//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Assault on Twilight's Kingdom pt. 2 // Story: The Dragon Sage // by Dragon Sage //------------------------------// Spike Smiled. “Hey bird-brain,” he taunted, “if you’re going to bite dragon scales, you should at least put some effort into it.” Milla Nare growled at him angrily and lunged forward beak-first. Spike dipped low and swiveled around quickly. He whipped his tail up as he turned and struck Milla in her side just as she was about to land another bite. She tumbled to the side and flew right onto an unsuspecting Dawn Treader who rolled back and hit the wall in a ball of fur and feathers.         Spike turned and faced the charging Warmonger who pounced forward with his horn sharpened with his magic. Spike took a quick breath through his nose and opened his mouth wide. An excruciatingly bright green light appeared from his mouth like the flash of a camera. Warmonger groaned as the light burned into his eyes and disoriented him madly. Spike stepped to the side as the lunging stallion tripped and tumbled past him, skidding to a stop beside the other two.         Dawn Treader angrily leapt forward next and blasted bolts of magic from his horn at Spike. The dragon took shelter behind one of the thrones and dodged his blasts. Milla Nare flew up towards the ceiling and swirled down towards Spike with her claws drawn. Spike leapt into the air and began furiously beating his wings. He flew up and veered to one side as Milla narrowly missed his back. She quickly turned around and began chasing him in circles around the throne room wildly.         Twilight watched as Spike evaded the griffon and spun through the air while Dawn Treader began firing more blasts at him from the ground. She didn’t understand why her spell had not worked. She focused as hard as she could, attempting to catalyze the magic of friendship again and again, but continuously failed. She saw Spike loop around in the air avoiding magic and claws that came closer and closer to him.         Spike turned quickly, letting his tail guide him from one direction to another, as he continued to play cat and mouse with them. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of him and Warmonger appeared in the air with his hoof raised. Spike tried to slow down but he was too close to dodge. Warmonger grunted loudly and threw his hoof forward, colliding with Spike’s cheek with a thud.         “Oomf” Spike grunted as the stallion’s hoof met his face. Warmonger teleported again out of the air and back on the ground, watching Spike begin to spin out of control. Dawn Treader blasted again with his horn, which collided with Spike’s back as he tumbled from the air. Spike spun dizzyingly before throwing his wings out and veering upwards just before colliding to the ground. He rolled and tumbled on the ground as he skidded to a stop. Looking up, he could see Milla Nare diving for him yet again. Just before she reached him, a blue set of hooves kicked her side and she flew towards the wall again.         “I call dibs on the griffon!” Rainbow Dash cried out and flying towards Milla.         “I’ll get the creepy fella,” Applejack called and began charging Dawn Treader. Spike smiled as he looked back at Twilight, who kept her eyes closed as her horn began glowing brighter. He stood up and looked around for Warmonger, scanning the ground for him. Another flash sparked beside him and Warmonger appeared rearing his back legs up and striking Spike with painful kick.         “Would you quit that?!” Spike cried out as he regained his balance. Warmonger disappeared again and reappeared in a flash behind him. This time, Spike ducked down low and dodged his kick. He continued to teleport to Spike’s blind spot, but pretty soon Spike got the hang of ducking and jumping when he heard a flash from his backside. When Spike saw a flash from his left, he took a deep breath and roared out a blast of green flame towards the stallion. Warmonger used his magic to shield himself from the flames, then looked at Spike with narrow eyes.         Twilight’s heart was racing. She wanted to jump in and help her three friends, but Pinkie and Rarity held her back. “It isn't working!" she cried out. "Remember your friends!" She heard Princess Luna say from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the blue alicorn just outside the magic barrier she placed. "Remember what happened when you defeated me! It was your friends!" she called out. "The spell, Twilight. You can do it,” Rarity reassured her.         “Yeah Twilight! We’re all here for you!” Pinkie piped in. She looked back hesitantly at her friends fighting off the Miasmic ponies and griffon. Rainbow Dash taunted Milla as she flew circles around her. Applejack bucked at Dawn Treader who skillfully ducked and dodged her blows from side to side. Spike’s fight with Warmonger was a series of bright flashes of teleportation magic mixed with the occasional green light of Spike’s fire. The other three of her friends stood close by, ready in case one of them made a move for Twilight.         