The Legend of Spike: Legacy

by DiabloGuapo

Ambushed

“Easy there, Spike,” Applejack cautiously said to the snarling dragon.

“We're your friends, remember?” Pinkie Pie also said to him. Spike had awoken from his slumber after his growth spurt and was now larger than Princess Celestia. His draconic instincts had also kicked in and he was on a greed fueled rampage. He had gathered all of his gems into a pile on the floor in Carousel Boutique and was sitting atop of it while holding a struggling Rarity with one arm and cradling Amethyst with the other.

“Spike, please calm down,” Rarity begged her husband as she tried to pry herself free of his grasp to no avail. Amethyst thought it all was just a game and the infant laughed at how silly her father was being.

“Drop them, dragon boy!” Rainbow Dash demand, flying up to Spike's scaly face to stare him down. The dragon glared at the sky blue Pegasus and a deep rumble sounded from his throat. Smoke seeped out from between his bared fangs and a green glow illuminated from the back of his throat. “Oh horse apples.”

Rainbow Dash just barely managed to dodge out of the way before Spike unleashed a jet of emerald flames in the direction of where her head had been positioned in front of his face. Rainbow Dash was able to escape unscathed, but the same couldn't be said of the curtains that where behind her.

“Not the curtains,” Rarity lamented as she watched Twilight extinguish the flames with her magic. They all stood around the dragon as they tried to think of a plan to quell the conflict without harming Spike, Rarity, or Amethyst. Twilight didn't want to teleport Rarity and the child out of Spike's grasp, for that might enrage him even further and would force them to fight back. They didn't want to charge him either, for that would be an even worse idea. They would have to resort to other means.

“Fluttershy, I need you to use the 'Stare' on him,” Twilight reluctantly told the yellow Pegasus.

“But Twilight, he's our friend. I don't think I could do that,” she hesitantly replied.

“I know, but this way, nopony will be harmed.” Fluttershy looked from Twilight to Spike. Looking at the distresses state that Rarity was in, Fluttershy nodded and flew up to the dragon. She was careful to not approach him to quickly as to avoid ending up like Rarity's ruined curtains.

“Spike the dragon!” she addressed him in loud, scolding voice as she stared into his eyes with a piercing look. The combination of her commanding voice and intense gaze caused him to flinch and stop his growling as he looked up to the mare hovering above him. “This behavior will not do! You know better than to breathe fire at your friends or to take ponies hostage!”

As Fluttershy continued to reprimand Spike, his faced changed. The initial shock of the timid pony talking down to him wore off and his expression changed from one of surprise to one of rage. His reptilian pupils contracted into narrow slits and he glared back at her.

“...Your going to let them go and...Spike?” As she continued to lecture him, Fluttershy noticed that Spike wasn't sulking or cowering before her like most beings did whenever she would used the “Stare” on them. Instead, he was meeting her gaze! As she looked into the green eyes of the dragon, she felt a wave panic hit her. She could hear her own heart beat within her chest and she started to pant as terror griped her heart. However, she knew that he had to be stopped and she continued to use her “Stare” on him.

“What's going on?” Flash Sentry asked as they watched the pony and the dragon have a starring contest.

“Oh no,” Twilight muttered, realizing what was going on.

“What? What is it?” asked Applejack.

“He's using the dragon-spell,” she explained. During his adventure on Krazoa Island, Spike was taken under the wing of an elder dragon named Aurum who taught him to master his draconic abilities and become a powerful dragon mage. He taught Spike how to breathe ice, control his superior strength, and how to wield his dragon magic, including the ability known as the dragon-spell. It is an innate ability of the dragons that they can use to influence the minds of others by using their words and by making eye contact. Most dragons only use it subconsciously to stun their prey, but an experienced practitioner can use it to devastating effect.

Right now, Spike was acting on his instinct rather than conscious thought, but his training made even his reflexive dragon-spell potent. Fluttershy made a living by working with wild animals and knew they could be dangerous when backed into a corner. She now realized that this was the case with Spike. She had back him into a corner and now he was reacting. Beads of sweat ran down her brow and she could feel resolve weakening. She gritted her teeth as she tried to maintain eye contact, but then she cried out and looked away. She landed on the floor and gasped for breath as she backed away. Since Spike was only acting on instinct, the command he was giving her through his dragon-spell was nothing more than “get out of my face.”

“Fluttershy!” Big Macintosh shouted as he ran to her side. “Are you alright?”

