Spike woke up the next morning with a very big headache. He slowly sat up and looked around. Where in Equestria was he? Ahh, now he remembered. A cave. A cold cave of ice that was until recently home to the ice imps. He had driven them off the day before.
“Good mornin' sleepy head,” Flake said, “You been sleepin' for a while.”
“Yeah. That tends to happen when I go Mystik,” Spike said.
“Mystik? Is that why ya had green glowing eyes and looked all awesome and stuff,” Flake asked.
“You thought I was awesome,” Spike asked.
“Well, yeah,” Flake said excitedly, “You had this look. It was like nothing could stop ya. It was so intense. And then you called up the wind like that and sent them imps flying. Literally. That's awesome, ain't it?”
“Yeah, Flake,” Spike said distracted, “That sure is awesome.”
Spike was glad to see Flake in such a good mood. She had seen him at his best and his worst. Still, she was by his side. Spike liked her. She was a young pony who struggled with magic and had trouble making friends. Kinda reminded him of Twilight. Except she excelled at magic, and chose not to have friends. Maybe they aren't so similar. Whatever.
“What happened while I was out,” Spike asked.
“That snowstorm blew the rest of the day and you were still out cold,” Flake reported, “I found some blankets in this here collection of junk and we stayed her for the night.”
“Well, come on then,” Spike said, “We should get back to town. I'm sure your family is worried about you.”
“Yeah, probly,” Flake said, “Plus, I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday's breakfast.”
Come to think about it, neither had Spike. He was just now noticing the grumbling in his belly. Oh, how he could go for even a few nice, delicious, shiny gems right now. He and Flake headed out of the former imp cave and back outside. The sun was shining bright in the sky and it seemed to be a beautiful day. It was not a long trip back down to the road. It was easier to go down in the sunny day than it was to go up in the snowy morning. Flake told Spike all about her ordeal with thawing out the ponies. Spike was impressed that she was able to do it all by herself. To be honest he thought he was going to be back and have to help her, but that was not the case. As they got close they could here some commotion. A group of ponies from town had started to work on cleaning up the broken and destroyed carriages. It was quite the job. None of them were salvageable. They all had to be cleared from the road. Spike and Flake headed down and the ponies stopped everything when they saw them. They all dropped their jaws and watched as Spike and Flake headed for town. One pony was sent on ahead to tell the town that the two were on their way back. The other ponies followed as Spike and Flake passed.
They got to town just after the other pony. He had not gotten the chance to say anything yet, so most ponies were simply shocked. Stares and wide eyes followed Spike and Flake as they headed to the middle of town. All ponies from all across town headed there to see them. The first to meet them were Flake's family. They burst out of the inn and rushed over to them as fast as possible. Flake's mom embraced her in a great big motherly hug. Flake was complaining that she couldn't breathe. Papa Frost came up to Spike and had some words for him.
“You, dragon,” He started angrily, “What do you have to say for yourself? You convinced my daughter to melt some ice and then she runs off after you into a snowstorm. Explain!”
“It is just as you said when we first met,” Spike told him, “'Children these days never listen.'”
Before Papa Frost could respond he was cut off by another voice. It came from a pony that was closing in fast and he did not look happy at all. He seemed like one of those ponies that was never happy. He looked to be about the same age as Papa Frost.
“Your daughter?! What about my daughter,” He said, “That daughter of yours froze my Snow Banks solid and then left her like that.”
“Now listen here Banks-.”
“That is Mr. Banks to you Frost,” Mr. Banks said aggressively.
Spike moved over to Flake. Her mom had finally released her steel grip and she could breathe again. Spike leaned down to her so he could speak without being overheard.
“You never mentioned you flash froze Snow Banks,” Spike said, “Good job.”
“Do you have any idea the damage your daughter did,” Mr. Banks continued, “It took all night for Snow to thaw out and now she has an awful cold that has her bedridden.”
“Good riddance,” Papa Frost said, “It's not like that spoiled brat of yours actually does anything. At least my Flake works her families farm. And lets not forget the display of magic that she showed yesterday. She saved seven ponies while your brat stood by and watched.”
“Lies,” Mr. Banks hissed.
“No, it's not,” Spike said strongly, “I heard your daughter myself. She did nothing at all to help Flake. Quite the opposite in fact.”
“You must be the dragon Snow told me about. Yes, purple scales, black coat, unusually tall,” Mr. Banks analyzed Spike, “Why should I believe a word you say, dragon?”
“Why would I lie,” Spike stated, “It it clear that Flake can defend herself against your daughter's insults. I have nothing against your family. I have no reason to lie.”
“Maybe not,” Mr. Banks conceded, “But I also heard about the angry yelling you did at my daughter. That is enough for me distrust you.”
“Your daughter refuses to help save ponies and when I get mad about it, I am the bad guy,” Spike said surprised, “What is wrong with you?”
“I will not be spoken to in such a manner! I practically own this town. Do you have any idea what I could to you, or those Frost ponies you call friends,” Mr. Banks said angrily.
“We don't care,” Flake told him defiantly, “Your spoiled brat daughter got what was coming to her and you know it. And now you're just mad 'cause somepony is standing up to ya!”
