Oath
“It’s too late now, Spike. There’s no way you’ll escape your fate. The path is already being tread. You are the clueless nomad in search of a way out of your destiny. There will be nowhere to run once the White One finds out that you’re still breathing. Shining Armor will die: Luna will die, Twilight and her friends will die, and you, my dear dragon, will die as well. And in your place will come one who will rip Equestria apart with darkness!!! You will never ESCAPE!!!!”
Spike screamed as he sat up in his bed. Well, it wasn’t his bed in the library. It was a bed on a train, that was currently headed to the Crystal Empire. Why Luna had decided to venture there was still lost on him. All he knew was that there was no way that he would ever be accepted back into Equestria as long as Celestia still wanted him dead.
Whatever that voice was in his dreams was plain frightening. It had a metallic-like tone to it, almost as if the speaker was behind a helmet. Then there was the sheer deepness, of its voice. If that thing was a female, it would never have a romantic partner. Those sentences he heard were some of his most dominant fears. If he would truly die sometime in the future, then he would do it protecting this land and his friends.
Celestia would have to fend for herself, however...
A snort from his right broke him out of his stupor as he turned his head, coming face to face with his travelling partner. Luna glared at him with scythes in her eyes. Spike gulped as he realized that his scream probably just woke up half of the residents on the train, let alone a very cross princess!
“And what, pray tell, has a full grown dragon screaming his lungs out at such an hour!? Do you fail to realize that this train is also being used by other patrons!” Luna then raised her head so that Spike could see the rest of the room. ALL the ponies were glaring at him. There were roughly ten other ponies in the train car. In a fast movement of midnight blue, Luna was in front of Spike once more. “You would be most wise in watching the volume of your voice. I would hate walking the rest of the way. Also, you must be prepared for some...changes.”
Spike opened his mouth to say something, but Luna cut him off.
“No, let me finish. I will elaborate further on this when we arrive at the station. As for right now, Spike, there are about ten apologies that need to be made.” And with that, her head reclined back up to her bunk. Spike sat there slack jawed for thirty seconds before he noticed the ponies all giving him impatient glares.
Fumbling with his apology, Spike nervously coughed into a claw. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry everypony.” Spike nervously rubbed the back of his head with a claw as he said his apology, which seemed to work as the disgruntled ponies put their heads back down. The dimly lit cabin was almost completely dark, save for the candle's glow that illuminated the room in waving orange light. The lack of illumination could also be the reason why none of the passengers had noticed Princess Luna. Even her accent was not normal.
Spike yawned as he started to succumb to his weariness. Then, almost as if fate was real and was taunting him, the conductor yelled.
“LAST STOP, CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!” Many of the ponies who had just started drifting off moaned in annoyance. Spike grunted in his own annoyance, not liking the idea of missing out on valuable shut-eye. He was pretty much kept awake by his night-terrors while he slept, making actual sleep a fool’s dream.
“Ruler of Dreams my butt...Couldn’t even send some encouraging words or make an appearance when I needed you.” Spike growled as he sat up and swung his legs to the side of the cot/bunk bed, placing his feet upon the wooden floorboards. The ruffling of feathers and the ethereal sound of magic being casted, drew Spike’s attention to the top bunk.
Luna had teleported...
“Great! What the Tartarus is she up to now!?” He thought in bemusement as he began walking towards the blue door separating the train cars. Sliding it to the left with relative ease, Spike walked forward until he met the conductor at the door to the station platform. It was the same conductor from his first ride and he looked really, mad with Spike.
“Good night to you, sir.” Spike smiled as he continued walking past the conductor.
“You will die soon.”
He stopped instantly. Widening his eyes in shock and fear, Spike slowly turned around, looking at the conductor as if he had just killed somepony. “You will die slowly and painfully, as you watch those you care most about perish one after the other. How does it feel to know that in the span of life, your existence is finite and laughable? I will take extreme pleasure in driving the sword of Truth through your heart, WYRM!!!” The conductor laughed maniacally.
That was it! That’s the voice he heard earlier! Why was this stallion mimicking the voice he heard in his subconscious wanderings!?
“Leave me alone! J-just...What do you want from me!!?” Spike yelled in absolute terror as the conductor began walking towards him.
“Isn’t it obvious, you worthless mutt!? I want to see the world become enveloped in madness and sin everlasting! I want to see Ponies: Dragons, Gryphons and Draconians swallow each other in war and bloodshed! What Celestia thought she had erased will come back two-NO, SEVENfold and demolish everything she has built!!!” The conductor was closing the distance slowly but surely, whilst Spike was backpedaling. A stray briefcase caused the dragon to fall onto his rump with a thud, replacing the backpedaling with scooting.
“How has nopony heard this guy yet!? I know it’s night time, but somepony has to hear this guy! Wait...Oh my stars!!!” Spike’s heart plummeted into his stomach as he felt the cold embrace of cobblestone to his back. He reached the train station’s wall. The conductor was still making his advances, but something seemed a little...off. That’s when Spike finally noticed two things.
One, the whole area around him seemed to be a gray version of the station. That is, everything was monochromatic. Grays, blacks and whites made up the color scheme of the sky and ground, as well as the station and train he had just recently stepped out of. The only things that were in color were the conductor and himself.
The second thing he noticed was the motion of this monochromatic place. Or rather...the lack, of motion. Everypony that was getting on or off the train, was stopped in time. He wasn’t in the world he knew anymore! It was just him and...this thing.
“So you finally noticed,” the conductor whispered deeply. He lifted his head so that Spike could see his eyes. Every fluid that Spike had would have found its way out of his body if the conductor carried on with that stare. The large pony eyes had shrunk to the size of a manticore’s. The eyes were like looking into bright pools of lava, where even the area around the eyes was singed and cracked in a bright orange color. It wasn’t the eyes that made him lurch, however.
