//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Hearts of Class IV: The Looming Night // by ImAPonyXY //------------------------------// Sounds of a Melody The moon was high. The moon was full. The moon was nigh. And the danger was too. Ash and smoke filled the star-ridden sky and caught the attention from many unwanted eyes. When they cart transporting the four ponies finally pulled up in Canterlot, Spike and Sweetie Belle were rushed to the safety of the old Canterlot castle-turned school hidden behind a set of walls. Lined with courtyards and gardens, the school was a symbol of safety dedicated to the royalty of those who rule. It was like a heavenly sip of hot coco on a cold winter's morning but the two teenagers finally reached a sanctity they very much deserved. With a sigh of relief and the comfort of the infirmary beds the two slept peacefully and soundly for the rest of the night they still had. For when morning finally came, they would have their hands full with the trivial tasks of friendship... and the thoughtless, ridiculing chore of recounting the night's near-endless occurrences. They were tempted to stay awake just so they could see what may happen next, yet the encumbering exhaustion overwhelmed them and before they could say a single word to one-another, they fell into the dreary land of dreams and peace. When morning came Spike was rudely awoken by the annoying chatter of two very recognisable voices. He opened his eyes and merely groaned to mark is awakening. "Oh. Spike. You're awake?" one of the girl's asked. Although due to his abrupt disruption to his sleep, he couldn't tell which one was speaking to him. "No. I'm still asleep," he replied sarcastically. They giggled like the innocent girls they were. Except. They were miles away from innocent. Spike had finally arrived to his senses and realised that who stood before him were non-other than his two best friends, Lyvia Sounds and Lil' Dew. Lyvia had her innocence ripped harshly away from her when she only a child. She was forced to kill her father in cold blood in an attempt to preserve her own life - A choice that, to this day, she still questions with horrifying regret. But with the merciful friendship of Spike and his darling mate, Sweetie Belle, Lyvia had learned to suppress those feelings and cherish only the ones that made her smile. The other girl, Lil' Dew, had her innocence taken away when she stabbed a school-yard bully in an attempt to save a life. Falling prey to the despair and grief that was forced upon her by her own child-like nature. She merely pushed through when discovering that she actually had not killed anyone and that the bully she had stabbed was recovering healthily in the infirmary. With the realisation that he was in the presence of these two girls, Spike sat up and give them a weak smile. He was still exhausted and only had a few hours sleep. "Well someone's a little drowsy," the earth-pony Lyvia said, "When was the last time you smiled like that to me?" "Ummm...." no immediate answer came to his mind and Lyvia could easily see that written all over his face. All she could do was let out another giggle. "Oh I forgot how much fun it was to tease you," she reminisced and without further hesitation she lunged at the purple dragon and wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling him into an inescapable hug. That's when her happy and care-free attitude dissolved and transformed into one of worry and caution, "I've been so worried about you two," she said with a shattered voice. "We're fine Lyvia. The guards did their job and kept us safe," he responded quietly, in a hushed tone as he was careful not to startle her with an over-promising tone. "Look, you may be alive - but the same cannot be said for those gang members. That is not good!" Spike fell into a spiral of confusion. Although he was more shocked than befuddled. He just couldn't wrap his mind around her puzzling words. Her motives had never been clear to him but she just got weirder and weirder the more he knew about her. Did she poses sympathies towards the Black Apple Gang? She did have a profound history with them, but she turned her back on them and vowed to stop them. Did she have ulterior motives - or was this another one of her crazy mysteries that showed up more often then not. Eventually, after a moment of silence, Spike needed to respond, otherwise he ran the risk of making the conversation awkward. "So... what does that mean?" he replied stupidly, "Isn't it good that their dead. They won't hurt anyone anymore right?" Lyvia simply shook her head, "You need to look at this in a tactical point of view. Captain Blaze is freaking out in his office right now because their dead. He doesn't know what to do," she paused, "I know it's not a bad thing that they're gone. But it certainly isn't a good thing. "Lyvia. I'm still really confused. I don't get it," he grunted in frustration, "It's too early in the morning for this shit." "Look at this way Spike. If you were commanding an army and trying to get a precious prize, you send out a small battalion to scout out the area and distract the enemy right? But what happens if they get wiped out? You've just lost a fair few soldiers and gained absolutely nothing. You've been thwarted by the enemy and you're back at step one - the drawing board. You would have to revise your thought-out strategy all over again. Wouldn't that make you angry?" "Uhh, yeah. Sure why not," he replied, not really listened as he was distracted by the peaceful flapping of the curtains that hung low over the open windows. "... But these men," she continued, "The Black Apple gang. They are not ordinary people. They are not soldiers, they are scoundrels, murderers, thieves. They represent everything wrong with life. So would it be wise to piss them off?" she paused to let her explanation kick in," Hell no!" she answered, "Who in the right mind would want to piss off such a dangerous and unpredictable para-military force like them. It's a suicide wish if you ask me." "So... what you're saying is that we've awoken the beast, so to say?" Spike asked curiously. "Yes." "And now we're all in danger right? "Yes." "And there's little-to-nothing we can do about it?" "That's right." Spike paused and tried to get a grip on the situation. It didn't work. He then proceeded to yell and swear to express his stressful emotion. It worked. "Well. Fuck!" "I