“That is it,” Mr. Banks hissed, “You and your family are done. That is unless you manage to get more ice harvested than me this year.”
“That sounds like a challenge, Banks,” Papa Frost said proudly, “We accept. Same rules as before. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Mr. Banks said with a snarl.
The two father ponies glared at each other one last time and turned to walk away. Mr. Banks silently called Papa Frost a fool. He knew he had every advantage. He had workers. He had bigger fields. Most of all, he had money. His money could buy a lot, and he knew it. Unfortunately Papa Frost knew those exact same things. It was causing him to dread accepting that challenge. They all climbed into the cart that would be taking them back to the farm. It had gone almost two days without work. That wasn't good. It was still early morning and Papa Frost gathered up everypony for a meeting.
“You all know what is at stake. I accepted a challenge from none other than Mr. Banks. He has the biggest fields, the most workers, and the most money. He earns more money from the ice harvest every year. He has since before Flake was born. I was a fool to think we could get more this year. But we sure can try. This is the Frost Family Farm! Frosts have worked it for generations. And we will work it for many more generations! We may not have all our best workers, but we do got one secret weapon. Spike! If you can drive off a whole cave of ice imps then you can certainly help us win this challenge.”
“I will do my best, Papa Frost,” Spike said strongly.
“Then what are you all doing standing around here? There is work to be done,” Papa Frost ended.
Spike headed out to the fields with Flake right behind him. She went to grab her bag full of spikes, but Spike stopped her. He had an idea. He went to the last row they worked. The ice spires were the tallest he had seen here. Flake was worried. She had never worked spires this tall. They were almost taller than Spike. Spike handed her a heat saw. She held it as Spike demonstrated his idea. He faced the spire and brought his tail up to it. He had cracked a spire once with just a swing of his tail. Just imagine what he could do with a focused jab with the pointed tip of his tail. He was about to show Flake. He analyzed the bottom of the spire and found a good spot to strike. His tail jerked back before striking the ice with a sharp crack. The tip of his tail went all the way through the ice spire and came out the other side. He struggled a moment before getting it out. A little less power next time. Flake was amazed. It took her only a few moments to to impale a spire, but he could do it even faster with his tail. Then he took the heat saw and quickly cut off a few branches. He did it faster than Papa Frost said to did it, but Flake looked them over. She analyzed them closely the same way her mother did. They seemed to be fine. With that done Flake used her magic to pick them up and put them in the cart. Spike had developed a new system.
After a few rows he got really good at impaling the bottom a spire withing mere seconds. Since his tail was bigger than the spikes Flake used it caused more cracks to separate the spire from the underground source. His aim did not need to be as fine as hers. This worked to his advantage. Add the fact that he was cutting off branches faster and he made a good worker to have. Flake was able to use her magic to pick up the branches that Spike dropped before they hit the ground. She pulled the cart behind her by harness, and had to change them out often. Before, they were clearing one quarter to half a section a day. There were between six to sixteen section a field. Now, Spike and Flake were clearing entire sections a day. Flake's mother had to enlist Flake's injured brother to help her sort the good ice from the bad. There was that much. After a month and a half spree of ice harvesting Papa Frost called for a break. Every one assembled at the table out front.
“Well, I'll be darned,” He said excitedly, “I haven't seen this much ice go through this farm since my granddad was running it. This is just what we need. If this keeps up we just might really win this challenge. Yahoo! But before I get ahead of myself, the fields need some time to regrow. We been harvesting so much ice that it is making the new spires grow in slower and smaller. We got a lot more fields to go, but I say we need a break. So, the next two days are yours to do with as you will. Once the ice is all sorted we will start harvesting again.”
Yes! Flake and Spike had two days off. They had been working hard and they could use a break. They decided to head into town. It had been a while since they were out and about. Besides, Spike had been there nearly three months already and still had not seen what ponies did for fun around town. So it was off to town for Spike and Flake.
It was weird to be back in town again. Spike and Flake were immediately recognized by the townsfolk and they all acted strangely. They were grateful because Spike drove off those nasty ice imps. Everypony was giving them things. They both walked to town. They did not have the cart with them. The seven ponies that Flake had thawed were still there as well. They were waiting for the next shipment to come. They go back to the city with those ponies. The shipments came at random times. Sometimes it was twice a month. Sometimes it was once every two months. They heard that the filly that saved them was in town and they hurried to thank her. They all formed a line in front of her and one stepped out. He was the head of the group.
“I hear you are the one responsible for us being released from the ice,” He said to Flake.
“I am,” Flake said nervously.
“All of us wish to thank you for what you did,” He said with a bow of his head, “And we would like to present you with this.”
All the ponies raised their heads as the leader handed Flake a small metal object. Upon closer inspection Spike saw that it was a coat of arms. The symbol for the guards in the main city of the Crystal Empire. Flake stared at it. It was shiny and she could see her reflection. She looked back up at the ponies after a moment.
“Consider yourself and honorary member of the Crystal Guard, young one,” He said proudly, “If you are ever in the city, come find us, show that badge and we will show you around the city the right way.”