It was the smell.
This was the most rancid, most foul, most unholy, smell that Spike had ever known. It smelt of fermented garbage and sulfur, with little highlights of corpse and flatulence. It really smelt like the inside of the incinerator used for garbage.
Picking a claw up so that he could cover his nostrils with it, Spike slowly stood up. His head was spinning from the sheer gastric and nauseating aroma that assaulted his nose. The conductor noticed his behavior and began to cackle once more, earning a confused yet horrified stare from Spike.
“Heh Heh....You must smell the remnants of my voyage here! That, my dear boy, is what a damned soul smells like. We demons have quite a peculiar taste on our tongues!” The thing proceeded to slowly lick the corners of its mouth in a slow manner. Like it was savoring the flavor of the poor soul it had just devoured. Spike had now learned that he wasn’t just having nightmares. He was being attacked by a demon strong enough to possess anything and use it against him.
Based on prior knowledge, however, Spike knew that the demon can only harm him if he wills it to. Giving it fear or showing any type of cowardice to it will only serve to strengthen the unholy beast. Steeling his heart with false bravado, Spike adorned a mask of aloofness and lowered his claw.
“Leave me be...Child of Tartarus! You have no power here!” Spike shouted in an angry tone. The possessed pony began to cackle once more at Spike’s feeble attempt to appear menacing.
“Oh please,” The possesed pony said with a smirk on his face, “Spare me the cheesy bravado, dragon. I have locked you into an alternate realm and possessed a pony! I’ve also stopped time around us and have even manifested myself through this useless puppet’s body! Your empty threats mean nothing to one such as I, Lucian!!!” The very air became humid and unbreathable and that was all due to him uttering his name.
Spike clutched his throat as he felt the heat resonate through his lungs, scorching the sensitive tissue black. It hurt...really bad.
“AGH!” He fell to the ground, gripping at his chest as the pain finally rocked him to the core of his being. He couldn’t form words even if he tried. Every fiber of his being was telling him to beg for his life and submit to the demon in front of him, to make the pain stop and just throw away his life.
What good is there in resisting!
My friends are waiti-
You have no friends! Submit to Lucian and stop this suffering!
Luna will be sad! I don’t want to see her sad!
That trollop doesn’t care about you and you know it!
Then why did she come along!? Why did she throw away her life for me!?
It was a ruse! This is no more than a cunning ploy to earn your trust!
And then what!!? She’ll kill me!!? Luna would never do that to me!!!
You’re giving the whore too much credit! She’d sooner have you dead then be shunned once more!
And how do you know that!? How do you know she’ll betray me!?
It’s so obvious, yet because of the feeling you hold towards her, you deny it!
SHUT UP!!! I WILL PROTECT HER AND MY FRIENDS!!!
Spike shakily lifted his head in order to meet the eyes of the one who was hurting him. Lucian stared at Spike with an amused visage. One eye was closed while the other one was practically radiating with evil mirth. The kind of joy that came from hurting others only.
“I’m more or less interested in your path, Spike. I do not seek to end your feeble life just yet, but out of all the souls I have eaten, I’m quite sure that yours will be the finest yet!” Almost instantly, the air became breathable. Spike inhaled deeply through both his nose and mouth, letting the cool air ice his burning lungs. His voice was noticeably more raspy and, well...hoarse. Spike smacked himself with a claw after that horrible pun went through this head.
“I do hope you’ll stay alive long enough to serve your use to me. It would be damn shame if you died before your usefulness to my plan began. Trust me on this, that time is still quite a way ahead.” With a dark chuckle, the presence of evil faded and the world regained its rightful color scheme again. The conductor blinked once and the eyes of Lucian were no more.
Taking notice of Spike on the ground, the conductor ran to his side and began to help him up. Coughing twice, Spike proceeded to forcibly shove the conductor towards the train.
“Leave! I don’t need your help! In fact, you’ve done enough!!!” Spike yelled before going back into another coughing fit. The conductor grimaced at Spike, hopping aboard the train without another word. That cough sounded extremely bad.
Raising another claw to intercept the next fit, Spike noticed a splotch of red in his claw. When he opened it, his eyes widened yet again in shock. It was blood. He didn’t have enough time to react as the air next to him began to feel oddly tingly. THen, in a flash of blue magic, Luna materialized next to him with her mysterious chest.
“I apologize for you leaving you like I did earlier Spike, but be relieved in knowing that my chat with Cadence yielded favorable results. In saying such, our rooms have already been accounted for and-” Spike raised aa claw, cutting her off.
“Swear again.” Spike whispered so low that Luna couldn’t hear.
“I’m sorry?”
“Swear again!” Spike exclaimed suddenly, causing Luna to shrink back in surprise. What did he need her to swear on...again?
“Swear on everything you hold dear that you will not betray me! Swear it now!” Spike said in misguided anger. Luna was at a loss for words. She was still trying to make sense of what could have happened while she was gone. In his anger filled eyes, Luna could see tears scratching at the corners of them. Something had frightened him into doubting her!
She had already made an oath with him, that was for sure. Luna shook her head, knowing that she had taken more than enough time in answering her scared partner. “I swear on my life, Spike. Now, do you want to get out of the cold or not?” Luna said with a bemused look on her features. Spike cringed at the now upset visage on the Princess’ face.
“I-I’m sorry, Luna. It’s just that...nevermind, I’ll tell you later once we get out of this cold. Are we going to be teleporting?” Spike asked as he walked nervously up to his partner. She nodded, still keeping her angry face.
“And I thought I had problems with forgiving ponies-er...dragons.” Now that they were right next each other, Luna channeled the familiar teleporting magic back to her horn before they disappeared.