Today was the last day Spike and Sombra had to prepare before heading to Farrier's Gulch via train the next morning.
Spike had continuously been flying higher and higher, as well as working on speed and control. Sombra had taken to practicing with his sword against Lyra, who used sticks in her magic from a distance to avoid getting hurt. Spike had even forged a sheath for the blade with some of the scales shed after his wings came in.
After dinner and before bed, Spike and Sombra had also taken to playing chess. Spike was good, but Sombra's mind seemed at least five steps ahead of him at all times. Spike was curious as to whether even his mother would be able to best Sombra at the game, but there were bigger things going on at the moment.
Currently Spike was going through a checklist of supplies that they were bringing with them, not wanting to be under-prepared for whatever was in the temple. Still, Spike and Sombra had both agreed to try and pack light.
Lyra and Bon Bon would be watching over the house for Spike while he and Sombra were away. Spike was confident that Bon Bon would keep Lyra in line while he was away, and Twilight had already been notified of the trip and would know not to visit for a few days.
Everyone was broken from their individual tasks when the crusaders came into view. Or more specifically their frustrated grunts became audible.
All three of them were struggling to carry something across their backs as a team, even with Sweetie's magic aiding their efforts. It was around two and a half times the size of an adult pony, but not much else could be deciphered by looking at it. It had been covered in a sheet, likely for a dramatic reveal knowing the crusaders.
Spike left his checklist with Bon Bon, rushing off to help the crusaders with their heavy burden.
Spike took the large object from the crusaders who all breathed sighs of relief. Spike had no trouble lifting the thing, but he could tell it would have been very heavy by average pony standards. After setting it down on the ground, Spike returned his attention to the crusaders.
"So, this is my passenger seat?" Spike asked Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom nodded, then took the sheet between her teeth and ripped the covering from her creation.
Spike whistled in an impressed way upon seeing Apple Bloom's handiwork.
It seemed almost like a canoe in appearance, but wider and better fit to the contours of Spike's back. There was a transparent, plexiglass-windshield dome for protection on top, and the whole thing was painted the same color purple as Spike. Save for the front half which was decorated in emerald colored flame-decals.
There was a series of straps and buckles on the underside, all designed for the sole purpose of keeping it properly affixed to Spike's back.
"Ah'm callin it a dragon-saddle fer now, but Ah'll probably come up with somethin' more high-tech soundin' eventually." Apple Bloom informed Spike.
"It looks awesome Apple Bloom. I can't believe you made something like this so fast." Spike complimented, running his hand across the masterpiece.
"Don't underestimate an Apple, Spike. I built this, and then I built these."
Apple Bloom reached into the dragon-saddle's cockpit and pulled out what Spike knew to be a radio headset, and another item that seemed to be some kind of visor with a microphone attachment. Judging by the size Spike could tell the visor was meant for him. The eye piece was like the lenses in mirrored sunglasses, albeit with a vague, greenish-tint.
"The normal set is fer Sombra, o' course. Or whoever might be in the saddle with ya. The visor-set is for you, Spike. It's for eye protection from sunlight, or bugs, or whatever. Plus, Ah gave it a little drop-down attachment microphone so you can talk t' Sombra from inside the pod while flyin'. It's got a wind-filter and it's made of fire-proof materials." Apple Bloom explained.
Sweetie Belle used her magic to levitate the visor-communicator combo onto Spike's face as soon as Apple Bloom was finished talking.
Spike took a cursory glance at the world through the emerald tinted glasses, finding it rather exciting to have a pair of custom made flight-glasses. As soon as Spike knew he was getting wings he looked into it, but found custom goggles were extremely expensive from a commercial company.
The only flier that Spike knew that possessed another custom pair was Rainbow Dash, but she had a Wonderbolt salary to throw about.
"Hey, Sombra? How do I look? The specs are awesome, right?" Spike inquired, looking directly at Sombra.
Sombra was a bit wary of the new accessory, as Spike soon noticed.
"Er... They are... interesting, yes. Though without being able to see your eyes your countenance seems to become a tad..."