Flake was speechless. She had nothing to say to him. She was just smiling and grinning so much. Spike had to take her over to the local diner and sit her at a table so she wouldn't explode in front of everybody. Besides, it was getting close to lunch time. But before that, Spike had to speak to the ponies for a moment. It was important. He came back to Flake and they ate lunch there in town. It was really good. Some of the best food is found in small places like that. Because of their popularity Spike and Flake ate for free. It didn't seem right, but he eventually accepted it. Good thing to. He was running low on the money he had saved up from his PAD days. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start.
It was near the end of the day and a shipment came rolling into town. Many ponies saw it as unusual. The imps usually stopped the carriages long before they got to town. If the carriages did make it they were usually in bad shape. But not this time. And that was not the only surprise. This was a large shipment of more than just supplies for the town. A trio of ponies got off the last carriage and searched around before spotting Spike and Flake. They all came up to them with a strange offer. Work.
Apparently, they heard stories of a young filly and a dragon that saved the town and then challenged the richest guy. Even the stories put the Frosts on the losing side of that challenge. Those ponies were here to change that. Flake took matters into her own hands and looked them over. Three ponies. Two colts and a mare. They were all good size. One of the colts was not a crystal pony, but that didn't matter. He was just going to be a lot colder than anypony else. Then Flake started with the questions.
“Have any of you ever worked on a farm before,” She asked professionally.
“All of us,” The mare said, “But never an ice farm. This would be our first time.”
“Okay,” Flake said, “Can you all use the equipment we provide?”
“We all have handled different kinds of equipment,” The mare stated, “And we are all willing to learn how to use the equipment you provide.”
“We probly won't be able to pay you until after the harvest,” Flake said, “Maybe not even then. Are you okay with that?”
That statement took the trio of ponies by surprise. They all looked over at Spike. He had been silent the whole time. He just raised his hands and shrugged. He wasn't even getting paid for the work he was doing. And now the other ponies knew it.
“Hold up,” The crystal colt asked Spike, “You mean you have been working here for free?Why would you do that?”
“I owe the family. I'm working off my debt,” Spike said.
“I don't think so,” The crystal colt objected.
He turned around and headed back for the carriages. The other two ponies stayed. They talked amongst themselves while Spike and Flake did the same. The ponies came to a conclusion after much debate. They came back to Flake with their answer.
“We would like to work for your farm,” The mare stated firmly.
“Okay,” Flake said happily, “Now all you gotta do is convince Papa. He doesn't normally like strangers on the farm.”
“But you were just interviewing us,” The mare said with confusion.
“I was just asking questions,” Flake said, “But I'm just a filly. Name's Flake, by the way, and this is Spike.”
The two ponies accepted that the little filly got the better of them and headed to the inn for the night. Flake would talk to Papa Frost later on and try and convince him to take on the two ponies. They even said they would work for free. That was a huge bonus.
And so Spike and Flake made it back to the farm just before dark. The Frosts were in the family room enjoying some nice hot cocoa. Flake settled in with her cocoa before bringing up the whole trip to town. She had put the little metal badge the guards gave her in her bag. She sipped a little bit of cocoa and savored the flavor. It was delicious. All was quiet for a while. Then Papa Frost nearly lost his cocoa, and his mind.
“You what,” He asked Flake eratically.
“I found two ponies who want to help on the farm,” Flake said less confidently than the first time.
“You know how I feel about strangers on the farm, Flake,” Papa Frost said.
“Yeah, but they did say they would work for free,” Flake said, “And we could use the help. The far fields haven't been harvested in three years. The spires there are almost the size of trees.”
“There is no talking you out of this is there,” Papa Frost asked knowingly.
Flake smiled highly. She had won. Papa Frost agreed to meet these two ponies tomorrow. They would be at the fields and ready to work. He realized that Flake was right. The farm was too big for them to harvest alone. Ever since Flake's older brothers left and got injured the work force has gone down drastically. The two ponies could really help remedy that. And once her injured older brother was all healed up and better that would be one more pony to work. Flake had a real knack for this farming business.
The next day Spike and Flake walked back into town to get the two ponies. She was rather surprised to see that they were already awake and ready to go. The mare did say they had worked farms before. So they all headed back to the farm. It was a long walk and the two ponies were not used to walking that far to get to a farm from town. Flake told them that ice farms were bigger than normal farms due to how they harvest. It was a slower process than normal farms. She informed them on some of their starting duties around the farm. Pushing carts and sorting ice mostly. A trip to town on occasion. They listened intently as she spoke. She was quite knowledgeable for such a young pony.
Papa Frost was waiting for them when they arrived at the farm. Flake and Spike headed to work and left the two ponies in Papa Frost's capable hooves. A few moments later and the mare was running for the field where Spike and Flake were working. The colt had been assigned to work with Papa Frost. The mare watched Spike and Flake work. It was an amazing system they had going. Spike spiked the spire and cut off the branches. Flake collected the branches and put them in the cart. It was the mares job to push the cart down the rows and then push the line of carts back to the barn. The colt had the same job.
They spent the first week pushing heavy carts back and forth. It was very tiring work. Then, one day at lunch time, a visitor arrived at the farm. Well, not really a visitor. It was a pony with a package. A package for Spike. Everypony was confused. Spike was the only one who knew. He signed for the package and paid the delivery pony his fee. It was a rather large package that Spike received. It was long and deep. He brought it over to the table and set it down on the ground right next to it.
