//------------------------------// // The Bleeding // Story: The Dragon that Would be Pony // by The Dragon Warlock //------------------------------// Spike opened his eyes to see Princess Luna’s moon above him. He looked around to see he was back in the throne room of the disciples’ castle. He then looked at himself and noticed there were no restraints holding him and that he was a pony again. He got up and was met by a swarm of disciple guards pointing swords and spears at him. The purple pegasus backed up slowly and tried to find a way to rush past them. “Guards…put your weapons down and back away this instant.” Prince Blueblood said as he stepped out of the crowd. The guards obeyed their leader and backed off from Spike. The white stallion used his magic to unfasten his robe and let it fall to the ground. “What do you hope to gain by doing this Spike?” Prince Blueblood asked. “You already know that you can’t stop what’s to come. Everything you saw in your nightmares were real and will come true. Your town…your friends…everypony will soon learn to accept us as the new leaders of this land.” “The only thing you’re a leader of is being some snobbish jerk.” Spike said. “There’s no way Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will ever accept you as a king.” “Who said I was going to keep them alive? Once I’ve made them see the downfall of Equestria, they will be executed as a demonstration to those who would dare oppose me. You and your friends will be perfect servants to enforce my rule.” “Like they’d ever do anything like that. Rarity isn’t too happy that you’re making her the new Nightmare Moon. I’ll make sure that you’ll never use somepony to use ever again you jerk.” Prince Blueblood smirked and said, “So be it then…but you will soon address me as your king. If you’re going to be an effective leader after all, you’ve got to show you’re an effective soldier.” Prince Blueblood started to circle around Spike like a predator ready to pounce on his prey. The purple pegasus kept a close eye on the white stallion and waited for him to make his move. The next thing Spike knew, a blinding flash of light came from Prince Blueblood’s horn and left him disoriented. Spike suddenly felt a hoof hit him across his left cheek and was followed by a similar punch across his right face. He was sent falling to the floor and winced in pain as his sight returned to him. “I told you it was pointless for you to do this Spike.” Prince Blueblood said. “I’ve faced manticores, hydras, and even dragons and I’ve always beaten them. What makes you think you have any shot at me?” Spike groaned as he got up. “I don’t care what you’ve done. I’m sure what you’re saying is nothing but lies to make yourself look good.” The white stallion’s right eye twitched upon hearing that. “I’ve had enough of your irritating blabbering you foal. You’ll know see why nopony will dare challenge me.” Prince Blueblood charged his horn and aimed it at Spike. The purple pegasus ducked in time as a lightning bolt whizzed over his head. He saw Prince Blueblood charging towards him and rolled over to the side as he prepared to stomp on him. Spike got up and saw Prince Blueblood levitating three swords he grabbed from the guards. He narrowly dodged each one of them as the white stallion shot them at him. Spike suddenly saw Prince Blueblood was suddenly gone and nowhere in sight. He began to look around, but was suddenly hit in the back of the head. He quickly turned around, but was met by a swift punch to his face and was stumbled back. The purple pegasus quickly regained his bearings and steadied himself. He then noticed Prince Blueblood was charging his horn and prepared himself to dodge the spell. Spike suddenly saw something blast from the white stallion’s horn that horrified him. It was a blue ball of energy that looked eerily similar to the one Captain Sanderson used as a zombie pony. The purple pegasus ran to the side in time as the ball of energy got closer to him. He waited for an explosion, but the only thing he heard was a sizzling sound. He looked behind him to see a large hole the size of himself where he once stood. The hole was sizzling and left no scorch marks or anything to indicate something was once there. He heard the cold laughter of Prince Blueblood and saw him approaching him. “I see you’re witnessing my very own disintegration spell.” The white stallion said. “I did hear Captain Sanderson use a spell similar to this, but unlike him, my spell doesn’t leave quite a mess like his did.” “W-well…I’m not scared of that spell.” Spike said in a nervous tone. “You can’t hit a moving pony anyway. I bet you couldn’t hit me even if you were right in front of me.” Prince Blueblood roared in anger upon hearing that. “When I’m through with you, you’ll have no jaw or tongue at all!” He barked. “I’ll personally rip that jaw of yours clean off your mouth.” The white stallion grinned sinisterly to himself. “In fact…how about I do so now?” Spike was suddenly lifted into the air and was pulled towards Prince Blueblood. The white stallion grinned to himself as he began to concentrate his magic on Spike’s jaw. The purple pegasus