//------------------------------// // Chapter 15: A Clash of Metal and Claws // Story: Oh Spike We Hardly Knew Thee // by 5u0myn0n4 //------------------------------// Originally published on April 22nd, 2018 In the last chapter, we saw Twilight Sparkle embark into the frigid region of Frozen North, in hopes of finding Spike. She had gone by herself, despite the danger that lay ahead. Meanwhile, Spike had broken free of Henry's control. But the bad news was that he was an out of control rampaging dragon. To salvage the operation, Henry initiated his Plan B, which involved unleashing an army of mind controlled armored teenage dragons to attack Spike. It is safe to say that both Twilight and Spike were in trouble. But before we check on either of them, let's check on Twilight's friends, since we haven't heard from them in a while, and as a matter of fact they had just arrived at the Crystal Empire. Twilight said that they could follow her, but to stay behind because she wanted to save Spike herself, so that's exactly what they did. The mane 5 plus Starlight had now arrived at the Crystal Empire, and met up with Cadance and Shining Armor, and Sunburst, atop the castle balcony. Twilight had already met up with them last chapter, but now it was their turn. "Sunburst!" Starlight greeted. "Starlight!" Sunburst greeted back. "Good to see you again." he said. "It's good to see you too." she replied. "Ahem. Greetings your majesty." Rarity greeted Cadance formally. "Greetings fillies." Cadance said. "Between me and you Sunburst, we have really got to hang out when there isn't a crisis going on." Starlight said. "Yes indeed, about this, crisis." Shining Armor said trying to get on subject. "Yes, the entire reason we're here. Where's Twilight? Has she passed by yet?" Applejack asked. "She was here, but she just left." Sunburst answered. "And you let her go into that weather alone?!" Pinkie Pie pointed North at the icy landscape ahead. "...Yes." Shining Armor replied. "She didn't at least wait for us once she got here?" Fluttershy asked. "Nope. She was in, and she was out within a few moments honestly." Cadance answered. Her friends were very concerned. "We have to go after her!" Rainbow Dash rushed out, but AJ halted her. "Now hold on there. Twilight said that she didn't want any of us followin' her." Applejack said. "But she could be in danger!" Rainbow Dash said. "True, but see here's the thing. I've been thinking, and maybe Twilight's right. Maybe we're the ones who've been selfish, and we should abide by her wishes." Applejack said. "Are you serious?! She needs us more than she thinks she does." Rainbow Dash argued. "You think she ain't capable of handling this situation on her own?" Applejack asked . "No, but a little help doesn't hurt!" Rainbow Dash replied. "I can't say I disagree with Rainbow Dash here." Fluttershy said. "Even if Twilight can save Spike by herself, it would be easier as a team. Not to mention the snow storm may prove too formidable." "You want us to follow Twilight into that icy landscape, just to get told off again? She acted so rude earlier." Rarity said. "You don't think she'd tell us to back off again do you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Frankly, if her previous behavior is anything to go by." Rarity replied. "But we can't just abandon her in her time of need!" Rainbow Dash said. "Why? She left us." Applejack said. "She needs our help!" Fluttershy asserted. "Look, Twilight's just a little upset over losing Spike. If we find him, she'll be happy again." Rainbow Dash said. "How could you not want to help!?" "She's got everything handled. She is a super duper alicorn princess after all. She doesn't need our help. She said so herself!" Applejack argued. The arguing was getting pretty heated. The other ponies watched it unfold. "What about you Pinkie Pie?" Starlight asked. "What do you think we should do?" "Don't look at me. My weapon of choice is a party cannon. I don't want to pick sides." Pinkie said. "Well I sure hope you would! You're the pony who said Spike would be here, you outta have a stance." "Girls, stop arguing and think of a real plan!" Starlight said. "I'm sure Twilight would appreciate your help regardless." "What do you know about Twilight? You're just her little student! You haven't known her as long as we have!" Applejack said. "Excuse me!?" Starlight was offended. "Woah AJ, there's no need to get all personal." Rainbow Dash said. "Come on girls, talk it out." Cadance said. "Let's all take a moment and think this through rationally." Shining Armor said. "Remember, compromise!" Sunburst added. "I'm Twilight's friend too AJ. And I didn't spend an entire season being her apprentice, nor did I save your sorry flanks from Queen Chrysalis, just so some country pony could tell me to buck off!" Starlight said to Applejack. The ponies all continued to argue. "Why couldn't your investigation and evidence have said that Spike was located in some tropical resort? Instead of this icy hellhole!?" Rarity asked rudely. "Excuse me?! For once, you sound even more ridiculous than I do!