"Predatory." Sweetie Belle finished.
Spike frowned and removed the visor, not wanting to needlessly rile up his friends' instinctive mammalian flight or fight instincts. Though Spike had never actually considered it before the mood one could read from his dragon-eyes was probably one of the most important things that assured ponies they were safe around him.
"Sorry guys. Didn't think about that. Maybe we could change out the lens with a regular see-through one?" Spike suggested to Apple Bloom.
"Oh! I've got an idea~!" Sweetie piped up.
Without bothering to take the visor from Spike, Sweetie Belle blasted the high-tech specs with a shot of green magic from her horn.
Everypony (and Spike) watched as the visor's singular lens went from a one-way mirror appearance to an electric green translucent one. Once the change was complete Spike put them back on and looked over his friends who seemed much more at ease at the sight of Spike's smiling face.
Spike even looked up into the sunlight, and sure enough the visor lessened the intensity a great deal. Just like Apple Bloom's original design, even with the alteration.
"That's a neat trick, Sweets." Scootaloo commented.
"My sister taught it to me. She got tired of buying different sunglasses for each of the gazillion outfits she owns, so she had Twilight invent it."
"Huh. I can change the color of stuff with fire magic if I want, but it's kinda tricky. Or I can just change the color of my fire, which is a little easier. Though Mom also figured out why my fire is normally green, and why emeralds are my favorite gem." Spike added.
Sombra was mildly interested in the topic, having never really thought it strange that Spike's fire was an unusual color.
"And why is that?" Sombra asked with genuine interest.
Before answering, Spike performed his lighter trick that he had down-pat at this point. But each time he did it in this instance the flame sitting atop Spike's thumb was a different color. For the sake of being a colossal show-off Spike did it once for each color in the rainbow.
"Mom spent months trying to dissolve one of my scales to examine it's chemical make-up. When she finally managed to break one down a little she found high concentrations of chromium and vanadium in it. Those are the two elemental components that give emeralds their green color.
"Zecora says the cave where my birth-mother lived was absolutely packed with emeralds. She must have eaten almost nothing but emeralds while my egg was developing. I got my purple scales from her too, according to Zecora. That's more a hereditary thing though, I guess." Spike explained.
"Oh yeah. I guess it stands t' reason that you'd have a dragon mom too, huh? Never really thought about it." Apple Bloom blurted.
"Pfft. Nah, Twilight can totally lay eggs." Lyra added sarcastically.
"Okay, stopping this train of thought at the station. Besides, we still need to test the saddle. Lyra, I recall you wanted first dibs?" Spike asked, changing the subject.
Just about as fast as anyone could blink Lyra had teleported into the dragon saddle.
Even though Spike had yet to actually put it on.
Spike picked Lyra and the saddle up and placed it on his back with some effort, the awkwardness made the maneuver a bit difficult but Spike knew he needed to get used to it. There would likely be a number of occasions in the future where the saddle would prove useful.
Once Spike had finished getting the straps secured he walked a few steps to see how it felt.
"It's perfect, Apple Bloom. I can move around without any problems, and it's pretty light." Spike praised.
C'mon! I wanna fly! Let's go! Lyra shouted into the headset.
"Oh wow. Lyra is now a voice in my head... That's mildly disturbing." Spike muttered to himself.
Oh please, you know you love it.
Regardless, Spike took off at somewhat slower speed than he had been doing while flying solo. As an initial test of his new saddle Spike didn't want to leave anything to chance.
Once they were high enough and Spike had built up enough power Spike began making circles at a lazy pace before making a quick pass over the house. Once behind the house Spike thought it a good time to ask Lyra how she was doing.
"How you holding up back there?" Spike asked Lyra as he tried to keep a steady altitude.
I'm fine, kinda bored though. You fly like a granny, Spike. Take it up a few notches.
Spike grimaced, knitting his brow into a rather unamused expression.
"Fine then. Hope you fastened your seat-belt!" Spike replied.
Spike instantly dropped over a hundred feet before pulling up into a spin, much to Lyra's delight.
