//------------------------------// // The First Strike // Story: The Abundance // by defender2222 //------------------------------// "Forth and fear no darkness! Shields shall be shaken! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises!" -Theoden, The Return of the King This was not how he had expected his first confrontation with the queen’s warriors to go. Oh, Shining had been hoping that Twilight would agree to help fight against her friends and save Equestria. He had thought about that battle, of the danger and the violence… but it had always seemed so epic, like the tales of knights his mother and father use to tell him. The clash of armor and the blasts of magic… But this… this was not a noble fight. It hadn’t even began and Shining knew it would be grim and dark and gritty. And this was only the first skirmish… the true battle… the true WAR… lay before them. Shining shoved down the fear he was feeling and joining Twilight and Faith in staring down Scootaloo's squad. He knew that his magic would do little good but he hoped some of the non-magical defensive moves he'd been taught in the royal guard might help him. He would not be a coward; he would not let the fear the queens had instilled within him keep him from doing what was right. He would fight… not matter how broken he felt. Faith looked upon the whole exercise with an air of boredom. Fighting was tedious in his eyes and he preferred a battle of words to one of hooves. The chess board of the mind was such a more thrilling place and, when in the hooves of skilled warriors, more dangerous. Bodies could mend but hearts and souls were such a tricky thing to break… and to heal. Still, if pressed he would defend himself. And those under his protection. Twilight focused, calling upon spells she had prepared for just such an occasion. While Twilight was no longer as anal retentive as she had once been she still prepared for the worst of situations... a trait that was going to help her out right then and there. She studied the armor of the guards and began to poke as the protection spells woven through it, trying to find weaknesses. Her quick mind looked at the squad’s structure and layout and she created theories on how they would behave. "Twilight... you want me to help?" Spike asked, leaping down off her back. "Why yes Spike!" Twilight said happily. "I think you've more than earned a chance to flex your muscles." Scootaloo laughed as her men got in position, surrounding the small band of traitors. "A baby dragon... you are really going to have a baby dragon fight?" She scoffed. “You’re more desperate than I thought.” "Maybe," Twilight said, her smile speaking volumes. "But I wouldn’t write him off. You see... Spike and I figured something out during our little holiday." Spike closed his eyes, body trembling slightly. "I know what I want... I know what a want..." He repeated that over and over and the pegasi were surprised when the baby dragon began to grunt, his scales bulging slightly as if something were wiggling beneath them. "Such an interesting thing about dragons," Twilight said, her tone almost clinical. She began to circle around Spike, not at all disturbed by the fact that his scales were bulging out. "Their growth is based on greed. Now, I've known about that since Spike's last birthday, which is why he is now on a very strict gift-getting-limit. But I never really considered what that meant, to have your growth be based on greed. It is such a strange concept, right? After my own... growth... I began to wonder if there weren't more shades of gray in the world. Why couldn't greed be turned into something for the side of good to use? “It was Faith who made me finally see the answer.” Twilight shrugged. “Well, him and Discord. Both proved that there were negatives and positives for everything: lies and honestly, faith and doubt… and more than that the same emotion could be twisted for either light or darkness. Doubt can make a hero falter… or question lies. So, why not the same for greed? Why not turn it into something positive… something Spike could control?” The baby dragon's eyes snapped upon, his dark pupils turned into sharp slits. "I want to be five times bigger, have the strength of an ursa minor, and wings that make me as fast as Rainbow Dash!" Spike grunted as his body began to swell, his muscles expanding and his scales hardening as he began to age. He rose up into the air as his bones thickened and his limbs grew longer. Toned, powerful muscle burst from his body and smoke began to slowly drift from his nostrils. The dragon slammed a meaty fist into the ground as wings burst from his back and his teeth gleamed in the sunlight as he gave Scootaloo and her stallions a feral grin. He rose higher and higher, till he was several feet taller than Faith and filled with rippling, twitching muscle. And while he did look older there wasn't the malice that had drove him into a primal rage the first time he'd let his greed get the best of him. No... now Spike was driven by desire... a desire to help his friends. “Wow,” Shining whispered. "Our boy's all grown up," Faith said with a slight laugh and a hint of pride. "Ha ha ha," Spike said, his voice having dropped several octaves. He rolled his shoulders and neck before bringing his clawed hands up and motioning for Scootaloo's squad to come at him. He was built like a minator and it looked like he could chomp diamonds into dust with his powerful jaws. Faith took on a wounded look. "You laugh, but I played as much of a role in your hatching as my Twilight. That makes me the closest thing you have to a father." “Then we need to talk about all my missed birthdays, dad.” "Would we argue this later?" Shining snapped. "You know, when we aren't about to face a bunch of brainwashed pegasi." “Don’t tell me you doubt us, my boy!” Faith said teasingly. “Twilight alone could handle this mob… I just want a chance to stretch my wings.” “And it has nothing to do with you worrying about me?” Twilight asked playfully. “Well, other than worrying about your sudden egotism causing you to do something stupid-“ Twilight glowered at him. “Really? I’m the egotist?” “Are you sure they aren’t dating?” Shining whispered to the giant Spike. “We aren’t,” Twilight snapped. "Of course we aren’t. Oh, and before I forget!" The white stallion barely had time to blink before Faith struck his horn against the stallion’s. Shining let out a yelp, only to feel his body tense as… he wasn’t for sure what happened. It felt as if he had jammed his horn into the sun itself but just as quickly as