“I-I'm okay,” she whispered as she held a hoof to her head and leaned against Big Macintosh for support. They looked back to Spike to see that he too was shaken. Fluttershy's “Stare” had also gotten to him and his guard was lowered.

“Spike?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she approached him slowly. When he looked at her, she could see that the wild look in his eyes was leaving and his was coming to his senses, leaving him scared and confused.

“Spike, darling, could you let us go now?” Rarity softly requested. Spike looked down to his wife and daughter in his arms. He also saw the pile of gems, the burnt curtains, and the worried expressions on his friends' face. He gently placed them on the ground and backed away as Rarity went over to check to see if their daughter was okay. After seeing that the kirin was unharmed, she looked up to her husband and saw the mortified look on his face. He didn't say anything, but stood there with shaking claws and a trembling body. When she stepped closer to him, he recoiled away from her. “Spike, it's alright. We're okay.”

“I...” he started to say as he took another step back.

“Just calm down, dear. Everything is going to be okay,” she reassured him. However, before she or anypony else could say or do anything else, he bolted through the door and fled to the Everfree Forest. “Spike!”

“Spike, come back!” Twilight called after her son as they ran after him.

*****

“Have a good time!” Rarity called after Amethyst and her friends as they headed up the trail to Winsome Falls.

“Look out for rattlers,” Applejack advised as she waved to the teenagers.

“We will Ma!” Sour Apple called back.

“Be sure to write!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“But they'll be back tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash reminded.

“Oh yeah. See you tomorrow!”

“Hey! Wait for us!” Twilight and the other parents turned around to see Cherry Pie, Apple Seed, and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders running up with saddle bags of their own.

“And just where do y'all think you're goin'?” Applejack asked as the foal sped pass them.

“We're goin' campin' too,” Apple Seed explained.

“Sorry kids, but this is just for the older kids,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Aawww,” they foals moaned in disappointment and Cherry Pie whined, “But we want to go too.”

“But Cherry Pie, you have to help us prepare for the party,” Cheese Sandwich told his daughter.

“Beside, remember the last camping trip?” Soarin added.

“We were just trying to get our bear wrestling cutie marks,” Cherry said sheepishly.

“And managed to make Harry very upset,” Fluttershy reminded them. “He's very sensitive, you know.”

As Fluttershy lectured the foals on bear sensitivity, the party of six campers were already making way from Ponyville and up the hill to the falls. Each of them had a saddle bag custom made by Rarity that matched their color and had their cutie marks as the buckle. They carried their own sleeping bags, tents, food, and other supplies that they would need.

Midnight looked over to Sour Apple and noticed the Stetson he was wearing. She recognized the tattered hat as Applejack's favorite hat and asked, “Hey Sour, isn't that your mother's hat?”

“Mhm,” he confirmed. “She gave it to me yesterday.”

“That's nice,” Amethyst complimented. “A family heirloom to pass on.”

“I thought heirlooms were brooches and stuff like that,” Thunderbolt commented as he and Surprise floated above the others. “You know, stuff like your mom would be into.”

“Heirlooms could be anything special to a family that is passed down from generation to generation.”

“Kind of like my name,” Surprise added.

“In a way, yes, I suppose. But I talking more on the line of physical objects.”

“Like Smarty Pants, the doll my dad gave me which I then gave to Apple Seed,” Posey gave as an example.

“Wait, I thought Smarty Pants was the doll that my mom had as a filly,” Midnight said to Posey. “So that's where it went. She has been looking for it for years!”

As they shared a laugh, Surprise couldn't help to notice Sour Apple's laugh. She smiled as touched down on the ground to walk beside the green Earth Pony. He looked over at her and noticed her beaming smile.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” she claimed. He shrugged and looked back to the trail ahead of them. Meanwhile, the other four gave each other looks from behind the two.

“Hhmm, it seems Surprise has taken a liking to Sour,” Amethyst whispered to Midnight.

“I think it might have something to do with what we did yesterday,” Posey whispered an explanation to them.

“You mean the clouds?” Midnight asked.

“Yes. I wanted to make him happy. He's been...well sour for far too long and I thought she could help cheer him up again.”

“Ah, playing matchmaker are we?” Midnight teased.

“W-What? I...I...” Posey stammered at the notion.

“It runs in the family, I guess,” Amethyst mused. “After all, I heard that it was Applejack that hooked your parents up.”

