Spike and Celestia came in, stopping in front of the opening to the inner areas of Greyhield’s mountain. Spike looked in to the dark passage, nothing visible from where he waited in the crisp evening air. His heart was raising a mile a minute, his mind attempting to keep pace as things became so much clearer. It was as if the mountain was drenched in ancient, unseen blood. The rocks were clearly a tinge of red that was anything natural. Spike dismounted, slowly walking into the massive cavern, as if it were the first time he had done so. All along the wall were clear signs of artificial excavation, but the marking were unlike any type of digging utensil around. It almost looked as if a back hoe had been used, though the shovel was direct sideways instead of straight up and down. The tunnel leading deeper into the mountain had the same markings all around it, on the walls, ceiling, and floor.
The further Spike went down the tunnel, as torches began to appear to light the way, he noticed the separation between the digging marks was getting larger, as well as the scores in the rocks themselves becoming larger. The cave just seemed so… foreign. It was as if Spike never really had looked at what was around him before. Spike began to pick up the pace, heading towards the stable as quickly as possible, without running and drawing attention to his being there. When Spike arrived, he quickly put Celestia inside of her room before moving out, looking about him as quickly as possible before moving ahead.
“You do a poor job of sneaking.” Glenn’s voice said behind him. “It’s as if my lesson made no difference in you.” Spike turned to face the reptilous general, who also looked strange to him. He had many markings that Spike hadn’t noticed before, including scars from past battles that were far too old for Spike to have not noticed simply because they hadn’t been there.
“I’m not trying to sneak so much as not attraction unneeded attention.” Spike replied, trying to remain calm. Glenn walked up to Spike, looking over the dragon carefully.
“You were sent to Canterlot to stop their supply lines. What happened to that task?” Glenn asked, his eyes narrowing. Spike sighed and looked at the seasoned general in the eyes.
“My reptilous don’t need me there; the job is far too easy. I could remove half of them and still have enough to ensure that Canterlot never gets another piece of grain or drop of rain.” Spike said, hoping against all hope that for once Glenn would buy his excuses.
“For your reputation’s sake, I hope you are right. Greyhield has a high opinion of you, much higher that what most generals as young as you get.” Glenn replied before passing the dragon. “Make sure to go back to them on occasion to ensure they aren’t messing something up, or that the ponies are launching a massive assault.” Spike grunted in acknowledgement before moving on. Spike quickly moved through the winding corridors.
This deep in the caves, Spike could tell that certain corridors weren’t made as the one that came down for the top of the mountain. His eyes seemed to be able to focus more on certain details, like the evident signs of the use of pickaxes in the construction of the prison area. As he walked down the corridor, he suddenly noticed something odd. The cells that had been filled with ponies, each and every one of them was empty, with the door wide open, and further down the way, he could hear the rattling sound of chains. Spike entered a brisk jog to reach where he heard the sound coming from. He rounded a corner and, sure enough, the ponies were being moved, each shackled to the one in front of them with multiple reptilous guards surrounding them. Spike walked up to the guards as they made their way down the halls.
“Where are these ponies being taken?” Spike asked as he approached. The guard at the very back turned to look at the dragon as the rest of the group stopped.
“Greyhield has ordered that they be used in a more effective way than to fill these cells and eat hay.” The guard replied. “They are being posted in the mines where they can be of actual use.” Spike nodded slowly, looking over each of the ponies, some of which he actually recognized. Seeing the ponies standing there, looking back at him with tired eyes, Spike almost felt like fighting the guard to let the ponies go free, but his better sense combated the idea.
“Very well… carry on.” Spike said finally before turning from the group. Behind him, the sound of chains beginning to rattle as the reptilous once again hurled insults and orders at the ponies made Spike’s heart skip a few beats as he fought the urge to do something rash. Spike deliberately marched towards the highest security cell, fighting his hardest against his compassion. The guards stood quietly in front of the first door, staring off into the distance at nothing except maybe the far wall. “The Friendship Council is still held here, I presume?” Spike asked the guards.
“Sir, yes, sir.” The one said. Spike nodded slowly, looking over the many locks and security measures.
“Well, I’m here to see them.” Spike stated simply. “So open the cell doors so I can pass.” The guards remained still, looking off in the distance still. “Are you deaf, or was I speaking in a different tongue?”
