The Origin Chronicles Vol. 1

by SmokeShadow95

Ch.13 Best Laid Plans

A week after he got back to Ponyville, Spike got a message from Cadance. She was able to get a meeting in place. All the princess's would be there. It would take place at the Royal Castle in Canterlot, just like the last one. It was scheduled for two days later. It was short notice, but that suited Spike just fine. As he was the one that called for the meeting, the sooner the better was best for him.

He hurried and got his backpack all together. He had emptied out a lot of it back in his room at the library. He put all of his coats away and left just the essentials in his backpack. A few books that he still had not finished reading. Fluttershy's record. He was determined to listen to that at some point and wanted it with him when that chance came. He put on the crystal medal that Cadance awarded him. He snatched up his backpack and rushed for the train. He was already late. He got there and Twilight was already there, with the other girls. She stood there proudly. It was not going to be like the last time. Twilight was bringing all her friends. Spike had told her what this meeting was for and she believed having them there was important. They all settled in for the ride and Spike fell asleep not long after.

Darkness. Shadows. Spike was used to it by now. He had been having nightmares about it for months. But this nightmare had a familiar chill to it. It was that same coldness that washed over him the first time he glimpsed Galeek. That scale penetrating, needle piercing, bone chilling coldness that sent shivers down his spikes. Fear welled up in him. He was more terrified of Galeek than he was of anything else. And now he was here again, in that same dark void that he first saw him.
Galeek was acting the same as before. He waved his hand and windows that showed him times before he was cast into the ooze popped open. He watched and watched. To some he got angry. To others he just smiled and laughed. He opened one that got a different reaction. He silently watched it. It was an army of dragons. A conquest of a kingdom ruled by ponies. Spike could not watch any of it.

“How I do miss those times,” Galeek said, “Yes. How I long for conquest again. I was born to it. It is in my blood.”

Galeek was crazy. Spike knew this, but this was beyond crazy. He wanted to slaughter each and every pony that walked the land of Equestria. Spike lurked in the shadows around him.

“Then that pony, Star Ethereal, came and ruined it all,” Galeek rambled, “I had everything! Wealth, power, respect. I ruled an empire for centuries. Then the ponies came with magic of their own. Not right, Magic belongs to dragons! It was ours to begin with! And I will take every shred of magic away from these ponies. I will start with the Ethereal Daughters, Celestia and Luna.”

Spike dug his claws into his palms. He had to use every ounce of self control to stop form confronting Galeek. Not here, not now. But he still had the magic flowing through his body. He let that flow free. There was no point in trying to tame a raging river.

“Ahh, I see I am no longer alone,” Galeek said, “I know you are here young dragon.”

What?! Galeek knew he was there? How? He had done nothing to alert him. Then Spike looked at his hands, The energy flowing around them, Shadow had told him of this. Other dragons could sometimes sense the presence of magic. Spikes anger about the thought of losing Luna and Celestia pushed the energy throughout his body. On instinct it flowed to his claws. He calmed himself down as fast as he could. It was not easy due to the fact that Galeek was now searching for him.

“I can sense you, you know,” Galeek said, “I thought Smoke Shadow was the only dragon left that could harness magic. It would seem he has taught another. I can taste his foul essence in your magic.”

Galeek made his way in Spike's direction. Spike stayed in the shadows and moved around him. He tried to stay calm so he would not have another flare up of magic energy, but his heart was racing. This was most likely the most dangerous dragon in all of Equestrian history. Spike was caught in a nightmare residing in his world. And now he was being hunted.

“I must admit, you escaped my gaze for quite a while,” Galeek said, “I am not sure how you managed that. Ahh. I can taste your magic essence in the air. It has been so long since I tasted anything like it. You are strong, young blood. Your potential for raw power is unique.”

Raw power? What? He was not making any sense to Spike. And he was still following him. Spike moved farther and farther away, but Galeek was always on his trail. It did not help that Galeek was a massive creature who moved unnaturally fast.