“What is it,” Flake asked.
“A gift,” Spike answered, “I had to say thank you somehow. And I know a pony in the city who owes me a favor.”
Spike opened the box. The first thing he saw was a note. He picked it up and read it. It was from an old friend.
Dear Spike,
This is Strikefire. My brother came to the castle and told me of the message you sent him. He was absolutely terrified when a group of guards came up to the forge. That was a nice touch. Anyway, where in Equestria are you that you need these things?The job was too big to get done at the home forge as quick as you wanted. He came to me and I did it at the palace forge. Don't worry. I kept it a secret, just like you wanted. I don't know why you would keep this a secret, though. But anyway, come visit sometime. The palace isn't the same without you running around.
Sincerely,
Strikfire
Spike put the note down and pulled out one of the things he had Strikefire make. The Frosts looked in awe as Spike placed it on the table and pulled out another one. They were heat saws. But they were not the old worn down heat saws that the Frosts had been using so far. These were brand new, upgraded heat saws. Papa Frost grabbed one and ran for the nearest ice spire. He turned it on and it heated up right away. The old ones took up to five minutes to heat up all the way. He took the heat saw and cut off a small branch. It was fast. The heat saw carved through the ice like a knife through butter. Papa Frost was astonished. He couldn't believe it. He raced back to Spike.
“There are ten of them,” Spike said, “Enough for everypony and then some.”
And so the farm ran better than ever as they finished up the month. It was the last time of harvest season. After the month ended the summer sun would be rolling in and the ice spires would dwindle down to barely anything. It was the only time Spike could have gone out without wearing his coat. But he liked his coat. He had grown accustomed to always wearing one.
The month ended with the Frost family having the biggest harvest they had in years. They celebrated that fact, but held off for fear that the Banks had a bigger harvest. It was hard to tell. A special train came by way of a rarely used set of tracks to collect the harvest. It stopped at a small platform to the west of town. It was set up away from town to allow ice farmers to move their harvests in without troubling the town. An unexpected side effect was that every pony in town could see and watched the farmers sell off their harvests. This time even more ponies were crowding to see. They all knew about the challenge between the Frosts and the Banks. They had been feuding for generations. A couple generations ago it seemed like the Banks had won when they doubled the size of their ice farm. It had grown since then. The Frosts have had the same farm for generations. It had not grown. But now it came down to the ice.
The train stopped and several large ponies got off and unloaded truly massive containers. These would hold the ice during transport. It was also the only universal way to measure the amount of ice harvested, as each farmer used different sized carts. One pony came to the end closest to the town and scanned the ponies gathered there. The Harvest Master. He noticed Papa Frost and Mr. Banks right away. He was older than they were and had seen them fight many times. This time seemed different. Papa Frost always had a defiant look on his face but his eyes always gave him away. He always had sadness in his eyes. It was not sadness because he lost to Banks, but sadness because he had let his family down. But today, he had the same defiant look, but his eyes looked sharp and focused and confident. Things had really changed since he was last here.
“What is going on between you two? Another squabble,” He asked.
“Same as before,” Papa said.
“I see,” The Harvest Master said.
He knew what it meant. The first two farmers to get their harvests loaded and weighed would be these two. It always made for quite a large spectacle. He understood. He was an ice farmer once. So he called over a group of containers for each of them. At the ends were placed small elevators. Carts were placed there and raised to be emptied in the containers. Papa Frost and Mr. Banks stayed at the platform as the others delivered the carts to the platform. It was a long and tedious process. Mr. Banks was able to hire a whole team of ponies to run back and forth between his farm and the train. Papa Frost had his wife, Flake, Spike, and the two new ponies. He also had his carts connected five in a row. They were slightly harder to steer over the long distance, but it got more ice here faster. The Harvest Master blew the whistle and everypony was off.
Papa Frost stayed back to coordinate, but every pony and dragon went for the carts. Spike was the fastest and got to the barn first. Crystal Frost was there already. She was getting the ice ready to be picked up. She also reloaded the carts that were brought back. Spike reached the first chain of carts and grabbed the front cart and pulled. With one giant heave he had it going. Crystal was impressed by his strength. The others got there just as Spike was leaving. Flake jumped in his cart. She was much to tiny to be pushing or pulling these heavy, loaded carts around. Spike was making really good time as he ran for the train. A curve in the road appeared. Crap. He was going too fast to stop or turn without flipping the carts. Flake already had the situation handled. She pointed her horn at the edge of the path and created a curved, half tube shaped wall of ice. The carts slid across the ice without slowing down. But now they faced another problem. Speed. The carts were going so fast that Spike was being pushed along instead of him pulling the carts. He picked his feet up off the ground and sat on the lip of the cart. He could see the train now. He was coming in way too fast. Papa Frost was clearly freaking out. He could see them coming. Spike could only think of one thing to do. He jumped forward and spun midair to face the carts. His hand stayed on the lip of the carts as his feet met the snow covered ground. The ground was splitting and kicking up all sorts of snow and dirt as he tried to slow the carts down. It was working, but not fast enough. Flake tried using her magic to slow the cart down, but it was too much for her at once. She was only able to slow it down a minute amount. Spike looked back over his shoulder. He was almost at the elevator. At least he had good aim. As the cart slowed, little by little, Spike reached the elevator and with a hard smack. Spike immediately jumped behind the cart and unhooked all the carts from one another. The elevator only took one cart at a time. Flake jumped off just as the cart was being lifted up to the container. Spike jumped off once it stopped at the top, right before it emptied the contents. His chest still hurt from where the entire weight of the carts hit him. It activated the pain in his side wound as well. He nearly doubled over on pain, but he knew he had to get back to the barn for more carts.