felt a searing pain course through his mouth and felt like it was being yanked harshly. He saw his hooves weren’t near Prince Blueblood and that he could barely move them. He did notice that his head was very close to the white stallion and wasn’t as restrained as the rest of his body. He used his head to raise it up and slammed it against Prince Blueblood’s forehead. The white stallion grunted in pain as he accidentally let go of Spike and allowed him to run. “It seems this Prince Blueblood really wants you dead.” A voice echoed in Spike’s mind. The purple pegasus stopped for a minute and recognized it. “Well he’s a little angry about what I’ve done.” He whispered. “I don’t know what to do actually. He really is powerful in magic and there’s nowhere I can hide without these guards ready to hurt me. What do I do now?” “He may be Lord Sandro, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll see he still acts a bit like his alter ego. Find that similarity and you’ll find the key to defeat him.” Spike suddenly felt something click inside his head. “Wait…I think I may know what you mean by that.” “You see? Your mind and wit really is your best weapon. Don’t get overconfident though, he’ll exploit that and use it against you. Stay on your hooves and do your best to avoid whatever he’ll throw at you.” The purple pegasus wanted to ask something else, but he suddenly saw another blue energy ball coming at him. He ducked out of the way in time and heard the sizzling sound of the ball destroying the ground. He tried to find somewhere to go, but he found himself surrounded by the many guards of the disciples pointing their weapons at him. He thought about flying, but when he tried to, his right wing was still injured from earlier. He was suddenly hit in the back of the head by an energy blast and fell to the floor. He heard the hoofsteps of a pony coming near him and suddenly felt a hoof hold his head down. Spike saw out of the corner of his left eye was Prince Blueblood with a victorious expression on his face. “Oh, give it up already will you?” He asked in a mocking tone. “You’ve already lost this battle and your efforts were in vain. Just take a look behind you and you’ll see the truth.” Spike’s head was freed from the firm grasp of the hoof and looked to see something that made his eyes widen in fear. A group of black hooded ponies were chanting something he didn’t understand and there was some dark blue light coming from the moon. Spike tried to move in and stop the ritual, but he was held down by Prince Blueblood. He could only watch as the chanting seemed to get louder and the light get brighter. “As you can see, Lunar Cosmos is just about upon us.” Prince Blueblood stated. “You never stood a chance against me in the first place. There was nothing to gain from you by doing all this. Now observe as your once so called crush becomes your new queen.” “No! I won’t let you do this to her!” Spike shouted in desperation. “She’ll never by your queen or love you! She told me she’d rather be tossed into a dumpster then ever see your ugly face again!” Prince Blueblood felt something inside him snap from hearing that. He levitated Spike off the ground and punched him in the sides of his body. He then proceeded to use his magic to send Spike flying into a wall. The purple pegasus cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. He suddenly felt Prince Blueblood chocking him and was gasping for air. Spike saw out of the corner of his right eye the white stallion’s hoof was nearby. He tried to bite it, but was only met by the hoof smacking him in the face. “You ignorant little foal!” Prince Blueblood boomed. “You dare to use such barbaric tactics to fight me!? You insult me! You continue to mock! You even go as far as defying me!” Spike gasped for breath as he recovered from the chocking and said, “I…*gasp*…would never…*gasp*…listen to you.” The white stallion gritted his teeth in anger and said, “You know there’s nothing you can do now to stop what’s to come! I’ll soon be known as your king and you shall obey me!” The purple pegasus wiggled his hoof free from Prince Blueblood’s hoof and punched him in the stomach. The white stallion yelped in pain and tried to hold his captive down. Spike once again delivered a punch to his stomach, but this time more effort into it. The white stallion tried to keep him under control and charged his horn. Spike gave one last blow to his stomach and was released from the tight grip as Prince Blueblood held his stomach in pain. Spike ran off for a few seconds before looking behind at Prince Blueblood. He was regaining his bearings from the assault on him and glared daggers at Spike. The white stallion used his magic to snatch away lot of spears and swords from the guards. The weapons were pointed directly at Spike. He saw several of them were thrown at him and jumped to avoid them. The purple pegasus saw several more weapons being aimed directly at him. He quickly ran off as the swords and spears continued to rain down upon him. Prince Blueblood let out a cold laugh as he watched Spike run for his life. The swords and spears soon stopped raining down upon Spike, much to his relief. