Spike wanted to burst through the front door of his home and blast away any person who dared mess with his family, but Twilight was trying to help him relax some, saying that if something was wrong then they had to keep cool heads. She pointed to his hands which had caught fire and used her power to force him to stop.
“Think this through Spike! If you go in there with flame hands you could hurt you, someone, maybe one of your family!” Just the thought of hurting one of his family caused the fire to vanish and him to tear up a bit. Twilight walked to him and let him out of her magical hold, holding the boy close. “We can do this okay? Trust me, but you have to think this through.” Spike nodded and thanked her before unlocking the door and the two walked in cautiously. Everything seemed to be quiet and normal, that was never what Spike’s house was like. Celestia would either be working on some new school project, watching TV, or enjoying a bunch of sweets while reading. Luna would be shouting obscenities at games, writing her notes on Celestia’s projects, or be napping somewhere. Cadence would always greet her brother when he got home from anywhere usually to ask him to cook some real food for them all, or she’d be talking endlessly to Shining Armor over the phone, or she would be in her room with her special shipping notebook where she would pair up students or adults she thought would be nice together.
The sound of someone drinking brought the two to the living room where a man with two guards was sitting in a chair, facing Spike’s family. Spike nearly ran to them but Twilight stopped him and stared at the man as he turned to face them.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?!” Spike shouted already getting angry but sighed as Twilight again calmed him down.
“That is the mayor, Alfred Beezen.”
“Just what I’d expect from Crystal Prep’s own prodigy girl and now it seems like you finally made a friend, strangely enough, it would be this one. I heard from the school board that a boy would be attending high school, a genius in his own right. you three must be so proud of your adopted child.” The mayor asked Spike’s family who glared at the man, Cadence nearly looking like she would attack while Spike took a step towards him.
“I’m no genius, I just did my best to learn and make my family proud of me. I realized today how much I gave up for that even though they just wanted me to be happy. My family stood by my side no matter what so tell me what is it you want with them!”
“Well boy it’s not them I’m curious about it’s you and Miss Sparkle here I need to talk to. After that, I’ll be on my merry way.” Twilight and Spike shared a look, guessing what it is he could want with them but they agreed as long as it would make him leave. Celestia and Luna began to stand to go with them but the guards stood in their while Spike said it would be okay and the three went into another room to talk. Twilight and Spike took a seat next to each other while across a small table Beezen sat down with his cane by his side. “So I realize that you two were at the closed amusement park last night and I want to know what it was you found.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, last night we were here celebrating my birthday.”
“Then I suppose this isn’t yours boy?” Beezen held up a necklace with a spike pendant and Spike’s eyes widen as he jumped at the man to get it back but before he even touched him, he was pulled back into his seat. Twilight grabbed the necklace and glared at the mayor for the dirty trick. “Y-you did find it! Where is that thing?! What did you do!?” Twilight smiled a bit deviously as she leaned back in her chair while giving Spike the necklace back.
“We were there because we thought it would be fun, after all a solo adventure between a boy and a girl…” Spike’s mouth hung open limply as he blushed but before he said anything he caught Twilight’s eye. Her look told him to just go with it for now. Beezen didn’t seem to believe it and nearly shouted at them again and then realized what the girl had done. She had loudly given a very valid reason why two teenagers would be in such a place and he had no true evidence to say that they were there for any other reason or risk sounding insane. He growled at them and grabbed his cane as the red stone on top began to glow.
“Don’t go thinking you two are the only ones with magic on your side.” He whispered to them as he tapped his fingers on the stone. Twilight and Spike stared at the stone in awe and horror.
“T-there’s more… where did you get that thing?” Twilight paled as she thought of more magical items like the stone getting into the hands of the mayor or others like him.
“What does it do? Just glow?”
“No, you fool! This cane has been passed down since the city was founded and it was stolen from the original holders of this land. It has many powers but its main use has always been to find other magical items like itself. Do you think you two just happened to be the first to find magic? No, we have been finding things like this and hiding them for ourselves for generations. See the glow? Guess what that means.”
“You knew the thing wasn’t here… you thought it was on one of us…”
“Yes and now you have just given me everything I needed. The bloodstone scepter glowing proves that to me and you two have just made a powerful enemy. No one ever refuses me.” Twilight and Spike stood at the threat and glared at the man.
