Applejack. “You… asked him… out.” said Rarity, making a scary face. “A new rival… I must destroy you.” whispered Fluttershy as she crushed her soda can “Yeah, but I turned her down...twice,” said Spike “That’s true, he said he did it to protect my image.” said Applejack. “If I had accepted to date her before my “Metamorphosys” she would have been dubbed a “Controlling woman, who only dates weaker men; and if I had accepted her after it, she would’ve been dubbed an “interested girl who only cares about status and looks” so that’s why I said no.” said Spike. At this, everyone relaxed, and went back to drinking their sodas. “Say, do you guys want to come over to my house later for a “Goodbye Highschool” party?” said Cheese. “Sure.” everyone but Spike said, and then turned to look at him. “Oh, that includes me… well, as long as there is no booze, or nothing illegal, I think I can crash for a few minutes.” said Spike. “Awesome.” said Cheese “You guys, arrive there after 6 and we will party till morning.” said Cheese. “Ok.” everyone said as they got up and headed for the door. “Hey, Spike, can you, Soarin, flash, and Caramel follow me, please.” said Cheese They all shrugged and went after him. “Mac! You too.” said Cheese. “Comin’.” he said. The girls looked at each other, but decided just to shrug it off and head home. A FEW MINUTES LATER IN THE HALLWAY Cheese led the guys through the hallways, but Spike started to notice something “What is it with all these couples, and proposals?” he said “Oh, it’s common for these scenes to be seen during the final days of class,” said Soarin “Why?” asked Spike “Well, many of us will go on to higher education, but others, who aren’t smart enough, will have to join the army or a guild, or become housewives/husbands, and so many of them are desperately searching for a mate,” said Flash “To save their status?” asked Spike “Sometimes,” said Big Mac This made everyone look at him “Many will try to marry into a rich family to have a free ride in life, while others, are just afraid of the future and search for a companion to be there in the future,” said Big Mac “Makes sense… isn’t that your younger sister… and what is she doing at my locker?” asked Spike “No clue,” said Big Mac, as he and the rest saw her shove something inside his locker and then hurry away “Not the letter thing again,” said Spike “Well, until you don’t get a girlfriend/wife, it will happen… no, even if you get one, it will still happen,” said Flash “When are you going to tell everyone about you and Rarity?” whispered Caramel “When I feel it’s necessary,” when it’s necessary “And THIS doesn’t make it necessary?” whispered Caramel “Well…” said Spike “Just come clean,” said Caramel “What are you guys whispering about?” asked Soarin “Just explaining some… details about this situation to Spike,” said Caramel “Ok then… are you gonna see what she wrote?” asked Flash “We’re already here anyway,” said Spike as he opened his locker and a wave of letters buried him alive “Ouch, papercut?” said Soarin in a mocking tone “I’m fine actually, dragons don’t get paper cuts,” said Spike as he got up and stuffed most of the letters in his bag. “Hey look, here is Applebloom's,” said Flash as he gave it to Spike, who pulled out a pair of glasses. “You wear glasses?!!” everyone exclaimed “Surprising isn’t it,” said Spike “Yeah,” said Flash “Dear Spike, I know of your secret, and I want you to know that I don’t care, I won’t give up, until you and I become one. Forever yours, Applebloom,” read Spike “You should get a restraining order,” said Soarin “You think I haven’t” said Spike “Wait, Cloudchaser, left you a letter,” said Cheese as he gave it to Spike “Hey, Spike, I know this will sound last minute, but what do you think of marrying me and Flitter? 2 hot chicks at once, we’ll await your answer. XOXOXO, Cloudchaser and Flitter,” read Spike “Harem much?” said Cheese “Don’t laugh at my predicament,” said Spike “Hey look, this one is very elegant,” said Caramel “Hello my Darling, I just wanted to make sure you got my message, well if you’re reading this, you have, anyway, I wanted to propose that we joined our bodies and hearts to strengthen our family’s power and influence, I’ll be waiting Darling, Love Diamond Tiara,” read Spike “Filthy Rich’s daughter, even her?” said Flash “I told you about this things,” said Caramel “I doubt she was the one to write it, some of the language is to advanced for her,” said Spike “Must’ve been her dad,” said Soarin “How’bout this one?” asked Big Mac holding up a Blue letter “Haven’t these girls heard about emails?” asked Spike “Dude, apart from us, very few people know your email,” said Cheese “Hey, hot stuff, you might not know us, but we know you, and we want to tell you, that we are crazy for you, calls us, if you want to have a good time, Love, Adagio, Aria, and Sonata,” read Spike “The Dazzling sisters, this just went crazy,” said Flash “And the last 300 time, it didn’t?” asked Spike “Huh, didn’t they make it big as artists, and sign a multi-million dollar contract?” asked Cheese “They don’t want Spike for his money, they want his swimmers,” said Big Mac “What?” said Spike “Swimmers, AKA, your sperm,” said Big Mac “I know what it means, I just want to know why,” said Spike “Well, even if you don’t marry someone, let's say, you impregnate… Photo Finish, and she bears your child… just the fact that she had your child, would give her a massive amount of status, and fame,” explained Soarin “I wouldn’t mind that, what ya say Spike, wanna go somewhere more… private?” said Photo Finish as she closed her locker “It was just an example,” said Soarin “And I said, I was cool with it not being one, well keep it in mind Spike,” she said with a wink and walked away “Hey this one is from Coco Pommel,” said Flash “I didn’t expect that,” said Spike “Hi, Spike, I know you and I don’t talk much, but, I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me this year, and help me win that fashion scholarship at Manehattan Fashion Academy, please keep in touch, Love, Coco Pommel,” read Spike “The only letter so far that wasn’t a love letter,” said Flash “Nope, it was a love letter alright,” said Big Mac “Where?” asked Spike “If it wasn’t a love letter she would say this to Spike face to face,” said Mac “Point,” said Cheese “Changing the subject, why did you want us to follow you?” asked Spike “Well, I need to ask you guys some advice,” said Cheese “Shoot,” said Flash “I want to get ideas to ask Pinkie Pie to out,” said Cheese They all went quiet “Pinkie?” asked Spike “Pinkie,” said Cheese “Well, you can bake her a cake,” said Flash “Not so original,” said Cheese “How bout, a poem?” said Caramel “Wasn’t that what you gave Applejack when you asked her out?” said Cheese “Give her a piece of jewelry,” said Mac “I already have this necklace, but I don’t think it’s enough,” said Cheese “What about a nice song?” said Soarin “Oh, yeah cause that worked so well last time,” said Spike “What do you mean?” asked Cheese “Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Spike “No, but, it’s what I do best,” said Soarin “Scare people half to death?” said Flash “No, improvise,” said Soarin “Ready?” “Let’s hope we don’t get in that much trouble,” said Neon Lights “1...2...3…” said Soarin ‘In my defense, I did get the girl,” said Soarin “Yeah, and a $700 fine,” said Flash “Not to mention, I had to carry all those generators back to the gas station, and the manager wasn’t happy,” said Spike Everyone then started to give ideas left and right, until there were no more “Well, thanks anyway guys,” said Cheese “If you come up with something don’t hesitate to tell us,” said Flash as he drove away Everyone said their goodbyes, leaving only Cheese and Spike in the parking lot “You have an idea right,” said Spike “Yeah, but I need your help,” said Cheese “Listen, I’m not going to wear the cupid outfit,” said Spike “What no, I want to ask a girl out, not give her to you, no offense,” said Cheese “None taken,” said Spike “Ok, so this is what we’re going to do,” said Cheese LATER ON THAT NIGHT - AT CHEESE SANDWICH’S MANSION “WOOOOW, you gotten better at mixing there Neon,” said Vinyl “I was never bad, babe,” he answered back “Are you challenging me?” asked Vinyl “Guys, save all that for the bedroom,” said Twilight “Don’t be a party pooper!” they both screamed, then looked at each other and said “You are so my type,” before starting a full blown make out session “They waste no time now do they?” said Sunset Everyone nodded in agreement “Hey, Soarin, mind giving me a hand with this,” came Cheese’s voice from the kitchen “Sure, on my way…” said Soarin “Actually… can Flash, Mac, and Caramel, come too, I think we overloaded Spike “Roger that,” they all said and headed to the kitchen As soon as they all left, Sunset turned to Twilight and said “So, how are you taking the whole, engagement thing?” “It’s… wonderful… just like a dream,” said Twilight “Really?” said Sunset “Yeah, I love Flash, and I know he loves me… is there a problem?” asked Twilight “No, no, not at all, I’m really happy for you,” said Sunset “It surely doesn’t seem that way,” said Rainbow Dash “What are you talking about?! What type of person would I be if I didn’t support my best friend’s relationship?” said Sunset Shimmer “You’d be a hypocrite,” said Spike This caught all of the girls off guard, making them jump “SPIKE!!!! DON’T DO THAT!!!!!” they all screamed “Part of the package,” said Spike “What did you mean that I’m a hypocrite?” said Sunset “Come on Sunset, we all know, you can drop the act,” said Spike “Wha… What,” said Sunset “You never stopped loving Flash… just like he never stopped loving you,” said Spike “But… I… he… Twi… never…” Sunset said “It’s ok Sunset, Spike told me this a while back,” said Twilight “How did you know?” asked Sunset “Being a loner, and a social outcast, has its perks, for 1, I am very good at reading someone’s character,” said Spike “Even if that were the case, Flash and Twilight are happy together, I don’t want to get in the way,” said Sunset “Why don’t you just join them, then?” said Pinkie “What?” Everyone said “Polygamy is a thing you know,” said Pinkie “Even if its legal, there would be way to many issues, and problems that would break our “Family” and I don’t want that to happen,” said Sunset “Don’t they say that love conquers all?” said Starlight “Not always,” said Sunburst coming into the room “Ok, you and me are gonna go have a long talk,” said Starlight as she got up and dragged Sunburst away “We’re do you think they’re goin’?” asked Applejack “Knowing Cheese’s crib… I’d say, he better order a new mattress for his guest room,” said Spike All of the girls went red “Anyway… Starlight has a fact, love will always, conquer,” said Twilight “Wait, doesn’t it annoy you that they’re trying to force me into your and Flash’s personal life?” said Sunset “Truth is… When Spike told me about it, I told Flash, and he said he was ok with marrying the 2 of us,” said Twilight “Really?” asked Sunset in disbelief “Yeah, so what do you say?” asked Twilight “It’s gonna be very awkward,” said Sunset “What… Sex?” said Twilight “Yeah, I mean, don’t be offended, I don’t mind but… we’re both girls and…” Sunset was silenced by one of Twilight’s fingers “I don’t mind, Plus we both share a secret,” said Twilight “And that is?” said Sunset “I know you love me… as a woman,” said Twilight Sunset couldn’t talk, she was shocked, how did Twilight know “And I have to admit… I also find you really attractive,” said Twilight as she kissed her Sunset was so shocked, she didn’t know what to do, but after a few seconds she gave in, and kissed back. “Well, my job here is done… back to the kitchen,” said Spike as he walked away “What did we miss?” asked Flash “Twilight taking control of your love life,” said Spike “What?” asked Flash “You got the other marriage ring I gave you?” asked Spike “Yeah? Why?” said Flash, earning a look from Spike “Oh-” said Flash when the information sinked in “Go get’em tiger,” said Spike as he gave Flash a slap in his butt, making him jump out the door “That was gay,” said Soarin “Not as gay as Steven Magnet,” said Spike “Point,” said Soarin “Plus, It was just for him not to get cold feet… again,” said Spike as he went back to cooking A FEW HOURS LATER The party was in full swing, Flash, Twilight, and Sunset, were dancing together, Applejack and Caramel had entered a Cake eating contest, Soarin and Rainbow Dash, were having a push up contest, which Soarin was losing, Neon and Vinyl were having a DJ battle for the music, Fluttershy, and Rarity just sat on the corner talking about “girl stuff”, Spike, Cheese, and Pinkie, just sat on the sofa playing COD Advanced Warfare, and as for Sunburst and Starlight, they hadn’t been seen in a long while, and honestly no one wanted to go disturb them. “Spike… it’s time,” whispered Cheese “DO I have to?” whispered Spike Cheese did his world known puppy dog eyes “Ok, stop that, they don’t work on me… Well, I did promise,” said Spike as he got up “MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?!” said Spike This caused the music to stop, and everyone to look at him Spike was about to start talking when “What did we miss?” asked Sunburst as he and Starlight walked in, their hair and clothes spoke volumes of the last few hours. “Spike was about to give a speech,” said Pinkie “I just wanted to say that… I know you guys and I haven’t really been friends for a long time, heck at the beginning of the year, I’m pretty sure most of you didn’t know that I was alive… but that’s all in the past; The reason, for me to be up here is, to propose a toast, for old victories, accomplishments, for new friends, new flames, and many more adventures to come… without more… CHEERS!!” said Spike “CHEERS!” everyone said as they cling their soda cups “Oh, I believe that Cheese wanted to say something,” said Spike as he motion Cheese to the the center “To be honest, I can't add anything to what Spike said, I agree completely, and wish all of you the best during university, incase we never see each other again…” said Cheese “Of course we will, we’re all going to Canterlot State,” said Flash “Regardless… I do have a question to ask someone in the crowd,” said Cheese This made everyone look at him, as he walked towards Pinkie who was still sitting on the couch “Pinkie, I know that we don’t talk much out of school, and I might come out as a virgin weirdo or something along those lines, and I know I might be creeping you out, but… I feel that if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life… Would you…” he was about to ask her out, but since he was bent over, she slipped on the carpet and landed on one knee, making the scene even more dramatic “I thought she was going to ask her out not propose,” thought Flash “I saw that coming,” thought Spike “This just got interesting,” both Soarin and Rainbow Dash thought “I wonder what will be her answer to such a blunt move,” thought Sunset “Oh, ah, sorry, I slipped and…” Cheese began “Yes,” said Pinkie “What?” asked Cheese “YES, OF COURSE I’LL MARRY YOU!” said Pinkie “I didn’t see that coming though,” said Spike “But, you guys didn’t even date, don’t you think marriage is a bit too… rushed?” asked Twilight “Twi… remember the chemistry talk we had earlier?” asked Pinkie “Yeah,” said Twilight “Well, for whatever reason, I’ve felt an attraction for Cheese for a long time, call it love at first sight, call it magic, but I know he’s the one for me… Plus if he wasn’t going to pop the question I would’ve,” said Pinkie This made everyone’s eyes opened really wide “Well, they do have the same personality,” said Spike, as everyone looked at him “What Spike means is, let them have their happy ending,” said Rarity “Hey, hey, we’re cool, we just didn’t see that coming,” said Flash as Pinkie and Cheese kissed. Everyone in the room went crazy and started to whistle “How cute, just like those 2 love birds over there,” said Applejack as she pointed at Spike and Rarity “Wait… WHAT?!!!!!” everyone in the room, apart of Applejack, Cheese, and Pinkie, jaw’s hit the floor Spike looked at Applejack “You were supposed to stay quiet!” he said with his eyes “It was now or never,” Applejack looked back “Busted,” said Rarity “Looks like it,” said Spike with a small smile “The truth is, I’ve been engaged to Spike for a while now,” said Rarity “Did your parents push you into it?” asked Flash “No, my Spikey-Wickey asked me,” said Rarity as she hugged Spike “How long ago?” asked Twilight “A bit over a month,” said Rarity Everyone looked at Spike “That’s true, we’ve even been living together for a while now,” said Spike “In your apartment?” asked Rainbow Dash “No, in the state my grandfather left me,” said Spike “So wait… you 2 have been living together…” began Sunset “In a massive mansion…” continued Pinkie “With no one else to disturb you…” continued Twilight “Or keep your morality in check?” finished Starlight Glimmer “Pretty much, yes,” both Spike and Rarity said “Lucky bastards,” said Vinyl “What are you talking about, we’re in the same boat,” said Neon “Exactly, can you imagine how many times the “do” it a day,” said Vinyl “Disgusting,” whispered Fluttershy giving them a scary look “Oh no, I’m still a pure maiden,” said Rarity “WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!” everyone screamed “ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!!” Flash said “I don’t think so,” said Spike “You leave with one, not to me, the most attractive woman in the world…” began Flash “And you haven’t been intimate,” finished Sunset “Well, we do sleep in the same bed,” said Rarity “Yeah, she really like to use me as a hug pillow,” said Spike “Well, you’re just so warm, I can’t help it,” said Rarity “Maybe if you wore something while sleeping, you would need to… test my self control every night,” whispered Spike But everyone heard this and had a nose bleed “Ok, new rule! From now on, no clothes are allowed on our bed!” screamed Rainbow Dash as she grabbed Soarin’s arm “I thought you guys were already at home base,” said Cheese “Not really, we’ve barely made it past first base, we just like that base so much we got stuck on it,” said Soarin. And with that comment, a full scaled sex life conversation blew up Spike, avoiding the topic left to the garden for some fresh air “What are you doing out here by yourself?” came a voice “Oh, hey Fluttershy, I thought you were still inside,” said Spike “Oh no, I came out here to play with my dear friends,” said Fluttershy as he stroked a bird “What’s on your mind?” she asked “I just wanted to avoid the whole “which hole is better to drill first” talk,” said Spike Fluttershy let go of the bird and got up from the ground “Spike, I know you, something is up,” said Fluttershy “It’s just, I still can’t believe that this is my life now, at the beginning of this school year, I was invisible, and now, i have everyone’s respect, admirations… love… heck I’m even engaged to the love of my life, something I still can’t digest, and… and…” Spike said Fluttershy placed her hand on Spike’s shoulder and said “I know it might be strange, and that it will take time to get used to this type of life, but, trust me, everything will work out… eventually… Who told me that when I needed it the most?” said Fluttershy “I did,” said Spike “Then, don’t just preach, but also teach,” said Fluttershy “It’s just that…” Spike tried to say “It’s just that” nothing, you earned all of this Spike, you save all of us from ourselves, you should give credit to yourself more often,” said Fluttershy Spike remained quiet, he looked back and his eyes made contact with Rarity, Fluttershy noticed this. “Spike… do you think Rarity would have said yes if she didn’t love you… you are the reason she is who she is today,” said Fluttershy “I just…” said Spike “Spike look at me…” said Fluttershy as she cupped Spike’s cheeks and made his eyes meet hers “Stop thinking that you’re not good enough… I know everyone made you think that… but it’s not true… remember that, you are the nicest, most worth it person in the world,” said Fluttershy “I hope you’re right,” said Spike “I know I am, now go in there, and have fun… and remember, I will always be there for you, no matter what,” said Fluttershy as she let go of Spike’s face “Thanks Shy, I really needed that,” said Spike “You're welcome,” said Fluttershy “You know… you’ll make a great wife/mom someday,” said Spike as he walked back to the party “If it’s with you Spike… I will be honored,” said Fluttershy, making a scary face. > Dragonlord Ch. 9 One last victory > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A FEW DAYS LATER “ATTENTION, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN!!! WELCOME TO THIS SEASONS FINAL DEATHMATCH HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT,” said an announcer over the loudspeakers “Well, well, welcome all to today’s amazing event, today, is also a very exciting day, since this will be the last, high school level, match for our golden generation of Battle squads,” said one of the anchors “That’s right Bolt, today we are given the opportunity to see the golden generations fight for the final glory, before heading up to the big boy leagues, what can we expect from today's event?” said the other anchor “Well, as any other fan of this sport, I am expecting some fast, hard, and creative game play from each and everyone of the schools here present, what about you Bronco?” said Bolt “You took the words right out of my mouth, anyway, let us see what each school is packing, shall we?” said Bronco “Of course, first we have Coltchester high, over the last couple of seasons this team has been struggling to finish anywhere near the top 4, almost being relegated last season, but here they are today, as one of the 8 schools ready to battle it out for glory,” said Bolt “Next, we have Cloudsdale Secondary, a lot of “wing play” in that side, I’m I right,” said Bronco “Good pun there Bronco, and, you are right, Cloudsdale secondary is known for their speed and hand to hand combat capabilities, they are serious contenders for the win today,” said Bolt “Following them is a school that I personally consider to be the winner or second place of this tournament, Dragon High!” said Bronco “AH, an excellent observation Bronco, Dragon high is widely considered the best, physically, capable team, and thanks to the leadership of Princess Ember Torch, and Garble Magma, you can tell, they expect nothing but triumph,” said Bolt “Next, a team that has surprised everyone here present, a team that, last season, wasn’t even recognized as a semi-professional contender, a team that, not only made history, but finished 3rd, in the regular season, Seaquestria High!!!” said Bronco “Bronco, where to start with this high school, a complete rookie season in this term of competition, and they finished 3rd, even putting Canterlot High against the ropes on their 2 matches, for me, they have done enough, they have made history, but if they win today, they will become immortal,” said Bolt “Net we have a school that has had a very… irregular form this season, beginning strong and finishing in 5th place after various consecutive defeats, but, who have assured their fans that they have trained none stop to make a “decent enough” performance today, and by that they mean, win this tournament, Griffinstone Academy!” said Bronco “Bronco, I can only expect that they keep their word, they went from last year’s runners-up, to 5th place in just one season; many blame this on the fact that the school did not concentrate enough time in their new recruits, but thanks to Gilda’s leadership, and the amazing work done by their new MVP Gabriella Griffon, this team is a force to be reckoned with,” said Bolt “Next we have a old faithful of this competitions, an old faithful that almost lost these privilege to Las Pegasus Academy, Manehattan High, and the New Colt Secondary, as they all tied in 8th place these season, only winning the tie by fastest victory margin over Manehattan by 10 seconds, Phillydelphia High,” said