//------------------------------// // Into the gates // Story: Spikes Inferno // by BookWyrm //------------------------------// Edit 1 At the midpoint on the journey of youth, I found myself in a dark forest, for the clear path was lost..." Spikes Inferno The Gate Spike ran faster than he had ever run before. The dark branches of Everfree cutting at his face all the while, but he didn't care. This day was going to be perfect, the sort of day of which Spike dreamed since he had first arrived in Ponyville. Spike had asked Rarity, the beautiful mare of his dreams, out on a date. She had said yes. Spike had planned a picnic for just the two of them, in the meadow just north of Ponyville... Just south to Everfree. Spike had arrived at the meadow, and saw his beloved Rarity across the way. She had been admiring a flower. Spike noticed she was wearing the fire ruby necklace, a memory they shared from what seemed like so long ago... Oh how beautiful spike found her just then. A shadow emerged from the forest. A great shapeless thing swooped in and engulfed Rarity and dragging her into the forest. Spike was speechless. The baby dragons eyes widened with fear his mouth went dry, he ran to the forests edge, but gave pause... What could he do? A wingless baby dragon with barley a lick of fire on his breath, all alone in such a frightening forest. Rarity’s fire ruby necklace lay on the ground, lost... Spike picked it up and was about to go for help, when he heard Rarity scream. Now Spike was Giving chase, dodging trees and boulders as he followed, barely keeping up with the shadow and the sound of pained screams from his beloved Rarity. Spike desperately needed to catch them... But the baby dragons breath grew labored and his body groaned with every step. They were pulling ahead now, it was no use, Spike would lose them...NO! Tears began to well at spikes eyes as he realized he was about to lose his Rarity. Then Spike ran headlong into something... Something with black and white stripes and a saddle bag. "Spike my friend you seem distressed, do you need to stop and rest?". "Zecora!" spike panted, " you've got to help me! Something came and took Rarity!" Zecora’s pupils became pinpricks, "what? Oh no, which way did they go!". Another of Rarity's screams echoed from deeper in the forest. "This way come on!" spike began to run in the direction of the cries, but was quickly scooped up by Zecora. "You ride Spike, This forest can be quite a hike." Off the two went, quickly making up lost ground and soon gaining up on the shadow. Up ahead, through the trees, they could just make out Rarity, held firmly in the shadows grasp. The look of fear on her face broke Spikes heart. Zecora ran through the forest with practiced swiftness and soon they were yards away from the beast and it's capture But then, with a sudden, almost unreal, burst of speed the monster shot ahead of them into a clearing near the very heart of Everfree. Spike and Zecora entered the clearing right behind them. It was little more than a muddy glade, no bigger around than a pony ball field is wide. The sky above was dark with eerie storm clouds, swirling around without the aid of any pegasus ponies. "Goodness me, what is this I see," Zecora rhymed in shock. At the center of the glade was a scorched stone archway, a wall of grey rock within the arch, the wall embossed with the royal seal of the alicorn sisters. Before it, sleeping in the mud was Rarity, mane a mess and covered in cuts, but still breathing. There was no sign of the shadow. "Rarity!" spike cried in concern, jumping from Zecora and running to the white mare’s aid. "Wait something eludes our site," warned Zecora, “I fear that something isn't right!" but it was too late. Just as Spike was upon Rarity, the sleeping mare was violently jerked upwards and into the air. The shadow appeared, cast upon the stone within the gate. Rarity was suspended in the air by her for hooves... The shadow on the wall seemed to be holding her up. A long deep cackle echoed out into the clearing. Spike took a step back, clenching his teeth, and tightening his grip on Rarities ruby necklace ( how he had managed to hold on to it in the chase, he would never know). The cackling voice spoke... "Awwwww does wittle spikey whiky want his wittle wawity back?". It cooed mockingly. Wait... Spike knew that voice, it was so... Oh no! The shadow upon the wall had taken shape; it had a long slender body, with asymmetric arms, eyes, and horns. A snaggletooth was clearly visible upon the smiling black shadows face. " Spike, what is happening? What is this foalnapping thing?" Zecora asked. "Discord!" Spike accused, "What are you doing here! Put Rarity down!” The shadow laughed again, louder this time, "oh, I could do that. But it sounds so...Boring!" he growled the last word, "I have a better idea. I think I'll keep your pretty little friend for a while, I get so lonely down here you know." Spike was confused now, still angry with the draconequus, but confused too... 