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Spike saw out of the corner of his eyes multiple small blue balls of energy. He jumped out of the way in time as they hit the wall and made sizzling sounds against it. Spike saw Prince Blueblood charging at him again and decided against running away. He charged towards the white stallion and raised his hoof to punch him. Prince Blueblood smirked and moved his head to the side just as Spike threw a punch at him. The white stallion raised his hoof and punched Spike in the face. The purple pegasus was sent him falling to the ground once more. He was lifted off the ground once more by Prince Blueblood’s magic and was brought face to face with him. The white stallion smiled smugly as he held his captive in the air. “That’s quite enough out of you Spike.” Prince Blueblood said. “You’ve proven to be quite the fighter, even though you are rebellious. I can still make you into a better dragon to serve me.” Spike narrowed his eyes and said, “You can take your offer and shove it up your…” “INSOLENT FOAL!” The white stallion barked. He grabbed a hold of Spike and threw him down to the ground. “Your big mouth and irritating attitude has grinded my last nerve! Forget making you a personal servant of mine! Your head will be hanging over a mantle!” Spike suddenly felt something click inside his mind. All this time when he insulted Prince Blueblood, he got him riled up. He figured if he couldn’t really lay a hoof on him, he could do the one thing Prince Blueblood despised: being insulted. The purple pegasus grinned to himself evilly and got an idea. “You know what Prince Blueblood? You’re right.” Spike said. “I would make a great servant to you.” The white stallion raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “Oh? So you have finally come to grips with the reality that Princess Celestia is finished huh?” Spike nodded and said, “Yeah…you really are powerful enough to take out Princess Celestia. You win Prince Blueblood…I mean King Sandro.” Prince Blueblood had a triumphant look on his face and released his grip on Spike. “It’s good to see you know the truth at long last.” He said. “You shall soon become part of a new era in Equestria. It shall be one where ponies everywhere will soon address me as their new leader.” “You’re right…you would be the king of being a snob.” The white stallion whirled around and was met by a punch to his face. He was sent stumbling back for a few seconds and saw some blood dripping out of his nose. He gave and icy glare to Spike and gritted his teeth. He charged directly at the purple pegasus and readied himself to tackle him. Spike simply moved out of the way, making Prince Blueblood crash into the ground after his attempt to tackle him. The white stallion got up and narrowed his eyes. “You think you’re so funny aren’t you?” He asked. “I’m funnier than you’ll ever be.” Spike responded. “You couldn’t even make Pinkie laugh if you tried.” “You little irritating brat. Don’t you know who you’re speaking to?” “It’s not some new ruler of Equestria that’s for sure.” “You dare to speak that way to me!? I am…” “A big fat snob who whines a lot.” Spike said with a smile. “I mean jeez, could you be any more of a whiny snobbish jerk? If you’re supposed to be some sort of new ruler, why do you act like a two year old little foal?” Prince Blueblood said nothing, but grinded his teeth in anger. “You think you’re some hot shot, but you’re still the same annoying jerk from the Grand Galloping Gala.” Spike stated. “Shut your mouth this instant!” “I don’t care if you’re some ruler over a secret group, you’re still the same ugly prince that Equestria knows and hates. I wouldn’t obey you and neither would any other pony.” “They won’t dare to disobey once I transform Rarity here into the new Nightmare Moon. We’ll both rule side by side for eternity.” “You and Rarity together? She wouldn’t want to spend a second being beside you. She told me that she’d rather be a mule then to see you ever again.” Spikes saw Prince Blueblood’s face was burning bright red and smiled. “What’s the matter you royal pathetic snob? You can’t handle a few insults about you?” Spike began to chuckle slowly until it built up to him pointing and laughing at him. “I’ll show you who the more pathetic one is!” The white stallion boomed. He charged his horn up and fire lightning bolts out of his horn like crazy. Spike stopped laughing and began to dodge the continuous blasts of energy. He ran around and narrowly avoided Prince Blueblood’s attacks against him. Even the disciples’ guards had to duck or get out of the way of the assault. The white stallion laughed insanely as he fired more energy bolts around him aimlessly. He didn’t care who he was shooting his magical energy at and just fired everywhere. “Lord Sandro! Look out for the…” A guard tried to warn. The white stallion suddenly noticed one of the energy blasts he fired was heading directly above Rarity. In the middle above the white unicorn was a certain blue battle helmet levitating in the air. Prince Blueblood stopped shooting and looked on in frustration as the bolt neared its target. “What