“Sir, ever since the ponies attacked you and certain other events that have occurred since, visitation has been severely restricted.” The guard replied.
“I can understand that, but I’m here to visit them, so open the door before I become impatient with you.” Spike stated, increasing his volume slightly as he gritted his teeth.
“Sir…” The reptilous began.
“Open the door now or I’ll make sure you start working in the mines with the rest of the worthless scum that inhabits this part of the mountain.” Spike threatened with a glare. “I’m sure there are plenty more reptilous that are far more suited for this job that are far better at following orders.” At this the reptilous looked at each other, and nodded, beginning to open the door as quickly as possible as Spike tapped his foot against the ground in a fake growing impatience and outrage. Soon the door was open, and the second door was revealed. The process continued until the final door was open, letting Spike in. “Stay outside; I don’t need anyone getting inn my way at the moment.” The reptilous guards quickly nodded before leaving the room, the sound of locks closing behind him bringing a small measure of relief. The six ponies inside the cell looked at him, a small bit of fear and a tinge of longing in their eyes.
Spike slowly sat down with crossed legs, looking down at the floor for a few moments, the vague sound of hooves on the other side of the bars telling him he wasn’t alone. He could practically feel the stares the ponies gave him as he looked over the stone floor. Spike continued to look at the floor, unwilling to start the conversation as the air crackled with tension.
“S-Spike, are you alright?” Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence. Spike looked up to the ponies, each of them giving him curious looks.
“No…,” Spike said finally, “I… I recently had a… had a real eye opener.” Spike stated. “I saw Blaze again and…” Spike stopped short, biting back the words. “E-everything just seems so confusing now.” Twilight approached the bars, looking concerned at her former number one assistant. “I thought I had things figured out, but,” Spike looked away towards one of the stone walls, “Everything seems to be even more complicated than before.”
“Spike, we are always here for you, if you want to talk, we are all ears.” Twilight coaxed hopefully. Spike looked back to the ponies.
“I just feel lost. I thought I knew what life would have of me, and what I wanted out of it, but now it’s just so… it’s like the world is falling apart around me, and no one else notices.” Spike explained slowly.
“I don’t know what to tell you Spike.” Twilight said honestly. “What I do know is that if you know where you are and where you want to be, then you need to make the effort to get where you have to be. If you feel lost, take a moment and… well, do what you believe is right.” Spike put his head in his hands as the words only served to make him feel even more lost. He understood the words, but the meaning behind them wasn’t there. As he sat there, a knocking came at the door, causing him to turn his head towards it as he slowly rose.
“What is it?” Spike asked, fully expecting the door to open, revealing one of the guards, and as it slowly moved open, his expectations were proven correct. “I didn’t call for you, why are you interrupting?” Spike asked, acting as angered as possible. The guard stepped to the side, revealing Gylom who simply looked at Spike with little visible emotion.
“Spike, Greyhield requests your presence in his throne room immediately if not sooner.” Gylom stated plainly. Spike gave a simple nod before turning one last time to the ponies one last time, only to turn back to Gylom as he walked out of the cell area.
“We will finish our dealings soon enough.” Spike said as he left the first and second metal doors shutting as he passed. “So, do you have any idea why Greyhield wishes to see me on such a short notice?” Spike questioned as he made his way through the corridors.
“I’d figure it has to do with a certain soldier who was given a task and left before he could see it through. Said soldier’s vice-commander is now here, having left his army under the command of three lower ranking soldiers who at the moment are doing little more than holding the line and blocking shipments when the objective was to, in fact, completely repel the enemy forces from their situation in Canterlot, not set up for what now appears to be a siege.” Gylom replied with an even tone.
“Well this is a fine mess.” Spike muttered as he entered the hallways that connected most of the main areas of the mountain together. Spike picked up his pace, moving straight towards the gigantic doors, which were opened before he even arrived. Before him he saw Greyhield, sitting on his throne in much the same way he always had, with Galintrent nearby.
“General Spike, would you care to tell me why you abandoned your post when the mission was not finished, and beyond that, did not inform your second in command of your departure?” Greyhield asked pointedly. Spike gave a short salute before looking up to the dragon.