That’s it, she thought. She’s been focusing on the Elements of Harmony this whole time, and not on her friends individually. She remembered how the first time she used the magic of friendship to defeat Nightmare Moon, she listed off her friends and their power one at a time.         “Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, I’ll need you to join the fight,” she said.         “What?” Fluttershy gasped.         “We’ll need them all at the center for this to work. When I give the signal, see if you can surprise them,” she said and gestured to the star at the center of the room. Rarity and Fluttershy hesitated, but agreed after they saw that Pinkie had already vanished. They quietly circled the fight, staying near the wall, until they were close to either Spike, Rainbow Dash, or Applejack. Twilight started flaring up her magic once more, this time focusing on each one of her friends. Honesty Spike launched himself forward towards Warmonger, who promptly vanished again in a flash and reappeared on top of the cage again. Something was odd. The orange pony that was fighting off Dawn Treader began glowing. Kindness Dawn Treader took an apple-orchard buck straight to the chest and flew backwards, landing in one of the thrones with a smack. He looked up at his opponent, who was glowing orange like a firefly. His eyes went wide as he noticed a cowering yellow pegasus behind her, who also started to glow. Laughter Warmonger noticed each of the ponies starting to glow brighter. He looked around frantically, then noticed that Twilight was alone near the entrance, chanting something. Her horn was glowing as well, much brighter than before. He realized what was happening and dove off of the cage and rushed towards Twilight. Before he could get close, Spike flew over and dove on top of him, keeping a firm grip around his waist. “No you don’t!” he said as Warmonger tried to buck him off. Generosity Warmonger teleported closer to Twilight, but Spike stayed with him and wrestled him to the ground. The two of them strained and pushed against each other while growling ferociously. Spike eventually pinned the white unicorn by wrapping his tail around his neck. Just before Spike could cover his mouth, Warmonger called out. “Get the princess!” he cried to Dawn Treader and Milla Nare. They both began rushing Twilight as well. As Milla Nare hurtled towards her, Spike breathed out a blast of fire towards the griffon while struggling to keep Warmonger pinned. The griffon easily dodged the fire blast, but was quickly stopped when Rainbow Dash tackled her as well. The blue pegasus struck hard at her beak while Milla Nare swiped at her with her claws, roaring madly. Loyalty As Rainbow Dash began to glow a bright shade of blue, Dawn Treader dodged his opponent’s strikes left and right but was backpedaling towards the wall. Applejack continued to throw jab after jab until he was cut off from any more retreat. Milla Nare snarled at Rainbow Dash who stood between her and Twilight. She began to step backwards looking for an opening. Rainbow Dash's bright blue aura reflected in Milla’s eyes. “What is going on!?” Milla Near cried out. At that moment, Warmonger jabbed upwards with his hoof into Spike’s ribs, catching him off guard. Spike loosened his grip with his tail and the stallion stood up and broke free from Spike’s grip. He began rushing towards Twilight again. Magic “Now!” Twilight called out and opened her eyes. She was glowing a brilliant shade of purple, which allowed her to clearly see Warmonger only a few feet from her, charging with the intent to kill. Just then, Rarity jumped in between Twilight and the advancing stallion and reared her legs up, kicking him straight in the chin. He flew backwards into Spike’s grip. Milla Nare took one more step back from Rainbow Dash, but felt her leg back into something soft. She looked down in surprise and saw a glowing Fluttershy covering her head with her hooves. Rainbow dash used this opportunity to give the griffon one more thick shove, and she fell over Fluttershy with a thud. The two pegasi then kicked the downed griffon hard, sending her sliding into the center of the room. Applejack had her opponent backed up as far as he could go. Dawn Treader prepared to launch one more blast of magic at his opponent. Suddenly, Applejack smiled and ducked her head as low as she could. Confused, the yellow unicorn turned around to see a glowing Pinkie Pie smiling giddy at him. In front of her was a bright blue cannon aimed point-blank directly at his chest. She giggled once more, then fired the cannon in an explosion of balloons, confetti, and streamers. Dawn Treader was sent flying backwards to the middle of the room where he landed on a dazed Milla Nare.   