are you all waiting for!?” He shouted. “Somepony get in the way of that lightning bolt and stop it this instant! We can’t…” BOOM! Prince Blueblood stopped talking as the bolt hit the helmet and shattered it. The pieces of the helmet disintegrated as they fell to the ground. Spike watched with a feeling of victory that Prince Blueblood’s plans were now foiled. The white stallion started to pant in anger as he looked down. The guards backed away as they felt some sort of uncontrollable anger emitting from their leader. Spike even noticed this and backed away a little from the whit stallion. Prince Blueblood looked up at Spike and was beside himself. Before Spike could do anything, Prince Blueblood teleported next to him and delivered a punch that sent him flying. He then charged towards the purple pegasus and slammed him against a wall. He proceeded to punch Spike in the stomach multiple times until he started to puke. Prince Blueblood then used his magic to lift Spike into the air and threw him against a wall several times. The purple pegasus could only scream in agony from each hit he suffered to his body and started to lose consciousness. “How dare you do this to me!?” Prince Blueblood demanded. “You’ve ruined all of my plans! I’ll break you in two and bury you with my own hooves!” “Lord Sandro! We have another problem!” One of the hooded unicorns shouted. “The other captives are breaking free from the spell!” “WHAT!?” Prince Blueblood roared. The white stallion and Spike looked over to the other stone tablets holding Twilight and the others. The Elements of Harmony above each of them started to regain the colors they once had. The binds holding down the six mares slowly faded away until they were no more. The entire group opened their eyes slowly as they got up. They looked up at the disciples’ guards and were shocked by how many there were. They looked around and saw a badly beaten Spike being held down by Prince Blueblood. Twilight narrowed her eyes and felt a surge of anger course through her body. “Let Spike go this instant Prince Blueblood!” She shouted. “Or you’ll do what?” The white stallion asked. “One step towards me and I’ll crack this little dragon’s skull.” “I don’t need to take a step towards you.” The lilac unicorn responded. Before Prince Blueblood could ask anything, Twilight shot out a fireball at him. The white stallion ducked out of the way in time as the spell slightly burned his mane. He noticed what had happened to him and glared at the group. He then turned to all the guards who were trying to avoid the constant magic spells. “What are you all waiting for!? Nightmare Night!?” Prince Blueblood demanded. “Get those mares this instant! Kill them all now! Leave Rarity alive though! She and I are going to settle some unfinished business after I deal with this dragon!” “YES LORD SANDRO!” The guards shouted in unison. Twilight turned back to the others and said, “Come on girls, we’ve got a nightmare to end.” The entire group cheered in unison and turned back to the guards. They all charged at the six mares with swords and spears at the ready. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to each take down one of the few earth pony guards. Rainbow tackled a pegasus that was swooping down towards Applejack and threw him down to the floor. The farmer pony used her hind legs to buck a unicorn up into the sky and crashed into a wall. Fluttershy found herself surrounded by a group of guards who were closing in on her. Suddenly, from behind the yellow pegasus, Pinkie jumped in front of her and pulled a small blue cannon out of her mane. “Who’s ready to party!?” The pink mare asked as she fired the cannon three times. The guards were hit with not only party favors, but a small cannonball hit each of them. Pinkie shielded Fluttershy from the guards closing in on them and continued firing her cannon. Applejack tackled a group of ponies that were sneaking up on Twilight. Rainbow egged on some of the pegasi to catch her if they could and easily out flew them all. Rarity assisted Twilight in pushing back the guards by using some stunning spells. The lilac unicorn in turn used her magic to hold down the guards with some magic restraints of her own. Despite all their efforts, the guards started to overwhelm Twilight and her friends. Prince Blueblood noticed this and smirked in triumph. He got off Spike and forced him to look upon the ongoing battle. The purple pegasus could only watch in fear as each of his friends were slowly being brought down. He tried to move to get up, but was stopped by Prince Blueblood. “Gaze upon your friends Spike.” The white stallion said. “Even their best efforts are no match for my elite guards. They’ll soon be begging me to show some mercy upon them.” “Mercy this!” A voice shouted. Prince Blueblood looked up for only a second before being socked in the face by a hoof. He stumbled back and looked to see Twilight and the others charging right towards him. He charged his horn up and shot out the blue energy ball like he used on Spike. The group dodged this and continued to make their way towards him. His horn glowed again as he prepared to teleport