Chapter VII
Old Friends New Members
Spike woke up with a pounding headache and felt sore all over. The drake looked at his hands and saw that thy were wrapped in bandages. He felt as though his body was on fire and his back was aching as though he had been using it to lift a cart. He looked around the room to see that it was a small hotel room with another bed beside his own along with a TV on the dresser.
“Ah good you’re finally up.” Spike looked towards the bathroom to see the red haired man. “How do ya feel?”
“Okay I guess.” Spike said as he sat up. “Where are we?”
“Where we were headed.” Crimson so said as he poured him a glass of water. “We are in the town of markets.” Spike took the glass and sipped it. “You’ve been out for a day.”
“A day!” He said in surprise.
“Yup, when we got to the trader camp their doctor patched you up and we spent the night. They said that you weren’t in any danger and Fetch had a schedule to keep.” Spike sighed and turned his attention to his bandaged hands.
“What happened to me?”
“You don’t remember?” Spike closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He remembered catching the thieves then seeing that giant tree thing. His eyes shot open and his jaw dropped.
“Holy guacamole!”
“Remember now?” Spike looked down at his bandaged hands and couldn’t believe the fact that he managed to take down that over grown tree. “Even by my standards that was impressive.” Crimson chuckled. “Course it’s not surprising. You’re part dragon after all.”
“Why does my back feel weird?” Crimson pointed to a mirror that hung on the far side of the wall. Spike looked and was shocked to see that he now had a pair of purple wings coming from his back. “Whoa!”
“Yup, you are definitely strong.” Spike hung his head and bit his lip.
“So what happened to that tree thing?”
“The Forest King? I believe he’s now a pile of ash.” Spike gulped and sighed. Crimson came over and sat beside the boy. “Spike, you did nothing wrong. He attacked us and you not only defended yourself, but Fetch and I as well.”
“I know it’s just that.” Spike clenched his fist and sighed. “A year ago on my birthday, I got a bit greedy and I turned into a fifty foot monster that nearly destroyed Ponyville.” Crimson raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Luckily I managed to snap out of it before I really hurt someone and I haven’t hoarded since.” Crimson could see where this was going. “I’m just worried that-”
“You’ll lose control and hurt Twilight or someone you care about.”
“Yeah!” Spike said with a nod.
“Trust me Spike, if anyone knows how you feel its me. I was always afraid that my ‘roommate’ would burst out at any given moment and hurt everyone I hold dear.” Crimson sighed. “It’s okay to be afraid Spike. Shows that you’re human.”
“But what if-”
“Let me finish.” Spike closed his mouth. “It’s okay to be afraid, but don’t let that fear control you. If you do that then you might as well give up now.” Spike gulped. “Everybody is scared of something, me, Twilight, hell I’m sure even Celestia and Luna have a fear.”
“So how do you deal with it?”
“I accept it.” Spike was dumbfounded at the response.
“Accept it?”
“Of course.” Spike cocked his head in confusion. “Fear tells you what your weaknesses are and once you know your weakness, you can become stronger.” Spike looked down and clenched his fist. “Also, remember that you never have to face fear alone. You’ve got Twilight and her friends to help you out when you need it.”
“What about you?” Spike asked. Crimson chucked and ruffled the boy’s green hair.
“Yeah, the guild an I have your back. You’re our probie after all.” He said with a smile. Spike let out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding and relaxed. “On a side note, how did you know about this thing?” Crimson said as he pulled out the amulet he took from the thieves.
“There was this performer that caused some trouble a little while back.” Spike growled. “She was a total show off and brought an Ursa Minor into town.”
“An Ursa? Seriously?”
“Well, not on purpose. Some kids somehow managed to get an Ursa to follow them into town so they could watch her beat it since she said she could. Turns out she couldn’t and Twilight stepped in and stopped it before it did any real damage.”
“Remind me to never piss your sister off.” Crimson gulped.
“Trust me, Twilight is crazy when she’s mad.” The hybrid shivered as he remembered the last time he made the scholar angry. “Anyway, a few months later the performer came back with that thing and challenged Twilight to a magic duel. Twi lost and the loudmouth banished her from Ponyville.”
