//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 Mimi vs. Spike // Story: Spike meets Mimikyu // by Zephyr Spark //------------------------------//             Mewtwo’s attack sent Spike and Mimi flying across Ponyville. Twilight watched in horror as her friend soared over the rooftops. Before she could rush to intercept him, Mewtwo waved his hands forming a barrier between them and Spike. Garble took fifty dragons and his sword and shield beast to finish them off. Twilight grimaced. She tried to teleport, but she could not move past the psychic wall. She turned to face Mewtwo with her friends.             “Let’s beat him as quickly as possible and go help Spike,” she shouted. Her friends nodded in agreement.             “For your sake,” Mewtwo’s eyes flashed blue, “do not hold back.”             Blaze and Rainbow Dash raced into the sky and circled Mewtwo with blinding speed. Pyro and Boney unleashed twin flamethrower jets directly at Mewtwo, engulfing him in flames. Blaze and Dash intensified the flames into a hurricane, creating a funnel of blistering heat that could felt for miles.             The column split in half, where Mewtwo had been, and the hurricane ceased with a single wave of Mewtwo’s hand. Rainbow Dash and Blaze lost their momentum and made a hasty glide out of the way. White flecks like snow fell on Mewtwo as Buttercup pelted him with sleep powder. To double the effect, Sleepster waved his pendulum in a hypnotic trance. Mewtwo used safeguard, and their attacks became useless.             Gem-eye launched a blobby sphere of unworldly energy at Mewtwo. He shifted his head to the left and the sphere flew over his right shoulder. Brawn ripped a slab of earth from the ground and chucked it at Mewtwo. He caught the earth in a psychic field and sent it right back. Brawn tried to catch the rubble, but was flung back at least fifty feet. Twilight and Starlight launched twin beams of light and Wiz unleashed a psychic blast that exploded on contact. Mewtwo blinked through the smoke explosion. Claws raked his back, pulsating with dark energy. He backhanded where he had been struck, only to find thin air. The claws raked his side then vanished into the smoke. Mewtwo created an orb of concentrated physical force between his hands. When Foxy struck again, Mewtwo hurled the aura sphere into Foxy’s face, knocking out the trickster.             Then, water struck him with the force of fifty canons. Karp’s hydro pump sent Mewtwo spiraling through the air. He lost his balance and fell to the ground, where they all leapt at him. Boney hammered him with shadow bones, Pyro struck at blinding speeds, Gem-eye slashed with claws bursting with purple flames, Buttercup launched blades of razor wind, Brawn peppered his stomach with fierce punches, and Blaze swooped down to strike aerial aces. Twilight and Starlight launched magical attacks, while Rainbow Dash unleashed bolts of lightning from rainclouds.             Mewtwo extended his hands over his head and pushed them all away with a single psychic shove. Only then did he hear the sound of Karp’s hyper beam and see the white laser speeding towards him. He took the full brunt of the destructive beam.             The mares covered their eyes as the mighty blast sent dust soaring into the sky. When the beam stopped, Mewtwo was on one knee. Dirt, scrapes, and purple flames covered his body.             “Oh yeah,” Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof into the air, “How’d you like that?”             Mewtwo closed his eyes and regenerated his damaged cells. His injuries faded and he rose to his feet. Rainbow Dash lost her smirk.             “Oh come on!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.             “This is bad,” Twilight said with wide eyes. “He’s not even trying.”             Mewtwo formed a barrier around himself, weakening any physical attacks. He teleported and reappeared behind Brawn. The muscle house turned as Mewtwo’s eyes flashed blue, sending Brawn into the sky with a telekinetic attack. Boney swept his club in a shadow arc but Mewtwo shifted to the side and the attack struck the ground. Pyro charged Mewtwo’s back, brimming with fire. Mewtwo hopped over Pyro, letting his momentum carry him forward into Boney. The two collided, and Mewtwo used psychic to send them both into a building. Gem-eye charged with claws drenched in shadow, but Mewtwo raised a hand and took the move from Gem-eye. He slashed with shadow claw, causing Gem-eye to flinch. Mewtwo activated miracle eye to hit the dark ghost and knocked the dazed Gem-eye away with a flick of his tail.             