behind them. “Oh, no ya don’t partner.” Applejack said. The orange mare ran up to Prince Blueblood and punched him again in the face. He stumbled back a little and opened his eyes to see Rainbow delivering a kick that sent him flying and grunting in pain. As he was in the air, he saw Twilight cast a lightning bolt that hit him in his rear right leg. When he collapsed to the ground, the white stallion saw Pinkie jump into the air and landed on his chest. He groaned in pain and held his chest as Fluttershy approached him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her. “What are you going to do? Have your animal friends to beat me up?” Prince Blueblood laughed at his own joke. The yellow pegasus held up a hoof and punched him in the nose. The impact was stronger than he expected and felt something break inside him. He yelled in pain as he held his nose and looked up at Fluttershy. “Where the hay did you learn to do that!?” He demanded. “I don’t care what you do to me, but nopony hurts my friends.” She said in a rather stern tone. Prince Blueblood suddenly saw Rarity come out from the crowd. She looked down at him and had flames burning in her eyes. She picked him up by the neck and brought him close to her. “This is for hurting my friends…and for using me as the new Nightmare Moon.” She said in an icy tone. The white unicorn punched him hard in his right cheek. He was sent flying as he cried out in agony from the pain. He fell to the floor after a few seconds and fell into an unconscious state. Twilight went to go check on Spike, who was slowly getting up and panting for air. He smiled at her and gave her a brief hug. The purple pegasus broke the hug and went with the others to check on Prince Blueblood. The white stallion’s eyes suddenly shot open and his horn glowed. “ENOUGH OF THIS!” He boomed. The white stallion projected a black barrier around himself that exploded. The barrier sent shockwaves and sent Spike and the others crying out in surprise. They all were sent flying into the air for a few seconds before landing on the ground. Spike was the first to get up and saw Prince Blueblood’s face contorted into a mixture of rage and insanity. He couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by him. “You’ve messed me up for the last time Spike.” The white stallion said coldly. “If I can’t use your friends for my own gains…then nopony will ever see them again.” “Leave them alone!” Spike shouted. “They’ve done nothing to you!” “They have made me look like a foal in front of my own men! They’ll suffer a penalty that they should be familiar with. They used the same technique on another foe a week ago.” Spike realized where Prince Blueblood was going with this. “No! You can’t do that to them!” “Still your tongue this instant!” The white stallion barked. “They’ll never get in the way again after this!” “No!” Spike tried to charge after Prince Blueblood, but was being held by a yellow aura. He looked to see a yellow unicorn was using his magic to hold him down. “Good work soldier, I’ll be sure to promote you for your aid in this.” Prince Blueblood turned towards Twilight and her friends. He used his magic to freeze each of them and his horn began to glow. Twilight suddenly felt something wrap around her legs and looked down. She saw to her horror that her legs were turning into stone. The others noticed this and saw they were slowing being turned into statues as well. “Twilight, what do we do!?” Rainbow asked with a tinge of fear in her voice. “I can’t move at all!” “I don’t know Rainbow!” The lilac unicorn shot back. “I’ve never studied on this spell and how to reverse it!” “Hey! Maybe I can make a funny face as a statue!” Pinkie shouted in her usual bubbly voice. “Pinkie, this ain’t the time fer jokin’!” Applejack shouted. “We need t’do somethin’ b’fore we end up like Discord!” Rarity looked up to Spike and shouted, “Spike, you’ve got to do something!” The purple pegasus tried to move, but to no avail. “I…I can’t! I’m stuck like this!” The group looked at each other in horror as the stoning process continued. They all struggled to break free, but the more they struggled, the faster the process went. Spike tried to break himself out of the aura, but it was too strong. He watched as all of his friends screamed as they stoning process finished up. He could see each of them giving him pleading looks of help as they all stood there in horror, with the exception of Pinkie who stuck her tongue out and had a silly grin. Prince Blueblood laughed in his own victory and turned to the yellow unicorn. “You may release him now. I want him to see the price he’s paid for his lack of obedience.” Spike was released from the aura and hurried over to his friends. He saw they all had looks of horror on them and were completely covered in stone. He tried to see if they were merely coated in the stone and break them out, but they were as thick as a statue. The purple pegasus then came across Rarity and Twilight. They each looked like they had tears swelling in their eyes as they looked upon him. Spike lowered his head and began to feel a sensation that he hadn’t felt since his fight against Jordan. He