“Banished her? Couldn’t Twilight just walk back in or-”
“Not when she put up a magic bubble over all of Ponyville and she went all King Sombra on us.”
“So what happened?”
“Luckily, we managed to find out what the amulet was and Twilight tricked her into removing it.” Spike said with a grin. “Zecora then took it and put it back where it was.”
“So what happened to the show off?”
“She ran off somewhere after apologizing. No idea where she is now.” Crimson sat back and bit his lip.
“Well, the whole Ursa thing was the kids’ fault.”
“What?” Spike said in surprise.
“Hey it’s not her fault that those kids brought an Ursa there. Not like she told them to do it.”
“But she’s a show off!”
“That’s like complaining to me that I’ve hurt people. It’s my job and I do it however I can.” Spike sighed and saw the logic. “Trust me I know how annoying a show off can be. As for the amulet thing, I know that it has mind altering effects, but I guess she had that coming for using a piece of dark magic.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Well, while you were napping I had a friendly chat with Fetch’s boss. We started off calmly then we got into aggressive negotiations.”
“Aggressive negotiations?”
“Negotiations with a scythe.” He chuckled. “Anyway, turns out he made a deal with a bandit member to smuggle the amulet to them for a lot of money.”
“So what happened?”
“Guards arrested him for dealing with bandits and Fetch is now running things.” Crimson then put the amulet back in his pocket. “I’m gonna hold onto this until we get back to the guild and I contact Crow. He’ll know what to do.” The hybrid got to his feet and cracked his back. “You okay to walk?”
“Yeah, I’m fine to leave anytime.” The boy said with a sigh.
“Fine. Let me just check your hands first.” Crimson unwrapped the bandages and saw that the wounds were fully healed. “Alright, you’re good to go.” The man then heard a growl come from the hybrid’s gut.
“Heh, heh. Sorry, haven’t eaten in a day.”
“It’s okay, I haven’t had breakfast either.” Spike went into the bathroom and put back on his armor before following the man towards the front desk. Crimson paid the receptionist for the room and the two went to the closest diner. Spike ordered a stack of pancakes while Crimson had an egg and cheese sandwich.
“We’re not gonna have to walk back through that forest are we?” Spike asked as he swallowed a mouthful.
“Nope, there’s a train station in the next town over. We’ll catch a ride back to Ponyville there.”
“How far away is it?” Spike asked.
“If we leave by ten then we should get there around three.” Crimson said as he finished his cup of coffee. Spike finished the last of his pancakes and Crimson paid the bill. The two ventured out into the street as a dark cloaked figure hid in the shadows.
The two had spent the last few hours walking down the dirt road idly chatting with one another.
“Hey Crimson.” Spike said as he walked beside the man.
“Yeah?”
“What happened to my sword?” Spike asked in confusion.
“You only went and broke it.”
“How?”
“Your magic was too great for the sword to hold. Like filling up a water ballon until it bursts.”
“Oh sorry.”
“No problem I’ll just dock it out of your pay.”
“What?” Spike whined.
“Hey you break it, you buy it.” Crimson then reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small pouch. “Oh and on that note. Here.” He said as he tossed the pouch. Spike caught it in his hands and looked inside. His jaw dropped when he saw it filled with at least two hundred bits.
“Holy Celestia!” He said in surprise.
“I already took out what the sword cost. Thankfully Fetch gave us a little extra for the whole amulet thing.” Crimson stated.
“Hey mid if I ask you something?” Spike asked as he pocketed the money.
“What’s up?”
“Fetch said that he thought blood mages were extinct. What did he mean by that?” Crimson stopped walking and felt the wind brush over his shoulders. Spike stopped and looked at the man. “Um Crimson?”
“You can come out now.” He said as he turned around and faced the baron road. “I know that you’ve been tailing us since we left town. You’re a master at stealth, flawless timing, unshakable confidence and I barely heard you coming. On any other day I would applaud your efforts, but I’m not looking for a spy.” Spike watched the road in confusion and saw a dark cloaked figure walk out.
The figure was covered from head to toe in a dark cloak. She stood about a foot shorter than Crimson and had a slim physique. A mask with a light blue wolf face stenciled into the mask covered every inch of her face.