“You could always join me, young blood,” Galeek said, “Together we could bring dragon magic back to this land. We could rule as kings and never want for anything. Once all these ponies are gone, of course.”

“NO!!”

Spike yelled as loud as he could. He forced a push of magic and it carried his voice to every corner and every wall. His voice echoed and seemed to come from no one clear point.

“Impressive,” Galeek said, “Magically echoing your voice to make it harder for me to find you. Smart.”

Spike was tired of this. He was tired of the running and the hiding. But he knew that going out of the shadows to face him was insanity. More than that, it was suicide.

“If you will not join me, young blood, then I will destroy you along with these ponies,” Galeek stated, “And I am coming for them. Soon, I will be free of this black ooze prison. So you tell them about me. Tell them their destruction awaits them! Tell them it will not matter if they bow or flee! I will spare no one! Tell them the Dark King of Dragons is coming!”

Galeek's voice rose with each sentence. It was not long until his voice was booming in Spike's ears. It was a deafening sound. Spike covered his ears, but that did little to help. He sank to the floor as his head throbbed. Even after Galeek had finished his words still rang in Spike's head. He screamed as he held his head and Galeek came upon him.

Spike shot up in his seat still screaming. Twilight and the others immediately woke as well. Spike stopped screaming and stood up. Good thing it was only the girls in the cabin with him. He was panting and sweating.

“You all right, sugarcube,” Applejack's asked with a yawn.

“Yeah. Fine. Just a nightmare,” Spike said.

“Oh my, Spike,” Rarity said, “You look downright petrified. That must have been a truly awful nightmare. “

“You have no idea,” Spike said under his breath.

Twilight heard him. She knew what was going on. He saw him again. Spike was just face to face with Galeek for the second time. This time was different though. Twilight had seen Spike scared before, but this was nothing like that. What she saw in Spike's eyes was a level of fear beyond anything she knew. Just who was this Galeek person? She knew nothing about him, and Spike knew just barely more than that. And it was the not knowing that scared her.

She managed to coral the others back to their bunks for some sleep. It was needed now more than ever. One by one, they all fell back asleep. All except for Spike. Understandably, he stayed awake. He headed for the back of the train. He needed some fresh air. He passed through a few other cabins before reaching the back end of the train. He got there and leaned against the railing. It was a nice night out. There a full moon and all the stars were out. They were shining bright. A cool breeze was blowing through. It felt nice against Spike's scales. He closed his eyes and thought. About Galeek, about the black ooze, about Luna, about everything that was happening with him. How was it all connected? Galeek had called Luna and Celestia the Ethereal Daughters. Hold up. Star Ethereal. Spike recalled when Shadow told of how dragons lost their magic. Galeek was originally defeated by Star Ethereal. She drowned him and all of dragon magic in a pit of black ooze. Somehow, he had gained control over the ooze and was using it to free himself. All the things he has been through. All the Black Creatures he has faced. All the nightmares. It was all Galeek.

He arrived in Canterlot late early the next morning. He immediately called for the meeting. There was no time to waste. Twilight was the only one who knew all about what was going on with Spike. The others had no idea and were more than a little confused with Spike's sudden rush. Twilight urged some guards to go and wake every princess and have them assemble in the meeting room.

“I promise Spike and I will explain everything soon,” Twilight said.

“Allrighty then,” Applejack responded, “We might as well get settled in then.”

“You do that,” Twilight said with a reassuring smile.

She led Spike to the room where the meeting was to take place. He had only been there once. It was the day this whole dragon magic business began. It seemed so long ago. Much longer than it had been. He had been through so much since that day. And now he was going back. On the way there Spike encountered Luna. She was descending from her chambers. Her face lit up when she saw Spike. She raced up to him and hugged him tightly. He heartily returned her hug.

“I am very glad to see you again, Spike,” Luna said softly.

“I am very happy to see you too, Luna,” Spike replied.

They continued their embrace for a few moments until Luna realized there was another pony present. Twilight was standing off to the side trying not to stare. Luna released Spike and tried to regain some manner of professionalism from the very awkward situation.

“Now then,” Luna said, “We have a meeting to attend.”