began to feel his sorrow turn into rage and his shock turn into anger. He shook violently and tried to control what was in him, but it was all too much for him to take. He started to glow a black aura around his body as the hatred in him built up. Everything started to go into a blur for him as the aura around him started to glow stronger. “Lord Sandro…what’s happening to him?” The yellow unicorn asked nervously. “He’s starting to look like that thing Private Jordan described.” “I don’t know guard.” He said coolly. “I’ve never seen anypony ever act this way before.” “My lord, what if this is his corrupted element?” “If it is, then I’ve never seen anypony act like this before. Get ready to restrain him at once, we may have some use for him.” “Yes my lord.” The guard moved in with three other guards towards Spike. They all converged on him and prepared to hold him down. They all started to tie him up, but then one of the guards yelled in pain as he was bitten. The others tied to subdue Spike, but he let out a demonic roar that shook the entire room. The purple pegasus punched one of the yellow unicorn strong enough to break his jaw. He fell over and cried in pain from the punch. All of a sudden, the black aura expanded for a few seconds and then exploded. Prince Blueblood saw the aura’s shockwaves were heading towards him and used his magic to create a shield around him. As the barrier passed by him, the white stallion saw the shockwaves disintegrated a couple of the guards. As the shockwave died out, one of the guards crawled away as half of his body was disintegrated. A shadow loomed over the guard and he looked to see Spike standing over him. The guard tried to say something, but Spike stomped on his skull and crushed it. He looked up and saw an intimidated Prince Blueblood. “BLUEBLOOD!” Spike roared in a demonic tone. The white stallion backed up a little. “Men, dispose of this pest this instant! Do whatever is needed to take him down!” Spike began to march towards Prince Blueblood and snorted in anger. One of the guards charged at him with a sword in his hoof. Spike tripped him and sent him to the ground. He took the sword in the process and sent it through the guard’s skull. He saw a unicorn ready to fire a few energy blasts, but he grabbed him by the tail and threw him against the floor until he was nothing but a broken bloody mess. Spike let out a deafening roar that made the rest of the guards back off. A shadow formed around Spike’s body and covered him completely. The purple pegasus started to change shape and grew five times bigger. His hooves slowly turned into razor sharp claws. His head contorted into a narrower look with a long muzzle and fangs growing out of his mouth. His eyes turned blood red and glowed brightly. He looked like a timberwolf, but he was completely black and looked like a shadow. He was now big enough to take up a third of the throne room. Spike let out a loud roar that shook the room once more and looked upon the guards. “Surround him this instant!” Prince Blueblood ordered. “Swarm him and take him down this instant!” “Lord Sandro! H-he’s too big for us!” A guard protested. “Then watch where he’s stepping! Now go and kill him!” The guards hesitantly charged towards Spike with their weapons drawn out. The shadow Timberwolf noticed the guards and raised his right claw. He slammed it against a group of ponies and raised it to see they were all crushed and blood was gushing from them. A couple dozen unicorns used their magic to shoot out various spells, but they didn’t faze Spike in the least bit. He smacked the group and sent them flying. The unicorns all crashed hard into the wall and were crushed by the impact. Spike let out another roar as he began to make his way towards Prince Blueblood. He was suddenly distracted by a blur flying around him. He looked to see a small group of pegasi guards were flying around him and trying to hit him. One of the pegasi hit Spike on the snout, but it only angered him than hurt him. Spike used his claws to swat them down and crush the ones he did hit with his paw. The guards realized they were losing numbers fast and decided to pull back. “What are you all doing!?” Prince Blueblood roared. “I did not order any of you to retreat!” “Lord Sandro, we’re losing too many men!” A green earth stallion said. “Magic isn’t working! We’ve lost a lot of pegasi! Our weapons are useless against him! He’s invincible!” Prince Blueblood looked around and saw mangled corpses littering the ground. A few guards were helping carry away the injured. A couple of brave guards did their best to distract Spike, but he was slaughtering them. The white stallion looked to the guard and slowly nodded. “Alright guard, start getting the injured out of here this instant.” He said. “Tell the unicorns to prepare to teleport away the men from this castle at once. Keep a couple of unicorns around to shoot him and distract that…that thing from the others. We’ll need to regroup and see what we can do.” “Yes Lord Sandro.” The green earth stallion saluted. Just as the guard was making his way towards the remaining soldiers who weren’t fighting, Spike suddenly