'Down here?' "What do you mean?" Spike shouted. "Oh... Celestia didn't tell you? Well why would she, your just Twilight Sparkles little lackey, aren't you?" Discord laughed again, "Let's try a little riddle shall we? Listen closely now because I hate repeating myself..." the stone wall upon which the shadow was cast suddenly began to melt away, opening up into an impossible passage way of powerful magic. "My Wisdom and Hatred is a thousand years old, sealed away and locked up in a stony cold, cast into the darkest pit I was meant to stay, by my chaos goes unchecked by the light of the day, cast upon the ground I can project my own will, and now I'll take your Rarity away and soon I will KILL!" "NOOOO!" spike shouted upon the final verse of the riddle. Rarity was being pulled into the gateway, still knocked out. Spike dashed forward, Zecora right behind. Just as Rarity entered the portal it began to close. Spike made it through and so did Zecora, though just by the hair of her tail. The portal closed... The glade was silent, the clouds dispersed. ............................................ Spike and Zecora flew forward from an archway, exactly similar to the one they had just leapt through. The dragon and the zebra crashed to the ground in a heap. Spike was the first of the two up, he glanced around to see they had arrived in a dark cavern... No sign of Rarity or Discord anywhere." Spike helped Zecora up. "Zecora," Spike asked, "where are we?" Zecora glanced around. "Discord said the darkest pit," Zecora referenced Discords riddle, "that's about the look of it". She was right, it was dark, but wait there was a light, a faint red glow emanated from the fire ruby in spikes grasp. Spike silently thanked Rarity for having worn it. Spike tied the ruby necklace around his neck, it was so warm and comforting and soon it began to glow brighter still. Soon spike could make out features of the cavern. The cave was cold and gloomy, but it was also large, the flat ground went on into the gloom for almost a mile before it hit wall. It must have been ancient by the size of the stalactite on the ceiling... But something was off. Spike had spent his whole life in libraries with Twilight Sparkle... Go figure he leaned something, a fact... A tiny tidbit of knowledge now stuck out in spikes mind through the gloom and panic of losing his beloved rarity. Stalactites where formed from years of water dripping from the ceilings of caves... That water dropped down and formed stalagmites on the floors below... But nothing was there. The floors were flat without any formation, not a single formation anywhere... It didn't make sense... The floor was just covered in gavel and... "Spike we are not alone, something here has left gnawed pony bones!" Zecora warned, confirming Spikes fears. Something was hear, something big, something old, something that ate meat. Suddenly a mighty roar rang out, then another, then another! Three mighty roars echoed over one another, shaking the cave. Something appeared from the gloom. It had been sitting on the other side of the cavern, out of sight. Four absolutely giant legs supporting a barreled body, three heads, three sets of fiery red eyes. Spike remembered it... He had seen it once before from one of twilight's fits... It was Cerberus, the monstrous three headed dog, but what was it doing here? Spike was not granted the luxury on time to put two and two together. Cerberus was charging towards them, teeth bared and ready to rip the baby dragon and the zebra to shreds. Spike turned to run, Zecora stood her ground, she was digging through her saddle bag for something... Spike looked back and saw that the three headed dog was almost upon Zecora... Had she gone crazy? Whatever the case Spike couldn't have his zebra friend chewed to death. The dragon quickly ran to his right, shouting and waving his arms... "Hay dog breath!" he shouted, "comes get me!" It worked two of the three heads where now after Spike, nearly giving the third whiplash as they changed the bodies’ objective. Spike kept running, the dog hot on his tale and gaining ground fast barking madly as it went. Spike tried to look back, lost sight of his footing, and tripped over his own two feet. Spike fell flat on his face. Cerberus caught up to him and pounced upon the baby dragon, pinning poor spike to the floor with its massive paws. Spike closed his eyes and braced himself for the end... He thought of Rarity... Oh how he had failed her. Spike was being squeezed to death between the floor and the weight of Cerberus upon his midsection... Just as Cerberus's three maws came down upon the little dragon... Spike lost conciseness... To be continued... ------------------------------------- Please forgive my poor spelling and grammar, I did my best to edit but I'm very bad at that... Hope you like the story, please comment. :) -BookWyrm. P.S. I stole that bit from the riddle from h8 seeds dub step song never ending strife, Its meant only as reference flattery as the song is so damn catchy. Post edit 1 Thanks to all (what is it seven of you?) well thanks for the help, I have fixed a lot of the spelling and grammar stuff, so it should at least be readable now… I’ll work on content next. BookWyrm