“No wonder those two failed.” The voice was icy cool and belonged to a woman. “I never suspected that the Academy would send the Red Death for such a simple mission.” Crimson frowned and Spike gulped.
“I take it that you're Mrs. Smith then?”
“Correct.” She said as she started to walk forwards. “I’d like to avoid any bloodshed so I’ll be taking that amulet.” The woman extended her slender arm. Crimson raised an eyebrow and took the amulet out.
“Now why would a bandit need such a trinket?” The man then saw her hand glowing and a bolt of blue magic shot from her hand. Crimson grabbed Spike and jumped back with the boy under his arm.
“That is the key to my freedom.” She said as she cracked her neck. “I’ll ask you once more, hand that amulet over to me.” Crimson sighed and set Spike on his feet. Crimson sighed and summoned his red scythe.
“Afraid I can’t do that.” He said as he took a defensive stance. “I’m telling you now to walk away.” The woman then unsheathed a large machete. "Spike, take cover and don't come out until I tell you. Understand?" The boy nodded and ran off to the side. Crimson and the woman locked gazes and let their magic seep out of their bodies. Spike stood behind a tree and watched with anticipation.
The young drake only saw two blurs collide with one another and heard the grinding of steel. The two fighters were eyeball to eyeball, each looking for a foothold.
“Mind if I ask what became of the two thieves that were in your employment?” Crimson asked as he secured his footing.
“Not sure, I cut em loose after they failed.” Crimson’s eyes shrank.
“The girl was-”
“They were alive the last time I saw them. Not sure where they are now.” She said a she applied more force. “I’m actually surprised you let them live.”
“It wouldn’t sit right with me if I killed an innocent unborn child.”
“This is a surprise. A demon with a heart.” The man frowned and force the attacker’s blade up and tried to slash her. If anything the girl was nimble and easily dodged the blow. The man then fired a few bursts of red magic that the woman deflected. The woman threw down a smoke bomb and Crimson waited.
A large object came from the smoke and Crimson countered the woman’s blow and was locked in a stale mate. Crimson felt dampness on his arms and saw the girl’s weapon turn to pure water and wrap around his body and start to solidify. He saw another bit of water go between his legs and take the form of the girl standing behind him with sword in hand.
“Water clone huh?” As the copy got ready to swing she felt a burning sensation on her back. The clone vanished and the girl looked to see the purple winged child from before. Spike gulped and the woman was now furious. Crimson slammed his magically charged fist into her face. The attacker retreated back and caught her breath. She looked at the man and saw that he wasn’t even breaking a sweat. She had heard that he was good, but not this good.
The assailant opted for a different tactic as she threw down another smoke bomb. “The same trick won’t work on me twice!” Crimson said as he slashed the air and a red blade of magic cut through the smoke. The woman parried the blast off and Crimson slashed the woman down the middle. In the smoke he saw another figure dash past him and the girl in front of him was another clone. His red eyes shrank as the attacker aimed for the small child.
Spike felt fear paralyze him as the attacker descended on him with the sword raised. On instinct the boy raised his right arm hoping for it to somehow stop the blade. The girl’s eyes shrank as she saw purple scaled appear on his arm. The blade came down Spike’s arm. The hybrid felt as though his arm had been hit with a hammer and lumped back but not before feeling something very hard and sharp come down on his face. Before he could scream the man felt a pair of slender, yet strong arms wrap around his neck and a cold blade pressed against his throat.
Crimson was snow fuming as he looked at the bandit who was holding spike at swords edge. The man saw that Spike was bleeding from his right eye as a large vertical cut was easily visible even from the man’s distance.
“Let the boy go. He’s got nothing to do with this!” Crimson barked.
“The boy’s health is entirely up to you and whether or not you’ll give me the amulet.” Crimson bit his lip as the woman pressed the blade harder against the boy’s skin. “I’d prefer not to kill a child.” Crimson bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and threw his scythe down on the ground and pulled out the amulet.
“You let him go, I give you the amulet.”
“No, I’ll let him go after you hand it to me.” The man grunted and started to make his way over to the bandit who conjured up another water clone in front of the hostage. As Crimson got within ten feet something caught his eye and he gulped. He stood in front of the clone and looked at Spike who had blood stained tears in his eyes.