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I just followed the trail of clues. It's called deductive reasoning! Facts care if you're a little cold, or if your mane gets a little frizzy! Science speaks the cold hard truth!" Rainbow and Applejack butted heads while Starlight yelled with anger. Pinkie and Rarity found the most interesting thing to argue about. Cadance and Shining Armor tried to be the voices of reason. Fluttershy backed away from the arguing and slumped onto the tiled floor. "I don't get it. We all have the same goal. We all want to help Twilight find Spike. What are we arguing about?" she said to herself. "They're arguing about what Twilight would want, but I know this for sure, we're not doing her any favors by fighting. I sure hope she's more coordinated than we are." Unfortunately, she was much worse off. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was flying through the vast icy region of Frozen North, in search of Spike. She carried a map and compass in front of her using her magic to hold them. The map showed Frozen North in its entirety. On it, was drawn a circle which (based on Pinkie's data), was where Spike was most likely located. She was moderately equipped for the journey. A relatively thin snow coat was the only thing that protected her from the cold. The coat couldn't be too thick, as it would have weighed her down, and made flying harder. Flying was already difficult enough as it was. She wandered through the icy winds, and I do mean wandered. Navigating the landscape proved very challenging. Clouds covered the entire sky, making the sun impossible to see. Luckily Twilight had the compass, so she knew which way North was. Her map was actually of little help. The area circled covered a large and vague area, making a precise location to search difficult to pinpoint. Not to mention, the fast winds made it hard to hold the map steady in order to read it. And even when she could read the map, the snowy hills and rocky terrain underneath the snow all looked the same, so it was hard to gauge where she was on the map, and where she was going. A mild snow storm limited her field of view, which was like the icing on the navigation cake. All of these factors combined made for a miserable time, and one of the toughest challenges she had faced, but she didn't give up. Spike's life was on the line, and no weather nature could throw was enough to stop Twilight from trying. Inside, Twilight felt conflicted. She had snapped at Cadance and Shining Armor for attempting to send guards to look for Spike instead. Although she did make up with them, she never formally apologized, or said sorry. She hadn't yet had a chance to say sorry to her friends either. Was she letting herself get carried away? Twilight was shivering, but she barely thought twice about it, as she was more concerned with locating Spike than her own safety by this point. She flew slowly, as to conserve energy, constantly looking back and forth between the map, the compass, and the area around her. The wind kept pushing her hair into her face, distracting her. She used her magic to move the hair out of her face. Twilight was so distracted by her hair, and the rest of the elements, that she finally lost concentration and dropped the compass. "Oh no no no no no no!" she cried. The compass plummeted downward, and embedded it self deep into the thick snow below. Twilight panicked and flew down after it. She searched desperately for the compass, but surprisingly, a metal compass in the snow proved impossible to find. Twilight had lost the compass, a crucial tool for navigation. She fortunately still had the map, but what little good it did. She looked at the map, and then at the landscape, but she had no idea where she was, or which way she was oriented. "Ugh! What use is a map without a compass?!" she cried. She crumpled the map and tossed it away. "SPIIIIIIIKE!" Twilight cried as loud as she could. She got up and flew around in a panic. "Didn't I already pass this rock? Was I going this way or that way?! GAH! Everything looks the same!" she cried. She was officially lost and didn't know where she was. "AAAAHHH!" Twilight screamed as loud as she could. Out of anger and frustration, she lit up her horn, and fired a concentrated beam of energy onto the snow beneath her hooves. This created a mild explosion