“We aren’t giving you anything now leave I think we’re done here, I don’t see how anyone ever could have voted you in…”
“Well that is a funny tale, I used to be young and naive too. I used to believe in things like caring for your neighbor and the city but slowly my eyes were opened to true power and when I gained the job I could have anything my heart desired.”
“That staff… whatever other magic objects you had twisted your mind and changed you… the power changed you…” The man seemed to get angry at the thought and waved off the girl.
“The power awaken me! I finally see what the world is and why I deserve to be on top of it now you will obey and give that to-” The man raised his staff and even swung it towards Twilight while Spike got between them and closed his eyes to take the pain but nothing came. Celestia was there and had grabbed it, pushing the man back and throwing him out of the room while Cadence and Luna dusted themselves off after dealing with the guards and sent them out of their house. Celestia dragged the mayor by his shirt tossed him to the floor out of her house.
“No one touches my boy, now you leave and don’t come back.” The mayor angrily aimed the staff at her but saw Luna and Cadence stand beside her and he stepped back.
“This isn’t over! I’ll get you all back for this unless I get my property! I am not one to be messed with! I will make all your lives hell!” As he left, the three sighed and checked on Spike and Twilight who were both seemingly deep in thought. Cadence said that she would take Twilight to Shining and explain their new situation while Luna and Celestia stayed with Spike. Before they were separated Twilight made sure to give Spike her number as they now had a problem to fix.
“Hey mom, Aunt Luna, what do you think he meant by that? That he would make us pay?”
“That bastard is too cowardly to ever stand up to us so he is probably gonna try and get us fired or something. Don’t worry about it sweetie, someday he’ll get his.” Spike looked up as he hugged his mother and aunt.
“I know he will… thanks for believing Twilight and I.” Luna smirked a bit and giggled.
“Oh you are still so grounded, we heard what Twilight said and you should have seen Tia’s face. She was red as an apple and steam came out her ears. You know she always told you to tell her first thing if you ever got a girlfriend.” Spike blushed and tried to explain but ended up grounded that night. He looked out his window at the full moon and shook his head before pulling out his phone.
“Hey Twi... you asleep yet?”
“Yeah because I can so sleep after that talk earlier…”
“He’s gonna make my family’s lives hell if we don’t do something about him, not to mention that if he was telling the truth about all that magic stuff….
“The whole city has been in danger and now he is more unhinged than ever because we didn’t give him what he wanted. I may not believe in magic but I do believe he is dangerous and we need to take him down.”
“Sooo superheroes?”
“More like detectives. If we leave him, your family could be the least amount of problems and not to mention that he will be after Shining and me now… I want the scepter.”
“The scepter?! Why would you want that thing?”
“It detects magical items! If we had that thing and we manage to take down Beezen then we can find all the things he had hidden away. I know they’re dangerous but we can’t let others like him get them so might as well take them for ourselves.”
“...okay but I should hold the stone, for now, trading off who holds it should keep us safe from its effects.”
“...fine… we should attack now while we have the chance”
“I’ll meet you at city hall then.”
. . .
Spike jumped out his window and took his bike down to the city, marveling a bit at the different lights and kinds of people that were out now. Some were drunk, just hanging out with friends, or just now heading home. Only now did Spike realize how many bars and nightclubs Canterlot really had and wondered if his mom would ever let him see a club. He skidded to a stop and looked up at City Hall feeling strange about the building now knowing the man that ran it. It was an imposing building made of white marble and gold trimmings here and there. It had a statue of a girl dressed in a sundress and straw hat in front, she seemed to be pointing upwards at the sky.
“Boo.” Spike jumped at the voice and turned to see Twilight there giggling “Got ya.”
“Hey! We are trying to get a mission done here not scare each other. Where’s the stone?”
“Here in the pouch and I know why we’re here, get the scepter and get out. We don’t want to get caught or leave anything that can be led back to us.” Spike nodded and put his necklace in his pocket before holding out a hand for the pouch. “What?”
“Give the stone to me, we don’t want you getting lost in the magic as he did.” Twilight grumbled and untied the pouch before giving it to him and after a quick peek inside he tied it to his belt. Unsurprisingly the door was locked, so they snuck around and found a latched window and Twilight used her powers to unlatch it and they helped each other get inside. They carefully walk through the building, careful to avoid touching anything that could set off an alarm, before getting to the mayor’s office. The lock was strange and seemed to need a special kind of key but Spike softly blew fire into the lock, keeping it going until the lock’s internals melted and they walked in. The office was small but cold and much of the furniture was a dark oak, behind the main desk was a view of the whole city not unlike Spike’s own from his bedroom. Awards and paintings of Beezen himself were on the walls.
