A while back you might recall that I wrote down about how a centaur by the name of Tirek destroyed Twilight's library. He was quite the troublemaker and when he somehow got hold of the last of Humanoid's magic that was set loose he used it to free himself from Tartarus and once again set out to take the magic that rightfully belonged to ponies. But since he sticks out like a sore thumb it wasn't that hard to track him down before he did too much damage.
"What the?" Tirek asked when he saw me show up to stop him from taking more pony magic. I then tighten my fist as I got ready to give this guy exactly what he deserved.
"This is for what you did to the library." I punched Tirek so hard that he fell flat on his back. Let me tell you, that felt good, not as good as when I punched Humanoid but still good. I made short work of Tirek and took him to a special place that I'm quite sure at this point you can guess where.
"What's this? Some sort of new Tartarus?"
"I guess that would be a pretty good way to look at it," I answered as I dropped him off.
"Hi Tirek," Cozy Glow said.
"It's Lord Tirek."
"Well here it's just the latest bad guy to get locked up here," I said.
"Spike?" Starlight called out. "Can I come out of here now please? I'm really really sorry for what I did."
"I'm really really sorry for what I did," Chrysalis said in a baby-like voice while once again turning into Starlight. "Oh my gosh you are pathetic."
"Indeed," Sombra agreed. "You could at least have some dignity."
"Please Spike," Starlight said as I could see she was on the verge of crying. Twilight was with me as well as the New Bearers in case I needed some help so I turned to them.
"What do you all think?"
"She does look like she's really sorry," Cheerilee said.
"Eeyup."
"If the rest of you think she's learned her lesson then let's get her out and get going." Soarin said. "I got to get to Wonderbolts practice."
"And I have a date with Pinkie Pie," Cheese Sandwich said.
"I sense she truly wishes to atone for cries for redemption are overblown. Let us allow her to amend her sins and if worse comes to worse I can put her back here again," Zecora said.
"Plus she does seem rather gifted in magic, kind of like a certain special pony I know," Shining Armor said as he rubbed Twilight's a little bit.
"Shining Armor knock it off," Twilight said with a laugh as he pushed his foreleg off. "But I think you may have a point."
"YES! YES HE DOES!" Starlight said as she smiled and rocked the bars that separated her from us.
"All right fine," Twilight said. "I guess she has been in here long enough." We then got her out and escorted her out of the prison to leave the four villains to get to know each other or so that's what I thought at the time.
"You know not to sound ungrateful or anything," Starlight said as we left the prison. "But you really should have gotten me out of there sooner. I mean yeah what I did was wrong but I wasn't as bad as the others especially that creepy filly," Starlight added as she shivered a bit. "I mean you could have just given me community service or something, I should not have been in that prison at all you should have gotten me out of there sooner so-" Starlight was cut off when a large explosion nearly made her pop right out of her coat. And it nearly made me pop out of my scales.
"What in Equestria?!" Twilight said. We turned around and saw that the explosion was from the prison and now it was barely standing.
"You know," Starlight said. "I'm just glad that you decided to set me free. I promise I'll prove to you you made the right decision," Starlight said as she bowed to Twilight. I made my way back to the prison to see how the four prisoners were doing but to my surprise, well I think the better word is shock.
They vanished, like phantoms in the night.
"They're gone?" Shining Armor asked when I came back.
"Yeah there wasn't even a trace," I answered. Shining Armor couldn't believe what he just heard and I couldn't blame him. I could hardly believe it too and I saw it myself, it was that much of a shock.
But it was nothing compared to the shock that I was in for later.
***
"An explosion!" Rarity said when I explained to her what happened after she stopped by the castle to see how I was doing. "Oh Spikey Wikey that must have been so frightening," she added as she pulled me into a hug.
"Oh it wasn't too scary, I knew Twilight and Shining Armor were there to have my back if I needed it. As long as we stick together, there isn't anything we can't handle."
"Brave, adorable, and wise. You really are the full package Spike."
"Thank you Rarity, that means everything coming from you," I said to her. Just as we were about to kiss we heard several screams coming from outside the castle.