“Get goin',” Papa Frost called in his direction, “And you Flake, stay here and magic them carts of the elevator and load the next one. You can do it.”
Excellent. That was smart. Good thinking Papa Frost. Spike started up a good run back to the barn. He passed the two new ponies on his way. Each was trying to control a chain of carts. They were managing, but it was still amusing to see them struggle. Spike didn't have time to laugh, though. Today was way too important to mess up. He reached the barn just as Crystal was bringing out another chain. She held it with one hoof on the second cart and the other on the third. It allowed her some control over where it went. Hmm. Spike would try this. He grabbed the cart in the same spots. Crystal noticed and approved. Spike headed back to the train with this new chain. He was running alongside the carts this time. That decision gave him much more control as he hit the ice wall. It was clear that both the new ponies hit it as well. They seemed to survive it. He passed them both as they ran back to the barn with two empty cart chains. Flake was working fast. Good. It was not a race, but everypony liked to show how good their workers were by seeing how fast they could do it. It became an ice farmer tradition. Spike was going a little fast again as he came to the train and the elevator. This time the solution was simple, however. Spike released his grip on the carts. As they shot past him he quickly grabbed the last one and dug his heels into the ground. This slowed the chain down very much. He had to push it a few feet into the elevator. Papa Frost was there and ready to unhook the carts. This family was a great team. The only one not involved was Flake's injured brother. He knew he would be of no help in this, so he was in town cheering his family on.
The rest of the day went on that way. Spike made at least seven trips back and forth. Five of them he had to drag empty carts behind him back to the barn. Lunch time came around and every pony and dragon was beat and tired. Papa Frost was unusually full of energy. He had a reason to be. Both the Frosts and the Banks had both filled three whole containers already. That was one more than the Frosts usually got and Papa Frost was ecstatic. He was nearly jumping with joy. The Frosts still had plenty of ice left to cart and transport. Spike was happy to see his lunch. The diner had ordered a whole mess of gems that came on the last shipment and he got them for free. He did not argue as he devoured them. They were not the same as eating gems in royal castles or princess palaces, but they were delicious anyway. He had had nothing but stew, bread, cocoa as the main aspect of his diet here. He did not understand how ponies could live off that stuff all the time. At least add some variety.
Unfortunately, while Spike and the others rested Mr. Banks' hired team continued to stockpile carts and ice by the train. They only stopped once they ran out of room to put it all. Mr. Banks smugly sauntered up to the them.
“Well, I must say that I am impressed, Frost,” He said. “You managed to harvest a very respectable amount of ice this year. It certainly is much more than your usual low harvest. I must admit I was almost worried before, but then I remembered who it was that accepted my challenge.”
“We are not done yet, Banks,” Papa Frost said aggressively.
“As you can plainly see, neither am I,” Mr. Banks said arrogantly.
Papa Frost glared right at Banks. He was always a stubborn old pony. Banks looked completely calm. He even had a smirk on his face. It was hard to tell if it was false confidence or just plain arrogance. Spike was leaning more toward the latter. He did not like that pony one bit. Flake liked his daughter even less. She was there too. She was in some tent that had been set up just for her. She waved over to Flake with the same smug, arrogant look her father had. Spike couldn't take it. He finished his lunch of gems and made his way to the farm. Crystal had to stay there and eat alone. She was used to working alone, though. Spike made it thirty paces before stopping in his tracks. He was still midstep. He had felt something. No, it was more of a sense. He sensed something. It seemed somehow familiar. It was cold and dark. It was big and dangerous. It was a dragon. Flake saw him just standing there and walked over to him.
“You okay, Spike,” She asked with concern.
Before Spike could answer the dragon attacked. It came out from behind the clouds and breathed a massive attack at Spike. He spun and knelt down in one, swift move. He he put his arms around Flake in a protective manner. Papa Frost and the others watched as a massive stream of black ooze bombed him and Flake. The entire town went silent. They had no idea what just happened. Even the dragon stopped. It was just hovering there, waiting to see if it was successful. It was not. The ooze settled and a small dome shape could be seen. Spike exploded the barrier and stood up. Flake was too scared to even move. He picked her up and breathed a stream of flames that led to her family. He walked to them and handed her over. Without a word he turned back to the dragon. It had landed now and was facing Spike. He walked out into the ooze. Every step he took sent a small ring of green fire out and burnt the ooze away. The light from the afternoon sun reflecting off the ice did the rest. Spike got to a spot away from the town and the ponies and stared the dragon down. It was the same dragon that threw him down here. He could see the recognition in it's eyes. It was back.