Posey's yellow face flushed red in embarrassment and the others giggled at her expense. Seeing her friend's red face, Midnight told her, “We're just teasing Posey. We didn't mean anything by it. We do think it was very sweet of you of what you did for Sour.”

“Y-You think so?” Posey asked, still a little embarrassed.

“Of course,” Thunderbolt reassured her. “Now if only we could do something about that stick up Evening Star's...er...I mean, if only we could do the same for him.”

“Yeah,” Midnight agreed.

“It's a shame he won't make it for my birthday,” murmured Amethyst.

“It's nothing personal, I'm sure,” Posey told her. “He wasn't there for my last birthday.”

“Or mine,” Thunderbolt added.

“Or mine, and I'm his sister,” Midnight also added. “Come to think of it, he hasn't made it to any of our birthdays since he joined the Royal Guard.”

“That boy takes himself way too seriously,” Thunderbolt concluded.

“What's that?” Surprise asked from up ahead.

“I said Evening Star takes himself too seriously,” he repeated.

“You can say that again,” Sour Apple agreed as he came to a stop.

“But he just did say it again,” Surprise remarked. They set their packs down and started to prepare their lunch. They had left in the morning and it was approaching lunchtime. Sour Apple looked up the mountain to see how much further it was to the summit. Through the trees, he could see the peak along with flowing streaks of color that was the rainbow falls. He then walked over to the edge of the path and looked down towards Ponyville. They had made it a good distance up the trail and were on schedule. By his reckoning, they would make it to the top by sundown. Satisfied, Sour rejoined the others and sat down to eat his lunch.

*****

“My dear, isn't it time for the next phase of our plan?” Narcissus asked his mistress as she observed the renovations to the old castle. The stone walls were covered in a slimy material that glowed green, painting the halls with an eerie light.

“Yes, indeed you are right,” the light pink Unicorn mare confirmed. She then turned to a wall, whereon a large, green cocoon was hanging. Inside the cocoon where two figures. The mare smirk haughtily at the pair and then turned to a gathering of mysterious creatures that were lurking in the shadows. “You have your templates. You have your instructions. Now go.”

The dark creatures bowed and there was a flash of neon green light. In the place of the beings was a platoon of Royal Guards that looked identical to the two that had accompanied Prince Narcissus to the castle. The armored white Pegasi unfurled their wings and took off, flying out the window. The mare chuckled to herself and returned her attention to the cocoon.

*****

The hiking trip continued as scheduled. Though one could hike up and down the mountain in a day, most ponies preferred taking the scenic route and enjoy the sights along the way. Since the path led up to a waterfall, it followed a river all the way up. They would stop every time they would come to an overlook and viewed the surrounding area. With each overlook they came to, Ponyville became smaller and smaller. They could see the majestic castle and spires of Canterlot in the distance. Floating in the sky to the north was Cloudsdale. The cloud city was the primary source of the weather in Equestria and was also the source of the rainbows that made up the falls for Winsome Falls and Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Falls was probably more scenic than Winsome Falls, for it was surrounded by taller mountains and had a village there. However, Winsome Falls was closer than Rainbow Falls and they would have it just to themselves during their trip.

They were nearing the top and the sky was colored orange as the afternoon sun headed towards the horizon. Their excitement built as they rounded the path up to the summit. The sound of rushing waters fueled their anticipation and they could hardly wait. When they finally rounded the turn, they were greeted by the breathtaking sight of the multicolored waterfalls being fed by the rainbows that descended from the clouds above the mountain. They stopped in the middle of the trail to take in and admire the sight.

“Isn't that lovely?” Amethyst asked.

“Happy birthday, Amethyst,” Midnight told her as they beheld the flowing waters of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

“Thank you. Thank you all for being here with me for this.”

“Hey, do you think if I stuck my mane in the falls it would give me hair like my mom's?” Thunderbolt joked, causing everypony to laugh.

“I don't know. Why don't you go stick your head in,” Midnight laughed. At the base of the multicolored falls was a pond that fed the river down the mountain. There was also a gazebo nearby where they started to prepare their dinner. Surprise pulled out the picnic cloth from her bag and proceeded to set a place for each of them while Sour prepared a meal of home made apple fritters and corn on the cob fresh from the farm. Amethyst had brought along a plate of salmon that she had prepared for herself.

“You know, this raises a question,” Surprise asked as she munched on a fritter. “What is your favorite food? Mine's anything made out of chocolate.”