Spike gripped the white unicorn as hard as he could, then leaned himself backwards and heaved. Warmonger was sent careening backwards towards the thrones. He then teleported one last time and landed safely on his hooves facing the dragon and glowing ponies. He growled at his opponents and prepared to charge them again, when he noticed his two companions in a dazed heap lying just behind him. “No . . .” he muttered, and turned back to Twilight. Twilight’s eyes were each emitting a blinding white light as the sounds of swirling magic began to fill the room. The ponies all glowed so brightly that they began to completely illuminate the throne room with their colorful elemental magic. Twilight took a deep breath, then cast her spell. Each of the glowing ponies emitted a powerful blast of magic towards the center of the room from all directions. The three would-be burglars were swept up into a spiraling and twisting ribbon in the form of a rainbow. The light was so bright that Spike covered his eyes and kept his head low. The room began to shake with the swirling power at the center. The cries of Dawn Treader, Milla Nare, and Warmonger could be heard as each of them spun madly at the epicenter of the spell. Finally, a loud crack echoed through the room and the light’s from the room died out all at once. Spike looked around. The room was dark again, except for the moonlight cascading through the windows. The sound of powerful magic was replaced with the heavy breathing of each of his friends. He looked around and saw the same three faces he fought not seconds ago peering around the room in fear. “What’s going on? Where am I?” Dawn Treader said shakily. Spike smiled and turned to Twilight. She had a hoof to her head and was staggering to retain her balance. He flew over to her and took her face in his hands. “Twilight. Hey, you still here?” he said giving her a light shake. “Spike?” she said in a daze. The image of his face began to come into focus. “You did it Twilight!” he said and pointed back towards the three figures laying in dazed confusion a few yards away. She took a second to recover her thoughts, then bolted upright. They weren’t done yet. “The Miasma!” she cried out and pointed to the ceiling. Spike followed her hoof and looked up to see what she was pointing at. A pale green cloud of dust and lights was swirling around slowly at the top of the room. It flowed from side to side as it glowed in the night with a terrible sickening moan following it. “Use the gem!” he cried and pointed to the sapphire that hung around her neck. Her horn lit up with magic and she fired her spell towards the cloud of greed. The Miasma ducked to the side as her spell hit the ceiling, then swirled around quickly and sporadically. Twilight launched more spells at it as quickly as she could. The cloud dipped and juked back and forth, heading towards the window. As soon as it made contact with the glass, a bright purple barrier sprang up and cast it backwards into the air. The cloud seemed to shriek then rushed the other window, where it was promptly thrown back again. “Hold still!” She shouted and fired another spell at it. It ducked low and swirled around on the ground. A second later, the cloud rushed towards them with explosive speed. Twilight tried to cast a spell at it to halt its advance, but there was someone in the way. With a sick panic in her stomach, she realized what was happening. “Spike!” she called out, but was too late. The cloud enveloped the dragon and swirled around him like a swarm of angry bees. The room began to shake and shudder as the Miasma took hold of him. Twilight saw the cloud seep into his skin like osmosis and Spike’s eyes immediately started glowing white. “Aaagh!” Spike howled as the searing pain in his head grew with each passing second. He cringed and clutched at his chest as the green cloud began to swirl around him faster and faster. He cried out and began writhing in agony, tumbling to the ground. The Miasma continued to swirl around him and loud cracks of thunder shook the room. “Spike!” Twilight called out again. She rushed forward to help him, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash. “Look out!” she cried as Spike began spouting flames from his mouth, attempting to fight off the enemy in his head. The flames narrowly missed the two of them and continued to burn in short spurts. He continued to growl and shout on the ground while she watched helplessly. “What can we do?” Rarity called out from behind her. "Get ready. We'll perform the same spell on him," she said and lit her horn again. “No!” Luna cried from outside the door. “If you perform the spell on him before it has taken hold, he could be killed!” “But if it takes him over, he could grow into a giant dragon again and destroy the building! Then we won’t be able to use it at all!” Applejack cried out. Twilight could not bear the thought of either happening. She turned back to her writhing friend and thought about what to do. What could she do? Just then, she heard a strange voice coming from Spike. It was loud and demonic, like a group of terrible voices instead of just one. The strange terrifying voice was coming from Spike’s mouth. His face was twisted into a devilish smile. “You are a fool, dragon,” the voice chanted loudly. “You have the power to take what you want, yet you do not use it. Such a fool!” Just then, his face switched back to a fearful agonizing expression. “Stop it . . .” Spike said in his natural voice. Twilight soon picked up on what was happening. “Fight it Spike!” she shouted. The demonic voice began speaking for him again. “You think you are even wanted here?” it spat angrily. “You are a tool to be used and thrown away by that insolent mare.” “That's not true,” Spike’s voice cut back in. The