broke through the ceiling of the castle. The debris rained down upon the guards and crushed a majority of them. The few remaining pegasi tried to fly out of the castle’s broken ceiling, but they were all caught by the falling slabs of marble and were crushed instantly. The remaining guards helped their injured comrades and tried to get out of the throne room. Prince Blueblood backed away from all the confusion and looked upon the devastation. Chaos descended into the castle’s throne room now. The last several dozen guards were shouting in either pain or barking orders. A couple of the earth pony guards ran for the throne room’s double doors, but the debris was blocking their way out. The throne room echoed with screams of pain and agony as Spike continued his rampage. The screams soon died down as the number of guards dwindled until only one remained. A lone orange unicorn limped in pain towards Prince Blueblood. “My lord…I’m the only one left.” He said with pain in his voice. “Please…we need to get out of here. Please use your magic to teleport us AAAHHHH!” The guard was cut off as Spike crushed him under his paw. The shadow timberwolf looked down at Prince Blueblood and roared. He attempted to crush him, but the white stallion teleported out of the room. He appeared right outside the throne room’s doors and ran down the dark hallway. He heard a crashing noise and saw Spike had broken through the walls of the castle. He saw Prince Blueblood and swiped at him with his claws as he chased him. The white stallion turned around and fired out a couple of energy blasts. Spike shrugged off the spells and pressed on. In a panic, Prince Blueblood teleported back into the throne room. He tried to figure out where to go, but his mind was racing. He heard something start to rumble and looked towards the doors. The throne room’s doors and a portion of the wall crashed down. Amidst the dust and debris, Spike stepped out and roared once more. He charged towards Prince Blueblood and prepared to stomp on him. He jumped out of the way in time as Spike charged passed him and accidentally ran into a wall. The shadow timberwolf shook off the dizziness while the wall crumbled and looked back towards Prince Blueblood. He charged at him again and used his claws to grab a hold of the white stallion. Prince Blueblood tried to teleport out of his grasp, but Spike slammed him against the floor, making him cry out in pain. Spike then proceeded to pick up Prince Blueblood and throw him against a window. He felt numerous pieces of glass pierce his body as the window shattered. The white stallion used his magic to teleport out of Spike’s claws and appeared right behind him. He limped away in pain as the blood from the glass cuts poured all over his body. Spike suddenly turned around and slashed the back of the white stallion’s back deeply. Prince Blueblood fell to the floor and yelled in anguish from the deep cuts on his back. He was suddenly rolled over on his back and saw the demonic glare of Spike. The white stallion tried to use another teleportation spell, but his magic aura was very low and was unable to use any magic. All he could do was look at Spike and his demonic smile. “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE ONE BEGGING FOR MERCY?” The shadow timberwolf boomed. The white stallion panted and grunted in pain. “Go ahead and finish him.” A low demonic voice whispered in Spike’s head. “I know you want to do it. Get revenge for what he’s done to you and your friends.” Spike raised his claw and prepared to pierce it through Prince Blueblood’s stomach. “Spike…don’t do this.” A gentle voice whispered in his head. “I know you feel great sorrow for the loss of your friends, but this isn’t the answer.” “What are you waiting for?” The demonic voice asked. “You can finally end the one who killed your friends. Let him die for what he’s done to you.” “Prince Blueblood had no idea about what you would become.” The other voice argued. “Do not kill him, or you’ll only become the very same thing he is.” “Let this so called prince taste the bitterness that is vengeance! If he lives, he’ll only come back and haunt you again! You’ll never get another chance at this!” “Spike! You’re better than this and you know it! Your friends can still be saved, but killing him won’t do you any good! Put your claw down and step away from him! Is this how your friends want you to act!?” Spike roared in frustration and held his head. “SHUT UP! I…I CAN’T THINK WITH ALL OF YOU SHOUTING IN MY HEAD!” “Then choose Spike…and make your decision.” The demonic voice whispered. “I only hope you make the right choice here.” “Spike…don’t do anything you’ll regret later.” The gentle voice said. “Don’t let your hatred control you. You need to follow what you believe is right.” Spike heard Prince Blueblood’s raspy breathing and looked back upon him. The white stallion was bruised all over his body. His blood soaked his coat and started to drip on the floor. He felt conflicted on what to do with his captive. One side of him wanted to kill him, but another didn’t want to. There was one thing that became apparent in Spike’s mind. What to do now?