Bronco “An old faithful, indeed, Phillydelphia High was the first ever winner of this tournament back in 55, and have won this competition a total of 10 times, making it the 3rd place in the school ranking, and this year they were almost kicked out to early, hopefully they will do what they are best at...Bounce back from adversity and win this competition,” said Bolt “And next, we have, one of the great 2, the school that wrote the book on Battle squads, the school that has given us so many great battlers, soldiers, and adventurers, Crystal Prep.!,” said Bronco “Indeed, Bronco, this school has been the talk of the world since they first appeared in 55, although they didn’t win a tournament until 1969, but they sure knew how to make rivals sweat, I mean, they gave us tactics like “The quartz shield” or “Diamond Blitz, or their famous “Crystal Doom”, if everything goes right for them today, you can bet, they will be the winners of this tournament,” said Bolt “And lastly, we have a school, so powerful, that just saying their initials makes people shiver in fear, CHS, Canterlot High!” said Bronco “Canterlot High, to put it simply, they are the favorites to win this tournament, they, not only have the best ranked team and tactics, but , also have a “secret weapon”,” said Bolt “A secret weapon? Is it like a new tactic?” asked Bronco “I don’t know, I did, however, talk to Principal Discord and he said “Wait and see, cause it will amaze you,” and then he walked away with a smile,” said Bolt “Well, then, one more reason to stay tuned to our presentation, because after we come back from this break, we will have a small discussion about today’s matches,” said Bronco “Will be right back,” said Bolt as the TV went into a commercial break “So, does any of you have any idea what this “secret weapon” is?’ asked Spike “Nope, but you know, Discord, he is all about the psychological warfare, maybe he just did it to scare the other schools,” said Cheese “Or, put them on edge, make them even more aware of their defense tactics,” said Flash “I believe that, “Putting on edge” and “Scaring” are the same thing,” said Rarity “Not really, in this case, “scared” means that they are having trouble concentrating on fighting and “Put on edge” means that they are going to be even more careful when they go against us,” said Spike “Oh, sorry about that Flash,” said Rarity “It’s ok,” said Flash “Ok guys and gals, head for the private training grounds and try to improve any skill that you feel it’s lacking, Dash, Soarin, Pinkie, and Neon, if you think that you don’t have enough stamina or speed, make sure to break your own limit,” said Spike “You got it, come on babe, race ya,” said Dash as she sprinted out of the room followed by Pinkie, Neon, and Soarin “forwards if you guys are concerned of defense make sure you can repel anything they throw at you,” continued Spike “Right” said Flash, Cheese, Caramel, Sunset, Vinyl, and Applejack, as they headed out “Twilight, you and Rarity head to the magic range, and try to hit all of the targets, not until you get them all, but until you can’t miss,” he continued “I just love it when you take charge,” Rarity said before kissing Spike on the lips and leaving with Twilight on tow, much to FLuttershy’s annoyance “And Mac,” he said, getting his attention “Smash!” Big Mac smirked as he left the room heading for the gym “What about me Spike?” asked Fluttershy “Well, you aren’t our fastest flyer, but you are very resilient to pain, plus you are almost as strong as Mac, so… why don’t you join the forwards, if you want of course,” said spike “Sure… you know, I still don’t understand why you are acting as a coach and not as a player,” said Fluttershy “Well, I never registered my name for the team, not even in the reserves, so this is all I can do that’s lawful,” said Spike “Oh, well, see you later Spike,” said Fluttershy as she left the room Spike stood there for a few seconds looking around the empty room “I had forgotten how it felt to be alone… I kind of miss it… kind of,” he said as he headed out of the room. A FEW MINUTES LATER Spike had been walking around the stadium, looking at the pictures, the field, and even the stands as he did his best to kill time before the first match, which wouldn’t happen for another 3 hours. “Well, might as well, eat something,” said Spike as he joined the line for a hot dog stand, but Spike wasn’t even able to settle himself in the line when. “Spike! There you are, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” said Discord as he walked up to him “Well, you found me,” said Spike as he payed more attention to the line than Discord “Yes, yes I did, and thank God I did, you see I have to talk to you,” said Discord “Shoot,” said Spike “Actually, I prefer it if was in a more private location,” said Discord This comment making Spike really uncomfortable “Fine,” he said annoyed and exited the line “Thank you,” said Discord as they both walked towards the back of the Stadium near the Vip lounges. A FEW MINUTES LATER “Ok, so, what do you want?” said Spike “I take it you haven’t been watching TV, right?” said Discord “Nope,” said Spike “Well, lucky for you, Tia recorded this,” said Discord as he fished his phone out and played a video. VIDEO “Mr. Discord, earlier today, you told Bolt that your school has a “secret Weapon”, care to share more details on the matter?” said the reporter “Well, of course, it’s only natural that my statement generated wonder, so I will share it with all of you… Our secret weapon is actually a new player,” said Discord “A new player? That’s it?” said the reporter “Well, I say new, but he has actually been a member of the team for a bit over 3 years,” said Discord “So, I’m right to assume he has played before?” asked the reporter “Well, you see… remember that our school’s team has always had the same players for the last 3 years, except for 1,” said Discord “Yes, 3 years ago it was Thunder Charge, who graduated at the end of that year, then it was River gem, and finally this year… you’ve had a vacant seat usually filled by Starlight Glimmer,” said the Reporter “Correct, well, that empty seat belongs to our secret weapon,” said Discord “I see, and what can you tell us about him?” said the reporter “Well… I know I wasn’t supposed to mention this but… the reason he hasn’t played for the past 3 years is because… he has been deployed in various S rank missions since he turned 15, he actually came back from his 50th successful deployment,” said Discord with a proud smirk “So, you’re telling us, that a 15 year old, has been deployed more than 50 times on suicide mission, AND SURVIVED!!!!” said the reporter in disbelief “Well, he know is 18 and he is ready to finally compete in this event, that is your competition,” said Discord into the camera and left “Ok, so, we now have information regarding CHS’ secret weapon, I will do my best to have find him and have an interview…” said the reporter “If you want an interview with him, just wait for the teams to enter the fields, he will be more than happy to do so,” said Discord “Oh, I take it he is a fan of mine?” said the reporter “No, not really, he just won’t have a choice,” said Discord as he left STADIUM “Cool, a student that I don’t know of… and he sounds powerful as hell,” said Spike “Yeah… about that...uhm… you might know this person very well,” said Discord “Really?... who is it?...” asked Spike as he and Discord entered a stare down After a few seconds, the information sank in, and Spike slowly used his left hand to point at himself, receiving a nod from Discord. The second that happened, Spike’s face went from surprise to anger “DISCORD, WHAT DID YOU DO?” said Spike “Oh, nothing bad, I just used you as a psychological weapon for the last 3 years, created a story about you, and then used a version of your student ID that allowed me to partake in all of the missions that you have in your present record back at school and on the guild…” Discord said “DISCORD! SHUT UP! Don’t you understand you are digging your grave deeper and deeper with every word, no one in the school is going to believe that, not to mention you committed various crimes,” said Spike “Oh, relax, everything I did under your name was actually legal, you signed them anyway,” said Discord as he used his magic to show Spike a bunch of paper that Spike had signed for the last 3 years. “You said all of those paper were requirements at school,” said Spike “Oh, just a little white lie, plus don’t worry, I made sure no one recognized me; as for the school issue, no need to worry, your ability to avoid bringing attention to yourself and the fact that you didn’t attend major parties or events, be it, school related or public related, made you a ghost, so it was easy to make everyone take the hook, line, and sinker, now you only have to act like you were me, but don’t worry I only did solo missions so, no one ever some work,” Discord said with a confident grin in his face “THAT’S THE LEAST OF OUR… MY PROBLEMS! Y KNOW JACK-SHIT ABOUT THIS TYPES OF BATTLES,” said Spike “Oh, come, come, Spike, you know you have the abilities, the instinct, the… POWER, you just have to believe in yourself, I mean, you almost killed Rover, ROVER, the man people call the HELLHOUND!! And even more you have defeat me, ME, the lord king of Mischief, that’s no easy fit,” said Discord “I beg to differ,” said Spike “Ouch… sniff… you see you are made for this,” said Discord as tears fell from his face “Drop the act, it doesn’t work on me,” said Spike “Yeah, I figured as much, I mean, when was the last time that Alligator tears actually made someone feel bad?” said Discord as he cleaned a tear from his face and turned it into a small gator. “GOing back to the issue at hand…” said Spike “You relax, you were born for this, it’s in your blood, trust me,” said Discord Spike was about to answer when a voice said “Some words of encouragement, I presume,” “Oh, nice to see you, Spike, let me introduce you to Filthy Rich, the owner of this stadium and many more locations around town and the world… and possibly one of the richest man alive,” said Discord “I’m glad to see that your flattery is still intact, As he said my boy, I am Filthy Rich, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” said Filthy Rich giving Spike a handshake “Well, you two talk, I need to head back to the room, my wives must be wondering where I ran of to,” said Discord as he left in a hurry “I won’t take much of your time, I just wanted to meet the man who caught my daughter’s eyes,” said Filthy Rich “Yeah, about that, I don’t think I would date your daughter Mr. Rich,” said Spike “And why would that be?” asked Filthy Rich “Well, she is younger than me by 4 years,” said Spike “I fail to see why that’s a problem,” said Filthy Rich “Well, I’m also engaged at the moment, and I plan to stay with just one wife,” said Spike “Oh, well, just keep her in mind in case you decide otherwise,” said Filthy Rich Spike and Filthy Rich then entered a few seconds of awkward silence, until… “So, Spike, I hear you are some sort of secret weapon,” said Filthy Rich “Yeah, I just found that out myself,” said Spike “Oh, no need to be nervous, if your resume is as incredible as it sounds, you’ll do just fine,” said Filthy Rich “To be honest, the only battle I’ve had were there was people watching me, was down at Sweet Apple Acres, when all of the family met for a celebration,” said Spike “Yes, and I am glad to know that everyone is ok, I mean, Timberwolves can be such a pain in the neck, even worse than Hellhounds,” said Filthy Rich Spike just stared at Filthy Rich “How did you know they were Timberwolves?” he asked “Oh, Spike, in a town like this one, information spreads faster than light… anyway, I must leave, good luck out there, and don’t forget to put on a show...It might be your last,” said Filthy Rich as he walked away. Spike just looked at him in a serious way Just then Caramel and Big Mac came up to Spike “Yo, Spike… what’s wrong with you, you look like if you’ve just seen your mortal enemy,” said Caramel “Filthy Rich…” Spike said “What did that privileged asshole do now?” said Big Mac “He knows of the Timberwolves,” said Spike “WHAT?!” they both said “Do you think he had something to do with it?” asked Caramel “I don’t know, but he sure was near the area, I mean, how would he know, Granny Smith issued a silence order, I doubt anyone in the family is brave enough to go against her word,” said Spike “True… I give Granny Smith a call, I’ll tell her to tell the sentinels to be on guard, he might be up to something,” said Big Mac “On a more, game based way, we need your help with some of our tactics,” said Caramel “Well, I’m afraid I’m no longer the “coach” of the team,” said Spike “WHAT?! WHY!!!” they asked “Have you guys been watching the TV at the gym?” asked Spike “Yeah, Discord gave a press conference about our “secret weapon”, still I have no idea who it is,” said Mac Spike just looked at them with a “Seriously” expression on his face After a few seconds both Caramel and Big Mac’s eyes widened and their mouths opened “Yup, I am the secret weapon,” said Spike “WOOOHOOOOO!!!” they both said “Why are you so happy?” asked Spike “Cause, if you’re going to play with us, we are officially the winners of the tournament,” said Caramel “Yeah, but I don’t know the rules of this game,” said Spike “We’ll take care of that, for now, let’s go train,” said Big Mac 2 HOURS LATER “And we are back once again, and we are minutes away from the beginning of the tournament, but do you say we go over the rules of the game once again?” said Bronco “Of course, there are 3 ways of winning the game, 1) you eliminate all of the other players in the enemy team, 2) you capture the school flag of the rival team and successfully bring it to your base, and finally 3) after the time runs out, your team is the one with the most points; how those the point system work? Well, extremities like feet, legs, arms, and hands count for 10 points, stomach to groin area count for 50 points, chest 60, and head 100; now every contact that rival fighters have with each other counts, so you better find a way to defeat your rival as fast as possible,” said Bolt “True, and all this must be done in just 15 minutes,” said Bronco “Exactly, now, let us talk about the stadium in itself,” said Bolt “Oh yes, this is my area of expertise; the Canterlot stadium is almost like a normal football stadium, lights, bleachers, flags, cheering fans, and it can even be used for various sport tournaments; in this particular case though, the field of the stadium has been enchanted with dimension creator magic, this magic allows for the creation of the battlefields you see on TV or in person if you are in the stadium, it also allows for the “Surprise” factor to happen, what does this imply, the weather, terrain and, in many cases, the bases, change form, size, or difficulty, making the frase “Expect the unexpected” a fact,” said Bronco “Well, it’s time to pick our favorites for the watches that are coming up, who do you think will win between Dragon High and Seaquestria High? My money is on Dragon High,” said Bolt “Same, Seaquestrians should already be proud of their accomplishments this season,” said Bronco “Griffinstone VS Cloudsdale, this one for me is a though one, both teams are known for their speeds and agility, but I have to say Cloudsdale,” said Bolt “I disagree completely with you, Bolt, for me Griffinstone will be the winners since the also know how to play rough, a card that Cloudsdale has had trouble against in the past,” said Bronco “Coltchester VS Crystal Prep., I believe it will be unanimous, Crystal Prep will win the match, easily,” said Bolt “I have to agree with you there, Crystal Prep. has had a better season than Coltchester, not to mention, but Coltchester has lost all of it’s matches against Crystal Prep. this season,” said Bronco “And finally, Canterlot High VS Phillydelphia, for me this one is also an easy win for Canterlot, they have the power to defeat Philly again, I just hope that this time it’s not total annihilation like the last 2 games this season,” said Bolt “Yeah, plus, you have to add the fact that CHS is going to have their secret weapon on the pitch today, let’s hope they have a plan B all the way through Z,” said Bronco “Well, people, let us sit back and enjoy, the first match is about to begin,” said Bolt 45 MINUTES LATER “Dragon High, Griffinstone, and Crystal Prep. have won their games, now it’s our turn to win and head up, of course that won’t be easy, in front of us we have a wall, a wall called Phillydelphia, they tend to play a very defensive minded game, that means we need or forwards and wingers to use speed and agility, while our defense has to keep their guard up all the time,” said Celestia “Now, we have decided that this is the best lineup for today: Forwards: Flash, Caramel, Sunset Shimmer, Soarin and Neon Lights, Left wingers: Spike and Pinkie, Right wingers: Rainbow Dash and Cheese Sandwich, Front Defense: Fluttershy, Big Mac, Applejack, and Vinyl Scratch, Back defense: Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity Belle,” said Luna “Finally, Wingers, your job is to flank and head for the base, get that flag, but, if push comes to shove, you must return and reinforce the back line, understand?” said Discord Everyone nodded “Ok, then, everyone to the middle,” said Discord “… WHO ARE WE?!!!!!... CANTERLOT!!!!!... WHAT ARE WE?!!!!... WINNERS!!!!...1...2...3… CANTERLOT!!!!!!” everyone said as they head out onto the field to warm up “Not you Spike,” said Discord “What? But I thought?...” said Spike “Do you really think we'll let you play with jeans and a leather jacket?” said Discord “Like I said, I don’t have anything else,” said Spike “YOU don’t, but WE do,” said Celestia as they opened the locker behind them and showed Spike a uniform with the school’s logo “A sleeveless black hoodie, black pants and sneakers, I like it,” said Spike as he grabbed them and headed to the showers to change into the new attire. MOMENTS LATER “How do I look?” asked Spike “Menacing, just remember not to put this on until the game has begun,” said Discord as he gave Spike a face (It resembles Watch Dogs 2 Wrench’s mask) “What is this for?” asked Spike “I wore a similar mask while I impersonated you, so… keep the image alive, it will help you a lot, trust me,” said Discord with a smile unaware of the glares he was receiving from his wives “Thanks,” said Spike as he left the room in a hurry “What is this we heard about you impersonating Spike?” said Celestia and Luna at the same time while giving Discord death glares “Ah… well… you see…” was all Discord managed to say AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE FIELD “Well Spike, here goes nothing,” he said to himself and began jogging to the field to join his teammates “LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS, PLEASE WELCOME TO THE FIELD, CANTERLOT HIGH’S CAPTAIN AND “SECRET WEAPON”, SPIKE LADON!!!!!” said the announcer as Spike emerged from the tunnel. The whole stadium erupted into cheers and applause, until everyone realized who it was. “Hey, isn’t he like the super rich kid?” said someone in the crowd “He is an S rank battler?” said other people “He is so hot!” said many of the women present, including other players from other schools, even some dudes were having a man crush on him. Realizing this Spike felt his stomach turn and he felt like if he was going to throw up “Relax dude, just imagine that they aren’t here, focus on yourself, and then on the team,” said Flash as he walked up to Spike “Right, I’m just not used to attention,” said Spike “Well, you better, because from today on, I doubt that attention will be the least of your problems,” said Flash “What do you mean?” asked Spike Flash just pointed at the reporter and camera crew that were walking towards him “Good luck,” said Flash as he walked away “Mr. Ladon, mind if we ask you some questions?” asked the reporter “No, no, go on ahead,” said Spike “So, Mr. Ladon, from secretive Billionaire to secret weapon, how does it feel to become the center of attention of the world,” asked the reporter “Well, I know for a fact that I am not the center of attention, but one of them, at least for the moment,” said Spike “Ok, so, Mr. Ladon, what can you tell us about your famous missions?” asked the reporter “Well, as you may know, most of the missions I did are still classified and I don’t have the legal clearance to talk about them,” Spike lied, using the acting skills Rarity had taught him. “Mr. Ladon, one last question, for the last couple of months, people have been wondering many things about your personal life, especially your love life, anything to comment?” asked the reporter. “Well, what can I say, I consider myself just another average Joe, that’s kind of the reason I don’t really make many appearances in galas and stuff… regarding my love life… all I can say is, for now, I am off the market,” said Spike “Oh, so there is a Ms. or Mr. in your life,” said the reporter “Yes and I love her with all of my heart, if God allows it I hope we can grow old and grey together,” said Spike as he and Rarity’s eyes met but the camera didn’t catch it “Any chance you tell us who it is?” said the reporter “Nah, you’ll find out soon enough,” said Spike as he walked towards the rest of his team “Well, ladies and gentlecolts, there you have him, Canterlot High’s secret weapon, young Billionaire Spike Ladon, now, to answer the question in everyone's mind, who is Spike’s less lonely girl, back to you guys,” said the reporter. WITH SPIKE “You see, that wasn’t so bad, right?” said Flash “Yeah, not bad at all, I’m just glad I shaved before today” said Spike “No kidding, no one could take you lightly, I mean you looked really smart, to the point it was annoying,” said Soarin “I didn’t mind the beard and mustache,” said Rarity as she got close to Spike “Can you excuse us for a second,” said Twilight as she dragged Rarity away A FEW FEET AWAY “What seems to be the problem?” asked Rarity “Rarity, we know that you are currently in cloud 9, but…” said Twilight “Would you mind concentrating on the match and not on Spike!” said Fluttershy out of nowhere, surprising everyone “Wow, Shy, I didn’t know that you had that competitive spirit in you,” said Rainbow Dash as Fluttershy meeped and rushed away followed by Rainbow Dash, and Applejack “She is right, no need to sugarcoat it,” said Sunset “Yeah, put your eyes on the price,” said Pinkie “Oh, thrust me, they are,” Rarity said as she locked her stare into Spike’s crotch “We weren’t talking about that price, but, I personally respect it,” said Vinyl as she walked by making Rarity blush. A FEW MINUTES LATER “Ok, guys, this is our last chance to talk strategy, so, any ideas?” said Twilight “Ye old Canterlot Blitz,” said Spike “Excellent, nothing like the classics, now, let’s go get them,” said Twilight “Put them in,” said Spike as he placed his hand in the center of the huddle “1...2...3… CANTERLOT!” they all said as they broke the huddle and headed to position “WAIT!” Rarity yelled catching everyone's attention Rarity then walked up to Spike and gave him a tender kiss on the lips, which Spike reciprocated “For luck,” she said as soon as it ended “Pretty sure we just broke the internet,” said Spike as he pointed to everyone with their phones out. “It was meant to happen eventually,” said Rarity as they turned to notice that all of their teammates with a significant other were also giving each other luck, except for Fluttershy, who just received a hug from Big Mac. And with that everyone walked into position “Spike, I will make you notice my abilities in this tournament, just like you showed me your heart when I thought you were a sleazy perv,” thought Fluttershy as she got into position “TEAMS… READY… SET… GO!!!!” said the anchor 5 MINUTES LATER “And that is that people, Canterlot High has won the match, and by a landslide,” said Bolt “Correct Bolt, not only did they capture the enemy flag, but they completely destroyed