“Everything’s gonna be okay Spike. Trust me.” The drake gave him a nod and gulped as he started to hand the clone the amulet. Time seemed to slow and the bandit’s eyes boggled at the amulet’s power. “Duck!” The man forwards just in time for the clone to see a large purple arrow flying straight for her. The clone was destroyed on impact, but the arrow kept going.
Spike felt the grip on his neck loosen and used all his strength to break free. The boy immediately hit the dirt and covered his head with his hands. The assailant was fast, but not that fast. She had no time to defend and opted for her agility. The woman bent backwards and managed to dodge just enough for the arrow to catch her hood and scrape against her mask.
The assailant heard a loud thud and saw a purple blur rush beside the man and grab Spike. “Cutting it a little close there Rouge.” Crimson said as the purple haired Changeling raised one of her crossbow pistols at the attacker.
“Like you’re one to talk.” She chuckled. The attacker gulped in fear. One agent was bad enough but another? If she fought them and wasted any more time then she would be found out and then all her plans would be for not. “Now what’s this about?” The Changeling asked as she glared at the girl. The assailant grunted and threw another smoke bomb. This one was much larger that the other ones and covered a good twenty feet in black smoke. By the time the smoke cleared the attacker was gone.
Rouge immediately turned her attention to Spike who had passed out from the excitement and started to look his wound over. Rouge’s hand started to glow and waved it over the child’s body.
“How is he?” Crimson asked with a gulp.
“He’ll live and the injury didn’t hit his eye.” Crimson sighed in relief at the words. “Since when does Spike have wings?”
“Long story.” Crimson then looked over and saw a small bag on the ground where the attacker once stood. He picked the bag up and opened it to see several bandages and vials of medicine. “Interesting.” He said as he brought the bag over to the Changeling. Rouge opened one of the vials and sniffed it.
“It’s a disinfectant.”
“Why would she leave something like that?” Rouge shrugged and returned her attention back to Spike. “Mind if I ask how you found me?”
“Well, I was coming back from my mission when I heard what sounded like a fight. Followed the sounds and I see you, Spike and that bandit. I figured you could handle it, but when I saw Spike get taken hostage I decided to lend my expertise.” She chuckled. She finished the bandage around Spike’s eye and sighed. “He should be fine after he gets some rest.”
“Must still be worn out from the other day.” Crimson then picked the child up and put the kid’s arms over his own shoulders. The three then hastily made their way towards the next town and the train station.
Hours later, Spike’s eyes opened and his ears took in the steady sound of the train car rolling along the rails. He rubbed his head and only saw darkness from his right eye.
“Morning sunshine.” Spike looked across to see Rouge sitting with her legs crossed and book in hand. She closed the book and smiled. “You’ve been out for a while.”
“Rouge? Where am I? Where’s Crimson?” He asked as he sat up and looked down at his hands. “And why can’t I see too well?” He gulped.
“Okay I’ll just go in order. You, Crimson and I are on a train to Ponyville. Crimson is in the restroom and you have an eye patch on.” Rouge pulled out a small mirror from her bag and handed it to the drake. Spike looked to see a bandage over his right eye. “I gotta check your wound.” Spike closed his eyes and felt the bandages come off. He blinked twice and looked around the train car. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” The boy yelled. “Is it gone?”
“No, it’s fine.” The Change ling said with a smile. “There’s no infection and the blade didn’t even tough your eyeball.”
“They why did you say uh-oh?”
“There’s gonna be a scar.” Spike took the mirror in hand and looked to see a line of scar tissue running from above his eyebrow to just above his cheek bone. “I’m sure that I can whip up my scar hiding solution once we get back.” Rouge then saw Crimson making his way back to them. “Although, I’d keep it. It suits you.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah and ladies love scars. Makes guys look tough!” She said as she flexed her muscles. The drake chuckled and looked in the mirror.
“How ya feeling Spike?”
“Tired, but other than that, I’m fine.” Crimson looked at Rouge who nodded. Soon the dinner cart came around and the three had their meals.
