//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twenty-Eight:Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Three:An Unfair Fight 
// Story: Time Stops For No Dragon 
// by FluttershyLover55 
//------------------------------//

Time Stops For No Dragon
Chapter 28-Spike's Ultimate Destiny, Part Three:An Unfair Fight

After making it to the fourth floor, he found the final staircase, racing up the steps as quickly as possible. It wasn't long before he reached the roof, emerging into the chilly night air. He was thankful for his scales, which protected him from being affected as much as he could have been. Starswirl had gone all out it seemed, crafting the replica in such a way that it apparently, mirrored the time of day and weather conditions of the world outside of the pocket dimension. The young dragon would have honestly been impressed, if it wasn't for the fact that it was made by his ultimate enemy.

He tapped his foot impatiently, wondering where Starswirl was, and wanting to get this over with. With the back to back adventures the year before and this whole adventure, he was more than ready to be done with this, so he could get back to his peaceful life. While he had always wanted to be a hero, he was pretty sure that he had had enough of being one for now. But, if he wanted to return everything to normal, then there was one final test that he had to complete, and it was the biggest challenge that he had ever faced.

As if that wasn't already apparent, Starswirl appeared out of nowhere, descending to the surface of the roof with lightning crackling all around his body. He was on a whole other level, in a whole other league than Spike was. Although he was trying to hide it, he was quaking in his boots on the inside.

The ancient unicorn regarded him coldly, contempt the only emotion visible upon his face. "I'm not sure what you did to her, and I really don't care, but it seems that you managed to best your lovely female friend, and made it all the way up here. You might have beaten the level, but you haven't yet won the game. Rest assured, I have no intention of fighting you, but know this: you have no chance of defeating the final boss, and if you try to raise a claw against me, your death will be swift and extremely painful."

Spike was surprised to say the least, but there was NO way that he was backing down after hyping himself up for a fight. "I wouldn't be acting so smug, if I were you. I think you'll find that there's more to me, than meets the eye. I've got a secret weapon up my sleeve, and I'm just itching to use it!"

Starswirl smirked, not feeling threatened in the least, by what he interpreted as a feeble attempt to sound tougher than the dragon actually was. "Oh, really? Well, it just so happens, that I have a trick up my sleeve, as well. I'm confident that mine is much more impressive than yours, however. Behold!"

With a flash of light from his horn, two familiar ponies appeared, floating in the air high above the castle. They both appeared to be unconscious and their names were out of Spike's lips, before his mind even had time to register what was happening.

"Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie!" He yelled, trying to get their attention.

"It's no use, they can't hear you. I haven't done anything to them either, I promise. More importantly, you have a big decision to make. In fact, you could say that it's a decision, which will lead to your ultimate destiny. In a moment, I'm about to drop both of them at the same time. You will only have time to save one, so choose wisely. Which of these lovely mares, is your destiny? Which one, will you spend the rest of your life with? Make sure to think it over carefully, but not TOO carefully, mind you, because whoever you don't save will most assuredly, die.

While you're busy doing that, I'm going to make my escape. I suppose that if you really wanted to, you could pick the third option and fight me with that secret weapon of yours. That would be enough to stop me from escaping back to the real world and leaving you here, but then you would lose both of them. Something tells me that you aren't the type to leave two young, beautiful mares who both see you as more than a friend, to die." Starswirl explained. "Now, Spike, think FAST!"

Before Spike could respond, the magic aura surrounding both of his love interests dispersed, sending them plummeting towards the ground. They had been positioned on the left and right sides of the roof, so that he would only be able to save one, especially at the speed they were falling. He was standing in the center of the roof and by the time he ran to one side, the pony on the other side would already be a pancake. Not to mention the fact that Starswirl had ripped open a portal, and he was currently in the process of stepping through it.

The only way Spike could see of getting through this, would be if he used some of his magic power to speed up his movement. Even so, he wouldn't be able to save both of them and stop Starswirl at the same time. This was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. Should he save one of them, or go after the bad guy?