the rival team, not even a scratch on any of the Canterlot players, very impressive,” said Bronco “That leaves the semi-finales as follows: Griffinstone VS Canterlot, and Dragon High VS Crystal Perp.,” said Bolt “Speed vs Brains, and Power VS Power, my guess is, the final will be between Canterlot and Dragon High,” said Bronco “I agree with you, but, if Crystal Prep. can overcome the flaws in their previous match they might also make it to the grand finale,” said Bolt INSIDE CANTERLOT’S DRESSING ROOM “Well done, everyone, you really ran them out of the road,” said Discord “Well, they did concentrate on attacking me the whole match,” said Spike “Yeah, which was surprising, I mean they didn’t even bother to notice us,’ said Neon “Well, that’s psychological warfare for you, we made them believe that Spike was some sort of unstoppable force and they fell straight for it,” said Discord “But he is, I mean, did you see how well he held them of while Cheese and Neon captured the flag and brought it back to our base,” said Flash “Well, avoiding problems makes you agile as hell,” said Spike “Spike, darling, can you stop make a bad joke about the old you, please, it’s just unnerving,” said Rarity “Yeah, because it reminds us of what we put you through,” said Twilight “No promises,” said Spike “Anyway, our next opponent is Griffinstone, and just like Cloudsdale they love their speed,” said Rainbow Dash “Exactly, so much so, that not even we can keep up with their stamina… well, apart of Spike and Rainbow Dash, so we better come up with something different,” said Luna “Well, I’m happy with anything as long as we don’t have to play Cristal Perp. in the final, that would be awkward,” said Twilight “Yeah, can you imagine, brother schools going against each other, we wouldn’t want to hurt each other,” said Sunset “Well, let’s worry about the match ahead of us,” said Discord “I have an idea, but for it to work, everyone is going to have to lend me their magic,” said Spike “What are you planning on doing?” asked Celestia “Well, Griffinstone is a team that mix speed and muscle to win games, and, let’s be honest, those abilities combined make for bad news… so, I plan to use an ability of mine called “Sonic Boom” and just like Dash’s “Sonic Rainbow” is creates a shock wave, the only difference is that, instead of making you fly faster, it keeps enemies away,” said Spike “Is it safe?” asked Twilight “Well, I can contain it enough just to KO them,” said Spike “that didn’t answer my question,” said Twilight “I take all the risk,” said Spike “But, you’ll be fine right?” asked Fluttershy and Rarity at the same time “Trust me, it’ll work,” said Spike “Ok then, we’ll use that, good luck out there,” said Discord as everyone left for the field “Plus the worst case scenario is that I blow myself to pieces and die… ok, maybe that is bad, but what are the chances of that happening… quite high, too late to back off now,” thought Spike as he entered the field. “Alright, ladies and gentlecolts, Griffinstone has aligned in their famous falcon formation, it looks like a their well known, yet effective and deadly, blitz “Bull rush”,” said Bolt “I wouldn’t like to be in the business end of that formation… AND WHAT ARE CANTERLOT DOING?!!!” said Bronco as all eyes turned to Canterlot’s team “They are all just standing behind their captain Spike Ladon, what do you think they are up to?” said Bolt “We’ll find out soon enough,” said Bronco “TEAMS... READY… SET… GO!!!” “And with that the Griffinstone team begin their attack,” said Bronco “EVERYONE, NOW!!!!” yelled Spike As soon as he said that everyone started to pass mana into his body, it was so much it was actually hurting Spike a bit, like a rash you get in those areas, and it hurts to walk “Body don’t fail me now,” thought Spike “GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!!!” Spike yelled as they all let go of him and ducked. This surprised the Griffinstone team causing them to stop in their tracks and look at the scene before them. “Boom,” whispered Spike as he let go of the magic he was controlling in his hand. The magic quickly turned into a massive force field and headed for the Griffinstone team at breakneck speed, not even giving them enough time to get into a defensive stance, before they flew away towards the safety wall behind him. At the other side Spike was having trouble keeping the blast to Non-lethal, and he knew that if this kept on like this, it was going to cause him death “What did my dad tell me to do in this situation?” thought Spike as he began to remember “When trying to contain this ability, you have to make the magic flow of it mix with yours, that way you can stop it, of course, it will give you some side action, but it will also boost your healing powers, it’s a double edge sword with a win win situation… if you do it properly that is,” said Smelter’s voice in Spike’s memory “Ok, here goes nothing,” thought Spike as he began to mix magics After a few seconds, Spike was able to dissipate the magic enough to make it an orb the size of a baseball “Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it,” said Spike As soon as he finished that sentence, the baseball sized orb exploded, sending Spike flying through the structure that was supposed to be their base for the game, all the way to the wall behind, hitting so hard he created a crater, before falling flat on his face. “SPIKE!!!” everyone said as they rushed to him “SPIKE? SPEAK TO ME SPIKE! ARE YOU OK?!!!” said Rarity as she reached her fiance “I… forgot… that happens,” said Spike as he sat up “Did we win?” he asked before Rarity hugged him so tightly he began to suffocate. “Looks like it, their side of the field is totaled, good thing this is another dimension, cause that would cause millions to repair,” said Cheese as he and Caramel held Spike up. “CANTERLOT HAS WON IT!! TALK ABOUT A SECRET WEAPON, THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!!” said Bronco over the speaker as they left the field. NEARBY IN ONE OF THE ROOMS OVERLOOKING THE FIELD “Ha, that boy really is something… too bad he won’t live much longer,” said a hooded figure as it looked at a device. “It’s almost time for the fire works,” AT THE CANTERLOT DRESSING ROOM “What’s the score?” asked Rainbow Dash “They are still tied, hopefully they can have this done by extra time,” said Flash “My nerves are on edge, I don’t want to play Crystal Prep.,” said Twilight “What if it comes to it?” asked Sunset “Yeah, what if it comes to it?” said Spike as he entered the room “Spike, what happened?” everyone asked “Crystal prep. Won, Lemon Zest and Pharynx brought the flag to their base,” said Spike The whole room went silent “What are we going to do?” said Twilight as she sat back down followed by everyone “What do you mean, what are we gonna do?” said Spike “Spike, haven’t you noticed? We are playing against Crystal Prep. our sibling school, I don’t want to play against them, do you?” said Sunset “I sure as hell will, and I will go out there and try to win the tournament,” said Spike “YOU WHAT?!!!” said all of the girls aside from Rainbow Dash “Yeah, you heard me, I don’t care if they are our sibling school, father school, or neighbour school, this is a tournament not a tea party, we are not here to see which school has more affection for the other, we are here to see which school is better at fighting,” said Spike The room went silent “Girls, I understand that you don’t want to fight against them, I mean, sure we have many good friends in that school, heck, many of them are going to be on the team opposite to us, and I know we want to see them happy just as they want to see us happy… but right now, they aren’t thinking about our feelings, they are thinking about their school’s pride, and I can bet every dollar I’ve got, that in their locker room, they are having the same exact conversation, I doubt that they are going to go into that field and just hand us the trophy in a silver platter,” said Spike Everyone in the room turned and looked at each other and then back at Spike “So? What do you say? Let’s put up a fight, not for our sakes, but for respect to them, cause I will,” said Spike as he moved his hand forward. Everyone looked at his hand for a few seconds before Flash, placed his hand over Spike’s, followed by Rainbow Dash’s, Mac’s, Rarity’s, and Fluttershy’s. Slowly but surely everyone put their hands in the center for one final chant “… WHO ARE WE?!!!!!... CANTERLOT!!!!!... WHAT ARE WE?!!!!... WINNERS!!!!...1...2...3… CANTERLOT!!!!!!” everyone said as they headed out onto the field to warm up. Discord, Celestia, and Luna all looked as they left the room and smiled “He really is the right captain,” said Celestia “Did you ever doubt it?” said Discord “Actually, we did, we actually forgot that he existed various times, one time I called him Span, I still feel ashamed about it, but he acts like if it never happened,” said Luna “Well, that’s because, Spike has a genuine heart of gold… I’d like for our children to grow up to be just like him,” said Discord “Us too,” said Celestia and Luna as they gave Discord a hug. ON THE PITCH “LADIES, AND GENTLECOLTS, IT’S FINALLY TIME, THE FINAL IS HERE! CANTERLOT VS CRYSTAL PREP. WHO WILL COME UP ON TOP?” said the announcer “Just so you know, just because we are sibling schools, doesn’t mean will go easy on you,” said Thorax “I'd be offended if you did,” said Spike as they gave each other a hug, and walked off to their teams. “SO, what’s the plan?” asked Twilight “Knowing Thorax, he has something up his sleeve, so, we might just have to be creative,” said Spike “You mean, like winging it?” asked Caramel “Exactly, let’s WING it,” said Spike winking his eye “Copy,” said Twilight “Ok, Cheese, you and Neon, are with me, Dash, you, Soarin, and Pinkie are on the other side,” said Spike “What about the rest of us?” asked Twilight “Great wall,” said Spike “Ok, got that everyone, go back and protect the flag at all cost,” said Twilight “PLAYER’S, ARE YOU READY… SET… GO!!!!!” said the announcer And they were off, Spike, Dash, Cheese, Neon, Pinkie, and Soarin rushed as fast as they could towards the opposite base, taking the defenders up front by surprise, trucking over them leaving them out of commission, and entering the base. INSIDE THE BASE “You hear that?” asked Rainbow Dash “Yeah, it’s way to quiet,” said Spike “Maybe they are all waiting to ambush us,” said Neon “Nah, Thorax is to proud to use does tactics,” said Spike “Anyway, let’s go,” said Cheese as he walked towards a hallway “Hold it!” said Spike as he grabbed Cheese by the neck and held him back, he then proceeded to throw a pebble into the hallway, activating a number of traps, that went from flamethrowers, to crushing walls and dart launchers. “WHAT THE LITERAL FUCK!!!” said Rainbow Dash Spike walked over to one of the darts and picked it up “I never knew this guys were sadists,” said Soarin “They aren’t,” said Spike catching everyone’s attention “This has Shining Armor written all over it,” he finished “How do you know?” asked Pinkie “Cause I don’t know any other crazy, son of a bitch, that is paranoid about traps, and is called Shining Armor,” said Spike as he tossed the dart at Pinkie “Oh, whaddya know, Shining Armor is written all over the place,” said Pinkie “So what now?” asked Soarin “Leave it to me,” said Spike as he made a dash across the hall activating all of the traps left by Crystal Prep. leaving them out of juice. As soon as Spike reached the other side of the hall he collapses “SPIKE!!!!” they all said as they rushed to him “Oh, that’s gonna leave a mark,” said Spike as he got up “Dude, we know you are crazy, but that was just suicidal,” said Cheese as he gave Spike a slap on the back “Yeah, knock it off, it’s freaky,” said Pinkie “Oh, you care about me,” said Spike sarcastically “It’s not about carrying, we are just terrified of what Rarity would do to us if you got seriously injured,” said Soarin “Oh, come on, what would she do?” asked Spike in a uninterested voice Everyone went silent and looked traumatized “Seriously, what would she do?” asked Spike looking concerned Soarin walked up to him and said “Let’s just hope your children don’t anger her,” “Wait… CHILDREN?!!!” said Spike “I mean, in the future,” said Soarin calming Spike down “Anyway, let’s keep going,” said Neon Rainbow Dash then walked up to Soarin and whispered “So… about our conversation yesterday? How many would you like?” Soarin turned red and whispered back “For now… just one, but let’s see from there,” A FEW SECONDS LATER “That’s odd,” whispered Spike “What?” asked Pinkie “The fact that this is the flag room, and so far there hasn’t even been one attack,” said Spike Everyone then realized this “You think they are waiting for us there?” asked Cheese “Yeah, it would be to stupid to just give us the flag, unless, they all headed for our base,” said Spike “We have to go back!” said Dash “No, this might be a part of their plan,” said Spike “So, what do we do?” asked Pinkie Spike looked around and then decided to use his “phantom vision” “Pinkie, 10 feet to the left, you’ll find a part of the wall that has been debilitated by the traps, use that to enter the room quietly on my queue, Cheese, you stay here, and get ready to run back to our base, flag or no, copy?” whispered Spike “Yeah,” said Cheese as he walked away “You guys ready?” asked Spike “Let’s do this!” said Rainbow Dash as she kicked the door open The room was empty, not a sole in view, Rainbow Dash and Spike looked at each other and nodded “This is too easy,” acted Rainbow Dash as she purposely stepped on a trap The whole room lit up and they then noticed all of the remaining Crystal Perp. students stand in combat positions. “AH, FUCK!!!” they all said “That is right, my friends, YOU have fucked up big time,” said Thorax as he walked to the center of the room followed by Pharynx and Lemon Zest Then Spike gave Pinkie the signal, as she began to remove the bricks near the flag, making sure not to bring the whole wall down on her. “Now, what should I do with you?” said Thorax “How’bout, we imprison them until the end of the game,” said Pharynx “Or better yet, launch a counter strike and capture their flag, they wouldn’t see it coming, plus, after they took out Dark Sweeper, Midnight Cold, Sundust Mist and Crimson Bronco, it’s time for some retribution,” said Sour Sweet “Yeah, I doubt Ivory would appreciate you hurting her sugar bunch, again,” said Indigo Zap “Ok, this time it wasn’t personal, it was just for the game,” said Spike, right then he noticed that Pinkie had successfully retrieved the enemy flag and was heading out. “Pinkie, Cheese, start running, and tell me when you reach our base, copy?” said Spike through telekinesis “Copy, we’ll be in touch… RUN FOR IT!!!!!” screamed Pinkie as she and Cheese darted out of the bases heading for their home base BACK IN THE ROOM “Guys… Guys, that’s enough, with them here, we have control of the game, I mean, when they don’t report back, Twilight will send the backup forces and then we’ll crush them, giving us an easy victory,” said Thorax “Yeah but how should we crush them?” asked Pharynx and with that the whole room went into a full blown argument of which tactic was better “This brings back memories,” whispered Rainbow Dash “What do you mean?” asked Spike “Before you joined the team, this is what happened before every game, and we usually just let Flash take the helm and do everything,” said Rainbow Dash “Spike? We’re right outside of the base, we used Ghost dash to get here without anyone noticing,” said Pinkie “Excellent, leave the rest to us, you may make yourselves visible,” said Spike He then proceeded to walk forward “I have to handed to you Thorax, you really have been a model student for Shinings tactics, I mean, you managed to set the traps up to a T, not to mention that you captured us, well done,” said Spike “Well, thank you Spike, I mean, WE had the best teacher,” said Thorax motioning to everyone in the room “Yes, well, I’m afraid that you overlooked a particular problem,” said Spike “And that is?” asked Lemon Zest “Your teacher was never able to defeat one person, do you know who that person is?” asked Spike “Well, of course, he said he was never able to defeat… you,” said Thorax as his eyes and everyone else’s opened wide in surprise “Bingo, and just like him… you were unable to defeat me again,” said Spike “What are you talking about? We have you right where we want you, and the flag is right… there… WHERE IS THE FLAG?!!!!!” asked Thorax as everyone turned to look at Spike “Just like him, you bluff too much,” said Spike “THE GAME IS OVER, CHEESE SANDWICH AND PINKIE PIE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY RETRIEVED THE ENEMY FLAG, CANTERLOT HIGH WINS!!!!” said the announcer “WHAT?!!!!” said everyone as they turned around and noticed the whole in the wall and the open front door down the hallway. "He bluffs too much for his own good, too bad he passed that down to you guys," said Spike as he walked up to Thorax and extended his hand Thorax looked at it then shaked it "Will get you in college," he said "Make sure to reach the final first," Spike answered as the base disintegrated around them as everyone began to cheer. And with that all of the members of Canterlot’s battle squad rushed to the center of the field to begin celebrating. They quickly began to hug each other and congratulate each other, while Crystal prep. Exited the field and headed for the showers. “WE DID IT!!” screamed Twilight as she hugged Flash “Was there ever a doubt?” said Flash as he hugged her back “Well, we owe it to Spike, he did the right calls during the matches,” said Rainbow Dash “Come on, you give me too much credit, we all made this come true,” said Spike as he and Rarity hugged each other “Well, I believe it’s time for a little reward,” said Rarity as she closer to Spike’s face “And, what would that b-” was all Spike was able to say before Rarity kissed him. As if on queue all of the couples began to make out, causing a tsunami of flashes from the expectators' cameras, and cellphones. “One for prosperity,” said Spike motioning Rarity to all of the cameras “Magnificent, darling,” said Rarity Just then Fluttershy ran up to Spike and gave him a hug, surprising both Spike and Rarity “Well done Spike, this is your moment,” Fluttershy said as she let go, turned to Rarity and hugged her too “My, I have never seen you this happy,” said Rarity as she hugged back “Why wouldn't I be, we won!” she exclaimed while hugging her again “The race isn’t over yet anyway,” said Fluttershy in her mind as she let go of Rarity And went to give Rainbow Dash a hug Spike then looked around and saw all of the smiling faces and happy tears; he wanted to be happy, but for some reason he felt like if something was off “It’s way to perfect of a moment, something bad is going to happen,” thought Spike As if on queue, 3 gunshots were heard inside the stadium, making everyone look at the origin of the shots “SORRY TO RUIN THE MOMENT… WELL NOT REALLY, BUT, I HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE CANTERLOT TEAM,” said the hooded figure “WHAT DO YOU WANT?!” asked Spike as he made Rarity stand behind him, shielding her from the line of fire “I WOULD LIKE YOU, THOSE APPLE PEOPLE, AND THE WEIRD PARTY FOOLS, OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!,” said the hooded figure “OH, YEAH? HOW DO YOU INTEND TO DO THAT, SHOT US?!!!” asked Spike “NO, THAT’S WHAT FIREWORKS ARE FOR,” said the hooded figure as he showed everyone the device “WHAT IS THAT?” asked Spike “You’ll see,” said the hooded figure as he pressed the button, and a loud boom, came from the center of the field “MAGIC MINES, TAKE COVER!!!” said Spike as he and Rarity rushed for the emergency exit followed by everyone. It was pandemonium everyone was rushing trying to find the closest exit, even creating massive stampedes that almost crushed people. The Canterlot team was about to exit when Cheese noticed something “SPIKE!, LOOK, THE MINES ARE PLACED IN EVERY ONE OF THE PILLARS!” he shouted “HE WANTS TO BRING THE PLACE DOWN ON US!” said Flash “MORE LIKE ON THE PEOPLE… COME ON, WE NEED TO HOLD THEM UP, GIVE THE PEOPLE TIME TO ESCAPE… USE MAGIC BARRIERES!” ordered Spike Everyone did as they were told, and managed to hold the blown up pillars while containing the explosions of the ones that were yet to explode. “SPIKE, IF THE PILLAR ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STADIUM FALLS, IT WILL ALL BE FOR NOTHING!!!” said Cheese “WW WON’T MAKE IT ON TIME TO CONTAIN IT!!” said Twilight “I CAN, BUT IT WILL PROBABLY DESTROY THE FLOOR BENEATH IT AND BRING IT DOWN ANYWAY,” said Spike “I’LL GO WITH YOU, I CAN BUILD A FLOOR BENEATH IT TO HOLD IT UP! Said Cheese “OK, COME ON!” said Spike as he and Cheese dashed out onto the field and headed for the main pillar Spike used his termal vision and noticed the Mine heating up “God, it’s massive, my magic won’t be enough,” said Spike as he got near it “well, there is no sacrifice to great,” said Spike as he lunged himself to the floor and covering the mine with his body to give his magic shield some added effectiveness “This is gonna hurt,” was the last thing Spike said right before the mine exploded sending him flying into the air. Cheese saw this and quickly made use of his construction magic to fix as much of the floor as possible. Spike’s world slowed down as he fell back to earth, his vision was getting blurry, and his hearing was gone, all he could hear was silence, in his semi conscious state, he was still able to look a the entrance where all of his friends were; he made eye contact with Rarity, pure horror and sadness, filled her eyes. Spike wanted to say something, but he was unable to, he was only able to see how the love of his life had to be physically restrained by Big Mac and Soarin, right before his body slammed and ricochet, like a rag doll, off the border of the unsalvaged part of the floor as he fell onto the dark abyss. Up above, Cheese was doing his best to salvage enough of the floor as he could, without realising that the floor beneath him was giving way; as soon as he saved enough of the floor surrounding the pillar, the floor beneath him gave in, and he fell into the abyss right behind Spike. “NOOOOOO!!!” screamed Rarity as she tried to fight her way towards the hole where Spike and Cheese fell through “RARITY, WE NEED TO GO, LET THE PRO’S TAKE CARE OF SAVING THEM!!” said Soarin “I WON’T LEAVE HIM!!!” she said as she continued to struggle “I'm sorry about this Rarity,” said Big Mac as he punched her in the back of her head, knocking her out, then he picked her up and rushed out of the stadium to regroup with the remaining members of the team. A FEW MINUTES LATER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ABYSS Cheese began to open his eyes, and looked around “Where… where am I?” he asked as he sat up He noticed that he was in some sort of cave system; he then tried to stand up, but as soon as he applied pressure on his right leg, he felt a jolt of pain causing him to sit back down “Argh, Son of a bitch, I twisted my ankle,” he said as he held his leg in his arms; he then proceeded to look around, it was almost pitch dark, but thanks to the destruction of the floor above, everything was visible enough. He did this for a few more seconds, before he noticed something a few feet away from where he was sitting. Squinting his eyes he was able to make out the outline of a body, not just anybody, it was the motionless body of Spike. “SPIKE!!!” he said as he crawled his way towards his body “SPIKE!... SPIKE!!! ARE YOU OK? DUDE, TALK TO ME!!!” he said as he reached Spike, and turned his body around. Spike’s eyes began to open “Ch… Cheese?” said Spike “Yeah, I’m here man, you ok?” he asked “I… I don’t think… that there is a bone below my neck… that’s not broken,” said Spike “Fuck… well, just… just stay awake, I’m sure they’ll come and get us,” said Cheese “I… I hope you’re right,” said Spike as Cheese moved him to a less rocky position for him