The Guardian
Spike waited for the Princess to begin the procedure so he could do his part in this war. He stood in the hanger wondering what he would have to go through in order to keep the ponies in Canterlot safe from harm. Spike was determined to keep all his friends safe, especially now that he had Twilight back, his only family.
“I will protect my friends and my family from this dragon. I will stop Xiuhcoatl from getting his way.” He said with determination.
While he contemplated what he would need to do Celestia entered the hanger while Spike’s back was turned away from the entrance. She came up and touched his shoulder with her hoof. He jumped a little startled. He turned around and looked at her. Celestia looked into his eyes and could see some fear in them but she could see something else, she didn’t know what it was.
“Are you ready to begin?” Celestia asked the dragon.
“Yes, Princess I will do what is ever necessary.” He told her with an unnatural determination in is voice.
“Very well.” Celestia’s horn glowed a vibrant white and she touched Spike’s body with her horn.
After what seemed to be a long time her horn dimmed and finally stopped glowing. She looked at Spike and was amazed at his full grown size. Spike now towered over Celestia but he was not standing full height. He was crouching so as to not break the roof in the hanger. Celestia stepped back to examine the now fully grown Spike.
“Spike? Can you hear me?” Celestia called to Spike.
Spike looked around the hanger and only blinked while taking in his new vantage point for his familiar surroundings. He looked around the hanger until his eyes saw the white Alicorn standing on the ground. He arched his neck down to meet her gaze. Again Celestia had to speak to him.
“Spike? Do you know who I am?” Celestia asked him. Celestia knew that when a dragon ages he becomes different in the mind. They lose some of their memory in the aging process when they age artificially via magic.
He looked at Celestia again and spoke, his voice loud and rumbling.
“Princess.” Spike said bowing his head as low as he could manage.
“Good your memory wasn’t affected as much as I had anticipated. Spike I would like you to wait outside the castle for Xiuhcoatl. I sense his presence getting closer to the Canterlot. Wait outside the barrier. The mind of a fully grown dragon is resilient to many kinds of magic and are not easily manipulated.”
Spike nodded his head in understanding and proceeded to the gate of Canterlot, his new found size making it difficult to navigate its streets without stepping on something. When he emerged from the hanger he stood up, his body the size of about half the castle. He was only a fraction of the size of his new found enemy, Xiuhcoatl, the ancient dragon that ended the great dragon wars single handedly. He proceeded to the main gate, stepping over it and laid down waiting for his enemy to come.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few hours passed when he heard it, the roar that could split the sky. Spike looked up and stood on all fours. Looking into the distance for his foe. Xiuhcoatl came into clear view and he was approaching very rapidly as he had caught Spike’s scent and was excited. Xiuhcoatl landed right in front of Spike and looked him over.
“Not very impressive for a dragon are you?” He said in his great booming voice.
“I don’t know why you’re here and I really could care less. All I know is that I need to keep you from achieving whatever it is you came here to do.” Spike retorted.
“You? Stop me? Hahaha, that rather amusing my boy. But I care not what you think child. I have lived through more than any dragon in existence. Listen here, child, I have come because I made a deal with Insanity, he has promised something that could be a reality shortly if what you say is true. However I have my end to keep. And in my time a promise was kept no matter the cost.”
Xiuhcoatl stepped back in order to ready himself to get into the city. Spike realizing what he was doing stepped forward to try to keep him from getting any closer to the gate. The ancient dragon only laughed and roared his mightiest of roars. The ground split apart and Spike being caught in the brunt of it was blown away back to the gates of Canterlot. He smashed right through them in the shock wave of Xiuhcoatl’s mighty roar. Spike staggered back up to his feet and looked at the dragon that just blew him through the gates. Spike was shaken but was not injured. Spike let out his loudest roar in direct challenge of Xiuhcoatl. Spike’s roar was not as powerful but still spoke volumes of his determination not to fail in his mission.
“So, the boy has a little bite after all. Come child! Show me your power!” Xiuhcoatl said to acknowledge the challenge set forth by Spike.
Spike charged Xiuhcoatl using his wings for a speed boost. Xiuhcoatl braced himself for the impact. Spike smashed head long into Xiuhcoatl’s chest making the ancient dragon heave a breath. Spike was now directly underneath Xiuhcoatl’s body and slashed at it with his claw. Spike winced in pain as his claw made contact with Xiuhcoatl’s scales. They were harder than granite from all of the years Xiuhcoatl had been fighting. Xiuhcoatl leaped into the air in order to find his target. He saw Spike standing there in awe of the damage on his claw from the hardness of Xiuhcoatl’s scales.
Xiuhcoatl readied his attack meant to be his last against his smaller opponent. Spike looked up in time to see Xiuhcoatl readying an attack. Spike leaped into the air in order to avoid Xiuhcoatl’s attack. Xiuhcoatl let his attack fly even though he knew Spike was no longer in the spot he was aiming at. Spike looked on in fear as Xiuhcoatl’s attack blasted from his mouth. It was a fire breath attack that appeared as a comet entering the atmosphere. The fire bomb hit the ground in a massive explosion the left a crater in the ground that spanned at least a mile and scorched the frontal portion of Canterlot itself.