of snow and magic around her. The blast created a clearing in which Twilight stood in place breathing heavily, while she come to terms with failure. She had then run all out of energy and collapsed onto her knees, and then her side. She laid down on the ground, while a steady stream snowfall slowly piled on her. "Well, this is just great! Fan-pony-tastic! You've really gone and done it now!" she said. "Ugh, I guess this is it then. Is this how it ends? Not slain by some big evil pony, but instead overcome by the hands of mother nature herself." Twilight sat in the cold, shivering, while the snow started to cover her. She felt absolutely defeated. She had failed in her search for Spike. She had come all this way, she was almost there, but navigating the snow proved too challenging. Now it seemed like the end of her road. One simple mistake may have sealed her fate. *sigh* "I guess Spike won't ever be seeing me again. I made one promise to Spike, and that was to protect him, and I failed to keep that promise. I failed in my duty to protect my little... friend." Twilight couldn't get up, she was too cold to move her limbs. So she took the time to think, and reflect on... life... while she still could. "If only I had known that that last good night, really was our last good night. I wish I could have just one more conversation, because, there are a few things I've been wanting to tell you." Twilight took a deep breath, and spoke out loud. "Oh Spike, if I could speak to you one more time... I would tell you how much you mean to me. I'd tell you that I would not be where I am, without your love and support. I'd tell you that, I appreciate everything you do for me. I'm so grateful to have such a generous little guy like you as my assistant. Whether or not you're successful in your efforts, your heart is in the right place. You put others' needs before your own, and you live to help other ponies. You should be proud of yourself for that. You should really pat yourself on the back from time to time, you deserve it - you stress yourself out too much. I know it's been hard for you, being a dragon living with ponies, living with that identity crisis, but it's truly remarkable how many friends you've made. You're proof dragons and ponies can get along, and live together. *sigh* Lastly, if I could talk to you just one last time, I would tell you that... that I love you. You are loved and appreciated, and you mean the world to me, Spike. I'd go to the ends of Equestria in order to save you. And well, I guess I did exactly that. But um, I guess it just wasn't meant to be..." She sat in the snow for a moment reflecting on what she had just said. "Who am I kidding? Words are useless. If I could see you again, I would just want to give you the biggest hug that I can. A hug would express my feelings better than words ever could. But, that's not likely either... I guess I'm never going to hold you again..." *sigh* "Oh Spike, wherever you are, I just hope you're better off than I am..." she said. A few drops of tears poured from her face. Twilight laid in the frigid ice storm, and closed her eyes... The snow had buried about half of her body. ... She tried to relax, but she felt uneasy, as if she was forgetting something. "Who am I fooling? I don't deserve any sympathy. Some princess I turned out to be. I was a lousy princess, and lousy friend. Ironic, as I was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship. I failed to live up to both halves of that title. All my friends wanted to do was help and I spat in their faces. I was so focused on finding Spike, that I let myself forget about my other friends." "I let myself forget how important my other friends were to me. Pinkie Pie, bringing endless laughs to me and countless other ponies. Rainbow Dash, with her determination and loyalty. Rarity's generosity is unparalleled. Fluttershy with her profound kindness. Applejack was an honest pony I could always count on. Being Starlight Glimmer's teacher felt just as much a learning experience for me as it was for her, and I'm grateful for the time we spent together. Shining Armor's the best brother ever, and Cadance is the best sister-in-law I could have asked for. And I feel just beyond blessed and grateful to have been an aunt for precious little Flurry Heart." A stream of tears covered her face, which crystallized in the cold. The snow continued to fall steady. "If I could talk to the rest of my friends one more time, I'd say I'm sorry for being so selfish. I never would have been Princess of Friendship without them. I let my love for Spike turn to hostility towards everypony else I cared for. I don't deserve to be Princess of Friendship with behavior like that." "Well... I