“So how did the troll hunt go?” Crimson asked as he sipped his soup.
“Easy. Led them into a corner and dropped a mountain on them.” She chuckled. “What about you two?” Crimson looked at Spike and chuckled.
“Went through the Smog and Spike took down a Forest King.” Rouge’s eyes shrank and she spat her drink out in surprise.
“You did what?” She said in a surprised tone. “The Smog are you insane?”
“I wanted to go back, but this one,” The man shot Spike a glare. “and our escort wanted to risk it.” Crimson then went into detail about the thieves, the Forest King and their encounter with the water bandit.
“Wow, didn’t know you had it in you.” Rouge said as she looked at Spike. The drake gave her a smile.
“Spike is pretty tough.”
“I managed to save your butt.” The group chuckled as the train pulled to a halt. Spike looked out the window and saw the familiar town of Ponyville. It was about seven o’clock as the three made their way off the train station. The group mad their way toward the library and Rouge went ahead. Spike reached for the knob and the door opened to show the indigo haired librarian.
“There are my two boys!” She said as she grabbed Spike and wrapped him in a tight hug.
“Twilight!” Spike whined as he tried to break free form the scholar’s grip. The drake then looked at Crimson who was chuckling. “Is this what it’s always like for you?”
“Sometimes, course Ivy’s hugs usually break a bone or two.” Twilight put Spike back down and squinted before her eyes went to the size of pin tips. Her gaze then fell on Crimson. The man then felt his blood turn to ice and his throat dry up.
“Crimson, why does my little brother have a set of wings and a SCAR OVER HIS EYE?” Crimson couldn’t be sure but he thought that his girlfriend’s hair was slowly turning into a small inferno as her eyes locked onto the man. Crimson had faced the impossible before, but now he was facing one of the things every man feared and angry girlfriend and he had no way to defeat this opposition by his own means.
“Wait! It’s not his fault!” Spike said as he stood between them. Twilight looked down at her brother in confusion. “I didn’t listen to Crimson when he told me to take cover and well.” He said as he pointed to the scar. “Thankfully Crimson saved me and we ran into Rouge who patched me up.” Twilight looked at her brother and then at Crimson before she let out a sigh.
“Well, so long as you’re all right.” Crimson looked at the dragon in disbelief. He had just defused the ticking time bomb of crazy magic that is Twilight Sparkle without breaking a sweat. Crimson then felt something vibrate in his pocket and pulled out the gem to show the purple haired Changeling.
“Hey Rouge.”
“Crimson you gotta get her now. We’ve got a...situation.” The message cut off and Crimson sighed.
“Sorry guys but that’s my cue. See you round Spike.”
“See ya!” Spike said as he bounded up the stairs. Twilight hugged the man and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thanks for looking after him.” She smiled.
“No issue, the kid is tough.” He said as he broke the hug. As he started to leave he felt Twilight come up behind him and rest her chin on his shoulder.
“I’ll come by later and show you my thanks.” She said in a soft and sultry voice. Crimson stiffened and she lightly nibbled his ear and the man blushed like a tomato. Crimson quickly regained his senses and made his way towards the guild. As he came into range he saw Rouge waiting outside fro him with a worried look on her face.
“So what’s up Rouge?”
“Um...how can I put this? Maybe we should wait for-” Crimson put a finger to her lips.
“Rouge, I’ve had to go through the Smog, protect a trader from a Forest King and rescue a dragon hybrid from a bandit. How bad can it be?” He said as he opened the door and the man froze in place. Standing at the bar were four people. One clad in a long brown leather coat and matching hat with two six shooter pistols on his leather belt and a long rifle on his back. On the other end was a tall black winged man with tan skin, green eyes and jet black hair and was sporting an elegant and menacing looking saber.
Next to the gun slinger was a prim and proper man with green hiar and a few decks of spell cards attached to his belt along with two arcane blades. The one in the middle was a woman with long silver hair and donning a silver armored chest piece with matching shoulder guards, gauntlets and boots. The woman was also wearing pants that were made out of chain mail that had been painted white. A saber that was about seven feet long was on her back. As the woman turned around he felt ice in his stomach. Across her left eye was a white eye patch.
“Oh buck me.”