Spike nodded and walked by Luna. Twilight's walked past and looked up at Luna. Luna looked down at her nervously. Twilight just gave a her a wink and silently walked after Spike. Luna sighed a sigh of relief and followed them in. They were the last to arrive, but not by much time. A few moments only.

Celestia was the first to speak. She was wanting very much to know why Spike called for such a meeting. And why both Cadance and Luna had both vehemently advised going ahead with it. It was time Spike broke the news to Celestia. She was the only pony there who did not know about his learning dragon magic.

“Princess Celestia,” Spike began, “There is something you must know about me first, before we get to the real reason for this meeting. For many months now, I have been learning all about dragon magic. How to use it as well as understand it.”

“Dragon magic,” Celestia said in disbelief, “Where in Equestria did you learn about dragon magic in the first place?”

“It started with a book here in the Canterlot Royal Library,” Spike said firmly, “After that I was taught by a dragon by the name of Smoke Shadow.”

Celestia was about to respond until she heard the name Smoke Shadow. She stopped mid word and looked over at her sister. Celestia gave Luna an odd look. She looked puzzled, but at the same time, like she knew the answer all along. Luna held her head high and avoided looking at her sister as much as she could.

“I have not heard that name in quite some time,” Celestia said, “Dear Sister, you told me that you were no longer speaking to him.”

“At the time, I was not,” Luna explained, “Once I learned that Spike was adamant on learning dragon magic I reached out to him. He was the only one I know who could do that kind of magic.”

“With all do due respect, Princess Celestia, it doesn't matter if you know about Shadow,” Spike said, “We have bigger problems right now.”

Everypony stopped talking amongst themselves. All princess's looked at Spike for an explanation. Spike gave them a quick retelling of the history between ponies. Luna had already heard this story before. Celestia listened intently as Spike spoke. Twilight and Cadance had never heard anything like it. Even Twilight, with her love of books and vast knowledge of Equestrian history, had no idea that these things happened. Spike wisely decided to leave out the part about Star Ethereal being Luna and Celestia's mother. He would tell Celestia at some point, but now was not the time. After he was done speaking, each pony was silent. It took a few moments for them to comprehend what Spike just told them. Spike looked over all of them. Cadance and Twilight were whispering back and forth. Celestia was caught up in her own thoughts. Luna, however, was just looking at Spike. She had an inquisitive look in her eyes. She was wondering why Spike did not reveal Star Ethereal's true connection to Celestia. She did not speak of it, though. There was no time.

“Spike, if what you say is true, then what is the problem,” Twilight asked.

“Now that you know where he came from, I can tell you about Galeek,” Spike said, “He is not dead, first of all. He did not drown in that black ooze as every pony and dragon had thought. It's almost like the ooze somehow absorbed the magic from the dragons and Galeek has slowly been using it to make himself stronger. He is almost strong enough to break out of the ooze. He wants his kingdom back, and he wants ponies to pay for stealing it from him. The Black Colts and Black Dragons are his minions. And they are all coming.”

“How is this possible,” Luna said, “And how do you know of it?”

“I learned through a way you are very familiar with, Luna,” Spike said, “Nightmares. All of my nightmares, and the one you had, were connected to Galeek. I am still not sure exactly how he gave me the nightmares-”

“I can answer that,” Smoke Shadow said from nowhere.

All the lights in the room dimmed and flickered. The shadows twisted and warped. They left the walls and floor and the ceiling. The shadows came together beside Spike and Luna. Neither of them even moved as the shadows formed like smoke to create the shape of a dragon. The dragon's eyes opened suddenly and the smokey shadows rolled off his scales.

“Princess's of Equestria,” Spike began.

“Meet Smoke Shadow,” Luna finished.

The three remaining princess's looked in awe at the dragon that stood before them. He was small, for a dragon, but shared the same physical traits that Spike did now. Not even Celestia had seen him before, and she had known about him for almost as long as Luna had known him. He gave Luna a smile and nodded to Spike.