"Good heavens. You don't suppose that those ruffians came here for revenge do you? Rarity asked and just as I was about to answer Twilight came into my room with a look that seemed to be a mix of shock, confusion, and curiosity.
"Spike," Twilight said. "There's several someponies here to see you."
"Who?"
"It might be easier for you to see for yourself." After hearing that I decided to take her advice and made my way outside the castle because that's where Twilight said the visitors were. When I made it outside I saw them and it was just about the most jaw dropping experience I ever had.
"Wendigos?" I asked. Yeah that's right wendigos imagine how that feels seeing creatures from an old story that nearly flooded Equestria in eternal snow right outside your front door. I didn't even know how to respond or if I even should, thankfully they were the ones that broke the silence.
"Spike the dragon," one of them said.
"We meet face to face at last."
"You, know who I am?"
"You've made it quite hard not to," another replied. "You have built quite the reputation for yourself." I guess I was more famous than I thought if even the wendigos know who I am.
"But how are you even here? Humanoid killed you guys."
"We are forces of nature," the third one answered. "Death and rebirth is as part of nature as it is of us."
Whatever that means.
"What are you lot even doing here?"
"We have come to warn you that a great imbalance is coming and you must prepare."
"A magical imbalance, but that can't be. We contained all of Humanoid's magic that he released during our last fight with him."
"But you did not contain Humanoid, Humanoid himself is a magical imbalance."
"What do you mean?"
"Humanoid's magic interferes with the magic of others, such a great power cannot be trusted in the claws of one so unstable."
"Well I guess I can't argue with that, but it is really fair for you to call him a threat considering what you tried to do to Equestria so long ago?"
"What we do is in our nature, we are drawn to those with coldness in our hearts to show them what they are within looks like without."
"And it was our actions that allowed the ponies of your precious story to come together and allow warmth to at last come into their hearts."
"Uh, okay I guess you have a point, by the way. Why did Humanoid kill you lot in the first place?''
"He just said we woke him up and he attacked us. He quite surprised us, for not even we could compare to the cold that lies within that creature's heart."
"We tried to defend ourselves and we nearly succeeded in freezing him in ice where we planned to make sure he stayed."
"But he broke free and then overpowered us, using our own magic against us. But the seasons pass and we become born anew."
"That sounds like him, do you know where he's hiding?"
"No," they answered at the same time and proceeded to talk that way. "But we can sense a chance coming in the wind that will be caused by him, he's planning something that will affect this world even more than we can hope to."
"Is that why you came here? To warn me about something Humanoid is planning?"
"That and to present you with this," they answered once again at the same time before they presented me with, well maybe I'll save that for later. In the meantime Humanoid was indeed planning something wicked.
***
When the prison was destroyed the four prisoners found themselves somewhere they had never been before and they were quite confused to say the least, not that I can blame them.
"Well this is unusual," Cozy Glow said while they looked around a bit. "But at least we finally got out of that prison."
"I don't know how you can talk like that when you hardly ever spent any time in there," Chrysalis said as she was flying around a bit to try and figure out where she was. "I was the one that got locked up in there first."
"Did your changeling army get us out of there somehow?" Tirek asked.
"No, I did," Humanoid answered as he walked through a waterfall and made his way towards the others.
"Who or what are you?" Tirek asked.
"Wait a minute," King Sombra said. "Are you Humanoid?"
"Yes."
"How do you know who he is?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Wait Humanoid?" Chrysalis asked as she put her legs on the ground. "The Humanoid?"
"So you aren't just a legend afterall," Tirek added.
"I don't know what I am anymore," Humanoid replied. Wait, he really said that?
"Okay, so how do you all know who he is?" Cozy asked.
"He was the one that took over the Crystal Empire and forced everypony there out," Sombra answered. "News of that traveled all the way to where Chrysalis and I were being held, it was that big a deal."
"Yes, but when I first heard about that I wasn't entirely sure that the actual Humanoid was the one behind it. I suppose I was wrong," Chrysalis added.