guess this is it..." Twilight closed her eyes. The the snow kept coming down, until it had now almost completely buried her... Meanwhile, Spike was in for the fight of his life. He was a large (but not too large yet) dragon, with sharp claws, and a ferocious attitude. He had broken free of Henry's control, and was about to go on a rampage. But Henry was not ready to give up so easy. He had a back up plan in case 'Operation Spike' didn't go as intended. He had equipped all the other dragons with armor, and mind control helmets. This group of dragons included Garble, Fume, Fizzle, etc., and even Ember was under Henry's control. After her betrayal, she was experimented on like the rest of the dragons. "I want you to attack the purple dragon. Do what you must to apprehend him. Letting him live is optional. Now, go!" On Henry's command, the dragons, attacked. The dragon army rushed in and piled on top of Spike. Spike was caught off guard when he was tackled and pinned down. He found himself piled underneath the other dragons. Their sheer numbers made them formidable. The dragons ganged up and pounded Spike while he was down. Spike did not fight quite yet. He stayed in place and endured the pain. The onslaught of dragons made him quite angry, and the tension was building up. Let's take another journey inside of Spike's mind, since there is a lot going on in his head. Imagine this time, Spike's body floating, and in a lot of pain, no longer safe from the protection of the imaginary bubble. Angel and Devil Spike returned have a word with him. "Look at you, you're literally the dragons' punching bag!" Devil Spike chuckled and mocked. "How are you feeling Spike?" Angel Spike asked. "I'm angry!" Spike screamed. "That's right! And who are you angry at?!" Devil Spike asked. "I'm angry at Twilight!" Spike exclaimed. "But Spike, how is that possible?" Angel Spike asked. "If she really cared, she would have found me by now! But she hasn't! And she only raised me because she felt sorry for me!" Spike proclaimed. "Nah, she only raised you because Celestia made her." Devil Spike said. "That makes me even angrier! That tells me she never liked me in the first place!" Spike said. "And you're right, she never did. If she cared for you, she never would have let you leave her sight. But she just let you go." Devil Spike said. "That's not true! You know Twilight cares about you! She's probably one her way right now to rescue you!" Angel Spike said. "Well then where is she?! What's taking her long?! I have no doubt she's not coming!" Spike said. "She never cared about you. She probably doesn't miss you one single bit." Devil Spike said. Devil Spike's words provoked more anger in real Spike. "Stop it!" Angel Spike cried. "You're making him angrier!" "That's the point." Devil Spike assured. "There is no point! She made me feel like I had meaning. She made me think I had self worth. I worshiped her. She brought meaning into my life. But it was all a lie! If she wanted to find me, she would have done so by now! She's probably not even looking for me! That ungrateful... b-b-backstabber!" Spike exclaimed. "The only thing I know now is pain!" "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Devil Spike was beaming with glee. "This is terrible! None of that is true!" Angel Spike said. "What are you trying to accomplish by making real Spike angry?" he asked. "It's simple. Dragons grow by feeding off greed. However, greed doesn't necessarily have to be satisfied with physical objects. It can also be fueled with emotion." Devil Spike explained. "The angrier Spike gets, the more he wants to be angry and destructive. And it's that lust for destruction that can make Spike an unstoppable killing machine! Together we can defeat all those other dragons." "That's terrible! Spike would never say or do anything of the things you're saying." Angel Spike said. "Really? Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are?" Devil Spike poked his angelic counterpart. Angel Spike paused to think for a moment. "You and I are two sides of real Spike's mind. You're the optimist who still believes in friendship, and magic, and all the other pony junk, while I'm the realist. I'm a manifestation of Spike's doubts and grievances. Everything I tell him to do is still true to his character." Devil Spike explained. "But, it isn't right. Violence isn't the answer!" Angel Spike said. "We'll let real Spike be the judge of that." Devil Spike said. "Come on Spike, shake my claw, and we can do this together. You, and me, your evil side, can win this fight, and rule Equestria with an iron claw." Devil Spike offered Spike. "Don't do it Spike. Shake my hand, and we can set things right." Angel Spike offered his