“So if I was a crazy guy where would I keep a magical glowing scepter?”
“He would want quick access to it so maybe around the desk?” Twilight checked out the desk for any secrets while Spike looked over the books since he saw it in a movie once. They decided to take a break after twenty minutes and Twilight sat in the mayor’s chair, tapping on it annoyed. Spike snapped his fingers repeatedly, making tiny flames out of boredom. Twilight watched the flames and noticed something, grabbing Spike’s hand as he made a flame and slowly moved it around. The flame would move a bit the nearer they got to one of the paintings of Beezen. “There is a draft coming through this painting!”
They moved it to see an empty hole behind it where the staff should have been, they turned just as Beezen entered the room. “You little fools! You truly thought I would leave my personal favorite item behind when two children would surely come for it? Seeing as you have come this far it’s only fair that I treat you both with the utmost respect! Now give me the artifact or die." Twilight levitated several objects and Spike's hands caught on fire while Brazen rolled his eyes and reached into his coat, pulling out a gun and shooting it towards Twilight's leg. The girl called out and held her leg while she fell and gritted her teeth. Spike rushed towards her but another shot blocked his way, skinning his hand. "Nope, you two may be strong but you only had your powers for a day at most so ask yourself, you think you can beat me before someone gets shot? Now give me the artifact or pay the price." He pointed the gun at Twilight who glared at the man and forced herself to stand even though it hurt worse than anything before.
"Spike, if you give it to him the whole city could be threatened! You can't let one person endanger everyone else!"
"Ahh yes boy, she is correct of course. Refuse me and save the city, you may very well have the time to strike me down before I get a shot to you but she won't be so lucky. Be greedy and give me the artifact then the girl will live a few moments longer before I take this city for myself. Which will it be hero?"
Spike took a step back as he looked at Twilight and then pulled out the stone, letting its power wash over him as he thought about what he wants to do and what he should. He remembered a conversation that he once had with Cadence a long time ago, one he never understood until now.
. . .
She had just gotten the biggest grounding of her life because she had snuck out of the house in the middle of the night to have a picnic with Shining under the stars and they fell asleep, both missing school the next day and scaring both sets of parents. This started Celestia's reluctance to let the two date until she realized how much he really cared for Cadence and when Spike also took their side Celestia decided that she would give the boy a chance to impress her. Luna never doubted their feelings, after all, if you liked someone enough to go against her sister then that was true love right there.
Even with the grounding, Cadence was smiling the whole day and Spike had asked her why she did something she knew was wrong. She smiled and giggled at him while pulling him into a hug which made him feel like a plush toy as she nuzzled him.
"Still so young and even with all those smarts, you have a lot to learn about people's hearts little bro. I did what I did because to me it felt right and if I regretted it for even a moment then I knew that it was never right but I don't regret it. I spent a wonderful night with the man I care so much about and I would never take it back even if mom grounded me forever. There is a time that comes for everyone when we make a choice between what we know is right and what we feel is right." Cadence turned Spike so he was facing her and she gently put her forehead against his and closed her eyes while laying a soft hand on his small chest. "Promise me, Spike, that when that day comes you'll listen to your heart and what you feel. I know it seems foolish or stupid but I have always believed that it is the path we should take and that was the path that gave us you so let your heart choose your fate."
"Let my heart choose? I don't know if it will be able to make a choice like that but I promise to try Cadence!"
"Thank you my wittle Spikey Wikey!"
"Ugh you know I hate that nickname!! Only mom calls me that!" Spike pouted and tried to tickle his sister only to be taken down and his attack reversed onto him. Luna and Celestia smiled looking on and thought back to when they were younger and had a similar conversation with their mother.
. . .
"Promise… to do what I feel is right…" Spike whispered to himself before touching his heart and tossing the stone to Beezen. The man tossed the gun aside, allowing Spike to run to Twilight and check on her leg, and he grabbed the stone waiting for the power to fill him but nothing happened…
"W-what is this!?! Why am I not gaining magic!? What did you do boy!!"