“That's not real food,” Midnight retorted.

“What? You can eat it, can't you?”

“Anyway, mine's a salad with olive oil, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers...all the good stuff.” she trailed on.

“That does sound tasty,” Posey admitted. “I would have to agree, but maybe with a few flowers thrown in there.”

“Meh, I'll take a hayburger over that stuff any day,” Thunderbolt shrugged. “What about you, Sour Apple?”

“Apples,” he answered.

“Hm, obvious answer,” Surprise said. “Okay, better question for you: what is your favorite type of apple?”

“Easy, granny smith,” Sour answered.

“I should had guessed,” Surprise said with a roll of her eyes. “How about you, Amethyst?”

“Spicy tuna sushi. I just had some the other day,” the white kirin told her as she finished her salmon. Her friends all grimaced at the sight of her swallowing the last bite of meat and from what she said. “What? It's good. That along with a cool glass a water with some lime in it.”

“Eew, lime!” Surprise gagged and stuck out her tongue.

“Not a fan of citrus there, huh Surprise?” Thunderbolt asked. The golden mane Pegasus shook her head adamantly.

“Uh-uh! Lime green is the color of evil!,” she declared. “No offense, Sour.”

“None taken, I guess,” Sour Apple replied confused.

“Lime green conspiracies aside,” Midnight said in order to change the subject. “We should hike back down a bit and set up camp. I doubt anyone of us want to sleep by a roaring waterfall.”

“Right, and we should do it soon before it gets too dark,” Thunderbolt said as he looked to the setting sun. The shadows cast by the trees and the mountain were growing longer and the light was dimming. After cleaning up the spread, they walked from underneath the gazebo and headed back down the trail to find an appropriate campsite. As they rounded the bend, they stopped when they saw two Royal Guards blocking the path.

“Your Highnesses,” one of the Pegasi guards addressed Amethyst and Midnight. “You and your friends have to come with us. It's an emergency.”

The six looked to each other while murmuring with concern and Midnight spoke up, “What has happened? Is it the minotaurs?”

“I'm afraid there isn't time to explain. You have to come with us now,” he reported. Midnight nodded and they started to follow the pair down the path. They came to a clearing where they were met with an escort of about twenty more white Pegasi.

“What about our parents? Are they alright?” Midnight asked the guard that was leading them.

“We'll explain when we get to secure location,” another guard answered. Midnight looked from one guard to the next and noticed something was off about them, but could quite pin it down what it was. She halted and stood her ground, causing her friends to do likewise. “Your Highness, we must go now.”

“No. Not until I receive an explanation,” the blue Unicorn demanded.

“There has been a threat made against the Royal Family and the families of the Elements of Harmony,” the guard explained. “That means the six of you.”

“What about Cherry Pie and Apple Seed?” asked Posey.

“Who?” the guard asked in confusion. This roused Midnight's suspicions even further. If they were assigned to protect them and their family, then they should at least know their names. There was also something else. Midnight looked from one guard to the next and noticed that it was the same two ponies over and over again. “Oh, yes. Of course them too.”

Despite his attempts to reassure them, Midnight began to realize what was going on. She played along and slowly followed the two guards to the escort. While she was walking, she illuminated her horn with a spell and closed her eyes. She promised her Aunt Celestia that she wouldn't use the Soul Sight Spell unless it was a dire emergency, but she felt that is was one. When she activated the spell, she could see the auras of the twenty-odd soldiers. Instead of seeing the many colors of softly glowing auras of many ponies, she saw a harsh, bright green light emanating from the figures and she knew they were in grave danger. Midnight wasted no time and shot a yellow bolt of magic at the back of the “guard” that was leading them.

“Midnight!” exclaimed Posey, surprised by her sudden assault. “What are you...”

“Run! Run!” Midnight shouted as she bolted back up the trail. Her friends watched her run by and looked back to see if the guard was okay. When he got back up, they saw his eyes were glowing green in anger and the other guards were advancing upon them, their eyes glowing as well. Following Midnight's lead, they ran up the path behind her from the platoon of imposters. When they reached the summit, they looked around for another way down the mountain, but only find sheer rock face on the other side of the falls. Trying to think of a solution, Midnight thought about teleporting. Maybe if Amethyst joined her, they would be able to transport all six of them away.

“Midnight!” cried Posey, breaking her concentration. She turned around to see that the guards were starting to surround them.