Spike could only look at how the fire left such destruction in its wake. He stared at the ground and at the portion of Canterlot that was burned by the attack. He could only look on in anger and hatred at the dragon that had caused that destruction. Xiuhcoatl only wore a smile on his face as he remembered the destruction he caused so long ago. Spike looked at the ancient dragon and looked at his grin and Spike’s anger only grew.
“I WILL NOT LET YOU LEAVE HERE ALIVE XIUHCOATL!” Spike roared at the top of his lungs and charged the great dragon.
Spike darted at speeds unknown to himself previously. Xiuhcoatl heard his name and only turned his head with amazement in his eyes at hearing his name again. Spike smashed into Xiuhcoatl again and this time lashed out at the massive dragon’s face with all his might. Spike swiped and scratched at Xiuhcoatl’s face, scratching his face but also sustaining damage to his claws. Xiuhcoatl regained his composure and knocked Spike back with a mighty blow to his chest. Spike reeled back in the air but found his wings and hovered there in the air.
“How do you know my name? I buried that name long ago.” Xiuhcoatl asked Spike with frustration.
“That’s none of your business. The only thing that matters is stopping you.”
Xiuhcoatl glared at Spike with disdain in his eyes at not receiving an answer to his question. Before Xiuhcoatl could react again Spike was already charging at him once again.
“ENOUGH!” Xiuhcoatl roared.
Spike was careening toward Xiuhcoatl at high velocity. Spike neared his target quickly but Xiuhcoatl was ready this time.
Xiuhcoatl brought a massive claw across his body and smashed Spike with the back of his claw when he was within reach. Spike was sent flying and Xiuhcoatl did not stop attacking. He chased Spike as he was trying to recover from the devastating hit. Xiuhcoatl caught up and smashed Spike into the ground with a mighty force .
Spike was sent into the ground. The impact left a large crater and a mighty earthquake in its wake. Spike lay in the crater some bones broken and bleeding.
“I will kill you boy. Then I will complete this deal and sever all ties to Insanity.” Xiuhcoatl said as he again prepared his fire bomb.
Spike stood up in the crater wincing in pain from the injuries he had sustained. He looked up at Xiuhcoatl determined not to let him win this fight. He couldn't get his wings to move, his body was in shock from the hit. Xiuhcoatl was ready to fire and he did. Spike released his own fire breath attack.
The orange fire bomb collided with Spike’s green flames. The fire mixed together creating a colorful spectacle in the sky. However, this beautiful array of colors was powerful and deadly. The fire bomb and Spike’s fire breath were mixing in the sky creating a large fire ball in the center. Neither Spike nor Xiuhcoatl were giving in. Even though Spike was injured he didn’t give in, he had friends and his only family, Twilight, to protect. The fire ball expanded and expanded until it finally burst releasing fire and energy in all directions.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spike was again pushed back into the ground by the force of the blast. Xiuhcoatl was pushed into the sky. The land around them was all but destroyed. The trees were burnt to the ground the forest outside Canterlot were almost completely decimated by the blast.
“You are strong boy. I believe I might have underestimated you.” Xiuhcoatl said to himself as he recovered in the air from the blast.
Spike slowly stood up and looked at Xiuhcoatl with a fire burning in his eyes. Xiuhcoatl looked down at his tiny opponent.
“Those eyes! I’ve seen them before. Those are his eyes!” Xiuhcoatl said to himself with a small amount of fear in his voice.
“I will… I will STOP YOU!” Spike roared once again and dashed up into the sky, again charging top speed at the ancient dragon. Xiuhcoatl could not get over his shock at the fire in Spike’s eyes and was hit in his chest by Spike’s claws. Xiuhcoatl heaved for breath and reeled back in pain.
“He broke one of my ribs? What is this dragon? His eyes burn with a spirit I have only seen once before. If he is who I think he is than I need to end this quickly.” Xiuhcoatl thought to himself as he was impacted by Spike.
“I will keep them safe!” Spike yelled as he began to relentlessly attack Xiuhcoatl. Each hit was getting harder and Xiuhcoatl was beginning to lose his edge.
“I need to end this quickly!” Xiuhcoatl thought as he reeled back a claw made into a fist and swung down at Spike’s head.
His fist only scraped Spike’s head but it was enough to get some space from Spike. Xiuhcoatl flew toward Canterlot hoping that being in such close proximity to the city will limit Spike’s aggressiveness in his attacks. Spike recovered quickly from the attack and followed Xiuhcoatl to the area just outside the city. Xiuhcoatl stopped near where the gates used to stand.
Xiuhcoatl landed on the ground stumbling a little bit. He stood there looking at Spike who was now landing on the ground and locking eyes with him.
“Who are you boy? What is your name?”
“My name is Spike. Why are you asking me this?”
“Your eyes, they burn with a spirit I have only seen once in my long life.”
“So what is your point? What does it have to do with our battle?”