to be more comfortable. Cheese then noticed something, in a wall nearby he was able to some letters “Hey, there is something written on that…” before he was able to finish the sentence, he saw a blinding light hit his eyes “Argh! Dammit,” he said “What?! What happened?” asked Spike “I noticed a wall to the right and then a very bright light hit me,” said Cheese “A wall? Can you help me see it,” said Spike Cheese then moved Spike’s head slowly so that he could read the wall “That’s enochian writing, A vaoan i oroch a olpirt, dorpha lap a congamphlgh, od noan othil, that translates to…” Spike began “The truth is under the light, look for the soul, and be set,” said Cheese “Yeah, how do you know?” asked Spike “When the light hit me, I was able to understand the language,” said Cheese “Oh, that’s interesting,” said Spike in a weak voice “Wait, how do you know what it said?” asked Cheese, but he didn’t get a response “Spike?,” he said as he turned and saw Spike’s eyes closing “SPIKE!!! STAY AWAKE DUDE, DON’T FALL ASLEEP!!!” said Cheese “I… I can’t… I feel… so tired,” said Spike as his eyes closed “SPIKE?!!! DUDE, WAKE UP!!!!!” screamed Cheese That same seconds, various ropes appeared around them, and many soldiers and adventurers landed next to them “You guys ok?” asked one of them “My friend, take him, he’s dying!!!” said Cheese, as they placed Spike in a stretcher and lifted him out of the whole. IN SPIKE’S SUBCONSCIOUS “Where… where am I?” he said “Son,” he heard his father’s voice Spike turned around and was met by his father “Dad… if you are here… it means… did I…?” Spike tried to say “No, you went into shock and passed out, your healing abilities were still active due to your idea back at the tournament,” said Smelter “Oh, so then, am I in a coma?” asked Spike “No, not really, you can wake up whenever you want,” said Smelter “Good to know… about the hooded figure?” said Spike “I know as much as you, but I do know that he is dangerous,” said Smelter “Any guesses?” asked Spike “Too many to list,” said Smelter “What about the wall, it’s just like the one I saw all those months ago,” said Spike “Unfortunately Spike, I don’t know much about them, and I did ask around,” said Smelter “Do you think this guy was searching for this wall?” asked Spike “Don’t think so, I can’t seem to add the dots,” said Smelter “Dammit, what about Cheese?” asked Spike “He is fine, just a twisted ankle, he’s ok now,” said Smelter “Ok, good,” said Spike “Son, I think it’s time for you to wake up, before you make your friends worry even more,” said Smelter “Ok, it was nice to see you again,” said Spike “I’ll be right here whenever you need me,” said Smelter as he faded away and Spike began to wake. LIVING WORLD “Oh… my head,” said Spike as he began to open his eyes “SPIKE!” was the first thing he heard, just as Rarity tackled him into a hug and began kissing him nonstop “Don't ever do that again!” she cried “No promises,” said Spike “Of course, you’d say that,” she said as she cleaned the tears and make up out of her eyes “How long was I out?” asked Spike “1 week,” said Rarity “1 week!” said Spike in surprise “Yeah, thanks to your quick intervention, there were no casualties to report, and the police is still looking for the terrorist that caused this,” said Rarity Spike then noticed something “You’ve been here this whole time right?” he said “Of course, what gave it off?” she asked “The fact that your hair is a mess, and that you still have the same makeup from the final,” said Spike “Well, my fiance was nearly killed saving everyone, and that’s more important than some stupid make up,” she said “Ok, what happened to the real Rarity?” said Spike “Meanie,” she said as she kissed Spike “Rares, go home and get some proper rest, I’ll be discharged in a few hours at most,” said Spike “Are you sure?” she asked “Positive, I’ll see you at home… I’ll call you if things change,ok,” Spike said as he kissed her “Ok then, please keep me posted on everything no matter the time, see you later Darling,” she said as she left the room. A FEW HOURS LATER Spike was sitting on the side of the bed, he had managed to put on the clothes that Rarity had left him over, and was thinking about the events that happened earlier in the week, when… “You’re awake, huh, and you look like shit,” said a voice “I feel like shit too, fucking migrane,” said Spike “Good to see you alive bro,” said Cheese as he walked into the room ‘Likewise… Now, what brings you here?” asked Spike “What marks you think I have an ulterior motive,” said Cheese “The fact that, knowing Pinkie, she would have looked herself in a room with you, and the 2 of you would still be humping like rabbits,” said Spike “Ok, I can see why you think that, but actually, she only hugged me really tight throughout the night,” said Cheese “I’m not buying it,” said Spike “Anyway, I came here to ask you about the wall,” said Cheese sitting down “Ah, yeah, the wall,” said Spike “Back in that hole, you knew what that wall said, you know what it was,” said Cheese “Yes, I know what it was,” said Spike “AND?!” asked Cheese “It was 1 of the 7 walls, also known as the 7 pillars,” said Spike “The seven pillars… the ones from the bible?” asked Cheese “Yeah, and the light you saw was an incantation called “Veil of Maya” which acts like a translator, helping you read any language in the world,” said Spike “Just like the “tongues of fire” from the bible,” said Cheese “Correct,” said Spike “And I take it you came into contact with one fo this walls before?” said Cheese Spike remind silent for a few seconds before answering “Yeah, remember when we took that hiking trip to Mount Everfree?” asked Spike “Yeah,” said Cheese “Well, during that trip, I was shoved into a cave by people that I prefer remained anonymous,” said Spike Cheese just looked at Spike with an apologetic look “Anyway, while I was searching for a way out I stumbled upon one of those walls with a writing I didn’t understand, then I was hit by a light, and I was able to read it perfectly, it said “Patitur enim Spiritu tuo duce vestigia, habeat fiduciam quia non…” which translated into english is “Allow for the spirit to guide your steps, trust it for…” “For the truth is under the light, look for the soul, and be set, it’s a continuation of yours,” said Cheese “Indeed, unfortunately my knowledge on the matter is very scarce,” said Spike “So then what are we going to do?” asked Cheese “I know someone that know more of this than anyone, time to pay him a visit,” Spike said > Dragonlord Ch.10 A new adventure > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NEXT DAY “Are you sure he is the right person?” asked Cheese Sandwich as he and Spike walked towards the school’s library “Trust me, he is the right person, I’ve had conversations with him about this before,” said Spike “Yeah right,” said Cheese “Well, when I say conversations, it’s basically me sitting at the same table while he rambles on about historical facts and past adventures, completely oblivious of my existence,” explained Spike “I don’t know why, but I believe that,” said Cheese “Ouch,” whispered Spike They continued walking for a few more seconds until they reached the library “So, how does he look like?” asked Cheese “Jeez, I believe we have history with him as the teacher… GASP, are you telling me that you never paid attention?!!” said Spike mimicking Twilight “Ok, first of all, that was a very good Twilight impression…” said Cheese “Wow, thanks, I’ve been practicing,” said Spike “Second of all, I know who he is, it’s just…” Cheese began “Well then, he needs no introduction, does he?” said Spike as he opened the door The library, usually a quiet place of learning, and, from time to time, a place of various “adventures”; was now completely empty and trashed from top to bottom. Tables were turned, books were lying everywhere, lamps were broken, and many more of the bookshelves were either on the floor, broken, or just empty. “Wow, did a tornado pass through here?” said Cheese “No clue, for now, let’s just be thankful for the fact that Twilight isn’t here right now,” said Spike as he began to pick up books. “I know right, she wouldn’t get over this for years… heh, she might even turn the person responsible for this into her eternal nemesis,” said Cheese as he placed the tables back in place. 2 HOURS LATER “Ok, we’re almost done, we just need to fix that pile over there,” said Spike as he walked over to the pile of books “Huh, I still would like to know who was responsible for all this destruction,” said Cheese as he and Spike removed the books from the pile, only to discover a body. “HOLY SHIT!!!” screamed Cheese as he jumped back “Quick, we need to get him to the nurse’s office!” said Spike “What is he doing here?” asked Spike “You just found the answer to your question, as for what he was trying to do here… I have no idea,” said Spike as he and Cheese picked the body and rushed to the nurse’s office NURSES OFFICE AT THAT EXACT TIME “SIGH… last day of school, I’m surprised by the fact that I still haven’t received a single student… well taking into consideration that the graduation ceremony is not happening until later today, I’m not surprised, from what I can tell not many of them are here anyway… Well, I should do some inventory, make sure I have everything I need,” said the nurse As soon as she got off of her seat, the door to the infirmary swang open “NURSE CHRYSALIS!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!” said Spike as he rushed in scaring Chrysalis half to death. “Spike, for the love of God, I told you not to…” Chrysalis began “SCARE YOU LIKE THAT! I KNOW, BUT IT’S AN EMERGENCY!” said Spike as he and Cheese placed the body on a bed “Ok then, what is this emer… WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!!!!” asked Chrysalis as she flew into doctor mode as she ran a physical test on the body “We don’t know, we arrived at the library and found a mess, then after cleaning up we found him,” said Cheese “Well, he’s alive, only unconscious, just give him a few more minutes and he’ll come around,” said Chrysalis “UF, we thought it was more serious than that,” said Spike “No, nothing major, just a bump in the head… by the way what were the 2 of you doing at the library?” asked Chrysalis “Looking for him,” said Spike 10 MINUTES LATER “Oh, my head… where am I,” said the man “At the school’s nurse’s office… again,” said Chrysalis “Oh, I’m guessing…” said the man “Yup, it failed, lucky for you, students were looking for you,” said Chrysalis “Really? Who?” asked the man as he sat on the bed “Spike Ladon and Cheese Sandwich, they found you in the trashed library and brought you here,” said Chrysalis “Oh, wonder what they want?” said the man “No clue, I told them to come back later… Honey, I thought you promised you weren’t going to play with those grimoires,” said Chrysalis as she sat next to him “Sorry, honey, but… as they say, curiosity killed the cat,” said the man “Well, please make sure that next time, it’s not literal,” said Chrysalis as she gave him a kiss “I promise,” said the man As soon as he said this the door opened and revealed Spike and Cheese as they entered the infirmary “Good to see you awake Professor Sombra,” said Spike “Yeah, thanks for finding me… I heard you were looking for me,” said Sombra “Yeah, we need to discuss something with you,” said Cheese “Oh, and what might that be?” asked Sombra “It would better if we discussed in private,” said Spike “Oh, I hope I’m not in trouble,” said Sombra “Depends,” said Spike “Depends, on what?” asked Sombra “If you want us to tell Twilight Sparkle what you did to the library,” said Spike As soon as he said that, Sombra jumped up and pushed them out of the room “Well, this seems important, we better discuss in my classroom, come along now,” he said in a nervous voice. “Odd, I’ve never seen him so scared… hope he isn’t in trouble with the law… again,” said Chrysalis as she went back to the inventory. IN THE HALLWAY “So, tell me boys, what dimmed so much importance that the great Spike Ladon and Cheese Sandwich need my help with?” said Sombra as they walked down the hall towards the history/English class. “Well, you see… it’s about the “Seven Pillars”,” said Spike “Oh, Mr. Ladon, unfortunately, I’m not the religion teacher, I don’t…” said Shadow “We found 2 of them,” said Cheese The moment Cheese said this Sombra stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face them “You’re bluffing,” said Sombra “Nope, both of us have come into contact with one of the seven pillars or walls,” said Cheese Sombra looked at them for a few seconds then said “What makes you think I can help you?” “The fact that I’ve heard you talk about “The only adventure you quitted from,” said Spike After saying this Sombra looked back at both Spike and Cheese “We should continue this conversation in private,” he said as he opened the door tho his classroom “So wait, you were an adventurer?” asked Cheese “You could say that… you see, I actually was an…” Sombra began “He was an Archaeologist turned treasure hunter,” said Spike “WAIT, FOR REAL!!!” said Cheese “Yes, Spike, thank you for the input,” said Sombra “That sounds so cool, what things did you uncover?” asked Cheese “Ah, Mr. Sandwich, if only you have put that much attention in my class, you would have passed with flying colors instead of scraping the bottom,” said Sombra Cheese had a sheepish smile and looked at Spike “As to answer your question, I discovered many things, The Staff of Sacanas, the orbs of eternal control, I even discovered the original Crystal heart, which was surprising… but possibly my biggest discovery, and yet the one I wish I hadn’t discovered, one of the 7 pillars of wisdom,” said Sombra “Wow, how did you find it?” asked Cheese “It was 15, or maybe 20 years ago…” Sombra started 17 YEARS AGO A group of 3 archeologists arrived at a structure that resembled a tower “Ok, here we are, Highhallow Dungeon,” said a young Sombra “Are you sure this is the place?” asked a female pegasus as she exited the jeep “For the last time Dazzle, this was the location marked in the map we found on that stupid monastery,” said Sombra “It’s just that, it looks different than what I imagined,” said Daring Do “And what exactly did you have in mind?” asked another stallion as he grabbed his equipment “Well, a cave or maybe a jail,” said Daring Do “Daring, we’re dealing with things from various centuries ago, remember when we found the real tower of Babel?” said the stallion “Yeah?” said Daring Do “Well, did that meet your expectations?” asked the Stallion “Kind of, it was what I expected at least,” said Daring Do “Well, in this line of business, expect the unexpected,” said the stallion “Yeah, I got that Tirek,” said Daring Do “Hey, enough with the tea party, our client isn’t paying us to talk,” said Sombra “Oh, but I just got the cookies out,” said Tirek in a sarcastic voice “Well, then put them away, you can gain the weight after we are done here,” said Sombra “Hey, who put you in charge?” asked Tirek “Ahem, I have the map, remember?” said Sombra “Lead the way then,” said Tirek “Thank you, I will,” said Sombra as they walked towards the door When they reached the door, they noticed there was something inscribed on it “כדי להיכנס עליך לענות על השאלה:” read Sombra “What does it say?” asked Tirek “To enter you must answer the question,” said Daring Do “Right, but which question?” asked Sombra as he began to clean away the sand on the door “Bingo,” he said “יש לו ראש מוזהב. יש לו זנב זהוב. אין לה גוף” “It has a golden head. It has a golden tail. It has no body?” said Sombra “A riddle,” said Daring Do “Great one of the things I’m not good at,” said Tirek “Oh yeah, what’s the other one? Shutting up?” said Sombra making Daring Do laugh “Yeah, yeah, very funny,” said Tirek “So, what about the door thing?” asked Daring Do “No clue, it has a golden head… whaddya bet…” said Sombra as he dug into his pocket and fished out a gold coin “Weren’t those in the monastery we visited some days ago?” asked Daring Do “Yup, I figured they would come in handy,” said Sombra “Bullshit, you wanted to sell them,” said Tirek “Like I said “Come in handy”, honestly what was hard to understand from that,” said Sombra as he found a hole in the door that looked big enough for the coin. Sombra then proceeded to insert the coin in the hole causing it to open “Bingo, we are back in business, baby,” said Sombra as he grabbed his gear and walked in followed by Daring Do and Tirek A FEW MINUTES LATER “So, where are we supposed to go from here?” asked Tirek “Well, the map says, follow the path of right, then the walls will guide,” said Sombra “We turned right, but I still don’t understand it,” said Tirek “Well, long ago, being left handed, or anything associated with the word left was considered Satanic, therefore why we must keep right,” explained Sombra “No I got that, but the wall thing that’s what I don’t understand,” said Tirek With that said Daring Do pointed her flashlight at the wall “Hey look, there is something written on the wall,” she said “Probably another riddle,” said Tirek “We’ll see...Many have heard me, yet nobody has seen me. I won’t speak back unless spoken to,” said Sombra “Is that, like, a reference to God?” asked Tirek “Doubt it, it would be too cynical,” said Daring Do As soon as she said this Sombra noticed something “Guys, quiet!” he said “What, what is it?” they asked “Listen,” Sombra said They remained in silence for a few seconds “I don’t hear anything,” said Tirek “Exactly… now look what happens when I do this…” Sombra said as he grabbed 2 pieces of metal and banged them together “It creates an echo, surprising,” said Tirek “Look at the wall you dumb ass,” said Sombra as he banged the metal again “Look, it lights up,” said Daring Do “So, the echo light the wall, allowing it to guide us,” said Tirek “Correct, now come on,” said Sombra as he walked in away banging the metal rods SOME TIME LATER “... and, to the right, we shall find the next cross… here we are,” said Sombra as he reached the doorframe Before them was a pitch-black room, the only light coming into it, came from the doorframe at the other side of it “Ha, this is too easy,” said Tirek as he moved forward just to be stopped by Sombra “What do you think you are doing?” asked Sombra “Taking the lead, what I’m not supposed to?” asked Tirek annoyed “Look below you,” said Sombra as he pointed his flashlight to the pit below The light immediately discovered dead bodies in armors and clothes “OH MY GOD!!!” exclaimed Daring Do holding her stomach “What are they?” asked Tirek “By the looks of the armor… Inquisitors… the others… treasure hunters, maybe pirates,” said Sombra “What about those?” asked Daring Do as she pointed at the bodies far to the left “I have no idea… whatever they are, they don’t look… normal, almost like if they were demons of sorts,” said Sombra “D...D… DEMONS!” said Daring Do “Maybe, I don’t know, like I said, they don’t look normal, anyway, we better keep moving,” said Sombra “And how are we going to do that?” asked Tirek “Just step on the patches that are not empty,” said Sombra as he jumped from patch to patch followed by Daring Do and Tirek After reaching the other side of the room, the doorframe where they had previously been closed shut “Just great,” said Tirek “Does that mean we are trapped in here?” asked Daring Do “Hopefully not, come on maybe we’ll find another way out,” said Sombra “What makes you think that this relic is still here?” asked Tirek “The fact that we just crossed a room filled to the brim with corpses, and the fact that the door just closed,” said Sombra “What if there is another exit and the guys that were here before us took it?” asked Tirek “Then we just follow their trail until we find it,” said Sombra “Easier said than done,” said Tirek “Can you please be positive for once in your life!” said Daring Do as she began climbing the stairs AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS “Well, there is a door,” said Daring Do “How observant,” said Tirek “Ah ah, No only a door… a locked door,” said Spike “Great! Where is the key?” asked Tirek “No idea,” said Sombra “Great, we are officially trapped,” said Tirek Daring Do began to search for a lever or writing hidden in the walls but she came up short every time That’s when Sombra noticed a hole in the wall just above the door “Hey, I think we can get in from there,” said Sombra “You think we fit?” asked Daring Do “Well, if at least one of us can, maybe we can find a way to open the door,” said Sombra as he began climbing the wall, using exposed bricks as steps “Here goes nothing,” he said as he reached the hole and squeezed in “There I made it, how’bout you guys?” asked Sombra as Daring Do landed next to him, followed by Tirek “We fit, but I had to leave my gear behind,” said Tirek “Oh, don’t worry about it, I’ll buy you a new one as soon as we get out of here,” said Sombra “That is if we find a way out…” said Tirek “Right here! There is a door and a window… hey I can see our Jeep from here,” said Daring Do “Really?” they both said as they went over to the window “Ok, so, now what?” asked Daring Do “We go up,” said Sombra “Why?” asked Tirek “2 good reasons, 1) the main chamber is located above us…” he said as he showed them the map “... and 2, we can only go up,” he finished “Makes sense,” said Daring Do AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRWAY “Look another door, with what appears to be the english alphabet on it,” said Daring Do “Great, now what do we have to do, a massive alphabet soup?” asked Tirek “Maybe,” said Sombra as he went over to the door “Anything weird?” asked Daring Do “No, the alphabet is in order, what does this mean?” asked Sombra “Well, there is writing right here,” said Tirek as Sombra and Daring Do, went over “When you come to the end of all you know, I am there. Who am I?” read Sombra “Are they talking about God?” asked Daring Do “I don’t think so look,” said Sombra as he found more writing “I start out wonderful, but then begin worse,” read Tirek “Huh, this does sound like a religious riddle,” said Daring Do “No, that’s what they want to make you believe,” said Sombra “What do you mean?” they both asked “Back in the day, making these kinds of comments about God or the bible was considered an even bigger sin than nowadays,” said Sombra “So then, what’s the answer?” asked Tirek Sombra begin to read the riddle over and over again, until “The answer is in the riddle,” he said “What?” they asked “Listen… When you come to the end of all you knoW, I am there. Who am I? I start out Wonderful, but then begin Worse,” said Sombra “The letter “W”,” Tirek and Daring Do said as they pushed the W on the door This caused the door to do a few clicks and clacks, and then it opened wide revealing a room full of gold and statues and treasure. Tirek quickly ran towards the piles of gold and began to fill his pocket with the gold “Is this it? Or are we looking for something in particular?” asked Daring Do “Well, the map says “Two bodies in one, the longer I stand, the faster I run” and then that’s it,” said Sombra “Hey look, there is another riddle here “The foolish man wastes me, The average man spends me, And wise man invests me, Yet all men succumb to me. What am I?” said Tirek “I remember my grandfather used to say that about… TIME!!” both Sombra and Daring Do said at the same time “Time… clock… THE HOURGLASS!!!” they all said as Sombra grabbed it. He quickly raised it to his eyes, and noticed there was some sort of rock inside of it “That’s odd, there seems to be a rock inside it,” he said “Really?” Daring Do asked “Maybe it’s the clue,” said Tirek Sombra then looked at it once again, and noticed there was writing on it, just as he squinted his eyes to read it better, he was hit by a bright light. The sudden outburst of light plus the fact that it hit his retina, made him stumble back almost dropping the hour glass “Wow, you ok there?” asked Daring Do as she helped him up “I’ll be taking that, you know, before you drop it,” said Tirek