"It is not the boy at fault here!" A voice shouted out from the stone as it glowed but the voice was strange and sounded as if it were many voices together, two of which Spike and Twilight identified as their own.
"I-I don't understand why I was given nothing when the brats were! I demand power!!"
"I do not grant power, only amplify what a being already has or awakens their power. You have no potential or even the barest spark of magic in you." Beezen seemed to be physically hurt by the words until that hurt turned to anger and denial.
"No, this can not be true! I will not have my destiny be denied!!” He angrily shouted and smashed the stone into the scepter, boosting its natural ingrained power and unlocking old abilities that the scepter had lost over time. Beezen’s eyes turned red as the scepter’s power overtook his mind and reverted him to his most basic desire. Spike checked Twilight’s leg and cursed while he moved his mouth close to it and told her that this would hurt, he blew fire on the wound to make it stop bleeding and Twilight shouted an obscenity. The two looked up to see that Beezen had the full power scepter in his hands and he aimed it at them just as Twilight used her power to use a bunch of books as a shield but the power was too much and both of them were blasted right out of the building and landed hard on the road.
“O-ow… Oh no…” Spike looked around as people started to run over to check on them but he waved them off. “Run!! The mayor has a shotgun and is on a rampage!!” That got the desired effect as they all ran off and Spike looked around for something he could use to get them away, seeing a colorful house nearby that had a lot of random sporting equipment everywhere on the lawn. Spike rushed over and took a scooter from the pile of things and helped Twilight onto it just as Beezen floated out of City Hall. Spike shot a fireball at him while he began to ride away, a window from the house opening as a girl with rainbow hair shouted after him.
“Hey!! That’s my sister’s scooter!!”
“Sorry I’ll return someday!!” Spike shouted back as he rode as fast as he could, Twilight regaining consciousness and using her powers to send things flying or to defend them from Beezen’s attacks. The old man sent fire and blasts of energy at the two and at anyone that dared to say anything to him. Spike thought hard about where to go, Beezen was too dangerous right now to just fight him in the middle of the street and he was attacking everything. He thought of where this all started and made a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway.
“You brats have messed with me for the last time!” He chased them as Twilight brought down the metal walkway steps above their heads as they passed, causing them to crush the man if only for a second before he shouted and blasted all of them away. “I’m done playing games!!”
“Oh, really and you had just gotten fun too!” Spike shouted as he asked Twilight for something and she nodded, focusing her power as Spike drove them right in the direction of a fence. “Hey Beeswax! Screw you! Now Twi!” Twilight propelled them into the air as Beezen rushed at them, shooting a large blast, and Spike shot a torrent of fire at the man. The two attacks collided as they jumped the fence into the amusement park, causing an eruption that sent Twilight and Spike flying in different directions. Beezen landed nearby and walked around the park, looking for the two as he sent electric energy and fire in several locations.
“You two can’t hide from me forever! Once you two are out of the way there will be no one left that can get in my way, why not give up this game? You two can’t hope to beat the scepter!” A hotdog stand was tipped over and he immediately blew it up, leaving himself open as Spike shot several fireballs at his back before hiding again in a maze of tents and games. Beezen angrily shot fire at the tents as Twilight used her powers to make the games fight back, shooting water and throwing its prizes at the wizard. Spike rolled out from under his hiding place and Twilight sent him into the air as he pulled back his fist as the emerald fire turned a darker green and he punched the wizard to the ground.
“Damn you damn you DAMN YOU TWO!” Beezen shouted and smacked the stone on the ground, causing sparks and power to erupt out in waves. “I need more power! Give me all I need to reduce them to ash!!” The stone and cane glowed brightly as Beezen’s skin cracked and magic entered his body, causing the cracks to glow red and his eyes to glow a bright scarlet. His screams turned into roars as the man lost himself fully and he shot bolts of red lightning at them as they ducked and weaved around them. The night sky began to take on a blood color as the two shot fire and energy of their own but the attacks did nothing.
“We can’t hurt him now… wait wait Twi! Remember what happened at the construction site yesterday?! When you tried to get all those rocks together!”
“Hurry and shot as many fireballs as you can Spike!” He nodded glad to see she had gotten his plan and the two set it into motion.