agree entirely." "This is not good at all!" "I know. That's what I'm trying to get at." "Shit!" "Uh-Huh." "Please tell me Captain Blaze has some sort of plan to deal with emergencies like this." "Well...." "He doesn't have anything does he?" "Not at the moment," "We're absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt, fucked!" "Yeah. Pretty much." "Why are you so calm about this!" Spike continued to yell, but in a some what hushed tone. He was careful not to prematurely awake Sweetie Belle. "Aren't you scared that people are going to die." "No not really." "Why the hell not?" She smirked and gripped the hilt of her pocket knife, "I'm glad you asked Spike. You see, I always have a plan." Spike felt stupid as her words hit him like a brick. "Of course," he groaned, "You always have a plan don't you. I could I forget." She merely giggled and coughed three times to clear her throat, "I haven't brought it up with the captain yet but I will when I finalise all the details. Would you like to hear what I've got so far?" "Hit me." "So this is what I was thinking, we hit them where it hurts..." "We take out the leader?" "We sack their base." "And how do we get there? I doubt they just have it written on a notice-board in town." "You're right, they don't. So we use Sweetie. She's been there before and maybe she remembers the way." Spike's eyes shot wide open, "You're kidding right?" he scowled at the though of Lyvia's suggested using his beloved to get to where they need to. He remembered the hardship she had told him about and how distraught she was after the ordeal. He knew Sweetie would be in no rush to go back to such a sinister place and there was no way he would risk letting her go - He couldn't bare the thought of losing her again. "No. I'm dead serious. There's no other way to find them. This is our best lead and we need to use it. Otherwise we run the risk of them recovering before we can prepare for a counter attack," her breathing increased as her determination blooded her sense, "You wanted a plan Spike. Well here it is. You either take it or leave it. Because people are going to die if we don't!" she took a moment to recover herself and catch her breath before looking the dragon dead in the eye, "So. Are you with me, or are you going to let hundreds of innocent people die?" These final words shook Spike. He was torn between being a hero and protecting the one he loved. He hated the thought of making Sweetie Belle go back to that horrible place, but he also couldn't bare the thought of letting innocent people die just because he held his girlfriend too close. Alas, he sighed and he couldn't deny this any longer. He knew it was the right thing to do, but he didn't like it one bit. If he had his was, this would all be over. "We should ask her..." he said quietly. He was defeated but dared not admit it. "Who? Sweetie?" "Yeah. We should ask her first. She should be the one to make the decision not me," he sighed for a second time, "It's only fair." "I suppose you're right," Lyvia replied, "Alright. We'll ask her when she wakes up." This put Spike's heart at ease and he simply nodded as a response. He sat back down and looked around the room. He knew he was in the infirmary but the realisation that he was back in the school suddenly came to him. This place was like a sanctuary to him not that Twilight was the headmistress and Captain Blaze roamed the halls. So much had happened over the past few weeks. No. Over the past few years. It was easy to forget that an entire year had passed without him knowing. But that wasn't important. What was important was that Sweetie himself were safe and within the presence of their friends. He couldn't help but think that things might finally get back to normal, but he knew that was simply not true. Things would only get worse from now on. So much more was to come. The war had only just began... Later, after what was presumed to be roughly an hour or so, the unicorn of pure white awoke with the most ungraceful motions conceivable. Although Spike was blind to them, Lyvia and Lil' Dew couldn't help but laugh and Sweetie sat up with confusion riddled across her face. "What?" she asked befuddled. They tried to answer but couldn't cease their laughter in order to make a timely reply. Instead the merely gave into the humour of the moment and continued to giggle and laugh. Spike on the other hand was not stricken by laughter and was able to answer clearly to her. "Don't mind them," he smiled and pulled her in close for a hug, rubbing her soft mane and running his fingers between the hairs, "We made it. We're safe" ... "For now..." "For now?" she asked, still confused from everything that was going on. It was too early for her. She had just woken up after all. "Well..." Spike began to say. But was cut off by Lyvia. "We need you to help us win this little war," she said abruptly. No longer laughing and a face masked with seriousness, "You need to take us back to the hideout." "What? Why?" she raised an eyebrow and gently let go of Spike so she could have eye contact with her friend, "I don't really want to go back there." "I know. But we need to sack their hideout and possible kill their leader. Hundreds will die if we don't." "Oh... umm well. Sure," she answered, "If those are the stakes then I don't really have much of a choice. Just let me recover." "Great! I'll go speak to the captain," she said hastily and ran off down the hall as fast as she could, which was surprisingly fast for a girl as small as her. Lil' Dew stayed. She had been out of contact with her friends for such a long time and the amount of shit she copped from Leo about their disappearance was astonishing. She merely let out a small smile and nervously stood in front of the bed, her happy-go-lucky nature seemed to be absent and instead stood a shy girl full of despair. "I'm so glad that you're back," she said simply, "So much has happened while you two have been gone. I'm sorry it has to be like this. But things have gone to shit and its getting out of control..." a few tears fell from her eyes and she looked down to let them. But the moment she realised what she was doing she straightened herself and wiped away her tears. She looked up and acted as though nothing had happened, showing a beaming smile and holding her hands by her side. "You were so much easier to convince then Spike, you know. I hope this works out."