“So you are Smoke Shadow,” Celestia said suspiciously, “It is nice to finally meet you. I am sorry it had to take so long.”

“The apology is mine, Princess Celestia,” Shadow said humbly, “For it is I that have avoided such a meeting. I am a dragon of the shadows and for the Princess of the Sun, such a dragon does not find much comfort in meeting.”

“And yet you saw fit to show yourself here,” Celestia said, “Why? What compelled you to do so?”

“Spike,” Shadow stated simply, “He needs answers and I have them. The reason he received the nightmares was because they did not come from Galeek himself. Believe me, if they had he would not have woken up from the first one. Not sane, anyway. It was his latent magic potential that picked up on the miniscule traces of magic that Galeek gives off.”

“But he has more than one nightmare,” Luna said, “And even I had one. How do you explain that, Shadow?”

“The answer to both is relatively the same,” Shadow replied, “Your nightmare was a result of spending time with Spike. His essence drifted to you and you received the nightmare on Spike's behalf. It was the same night he absorbed the Lunar Tears. That explains everything else.”

“What do you mean by 'everything else',” Spike asked.

“I mean you, Spike,” Shadow said, “Your magic strength, your quick learning. and even your physical size. It is all a direct result of Luna crying.”

“You mean, I am not a dragon Mystik,” Spike asked nervously.

“That is not what I mean at all,” Shadow responded, “When I first met you you had the most potent magical potential I had seen in any dragon for a very long time. You are a grand and powerful Mystik. The Lunar Tears just made it all happen a little bit faster than it would have naturally.”

“Then I guess we both owe Luna a thank you,” Spike said.

“Enough about me,” Luna said, “What are we going to do about Galeek?”

“I don't know,” Spike said, “I called this meeting just so I could come clean to all of you. I have lied and left too many times already. Galeek threatens all of Equestria, so I figured all of Equestria's princess's should know about him and the coming danger he brings.”

“We have heard much tonight,” Celestia said, “And it has grown quite late, or early, if that suits you. Why don't we all go and rest. We can talk again later and form a proper plan then.”

That sounded like a good plan to all ponies present. When asked if he needed rest, Shadow simply said he didn't sleep much and disappeared away into the shadows. One by one, all the pony princess's left the meeting. Celestia was the last and Spike hurried to catch up to her. Now was his chance. He was away from every other pony and so was Celestia.

“Princess Celestia,” Spike called to her, “There is something I have to tell you.”

“Oh. And what is it that you have to tell me,” Celestia asked with her usual smile.

Before Spike could answer a guard pony came rushing into the corridor. It was immediately clear what was going on. He looked beaten, battered, and bruised. The golden armor that Celestia's guards wore was dulled and dented. There was a thick black substance splattered over his armor.

“Your higness. Black Colts are attacking Canterlot,” He said in a breath, “There are also Black Dragons.”

Spike threw up a barrier field around all three of them. Just then a massive tail demolished the castle wall. It would have taken them all with it had Spike not acted. A black dragon turned back around and saw them. Spike reinforced the barrier as the Black Dragon breathed the black ooze all down the corridor. Spike's barrier held out and he managed to keep the ooze at bay. He burst the ooze dome he was under and Celestia acted next. She stepped up and charged her horn. A direct and powerful blast of pure light was shot into the Dragon. In merely a few seconds the Dragon fell to the ground in a pile of dust and debris. With that kind of Alicorn magic it was easy for Spike to see how Galeek was defeated all those eons ago.

“You, guard,” Spike said seriously, “Tell all ponies down there to get there hooves off the ground, and do it quickly. Can you do that?”

At first the guard did nothing. He was confused as who to obey. Both Celestia and the dragon that just saved him were there. Celestia waved him off to do as Spike asked.

“What are you thinking,” She asked.

“Darkness,” Spike said, “I need you and Luna to create a pocket of pure darkness right down there. If you can do that then I can take the Black Colts.”

“But Spike, there must be an army down there,” Celestia protested, “You cannot possibly defeat them all, even with all the power you have.”