claw too. "We can prove that love always prevails." "Shake his claw to pussy it out and die." Devil Spike mocked. Spike closed his eyes, extended his arm, and shook... Devil Spike's claw. "NO!" Angel Spike cried. "Excellent." Devil Spike evaporate, and his particles merged into Spike. Angel Spike evaporated, and faded away slowly... Almost a metaphor for Spike's vanishing innocence... Spike opened his eyes, and his pupils had a very lizard-like glare to them. "...Let's do this." he said. In the physical world, Spike was ready. Spike mustered his strength and emerged from the pile of dragons. He stood up and blew them away. Henry and his henchponies watched the event in awe. "Woah, that's some real power." Jeff said. "Now this is what I call a fight." Sawtooth said. "It is impressive. Why don't we view this from a higher vantage point." Henry proposed. "Sawtooth, come. And bring the traitor." The three horses made their way to the upper balcony of the arena. It was a higher vantage point to view the sparks fly, while remaining out of harm's way. Spike stood across the entire army of mind controlled dragons. He and the rest of the dragons stared down intensely, waiting for someone to make a move. The moment was tense, but it was interrupted when Snake was the first to lunge forward. He reached out to claw Spike, but Spike grabbed him by the wrists, twisted his arms, and tossed him at the rest of the dragons. The dragons all charged at Spike, and he charged head first into them. Billy took a bite out of Spike. The bite hurt, and Spike swatted away Billy with immense force. Fizzle circled overhead, Spike grabbed his tail, reeled him in, and pounded him against the ground. Even Whip's enormous tail was like a twig against Spike. Spike used his own tail to easily topple over Whip. Revenge sure felt good. The cannon fodder had gone, now it was time for the real dragon to come. It was Garble's moment, he lunged forward with fury, but Spike intercepted, and managed to throw him over. Garble proved to be probably the most formidable foe. He stood up, and breathed fire on Spike, he resisted, and Spike charged forward and knocked Garble in the head. Angry Spike was bigger and stronger than Garble. He then lifted Garble over his head, spun him around and flung him at high speed into the wall. Garble impacted the wall at such high speeds, it shattered his entire armor, including the helmet. He hit the wall so hard he stuck for a couple moments, until falling forward, and fainting on the spot. Spike had knocked Garble out completely cold. "Such destruction." Henry watched as both his plans fight each other. "What exactly are you hoping to accomplish by having the dragons battle each other? HUH?! You'll have no army to conquer Equestria with when all is said and done." Jeff said. Henry was about to smack Jeff, but at the last second decided not to. "Pfft, I'll think of a proper punishment for you later." Henry scoffed. "I can assure you that everything is fine." "I hope your so called research pays off after this bloodbath." Jeff said sarcastically. "Silence him Sawtooth." Henry commanded. "With pleasure." he said. Clump charged forward and wrestled Spike. The two interlocked, but Spike was stronger. Spike lifted Clump, despite his enormous weight. And then tossed him up and over, and then he landed on Fizzle and Baff, knocking them all out and shattering their gear with the impact. Fume stood up and breathed fire a huge stream of fire onto Spike. Spike endured the fire. Once it cleared, Spike breathed his own fire onto Fume, melting the armor and knocking him out. Finally, Ember sprung into action. Next to Garble, Ember was probably the strongest of the bunch. She flew up and stabbed Spike with her claws. Spike screamed in agony from the pain. The pain caused him to grow in size. Ember also tried to twist Spike's neck, which also induced a lot of pain. A bunch of dragons ganged up, and pinned Spike on his back. Spike's anger grew, and he too grew even larger in size physical size. Spike now towered over the other dragons. Henry, Jeff, and Sawtooth watched in awe as Spike grew so large, he was almost at eye level with them at the upper balcony of the arena. He was about the same size as his maximum size from Secret of My Excess. Was that his size limit? Or could he grow even bigger? "It's magnificent. Such power, still untapped." Henry said. "It's terrifying. The amount of destruction possible." Jeff said. "Exactly." Sawtooth added. Spike swatted Ember away. He breathed fire all over the room. He was so big, that the amount of fire was a large inferno. He sprayed the dragons beneath him with a shower of fire. It melted the armor and helmets of the dragons in its wake, and