Spike began leveling out to better raise his speed. Up until now Spike hadn't tried to go as fast as he possibly could, but Spike was never one to pass up an opportunity to show off to someone he had feelings for.
Even though Spike almost never realized he was doing it. But sure enough, Spike saw Sombra watching his performance intently. Something in Spike's mind urged him on, whether he knew it or not.
Spike began soaring through the sky at great speeds, and after a moment of keeping himself in the rhythm Spike began the real show.
Every hundred meters or so Spike would let out a burst of flames that became rings of fire Spike would soar through seconds later. Lyra ooed and awed as she watched the display from up close, filling the pod of the dragon saddle and Spike's ears with her cheers.
To finish, Spike rose above the clouds and went into a downward spiral.
While he spun Spike let fire trail from his mouth. Before very long Spike was shrouded in a fiery veil, making him seem like a great green fireball about to hit the ground. With a tremendous impact Spike hit the ground, obscured by his flames.
The fire burst outward and dissipated, revealing Spike standing in a patch of uneven and smoking green glass that had been the loose earth of Spike's yard seconds before.
Spike seemed a tad winded, but he was otherwise fine. A few seconds later the pod of the dragon saddle opened up and a dizzy but happy Lyra slid down the side of the pod and continued down Spike's wing.
"One of the best rides I've ever had. A close second to angry sex." Lyra joked as she struggled to keep her balance.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes and trotted over to keep Lyra steady.
"Woo. That was a bit more than I intended to do. Musta got carried away." Spike laughed, popping the bones in his neck.
As Spike walked back to join the rest of the group the loud crunching of the glass could be heard under foot.
"Dang. That wasn't nearly as fast as me or Dash could go, but the presentation was pretty wicked. You should charge for rides." Scootaloo praised.
"It was pretty cool." Apple Bloom agreed.
"I think it would have been better with some heavy metal in the background. You know, for ambiance." Sweetie Belle suggested.
Sombra who was next in line was actually a little fearful now after the sudden display. While Spike was basking in the praise from his friends he saw the look on Sombra's face. Spike forgot Sombra had likely never been very high up before and had forgotten to take his feelings into account.
Spike carefully took the headset from Lyra and held it out for Sombra.
"So uh, just in case you were worried I'm not gonna be so over-the-top while I'm carrying you. Slow and steady. Okay?" Spike asked as he offered Sombra the headset.
Sombra reluctantly accepted the headset, deigning to trust Spike.
Spike lowered one of his wings to the ground and allowed Sombra to walk up it like a ramp. Sombra struggled a little to get into the dragon saddle, but managed after a little help from Spike's tail.
Once inside Sombra surveyed the interior.
At the front there was a compartment labeled oxygen mask that needed only to be pushed to open up. There were two safety belts that Sombra could secure himself with, and a bite-hold emergency pull-release for the windshield that Sombra made note to be careful of. Sombra had no intention of falling to Earth from thousands of feet up in the air.
There was a light that Sombra experimentally pressed to activate, illuminating the cockpit. As soon as he was certain it worked Sombra shut it off again. There was also a button that controlled the windshield's opening and closing, complete with a brightly colored warning label and diagram. All in all, the pod seemed to be perfectly safe.
Sombra propped his front legs over the side to inform Spike he was ready to take off, having forgotten the headset momentarily.
But before he could say anything he heard a familiar southern accent yell out.
"Incomin'!" Apple Bloom shouted.
Before Sombra had time to turn his head or ask what he was supposed to be preparing for he was struck in the face by something relatively heavy.
Sombra muttered a string of profanity a mile long as he examined the weapon he had just been bludgeoned with. It was a black back-pack with a string emerging from it, looking quite similar to the release for the cockpit.
"And just what is this?!" Sombra complained as he poked his head over the side to glare at Apple Bloom.
"It's a parachute." Apple Bloom answered plainly.
Sombra stared at her for a few moments in complete silence until the anticipation boiled up inside him.