“I have to,” Spike strongly replied, “You have to deal with the other Black Dragons and see to the safety of the ponies in the city. I'll be fine, but only if you help me with that darkness.”

“Very well, Spike,” Celestia said at last, “Give me a few moments to find my sister, and then you start your attack.”

Celestia

Celestia said goodbye to Spike for now and flew off to find Luna. She left through the hole where the wall used to be. She flew over the courtyard where Spike was planning to take the Black Colts. There were dozens upon dozens there already, and more were coming in. She could see the guards putting up a line of defense, even as they were being ordered to take all hooves off the ground. It was an easy order to follow for the Pegasus ponies. The others had more trouble however. She saw the friends of Twilight down there as well. They were putting up a good fight. Except for Fluttershy. She was helping to evacuate the guards who were too injured to fight. But the others were there. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were right out front. They were on the attack. Behind them was Pinkie Pie with her party cannon and Rarity. They were helping to defend the guards. But it was no use. They were being overwhelmed and would not listen to the guard who told them to leave. Celestia rocketed down and landed in front of them all. She projected a dome of light that burst out in all directions and carried away any Black Colt caught in its path.

“Leave now,” She told them, “Spike has a plan, but he needs all ponies to have their hooves off the ground here. Understand?”

“Can't rightly say I do, Princess,” Applejack said, “But I trust that Spike, alright. We're going.”

“Before you go, do you know where my sister, Luna, is,” Celestia asked.

“Last I knew, she was with Twilight in the city,” Applejack replied.

Celestia thanked Applejack and flew off as fast as she could. She asked Spike for a few more moments wait. He agreed. He needed a moment more to prepare anyway. This was going to be the biggest spell he had ever done. It was going to take all concentration.

Celestia flew over the city. What she saw saddened her deeply. Her city was being torn apart. Ponies ran scared in the streets and Black Minions ran after them. She would have time to help them all after she helped Spike. She found Luna with Twilight as Applejack had said. They had set up a shelter in the biggest hospital they could find. Ponies were rushing in from all corners of the city. Celestia rushed down to them.

“There you are sister,” She said, “I require your aid with something.”

“Can it not wait, sister,” Luna replied, “I am needed here.”

“It will not take but a few moments. Spike has a plan, but he needs our help,” Celestia said.

“Spike has a plan,” Luna said, “Well, what is it?”

“The Black Colts are swarming the castle,” Celestia explained, “He wishes us to create a pocket of pure darkness in the courtyard, where the Colts are massing. He will deal with them once he and they are inside the pocket.”

“NO! That is insanity,” Luna exclaimed loudly.

“I agree,” Twilight said, “There is no way he could do that.”

“I told him as much, be there was no dissuading him,” Celestia said.

“Very well,” Luna said, “I will help Spike. I believe in him.”

Celestia smiled and flew off with Luna right behind her. They made it back to the castle courtyard and witnessed the scene unfolding. It was truly quite amazing. All the ponies had gone and retreated back inside the castle. Several of the unicorn ponies were using all their magic to sustain a shield wall that was holding back the Black Colts. For now, it was holding. Celestia and Luna signaled Spike and started on their spell. They saw Spike give of a flash of green light and that was the last the saw of him for a time.

Celestia flew to one side of the courtyard and Luna took the other. Celestia as the princess who raised and lowered the sun each day did her job. She flew high and the sun slowly lowered until it was gone entirely. Normally at this time Luna would raise the moon, but it was not even close to evening time. Instead Luna called forth dark mists that swirled around the courtyard. She did not stop until the entire courtyard was enveloped in the dark mist. Celestia simultaneously drew out all the light that remained. What remained when they finished was a pocket. A pocked of pure darkness that held the entire Royal Castle courtyard inside, and Spike. It was just him against the army of Black Colts. Celestia flew off to help the ponies in the city. Luna stayed behind for just a moment longer.

“I believe in you Spike,” She whispered down to him, “I will see you again.”