Twilight and Starlight grabbed Mewtwo in their magical aura. He tried to move but they held him tight. Rainbow Dash raced into the sky and descended, preparing for the biggest sonic rainboom in her life. The rainbow trail formed around the tip of her wings. Mewtwo guessed the attack would hit with a force almost equal to a hyper beam. He had no intention of finding out the hard way. Mewtwo flashed a single eye white, disabling the sonic rainboom. The sound barrier launched Rainbow Dash into the sky, refusing to yield. He seized the earth beneath Starlight and Twilight, toppled them to the ground and buried them in a mound of rubble. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the CMC worked furiously to dig them out. The spell broken, he raised a hand, psychically grabbed the three flying combatants, and slammed them into the ground. Mounds of dust and earth erupted where they fell. As Sleepster and Wiz launched twin psychic attacks, Mewtwo spun around with a right backhand knocking their attacks into a building that burst from the energy. His left hand darted out and sent them both hurtling into windows, shattering the glass. A lasso wrapped tight around his arms, as Applejack yanked the rope tight and tugged. Mewtwo spun in a circle, taking the mare off the ground as she clenched tight to the lasso. He moved closer to a building and slammed her into the bricks. He stopped spinning and psychically unraveled the rope into microscopic strands that fell limp to the ground.             Twin jets of flame scoured his back as Pyro and Boney combined their flamethrowers. He launched an aura sphere but Boney jumped in front of Pyro and sponged the blow. Foxy and Gem-eye rushed him with blazing black claws. Mewtwo twisted out of the way of Gem-eye’s horizontal slash and leaned back to dodge Foxy’s sweeping claws. Mewtwo identified them both with miracle eye as he dodged between their attacks. Foxy alternated between his claws and his sharp teeth, but Mewtwo simply pushed his jaws out of range and manipulated Foxy’s perception, thus he altered the trajectory of his claws by a slight degree, causing every night slash to miss the target. Mewtwo’s eyes flashed blue, predicting a future attack. Gem-eye summersaulted into the air and lunged with a powerful jab but Mewtwo slid to the side, and launched Gem-eye with a concentrated blast of psychic energy.             Boney surprised Mewtwo with a shadow bone but only managed to graze his side. The blow still stung, and Mewtwo winced, giving Foxy the chance to unleash a string of night slashes. Then, the future sight slammed into them and the Pokémon flew away from Mewtwo into buildings, and crumpled to the ground. Pyro assaulted Mewtwo with a blindingly fast extreme speed, but the barrier nullified most of the damage. Pyro’s nose took a deep waft of Mewtwo’s scent and identified him. Before he could sink in his lightning-infused teeth, Mewtwo raised a hand and stole the move. His thunder fang sent electric jolts through Pyro’s bones. The orange dog refused to wail in pain. He opened his mouth and sunk his thunder fang into Mewtwo’s neck. He sunk his claws into Mewtwo, refusing to let the Pokémon escape as he dug his teeth deeper into Mewtwo’s throat.             Mewtwo teleported out of the death grip and reappeared behind Pyro. A psychic blast sent Pyro spinning over the horizon. Mewtwo turned to spot Karp preparing a hyper beam. He raised a hand and stole the move. A massive laser erupted from his hands, burying Karp in a trail of screaming white light. When the light faded, Karp’s body lay steaming on the ground. His giant eyes struggled to stay open. Mewtwo’s body regained its energy from the blast.             He took a deep breath and glanced into the sky. The dragons Garble left behind had yet to lift a claw. Most of them stood back in awe or sheer terror. Mewtwo wanted nothing more than to wipe the minds of the dragons holding his fellow Pokémon, but with the Bloodstone Scepter, Garble had control over their minds now. He could manipulate them like puppets, even if Mewtwo knocked them all out. He cursed his foolishness for listening to Garble. True, Garble’s fears were not unfounded, but he placed his dragons above all else. Mewtwo supposed he was guilty of doing the same thing with his fellow Pokémon.             