as he grabbed the hourglass “What happened to you?” asked Daring Do “The reflexion of the sun hit me in the eyes and caught me off guard,” said Sombra As soon as he finished this, an image of the wall appeared in his mind, and the letter then began to change into english, as soon as they were translated, he heard a voice say “A Great evil is lurking, beware the wicked of heart, for they will fall victim to it, and become the vessel…” “What?” said Sombra “What? What?” asked Daring Do “I heard someone mention an evil, and then a vessel,” said Sombra “Huh, maybe the sunlight fried your brain,” said Tirek as he peered into the hourglass and noticed a statue in the back of the room. It was beautiful, it could easily be worth 10 billion dollars in auction Tirek, then placed the Hourglass down on a table and headed for the statue “Tirek, no, don’t touch it,” said Sombra “What, jealous that I found a valuable statue?” said Tirek in a mocking tone “That a Canopic Jar of Chaos, they used those to seal demons,” said Sombra “Bullshit,” said Tirek as he touched lifted it, then he turned to face Sombra and Daring Do “You see, I’m fine,” he said As soon as he said that, the jar broke, and a dark cloud surrounded him “What’s going on?!!” said Tirek as the cloud then took the form of a skull and lunged straight into Tirek’s throat. This caused Tirek to scream in agony as his body began to disintegrate, then below him the floor began to transform into a portal of sorts. When it became big enough, the portal sucked Tirek into it, as the last remnants of his body began to burn away. Daring Do and Sombra looked at the spot where seconds before, their partner had been standing. “What-what was that?” asked Daring Do “I- I don’t want to know,” said Sombra Just then the whole tower began to shake “It’s gonna fall, we have to get out of here!!” said Daring Do as she rushed for the door Sombra was going to follow, but then he turned and grabbed the hourglass, and runned for it. Left and right walls began to fall, stairs collapsed, and ceilings became deadly debris, Sombra and Daring Do runned down the stairs as fast as they could. When they got to the door they had found earlier they noticed it had been blocked by debris “What are we gonna do now? We’re trapped” said Daring Do Sombra looked frantically around, and then noticed the window, rushed towards it and jumped through it, Daring Do close behind. They slid down the side of the tower until they reached a safe height to jump off it and land near the jeep. They quickly ran to it, started the engine and drove away as fast as they could. A FEW MINUTES LATER “What… what was that about?” asked Daring Do “I… think Tirek freed and then became possessed by a demon,” said Sombra “Great, just great,” said Daring Do There were a few seconds of silence between the 2 remaining adventurers, until Daring Do noticed the Hourglass “You brought that thing with you?!” she said “Yeah, I believe it’s the key to unlocking the next part of the adventure,” said Sombra “Didn’t that thing just summon a demon?” said Daring Do “No, it was the jar that Tirek touched, even after we told him not to, that did,” said Sombra Daring Do then sat back down and started to think about what had happened earlier and remembered what he said after looking at the hourglass “Hey, when you looked into the hourglass, you said you saw a rock, but I don’t see it,” said Daring Do “I think it was supposed to be seen by one person only,” said Sombra “Really, and what was it?” asked Daring Do “I think it was one of the 7 pillars,” said Sombra “The 7 pillars?... THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM?!” she said “Yeah, it also warned me about the statue, It said “A Great evil is lurking, beware the wicked of heart, for they will fall victim to it, and become the vessel…” said Sombra “And become the vessel… what?” asked Daring Do “I don’t know, it ended there… but I’m gonna get to the bottom of it,” said Sombra as he and Daring Do arrived at the city they had departed from. BACK TO PRESENT DAY “...Daring Do and I worked together for a while longer until we found our targeted relic, then we went our separate ways,” said Sombra “I take it you continued looking for the rest of the pillars,” said Spike “Yeah, it was… an obsession, the search for them took me everywhere in the world, Coltchester, Manehattan, Yakyakistan Empire, Heighsia, Moncoltlia, I’ve went everywhere,” said Sombra “And I take it, you didn’t find anything else,” said Cheese “Well, I actually did,” said Sombra as he sat down in his desk and took out a notebook “A notebook?” said Cheese “No, not A notebook, THE notebook, you see, this notebook belonged to a very famous adventurer who went by the name of Heighdiana Jones, while I was Las Pegasus, 15 years ago, I ran into a yard sale, the people doing the yard sale were his Grandkids… if I remember properly, they were moving to another home, and they didn’t want to pay the extra boxes of things so, I bought the journal and many other things,” said Sombra “Well, one man’s trash is another man’s…” began Cheese “This is not trash, on my way back home I decided to read it, and then when I was half way through I began to notice his reports on the 7 pillars, I even discovered that he had come into contact with one of them, he wrote “Find the 6, for together they will guide you to the truth, if you feel lost…” was written in one of the walls, I began to think what it meant, until I realized they were talking about the 7 pillars” when I saw that I decided to re take my search, and using his notes I arrived at another abandoned monastery in Scoltland, once inside I was able to discover a piece of paper, but before I was able to translated it, the ground around the monastery began to explode. I rushed outside and was met face to face with a small army of people, they called themselves “The templars” but I know for a fact that they were all mercenaries, I fought them off, and made my escape… or I would have succeeded if a mortar didn’t land near my jeep causing me to fall into a ravine and into a field,” said Sombra “And what happened next?” asked Cheese as he munched on some popcorn “I woke up in a hospital bed… a farmer found me and took me there, that’s when I met Chrysalis, she was doing some volunteer work at the hospital, while I was there I courted her, and well, now we are married and have a beautiful daughter,” said Sombra “I take it you quitted the game after that?” said Spike “Yeah, I realized it wasn’t safe for her, that I continued, so I decided to take a position here as a History and English teacher, and I’ve been for the last 13 years,” said Sombra “Nice story… wonder what happened to the Hourglass though,” said Cheese “Oh,” said Sombra as he pointed to the Hourglass that was sitting in his desk “I used to decorate the place,” “Cool,” said Cheese as he eyed it carefully “So tell me boy, what did your walls say?” said Sombra “Uhm, Allow for the spirit to guide your steps, trust it for…” said Spike “the truth is under the light, look for the soul, and be set,” said Cheese Sombra quickly wrote it down and read it out loud “A Great evil is lurking, beware the wicked of heart, for they will fall victim to it, and become the vessel… Find the 6, for together they will guide you to the truth, if you feel lost, Allow for the spirit to guide your steps, trust it for the truth is under the light, look for the soul, and be set…,” “It’s a message,” said Cheese “Yeah, but we are missing pillars 2, 5, 6, and 7,” said Sombra Spike than thought for a while and said “Did you say you found a paper with writing on it?” “Yeah,” said Sombra “Well, what did it say?” asked Spike “No clue, I didn’t translate it,” said Sombra “Then do it,” said Spike “Oh, right,” he said as he fished the paper out “It’s very weird language,” said Cheese “E hāhai i ke aʻa, aia ka pane i ka ʻehā ma ka lua o Pele,” read Sombra “Follow the root, the answer to the 4th is in Pele's lair,” said Spike “What was that? Francoltian?” asked Cheese “No, Heighwaiian,” said Spike “Heighwaii, the state?” asked Sombra “Yeah, when they say “root” they mean the mountain trail, and Pele is the Heighwaiian Goddess of Fire, and her lair is the crater of the Kilauea volcano,” said Spike “So that’s where we must go,” said Cheese “Luckily for us, the school has arranged a prom party in Heighwaii, in a resort 2 hours away from the Kilauea volcano, they even have guided trips to the crater,” said Sombra “Which means, someone might have already discovered it,” said Cheese “Even if that is the case, the writing on the walls is supposed to stay for 10 years after being discovered,” said Sombra “That’s not a long margin,” said Cheese “No, they take you to the top, not IN to the crater… there has to be a cave up there,” said Spike “Dude, we are talking about one of the most active volcanoes in the world, do you think it’s still intact?” asked Cheese “It’s worth the risk,” said Spike “Well then, pack your swim trunks and lots of sunblock, cause we are going to Heighwaii,” said Sombra THE NEXT DAY AROUND NOON IN HEIGHWAII The whole graduation CHS class, minus 1, were standing in front of one of the most beautiful beaches they had ever seen. “Wow, it’s beautiful,” said Flash “I know right,” said Cheese Sandwich as he eyes remained glued to Pinkie Pie and her bikini “I mean, yeah, it’s a lovely beach and all, but I don’t see any volleyball, or beach soccer fields,” said Rainbow Dash “Ahem,” said Sunset Shimmer as she pointed at the Volleyball court being used by other students and a crowded Beach Soccer mini stadium with locals and tourist playing a friendly game “Oh, I just can’t wait to go sunbathing,” said Rarity as she walked out wearing a two piece, dark purple with green details, bikini. “Oh we know what you can’t wait for,” teased Rainbow Dash, making a sexual reference with her hands “DASH!!!” said Rarity as she turned red “Uhm… I don’t think there is nothing wrong with it,” said Fluttershy as she came up to the group covering herself with a shirt. “Dear, it’s not about being wrong or right, it’s just that, there are places and moments to say those things,” said Rarity “By the way, why are you wearing Spike’s shirt?” asked Twilight as she walked up to the group wearing a light purple bikini, followed by Starlight Glimmer with a white bikini, and her boyfriend Sunburst (Who transferred to CHS for his last year), and Sunset Shimmer, wearing an orange and red Bikini with black details. “You… what?” said Rarity as she looked at her with a murderous look Before Fluttershy had time to answer, Applejack came up from behind her and said “STICK EM UP!!! You know the deal Fluttershy, tops off,” she said as she lifted the shirt off of Fluttershy. As soon as the shirt went off, everyone was able to see that Fluttershy was wearing a very sexy green and yellow bikini which accentuated her figure, that, added by the sudden yank of the shirt had caused her boobs to jiggle wildly, causing many of the boys, and even some girls to look at her; this also caused various cases of nosebleeds, elbows to the gut, eye-poking, and jealous stares, not to mention another type of reaction in the boys bodies. But not everything was good and fun, the sudden yank of the shirt added to Fluttershy’s instinct to duck caused her to lose balance and fall flat on her butt. “You see that wasn’t so bad was it? Plus, you went through so much trouble to choose the best looking bikini in the store, it seems a waste to try and hide it now,” said Applejack as she folded Spike’s shirt Fluttershy just turned red and curled up into a ball trying to hide her body, but this caused her to look even more adorable. “Going back to my question earlier, why DID she have Spike’s shirt on?” asked Twilight “Indeed, I would also like an explanation,” said Rarity as her horn began to light up and her eyes turned into green flames. “Alright, let me explain, Spike, Caramel, Big Mac, Sugar Belle, and I were heading for the main exit to the beach when we noticed Fluttershy here trying to hide in the bathroom, she said that she didn’t feel comfortable going out into the beach, so Spike, in an attempt to make her come out here, made a deal with her, he will give her his shirt for her to cover herself and then remove it when she gets to the beach,” said Applejack “That’s true,” said Caramel “Eeyup,” said Big Mac as he and Sugar Belle appeared “I must admit, it was a really funny moment,” said Sugar Belle “Really?” said Rarity slowly, her eyes still green with envy and rage “Speaking of hot stuff, where is Spike?” asked Rainbow Dash “Yeah, where is that hot, hunky delinquent of a dragon, we need to have a word,” said Rarity “Oh, we all know what “A WORD” stands for right,” said Rainbow Dash as she used her hands to mimicke intercourse again. “WHY ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT!!!” screamed Rarity “Anyway, let’s go babe, I just thought of so many good pranks we can play on our classmates,” said Rainbow Dash as she and Soarin were about to run off, they were stopped by a pair of arms that held them up in the air. “There will be none of that in my watch,” said a male voice everyone knew very well. “Wow, dude, what’s with the Baywatch cosplay?” asked Flash as everyone turned to find Spike in a red swimsuit with all of the equipment used by lifeguards. “It’s not cosplay, I’m really a lifeguard,” said Spike “WHAT?!!!” everyone said, except for Fluttershy, seeing Spike shirtless was too much for her so she had a nose bleed and passed out in Applejacks arms “Yup, I was about to join you guys when I overheard the Lifeguards chief on the phone saying that the current lifeguard had suffered some sort of food poisoning, and that he was going to have to close the beach, so, I walked up to him and told him that I am a certified lifeguard, showed him the paperwork, and then asked me to cover for the lifeguard until the shift change,” said Spike “And when is that?” asked Rarity “In 1 hour, 10 minutes and 10 seconds… 9 seconds… 8 seconds… well you get the picture,” said Spike as he looked at his watch. “Awesome, with you in charge, we can really relax and enjoy ourselves,” said Fluttershy as she regained consciousness for a few seconds, saw Spike shirtless again, had another nose bleed, and passed out again “I better get her to one of the beach chairs,” said Applejack as she picked her up and headed for the beach “Try to maintain her hydrated, there is a coconut water stand around the corner by the pool,” said Spike “Will do,” said Applejack Spike then turned and said to his friends “Now, I know we are friends, but, while I’m wearing this uniform, If I catch you doing something indecent I’m going to have to fine you, understood,” said Spike “COPY!!!” everyone said as they ran off towards the beach except for Rarity “Now, Darling, why did you give Fluttershy your shirt?” she said with a scary face “Ah, well… you see… I HAVE TO GET TO WORK,” said Spike as he ran away as fast as he could “HEY! COME BACK HERE! WE ARE NOT DONE WITH THIS CONVERSATION MISTER!!!!” said Rarity as she chased after him ONE HOUR LATER Everyone was enjoying themselves. Celestia and Luna were in the kiddy pool playing with their babies, Discord sat nearby keeping an eye on them. Sombra and Chrysalis were at the pool bar having a drink while keeping an eye on their daughter. Cheese and Pinkie had begun to build sandcastles with the local kids. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Caramel were having a 2V2 volleyball game, which had attracted the attention of various bystanders Fluttershy was still out cold (She actually woke up 30 minutes ago, but once again noticed Spike and well… you know) Twilight, Sunset, Flash, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunburst were all enjoying themselves in the water floating around or just having a water fight Luckily for Spike, the other Lifeguard had arrived earlier after hearing what happened to his coworker, so now he was just lying in a beach chair reading a book Rarity was nearby getting a suntan, of course, she had to wait for Spike’s shift to be over to force him to apply sunblock on her body. As for Big Mac and Sugar Belle… they have been MIA for almost 20 minutes already A FEW MINUTES LATER “Hey, look what I caught,” said Starlight Glimmer as she held her hand out of the water “Oh, it’s a Holothuroidea,” said Twilight “A what?” asked Flash “A sea cucumber, dude,” said Sunburst “Oh,” said Flash “Now that you mention it, there are quite a few sea cucumbers on this beach,” said Sunset “Huh, you are right,” said Twilight “That really is sketchy,” said Sunburst “Oh no, you want to see sketchy, I’ll show you sketchy,” said Flash as he pointed towards the beach The camera pans towards a beach chair which contained the sleeping form of Spike, his chest rising up and down in a relaxed fashion, his face covered by a copy of Edgar Allan Colt’s Tales of terror and madness. His abdominal region was now covered by the form of a sleeping Rarity who had snuggled up to him minutes after he began to catch some Zs. Right next to them, in another beach seat, was none other than Fluttershy, her face red with rage and her eyes green with envy. Then Subconsciously Rarity’s hand moved down on Spike’s abs, as she moved to use Spike’s chest as her pillow This made Fluttershy even angrier, to the point that she completely obliterated the coconut she had in her hands, as all of the remaining water splashed all over her. The camera then pans back to the group in the water “Ok, that was sketchy,” said Sunset “I know right, who brings a horror novel to a beach?!!” said Flash Everyone then gave him such a look. 2 HOURS LATER “...Then again, this place is actually massive,” said Sugar Belle “You guys were gone for almost an hour and a half, are you sure you guys are fine?” asked Caramel “Oh, we’re fine,” said Big Mac with a cheeky smile, which made Sugar Belle blush “More than fine,” said Sugar Belle, as she returned the smile “If you say so,” said Caramel as he walked over to meet the rest of the group “Any ideas of what to do now?” asked Cheese “SWIMMING COMPETITION!!!” both Rainbow Dash and Soarin said at the same time, right before they began making out “Of course you’ll think of that,” said Rarity “Sorry to ruin your… FUN, but, Cheese, Spike, it’s time,” said Sombra as he walked up to them Spike and Cheese nodded and walked up to him “HOLD IT! What are you talking about?!” asked Rarity “Oh, nothing too impressive, we just added our names to the hiking tour to the top of the volcano,” said Spike “Why didn’t you tell me about this?!” said Rarity “Because you hate hiking,” said Spike Rarity then looked down sheepishly “Hey, it’s ok, if you want we can go together tomorrow,” said Spike as he gave her a hug and a kiss “Don’t worry about us we’ll be back soon… our at least in 3 hours,” said Cheese “Be careful, OK,” said Pinkie as she gave Cheese a kiss and a hug “Of course,” said Cheese as he, Spike, and Sombra left “Odd, I wonder why they are going together?” said Twilight “What do you mean?” asked Applejack “It’s hiking, HIKING, yet, I don’t see Dash, Soarin, Flash, or even Mac rushing off for the next group to depart,” said Twilight “Actually Twi, Soari, and I booked the first tour tomorrow morning,” said Rainbow Dash as she parted lips with Soarin “And I just don’t want to leave the 2 of you alone,” said Flash “What about you Mac?” asked Applejack “Well, I came here to relax, not to do crazy extreme sports that make me feel like if I’m… working… and… working out at the same time… I HAVE TO GO REGISTER!!!” said Mac as he rushed away “Oh, no you don’t mister, you promised that we were going to have some together time during this trip!” said Sugar Belle as she chased after Mac “Well, there are the answers to your questions,” said Flash “Hey guys, wanna go surf?” asked Neon “Ha, about time you appeared, what, did Vinyl and you get tired of humping like rabbits?” said Dash “Ah- yeah… anyway!” said Neon as he pointed to the guys “Sure,” said Flash “Count me in,” said Soarin “I hope I’m not too rusty for this,” said Sunburst “Surfs up,” said Caramel “What about you Dash?” asked Soarin “Not right now, you guys go and have some “guy time” or however you call it,” said Dash “Oh, thanks babe,” said Soarin as he kissed her and ran away with the guys “You really are going to let him go like that?” asked Twilight “Yeah, well, I’m not going to be a toxic girlfriend, plus, I know he won’t cheat on me, as he said, he has “manly responsibilities” with me,” said Rainbow Dash “Wait, does that mean…” said Pinkie “Oh, yeah, guess I’m the only one in the group, apart of Vinyl and Starlight, who is officially a woman,” said Rainbow Dash with a smug smile “Not really Dash, Caramel and I have been intimate many times,” said Applejack At the mention of this, almost all of the girls let out a squeal “Did it hurt?” asked Pinkie “What position did you girls enjoy the most?” asked Twilight “I have a better question,” said Rarity as everyone turned to her, Rarity then turned to look at Fluttershy and said, “How did you fall in love with my Spikey-wickey?” Fluttershy turned red “Oh, that is a very good question,” said Pinkie “Do tell,” said Sunset Fluttershy feeling defeated began to speak “It all started 2 years ago, back then I had just started to work at the Canterlot Animal Hospital to complete my social hours…” 2 YEARS AGO It was a normal summer day at the Animal Hospital, people brought their pets to be checked out and make sure they were in good health, animal rescue teams were all over the city saving injured or homeless animals, and specialists headed in and out to the zoo to make regular checkups on the animals. Fluttershy was now on her second month there, she was regarded as one of the best animal caregivers in the hospital. She was currently taking care of a few newborn bear cubs that were brought in by the park rangers after their mother was killed in a landslide “Here you go my little ones, drink up so you can become big and strong bears,” said Fluttershy as she gave the cubs some bottled milk, treating them like if they were babies “Fluttershy? Would you mind coming here for a second,” said the head vet of the Animal hospital “Sure… I’ll be right back, behave now,” she said as she got up and left Once in the hallway “So, what do you need my help with?” asked Fluttershy “Well, we have a volunteer, he’s from the same school as you, so, I thought it would be a good idea to have you teach him the ropes and be his mentor until he feels comfortable enough to work on his own,” said the head vet “I’d be happy to,” said Fluttershy “As expected from my best caregiver, oh there he is,” said the head vet as she pointed to a well know dragon “Oh, I know him… but I always forget his name,” thought Fluttershy “Spike, this is Fluttershy, she will be your mentor/supervisor until you feel comfortable with the workload,” said the head vet “Oh, Hi, Fluttershy, I didn’t know you worked here,” said Spike “Hi, Spike! Ready to begin working?” asked Fluttershy trying to act bravely in front of the head vet “Sure,” said Spike “Well, I’ll leave you kids alone, have fun, but not too much,” said the head vet as she left “Where should we begin?” asked Spike “We-well, uhm… I- I can take you to the… new born area, they are... the easiest ones to handle,” said Fluttershy, stuttering to the nervousness “Ok, lead the way boss,” said Spike with a warm smile This caused Fluttershy to relax a bit, as she showed him around After a few minutes they arrived at the newborn area “Spike, before we go in, I must remind you that, even though, this animals are babies, and extremely adorable, they are still wild, so be very careful,” Fluttershy said “Noted, be very careful,” Spike repeated as they entered As soon as they did, many of the baby animals crawled their way to Fluttershy “They think that you are their mommy,” said Spike “Well, as a caregiver, I have to act as a substitute to their mother, that way they will feel protected and they will eat,” Fluttershy explained “Oh… so, which