Spike

As soon as Celestia left to find Luna, Spike got to work. He had a plan. It was crazy, not well thought out, and probably wasn't going to work. It was just like all his plans. And so he did as Shadow had always taught him. He focused. He was going to need every last scrap of power he had to pull this off. Just going Mystik was not going to cut it. He sat down on the edge of the floor overlooking the courtyard. He crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. He closed his eyes and looked deep inside his own soul. He needed more magic, more power than he even knew if he had. Celestia came back once and told Spike to wait a little longer. He nodded at her request and she flew away. Good. He needed more time anyway.

Shadow appeared once behind him. Spike could feel his presence, but said nothing. Shadow stayed silent as well. He could see what Spike was doing. He nodded respectfully to Spike and went back to the shadows. Spike hoped he was going to some other part of the city to help the ponies. This was as much his fight as any other pony's. But spike could not think about that now. He needed to focus more. Shortly after Shadows visit Spike's Mystik ability flared up. He did not move. He stayed seated where he was and continued to focus. Just his Mystik ability was not enough for the plan he had. He sat there for what seemed like hours. It was closer to just half an hour. Near the end he opened his eyes again. He saw that Celestia and Luna had just returned. It was time. He stood tall before the army of Black Colts. Spike remembered one of Shadow's lessons. He said it worked on the battlefield and off. The first strike is crucial. Use that to gain control. Power and control will always carry you through a battle, no matter who the enemy is. Spike gave shadow a silent thanks and leaped into battle.

He launched himself off the edge of the castle. He would drop down right in the middle of all the Colts. But he did not. Not right away, at least. As he reached to peak of his jump, he stopped, and hung suspended in mid air for only a few seconds. It seemed like much longer to him. Then, he shot down. Like a falling comet coming from the sky he hit the ground. An earth shattering crater formed around him. The shockwave traveled out and every colt was sent into the air. They were each suspended as Spike was. For the crater of Spike's had sent out a great many small cracks and fissures. Out of each poured a green light that held the Colts. He looked up to see that Celestia had lowered the sun. He would have to work fast. Spike stood up quickly and rose to the Colts. He thrust out his hands and the cracks spread out into the city. He ensnared each and every Black Colt he could find with his green light. A dark mist was forming around the courtyard. Spike had no more time. He brought his hands close to his chest. The cracks he had sent out returned to the courtyard carrying all the ponies he had gathered. It was not a lot, but it would do. It was at least some of the Colts of the streets of Canterlot. The last of the Colts was carried through the dark mist as Celestia finished her work. She drew the very last traces of light out of the castle courtyard. The pocket closed once and for all. It was done. Spike was alone with a small army of Black Colts. Now it was time to get to work.

Spike slammed all the colts onto the ground. He started with a simple breath attack. He spread his fire breath all the way across the courtyard. It must have caught at least two dozen Colts. And that was two dozen less he had to worry about. Then he used a familiar spell. The Ring of Fire. He breathed into his hands and wave them from one side to another in a circular motion. A ring of green flames was created around him. He spun it faster and fast. He fed the fire with his energy and it grew bigger and stronger and brighter. A few Black Colts tried charging him and were burnt and dusted nearly immediately. Spike amplified the spell. He put his left hand palm down and his right palm up. With a simple motion he split the single ring into three separate rings of fire that spun around him. Now it was time. He harnessed the top and bottom rings around his hands and threw them out into the masses. The rings tore through the Colts like an arrow through the air. He had eliminated many more, but they were starting to see through his plan. They were the only ones. At this point, Spikes only plans were surviving and annihilating. He started with the latter of the two. Up to that point he was as blind as any pony would be. He was using attacks that he was sure would do something. Good range. Wide area of attack. With all the Colts clustered in one place, some small victory was assured. But now he was done. He had to see. But he did not have time to think about it. The battle had begun in earnest.