"He was a powerful creature that nearly remodeled the landscape of Equestria," Tirek answered. "He was on par with Grogar the father of monsters in his prime, before he just disappeared."
"Grogar, there's a name I haven't in a long time," Humanoid replied and then laid down right on the ground. "Nighty night."
"Wait what?" Cozy Glow said as she flew over to him. "Uh, are you going to sleep?"
"Yes, that's why I'm not standing. I could sleep while I stand but that's not nearly as comfortable."
"Okay but there was a reason you brought us here right? Right? Hello?!" Humanoid then grabbed Cozy Glow and held her super close to his face like she was a teddy bear. "Uh a little help here, please, this guy's claws are really sharp. Seriously they're digging right into my coat and I think one of them is poking a vital organ."
"Figure out how to escape yourself brat, we need to figure out where we are," Tirek replied.
***
Eventually Cozy got her way out of Humanoid's grip and explored the place she was brought to along with the other rogues. Eventually though they figured that they should see why Humanoid who was still sleeping brought them there.
"Hey Humanoid," Tirek said as he was tapping right on his head but got no response. "Hey come on, wake up, wake up. WAKE UP!" Suddenly Humanoid opened his eyes, but not before one of his arms reached out and grabbed Tirek by the throat, kind of wish I saw that actually.
"What do you want, you spoiled brat of a prince?" Humanoid asked as he got up. Tirek tried to somewhat fight back by trying to steal his magic but the magic he removed also went around his neck, kind of wish I got to see that too.
"Uh, a little help here," Tirek cried out hoping the other bad guys would help.
"Figure out how to escape yourself brat, we need to figure out where we are," Cozy replied who I'm pretty sure was very happy to throw Tirek's words back at him.
"We want to know why you brought us here," Sombra replied.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"The only thing that's obvious is how little oxygen Tirek is getting," Chrysalis said as she pointed to the said centaur whose face went from red to blue. Humanoid then finally let go, dropping him to the ground gasping for air while Humanoid reabsorbs what little magic Tirek took.
"Cozy Glow was right, those claws are sharp," Tirek said as he was able to stand up once again.
"Told you," she said.
"To get to the point, mostly because I want to get back to sleep," Humanoid said. "I got a plan to make sure no creature or anything will ever wake me up ever again. And you lot are going to help me."
"And what exactly makes you think that we're going to do that?" Tirek asked.
"Because I'm not giving you lot a choice, would you rather I send you back to that prison I went to all the trouble of getting you out of?" Humanoid asked the others were so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "Didn't think so, now listen up because I'm not repeating myself, well maybe after my nap."
***
Meanwhile back in Ponyville I was spending quality time with Rarity who was feeding me gems, but not just any gems. Special gems that she found, polished, and aged just for me.
Isn't she just wonderful?
"Oh no," I said to her with my mouth kind of full of those delicious gems that I was just describing. "Please Rarity, I couldn't eat another bite."
"Well all right Spike if you insist. I'll just save the others for later," Rarity said as she put a few of the said gems she had in her hoof into the basket with the rest and levitated the basket into an open drawer before closing it with her magic. "I suppose that is for the best Spike. After all, we wouldn't want you to lose that incredible physic," Rarity said as she tapped my stomach a little bit."
"Uh come on we both know I'm way more good looking when I transform," I said.
"Oh Spike you shouldn't sell yourself short like that," Rarity said. "After all that form is just an extension of who you are."
"What do you mean Rarity?"
"I mean that you shouldn't sell yourself short even when you compare you to you. Everything that makes you a great hero is right here," Rarity said as she gently placed her hoof right on my chest. Where my heart was.
"Oh Rarity you why is it you always know what to say or do to melt my heart."
"Call it my femenin charm," she answered as she batted her eyelashes, gosh I love it when she does that. I then leaned in and kissed her which she gladly returned, another thing she does that I love. I wish I could focus more of that stuff but you're probably more curious about what Humanoid is planning.