Miasma then laughed loudly in a low cackle. “How could she ever love you? Why on earth would she want you?” it taunted. “Go away!” Spike screamed. Applejack cheered out Spike’s name in support. The others soon joined in and began shouting at the struggling dragon to beat back the Miasma. Twilight was about to join them when she heard the low voice speak again. “You are nothing but a servant to her. She will desert you and you will be on your own. Love you? Ha! She will sooner fall in love with her mailbox,” the voice cackled. Twilight raised her hoof to her mouth as tears began to emerge from her eyes. He means me, she thought. Spike cried out in pain again and reached out with his arm towards Twilight. His face looked at her and showed nothing but fear. His eyes were broken and streaming with tears. She was frozen where she stood, completely unable to help her suffering friend. “The only way you’ll ever get what you want . . . is if you TAKE IT!” the voice bellowed and Spike’s body launched towards Twilight with blinding speed. She gasped as he looked down at her menacingly with his eyes glowing bright white. She looked right at him and cried out his name in fear. His claws reached up and clasped the blue gemstone around her neck, and yanked it off of the necklace with a snap. “No!” Luna called out and began firing up her own spell to take down the magic barrier. She was much too late. Twilight watched as the possessed body of Spike raised the sapphire up to his mouth and licked his chops. “Delicious,” the voice called out and Spike’s hand raised it above his head with his mouth wide open. If he ate the gem, there would be nothing to stop the Miasma from escaping. Twilight called out his name loudly one more time. “Spike!” she cried. Then she heard something odd in response. Something that confused her. Something that sounded strangely familiar. Laughing. But not the Miasma’s voice laughing. It was Spike. She heard Spike’s unmistakable laughter coming from his face as he eyed the sapphire in his hands. Spike's face softened as a faint but lovable smile inched into his cheeks. “You think because I'm a dragon that I'm a greedy guy, huh?” Spike said with a chuckle. “What?” the voice called out. Spike brought the sapphire down and held in in both of his palms, looking directly at Twilight again. This time instead of agony, his face was rather comforting. He smiled like he was seeing a friend for the first time in ages. “Controlling my greed was the first trick I learned, dummy. Want to see the next one?” he said and narrowed his gaze. Spike took a deep breath with his mouth open wide and looked at the sapphire that lay in his hands. In one smooth motion, he emptied his breath out onto his palms in a rush of steam and blinding light. The voice cried out and began to fade as his breath began to seep into the gemstone. His breath soon turned into the same green foggy color as the Miasma. The cloud swirled in front of him and quickly absorbed into the gem as the last cries of the dark voice faded completely. Spike’s eyes closed as he grasped the gem in his hand tightly and bowed his head down. His body dropped back down on all fours and stood very still. All was silent. The throne room began to feel very still as the only light visible was the moonlight coming in from the windows. The ponies that surrounded Spike waited quietly for the dragon to say something else. Rarity and Pinkie Pie looked at each other nervously, before looking back at Spike. Applejack and Fluttershy stood near the door with their eyes wide, holding their breath. Rainbow Dash stood near Twilight, ready to jump in should something go wrong. Princess Luna finally finished undoing the barrier and ran inside to stand next to Applejack and Fluttershy. Her wings stood at attention, ready as well to fight if necessary. Twilight raised her head and looked directly at her assistant, whose head remained low and whose eyes remained closed. She saw him breath calmly as his chest rose and fell softly. After nearly a minute, she put her hoof on his shoulder. “Spike?” she said softly. He began to raise his head and slowly open his eyes. The white light was gone and his loving eyes looked over Twilight as his head rose up to hers. “Next time, can we get Luna to do that part?” he said weakly and smiled at her. "Spike," she gasped and lunged at him. Her heart nearly jumped at the sight of seeing her dragon back to his old self. She threw her arms up around his neck and held him close. She buried her cheek into his neck and let a few stray tears fall onto his shoulders. Spike lightly laughed and brought one arm around Twilight and pulled her closer. She felt that same comforting warmth again, and this time she held on to it as tightly as she could. “Spike!” the others chanted and wrapped his shaking body into an group embrace. Spike laughed as his friends surrounded him and held him tightly from all directions. He sat with his head just above them all and reached his tail around pulling them in closer. Spike felt each one of his friends hold him close and sighed happily as he held onto Twilight with one hand. The other held the Miasma of greed, forever bound in a beautiful blue stone.