“Hey, you Harry Potter wannabe! If you are some big powerful wizard how are you being stopped by two kids?!” Beezen roared and focused on Spike while shooting everything at him while Spike ran. Spike shot fireball after fireball but none were hitting Beezen and after a minute he hid behind a burning tent to try and regain his breath. A hand shot out from the flames however and gripped his neck from behind as Beezen lifted Spike and floated above the park, looking down as Spike tried to escape.
“Come on out girl or this boy will suffer my wrath!” Twilight did come out but she was sweating and looked extremely stressed.
“O-one more Spike!!” Spike nodded and looked up as he shot out a large fireball through his mouth into the sky. Beezen looked up to see an enormous unstable ball of fire barely being held together by magic.
“W-what!? NO!!” He tried to escape but was held in place by the air pressure as Twilight sent the ball down at them. Spike smirked and headbutted the man in the nose, breaking it and making him drop him as Beezen took on the fire and magic as it exploded with him in the center. Twilight rushed forward and grabbed Spike before he hit the ground and the two laid there.
“N-never doing a plan like that again…”
“Deal… U-ugh I could go for some breakfast…” Both teens laughed a bit when they saw a body fall to the ground. They forced themselves back up as they walked over to see their defeated foe but neither could stop the shivers as the man stood again. “N-no… just stay down!”
“I-I… with all my power… If I can not have Canterlot… then I will see it burn by those you two fought to protect…” Beezen’s body was beaten, burned, and broken as he raised the cane one last time in the distance Twilight and Spike could see dozens of lights shootout around the city from the same location. It took a moment before Twilight realized what they had just seen and shot a beam into Beezen’s arm, making him drop the cane in pain.
“All those magic things they had collected over the years… He sent them all around the city. He hopes that others like him will find them and destroy Canterlot.” Spike blinked and looked up at the sky as it turned back to its rightful color and he looked down at the smiling old man.
“Then it looks like our job’s not down yet. Let a thousand people like him find those things but we’ll always be there to stop them.” Twilight smiled and nodded, high fiving the boy as they went for the cane but it sparked and the stone broke free from the cane and sent it flying while it dangerously floated and sent energy everywhere. “W-what’s going on?!”
“I think the stone absorbed all of Beezen’s negative energy and now it’s just releasing it all! We have to grab it!”
“That much greed and evil… if one of us grabbed it we don’t know what could happen to our bodies!” Both slowly made steps to the stone as it attacked them and they reached out feeling greed and hate fill their bodies and minds.
“No! Keep true to yourselves and don’t forget why you’re doing this! Think of your values, your family, and friends! Think of them and let this be the end! Only you two can finish this fight and bring back the light!” Both thought of those they loved and how dearly they wanted to protect them, they held hands while reaching with their others. Visions of Shining, Cadence, Luna, Celestia, two others that Spike didn’t recognize but guessed were Twilight’s parents, Scootaloo, Button, dozens of the townspeople that they had gotten to know, and lastly, two beings that resembled a purple pony and small dragon nodded at them. Spike’s eyes caught fire and he pushed forward and Twilight’s eyes turned completely white and both grabbed the stone together as it was overpowered by their emotions and the stone cracked. The shock waves of power sent the two back to the earth but in their hands was the stone.
That morning, the whole town was talking about how the mayor had gone on a murderous rampage and attacked two local children who managed to work together and bring down the man. He was insane as he went on about magic and how he would take over the world. Reports of the red sky and lights were being investigated by the scientific community but they came to the conclusion that it was hallucinations caused by mass hysteria. Spike and Twilight were taken to the hospital where they were fawned over by their families and told they would be grounded indefinitely once they were home. Spike had escaped his bed and visited Twilight one of the days and said that since he will be going to Crystal Prep soon the two should make a club that hunts down the magic items that are all around the city. Twilight didn’t think they would get much support for such a concept but would work on pitching it to Principal Cinch and they could use her extra room as a clubhouse. After all, who knows what other crazies could be out there?
. . .
A teenage girl with red and yellow hair crossed her arms as she looked over the destroyed amusement park and examined some of the burn marks as something caught her eye. She walked over to an open sewer line that had yet to be closed when the park was destroyed and stuck inside was a cane which she took. Looking over it, she smiled deviously as it glowed softly.
“Well, what do we have here?”
. . .
A few weeks later, Twilight and Spike had cleaned up and prepared the closet as a place where they could plan out where to start their search for the other objects. Behind them in a glass case, the cracked stone sat peacefully until a light glow returned to the stone…