It launched another thick ooze attack at Spike. He created a barrier that directed the ooze away from the town. It covered many of the carts that Mr. Banks had placed there and began eating away at them. Spike responded with a high intensity magic blast from both hands. Two direct hits to the dragons face. It coiled back, but seemed largely unaffected. Then it did something unexpected. It collected a lot of ooze in its mouth and spilled it out on the ground right in front of him. Spike didn't understand it. Then the ooze started to shift and move. It was only after several hooves sprang out of the ooze that Spike realized what was happening. The Black Dragon was making Black Colts. NO! He could not let that happen. Spike formed a very large ball of green fire in between his hands. He aimed at the ooze and released the fire. It shot across leaving a trail of flames behind it. The fireball carved a path down the middle and exploded beneath the dragons jaw. But there still a lot of ooze that was not burnt. Black Colts emerged as the dragon recovered from the force of the fireball. It wildly sprayed ooze in all directions. The ponies in town ran for whatever cover they could find. Spike formed a barrier in front of him to catch the ooze. It was because of this he didn't see the other visitors that arrived. Behind his barrier he closed his eyes and focused on his magic. He needed to go Mystik right now. His normal attacks were not cutting it. He didn't see the flashes of light that were followed by the sound of someone giving commands. Spike's barrier dissipated and he just stood there. The visitor took notice.
“Spike, is that you,” Cadance asked.
She was flying with a contingent of her best guards. Most were on the ground. The rest were in the air with her. She didn't notice Spike at first due to his barrier, but once it was down he was visible. His purple scales and green spikes stood out against the black of the ooze. Cadance was surprised to see him. She was even more surprised to see him here, still in the Crystal Empire. But he was not responding to her. What was wrong? She quickly got an answer.
Spike opened his eyes and they were glowing a fierce and intense green. He let loose a roar that nearly dropped Cadance from the skies. He looked back at the dragon and snarled. With one jump Spike was at Cadance's height. He dropped out of the sky like a diving hawk and landed with an earth raising crash. The dust around him hid him from view. The Black Colts surrounded him as they investigated the crater. The dust cleared and Spike could be seen there with a ring of flame circling around him. With a grunt he unleashed the flame and it dusted the nearest Colts. He stepped out of the crater with heavy footfalls. With one step he stomped the ground hard and sent a wave of energy shooting forward underneath many Colts. In the same movement he raised a fist and dozens of earthen spears came forth from the energized ground. The spears impaled and penetrated each of the Colts until they all turned to dust. Behind him more Colts were assembling. Spike spun on his heel and blasted the cliff wall behind the Colts. The blast loosened the earth and created a rock slide that buried the Colts. He turned back to where the dragon was now that all the Colts were dealt with. Just one problem, The Black Dragon was gone.
As Spike searched the skies for it, the dragon reappeared. Again, it came from behind the clouds and snatched him up with an oozed claw. Not again. Spike was not about to let this dragon squeeze the life out of him again. He reach all claws out to the dragons limb. He dug each claw on his hands into the dragon. Nothing. Not even a muscle twitched. He had to up the ante. And he did. He gathered up a small electric current in his scales and amplified it using magic. He collected all of it in his chest before releasing it. When he did, the electricity poured from his claws and stung deep into the dragons hide. At first the dragons squeezed tighter. Spike stopped the current and the dragon's grip loosened. Spike was able to squirm out and jumped to the dragon's head. Spike stood right in front of the dragon's eyes. He was right where he wanted. He took a deep breath and blinded the dragon with a constant assault of green dragon fire. The ooze around its eyes flamed and crystallized. The dragon was now blinded by the very substance it was made of. Spike leaped off the dragon and landed not far from Cadance. He turned to her as her guards formed a defensive line around her.
“Call your guards off, Princess,” Spike said commandingly, “I am not going to hurt you.”
Cadance nodded to her guards and they loosened the perimeter a bit.
“Really,” Spike said, “I could still get past that. I might do it just to prove a point.”
“Stop,” Cadance said to both dragon and pony.
She gestured over Spike's shoulder. The dragon had fallen into an ice field and now it was thrashing about. Spike gave Cadance a challenging look and took off running. Cadance followed right behind him from the air. As they got closer to the field the dragon was in Spike saw a wall. Cadance could easily fly over it. Spike leaped as high he could and landed with both feet on the top of the wall, barely. He didn't waste time and unleashed a breath of fire that drowned the dragon in flames. But it was not done. As the dragon's wings and back were aflame Spike slammed his hands onto the ground. A path of frost and ice traveled from him to the dragon. It moved around to each of the dragon's feet and began to encase them in ice. The dragon did not stay still and that made Spike's spellcasting difficult. One by one, each claw of the dragon was iced. It was firmly planted on the ground. It was not going anywhere.