one do you think I should start with?” asked Spike “Well… It’ll be better if you let them choose you, just sit down and wait for them to come near you, after they feel safe they they will let you touch them,” Fluttershy explained Spike did as he was told and sat down on the floor, and after a few seconds 2 Phenonine cubs (Tiger like cats) crawled up to Spike. Spike looked at Fluttershy who just mouthed the word “patience” After a few seconds the Phenonine cubs crawled back to Fluttershy “It’s ok, at least they don’t see you as a threat,” Fluttershy whispered As soon as she said that a Phoenix new born landed on Spike’s shoulder and began to sniff his head “Fluttershy!!” Spike whispered “Stay calm, he is just making sure you are friendly,” said Fluttershy “How will I know that?” asked Spike “He won't kill you,” said Fluttershy “Well, that sounds clear enough,” said Spike as the Phoenix crawled into Spike’s head and peered down into his eyes “Can they smell fear?” asked Spike “No, why?” asked Fluttershy “Cause I’m Oh so terrified,” said Spike “Just stay calm, this is the final step to win his acceptance,” said Fluttershy As soon as she said that the Phoenix then flew into Spike’s laps and fell asleep “Is this good or bad?” asked Spike “It’s… excellent, I’ve never seen a phoenix do that, not even with me,” said Fluttershy “Does he or she have a name?” asked Spike “Uhm, no, he was hatched last night,” said Fluttershy “Why don’t you name him,” she said Spike thought for a few seconds and said “Peewee, for being so small,” “Peewee, that’s a nice name,” said Fluttershy As if on queue all of the animals crawled, bounced, or flew straight for Spike “Does this mean I’ve been accepted?” asked Spike “Yes, yes it does,” said Fluttershy with a laugh BACK TO PRESENT DAY “Spike, was under my wing for a week, then he became my partner, and people in the animal shelter used to call us “Mama and Papa,” since we used to work mostly with the newborns,” Fluttershy said as she took a sip of her coke “That’s one weird nickname,” said Applejack “Well, it was give to us by a grade schooler, you see, one day an elementary school made a tour of the place, and while they were meeting the newborns, one of the girls said “Time for me to go, go back to your mama and papa,” and after that all of the kids said the same thing, and the name sticked,” Fluttershy explained “And that’s how you fell in love?” asked Twilight “No, that was me putting the story into context,” said Fluttershy “Then, how did you fall in love?” asked Rarity “Well, 6 months after he arrived, it came time for us to release the babies, now young adults, into the wilderness, and when it was Spike’s time to say goodbye to Peewee, well, he had trouble saying goodbye, almost keeping Peewee as his pet, but, I managed to convince him to left him go,” said Fluttershy “And that’s when…” Twilight Interrupted “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TWILIGHT, STOP INTERRUPTING HER!!!” all of the girls screamed “Sorry,” said Twilight “Well, you are not exactly wrong, after Spike said goodbye, he cried, it was hard for him to break the bond he had created with Peewee, I think that was the moment when my crush started, seeing a Dragon, a raze so proud and scary, looking so vulnerable, so sad, it made me change my way of thinking, specially about Spike, at that moment I noticed he had a big heart, and he had feelings and didn’t try to hide them like the other dragons, he was… nice,” said Fluttershy “I can tell there is more,” said Sunset “Yeah, after that, we were placed in the rescue team, that’s when my crush became even stronger, I mean, I had a bit of trouble talking to him already, but during this time it became even worse…” Fluttershy began 1 YEAR AND 6 MONTHS AGO It was a normal, sunny day at the Canterlot Animal Hospital, everyone was engrossed in their duties, Fluttershy was helping the new volunteers get used to the newborns, living up to her nickname of “mama” while Spike was on his break, after returning from another successful rescue mission up in the Evergreen Mountains. After Fluttershy was done with her tutoring, she decided to head to the staff room, where Spike was finishing his lunch “I heard that your rescue was successful,” said Fluttershy “Yeah, thanks God,” said Spike as he got up and cleaned his food containers “So, what was the situation?” asked Fluttershy “Some Hoxnea (Deer like animals) had gotten stuck in a wired fence, and you know them, they try to use force in everything,” said Spike “My, that sounds dangerous,” said Fluttershy “Yeah, luckily we were able to free them without injury,” said Spike “Yeah, you should’ve seen your boyfriend, he ran straight onto the line of danger, not fearing for his safety,” said another member of the staff “HEY IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!!” Fluttershy screamed turning red Just then the alarms went off “WHAT’S GOING ON?!!” said Spike “We have an emergency, a Dreosphan (A mix between A bear, Lion and Boar) has been spotted in the nearby Evergreen Park, we have reports that it’s both injured and aggressive,” said the head Vet “So close to civilization, do you think it’s lost?” asked another worker “The only thing I know is that right now, it’s posing a threat for the city and itself,” said the head vet as they dispatched the rescue team. “Fluttershy go with them, they might need your knowledge,” said another employee “Right,” she said as she followed Spike to one of the rescue trucks ON THE WAY TO THE LOCATION “So, I assume it is rare to see a Dreosphan so close to the city?” asked Spike “Yes, these creatures live in the everfree forest, and are really territorial, they never leave a certain area of the forest,” said Fluttershy “So, I can assume they are really dangerous,” said Spike “Yes, they kill more hikers a year than all of the possible accidents combined,” said Fluttershy “Not only that, despite their appearance, they are magical beasts, which mean they can also use magic, they usually use it to enhance their strength,” said another member of the team ‘So they are smart beasts,” said Spike “Yes, so everyone, be very, VERY, careful, one slip and you’re a goner,” said the head rescuer AT THE LOCATION “There it is!” said Fluttershy as she pointed to the beast “It’s bigger than imagined,” said Spike “Yeah, too big, they usually have the size of a Bear, but that is 3 feet bigger,” said the head rescuer “Alright, I want everyone to set a perimeter, I don’t want it heading into town,” said Deputy Copper “We’ll do the best we can,” said the head rescuer “We’ll have plan B ready, just in case,” said Deputy Copper “Right,” said the head rescuer “What’s plan B?” asked Fluttershy “In this kind of situations, Plan B means “Eliminate the threat” in other words, they’re gonna shoot it down,” said Spike as he and Fluttershy took their respective positions. “We can’t let them shoot it,” said Fluttershy “It isn’t my call,” said Spike “I can relax it, then we can take him to the hospital,” said Fluttershy “What do you plan on doing? Sing him to sleep?” asked Spike “If I have to,” said Fluttershy as she jumped the divider “Fluttershy! WAIT!” said Spike But she didn’t listen and began to walk towards towards the Dreosphan The Dreosphan took notice of her and got into a defensive position “Hey there body… it’s ok, I’m gonna help you, you’ll be safe… trust me,” she said as she got closer to the Dreosphan The Dreosphan seemed to relax a bit allowing Fluttershy to come closer, when she was about a foot away from it, it roared and charged at Fluttershy. “FLUTTERSHY!!!” screamed Spike as he jumped the barrier and rushed to her aid Fluttershy quickly turned and ran as fast as she could to safety Unfortunately she wasn’t fast, or athletic enough to outrun the Dreosphan, which was now mere inches away from her. Just as it was about to pounce on her, Fluttershy jumped out of the way, tried to fly to safety, but her own nerves made her lose balance and land on her stomach only a meter away from the Dreosphan. Fluttershy quickly turned to rest on her back and noticed the Dreosphan ready to charge at her. Just as it was about to rush towards her, Spike threw a rock right next to the Dreosphan, making lose concentration on Fluttershy. Spike took advantage of this to place himself in front of Fluttershy and from a human shield before her “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you,” said Spike with a determined look Fluttershy looked at him and felt her heart skip a beat Just then the Dreosphan took notice of Spike, but for whatever reason it stood in place, not getting any closer or attacking the 2, just like if it was standing his ground Spike gulped and decided to walk forward “It’s ok, buddy, no one is going to hurt you,” he said as he got closer The Dreosphan took a step back Spike kept walking forward, slowly, but surely “It’s fine, we’re here to help you, don’t be afraid,” said Spike as he got closer The Dreosphan then turned to look at Spike, like if it was getting ready to pounce. Just as it was to do it it made contact with Spike’s eyes, and immediately changed it’s demeanor to a more curious and friendly behavior. “Trust me, I’ll help you,” said Spike as he extend his hand forward The Dreosphan looked at Spike’s hand, then sniffed it, and then it let Spike place it on it’s head. “There we go, relax, I’ve got you,” said Spike as he caressed the Dreosphans head Spike then motioned for the team to get closer Fluttershy walked up to him and said “How did you do that?” “Well, I had a good teacher,” said Spike with a warm smile as he Fluttershy’s hand and placed on the Dreosphan’s head next to his The Dreosphan twitched, but then welcomed Fluttershy’s touch “She was being protective because she is pregnant,” said Spike “How do you know?” asked Fluttershy “I don’t, I just… I can feel it, she has the aura of a protective mother,” said Spike Fluttershy remained silent she was amazed at Spike's ability “So, what do we have?” asked the head rescuer “Various lacerations to her extremities, possibly caused by wired fence, also, minor signs of malnourishment, and the most important one, she is pregnant,” said Spike “Excellent observations, Doc, she’s all yours,” said the head rescuer as the head vet took over. Spike and Fluttershy then walked away to catch their breaths “That was accelerating, wasn’t it,” said Spike “Ye-yeah, I’m so glad that we were able to save her and her cubs,” said Fluttershy, for whatever reason she was having trouble keeping the conversation with Spike “Well, glad to see you’re also safe,” said Spike as he gave her a friendly hug Fluttershy turned really red at this point “Oh, sorry, I overstepped,” said Spike as he let go of her “It’s… It’s ok,” said Fluttershy trying to find her voice “Great job, you too, will take it from here, take the rest of the day off,” said the head rescuer “Thanks,” they both said Spike and Fluttershy walked to the entrance of the park, said their goodbyes and went in opposite directions. BACK TO THE PRESENT “That was the day my crush became official,” said Fluttershy “Wow, you guys managed to control a Dreosphan, amazing,” said Twilight “Yeah, even to this day, I can’t believe it,” said Fluttershy “But wait, if you had a crush on Spike, why did you avoid him?” asked Pinkie Pie “The thing is, I felt embarrassed, I could find myself to talk to him, even after everything he did, not to mention, he never really came up to me in school,” said Fluttershy “Well, maybe he just thought you would like to be near him in school,” said Sunset “Or that he would ruin your reputation if he did,” said Rainbow Dash “Hang on a second!” said Twilight This made everyone turn and look at her “You said that Peewee and the Dreosphan made eye contact with Spike, and then they became friendly, how does that happen?” asked Twilight “Well, they say that the eyes are the window to your soul, Peewee might’ve seen into them to get to know Spike,” said Starlight Glimmer “Maybe the Dreosphan did the same,” said Pinkie “Maybe, all I can say is that, no matter what, Spike always makes you feel safe,” said Fluttershy “I have to agree with you there, he really makes everyone feel safe, that’s why I like sleeping in the same bed as him,” said Rarity “Yeah right, you sleep on the same bed because you want to feel his d…” Rainbow Dash said “THAT’S NOT TRUE DASH!!!” screamed Rarity This made everyone laugh Rarity then composed herself and turned to look at Fluttershy “Fluttershy, I can begin to understand your crush, but, I fail to see how that was all it took for you to become obsessed with him, there must be more,” said Rarity “Well, it’s true that at that point, I didn’t have an “Obsession” I did have a very strong attraction to him, but then, he did something that changed everything,” said Fluttershy All of the girls paid close attention to what she was going to say “It happened a year ago…” Fluttershy began ONE YEAR AGO Spike had begun to distance himself from Fluttershy, mostly because he mistook her shyness around him as a way of telling him “Don’t talk to me” but that actually wasn’t the case. One day Spike went to class, and as usual, he was belittled and humiliated all throughout the day by the whole school, minus some exceptions who barely recognized his existence. “Can’t say I missed this over the weekend,” thought Spike as he closed his locker and headed towards the class For whatever reason the route he took to get to his homeroom passed by Twilight & Co.’s lockers. Till this day he doesn’t even know why he takes that route, it wasn’t the fastest and it gave other students the opportunity to make fun of him Maybe it was his silly heart that made him hope that Twilight would recognize him again, but that never happened. As Spike turned the corner he noticed Twilight and her friends talking like every other day, except, today was different. As Spike walked by he noticed that Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, then he overheard Twilight and her friends talking. “Anyone know why Fluttershy isn’t here today?” asked Twilight “She said she was feeling sick and that she was going to be absent for a few days,” said Rainbow Dash “Oh, that’s terrible,” said Rarity “You know what’s wrong with her?” asked Sunset “No, she didn’t say,” said Rainbow Dash “We should go and visit her later,” said Pinkie “Nah, she’s a tough gal, plus last time she got sick she preferred to be alone,” said Rainbow Dash “Are you sure?” asked Twilight “Yeah, she once told me that she loved being alone when not in the right mind, I’m gonna honor her wishes,” said Rainbow Dash “If you say so, but I’m still gonna call her later,” said Applejack “You do you, sister,” said Rainbow Dash “Some “friend” I would at least make sure that she is better, then again, not like it matters, hope she gets better soon,” thought Spike But Fluttershy didn’t return to school the next day, or the next, or the next… FRIDAY “Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with Fluttershy, I’ve been trying to call her but she never picks up her phone, she only texts back later saying “Sorry, I was sleeping and didn’t hear you call” Are you sure she is ok?” asked Twilight “Positive, this is just the typical Fluttershy,” said Rainbow Dash “She’s done this before?” asked Rarity “Yeah, when we were in Elementary she got sick and didn’t come to school for a week, except that time, it was her mom who didn’t let you talk with her,” said Rainbow Dash “”Why?” asked Applejack “They have this idea that talking over the phone can transmit the disease, so... “ said Rainbow Dash “Yeah, we get it,” said Twilight “Trust me, she’ll be here on Monday,” said Rainbow Dash as they all walked towards the school's main entrance. “Hope she’s fine,” thought Spike as he closed his locker Just then he felt someone shove him from behind “Hey loser, take this to Flutterbutt’s house would ya,” said Flash as he shoved the paper and books into Spike’s chest Spike bit his tongue trying his best not to talk back to Flash and get beaten to a pulp “Where is her house?” said Spike “What?!” Flash said stopping and looking back at him “If you want me to do your work, at least tell me where I have to go,” said Spike as he got near Flash Flash looked back at Spike in a menacing way, but then took out a piece of paper and shoved it into his hand “Move along, loser, don't make me kick your ass all the way there,” said Flash as he walked away “Bitch,” Spike whispered as he saw the paper and then the rest of things Flash had given him. A HOUR LATER “Well, this is the place, 101 Mare Street,” said Spike as he walked up the porch and rang the bell the Fluttershy’s house He heard as scuffle which placed him on edge, thinking that someone else was in there with her “Wh… Who is it?” came Fluttershy’s voice from the other side of the door “Just me, Spike the nobody!” said Spike ‘Oh, Spike, what are you doing here?” she asked as she opened the door She was a mess, her hair was tangled and spiked all over the place, her eyes were bloodshot, possible form lack of sleep or crying, and the shirt she was wearing was dirty to a T “I… uh… came to give you this… it’s all of the school work and homework you’ve missed,” said Spike “Oh, thanks,” said Fluttershy as she took them “Hey, is… is everything alright?” asked Spike “Yeah… yeah… everything is fine, thanks,” said Fluttershy with a fake smile But Spike wasn’t buying it, he knew that Fluttershy was really organized and she would never let herself look like this, she was almost like Rarity’s shyer reflexion “Anything else I can help you with?” asked Fluttershy Spike wanted to get to the bottom of this so he quickly came up with an idea “Yeah, uhm, remember the book I lent you the last day of summer? Well I have to return it to the library, the fine is stocking up,” lied Spike “Oh, sure… wait here I’ll go get it,” said Fluttershy as she left the door The door then creaked open, and Spike was able to notice the extent of the mess in her home. There was garbage everywhere, food scraps, papers, plastic bags, even clothes Spike then decided to enter her home without invitation, he then proceeded to look around, he noticed many of the food scraps were spoiled, the clothes were dirty, and there were even animal droppings in her home. Spike then her a thud above him, followed by another, and another “She must still be looking for it,” he thought as he entered what appeared to be a small office, and what he saw inside scared him, and broke his heart. Lying in a massive mess of pillows and papers was a Bunny, by the look of it, it was in tremendous pain. Spike walked towards it, and placed his hand on it’s head For whatever reason he could feel the emotions the rabbit was feeling Right that second he heard steps behind him He turned and found Fluttershy looking at him, her face was a mix of shook, anger, sadness and… defeat “What are you doing here?” asked Fluttershy “I’m sorry I intruded like this, but, when your door opened widely and I noticed the mess, added to your strange behavior, I thought something was wrong… and then I found her,” said Spike “Oh, I see you’ve met Doll,” said Fluttershy “Yeah… she’s sick isn’t she?” said Spike “Yes, she hasn’t been feeling well lately but she will get better,” said Fluttershy “No Shy, she has osteosarcoma,” said Spike “No she doesn’t, she just has a cold!” said Fluttershy in denial “I see,” thought Spike “Fluttershy… stop, she is tremendous pain,” said Spike “Yeah, but like I said she is going to get better, I’ll help her,” said Fluttershy in a staborn way “Fluttershy… she wants to… move on,” said Spike “No she doesn’t… SHE CAN’T… SHE CAN’T LEAVE ME!” exclaimed Fluttershy as she began to cry Spike got up from the ground and went over to hug Fluttershy “Fluttershy… remember what you told me when I didn’t want to let Peewee leave?” said Spike Fluttershy sobbed for a ew seconds before answering “You should deprive anyone of happiness for your own selfish gain,” “Then don’t just preach but also teach,” said Spike ‘It’s just that... “ said Fluttershy “It’s just that nothing, you said it yourself… Shy, you’re making her suffer, please, stop it… do the humane thing… let her go,” said Spike as he began to chock up “I just… don’t want to be alone,” said Fluttershy “I know it might be strange, and that it will take time to get used to this type of life, but, trust me, everything will work out… eventually… plus, you’ll never be fully alone, you have your friends back at school, your friends from the Animal hospital… me… don’t be afraid to reach out,” said Spike Fluttershy sobbed for a few more minutes, until he finally calmed down “Spike… I’ll do it,” said Fluttershy Spike just nodded “But… I can’t do it alone… can you come with me?” said Fluttershy “Sure,” said Spike “But first, go make yourself look pretty… this doesn't have to be a sad day,” said Spike Fluttershy nodded and headed upstairs to take a bath, Spike just remind in the room with Doll, petting her “I know… I know… just bare with it for a few more minutes,” said Spike as he continued to pet her. ONE HOUR LATER Spike, Fluttershy and Doll arrived at the Canterlot Animal hospital ‘Wait here, I’ll take care of the paperwork and talking,” said Spike Fluttershy nodded in agreement “Ah, Spike, what brings you here today,” said one of the receptionists “Well… I need to book a…” Spike then began to choke up again The receptionist took notice of this, then she noticed Fluttershy sitting nearby with a very six bunny in a cage. The receptionist the looked back at Spike how nodded “It will be done immediately,” said the receptionist Spike walked back to Fluttershy and guided her to the room A few minutes later, the head vet walked in “Fluttershy, Spike, I understand you are here to…” said the Vet not wanting to finish the sentence They both nodded “Ok, then, if you want I can give you some time to say goodbye,” said the vet as she prepared Doll for her departure and then left the room for a few minutes Fluttershy then walked up to Doll and began to pet her “Doll… I know you have to go… I’m sorry that I made you suffer, but… I want you to remember our time together… since the day I found you… until today… I want you to remember how happy you made me… all the fun we had together… the great company you’ve been to me… I want you to remember that… I love you,” said Fluttershy between sobs. Spike then came forward and petted Doll for one last time “I know we didn’t know each other before today… But I just wanted to say, thanks… thanks for taking care of her… you may go in peace… go to that beautiful valley up there in heaven… be free and happy again… we’ll take care of her,” said Spike as he finished petting Doll “Are you ready?” asked the head vet as she reentered the room “Bye, Doll, thanks for everything,” Flutteshy said as she kissed her goodbye and walked over to Spike, who gave her a comforting hug The head vet then proceeded to inject the substance that would free Doll from her pain Fluttershy could stop crying as she saw Doll’s eyes begin to close and her body loss life Even Spike let out a few tears himself, as Doll’s heart monitor went black. A FEW HOURS LATER Spike and Fluttershy were standing underneath one of the biggest trees in the Evergreen park. Spike had dug a small hole for Fluttershy to place Doll’s ashes in, and give her a proper burial. After a few minutes more of mourning Spike and Fluttershy decided to leave and head back to their homes For whatever reason, both of them didn’t feel sad at all, but at peace, like if a heavy burden had been lifted of their shoulders “Say, Spike, what do you do when you are sad?” asked Fluttershy “Ah, well, I… I sing,” said Spike “Really?” said Fluttershy “Yeah… I may not be a good singer but… it helps… here I’ll show you,” said Spike as he went over to a piano they had placed in one of the canopies “You see… it helps… her, you try it,” said Spike as he began to play “Feel better?” asked Spike as he got off the piano “Yeah,” said Fluttershy Spike looked at her for a second, then he smiled and said “Come on, I’ll help