he kicked the dragons out of the way for good measure. He stepped on Prominence, and kicked her aside. He was so big, basically trampled over any grounded dragon in his way. Ember was ready for more, she came flying in for another hit, but Spike tail whipped her across the room. Shattering her helmet, and knocking her out cold. Rex and Scalio circled overhead. Spike shot streams of fire at them, but in doing so, he actually blasted a hole in the ceiling, opening an exit to the outside. Spike also breathed fire down the corridors of the facility, breaking the cells, and freeing any remaining dragons. The hole in the ceiling let light in. And miraculously, the sun was shining, and a beam of light shined into the arena directly onto the fainted Garble. The sunlight hit Garble's eyes and slowly woke him up. "...What? What's happening?" he looked around and watched his fellow dragons getting beat up by Spike. The helmet was shattered, and he was under his own free will again. Vex was knocked out by Spike, and he fell right beside Garble. "Hey, look! Light!" Garble nudged Vex. "It's an exit!" The other fainted dragons who had their helmets broken off started to wake, and they noticed the exit too. "Look everyone! There's an exit!" Garble shouted. He caught the attention of the other dragons. "Huh? What?" Ember was still just waking up. Garble whistled. "Come on everyone! Let's get out of here!" he commanded. The dragons all got up, and followed Garble's orders. Ember stood up and looked around. Spike was huge and out of control, and the rest of the dragons were injured, but just starting to stand up. "Come on Ember, we're getting out of this place!" Garble said. "But what about Spike? " Ember asked. "We can't just leave him here." "He'll be fine. Look at him. He's a killing machine." Garble replied. "But what about Henry?" Ember asked. "Aren't we going to stop him?" "NO! You all come back here at once!" Henry yelled as he watched the dragons escape. All that hard work that went into capturing them, gone to waste. He so loud, that Spike noticed, and drew his attention towards Henry. "He's got this under control. Come on!" Garble said. The dragons all fled the building. Ember hesitated. She wasn't sure if leaving behind Spike was a good idea. Surly Spike could take on Henry on his own right? Anyway, against better judgement, she followed the other dragons out. She grabbed the bloodstone scepter on her way out. Can't forget that. "They're getting away!" Sawtooth cried. "Doesn't matter. They're cold blooded. They won't survive for long in the icy landscape. They'll freeze to death long before they reach the dragon lands. Precisely the reason why I built this facility here." Henry said confidently. Or so he thought. The dragons all breathed a ball of fire that surrounded the group. The ball of fire kept the dragons warm, so they didn't get too cold as they traversed Frozen North. Henry was distraught to see the dragons cooperating, and figuring out how to escape alive. "It looks like they'll be fine out there." Jeff tantalized. "Grr, no matter! This changes nothing." Henry said. "What's the new plan wise guy?" Jeff asked. "The new plan is the old plan." Henry replied. The three looked over Spike, who was still in the building. Spike had his sights set on Henry and his two henchponies. Jeff and Sawtooth were fearful, but Henry was unphased. Spike walked forward slowly, eyes set on Henry. He charged his fire breath, and was ready to fire, until... With the press of one button on Henry's remote, harpoons shot from the wall, and embedded themselves in Spike's body, sending strong pulses of electricity through his body. This caused Spike to roar in agony. "I didn't expect I'd have to use this." Henry said. A giant contraption hanging overhead from the ceiling lowered next to Spike. It was a giant electromagnet, and it was pointed right at Spike. He had fallen into Henry's final trap. *gasp* "Y-you wouldn't! You told me we'd never actual use this device on Spike!" Jeff said. "You wouldn't do this to Spike would you?" "It's for the best. He'll be the most powerful dragon in Equestrian history, and he shall follow my command!" Henry said. Henry stepped forward, and started operating on the control panel in front of him. "Now then, let's see exactly how much power is locked within you." Will Twilight's friends get over themselves and agree on a plan? Or will they keep arguing and make no progress? Is Spike done for this time? Or can he still escape? Will the other dragons go back to help him? Or have they learned nothing from this experience? And is Twilight... okay? Is she getting out of this one in tact? Or not? Find out the answer to all of these and more, in Chapter 16.