That was when he remembered something that he could use, and although there was no guarantee that it would work, it was the best shot he had at ending this with a desirable outcome. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a golden coin, flipping it into the air. It landed with the tails side facing up, as time seemed to slow down to a crawl. A long tail attached to a mismatched body, emerged from the coin upside down, revealing a certain draconequs. With a snap of his fingers, he reappeared right side up.

The look on his face let Spike know that he was mildly annoyed. "Spike, I know that I said you could call me whenever you needed help and I would come running, but I'm sort of in the middle of something. Also, long distance calls aren't really my thing, considering the fact that this is another time period and all. Not only that, but this is also, another dimension within that same period of time! I would appreciate it, if we could hurry this up. Even someone as devilishly handsome as me, needs their beauty rest and…" Discord rambled on, not letting his dragon summoner get a word in edgewise. He trailed off, going silent as he took in the scene around them, processing the situation.

"Yeah, uh, so I need your help." Spike rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortably.

Discord rolled his eyes. "Well, duh, I can see that for myself." He glanced at the two mares, which were halfway through with their descent, slowly moving closer to the ground. Starswirl already had one hoof inside the portal and was raising the other to do the same. "Let me guess, you want me to stop Starswirl from leaving, while you go save both of your friends?" When Spike just stared at him with a deadpan expression on his face, he sighed. "Oh, all right. If you want to hog all the fun parts for yourself, then be that way. I'll go save your little marefriends, as long as you promise me that I get to have some fun with them afterwards."

"Discord…" Spike groaned in frustration. Normally, he would be more open to his strange friend's teasing, but he was not in the mood to put up with the draconequs' unique brand of nonsense.

"Oh, lighten up, I was only kidding! I mean, you're acting like you're about to face off against the final boss of some game you were playing, which will culminate in the fulfillment of your ultimate destiny or something. All the same, I know that there's no room for failure here, so go do what you were born to do." He patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, Spike. You just might need it, this time."

Spike nodded. "Thanks, Discord. I really appreciate this." Without another word, he sprinted towards Starswirl's location, as time returned to its present flow.

Discord was left behind to do the job that he had been summoned for, but before he could, he realized that something was wrong. Something had felt off for a while now, ever since he had arrived and it wasn't until this moment, that he knew what it was. When he snapped his fingers to teleport, only sparks appeared, as the spell fizzled out. It was just as he had feared, this place was sapping his energy, somehow dampening his powers. It was likely due to the fact that Starswirl had total mastery of this place, making any creature that entered it uninvited, essentially powerless.

"Oh, crabapples." He grumbled, cursing his misfortune.

There wasn't any time left to lament, since both mares were still on a one way ticket to the afterlife. Discord had retained his ability to float, so he drifted over towards Pinkie Pie as fast as he could, hoping that he would be fast enough to get to Fluttershy, as well.

Starswirl was certain that his victory was guaranteed and he wasn't paying attention to anything around him, so he was startled, when he felt something grab onto his back legs.

"What the?" Upon looking down and seeing that it was Spike, he frowned. "I see, that you've chosen the third option. How unfortunate. Well, it can't be helped, I suppose. If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" He kicked Spike in the face, knocking him back a few feet, and began charging up a spell. A golden orb was growing at the tip of his horn, as he gathered energy.

Spike was certain that it would take him several minutes to prepare a spell that looked so powerful, which gave him time to think of a way to avoid it.

Thorn spoke up in his mind. "Spike, we have a problem!"

"If you're worried about getting hit by that spell, it won't be a problem, since we have this gauntlet and I can just absorb it, remember?" Spike said, nonchalantly.