It all started when we came to Canterlot for a special celebration. We were so excited but the excitement quickly vanished as the bad guys that Humanoid broke out of prison attacked. Discord actually warned us about this ahead of time because he could still sense some of Humanoid's magic when he tried to see what happened to the prison. So we tried extra hard to be on guard against him as well as the others because it was a sure bet he was going to force them to help whatever plan he had cooking. Twilight even thought a few plans to help us prepare for whatever was to come, we thought we could handle anything.
We were wrong.
Even though I remember it all clearly in my head it still seemed too fast to keep track of everything. Humanoid himself attacked the Tree of Harmony that Discord actually tried to protect but even he couldn’t protect it from Humanoid’s reach. Sombra attacked the Crystal Empire once again and managed to break through even when the Crystal Heart put up a barrier, Tirek attacked the pillars and drained them of their magic except for Starswirl who managed to escape and warn the others, Chrysalis attacked Twilight's school and took out Starlight when she tried to stop her, and Cozy Glow attacked Canterlot Castle making it through all by herself. She had become an alicorn which was why she was able to get through the castle security.
"Stand down Cozy Glow," Princess Celestia said as she and the others got ready to fight. Her request or rather an order that sounded like a request was turned down. I think Princess Celestia knew that was going to happen but she wanted to give her a chance. Cozy Glow continued to fly around making a mess and when Twilight tried to stop her she got her magic stolen.
"That's the problem with you magic types," Cozy said after taking Twilight's magic with Grogar's bell. "You're so reliant on your special power, you forget to use your brains." Also I should probably talk about the bell.
When Humanoid brought the rogues gallery together he also made his way up Mount Everhoof to retrieve a magical bell that belonged to Grogar himself. He was known as the Father of Monsters and had a bell that could steal magic until ironically it was stolen from him. When Humanoid got it back he used it to power up the others which helped them in their attacks.
Okay so now that you're caught up we tried to get the bell from Cozy Glow but by the time we were about to get it, the others showed up to back her up, including Humanoid.
"Humanoid," I called out.
"What?" He asked.
"I figured you were the one that was behind all of this."
"Then you figured right," he replied. "But I doubt that you have something that's going to help you stop me this time. And if you’re thinking of using this bell against us,” Humanoid added as he grabbed the bell from Cozy Glow. “Think again.” Humanoid then absorbed the bell into his body so we wouldn’t be able to reach it.
"We beat you before we can do it again."
"Yes, you in some way or another managed to defeat every single one of us. But that was when we were on our own, now we're together and we're much more powerful together than we are apart. Especially with me."
I guess there's some ego underneath all that laziness.
"Enough talk," Sombra said who looked the most eager to get back to their little revenge scheme. "Victory is almost within our grasp, let's not waste time chatting away." The rogues then made their attack and I tried to help them but Humanoid grabbed me and threw me out of not only the castle, but Canterlot. Humanoid then quickly made his way over to me with Mudslinger, Satire, and Slapstick not too far behind and very eager to get even with dad.
"Let's get him," Mudslinger said.
"Yeah," Slapstick said as he ran up to his father and hugged him which stunned us, most of all Humanoid.
"That's not what he meant," Satire said.
"Oh, okay," Slapstick said as he was still holding on to him. He then tightened his grip and lifted his father over him, flipping him over his head and slamming Humanoid on his head. Humanoid then got back up after pulling his head out of the ground.
"You got stronger my son haven't you?" Humanoid asked.
"I also learned how to read," Slapstick answered. Humanoid then grabbed Slapstick and threw him through the wall of the building that raises and lowers the drawbridge to Canterlot and I decided to fly right to him and stab him right through his chest.
Yeah, remember when I said that the wendigos gave me something? It was a silver sword hilt that was snow white on the top and the bottom that they formed from the ice stones, I have no idea what those are. But anyway the hilt was a special item they made for me that can channel the magical energy inside of me and use that to form the blade for it. When they showed up I was understandably hesitant to trust them but when they explained that all to me the concept alone was incredible. They said that it would be the perfect thing to help me defeat Humanoid once and for all because the magic I got from the Elements of Harmony can be all the more effective when concentrated through the hilt.
