Beginning examination now, Spike thought to himself, taking in every single detail as he and his friends dodged gargantuan blows. Synthesizer is roughly ten meters in height, give or take; large enough to cause immense damage in a single blow when also taking into account its mass. Defensive measures, mostly comprised of iron ore with traces of hard minerals, include a helmet and basic covering for the torso, upper arms, and most of the lower body. Momentum alone supplies a significant amount of force due to the total weight of the objects in its composition. However...
Spike jumped over a low sweeping kick, lashing out with his claws in response and gouging out a chunk of the Synthesizer's leg.
In exchange for that terrifying amount of power, a equal or perhaps greater amount of its agility and mobility has been sacrificed. Normally that means that we can just simply take it down piece by piece until the core is doscovered, but this battlefield holds no advantages for us. Rather, it's the opposite.
It was true. The chamber they were in wasn't particularly spacious to begin with, and now a large rampaging golem has taken up a fair amount of room while at the same time destroying the remaining space by causing parts of the walls of ceiling to crumble. If they didn't manage to beat it fast enough, it's more likely that they'll be crushed by falling debris if they hadn't already fallen to that thing's humongous fists and feet.
Even worse, as it's now a battle against the clock, the odds are further away from our favor due to this accursed thing's troublesome ability.
Apple Bloom narrowly dodged a straight punch thrown her way, though it wasn't intended for her in the first place.
The hand broke off a large portion of the wall and retrieved it. Then the golem opened up what appeared to be some sort of compartment in the middle of its chest area by moving a rock to the side and revealing a glowing furnace. The chunk of wall was thrown in and the rock shifted back into place. Not even a second later, an ooze filled up the wound before hardening, taking the color and most likely other properties of the cave wall.
Like it was never injured in the first place, the RAID-class golem resumed its ferocious assault.
Whose idea was it to build these things anyway? Rgh!
Spike was nearly crushed by a boulder twice his size flung his way. He barely managed to avoid it by diving into a roll to slip past underneath, only to be met with a well-placed kick that sent him sailing into the wall behind him with enough force to make a dent and a dragon-shaped impression. He would have been finished by the follow-up (and very likely finishing) blow the golem was about to deliver had it not been for Peewee lighting up again directly in front of it and screwing up whatever optical system it had enough to miss by a large margin.
Meanwhile, the dragon jumped back down and spat out a wad of spittle and blood before leaping back into the fray.
Can't afford to get distracted again. Don't think I can take another blow like that... ugh!
Spike ducked as another boulder was sent his way, though it was more out of pain than reflex. As sturdy as he was, that last one hurt beyond anything he could imagine. It was a wonder he hadn't passed out from the sheer amount of pain he was feeling right now.
He growled. No... I can't afford to take it easy just yet. Must... focus! Concentrate! I can't let-GRAAAAAAAAH!
It was only for a very brief second, not even an entire second in fact, but a colossal amount of bloodlust and malevolence washed over the combatants on both sides, forcing them to freeze from the pressure alone. And just like that, it was gone. Yet the battlers remained paralyzed.
Spike gasped as is entire body trembled even more fiercely than before. His body refused to listen to him. That feeling... he had no idea where it came from but it was enough to cause his entire body to go rigid in sheer terror.
Calm down! Your body may not be able to move, but your mind still works! Suck it up and think of a solution before that thing decides that it doesn't want to be a statue anymore!
Spike took a shuddering breath and composed himself. He shut his eyes to block out the outside world. Slowly, all external and physical phenomena - his friends, his surroundings, his pain, the golem, everything - faded and was replaced by a pure black void.
Now... think.
The void around him suddenly sprung to life as panels depicting different scenes lit up. Everything that was not related to his current situation was put aside. Specific tiles lit up and congregated in front of him. The remaining displays shut down one by one until all that was left were the ones that had gathered together in front.
Memories, information, theories, and thoughts. Now he just needed to sort through them to find some sort of answer.
The brief description of a Synthesizer golem given in the book. Useless.
Its screen became dark.
Recollections of the battle. Filter out all non-golem related memories.
More screens faded.
Errant and stray thoughts. Compile possible theories, then throw away the junk.
One new panel lit up and projected a few things being played in a loop. Several around it dimmed considerably.
This process of compiling data and eliminating the irrelevant junk continued until only a few tiles remained. Each one had a different scene, some that happened already and some that were merely just speculation on what would happen. However, all of them had one blindingly obvious thing in common...