A line of Colts charged him, two rows thick. Spike raised his foot and slammed it into the ground. The Mana Stomp worked wonderfully. He could sense every hoofbeat of the charging Colts. Now he could counterattack. He dug the foot he slammed farther into the ground. He needed a stable stance. He raised his other foot and planted it in front of him. He angled it sideways. He thrust it forward and a wall of rocks and stones raced toward the Colts. They could not slow down in time. It was too late. The front row collided head on into the wall. The second row tripped and stumbled over the first. It was almost comical how they ended up. However, Spike could not stop and laugh. He had to press the attack. If he lost the control he had established, then he would be in a dire position.

He raced up to the tallest point on the wall of rocks. He stood and breathed fire down onto the Colts. But that was all he could do at that moment. The Mana Stomp was wearing off. He could chance using another, but that would leave him vulnerable until he saw something. Good thing he was taught other spells. He activated his night vision and everything became clear. It was like a veil was lifted and he could see clearer than ever before. He gazed over the Black Colts massed there. He let out a thunderous roar that shook the very ground. The air was charged and Spike could feel it on his scales. He reached out and used a small lightning spell. That one small spell was enough. The air took the electricity and absorbed it. The overcharged air came alive with electric currents zipping through the air all around. His roar had done this? Awesome. Spike had just created a new spell. The Grand Thunderoar. After it was done many Colts lay sizzling on the ground as they dusted. The many that survived fought back. A huge volley of black ooze was spit at Spike. He leaped to the side and off the wall. Another group of Colts charged him from another angle. A coordinated attack. Interesting. Spike put up a barrier field just in time to deflect the force of the attack. Colt after Colt kept attacking the barrier. With Spike immobile while he used it he was vulnerable. He had to do something. He used his available hand and targeted the stone beneath the Colt's hooves. He gripped the huge, flat stone and lifted it just barely off the ground and tilted it forward. The Colts tumbled forward and landed at the foot of the barrier, where the tile ended. Spike had a devious grin on his face. He finished the flip of the tile and it landed back in its original place, smashing the Colts there to dusty bits.
Instead of completely getting rid of his barrier, Spike decided to use it. He flattened the barrier field into a small blast and released it up. Many of the Pegasus Colts had taken flight and he was aiming to bring some down. His attack was strong and fast, but the Colts were able to dodge it. It hit the barrier of mist and disintegrated. At least Spike knew he could not break through the pocket with his magic. But he still had the Colts to deal with. He growled and charged for another attack.

Twilight

From the outside looking in it was an unbelievable sight to behold. Few of the remaining Black Colts had gotten away from the thorough cleaning done by the Princess's. The rest were in with Spike. There was still a great danger looming over the city, however. Black Dragons. Celestia had gotten one already, but there were still more and she charged Twilight to take them down. Before they were spread out and commanding the Colts. But now, they had all assembled near the darkness pocket. They knew the Colts were in there. They knew Spike was in there. But they would not get to him. Celestia and Luna were both quite exhausted from the strain of creating the darkness pocket and all the other magic and help they provided that day. Cadance was busy tending to the wounded. That left only Twilight.

She launched herself off the ground with more speed than she had ever achieved before. Rainbow Dash would have been proud. Twilight's magic was strong before, but now she was an Alicorn. It had only gotten stronger. She faced the first of the many Black Dragons. It tried breathing that black ooze at her. She used a simple teleportation spell and put herself behind it on the left side. She charged up her horn and unleashed a huge magic blast into the dragons side. A direct hit from point blank range. It was not enough. She quickly circled around when the Dragon swung claws at her. She used another magic blast and it was done. The Dragon let out one last weak roar and fell out of the sky. It fell right onto the darkness pocket, but did nothing but break apart into a great many small pieces.

“Yesss,” Twilight shouted happily.

As she had her short celebration she lost concentration. She was hit from the side. It was a stunning hit that she did not see coming. Dazed mostly, she recovered quickly. She did not know what hit her. It was small and moving incredibly fast. It was not like any other attack the Black Dragons had done before. That is because it did not come from the Black Dragons.

“Watch what you're doing,” Rainbow Dash said, “That Dragon almost got you.”