"What the heck is that thing?" Humanoid asked after he got impaled. "And why in the world does it sting so much?"
"It's a gift from the wendigos," I answered as I pulled the sword out of him and wasn't all that surprised when the injury healed almost right away.
"That hurt more than getting my head planted into the ground."
"Well you have a lot more pain to look forward to," I said as I swung the sword around a little as I couldn't help but show off.
"I look forward to pain every single time I open my eyes," Humanoid replied.
"What?" I asked as that rather surprised me.
"But that will be coming to an end for not just me, but all who walk on this world. So for that I can endure the pain a little longer, especially when it means I found what I was looking for."
"Was it us?" Slapstick asked. "Did you want to finally see us again dad? Do you want to try and be a family again?"
"No," Humanoid answered bluntly and wow I bet even the other bad guys would have felt sorry for Slapstick if they heard that. "I came because I sensed a powerful magical artifact somewhere here and now I found it."
"Well if you want it," I said as I jumped up and tried to slash him but Humanoid grabbed the blade with his claws. "Then you'll have to take it from my cold dead claws."
"Are you always this intense?"
"Only when I come face to face with a jerk like you."
"Must be hard to only seldom be able to get to reveal your true nature," Humanoid said to me before he squeezed the blade more causing it to crack and then utterly shatter. "It feels like my claws are going to drop off but it was worth it because now I don't have to worry about your special toy."
"Guess again," I told him before charging my magic through the hilt once again and made another blade appear which made even Humanoid's dull face drop his jaw. "You see Humanoid this sword is-"
"Don't care!" Humanoid said as he attacked me and I countered with more slashes of the sword. In case those of you reading this are wondering, I said before that I channel my magic through the hilt and that's where the blade part comes from. Even if Humanoid or anycreature really, breaks the sword. I can just channel my magic and remake it again and again.
So yeah, probably the best gift I ever got. I may actually thank the wendigos for this.
"Well you're gonna care when I use this to cut you clean in half," I said to him as I actually almost did that. If it sounds like I'm being rather violent I'm not, my magic is based on the Elements of Harmony which simply stop bad guys or imprison them. Besides, even with how strong I've become I doubt that I could kill a creature like him even if I tried.
"I'm so tired," Humanoid said as he managed to punch me right in the gut but I was able to quickly get myself back up. Humanoid would have attacked me during that time but Satire stopped Humanoid in his tracks once again when he grabbed his wrists and forced him back. He would have joined the fight earlier but he and Mudslinger went to help Slapstick unstuck from the inside of the tower.
"Stop this father," Satire said. "Just stop all of this, how much damage do you have to cause before you finally decide that it's enough?"
"It will be enough after just a little more, after all it will be enough for all of us," Humanoid answered and after doing so Slapstick grabbed him by the waist and once again pulled him over and forced his head into the ground.
"The sad thing is this is the closest thing we've done to bonding in I don't even know how long," Slapstick said.
Wow, that is sad.
"Well then let's try to make this as memorable as possible," Mudslinger said as he picked Humanoid up and then swung him around so hard I thought he was going to throw up before he let go which resulted in Humanoid going right through the other tower.
"What?" Mudslinger said as the rest of us stared at him for a little bit. "You weren't the only one that went under quite the workout Spike."
"Well if it makes it all the more easier to defeat Humanoid," I said while I shrugged a bit.
"It's not going to be easy to take down our father," Satire said and as if on cue Humanoid made his way through out of the wall he was knocked through ready for more of a fight.
"It seems my children have started to grow up. On top of that your sword is really quite painful, I figured that Grogar's Bell would be enough to counter it but now it's gone missing. I must admit I think you can beat me. Too bad that's not going to happen."
"And why is that?" I asked as I tightened my grip of the hilt ready to prove him wrong. But suddenly Humanoid made a blizzard come from right out of his claws that spread all over the mountain.
"I didn't know dad could do that," Slapstick said.
"I guess he must have learned a new trick," Satire said.
"Which just means that he's gonna be all the more harder to take down," Mudslinger said.
"Well look at the bright side," I said. "He was going to be hard to take down either way."