Spike's eyes slowly and deliberately opened. No longer where they filled with fear and panic - having been replaced with a cool disposition that calmly surveyed the situation.
Though it might've felt like hours had gone by, it had been but a single instant.
But it was in that instant he had found his solution.
Shattering the standstill brought about by the earlier incident, Spike charged once more. This action spurred the others back into action: Apple Bloom had jumped over a punch sent her way and landed squarely on the arm while Peewee had melted part of the other arm's armor and welded it to the wall.
"AB! Peewee! Clear out of the way and standby!" Spike barked. The two followed his instruction without hesitation, leaping/flying a fair distance away from the golem. As it tried to wrench its arm free, Spike appeared near the shoulder and shattered the connecting rock with a powerful three-part melee combo from his claws followed by a tail smash resulting from shifting his center of gravity and spinning forward and bringing down his tail with as much strength as he could muster.
The Synthesizer clutched its destroyed joint in pain, giving Spike just enough time to land safely and jump back. But no attack came. Instead, the golem was busily gathering material with its remaining arm, the door to its internal furnace already opened.
As he thought, its priority was to heal itself whenever damage was done above all else. This is what makes it so difficult to defeat, but it will also be its own undoing.
"NOW!" Spike roared.
Just as the golem reached for another piece, Peewee had flown up once more and emitted the brightest and hottest flare he could directly into the giant pile of rock's face. It recoiled back enough for topple onto its back when Apple Bloom had jumped up onto its head after using various parts of its body as stepping stones.
The young mare leapt off the golem and tucked into a roll just as it finally made contact with the ground. She turned around just in time to see flames flicker out of the hole in its chest - and watch as a purple and green blur dived inside right after!
"SPIKE!"
...
He had never felt heat this intense before. His dragon scales prevented him from being burned, but they did nothing to stop the severe temperatures from affecting him. There was also the stunning lack of oxygen to be concerned about.
Spike was already beginning to feel light-headed. Knowing that fire consumes oxygen to burn, he took a deep breath right before he went in. However, the heat was really making it far more difficult than he thought. Still, his eyes didn't lose focus for a single second as he searched for it.
The key to victory.
As soon as he saw even the faintest hint of it, he ran. It was the risk he had to take to win, regardless of the danger to himself. There was no way he would endanger his friends any further. There was... no... way... he would...
It's really hot...
His head swam and his vision blurred.
...
Apple Bloom and Peewee could only watch with bated breath as they waited. It had been a full close to five minutes. Peewee had tried to fly in after, but he couldn't get past the flames. If it was normal fire, the phoenix would have no trouble. But this was a magic fire. It would consume him if he tried to force his way in.
Due to his high magical tolerance, Spike could last a while before it starts breaking down his body. However, at that point, he'd most likely be dead or very, very close.
Neither of the two were aware of this fact, but worried for their friend nevertheless.
They jumped when the golem started to shudder.
They nearly had a heart attack when it just fell apart.
Rather than waste time being surprised, they two of them sprung into action and started searching through the rubble to find the still missing dragon. Peewee moved whatever pebbles his diminutive size allowed while Apple Bloom was freely hurling rocks that were bigger than she was.
But still no Spike.
Fearing the worst, they weren't sure whether to be hopeful or prepare for another fight when a pile of stones near what used to be the golem's head shifted. After a very groan echoed a second after, they all-but flew to the pile (literally in Peewee's case, but pretty darn close on Apple Bloom's part).
True enough, as soon as they cleared the rocks, the form of an extremely battered and burned purple dragon was revealed. One of his claws was stretched in front of him, but it was still buried. When Apple Bloom uncovered it, she discovered the reason why Spike had jumped into the golem in the first place.
In his claw, he clutched a red gemstone. A glowing red gemstone.
It was a carmine color (if she correctly remembered the "Shades and Hues" seminar Rarity and Ruby had presented in tandem when Scootaloo had made the mistake of asking, "What's the difference?"). Every second that went by, the jewel pulsated a faint crimson light that seemed to draw the stones towards it.
The golem equivalent of a heart: its core, where the spell propelling it lay.
If the light was stronger, it probably would've succeeded in its attempts to rebuild the golem. But it was weak, almost pitifully so. Most likely due to the cracks that ran through it from the death-like grip Spike had on it.
Apple Bloom gulped; she hoped that that wasn't literally the case.