"Could someone please tell what a parachute is? I've been essentially dead to the world for a thousand years. In my day the printing press was the newest innovation. I am woefully ignorant as far as technological advancements are concerned, thus the importance of this satchel escapes me." Sombra conceded, getting fed up with how ignorant he was.
"It's a special sheet of material that forms a dome-like shape when released and slows down the descent of the wearer from high altitudes. Basically it makes sure you don't fall out of the sky and become a pancake when you hit the ground." Sweetie Belle chimed in.
Sombra looked back to the unassuming bag and found the parachute a welcomed addition to his cause of not getting maimed.
"Hmm. Thank you then. How does it work?" Sombra inquired of Apple Bloom.
"Jus' reach back and pull the cord. But not in the pod. Only if yer already falling." Apple Bloom explained.
Sombra donned the parachute, being careful of the cord.
Once Sombra was securely buckled in and Spike's breathing was completely back to normal Spike took off once more.
Spike was careful to start out as slowly as possible, listening for Sombra through the headset. All he could hear was Sombra breathing a little heavier than normal which was to be expected of a wingless person's first time flying. Spike remembered clinging to his mother's leg for dear life the first time he had went up in a chariot.
"Sombra? Can you hear me through the headset?" Spike asked as they gained altitude.
Yes...? Though it's rather strange. It's a bit of an adjustment I suppose, but I should be able to get used to it. Sombra responded.
"Great. I'm going to start cruising, and you let me know if you want me to slow down, and I'll let you know if I'm going to change anything. Okay?"
Understood.
"Alright then."
Spike began casually drifting through the air, as if he were just trying to survey the area beneath him. Thanks to his dragon hearing and the microphone headsets Spike could hear Sombra's breathing calming down a little. Spike was rather pleased that Sombra trusted him, it was a great sign of the progress Sombra was making.
After changing directions a few times while maintaining cruising speed Spike felt Sombra was probably ready for something a little more advanced.
"Okay, I'm gonna pull a loop. Then I'm going to level out at a higher speed than before. It'll be closer to the speed I'm going to use to get us up to the temple in two days. You ready?" Spike asked Sombra through the mic.
Yes. I believe I am over my anxiety. You may continue. Sombra replied hesitantly.
Spike could almost hear the blush coming to Sombra's face, but teasing him while he was making a conscious effort would have been flat out mean. Instead he merely went ahead with his plan and did a lazy loop through the air.
Sombra's heartbeat accelerated a bit, but soon went back to a steady rate once the loop was done. Spike continued as planned, increasing his speed as he repeated his previous flight path. Spike even took the turns a bit faster, trying to get Sombra as used to flight as possible before things got real.
After a half hour of the new speed Spike landed, and Sombra disembarked the dragon saddle. He seemed happy to be back on the ground, but overall Sombra was no worse for the wear.
"I feel prepared enough for our journey. You certainly seem to know what you are doing up there." Sombra complimented without actually looking at Spike.
Spike nodded, used to Sombra's stand-offish brand of kindness.
"Yeah, I think we'll be alright. Just as long as there aren't any more dogs up there" Spike joked.
Sombra rolled his eyes, but a slight smile graced his lips.
"Oh, right. That reminds me. I'll be right back" Spike told Sombra.
Spike then excused himself, retreating into the house.
The group waited for a few minutes before Spike emerged carrying a rather large bag. It was seemingly ordinary, giving no hint to what it's contents might be.
Spike smiled widely and reached into the bag.
"I uh, I felt bad your armor and cape got banged up. They were your only possessions at the time, other than the sword. So I figured that if the forge spell worked to make a sword, I might be able to make more stuff."
Spike proceeded to pull a full set of armor from within the bag. It looked a tad different than it had before, but overall it was relatively back to normal. It was as though the set had never gotten so damaged in the first place.
Spike had even changed the crown Sombra had abandoned into a sort of forehead protector with a horn-motif. Two small horns on either side, somewhat similar to how a devil would normally be depicted. Sombra knew Spike wouldn't have met any offense, and had likely merely based it off of the original look of the crown.