A healing aura spread across their battlefield. Mewtwo saw the Chansey named Nurse Heart bringing back her teammates with heal pulse. One by one they rose to face him. Pokémon that he sent flying across the battlefield dragged themselves back to continue the fight. The ponies rose to face him once again. Karp lifted himself back up, even as his body steamed from the hyper beam. Nurse Heart revitalized them all within five minutes. Mewtwo flashed his eyes blue and raised his hand, unleashing a powerful psystrike on Chansey. Foxy raced to intercept the blow, but too late. The blow decimated Chansey in an instant. Nurse Heart fell to her back, unconscious. Nurse Red Heart dragged her companion away from the fight and pulled out her medical tools.             Twilight’s face twisted into a deep scowl. Mewtwo defeated their healer in a single strike. This was going to be their last chance. She realized. They had to keep Mewtwo from reaching Spike and Mimi for as long as possible. No way could they defeat this fighting machine on their own, but perhaps they could outsmart Garble. Maybe, they could find a way to separate Garble from the bloodstone scepter, then Garble couldn’t threaten those Pokémon. No, she realized they would never last long enough against him. The dragons gathered the hostage Pokémon and flew outside of town beyond the barrier. Now, she could not free them on her own.             “Do not bow Twilight; you must stay strong,” a familiar voice sounded from behind her. Zecora emerged from an alleyway accompanied by a zebra-like Pokémon with a lightning mane, a brown shrew-faced Pokémon with sharp brown quills lining its back and long white claws, and a white furred Pokémon with a black face, red eyes, and a scythe-like blade on its head. Then, Spitfire and a team of Wonderbolts soared into the sky with a crimson fiery bird Pokémon and an eagle-like Pokémon. They marched out to join Twilight’s ranks, “For help has come along.”             “Zecora? Where’d you find these Pokémon?” Twilight asked.             “Princess Ember and I have been on a quest. Searching for Pokémon that would serve us best.”             “Princess Ember? I thought she was in the hospital?”             “She left, Nurse Redheart sent her to me for help to get back the scepter of bloodstone,” she explained, “when we learned of your war, we built a team of our own.”             “Please tell me Princess Ember is rushing in to help Spike with an army,” Starlight asked hopefully, “or that she’s going to free those hostage Pokémon.”             “For now, she must stay out of sight. Until, she can reclaim her birthright.”             “You mean the Bloodstone Scepter,” Rarity said, “tell me you have a plan.”             Zecora whispered into Twilight’s ear. The alicorn’s eyes widened and she nodded. She jogged to the front line. Wiz used helping hand to strengthen all of his allies. Foxy shapeshifted into Sandslash. Brawn flexed his biceps, tightening and relaxing his muscles. Zecora wiped some dirt from her mane. Getting inside the barrier certainly had not been easy, but Sandslash managed to dig a tunnel straight into the center of the fight. Some of the Wonderbolts had phobia of tunnels but they managed.             Karp lashed his tail, creating a hurricane with Mewtwo at the center. The Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash, and bird Pokémon began circling the hurricane, increasing its rapid, biting gales. Pyro and Boney once again filled the hurricane with their fire, creating a flaming vortex. The zebra Pokémon unleashed a steady bolt of electricity into the hurricane, adding thunder to the windy mix. Buttercup spread his poisonous scales into the vortex, sprinkling bits of poison into the insanity. Sleepster and Wiz used future sight to pelt Mewtwo with delayed bursts of energy. Gem-eye added diamond-shaped rays of light into the hurricane and Absol whipped up razor winds. The winds were too fast and vicious for Mewtwo to dispel in a single move. He could not focus on teleportation as the hurricane kept him in place. For the first time he could remember, he hoped he would lose. Even as he gathered enough psychic energy to disrupt the hurricane, he hoped they could outsmart him somehow before he had the chance to mega-evolve.             Eighteen Pokémon fought Mewtwo alongside the greatest heroes of Equestria. Each of them, prepared to give their life for the battle. But one Pokémon snuck away from the battlefield, through Sandslash’s tunnel. He would not see the outcome of this fight.             Spike could hardly believe his luck. Against all reason and scientific chance, he and Mimi landed in a cart of hay that softened their fall. Before they could celebrate, Spike saw Garble racing towards them with his steel Pokémon and dragons littering the sky.             “Mimi,” Spike’s voice warmed the pale ghost despite their predicament. “You know I love you, right?”             Mimi nodded. The dragons came closer.             “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you?” Spike clutched Mimi in his claws.             Mimi nodded, and the dragons were now a few blocks away.             “You trust me?” Spike’s hands drifted down.             Mimi nodded. Spike lipped his lips, nervously. In one motion, he gripped the edges of her costume, closed his eyes tight, and yanked off her tarp. Any screams from the dragon went silent as a sound like hurricane burst from Mimi. Through his closed eyes, he could see splotches of dark purple and swirling wisps of scarlet. A billion screams from a trillion life forms drummed his ears as tiny dagger-like claws pierced his scaly hide. He gasped, his breath gone, his scales shriveled. It all stopped. He tried to call to Mimi, but could not hear his own voice. Familiar claws shook him. He opened his eyes. The fifty dragons fell to the ground. On their immobile bodies, purple and black fire hissed like angry screams. Mimi readjusted her costume with her ribbon claws. Spike swallowed. His palms felt clammy and sweaty.             Mimi chirped like a bird, as though she had not lifted a finger. Spike let her go and rolled out of the cart. Familiar heartburn returned to his chest and his head felt dizzy. The first signs of the fairy flu. Not at their lethal point yet, Spike thought, but I better take some medicine. He reached for his backpack but could not find the green parchment strapped to his back. It must have fallen when they were sent flying. He cursed.             Mimi mewled an urgent warning. Spike glanced around, trying to spot the danger, when it hit him. The moment he realized Garble was not among the unconscious dragons was the moment Garble’s fist slammed into the side of his head. Spike stumbled to the ground, his vision blurred.             Mimi raced towards Garble, flashing her claws with purple fire. But Knight blocked her path. Garble had a foot planted firmly on Spike’s back, preventing the drake from rising. Mimi howled and launched herself at the shield Pokémon. His shield body flashed, Mimi’s claws bounced harmlessly off Knight, creating a loud resonance that jolted her ears. Her strength failed, and she felt weaker. Knight’s hilt gleamed with silver light and tackled Mimi. Her onion head bent to the ground and she slid back a few feet before regaining her balance. Knight vanished. She searched for him, but saw nothing. Then she saw the shadow extending on the ground, circling behind her. Mimi split into four copies. Knight resurfaced but hit a dummy. Mimi slashed with violet flames, but Knight used king’s shield and deflected her blow, weakening her even further.             Mimi leapt backwards, darting away from a second iron head. She took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford another hasty move, not when Spike needed her. Mimi sharpened her claws, boosting her strength until she reached her maximum. All the while, Knight shed his weight, becoming much faster. He would have less trouble catching her now. Mimi circled him warily.             Spike had enough sitting around. As Garble focused on the fight, he stretched out his hand, reaching for a brick the size of his fist. He wiggled the brick into his claws. Spike quietly brought it back into range and placed his open hand onto the ground. Spike twisted at his waist, slamming the end of the brick into Garble’s shin, once, twice. As Garble howled in pain, Spike slid from under his foot and crawled away. Both Knight and Mimi turned at Garble’s scream. Mimi’s shoulders relaxed to see her partner unharmed. Knight took this opportunity to set up a sword dance and iron defense before headsmashing into Mimi. The poor Pokémon went flying across the ground, her eyes spinning as the blow sent her spinning.             She skidded across the grass and rubble, unable to stop her momentum. Spike gathered one last burst of speed, jumped into Mimi’s path, and caught her. Painful spasms shot across his arms and chest, burning his muscles as he touched Mimi’s tarp. He grit his teeth to suppress his screams and dropped her. Brown speckled patches marred his scales where they touched. Mimi gazed at his fresh injuries, wondering how he received them. They were both on the last of their strength. Mimi withstood Knight’s tackle so Spike wouldn’t worry, but now she felt so much pain she could cry. And she couldn’t give relieve any of Spike’s pain when she had too much pain of her own.             “You,” Garble fumed at Spike as he limped on his injured leg. Knight joined his side and matched his pace. “You would sacrifice two worlds, just to keep that thing that could kill us?”             Spike did not have the strength to speak. In his vision, he could see three Garbles pointing their accusatory claws at him. No matter how much he blinked, the world would not steady. Heartburn wracked his chest. Every breath felt heavy, achieved by lifting a skyscraper.             “You’d let that dragon-killer stay with the ponies? You’d willingly give them the key to our demise?”             Mimi tensed at Garble's words. She glanced to Spike, wondering why Garble called her a dragon-killer. Her heart almost broke. Heavy bags formed beneath his bloodshot eyes. His legs buckled beneath his own weight. He looked dried up, scales brown and wrinkled. Why is he like that, Mimi wondered, when did he get hurt. She glared at Garble and hissed, warning him. He brandished a steel dagger from his armor, causing Mimi to flinch.             “That makes you both a fool and a traitor. Look at you; she’s killing you right now. She’s killing the world. Every second we delay puts us all on the brink of destruction. Just give up. You know that’s the only way to protect dragons.”             Spike trudged forward. Each laborious step grinded his bones. But he placed himself between Mimi and Garble. He lifted his eyes to meet Garble’s. He showed no signs of backing down. Garble shook his head.             “I’m disappointed in you, Spike.” He pointed the scepter at Spike, “I wasn’t asking.”             Spike went stiff. His body turned of its own accord. He walked towards Mimi with a heavy brick. She shifted uncertainly. Spike groaned, his brain fought against every action of his muscles, but nothing stopped. The brick rose to cave in Mimi’s head. She no longer had the strength to move. Tears raced down Spike’s face. Garble forced his eyes open to watch his partner’s demise. Spike screamed. The brick came down.             Spike stood, a shattered brick clenched in his hand. It broke clean in half at the point of impact. Now, the shattered fragment rested on the ground beside Mimi. The brick swung in a lethal arc, but slammed directly onto the ground inches from Mimi. She was unharmed.             “Impossible,” Garble stuttered, “I have the scepter. You shouldn’t be able to—,” he pointed the scepter again, “Let’s see if you can refuse me twice. I command you to strike her down.”             Spike raised the shattered half of the brick. A sound crackled across the street, two orbs of concentrated ghostly energy raced towards Garble and Knight. The shadow balls hit both of them full force, stunning them. Jack rushed towards Mimi and used pain split, fueling her with life energy. Jack turned and used pain split on Spike, sharing what energy he had left. The brick slid from Spike’s hand, as a new energy surged in his body. Fluttershy appeared and ordered Jack to take some of her life so he could fight. Although reluctant, the jack-o’-lantern obeyed and felt her life pour into him.             “Spike, I found you,” Fluttershy sighed with relief, “Once I found Jack and got him on his feet, I started searching all over for you two. I saw some scary blasts coming from the other side of town and was about to check out there, when Zecora told me to go after you.”             “Fluttershy, please.” Spike raised a hand. He was bent over, panting, “Just give me a sec.”             “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “I hope you’re feeling bet—,” Fluttershy stopped speaking. A black shadow loomed behind Jack. She pushed her partner out of the way, and took the full brunt of Knight’s shadow sneak. Jack cradled her unconscious body, melted into a shadow puddle on the ground, and returned to her cottage. He gently placed her on the bed before rushing back to the fight.             Jack melted into the shadows behind Knight, wrapped his pink tendrils around the shield Pokémon and melted into the shadows, dragging his victim into darkness. Garble stood dumbfounded, stupefied by the sudden attack. Mimi wasted no time in rushing towards Garble, her claws bursting with violet flames. Garble was about to dodge, when pain flared in the leg Spike smashed. He winced, giving Mimi enough time to close the gap between them. Garble swung his dagger but Mimi split into two copies. His wild attack missed. Mimi raked her purple claws across Garble’s iron breastplate, intent to return all the pain he put them through. The armor could not withstand Mimi’s attack and became a cindering pile of melted rubble. Garble raised his staff before Mimi could deliver the final blow.             “Mimi, look out!” Spike’s voice caused Mimi glance behind in time to watch Garble take control of Spike. Garble took the chance to swing his metal dagger.             He clipped her left ear, causing her to shriek. She hopped back, terrified of the metal. Garble flapped his wings and rose into the sky, placing distance between them. He reared back his arm and flung the dagger. It soured past Mimi, towards an immobile, dragon. Mimi rushed to intercept but the dagger was already too far. Spike screamed, as the blade dug into his left shoulder. Mimi cried at his pain, praying the injury would not kill him. The injury looked shallow. Spike’s thick scales protected him from serious injury. By all logic, Garble wasted his dagger. But he was not through yet. Garble pointed the staff at Spike. His purple hands moved, grasped the handle of the blade and tore the weapon from his scales. He grasped the blade in both hands, pointed the tip directly at Mimi, and charged.             Mimi was startled, but responded by duplicating herself. Spike struck the duplicate, dispelling the illusion. Mimi moved so fast, her afterimages crowded the streets. Garble flicked his staff. Spike’s mouth opened and sprinkled flames across the street, catching every Mimi duplicate in its path. Several buildings caught fire. The flames spread across the roofs, growing with each second. Garble scanned the battlefield for that wretched beast. The fairy flu enfeebled Spike’s body with each second. If he did not end this soon, Spike would die before he could destroy Mimi.             Black ribbon claws raced towards him. Mimi flew through the air towards him. Her shadow claws grazed his wing, sending him lower to the ground, but he recovered and darted away before Mimi could seize him.             “Little pesk,” Garble scowled. Mimi’s olive eyes sparked crimson with hate, her claws sharpened as she rubbed the razor edges together.             A moan escaped Spike’s throat as his feet lumbered towards Mimi. White veins pulsed beneath his scales. The flames erupted around the buildings, sprinkling ashes onto Spike’s pale skin. Mimi let out a sound similar to a gasp.             “You look confused,” Garble said. Mimi turned back to him with narrowed eyes, bent on destroying him to free her partner. “I might be controlling him, but you’re the one killing him.”             Mimi blinked. She trembled. She dismissed Garble's words as lies and charged with outstretched claws. Garble flew out of reach.             “You don’t believe me? Look at him. He’s got the fairy flu.”             Mimi flinched. She never heard of the fairy flu, but she knew she was a fairy. Did that mean, she shook her head, no, red dragon lies. She rushed him again.             “Haven’t you noticed him in pain whenever he touches you? He only got around that with Roseli medicine. But even then, I bet he hardly ever holds you for more than a minute.”             The first day they met. Mimi remembered Spike shrieked when they touched. He moved slower ever since she stumbled upon him. His breaths did come out ragged and strained. None of the wolves put him in that hospital. He became ill soon after they brought him to Fluttershy. Ever since they became partners, he drank Roseli juice every hour. When she found him in the hospital, he only held her for a few moments even though he looked overjoyed to see her. And the bandage. It covered the marks where they touched. Garble’s accusation fit too well. Mimi’s purple fire sank into her black ribbon arms. She looked at Spike, her miserable, sick Spike. This was her fault. She was killing her partner.             “So you understand now?” Garble pulled a long iron rod from an unconscious dragon lying on the street. “If you stay in this world, you’ll kill Spike and all other dragons with your plague. If you come back, you’ll kill him. You need to go away forever.”             Garble lunged at Mimi, his iron rod drawn back for a strike. She gazed at Spike, and never noticed. Garble swung the rod. He felt something crunch and shatter beneath her cloak. He reared back his rod and delivered another sweeping blow. Mimi’s body crashed through the wall of a burning house. A pile of burning rubble fell on top of her and buried her alive.