No, this idiot's too stubborn to just die like that, she decided. He just wouldn't. And as soon as he wakes up, I'll give him a big ol' one...
Unconsciously, Spike shivered.
...
Even in his dreams, Spike dreamt of fire:
The first time he breathed fire, an ember which nearly caused a Canterlot-wide blaze if not for some fortunate rainstorm. Teaching those bullies a lesson and stopping them from tormenting Twilight any further. Sending countless letters and friendship reports to Princess Celestia from her faithful student. Explaining to Celestia why he had sent her a flaming loop of death as a Mother's Day present (it was either that, or leave it for the CMC) while Princess Luna was laughing in the background.
He was having a strange hallucination about having cold tea on the sun with Twilight while she's in her 'way-beyond-angry-that-her-mane-bursts-into flame-so-better-start-running' state when he felt tasted something that was definitely not almost frozen barley tea.
No, it was worse.
His throat felt like it burst into flames and his body was struggling hard not to disintegrate. Spike gasped and struggled for breath while more fire danced around him. The scenery from before had been replaced by an boundless burning plain. It quickly enveloped him, and his usual defenses were incinerated.
It wasn't his body that was being burned; it was his very soul.
He could only writhe in agony as the sensation continued. In the one part of his mind that wasn't completely overcome with pain, he wondered how much longer this infernal torture would last.
Suddenly, he felt cold. For an instant he worried that the flames had intensified to the point where his senses could no longer distinguish the heat, until he realized that he was no longer in pain. Well, he still felt like his body had been slow roasted over an inferno while being slathered in acid (what an odd time for his appetite to act up), but was otherwise fine. He also realized that he was lying on his back and his eyes were closed.
Tentatively, he opened them to see a mix of orange and red feathers in front of him, which led to him sneezing. The ball of feathers chirped happily started to what he assumed was dancing, because the movement forced him to shut his eyes again before they got irritated.
"Nice to see you too Peewee," he sniffed, holding in another sneeze. He'd learned a while back how not to spew flames every time he did (he had lost count of how many things he accidentally sent to his mother when he was sick), but that didn't mean that he had perfect control.
Spike sat up, forcing the phoenix to take to the air again. Curiously, the dragon took a look around and saw no sign of his other friend.
"Where did AB go?" he asked. All he got in return was a series of chirps which could've meant anything. Only after he rose to his feet again did he find out what Peewee was trying to say.
He felt a strong impact against his front right shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and spin around to face his "attacker". There's no way he could ever forget that feeling.
"Did I ever tell you that you have a really mean left hook?"
Apple Bloom nodded, an absolutely livid expression present on her face. Spike could tell that she was restraining herself from causing more damage due to the way her entire body was shaking violently, with an emphasis on violently.
He only sighed and prepared himself for the inevitable explosion. "So what happened this time?"
"After you oh-so-cleverly jumped into a pit of fire and brimstone," Spike winced from the scathing tone she adopted, "and ripped out that gem, it collapsed and buried you in the rubble. When me an' Peewee dug you out, you looked like you were ready to keel over any moment!"
Suddenly Spike understood the burning sensation from before. "By any chance, did you happen to force-feed me the jewel I was holding?"
"Yeah, we thought it might help."
Spike mentally groaned. Who knew what kind of effect that magic would have on him after it finished digesting? His body's already been altered enough!
He sighed and shook his head. "Never mind." He then made his way to the rocks.
"What are we waitin' for then? That magic thingy's back and I'm ready to move on!"
"Give me a minute," Spike replied as he moved some stones around. Apple Bloom realized what he was doing.
He was making a grave for the golem.
In a way, she understood his reasons. Even if it was trying to crush them, they did invade its home in the first place and were the ones to take it down. Plus, consuming its core - which was essentially its heart - is what brought Spike back from the brink, so she was both thankful and sorry. She may have forced him to eat it, but Spike probably felt really bad for doing something like that right now.
She silently paid her respects. Peewee followed suit, though whether or not he understood was unknown to her.
Spike finished up by setting a jagged piece of its armor right into the middle of the pile he made right next to a smaller heap (for the other golem from before, she figured). He too murmured his thanks and apologies before going silent. After a moment, he turned to his friends.
"... Let's find this Dragon Temple."
...
Spike wasn't surprised to find that the statues from before were perfectly unharmed. In fact, it seemed like something had prevented stray rocks from entering the space. And like before, the magical cyclone was waiting.