There was even an indent for where a unicorn horn would normally go. A sign Spike was hopeful that once everything was said and done Sombra could be a unicorn again. Until Dootha was dead it was too dangerous for Sombra to have magic, but he was adjusting well enough.
"I reforged the entire set with a scale for each piece. It should hold up pretty well now. Though I still don't know exactly how durable it is. It should be better than before though." Spike explained.
Sombra wasted no time in donning his newly repaired armor, ecstatic to have it once more.
Despite knowing he couldn't truly die, the armor always made Sombra feel more secure. The armor slipped on easily enough, though Spike did eventually have to help with the buckles. Luckily, Sombra was too happy to care. Having his first possessions back made Sombra feel a sort of superficial completeness.
"But wait! There's more!" Spike told Sombra in an impression of a voice Sombra couldn't place.
Spike motioned the crusaders forward and the happy couple close, and as they drew nearer Spike reached into the bag one last time. After a moment Spike pulled a purple bundle from within the bag and let the empty bag fall to the ground.
Undoing the bundle, Spike revealed five fold-action pocket knives. One with a white handle, one with a golden-orange handle, one with a red handle, one with a turquoise handle, and one with a cream-colored handle. The crusaders instantly realized who they were intended for and took their individual knives.
Lyra and Bon Bon accepted their own a second later, opting to trade so they had the others' color.
Scootaloo was the first to reveal the blade of her knife. The crusaders, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Sombra stared at the pale-purple blade, seeming underwhelmed at the gifts. Spike had anticipated this and picked up a nearby stone and held it out for Scootaloo.
Scootaloo hesitated for a second, but remembered no knife could harm Spike. With a quick motion the rock was cleanly sliced in two, while the knife was no worse for the wear.
"Dragon knives. A scale each, and some scrap metal. Pretty cool, right? I needed to keep practicing, and I thought it'd be a cool way to say thanks for the help, even though you can't go with us. Just be careful with them."Spike continued.
"Awesome." Scootaloo beamed.
"This'll be great for my workshop." Apple Bloom added.
"It's actually kind of pretty too." Sweetie Belle finished.
"I'll use it responsibly." Bon Bon continued.
"I probably won't kill anyone with it." Lyra promised.
Spike nodded, taking them at their word.
Spike took the wrap that had held the knives and unfurled it completely. It was revealed to be a long, purple scarf. Spike wrapped it around the neck of Sombra's armor, putting the accessory on for him. Sombra was somewhat confused, but he felt a sudden tingle once the scarf was on his body.
"What just happened?" Sombra inquired, looking himself over.
"Nothing much. The scarf just has some extra mojo in it. It'll keep you at the right temperature all the time. I was worried that without some kind of protection it'd be too cold for you inside the temple itself, and too hot for your coat in Farrier's Gulch. It might make you fireproof too, but let's hope we don't have to put that to the test.
I actually tried making it a cape, but after the fire wore off I had this. Trying to turn scales into fabric was a long-shot I guess. It worked out well enough, but I understand if scarves aren't your thing."
Sombra touched the scarf, feeling the pulsing empty sensation in his chest again. Sombra was feeling it more and more often as time went on, but it never got easier to ignore. Still, Sombra decided to forgo talking about it with Spike.
Nonetheless, Spike deserved to be thanked for his efforts to ensure Sombra's well-being.
"Thank you, Spike. I am happy to have, it appears capes are out of fashion anyway. Perhaps I should let you win at chess sometime as a show of gratitude." Sombra joked back.
Spike snickered before devolving into full-blown laughter. Sombra was certainly a fast learner, and with a little more time he'd fit in just fine. Before long the crusaders, Lyra, and Bon Bon joined in before Sombra himself contributed to the uproar. Sombra's laughter sounded a little evil yet, but it was a start.
After everyone had a turn in the dragon saddle Spike made everyone dinner and he and Sombra went to sleep soon afterward. They would need to get up much earlier than any diurnal person wanted to, but they had little choice. There was far too much riding on them for them to miss their train.