“What's going on?” Thunderbolt asked as they took defensive stances.

“They're changelings!” Midnight explained and then shot another bolt of magic to distract their pursuers. The bolt struck a guard, knocking him over. When he stood back up, a wave of harsh green light surrounded him and a vaguely equine creature with a black carapace, blank, blue eyes, and legs riddled with holes appeared before them. It hissed at Midnight, exposing its fangs at her and the other changelings dropped their disguises as well, flashes of green washing over them as they changed back to their natural forms. “Amethyst, I'm going to need you to help me...”

“Look out!” Posey warned as one of the changelings shot a bolt of magic of their own from their curved horn at Midnight, but she was able to erect a yellow barrier in time to block the attack. The other changelings joined in the assault and began blasting at the magical force field, sending ripples across its surface. Midnight tried to concentrate on teleporting, but the mental strain of maintaining the barrier was preventing her from focusing on the complex spell.

“Amethyst, do you think you can teleport us out of here?” she asked.

“I can't teleport that many ponies at one time!” the kirin exclaimed. Midnight then grunted as the changelings began to start throwing themselves against the barrier along with blasting at it. The force from their efforts began to crack the shield.

“Then take Posey and get out of here! Thunderbolt, you and Surprise fly Sour out of here once I lower the shield!” Midnight ordered.

“But what about you?” Amethyst asked desperately.

“Yeah, we're not leaving you behind!” Thunderbolt protested.

“I'll hold them off while you escape. I'll teleport once...” Before she could finish, the shield shattered. The shock of her spell being violently ended and force of it breaking knocked Midnight to the ground will a surprised cry.

“Midnight!” her friends yelled as they rushed to her side, but the changelings had already began to swarm them. A changeling blindsided Sour Apple, tackling him to the ground. He rolled with the insect-like creature on the grass before throwing it off of him. He got back up, but was immediately charged with two more. He spun around and bucked their faces with his hind legs, sending them flying. As soon as he knocked those two away, more came for him.

Thunderbolt, being a Pegasus, immediately took to the air to order to gain the advantage. However, he looked down when heard a buzzing sound and saw a bunch of changelings dart up after him with their insect wings. A bolt of magic whizzed pass his head and he swerved out of the way. More shots were fired at him and he maneuvered between them.

“Aw, come on! Magic and wings? Who do you guys think you are, Alicorns? This is so unfair!” he complained. Deciding to fight back, he whipped around and sped back down towards them. The changelings were surprised and didn't have enough time to get out of the way before the gray Pegasus slammed into them, pounding away at them with his hooves. Though he plumed away at them, the other changelings shot at him with their magic. He yelled in pain as he felt the sting of their attacks against his sides.

Amethyst stood over a fallen Midnight and did her best to defend her aunt as she tried to recover. The kirin raised a shield of her own, but the changelings started to chip away at it as well. Deciding to go on the offensive, she took in a breath, lowered the shield, and shot a purple fireball from her mouth at the changelings. The attack exploded when it struck the ground, launching nearby changelings into the air. At her feet, Midnight started to stir. She blinked her eyes and looked around. Sour Apple was covered with the creatures, trying in vain to knock them of while more were dragging Thunderbolt out the sky with their magic. She looked over to Posey and Surprise. Posey wasn't a fighter, but Surprise was doing her best to protect them both. The Pegasus was throwing everything she had packed into her saddle bad at them; a pot, some pans, a sleep bag, a tent, cupcakes, a tuba, a rubber chicken, and even a kitchen sink. Though it slowed the changelings down, she eventually ran out of objects and soon was surround.

Amethyst was getting exhausted from breathing fire and launching spells at their attackers. Soon, she didn't have the energy to go on. Running out of options, she looked down at her clawed front feet and then pounced at the nearest changeling with a feral snarl. The nearest changeling managed to give a look of surprise before the kirin landed on top of it and began to swipe at it with her sharp claws, scratching its black exoskeleton. The changeling shrieked in pain as Amethyst clawed away at it and drops of yellowish blood began to trickle from its wounds before its comrades were finally able to stop her. Even as they restrained her fore legs, she snapped at them with her teeth. Midnight tried to get up, but a black, hole-filled leg pushed her back down. The last thing she saw was one of the changeling's horns glowing before a flash of green knocked her out.

Comments

[DARKPHANTOM13]

Spike better wake up soon and show them what happens when you mess with a dragon's little girl and sister.