"That's the problem I was referring to, Spike! I'm not sure how you could have possibly forgotten, but we have a piece of Discord's soul in it, right now. It can only hold one spell at a time and the only way to free up space is to either fire the spell as an attack, or absorb it into your body. I don't think I need to tell you this, but it's obvious that firing such a spell at Starswirl is a bad idea. If he were to absorb it's power, then he would be more than we could handle. He's already more than we can handle and I think that becoming one with the darkness is the only way for us to obtain the strength we need to defeat him, even if it isn't the most appealing of options." He advised, rationally.

"You're right, Thorn. I think we should do it. I'm the one who told you earlier, that if it came down to it I was pretty sure that I'm strong enough to keep it from taking me over completely. If that spell hits us head-on, then we're done for." Spike reasoned.

Thorn wasn't expecting him to agree so readily, but it worked out in his favor, so he wasn't complaining.

Suddenly, Discord appeared in front of him, hanging his head and looking guilty.

"Oh, hey, Discord. Did you do what I asked?" Spike asked. When he noticed the distraught look on his face, he frowned. "What's wrong?"

Discord hated to tell him, he really did, but nothing would be accomplished by hiding the truth, so he simply came out and said it. "Spike, I was able to save Pinkie Pie, and…"

He trailed off, so Spike prompted him to continue. "And? What about Fluttershy?"

"And, as for Fluttershy…I regret to inform you that…" Discord's face was pale, as if he had witnessed something so horrible that he would never be able to wipe from his memory. "I…she was right there, and I reached out to grab her, but…"

"Just spit it out, Discord!" Spike snapped, tired of him dancing around the issue. If it was bad news, and he had the feeling that it was, then he would much rather be told about it quickly, so that he could rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak.

"I wasn't fast enough! I couldn't save her, Spike. I'm deeply sorry. She…it wasn't pretty." His fur, once a multitude of colors, was now heavily stained, a deep red. It wasn't hard to guess that he must have been right next to her, when it happened.

Spike's face fell, the sadness and helplessness he felt combining into rage. He was looking a little pale, himself. "You didn't…you're the Lord of Chaos, for Celestia's sake! You're more powerful than pretty much every villain we've ever faced, and yet you couldn't do anything when it mattered the most! You can't tell me that you tried your best, because from what I've seen, this wasn't it!" He yelled, tears threatening to escape from his eyes.

It was obvious that he wasn't going to listen to him, or believe anything he said, so Discord gave up. "Spike, I don't have access to all of my powers here, so there truly wasn't anything I could do. Whether you believe it or not, I tried my best."

Just as he finished speaking, the spell was fired. It was much earlier than expected, having only charged for a minute or two, as opposed to the five or six he assumed it would take. Spike wasn't prepared at all, and if it weren't for Discord taking the blow for him at the last second, he wouldn't have survived. The draconequs dropped to the surface of the roof, his body beginning to fade.

"Discord, why would you do that? After I was so mean to you?" Spike was shocked. All of this heartache assaulting him at once, had left him feeling numb.

He smiled sadly, now almost entirely see-through, and he was fading fast. "Despite what you may think of me, I only have your best interests at heart. Why wouldn't I save, the only friend I've had in over a century? Especially, if this helps make up for my failure. I wish to atone for my incompetence, and this is as fitting an end as any for a creature like me."

With those words, he disappeared completely, leaving behind the coin, although it was now cracked down the middle. Spike pocketed the item hastily, turning his attention back to Starswirl. The evil unicorn was in the middle of charging up another spell. It looked to be the same one again, judging by the golden orb that was slowly growing at the tip of his horn.

All of the anger, sadness, and frustration at recent events were bubbling up inside of the young dragon, threatening to overflow. "First, Fluttershy, and now, Discord! Mark my words, Starswirl, and commit them to memory! I WILL stop you, and you WILL pay for this! Have you got that memorized? I won't allow you to get away with your evil deeds, any longer!"
The cracks in the gauntlet had been spreading more and more as time went on, and now, the darkness was beginning to ooze out and onto Spike's arm. It was creeping up his arm slowly, and he hadn't noticed it yet.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying, just now? I wasn't listening." Starswirl shrugged, indifferently.