you clean up your place and help with the workload,” Fluttershy looked back at him, then she smiled and said “Thanks, for everything,” SUNDAY AFTERNOON Spike had stayed at Fluttershy’s house all throughout the weekend helping her clean her place up and then tutoring her with her classes. He had actually just left her home and was heading to his to get ready for school “I’m happy that Fluttershy is doing much better,” thought Spike as he took the same route he usually took near the park When he was about to leave the wooded area, Spike noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There, under a tree, was a baby rabbit, Spike walked closer and noticed that it was very small, maybe a newborn, but the parents weren’t nearby at all, and what’s most, the baby rabbit didn’t even run away. “Hey there buddy… are you ok? Where are your parents?” said Spike as he picked the baby rabbit up Spike then noticed that it was a bit malnourished, and shivering from the cold “I guess they abandoned you… relatable,” said Spike as he carried the baby bunny to a nearby pet shop and bought some food for it to eat, and regain his strength After a few minutes, the rabbit’s condition began to improve, it began to move a bit more “There, much ever right?” said Spike as he cuddled the rabbit At first, the rabbit didn’t like it, but after a few seconds he began to accept it “Well, I think I should take you to the animal hospital, they’ll take good care of you there,” said Spike as an idea came to his head LATER AT FLUTTERSHY’S HOUSE Fluttershy was in her little office, putting all of Doll’s things in the garbage or in a box to donate. “It’s for the best, I’m sure that’s what Doll would’ve liked,” said Fluttershy Then someone knocked on the door “Huh, I wonder who could that be this time of night?” said Fluttershy as she headed for the front door. When she opened it, she saw no one standing there ‘Hello?” she said Then she looked down and noticed a little crib with a baby rabbit sleeping on it and a letter Fluttershy grabbed and opened the letter and read it “Please take care me, I have no one,” The moment she read that Fluttershy’s eyes became watery, she quickly grabbed the little rabbit and held it in her arms like a baby “Of course I’ll take care of you… Angel, my little Angel,” she said as he closed the door Spike then peaked out of the tree he was hiding behind and said “My job here is done… Goodnight Fluttershy,” PRESENT “It took me a few days to realize that the writing on the letter was Spike’s handwriting, and every time I tried to thank him or talk to him, I clammed up and could talk, so I ended up avoiding him for the most part… that was the moment I fell in love with him,” said Fluttershy All of the girls had tears in their eyes after hearing Fluttershy’s story “That’s my Spikey-wikey for you, he has the biggest heart I’ve ever known,” said Rarity “I know right, even after all we did to him, he forgave us like if nothing happened,” said Twilight “Yeah… Fluttershy, I don’t know how to tell you this but… I think you lost the race,” said Applejack “What do you mean?” she asked “Well, I’ve spoken to Spike before about this matter, and well, he is more of a “One girl man”,” said Applejack “What?!” said Fluttershy “She’s right, ever since we were kids, Spike never thought he’d get a girlfriend, well he never cared anyway, so he was always saying that he would be happy with just a date from a girl, even if it was a pity-date,” said Twilight Fluttershy then turned a bit blue “Oh, don’t worry Shy, you can still be his lover or concubine,” said Pinkie with a smile “Didn’t you just hear what I said?” said Twilight “Anyways, it doesn't matter what your relationship with Spike becomes, you can be certain that he will always be there for you,” said Sunset Fluttershy didn’t say anything “That’s true, plus you’ll always have us… plus, if you want, you can be our children’s Godmother,” said Rarity with a fake warm smile “I’m sorry Rarity, but… I won’t be happy until I become his wife,” said Fluttershy with fire in her eyes Rarity was taken aback by that comment and then said “Well, if you haven’t noticed, you’re late to the race,” showing Fluttershy the engagement ring “Really? I haven’t heard any wedding bells,” said Fluttershy getting in Rarity’s face And just as a catfight was about to begin, the girls heard a knock on the door “Come in!” they all said The door opened to reveal Sunburst “Sunburst, what are you doing here? I thought you were surfing,” said Starlight “Well, I was, until I was knock off by a wave, I decided to call it a day, and listen to some music,” said Sunburst “Oh, then what brings you here?” asked Sunset “Oh yeah, do you know if Spike is back yet?” he asked “No, they’re still on the hiking trip, why?” asked Twilight “Well, I was listening to some music, as I said, and I found these songs,” said Sunburst “Terraria - Starlight,” they all read “Yeah, now tell me who is in the cover of the song,” said Sunburst The girls paid close attention and said “5 guys wearing masks,” Sunset “That’s Spike,” said Fluttershy This comment made everyone look at her ‘What?” said they all said “Yeah, look,” said Fluttershy as she pointed at the guy in the center But nobody saw the resemblance “How many Dragon’s do you girls know that has Spiky green hair, and deep jaded eyes, plus look at the cheekbones, it’s him,” she said After she said, everyone realized that it was actually him “Did you listen to the songs?” asked Vinyl “The acoustic version, but I haven’t heard the original,” said Sunburst “PLAY IT!!” they all said, and he did “That’s definitely Spike,” said Rarity “Yeah, I wanted to ask him, why does this song have my wife’s name on it?” said Sunburst “Jealous?” teased Rainbow Dash “No, curious,” Sunburst corrected “He is jealous,” said Rainbow Dash “I believe they are referring to the real starlight up in the galaxy and using it as a metaphor,” said Twilight “Oh, anyway, thanks, I’ll let you be,” said Sunburst as he closed the door “Your man real is jealous, isn’t he?” said Applejack “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll have a long “chat” tonight,” said Starlight “Talking about chats, should Spike, Cheese and Sombra be back by now?” said Pinkie MEANWHILE “Here we are, Kilauea’s crater,” said Sombra “Fucking Finally,” Cheese “We don’t have much time, quickly use your binoculars,” said Spike as they began looking around the crater. After a few seconds, Cheese noticed something on the other side “There!” he said as he pointed to the cave entrance “I’ll go,” said Spike “Why do you get to go?” asked Cheese “Ahem, wings,” said Spike as he flew into the crater “Be careful,” said Sombra After a few seconds Spike landed in the entrance of the cave, after assessing the cave and making sure that it was safe for him to enter, he proceeded to explore it After a few seconds he reached the end of the other side of the cave “That’s odd, it seemed much bigger than this,” said Spike as he placed his hand on the basalt wall That made him notice that it was hollow “Cheeky,” he said as he punched the wall down, and entered a type of room which resembled that of a church “Just like Sombra said, the monastery,” said Spike as he walked around the room Spike stood inside for a few minutes, but was unable to find anything Defeated, Spike sat down in own of the rock-made seats in the monastery “What am I missing?” he pondered as he reclined his head backward to look at the ceiling That’s when he noticed a massive formation of stalactites, they were positioned in a singular way. Spike got up and made a 180 degree turn to look at the stalactites “There you are… For you have been chosen to stop… the darkness,” said Spike as he wrote everything down in his phone Spike was about to leave when he heard footsteps behind him, when he turned his blood went cold. Before Spike was a humanoid creature, it was unlike anything he had seen before, the creature, had horns in his head, bat like wings, dark reddish skin, and glowing red eyes “Who are you?” asked Spike as he got in a defensive position The creature remained silent for a few seconds, then it let out a bloodcurdling roar, and it lunged at Spike Spike quickly dodged the attack and countered sending the creature flying into a nearby wall “STAY BACK!” Spike ordered as the beast got up of the ground, turned and once again lunged at Spike “I don’t have time for this,” said Spike as he placed himself in a fighting stance The creature didn’t show signs of backing up and when it came a foot away from Spike, he uppercut the creature and sent it flying into the stalactites above. The stalactites pierced through the creature’s body killing it instantly “What was that thing?” said Spike as he heard various cracks He looked up and noticed that the stalactites were about to fall to the ground He quickly ran for cover as the stalactites and corps of the creature fell to the ground and created a massive cloud of dust. It took a few seconds for the dust to clear, but it finally did, Spike decided to walk up to the creature and take a picture of it “Maybe Sombra can tell me what you are,” he said as he took the picture and left the place ONCE OUTSIDE Spike landed next to Sombra and Cheese “So? Did you find it?” asked Cheese “Yeah, it read “For you have been chosen to stop the darkness,” said Spike “Pillar Number 5,” said Sombra as he and Cheese high fived The they noticed Spike’s face “There was something else, right?” asked Sombra “Yeah, when I was down there, I was attacked by this thing,” said Spike as he showed them the picture Both of them went pail “What is that?” asked Cheese “That’s a Guardian… a corrupted Guardian,” said Sombra “A guardian?” asked Cheese “A supernatural being, tasked with protecting the pillars, except that this one has been corrupted by the… darkness,” said Sombra “So, wait, what is this darkness thing anyway?” asked Cheese ‘I don’t… the thing that Tirek released all those years ago, it has to be it,” said Sombra “Wow, wow, wow, wow, your saying that we are going to be fighting the devil himself?” asked Cheese “No, more like a curse, like one of the curses that hit Heighgypt, except that it has now taken over a person and become stronger,” said Sombra “So what now, where is the 6th?” asked Spike “I do not know, but, once we return to Canterlot I’ll look into it, it might take me sometime though,” said Sombra “If you say so,” said Spike as he and Cheese looked around “Well, we should head back, I’m sure everyone might be wondering where we are,” said Sombra “Lead the way,” said Spike as he, Sombra and Cheese headed back to the Jeep, they had rented and left back to the resort. > Dragonlord Ch. 11 A surprising truth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, that makes 4 out of the 7 pillars,” said Cheese as he, Spike and Sombra hopped into their 4x4 jeep. “Yeah, we’re so close at solving this mystery,” said Sombra “What about the corrupted guardian?” asked Spike “Unfortunately, I don’t have much knowledge on them, but it is concerning,” said Sombra as he put the jeep in drive “Why?” asked Cheese “This Guardians are holy creatures, almost like angels, so, for one to be corrupted, there has to be a very strong evil in that place,” said Sombra “Any theories on how it happened?” asked Cheese “Something attacked it… something… powerful, and whatever it was doesn’t want us to find the rest of the walls” said Sombra “Ok… this is getting creepy,” said Cheese “It may be worst than that,” said Spike “Why?” asked Cheese “Professor, didn’t you say that back in the day there was an organization trying to kill you?” asked Spike “The templar? Yeah, what about them?” asked Sombra “If they attacked you, it means that they are after the walls too,” said Spike “When they attacked me in Scoltland, they said they were doing it to protect holy land,” said Sombra “In a former Orthodox monastery?” asked Spike “What’s wrong with that, the Knights Templar protect any holy land, right?” asked Cheese “The Old Monastery of Heighland was founded by the Coptic monks, or at least a sect of them that did not recognize the templars as a religious organization, furthermore, why shell and bombard the monastery if they mean to protect it?” said Spike “Those sons of bitches, they wanted the information that I had discovered,” said Sombra “And they might still be looking for it,” said Spike “That sounds like a stretch, they don’t even know where we are… hey, I thought you said this road was secret,” said Cheese “It is, why?” asked Sombra “There are 5 heavily armored trucks coming towards us from below,” said Cheese as he pointed to them “Maybe someone called the police, just act as a lost tourist and they’ll…” “That ain’t the police!” said Spike just as small explosion happened before them causing Sombra to stop the jeep “THEY’RE TRYING TO KILL US!” said Cheese “NOT ON MY WATCH!” said Sombra as he got up and aimed his hands at the trucks, but nothing happened “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” asked Spike “TRYING TO USE MY MAGIC, IT AIN’T WORKING!” said Sombra “GRENADE! TAKE COVER!” screamed Cheese as a Grenade hit the side of the jeep giving Spike, Cheese and Sombra meer seconds to jump off and take cover. Just as they hit the ground, the jeep exploded into a ball of fire “Well, there goes my deposit,” said Sombra as he, Spike and Cheese crawled towards the boulders in front of them. “Shht,” Spike said as they all saw a group of men walk up to what was left of the jeep. “There’s no sign of them,” said one of them “You think they went over?” said another “More than likely… even if they had wings, there is no way they’d survive,” said another “Ok, you 2, see what you can find, and report it back, and do it fast, I doubt no own heard the explosions,” said the leader as he walked away. “What are we going to do?” asked Cheese “Well, without magic, and unarmed, they have the upper hand… engaging them in combat would be ridiculous and suicidal, we should try to slip away quietly,” said Sombra as he got closer to the edge of the cliff and looked down Spike however, noticed that the 2 men had lowered their guards, leaving their guns unattended. “I have a better idea,” said Spike as he quietly crawled around the boulders “NO, Spike, Where are you going?” asked Sombra as he tried to stop him Spike crouched closer and quietly towards one of the 2 guards who had his back to him. “Man, I don’t get paid enough for this shit… well, at least I get to shoot a gun-MPHH!” he said as Spike jumped up, wrapped his arm around his neck and started to choke him “WHAT THE-?!” said the other guard as he turned around in time to see Spike break the other guard’s neck, grab his hunting knife and throw it at him, stabbing the other guard in the eye, killing him too. “There that was easy,” said Spike as he signaled for the other 2 “Spike, where… where did you learn to do that?” asked Cheese “Oh, I practice Krav Maga in my spare time… but don’t tell Rarity about it,” said Spike “Why? She doesn’t like it?” asked Cheese “She hates it when I get hurt,” said Spike as he gave Cheese and Sombra handguns “But-but, Krav Maga doesn't teach you how to kill,” said Sombra “Nah, I figured that out on my own… and with my dad’s training,” said Spike as he changed the magazine in his handgun “HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” screamed the leader as Spike, Cheese and Sombra looked up and noticed the remaining 18 men who were aiming at them. “Oh shit,” said Cheese “KILL THEM!!!” screamed the leader as they all opened fire. Spike and Cheese ducked for cover, but Sombra stood his ground as he fired back at them, hitting 2 of the men killing them. “OH YES! HOW I MISSED THIS!” Sombra said in a deranged voice as his magazine emptied “I take it, it ain’t your first rodeo,” said Cheese “Kid, I’ve been in the most extreme places you can imagine, and I’ve been married to a masochistic necromancer for almost 15 years, OF COURSE IT AIN’T!” said Sombra as he reloaded the gun and started shooting “So wait, who wears the pants in the relationship?” asked Spike “I do, She loves it when I get rough… wait, why am I telling you all this,” said Sombra as he stopped shooting and looked down at his 2 students “Adrenaline?” said Cheese “Hmph, I take it,” said Sombra as a bullet missed his head for mere millimeters, causing him to duck “BRING OUT THE TURRETS!” screamed the leader as 2 Miniguns popped out of the trucks at the back “Fuck me,” said Sombra as the 4 miniguns opened fire. MEANWHILE AT THE RESORT “I still don’t get it,” said Sunburst as he Starlight explained the situation all over again “Argh, for the last time, Fluttershy is madly in love with Spike too, but Rarity doesn’t wanna share, what part of that is hard to understand?” said Starlight “The reason why no one is trying to separate the 2 of them,” said Sunburst as a pillow smacked him square on the face “STAY OUT OF THIS!” Both Rarity and Fluttershy screamed as they continued their fight. A FEW MINUTES AGO “Talking about chats, should Spike, Cheese and Sombra be back by now?” said Pinkie “Right, I’m starting to grow concerned,” said Applejack “What if something happened to them?” said Rarity “Like what?” asked Twilight “Rockslide, volcanic eruption, sunstroke, disorientation, robbery, kidnapping, or worst, an allergic reaction to something,” Rarity said getting paranoid “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” said Rainbow Dash “Yeah, if there were a volcanic eruption, or an earthquake or a rockslide, or any natural disaster they would’ve told us about it,” said Twilight “If any of them were to suffer a medical emergency they would be air-evacuated to a nearby hospital and by then, we should’ve known,” said Sunset “Violent crimes? Please, there is no one dumb enough or desperate enough to try and attack Spike or Cheese or Sombra,” said Starlight Glimmer “Yeah, Rarity, you’re possessive girlfriend paranoia is getting to out of hand,” Fluttershy said sarcastically “HA! Shows what you care, I know my Spikey-Wikey so well, I know he is allergic to pollen,” said Rarity “HA! Please, Spike allergic to pollen, no, Spike is allergic to Willowflower sap, and is just as allergic to pollen as any idiot inhaling dust particles,” said Fluttershy with confidence “Oh really, well, if you know him so well, then tell me, what is his favorite snack?” asked Rarity defiantly “Sapphires, with some melee diamonds on top,” said Fluttershy with a confident smile “So predictable, that’s not even a snack, it’s almost like granola for him, his real favorite snack is extremely spicy nachos and some guacamole, which I must admit, is to die for,” said Rarity with a sly smile “He hates ASMR sounds,” said Fluttershy “He has a small fear of clowns,” said Rarity “Whenever he’s angry he cracks his knuckles,” Fluttershy shot back “Whenever he watches shark tank he thinks he is one of the members of the panel,” said Rarity “Who doesn’t?” said Rainbow Dash “ZIP IT!” they both screamed “Spike said my boobs are better,” said Fluttershy “He said I’m prettier,” said Rarity “Well, I-I- I know of his fetishes!” Fluttershy shot back in a desperate attempt to gain the upper ground, but it backfired “Well at least I’m not a stalker,” Rarity said “Really, then what are you?” asked Fluttershy “I’m his fiancee, unlike you,” said Rarity And with that the 2 girls began their “catfight” “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! THAT’S ENOUGH!” said Twilight as she used her magic to separate her 2 friends “When are the 2 of you going to grow up?” asked Sunset “Pardon?” said Rarity as she glared at her “Seriously, look at the both of you, you’re fighting a dumb fight,” said Pinkie “I’m just defending what’s mine, wouldn’t you do it?” asked Rarity “Spike isn’t your property,” said Rainbow Dash “Have you even asked him what he really feels about this whole situation?” asked Applejack “Of course I… Well… n-no, It’s just… I’ve talked with him so much, a-and every time I ask him about this he says he doesn't want one, so I take it to heart,” Rarity said “That doesn’t mean you have the right to decide over his life, maybe he changed his mind,” said Twilight “It’s just, ever since we were in Middle school I’ve…” Rarity started “Been in love with him, we know, but, Rares, the way you treated him, it puts Fluttershy in a better light,” said Vinyl “And, who knows, maybe Spike does have feelings for Fluttershy… what I mean is…” Twilight tried to say “Just let Fluttershy confess her feelings, let Spike decided and be happy about his decision,” Sunburst said “But, wouldn’t any of you be jealous of having another girl in your man’s life?” asked Rarity “I was jealous of Sunset, but, the arrangement we came up with is very enjoyable,” said Twilight “Plus, it’s not a good idea to be overly jealous, it’s normal for a man to have more than one wife or girlfriend, I mean, there are more of us than them,” said Sunset Rarity sighed in defeat “you make good points… I’ll-I’ll let him decide,” said Rarity “But are you going to be ok with it?” asked Fluttershy Rarity was about to answer when someone knocked on the door “Come in!” said Twilight “Hey girls, Rarity, just the person I was looking for,” said Flash as he walked into the room “Oh, what can I do for you Flash?” she asked “Spike forgot his phone, he left in my bag by mistake, so I wanted to put in his room, and I know you have the key,” said Flash "Oh, that's a first, but what makes you think I have his room key?" Said Rarity “The fact that I know that Cheese and Pinkie are gonna be in the same bedroom tonight, and I saw Spike give you the keys before he left,” said Flash “Fair enough,” said Rarity as she got up and accompanied Flash to Spike’s room “Do you think she’ll be ok?”asked Sunset “We’ll have to wait and see,” said Twilight Rarity and Flash walked down the hallway towards the last room on the floor “So, how are things going between you and Spike?” asked Flash “They’re great, I few hiccups here and there but nothing we can never iron out with a quick chat, what about you 3?” said Rarity “Good, Twilight and Sunset seem happy, but I can’t stop thinking that there’s something that they aren’t telling me,” said Flash “Like what?” asked Rarity “Well, I overheard them one day mentioning various names, I:m assuming they were making a list and…” Flash said “Baby name list, been there,” said Rarity “But, I haven’t had intercourse with either of them,” said Flash “You don’t have to, a girls in love will do that just cause, you should keep an eye on it,” said Rarity as she unlocked the door to Spike and Cheese’s room “Well, this will only take a second… Where is the night stand?” asked Flash as he turned on the light and froze at what he saw “Flash? What’s wrong?” asked Rarity as she walked into the room and saw him standing there, his eyes glued to the wall. Rarity turned and faced the same wall “What in the world?” she said BACK WITH THE ADVENTUROUS TRIO The miniguns kept showering bullets towards Spike, Cheese and Sombra, some bullets even flying through the jeeps burned out metal. “If we don’t do anything about those damn miniguns we won’t make it out alive!” said Sombra “But we can’t use our magic!” said Cheese “There has to be a Magic nullifier somewhere, but where?!” said Spike as more bullets flew around them “Doesn’t matter, right now we need to get rid of those guns!” said Sombra Spike leaned out of cover for a second and saw that one of the guards shooting at them next to a truck had grenades around his belt “Get ready to fire back!” said Spike “What are you going to do?” asked Cheese Spike then jumped out of cover firing one shot, which hit one of the grenades which exploded killing the guard instantly. However, what the guard did not realize was that he was standing next to the truck’s gas tank, causing it to ignite and explode, creating a chain reaction in the 3 trucks around it. The combined explosions of the trucks sent everyone flying. Sombra quickly got up and aimed his gun but saw that no one was getting up “You 2 kids ok?” asked Sombra “I’m