//------------------------------//
// A Confrontation 
// Story: A Bridge Between Brothers 
// by Rammy 
//------------------------------//


ബഐബഐബഐ Spike ബഐബഐബഐ


I groaned as I groggily awoke. I looked around to see that I was in Zecora's hut. I was not expecting to be here as the last thing I remember was the ever brightening light surrounding me in H.K.'s cave. As excepted I could see thatZecora was here along with Twilight. If any of the other girls where here I couldn't tell. I watched a moment as Zecora calmly balancing one hoof on her pole while Twilight paced. That was not good. Twilight and pacing was never good. "What happened?" 

"Twi... can't... brreeathe!" I wheezed out when Twilight rushed me and hugged me a bit too tightly.

"Sorry Spike..." Twilight blushed as she let me go. "When you were enveloped in that mana surge along with H.K. ... I... I..."

"Twi, relax I'm fine..." I cooed as I wiped away Twilight's tears. Unfornatlly I knew that it was not really going to help as I needed to ask a tough question. "Twi... I need to know... H.K. is... Twi... I saw his eyes glass over... just like... Twi... is he dead?"

"No, he is not dead... that gem somehow revived him and..."

I started bawling once Twilight said H.K. was alive. I had no idea know why I was crying so hard. I still don't know for sure if Discord was saying the truth that H.K. was truly my brother or not... but I had to know... What really became of my family... why I was left with Twilight... H.K. was the only one the would know those answers... And I thought I had lost him only to find that I would have if it wasn't for the gem necklace that was still clutched in my hand. It was just overwhelming.

My wild emotions was interrupted by a knock on Zecora's door. I looked out a window to see that it was nighttime. Who would brave the Everfree at night? I looked over to see that Zecora was holding her staff in an aggressive manner while Twilight was sweating nervously. "Twilight? Zecora?"

"Normally I would say do not fear, but the Sun Princess is here..."

"What is she doing here?" I growled in anger.

"She is here for me..." Twilight whispered out, sobbing a bit. "To... banish me from Equestria... At least, I hope..."

"What!?" I exclaimed in shock. I don't see Oathbreaker doing that considering that she has allowed Garble and I to remain in Equestria even though I want to and will kill her and Garble tried once already. "Oathbreaker wouldn't banish you for using a wing spell..."

"It's not a wing spell, Spike... I... I used soul magic!"

"What do you mean?" That made no sense. Twilight knew not only how dangerous soul magic was but the legal consequences of using it. She would diffidently not do anything to displease Oathbreaker, it just wasn't in her character... yet.

"It was a spell that H.K. said would help me help you! I...I... I had no idea it was soul magic until it was too late!" I was floored. Why would H.K. have Twilight cast a soul spell?! Surely he knew how dangerous that class of spells were! No wonder Twilight thought she had killed him. "I hope that by throwing myself at Princess Oathbreaker's mercy that I... that I..." 

I clenched my claws in anger I was not going to let Oathbreaker take Twilight away. Twilight had friends here and ever since she moved to Ponyville had finally began to get out of the library every once and a while and have fun... have a life.

I stepped between Twilight and Oathbreaker as she entered Zecora's hut. I was a bit taken back when she entered alone. I was expecting a few guards at least. Not that she would need them. I hate to say this but Twilight was a bit of a pushover in a fight and loved Oathbreaker too much to do anything against her and even if she did Oathbreaker was quite powerful. 

Oathbreaker flinched when she looked past me and saw Twilight's wings. For just a split second I could see outright terror in her eyes before her usual calm mask returned. That got my attention. Why would Oathbreaker be in terror over Twilight and could this mean even more trouble? Whatever the reason I was not going to let Oathbreaker do anything to Twilight and I was going to make sure she knew that.

"You leave Twilight the buck alone Oathbre... ack....ow, ow, ow..."

"I can forgive you for your dragon instinct that makes you hate Princess 'Oathbreaker,'" Twilight hissed at me as she twisted my ear fin, "but I will not have you use that language!" 

"Sorry, Twi..." I whined an apology out, hoping that she would let go of my ear fin, which she thankfully did. 