the pain came it disappeared, leaving a sense of power behind. All the fear and worry he had felt faded in an instant and for the first time in 2 months he felt like his old self. "What... what was that?" Shining asked as Faith and Twilight lowered themselves into attack position. "A bit of a boast, my dear boy; and the return of your faith in yourself. Now then, have at them and all that rubbish." The pegasi rushed them, lashing out with their hooves and their armored heads, their wings beating as they zipped and dove away from the party of four. The air filled with the sound of clanking armor and beating wings as they sought to strike down the party before they could make a move. They quickly found, however, that they training and protection spells did little against the brute force of two alicorns, a teenage dragon and an amplified captain of the royal guard. What they had thought would be an easy fight quickly turned into a struggle. All the loyalty to the cause was meaningless when faced with those that could not be cowed or bullied. Shining put his combat training to the test against the pegasi and showed them that just because he favored creating defensive bubbles did not mean he was helpless. The pinkish spheres would pop up in front of the zooming pegasi, holding like a brick wall and leaving them in a daze. He created several and sent them hurtling at the stallions like mini wrecking balls... with just as much damage being inflicted. The most painful were the smallest of his orbs, which he fired from his horn like a gatling gun. They would attach themselves to the wings and spread like molasses, paralyzing the limbs and sending the flyer crashing to the ground. Spike proved to be quite use to his enlarged form and any that got near him thinking the change in height would throw him off were left with a painful surprise. What he lacked in speed, due to his sheer size, he made up for in cunning. His years spent learning under Twilight had not been in vain and though he looked to be a dumb, muscle-filled brute he was as cagy as the best general. One of his favorite moves was to leap into the air and clap his meaty hands together, sending out a sonic boom that would leave the pegasi tumbling about, trying to right themselves. Those unlucky enough not to find their balance soon enough would be caught in a bear hug, squeezed until they passed out. The stallions that avoided that were by no means save, as Spike would then turn his flames on them, heating up the air and creating thermals that would send them careening off course. They say a good offense is a good defense and Faith clearly adhered to that motto. There was not a single moment in the entire battle where the lord of the gray ever attacked one of the pegasus guards; his horn never glowed and not one felt his hoof upon their form. He refused to make the first move and let them come to him, opening himself up to their attacks. But his lack of attack did not mean he didn't deal pain. Whenever they attacked he would deflect their strikes with a flick of his wing and send his opponent slamming into the ground or colliding with one of their comrades. Avoiding him also failed as the abstract used his speed and grace to place himself in the middle of attacks; he was a living shield for the rest of his team. The abstract leapt about the battle field, catching shots from Shining or Twilight that missed their mark and juggling them along his metallic wings before flinging them at a nearby pegasus. To fight him was to battle the wind or a river. Twilight was Twilight. There was no real style that could be ascribed to her because she used them all. Her mind had always been a steel trap when it came to knowledge and she was always seeking to learn more. No topic had flew past her and she was open to any avenue of learning. When, as a teen, she'd taken an interest in the art of war (after a rather bad encounter with a rude unicorn stallion) she'd absorbed it all: strategies, battle formations, assault styles. And, of course, she’d studied the moves and tactics of Commander Hurricane, the greatest pegasus warrior to ever live. With her wings unfurled and her body now designed for flight, Twilight brought the commander's greatest moves back to life. The skies were filled with raging winds as Twilight spun about, creating the deadly blasting gusts that had made Hurricane a terror in the sky during the founding of Equestria. Several of the guards, even with their feelings of loyalty amplified as high as they were, began to tremble as they witnessed they acrobatics they'd studied in flight school being performed by the alicorn of the stars. They cried out and feared that Hurricane had truly returned from the grave and was unleashing his vengeance upon them. In the end it was a lopsided battle and even then it was only the mercy of the four that kept it that close. Had they chosen to kill the Rainbow Squad the fight would have been over 10 minutes sooner. Instead they had sought to maim and knock out rather than brutalize and kill. Scootaloo's forces got in their hits but the foursome made sure they paid for each one 10-fold. It was only the aged filly that remained standing for her side once the final attack had been made. She panted and stared at them with wild eyes, like a cornered timberwolf caught against a rock wall. Her armor had been dented and pieces of it tossed arise. A bit of her tail still simmered from where Spike had burnt it and bruises were forming on her stomach after Twilight had landed a devastating kick. "You can not win," Faith stated softly. "Stand down and you will not be harmed. We will heal your stallions and offer you what we can." "I can help you, Scootaloo... I can make you normal again." “You have been in their council,” Shining said. “Help us… you can give us so much-“ "NO!" Scootaloo screamed, enraged. "You will not corrupt me!" Her wing flicked and there was a blinding flash of light. When the spots faded from the foursome's vision they found that Scootaloo and her guards were gone. "Teleportation. The queens built it into her armor. Clever, I will admit," Faith muttered. "Do we go after them?" Spike said, his massive arms crossed over his broad chest. Twilight focused. “I have a lock. I can-“ "No... we do that and we could be walking into a trap." Shining said. Faith nodded. “I agree with the captain. It would be unwise to rush in.” Shining began to walk away. "Come on... we have to let the others know there is hope." "Others?" Twilight asked. "What others?" "The rebellion, Twiley... the rebellion."