good, Cheese?” asked Spike “Here,” said Cheese “Did anyone feel those shivers?” asked Sombra “Yeah,” said Cheese “The nullifier must’ve been blown up too,” said Sombra “DO you think any of them survived?” asked Cheese “Only one way to find out,” said Spike as he dropped the gun and summoned flames to his hands. “I like the way you think, kid,” said Sombra as he and Cheese followed. The 3 of them walked through the wreckage searching for survivors, but everywhere they looked, they were met with death. “Seems like no one made it,” said Cheese “Indeed… bummer,” said Sombra “Hey, look…” said Spike “What?” asked Sombra “The logo on their uniforms,” said Spike “Phantom Security?” said Cheese “The private security company?” asked Sombra “What are they doing all the way out here?” asked Spike Then they heard something move and turned “We’re about to find out,” said Sombra as he walked towards a pile of twisted metal, lifted it only to discover the leader of the group He was in bad shape, his body was badly burnt due to the explosion, and he was missing an arm and leg. “You better start talking… who sent you?” asked Sombra “That’s… classified… not even I know,” said the leader “Why would Phantom security come all the way here?” asked Cheese “Like… Like I said… following orders,” said the leader “Which were?” asked Spike “Classified,” said the leader “Listen pal, this guy’s a necromancer, he can keep torturing you even after you die, so, please cooperate and we’ll let you die in peace,” said Spike The leader looked at Sombra, who had an evil smile on his face “I-I don’t know who ordered the attack… they only said… head to this location… and deal with the competition,” said the leader “What made you think we’re the competition?” asked Sombra “Be-because of them… they are the targets,” said the leader pointing at Spike and Cheese “Targets? Targets for what?” asked Spike as they all turned back to look at the dead leader “Should I bring him back?” asked Sombra “No… we should get out of here,” said Spike “How, they destroyed our jeep,” said Sombra “They left theirs,” said Cheese “That’ll do, let me call Micro so that he can fix… where’s my phone?” said Spike as he checked everywhere for it “Didn’t you leave it in Flash’s bag?” asked Cheese “Shit, I forgot,” said Spike “Something wrong teach?” asked Cheese “Yeah… I know why they attack us,” said Sombra “Didn’t he just say we’re targets?” said Cheese “It’s them,” said Sombra pointing to an insignia on the jeep “The Templars?” said Spike “Yeah… we better get out fast, jump in,” said Sombra as he started the car and sped away. AT THE HOTEL “But still, it doesn’t make any sense, why would we be the targets?” asked Cheese “And who is trying to eliminate us?” asked Spike “Kids, I have as many questions as you, but right now we need to keep calm,” said Sombra “Keep calm, KEEP CALM, we were shot at today, in case you forgot, I don’t plan on dying before I’m 50,” said Cheese “If you get too worked up over it, you’ll make it worse,” said Sombra “Sigh, guess you’re right,” said Cheese “Anyway, Spike, did you identify the language of the message?” asked Sombra “Yeah, it was easy, it was in…” Spike said but stopped “What?’ asked Sombra Spike placed a finger over his mouth and pointed at the door to their room It was cracked open, but the lights were off The 3 of them looked at each other and prepared themselves to fight Spike placed himself against the door and motioned with his fingers “1…2…3” And with that Spike slammed the door open and walked inside followed by Cheese and Sombra. The room was indeed empty, but it was also clean, untouched, this confused them “So, how was the trip?” came a voice behind them as the lights turned on revealing, Rarity, Pinkie and the rest of the gang, even Chrysalis, Celestia, Luna and Discord were there, and they didn’t look happy “Uh,” said Sombra said “I must admit, it is quite the trip you planned,” said Rarity as she looked at the map that was on the night table. “It was… interesting,” said Cheese “Lovely, now, care to explain what these papers mean?” said Rarity “And more importantly, why are they incomplete?” asked Twilight “A Great evil is lurking, beware the wicked of heart, for they will fall victim to it, and become the vessel… Find the 6, for together they will guide you to the truth, if you feel lost, Allow for the spirit to guide your steps, trust it for the truth is under the light, look for the soul, and be set…for you have been chosen to stop the darkness…” read Flash as he grabbed Cheese’s phone, which Spike had mistaken for his. “So, your explanation?” said Rarity Spike, Cheese and Sombra looked at each other and sighed. 20 MINUTES LATER “... and so, now we’re trying to decipher all of this messages, and find out what they mean,” said Spike “And you expect us to believe that?” said Rarity “Unfortunately, it’s true, this is a chapter of my life I never thought I’ll return to, but… Spike, you tell them,” said Sombra “Tell us what?” asked Rarity getting angrier “When we were heading down the trail to come to the hotel, we were attacked by an arm group that claim to be mercenaries of Phantom Security,” said Spike This comment made the room go silent “After some quick thinking from Spike, we were able to defeat them and gain some information from the leader… turns out, we were the targets all along, we were dubbed “the competition”,” said Cheese “What’s worst, after checking a few things, I located this insignia… it belongs to the “knights templar,” said Sombra “THEY’RE BACK?!” Chrysalis exclaimed “I’m afraid so,” said Sombra “Wait, you believe this?” asked Celestia “When I met Sombra, all those years ago, he had been hunted down by these people, they even came to the hospital I was working at, and claimed to be his friends, however, their personality was rather off putting, so I told them that he had died from his injuries and that he had been taken to the coroners office… 2 hours later, that coroner’s office went up in flames, luckily it had been closed for renovations for a few day already, so no one got hurt, Sombra explained everything, and even told me he had had enough of it… what’s worst, a few days later, they came after me, they tried to kidnap me, but, Sombra stepped in and killed them, we left Scoltland, and moved back to the Changeling Empire, my kingdom and got married, but I never thought they’d return,” Chrysalis explained “So what do they want?” asked Applejack “Whatever is at the end of this message,” said Sombra “But why target you and not Sombra?” asked Fluttershy “Because of what happened on the final,” said Spike “We knew too much,” “Wait, the terrorist attack where I almost lost you?” said Rarity “Yeah, it’s connect, Cheese, came into contact with one of the pillars that day,” said Spike “What?!” said Pinkie “Yeah, no I can understand every language in the world, old and new,” said Cheese “What about you Spike?” asked Rarity “I came into contact with a pillar back in the 10th grade, when you guys shoved me down the mine shaft,” said Spike looking at Flash and the others “Yeah, sorry about that,” said Flash as he was glared at by Rarity “Well, it doesn’t matter, what matters now is, learning how to stop this fools from completing the puzzle,” said Celestia “True, and with all of us helping, it should be easy,” said Twilight “Yeah, the more the merrier,” said Rarity “NO!” Spike exclaimed “What?” said Rarity “I will not involve any of you,” said Spike “But-but Spike, I’m not going to let you fight alone,” said Rarity “IT’S OUT OF THE QUESTION, I DON'T WANT YOU INVOLVED!” said Spike This shocked Rarity, who looked at Spike for a second before running off “Rarity, I…” Spike tried to say, but he couldn’t form a sentence “Go after her,” said Sombra Spike didn’t even wait for a second comment, he darted out of the room in hot pursuit. AT THE BEACH Spike looked everywhere for Rarity, but couldn’t find her, until she noticed her in the distance, heading into the secluded part of the beach. He quickly made his way to her. “Rarity, wait!” Spike said as he caught up Rarity turned and looked insulted and teared up. "I thought you trusted me!" She roared at Spike who stopped dead in his tracks. "I do! It's just, I-I won’t put you in harm's way." Spike said "Why?" Rarity asked, wanting to know more of what Spike meant. "At first, I thought it was some weird game, or coincidence, but, after today, Rarity, these people are dangerous, they won’t stop until we are all dead, I-I don’t want you getting hurt because of me." Spike responded, hugging Rarity. Rarity rubbed the back of his neck soothingly and said, "I understand your worry, but, I’m a tough gal, maybe not as tough as Applejack, or Dash, or Sunset, but I can hold my own, trust me, plus, if I can keep up with you while working out, " Spike laughed with his head rested against Rarity's head and replied, "I guess you’re right, I shouldn’t be that paranoic about stuff" "No, it’s fine, to be honest, I… I was kind of paranoid about you taking too long, and Fluttershy’s crush on you, I even started an argument with the poor thing!" Rarity said as she thought it over. "Wait what?." Spike asked after hearing that “Although I am amazed that for once in her life she had the confidence to rival Rainbow Dash’s… and the strength to rival Applejack,” said Rarity as caressed her cheek “Ok, that is surprising,” said Spike “Spike, I need to tell you something… but I can’t do it here,” said Rarity “Oh, is it something important?” asked Spike “Well, you could say that,” said Rarity “Oh, any ideas where to go?” asked Spike "C'mon..." Rarity said as she took Spike’s hands and started jogging down the trail into the reserve. The young unicorn's eyes flashed hungrily as she took Spike by the hand, and all but dragged him off the path along which they'd been jogging. The summer morning sun was already rising up into the sky and warming the air around them, but dew still glistened on the grass beneath their feet as Rarity pulled Spike into a small grove of trees alongside their route. She looked around for just a few moments before guiding them behind the largest, broadest trunk present, and after leaning back against it with a toothy grin spread across her muzzle, reached down and without warning pulled down her bikini bottom to her knees. Spiker's eyes bulged. He thought she was pulling him off the path for a private talk, but as he watched the unicorn of his dreams sway her hips and wiggle her legs until her bikini bottom was pooled around her ankles and soon stepped out of entirely, it became abundantly clear that she intended for them to share quite substantially more than that. Pressing her full weight back against the tree, the young unicorn parted her thighs, and reached down to spread open her pussy lips and show off the glistening, flushed interior to Spike. "Fuck me." She purred loudly, shamelessly to the crimson-cheeked Dragon as she teased a single fingertip over her own clit, half to stimulate herself and half to help quicken the response of Spike's already tenting shorts. As stunned and overwhelmed as Spike might have been though, he wasn't about to turn down any opportunity to be with this gorgeous woman. He nodded eagerly, and by the time he shuffled forward to press himself against Rarity his own shorts and underwear were joining hers against the grassy, leaf strewn floor. Without any lingering hesitation Spike pressed into Rarity's hot pussy, and as he sank deep into her and pinned her body against the tree he felt her hands digging through the back of his t-shirt as her legs lifted themselves off the ground and wrapped tight around his waist as he made contact with something blocking his path. “I’m ready,” she said as Spike, with one powerful buck, ripped her hymen, ending her virginity. “OH GOD!” she screamed in ecstasy as she felt Spike’s dick touch her uterus. “Does… Does it hurt?” asked Spike in concern "Don't hold back." She said huskily in his ear as Spike's hips began to buck against Rarity's gorgeous body, steadily at first but soon picking up speed after her needy plea. "Oh, yes. Spike! O-ohh... God, that's it! Harder. Faster. Give me everything. Don't wait. Don't ever, ever hold anything back from me!" Spike shuddered as Rarity's words reached not just his mind but suffused his entire being with their passionate intensity. This had all started so swiftly that even though he'd been hard for less than a minute and inside Rarity for only half that time, his body was unprepared and unguarded for the intensity of the pleasure or indeed anything that Rarity was saying to him. For that reason alone he knew he wasn't going to last long, but that didn't stop him from giving the Unicorn everything she had asked for and more, pushing himself to the absolute limits as his hands wrapped around Rarity's bare ass and he pounded her feverishly against the single tree trunk that was all that kept them from being exposed to any other joggers or dog walkers or classmates who might have in that moment been wandering past. "Yes!" As quickly as Spike found himself rising to orgasm though, he couldn't deny his absolute joy and intense excitement when Rarity flung her head forward and pressed her muzzle into his neck before uttering a guttural shriek after less than two minutes of Spike driving in and out of her. He felt her pussy convulse with an intensity beyond any of its squeezing so far, and groaned in ecstasy as the rapid bucking of his body against hers suddenly grew noticeably louder and wetter alongside the irresistible sensation of a hot rush of fluids spraying out against the base of his cock. "Rares!" He growled to her longingly as his orgasm rose ever more rapidly at the feeling, at the sounds and the mere knowledge of the unicorn's own. "Kkh-hhahh... Spikey~..." Rarity slurred through her bliss, and that cry, that latest audible proof of her orgasmic euphoria was all it took to grant the unicorn precisely what she was trying to plead for. Spike shuddered, barely held back an outright roar of ecstasy, and grunted repeatedly in rapture as with Rarity still writhing against him, embracing him tightly and milking his cock with her own orgasm wracked pussy, he unloaded his seed deep inside her. “That-That was amazing,” said Spike “In-indeed it was darling,” said Rarity “Do… Do you want to get something to eat?” asked Spike “Sure…I’m craving some dragon meat,” said Rarity as she dropped to her knees and began to suck Spike’s dick “Mph, delicious,” she said as she kept on sucking “R-Rarity, that feels… good,” said Spike “I’m glad you like it,” Rarity said as she felt Spike’s dick get tense again “It’s ok, babe, let it out,” she said as she continued to pleasure Spike’s meat rod “NGH!” Spike said as he felt his the pleasure rising through his body After a few more slurps and sucks, Rarity felt Spike’s dick reaching it’s limit and before she knew it, Spike emptied his balls into her. The cheer amount of cum, added to how big Spike’s dick was, almost made Rarity choke, but she persevered and swallowed all of it. “Mmh, delicious indeed,” said Rarity as she swallowed the reminder of Spike’s cum “Oh, how rude of me, are you hungry baby?” she asked “Sorry,” said Spike “There’s nothing to apologize for, let’s take a break,” said Rarity MINUTES LATER, AT THE BEACH With the smell of sausages and burgers cooking on the grill nearby and the gentle buzz of chatter between two dozen figures from the hotel and neighbourhood filling the air, Spike felt a hand slip into his and guide him away from the group of five he'd been chatting with and listening to for the last five minutes or so. He smiled curiously at Rarity as she led him across the beach towards a small path round the maintenance hut, tucked away out of view of the beach and with a wooden gate separating it from the suburban neighbourhoods beyond. As soon as he saw the look on her face though, that by now much more familiar expression from earlier, Spike swallowed thickly. "H-here?" He croaked. The unicorn just smiled and squeezed his hand tighter as she answered with a simple, seductive whisper. "Here." A minute later Rarity and Spike had ditched their beach attire and were completely exposed to the world, their bodies stretched across the breadth of that thin corridor between the house's exterior and the tall fence separating this part of the beach from the entrance to the reserve. The unicorn bent over forwards with hands upon the house as Spike's own hands grasped her hips, and with the dragon male resting with his back against the fence he fucked her with a haste and intensity that outmatched even the normal speed with which they had shared earlier that afternoon. There were people so close by they could hear snippets of the conversations being held in the reserve. Bursts of laughter and even the crackle of the barbecue. But, that didn't stop them. It couldn't. Rarity pressed a hand over her own muzzle as the nails of her free hand raked down the wall, and juices began to drip down her legs as she came with a desperate gurgle. Spike's eyes bulged, and a thick pop rang out around the enclosed corridor in which they stood as quite without meaning to, simply not thinking as he pounded \Rarity through her climax and towards his own, he very nearly ended up knotting himself within the unicorn during this frenzied quickie. With a strained cry he could only pray it went unheard or at the very least uninvestigated by the rest of the people. He let loose thick ribbons of cum within Rarity's clutching inner workings, not stopping to even take a breath, Spike continued to hump Rarity. The pleasure she felt through cumming, being cummed in, and being humped through both, proved to be too much for her to handle, as her moans grew louder and louder. “Shht, Rarity, their gonna hear you,” Spike whispered “I-I can’t he-help it, It feels s-so good-MPH!” Rarity said as Spike kissed her, moving his hands from her hips all the way to her ample breasts, caressing them, pinching and tugging at her nipples. “Mph, yes, just like that… Spikey… please, use my other hole too!” Rarity pleaded “Other hole? You mean?” asked Spike “Yes… please take me there too… make it yours,” she said as Spike pulled his dick out of her pussy followed by a cascade of cum “Are-are you sure?” asked Spike as he pressed the tip of his cock against her anus “Yes, I-I want it!” she said “Tell me if it hurts ok,” Spike said as he began to insert his cok into her ass The feeling of her pucker being stretched, and Spike’s dick entering her, shot waves of pleasure into Rarity’s body, so much so, that Spike hadn’t even gone all the way when Rarity orgasmed “I take it you like it,” Spike teased “I love it!” Rarity moaned as Spike started to buck in and out of her “Your so tight Rares,” said Spike as he continued to buck faster and harder into her ass “OH WOW!” Spike moaned as he emptied his balls into Rarity’s ass. Rarity’s eyes rolling to the back of her head as she felt the hot cum feel her bowels “Wonderful,” Rarity said weakly HOURS LATER The vast majority of the beachgoers began deserting the beach as afternoon turned into night, except for two sodden, swimwear clad figures lingered hand in hand near the far end of the beach. Spike smiled as a gentle breeze ran through his body, as he embraced Rarity lovingly. Though it didn't seem possible the beach went from crowded to empty in the blink of an eye, practically ending the roaring around them as the breeze became colder, but Spike made no move to try and urge them off the beach and to the shelter of the hotel. From the moment Rarity had taken his hand, he knew they weren't going anywhere. His cock was already hard within his beach shorts, and after thirty seconds had passed without a single sign of anyone else visible around them, he turned and embraced the unicorn before she even had to say a single word to him. They fell to their sodden beach towel already kissing deeply, and by the time they tumbled down with Spike upon his back, both of the pair had already been stripped of their limited clothing by trembling, eagerly wandering hands. With another quick gust of wind making their bodies desperate for warmth, Rarity straddled Spike and neighed shameless, unrestrained longing as she sank down onto his rock hard cock. She fell upon him right to the hilt, and leaned forward just long enough to moan hungrily to the Dragon before pulling herself upright again, and beginning to rock and grind herself upon him with relentless fury. "Take me." In awe, in ecstasy, in sheer wonder at the Unicorn's confidence and passion and quite frankly at everything about her, Spike had no wish to do anything but precisely as she asked. With her hands reaching down and his up, their fingers laced together, paws resting palm to palm as amidst the booming waves and wind , Rarity rode her lover with relentless enthusiasm and loud cries to rival the waves themselves. Cascading droplets of sweat tumbled from her bouncing breasts. Her sodden buttocks slapped loudly against Spike's thighs with every impact. Every gust of wind made the pair tense for just a fraction of a second amidst their actions, cock straining, pussy clutching instinctively and driving them both to more frantic, uninhibited cries. Nothing else however, not their surroundings, not her wild screams or even the pleasure of their bodies locked tight together as Spike's knot swelled within Rarity to bind them as one, came close to matching the raw beauty of Rarity's face illuminated by the setting sun. Never in his life had Spike been so absolutely captivated by a face as he was in that moment, staring up in awe as Rarity shrieked and moaned in imminent pre-orgasmic delight; fur soaked, muzzle wide open, eyes bulging with the obvious intensity of her pleasure and joy. He was so lucky to have a friend, a lover, a fiance, like Rarity. But, more than that... he was so lucky to be able to share experiences with her like this. To know that rain or shine, day or night, all it took to make her happy; to drive Rarity so, so wonderfully wild with passion and glee was the two of them hanging out together, and an open sky above their heads. "O-oh, God. Rares!" Spike growled as his cock throbbed, as the unicorn's pussy squeezed and milked his knot while she continued to bounce upon him, keeping their interlocked bodies in deliciously close proximity all the while the setting, orange sun lit up the sky and the waves boomed almost in tandem with it, evening directly overhead. Still though, the unicorn's scream was louder. Our Matching the waves, our matching all of nature in not just its fury, but its glory as Rarity continued to writhe and ride Spike hard while a torrent of hotter liquids joined the cool, pounding sweat soaking the dragon through from head to toe, and in perfect unison he shuddered, snarled, and flooded her with the first thick ribbons of his own climax. "SPIKE! Yes, Keh-hahhahhhyessss! Just like that! I-in me! Yes! I'm... fuck! Fuck! I'm cumming!" Rarity moaned one last time as she fell next to her lover. Tired “I-I take it, your satisfied,” said Spike “Yes, darling, you were wonderful,” said Rarity as she embraced him “I’m glad I can make you happy,” said Spike “You already did more than that… you let me into your life, even after all I did to you, you saved me Spikey, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Rarity said as she kissed him “It was nothing… despite being mean, you did help me when you could,” said Spike “But, it was all a show,” said Rarity “Even so, your generosity was genuine, you could’ve requested anything in return but, you didn’t,” said Spike “Thank you… for everything,” said Rarity “Your love, is thanks enough,” he said as the 2 lovers looked into the sunset “So, Spikey, what are you going to do about the current situation?” asked Rarity “The Pillars, or the fact we might have kids soon?” asked Spike “The pillars, although the kids idea is not bad either,” said Rarity “I’ll see it through, no matter what,” said Spike “Then… I’ll be there with you, always,” said Rarity as they kissed.