“Ï sent a messenger before I left informing him of my intent; apparently the message did not arrive.” Spike stated simply. “I perceived that we weren’t fighting great numbers, or well-trained soldiers, so I felt it best to return here, attempt to gain a certain piece of information that I have had brief flashes of, and give my reserve troops a surprise inspection all in one go. My message detailed what I wanted done during my absence, instructions I was sure would be simple to understand and follow, but either Galintrent left before they were received, or the messenger was eliminated.” Spike lied as he looked at Greyhield and Galintrent.
“Then in the future, I suggest you task more than one reptilous with the message so that simple orders can be received and executed as dictated.” Greyhield responded calmly. “Unless there is something else you wish to report, I suggest flying back to the battlefield before more damage is dealt.” Greyhield ordered.
“Sir, if you do not mind, I wish to request I do not return to the battle.” Spike blurted out. “I have caught wind of certain suspicious activities which, if proven true, will require a complete and total knowledge of their workings, or if proven false, should be disregarded only after I can make certain that they are such.” Spike quickly added, hoping to not be questioned any further.
“Very well, but as soon as you confirm it for one side or the other, inform me of how it stands and the exact nature of the words which have caused you to feel it necessary to abandon your post.” Greyhield ordered as his tone grew darker than usual as he punctuated the final part.
“I shall, but before I return to it, I will give Galintrent the proper orders to carry out what need to be done to make the ponies wish they hadn’t attempted to take Canterlot.” Spike replied before motioning for Galintrent to follow him, hoping to further his own case’s probability. His colonel quickly complied, increasing his speed to reach Spike with all due haste. “I’m sorry you didn’t receive my message in time. It would’ve saved you a great deal of trouble.”
“I’m sure it would’ve. How about we take this discussion to your quarters so as to not gain any undue attention?” Galintrent suggested. Spike almost rebutted, only to have Galintrent give him a look that told him that the colonel had something else he had in mind in this suggested beyond attracting attention.
“Very well, we’ll sojourn to my quarters, but I suggest we make this quick, lest our troops fall into disarray.” Spike said before marching off towards his room without waiting for a response. Fortunately, the room was not too far away in comparison to other destinations Galintrent might have suggested, though it did have a long enough walk to make Spike feel a bit cautious about what was about to happen. Spike finally saw the room come in sight, bringing a small measure of relief as he moved a bit faster to reach it first, opening the door quickly before walking inside for his colonel to arrive. The door slowly closed behind Galintrent as he entered, his gaze never moving from Spike. The room sat in silence for a few moments as Galintrent looked Spike up and down.
“What you said, you and I both know it is incorrect.” Galintrent stated finally, settling his gaze on Spike’s face. “You never made a motion to send a messenger, you simply left after defeating that pony. I won’t bring it to Greyhield’s attention, but I hope your reasons are adequate enough to make my decision a good one, just attempt to be a tad bit more honest to us all. We might have the larger, far more skilled army, but the Equestrian have sufficient spirit and tenacity to almost negate our two greatest assets. Should we ever become disorganized, it will only end in our deaths.” Spike slowly nodded in response.
“Well, then let me get you some orders to give the troops so we don’t become disorganized.” Spike said, turning to pull a map roll from his personal collection. “We are in this general area, correct?” Spike asked as he ran one of his claws along the map.
-
Spike walked towards the cell of his once friends for the second time that day. Galintrent had set out a short while ago with the orders Spike had crafted in such a way that he knew that it would hold for a few months, but slowly begin to collapse through what might seem as ill coordination between branches. He hoped to be back by that time, but at the moment, he didn’t feel like heading back to the frontlines. Ever since that encounter with Blaze, he felt completely out of sorts for almost no apparent reason.
As he walked through the corridors, he suddenly heard the sound of drunken muttering, followed by the sound of a wooden mug clattering against the floor, the same which tumbled to his feet within a few short moments. Spike stooped over, picking the mug off the floor before moving in to the room from where it had tumbled from. Spike there found a rather drunken Gylom, who looked extremely depressed, uncharacteristically so for the usually rather jovial general.
“Gylom, are you alright?” Spiked asked, only to mentally kick himself as he realized how stupid of a question that was. “What’s wrong?” Spike questioned, attempting to make up for his previous mistake in phrasing. Gylom slowly turned to look at him, his eyes red and puffy, as if he had been crying recently.