That was the last straw. Spike was tired of no one taking him seriously, whether they were a pony or some other creature. He let out a scream of anguish, all of his pent up emotions bursting out of him at once. In response to his intense anger, the gauntlet shattered, as the shadowy essence once contained within surged up Spike's arm and rapidly spread to the rest of his body. He welcomed it, allowing it to cover his body entirely, with no attempt to resist.

"I'll show them. I'll show them all! Spike the Dragon isn't some weak little sissy pony, just because he was raised by them. Besides, they aren't as weak as everyone seems to think. They're just stronger in a different way. When it comes to matters of the heart, their knowledge is second to none. Fluttershy and Discord's deaths won't be in vain. I'll make sure of that, when I rip Starswirl's head off of his body and mount it above my fireplace!" 

Such dark thoughts weren't like Spike, but Thorn couldn't protest, as he was forced to the back of his mind by the dark presence that was taking hold. Spike was letting his emotions take full control, and it would be a lie to say that some part of him didn't enjoy it. If he had to become a monster to gain the strength required to defeat one, then he would do it with no hesitation. And, that's exactly what he became.

The transformation happened near instantly, his whole body becoming a shade of black, which was somehow darker than any shade of the color ever seen before. His eyes were a pure white with no pupils, and his teeth were razor sharp. His claws had also been sharpened to an ultra deadly degree. He was officially a denizen of the dark, nothing more than a living shadow, given a lethal, physical form to inhabit. His entire existence was pain, and his deepest desire was to make others feel the same way he did. At the moment, this only applied to Starswirl, but a single target, especially when they were so powerful, was more than enough for now.

His opponent was terrified on the inside, but he did an admirable job of hiding it, externally. "Ha! Did you really think that becoming some kind of grotesque, abomination would be enough to give you the power you need to defeat me? Don't make me laugh! You'll soon see, just how wrong you are, in a few more seconds."

True to his word, his magic was fully charged, and he fired it within the span of a few seconds. This unleashed a gargantuan blast, of the same type as the one that had managed to fell Discord (he was severely weakened, but still) as such, it would be no small feat to survive it, let alone, stop it in its tracks. And yet, that's exactly what he did. A cloud of dust billowed out from where Spike was at the moment of impact, leaving Starswirl to wonder if he had hit his mark or not.

He was certain that he had wiped that insufferable lizard completely off the map, so his mouth fell open when the cloud finally cleared. 'Shadowy' Spike was still standing, unfazed by the magical laser.

"What?! No creature, dragon or otherwise, should have been able to survive such a concentrated beam! You should have been disintegrated on the spot, so how are you still alive?" Starswirl was baffled, to say the least.

Spike grinned menacingly, showing off his new, shark-like chompers. "It wasn't as difficult as you might think, to survive a pathetic blast like that one. Let me show you, what true power looks like!"

Apparently, Discord's soul had adapted to take on the abilities of the gauntlet, giving it the power to absorb attacks. Thanks to that, Spike came out of the cloud unscathed, having absorbed the spell into his own body. His now tainted skin began to glow brightly, then a beam twice as powerful as the old wizard's was fired back in his direction, having the corrupted dragon's newfound power added into it.

Starswirl almost wasn't quick enough to move out of the way, diving to the side and lying facedown on the surface of the roof. He stared incredulously at the creature, no that wasn't quite right, monster that the laser had come from, gulping in fear. That blow could have killed him, leaving nothing but a black spot where he had been standing. This battle was starting to get serious.

"Oh, get ready, 'Swirly Beard'! What happens next, is the best part!" Spike exclaimed, his voice, a mixture of the near demonic entity he had become and his usual tone.

Starswirl wanted to comment on the insulting nickname his upgraded enemy had given him, but he was too scared to say his complaint out loud.

He was sure of one thing, though, and that was the fact that this battle had taken a sudden turn, veering off onto the worst path of the road that they had been traveling on, since the game first began.