When he stepped into it, Spike could've sworn that he saw the purple dragon statue smile approvingly at him. Before he could dwell on that, he felt himself being lifted into the air and spun around so fast that everything was one huge blur.
By the time he stopped and was placed on solid ground again (though it certainly didn't feel solid), he staggered for a bit and waited for the dizziness and nausea to subside. Before it could, he felt something land on his back and cause his legs to give out. Seconds after, there was another thing that landed, but this was several times lighter.
"You guys feeling sick too?" He heard somepony grunt and a bird chirp affirmatively. "Then let's take five."
After their little break, and after Apple Bloom and Peewee finally got off of Spike, they decided to get their bearings.
The cavern they were in was huge, possibly even bigger that Canterlot Castle. Luminescent moss provided natural lighting all around. They were on some sort of stone pathway, with an empty gate behind them and humongous golden railings to the sides. Directly in front of the path was another gate to faded golden structure. This gate had a pair of solid doors that prevented entry. Its walls had intricate, but weathered designs hewn into it and large spheres set into a few places. The dome above it was cracked in several places as well as having more than its fair share of holes. Around it, overgrown plants and enormous fungi took residence.
It didn't look anything like how Spike imagined it. He was disappointed by how, how utterly run-down it was - he wasn't sure what he was expecting, really. Maybe something more... magnificent?
No, Spike chided himself. Weren't you taught to look beneath the surface? Heck, don't you pretty much live by that? Concentrate...
"And open up... your senses," he muttered. Apple Bloom and Peewee were preoccupied with taking a look around that they didn't notice the sudden spike in concentration in their friend.
Dragons are, by nature, magical creatures. Spike hasn't had the chance to explore his own natural magic, nor did he ever learn how to. However, with his oldest friend being the bearer of the Element of Magic and one of the foremost leading experts in the field; well, he picked up a thing or two.
Over the years, he ended up developing a heightened awareness towards anything and everything related to magic. More specifically, he could sense and read the disruptions of the mana in the air to decipher the cause of the disturbance.
Ever since they first arrived in this place, he's felt a faint tug at his consciousness - a inherent response from his detection system. The deeper they went, the stronger they pull. Now that he was actively trying to sense it from near the source... he nearly passed out.
That's one massive response, Spike thought. He shook his head. If he tried to do that again, he definitely would faint.
He looked at the structure in a new light. It was ancient, but that didn't mean that it had become inferior in any way. Except maybe for the building integrity.
BURP!
Before he could truly appreciate his surroundings, Spike belched a stream of fire and, like he was so used to, a scroll materialized in the emerald blaze. However, unlike the previous times, he felt the contract activate again immediately after and he hiccuped out another two scrolls.
He could only stare at them in confusion. Odd, Twi and mother never send me more than one at any given time.
"Hey Spike! The air in this gate thingy started flashin' and swirlin' around! It's looks very pretty! Come and take a look!"
Spike ignored his friend's hollering and decided to see what had his friends and family in the capital so anxious. With every line that he read, he only grew paler and paler. By the time he finished all three, he could've been mistaken for another dragon entirely.
He shook with unadulterated anger present on his features. The way he held the letters, it was a wonder they hadn't been torn to shreds yet. He snarled, though he wasn't sure what he was more angry at: the letters, or himself.
It might have been the only time that Apple Bloom will admit to being afraid of her friend. No, not of. For him. Whatever it was he read, he looked absolutely terrified.
Almost hesitantly, she asked the obligatory but still sincerely concerned, "Spike, what's wrong?"
There was no way she ever could've been prepared for his answer, nor the hurt in his tone. He sounded almost... broken.
"Three days ago, Canterlot was attacked by these three unknown, massive dragons. They departed abruptly after causing a large amount of damage to the city. No fatalities, but unfortunately there were still a number of casualties among both the civilians and guards. They also received reports of a small army making its way towards them, being led by one of those unknowns. Princesses Celestia and Luna are doing their utmost best to ensure the safety of their citizens."
"And?" Apple Bloom got the feeling that he was leaving something out.
"They feared that Ponyville might be a potential target due to the bearers of and the Elements of Harmony present. As a precaution, after the initial attack they sent somepony to the town in case evacuation was necessary. However, the transport was attacked midway by another, smaller unknown. The escort was found heavily injured and barely alive. But..."
Spike shuddered at this next part, rage and grief apparent on his features, "Twilight Sparkle has been missing for three days."