Spike took this last opportunity and finished the dragon off. Since he was surrounded by ice that is what he used. He walked up to the dragon and stared in its black eyes. He made an uppercut motion with his right arm. A tall, spiked spire of ice shot up from the ground and penetrated the dragon's chest. The tip could be seen coming out of the dragon's back. Spike repeated the motion with his left arm. Another spire came from the ground and penetrated the dragon's chest. The dragon let out one final weak roar. Just like with the Black Colts the Black Dragon began to crack. Fissured and cracks appeared all over as the dark colors of the dragon began to turn to to earth and stone. Once it was done Spike threw his arms out to the sides and the two ice spires followed. The former Black Dragon was ripped apart and fell to the ground with dust and debris littering the area. Spike powered down. This time he did not pass out. He just to fell to one knee. A sudden feeling of weakness cascaded over him. Cadance flew over to him from her vantage point.
“Spike? Is that really you,” She asked nervously.
“Yeah. It really is me, Princess,” Spike replied, “Long time, no see.”
“You have been here all this time and you never got around to writing me,” Cadance states, “I have been worried sick about you! Everpony has been. Why did you not tell anyone, Spike?”
“I will tell you,” Spike said, “But not now. Soon. There are more ponies that need to hear what I have to say.”
Cadance rushed up to Spike and embraced him in a big hug.
“I'm just glad that you are okay, Spike,” She said.
The two of them walked back to town together. Cadance had her guards stay a little ways behind them. That way they wouldn't overhear anything said between her and Spike. Spike told her all about why he was here in this small town. The dragon he just dusted threw him from the train and he landed at the Frost family farm. He was injured and stayed there while he recovered. Along the way he drove off a cave full of ice imps and made some friends. Cadance was particularly interested in the ice imps. She had heard of them, but had never actually seen one. Spike gave all the chilling details. She decided that she needed to put more effort into driving them away from towns like that one.
She and Spike walked into town and they could feel all the stares on them. Ponies gathered at the windows to see the dragon that did magic as well as the princess. They got to the general store and Flake rushed out to greet them.
“Spike! You're okay,” She said with much excitement.
It took a moment before she realized there was another pony there. She looked over to see who it was. All color drained from Flake's face. She was so shocked her jaw didn't even drop. She went right past that to the stammering like a fool part. Cadance giggled a little at Flake's performance.
“A friend of yours, I take it,” She said to Spike.
“This is the filly I mentioned,” He told Cadance, “Princess Cadance, I'd like to introduce Flake Frost. The pony who saved my life.”
“It is very nice to meet you, Flake,” Cadance said politely.
Flake was still stammering incoherently, but she manage to pull herself together enough to answer.
“N-n-nice to m-meet you, P-p-princess Cadance,” She managed to get out.
The other ponies in the store came outside just as Flake got out 'Princess Cadance'. They immediately saw her and bowed their heads. Flake was still in shock. Cadance bid the ponies to stand and called for the Frost family. Papa Frost came up with his wife. She must have run here right after the first attack. Good. Flake's brother also came up and stood with them. Together, the four of them stood before Cadance.
“I would like to thank you so very much for taking good care of my friend, Spike,” She said generously, “He tells me that you are all good ponies. Kind and fair. Is there anything I can do to repay your kindness?”
Even Flake was brought back to reality when she heard that question. All four of the Frosts huddled up and discussed it thoroughly. After a few moments of discussion Papa Frost gave Cadance an answer.
“Well, ya see,” He started, “Before we can answer that there is a matter that needs settling.”
“I do not understand,” Cadance replied.
“Ya see, the Frosts and the Banks families had a challenge that was to be settled today. We would have known already, but that pesky dragon attacked before we could finish.”
“I see,” Cadance said, “And where is the Banks family now? Perhaps I can help settle this.”
Just as Cadance asked that one of the Banks appeared. It was none other than Snow Banks. She rushed on over to them. She was panting and had to catch her breath before speaking.
“I need your help,” She said between breaths, “It's my father.”
“You really think we are gonna fall for one of your tricks,” Flake asked accusingly.
“This is not a trick,” Snow whined, “Something really is wrong with my father!”
“Calm down now,” Cadance said, “Where is your father?”
Snow Banks didn't even take a second to recognize the it was Princess Cadance she was talking to. She just directed the ponies, and Spike, to her father and led them there. Mr. Banks was on the edge of town closest to his property, By all appearances he had gone crazy. His mane was wild and his eyes were erratic. He was mumbling to himself and pacing back and forth. He saw Spike coming his direction and everything changed. His eyes became angry and he went silent. He stomped his way up to Spike and yelled at him.
“Look at this,” He screamed, “Look at what you have done! First you get that black ooze all over my ice at the train and then you completely trash my farm. My fields are ruined.”
Spike looked over his shoulder to the property behind him. He had no idea that was the Banks farm. He did get a little enjoyment out of seeing Mr. Banks freaking out, though. Did that make him a bad person? He didn't think so. Mr. Banks was a bit of a jerk.
“No, no, no,” Mr. Banks mumbled to himself, “This was not supposed to happen. He said that I would win. He promised that Frost would be gone. What am I going to do now?”
“Wait a second,” Spike said curiously, “Who is he?”
“I don't know. Don't know,” Banks said crazily, “I fell asleep and he came to me in my nightmares. In the darkness. He has no shape. Just a voice. He promised me.”
Spike moved really close to Mr. Banks. He looked him dead in the eyes. The intensity of Spike's eyes made Mr. Banks scramble away, but Spike would not let him. His steely gaze held him firm.