“It has everything to do with our battle! That spirit that possesses you, it the spirit of a dragon I knew a great long time ago. He had an unhatched egg that went missing. He passed it to you! He passed his power to you! The power you possess, it can only manifest under certain conditions. Tell me boy, why do you fight me without regard to your own life?”
“I have friends I need to protect, If it means being killed in the process than fine.”
“I see. Then I can no longer deny your heritage and your power. I must prove once and for all that I am the ultimate among the dragons by killing you!” Xiuhcoatl charged one last fire bomb attack.
Spike did not move a muscle, only looking to the castle in Canterlot where his friends and the Princesses were taking refuge. He stood there staring right down Xiuhcoatl’s mouth waiting for the impending attack. He ran through everything they had been through from the Nightmare Moon incident to the present. Xiuhcoatl fired his last attack at Spike.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A large explosion was seen and heard by all those in Canterlot Castle. The Elements and the Princesses all ran to the balcony facing that direction. They stood there in disbelief of what they saw. There was a flaming mushroom like cloud in the sky.
“Princess what happened?!” Twilight said in worry.
“I don’t know my student.”
“Is there any way that we can see what is happening?”
“I can only get a glimpse using magic, but I can’t do it for long without dropping the barrier around Canterlot. I’ll see what I can.”
Celestia used the limited amount of magic that she could afford in order to see what had happened on the battlefield outside of Canterlot. What she saw broke her heart. All around the forest was gone a part of Canterlot was destroyed with no way of telling how many civilian casualties there were. And outside the gate was Xiuhcoatl laughing in pleasure at the inferno before him. Celestia stopped looking as to not feel any more sorrow.
“Princess, wha happened out there?” Applejack said.
“Yes, what happened to my little Spikey wikey?” Rarity asked as well.
“Listen my little ponies, Spike has lost the battle.” She said struggling to keep her tears back and saying the final half of her sentence with great difficulty.
The group couldn’t believe what they had just heard. They all stared at one another then at the Princesses and back to one another. Twilight upon hearing the news fell onto her knees and began to cry uncontrollably. The others all gathered around Twilight in a futile effort to comfort the purple unicorn.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
“It is done. I win boy. I am the ultimate among the Dragons!” Xiuhcoatl said with pride.
He turned to complete his part of his bargain with Insanity when inside the inferno something caught his attention. He turned back around to see his fire dispersing in a massive tornado of orange and white fire. He looked on and all he could see for a moment was a pair of green eyes glowing out of the fire.
“What is this!? It can’t be!” Xiuhcoatl said in a panicked state.
When the flames had all dispersed, there standing before him was Spike, with another there as well.
“NO! NO! No,no,no! How is this possible?!” Xiuhcoatl said staring right into the face of a dragon he had only seen once before.
“I WILL PROTECT MY FRINDS!” Spike roared with a voice so powerful it sent Xiuhcoatl reeling back in pain. The sound wave that permeated this roar dealt him massive amounts of trauma, causing him to bleed and hear his own bones break under its pressure.
“That voice! It is him! The WHITE FIRE, AODHFIN!” Xiuhcoatl yelled in absolute terror.
“You will be stopped Xiuhcoatl! Your threat ends HERE and NOW!” Aodhfin roared.
Aodhfin charged at Xiuhcoatl at a speed greater than any dragon could ever hope to achieve. Xiuhcoatl was frozen in fear at the dragon charging at him. Aodhfin smashed Xiuhcoatl into the air. Aodhfin launched his most powerful attack to finish off Xiuhcoatl, a fire meteor made of fire so hot it burned a pure white, which hit its mark on the first shot. I seared Xiuhcoatl’s scales and skin to an unrecognizable state. Xiuhcoatl fell out of the sky and smashed into the ground in a heap.
Aodfin descended from the sky and landed next to the charred body of Xiuhcoatl. Aodhfin’s spirit dissipated leaving Spike standing by Xiuhcoatl.
“You are his son. Hehehe.” Xiuhcoatl said weakly.
“What are you talking about?” Spike asked recovering from the massive expenditure of energy.
“You are the lost son of Aodhfin, The White Fire. He was the first ruler of the dragons before the wars. He was considered a god amongst us but he past his power onto another. An unhatched egg that went missing shortly after his power was given up to it. That egg was you. After today’s battle, now I am sure. I have lost to the best this day.” Xiuhcoatl said as he passed away from the world.
Spike stood there looking at the now dead body of the great Lava Dragon Xiuhcoatl. Spike then proceeded to go back to the palace to recover from the wounds sustained from Xiuhcoatl.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Insanity sat on his throne meditating and keeping tabs on the battle between Spike and Xiuhcoatl. When the battle finished his eyes snapped open and he flew into a rage.
“HE LOST! The mightiest of dragons lost to a pup like him!? That's not possible yet it happened in front of me!" Insanity roared while smashing up any furniture in the room and lashing out in a fury. "My time has come! IT is time to finish this! And I WILL FINISH IT PERSONALLY!"
NEXT CHAPTER
INSANITY COMES