"How is that a bright side?" Slapstick asked.
"It was a joke Slapstick," Satire explained.
"Oh, well then I think I don't get it."
"Well then I'll explain it to you after I take down your father," I said as I leaped to Humanoid and got him with my sword a few more times.
"That toy of yours is a serious pain on my nerves," Humanoid said.
"Oh really that's kind of funny."
"Why?"
"Because that's exactly how I feel about you," I answered before I leaped over to Humanoid and stabbed him right in the chest.
"That hurts," Humanoid said. "I really wish I could just go to sleep right now."
"Well then why don't you?" I asked as I drove the sword deeper in before he managed to break it once again.
"Because If I do you'll just wake me up again," Humanoid answered as I formed the blade of the sword once again. But not before getting a painful strike from Humanoid that forced me off the mountain and slammed into the ground and formed a crater. "But after today that will never happen again."
"Why?" I asked as I picked myself back up.
"If I told you it would just make you want to stop me even more, and you're motivated enough already." Humanoid was then cut off when he was hit in the face with a snowball of all things.
"Hey dad," Slapstick said, who once again managed to catch up to us along with his brothers. "You wanna have a snowball fight?"
"Okay," Humanoid said after a short pause which actually brought a smile to Slapstack's face.
"Really?!"
"Really really." Humanoid then summoned a giant snowball and slammed it directly on top of Mudslinger, Satire, and Slapstick then rolled it away. When I saw that I was almost engulfed with rage. So I charged him and started slashing like crazy, I got a few hits but most he blocked or countered with his spikes. I did however manage to hit him dead on with a harmony beam that sent him flying and when I caught up to him I slashed him across his chest.
"How can you be so cruel to your own children!?" I asked as I tried to slash at him but he caught the blade once again.
"Despite all you've recently accomplished, you are still just a child. You couldn't understand what a father has to do for his children."
"What so you justify the way you treat them because it toughens them up?"
"Something like that," he answered as he broke the blade again but jumped back as he had to heal his claws so they would stop bleeding. He was trying to hide but I was giving him a serious beating, and I didn't plan on stopping. "But after I'm done with you no creature anywhere is going to need to be toughened up and if you're friends don't like that I'll get them out of my way too, starting with that tramp Rarity." Humanoid probably said something else but if he did I didn't hear it.
After what he said about Rarity I grabbed him by the throat and blasted him at point blank range with another harmony beam. It sent him flying once again and I flew over to where he landed once again and impaled him before he even got up.
Nopony and no creature says anything bad about my mare.
"I'm not going to tell you this again," I said as I drove the sword deeper into him. "Don't ever talk about Rarity that way."
"Hey? You think she actually cares about you?" Humanoid said as he forced me off by blowing out a powerful gust of wind. "You're just her latest toy," he said as he got back up. "Something to play with and toss out when she gets bored or finds something new, or both. You probably think she's a princess or something like that. But she's nothing but a slut."
That moment I wanted to snap his head right off of his shoulders.
"What did I tell you!" I said as I grabbed his head by his fat mouth and forced yet another harmony beam on him once again at point blank range. I managed to hold on to him the whole time and only let him go afterwards. At first I thought he was going to throw up but instead he just laughed and I didn't understand why until I shrunk down to my original form.
"Looks like you're out of magic," Humanoid said as I finally figured out what happened. He purposely got me mad so I would attack him more and use up my magic. On top of that the blade disappeared and before I could do something or try to find help, you guessed it I coughed out blood. So much in fact I collapsed to the ground.
I was in serious trouble.
"Game, set, match," Humanoid said as he picked me up. I tried to fight back as he looked like he barely had a leg to stand on but I couldn't even use my fire breath.
"It looks like all the fight in you is gone, rest now soon all the others will follow you," Humanoid said.
"NO!" I screamed as I suddenly got a second wind. "Come on one last big push." Suddenly I was able to transform once again to Humanoid's surprise. I tried to blast him or something but he beat me to it by hitting me point blank with a beam of his own sending me flying for a change.
And once again, everything went black.