"Twilight is not in trouble." Oathbreaker spoke up softly, strangely looking at me and not at Twilight. Why is she looking at me? Don't convince me, convince her. 

"But I... soul magic..." Twilight spurted out completely confused. She wasn't the only one, as I too was confused. I was sure that she was going to be in trouble, and that I was going to get my chance to kill Oathbreaker with the least amount of hurt on Twilight's part.

"What was the spell's wording?"

"I... 'From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled'..." Twilight fell silent after that, much to my confusion. That's it? I'm pretty sure that spells are suppose to rhyme.

When I looked over at Oathbreaker she once again appeared... troubled. "The spell you cast was a version of H.K.'s ascension spell."

"Ascension spell?" Twilight questioned, thoughtfully. Oh no, I know that look and the way she asked... manic Twilight warning... Pony your crazy stations! "What is that? I have never heard of that type of spell. I suppose that's possible given that that's soul magic and the extreme restrictions to even study anything on soul magic... I..."

Oathbreaker raised a hoof and Twilight almost immediately stop blabbering. I was not going ever admit it but I was thankful to Oathbreaker's ability to stop Twilight's mania so easily. "Ascension spells transforms a pony, no matter the tribe into an alicorn down to the very soul. The spell, like all soul spells, are very difficult to create as each ascension spell must be created individually using the spell creators soul as a template. It is also the only soul spell that is legal to cast." 

"But I studied the laws on all classes of magic as part of one of my thesis. There is no law that allows its usage... including accidental use!"

"It's an ancient alicorn law, far older then Equestria... Created to prevent... problems when an alicorn took a non alicorn wife or husband..."  

Twilight went immediately red at that. I snorted before bursting into laughter. H.K. and Twilight?! Husband and wife? No, not in a million years... Though I could use this information to blackmail Twilight out of doing work... or to stun her out of one of her manic episodes.

"But he said that Starswirl had first tried using that spell..." I didn't think Twilight could get any redder but somehow she did. I was a bit taken back, H.K. didn't seem to be the type to be a colt fodder though what do I know about that? He was always quite evasive about everything, especially about himself. I got more 'information,' if you could call it that, from Discord.

"No H.K. was not that type... he doesn't even like ponies... Starswirl was..." Oathbreaker sighed sadly, "He was Luna and I's consort."

"What?!" Both Twilight and I shouted in disbelief. Twilight knew everything and I mean everything about him and being her assistant I in turn I knew everything about Starswirl the Bearded. There was zero records that even hinted at that possibility.

"Starswirl was a private stallion and scholar by nature and didn't like the idea of being in public for being consort to two 'goddesses.' His role as a trusted adviser to us was a way for him to be close to us without ponies suspecting a thing..." Oathbreaker choked out, tears falling down her muzzle.

I rolled my eyes at the display. She dared to cry over losing her consort. What of my family that she stole from me? What of them? "Leave." I growled out. I had reached my limit with Oathbreaker and with Twilight being safe from being in trouble I didn't want to see her any longer less I reach my breaking point and kill her now.

"Spike, I..."

"I don't want to hear your honey coated turds." I snapped breathing a bit of my flame to make sure Oathbreaker knew I meant business. "Just get out before I say screw to Twilight's feelings and kill you right here and right now."

Luckily for Oathbreaker she nodded her understanding and quickly left. With her gone I could get back to the topic of what happened to H.K. which had taken a back seat when Oathbreaker showed up.

"Where is H.K. Twilight?"

Twilight blinked and looked at me in confusion before what I had asked clicked. "I don't know."

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at her. I doubted that, especially after hiding his survival from me. She had to know at least something. "Twilight..."

"I don't know Spike! He left and didn't say where he was going!"

"Why didn't you stop him!?"

"How, Spike!? How? I saw how powerful he was even when he was deathly ill... and now that he is healed..." Twilight shuddered violently. "All I got from he was that he was leaving Equestria then he took off so fast that he created a rainboom. Spike, a rainboom! That was hours ago Spike. He is most likely well beyond teleportation range and if he truly left Equestria we need to be prepared, which we are not! Who knows how desolate the lands are to the south of Equestria are, assuming he kept going in that direction!"

That coward! Every time he runs away!