“A coldness came over you. A chill like you have never felt. You saw his eyes and you know they saw you. His voice deep and full of anger. Is that who came to you in your nightmares,” Spike asked with an eerie focus.
“Yeessss,” Mr. Banks said with relief, “You've seen him too? Is that how you beat me? Is it?!”
Mr. Banks words went from relief to anger. Spike pushed him away and he went back to his mumbling.
“Do you know this 'he' that Mr. Banks refers to,” Cadance asked Spike,
“No idea,” Spike lied, “I just said some stuff to see what he said back. He would have said yes if I told him that the 'he' was flaming caterpillar the size a tree bent on eating the tail of every pony in Equestria. I think he's lost it.”
“It would seem so,” Cadance agreed.
“Does this mean we win the challenge,” Flake asked, “I mean, all their ice was melted by that pesky dragon.”
“No, it does not,” Snow screamed, “Since my father is no longer able to work, the challenge is obviously off.”
“Not true, young filly,” Papa Frost said, “Me and your father signed a contract long ago. It clearly stated that the challenge would go on no matter what happened to either of us.”
“Oh yeah? And just where is this contract now,” Snow asked with attitude.
The Harvest Master appeared out of nowhere. He gave the Princess a polite bow. After which he proceeded to take off his tall hat. He set it on the ground and reached inside. He kept the contract between to ponies in his hat? Spike had seen so many unusual things here that he was not really surprised. It was taking the Harvest Master an awful long time to find a piece of paper in his hat. How much stuff did he have in there? Finally he found it and pulled it out. He dusted it off and silently handed it over the Princess Cadance. He retrieved his hat and walked away. His job was done.
Cadance unrolled the scroll and read it over. It was short and to the point. It outlined the rules to the original challenge set between Papa Frost and Mr. Banks. After a few moments Cadance turned her attention back to the ponies.
“It would seem that Papa Frost is correct,” She said.
“What,” Snow Banks yelled loudly, “Let me see that.”
Cadance lowered the scroll so that everypony could read it. Snow Banks skimmed it over until she came to the part about her father.
And no matter what shall befall either pony, be they either the challenged or the challenger, the status of the challenge shall remain the same. As long as the farm is still operational and can be worked, the challenge shall remain in full effect.
Snow Banks could not believe it. Papa Frost was right. And so was Flake. She and her family had lost the challenge.
“We lost,” She said quietly, “What happens now?”
“Well there, young filly,” Papa Frost said, “That is a good question. Ya see, the stakes for the challenge never changed. Even as we got older and the farms got bigger.”
“And what were the stakes,” Snow asked.
“Why, the farms of course,” Papa Frost said with a grin, “And seeing as how you know your farm the better than anypony here, we could sure use your help.”
“You took everything my family has and drove my father crazy,” Snow said angrily, “Why in Equestria do you think I would come and work for you?”
“Because if you don't you will have to leave town,” Flake said, “We have your farm, your house, and your money. You have nothing.”
Cadance stepped in between the two fillies before they pounced at one another. There was a more civilized way to settle this. Snow Banks was steadfast in her choice to never, ever work for the Frosts. It was eventually settled that the Frosts gave her a nice sum of money and bid her farewell. She was not happy about it all. Her father was taken to a very nice hospital in the city. Snow would be staying close to him. Cadance promised to help her get adjusted to a new life. Normally Spike would have handled that type of situation for her. Seeing as how he was a key part of why she needs a new life, he was not going anywhere near her. Cadance could handle it though. She was already looking for some free time. Maybe she could make some for Snow.
Another matter that was brought up was Spike. He was leaving again. This time he was leaving the Frosts. And maybe leaving the Crystal Empire for real this time. He said nothing about his use of magic. Nopony even brought it up. They were all hiding and any flashes of light they saw they attributed to Cadance. She was the Alicorn Princess after all. So Spike let it be. He would be boarding a train at a small platform a ways away from town. He had gone back to get his backpack and a few other things. Before he left Flake stopped him to say goodbye. Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to get the words out.
“Flake, I am not going away forever,” Spike spoke first, “I promise to come back and visit someday.”
“I know,” Flake said through tears, “And I will keep practicing magic while your gone. By the time you get back I will be harvesting entire rows by myself. No more Fake Flake here!”
The whole town gave Spike a grand farewell. After that dragon attack they had a lot of rebuilding to do. That would keep them busy for a while. Cadance had promised to send some help.
The harvesting continued the next day and the Frosts made a very nice profit even without the Banks' ice. Most of that had been destroyed. The amount that was left was enough that the Frosts were able to transition from their small farmhouse to the very nice, big house at their new farm without too much hassle.
Spike walked with Cadance to the train. She needed a break from flying and that was it. Beside Spike had things he needed to say. He informed Cadance that he lied about what he said to Mr. Banks. Spike, in fact, did now who the 'he' was that Banks referred to. But he still could not tell her. He just told her to talk to Luna and set up a meeting where he could address all the princess's. It was very important. Cadance trusted Spike and flew off to the Crystal Palace at once to do as he asked. As for Spike he boarded the front cabin of the train like a royal guest and settled in for the long ride. He was happy. He was going back to where it all started. He was going home.