“Wha-… oh, Spike, come on in, have a drink. Wait… no, you don’t like the good stuff, sorry I said anything.” Gylom muttered drunkenly. “I guess that stuff has been heaped on me recently. Greyhield wants security to be ramped up, and then there’s Glenn never giving me a break. It gets tough to handle, you know?” Spike sat down beside the inebriated reptilous, hoping to be of some comfort.
“I guess it can at times be a bit overwhelming.” Spike admitted. After all, the only reason Spike was here was because of how overwhelmed he felt at the realization of who he truly had been fighting all this time.
“Yeah, you should know after having your friends attack you like that… no wait, I mean changelings, sorry.” Gylom sputtered, swaying back and forth as he took his mug from the dumbfounded Spike, filling it with more cider.
“What do you mean attacked by changelings? The only time I can recall being attacked by changelings was at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding.” Spike replied. Gylom wiped his arm across his lips, removing the foam before tossing the mug across the room.
“Nah, you were attacked in this very mountain. Wait, you did get told that the ponies that looked like your friends that attacked you were actually changeling decoys set up by Greyhield, right?” Gylom slurred as he grabbed the spout of the cider barrel, twisting it as the juice flowed out into his imaginary mug.
“What in the hay are you talking about?” Spike asked, feeling a bit of anger coming up, though he couldn’t really nail down at what or why he felt angry all of the sudden.
“A bit ago you got attacked by your former comrades a bit ago, well, that is, some ponies that looked like them. Well, those were changelings.” Gylom replied before swinging his hand back to tip his now full imaginary cup, only to have a singular drop tap the tip of his snout. “You did know that right? I was sure that by now Greyhield would’ve told you about it.”
“He never did…” Spike replied in nearly a whisper, his rage growing as the object of his wrath became all the easier to understand. All this time he had been fighting ponies because of the hatred and betrayal he had felt from that fateful day when he thought his friends had turned their backs on him, but now it was Greyhield who was the one who had violated his trust, using a weak point of his as a method to gain what he wanted from the young dragon. “Never once did he even try to tell me what he had done.”
“I’m sorry; I never enjoyed being the bearer of bad news.” Gylom said sadly as he swayed a bit more. “Look, don’t take it too personally, I’m sure he’s just been busy lately. I’m sure that he was going to get to it soon enough.” Spike didn’t respond, instead he simply stood up and marched out of the room, through the maze of hallways and corridors, heading straight for the stable area. He quickly saddle up on Celestia before charging out down the halls, straight for the main cave entrance, snapping Celestia’s reins harder and harder as he leaned farther and farther forward, causing Celestia to gallop faster and faster, even to the point where Celestia spread her wings within the corridor, flapping her wings to give her move of a speed boost. Spike found himself between blinding rage and crippling grief, the truth of his action compared to what had happened striking him as hard as any attack he had sustained on the battlefield. He had treated his friends as if they had betrayed him, but now it was more than clear that they hadn’t, and that in the end, he was the one who had betrayed them. The world seemed to spin as he broke out into the light, quickly going off the edge, only to have Celestia swoop into a glide.
Below him, the green plains stretched on for miles on end, the sky painted beautiful shades of red and orange as the sun set behind the smooth horizon. Not only did it seem he was noticing the differences in small details in battle and in the cave, but also the things like these. For a moment, Spike felt as if his worries were all so far away as the peaceful serenity of the world enveloped him as Celestia glided through the nearly still air. Spike took a deep breath in, feeling the air flow past him as the land shot past beneath them, the mountain now seeming a life time away, though it completely overshadowed the opposite horizon. For the first time, Spike noticed how beautiful the mountain actually looked, the peak splotched with blindingly white patches of snow, while the dark gray base of the stone monolith was juxtaposed against the lush green of the pines behind it, pines in which he and his soldiers had trained. Spike looked back to where he was going, but the endless plains seemed to stretch on forever.
“Take us to Ponyville.” Spike ordered Celestia, who gave a short nod before adjusting their course slightly to the left. Spike looked to the setting sun, a small smile breaking across his face as the same golden glow of the sun was before him as Celestia, ever faithful, lowered her sky bound charge. It almost seemed as if the war never happened in this place, but deep down, Spike knew that in the end, the war would come to its culmination in what now seemed to be pristine field of grass and flowers. Whether Greyhield or ponydom won, it would all come down to these unscarred plains, ending with the green turning to red.