Now Twilight understood. A small, incredibly fast projectile with an attitude. Yep, that was Rainbow Dash to a point. She looked over Dash's shoulder to see what she meant. A Black Dragon was sitting on a broken wall of the city. It was lower than the rest and not flying, so it escaped Twilight's notice. Luckily she had friends on the ground who could help her. Maybe she could use them some more.

“Hey, Dash, you think you could help me,” Twilight asked.

“Why, so I can get oozed by them gross Dragons,” Dash replied.

“Well, you see there is this big, bad Dragon King coming,” Twilight teased, “He really hates ponies. I just figured with you being the best flier, you could annoy him by outflying his best dragons.”

“You are just baiting me into doing this, aren't you,” Dash asked flatly.

“Depends. Is it working,” Twilight responded.

“Yeah, it is,” Dash said excitedly, “I am going to fly circles around these dragons!”

Dash took off like the speeding pony she is. She headed for the nearest dragon she could find. The one that nearly got Twilight. She flew around and around and around it. It waved those massive claws at her and swiped it's tail through the air around her. It was all to waste. Dash was too fast. She was always too fast. This gave Twilight some breathing room to deal with the others. There were two more by her count. And one was headed right for her.

Twilight unleashed another magic blast at the Dragon. It dodged the blast with ease. This was a nimble dragon. It continued flying. Tried flying around and blasting it from different angles. Each time it was to no use. This dragon was different. It was as big as the others. It was smaller and thinner. It moved better in the air and had more agility. Twilight would have to rethink her strategy. It was fast, so she had to slow it down. She knew from Spike that these things hated the light and intense heat. She tried both. She used her own version of the Ring of Fire Spell. It created a ring around the dragon vertically and horizontally. Twilight struggled to maintain the powerful Spell as the Dragon attempted to break through it. The ooze it carried was enough to weaken the flames. With one final push it broke through and nearly bit Twilight wings off. Once again, Rainbow Dash came through and pushed her out of the way.

“You really need to watch out more,” Rainbow dash said.

“I know,” Twilight said, somewhat annoyed, “I need you to distract that thing so I can get a clear shot it.”

“Sure. Anything else you want me to do while I am up here,” Dash asked sarcastically.

“Just keep it still and stay out of the way,” Twilight said, “Unless you want to be a frozen pony for some dragon to lick clean later on.”

Dash got her competitive grin on and was off. She flew right up to the dragon's face and hovered for a moment. She made silly faces at the dragon to try and get its attention. It worked. The Dragon snapped at Dash, but she was gone before the teeth came together. She teased and toyed with the dragon as it tried to catch her. Twilight tried to get a clear shot, but there was too much movement. Either she would miss and waste the energy she had left, or she would hit Rainbow Dash and make her friend into a pony sized ice cube.

“Rainbow Dash, could you keep the Dragon in one spot please,” Twilight yelled.

“What was that,” Dash said as she flew over to Twilight.

Twilight was about to respond when she realized what had just happened. Dash was supposed to be distracting the Black Dragon. If Dash was here, then where was the Dragon? Twilight got the answer she did not want in the form of a roar. It rumbled the air in front of them as the Black Dragon charged through the air at both of the. Twilight had a clear shot if Dash was not in the way. She had a solution. Twilight pushed Rainbow Dash down and unleashed the freezing blast she had built up. The Dragon stopped only a few hoofsteps away. Dash flew up and karate kicked it in the nose. It shattered the dragon from nose to tail and iced dragon its rained from the sky. Dash returned to her place beside Twilight. She actually looked a little scared.

“You really need to watch out more,” Twilight said sarcastically, “That one almost got you.”

“Hey. You stick to magic, Princess. Flying is my thing,” Dash said.

Twilight and Dash took down the other two that were left. The one that was sitting on the wall had not moved since Dash first annoyed it. Twilight did that one herself. She used the ice spell and froze the Dragon. It was an easy, unmoving target. Dash, again, smashed it to smithereens. The last one was not much harder. It was big and slow and stupid. Rainbow Dash baited it into charging headfirst into a castle wall. It fell into a slump and Twilight iced it. Dash Smashed it. All was good. They flew back to the others as fast as they could. Spike was still in the pocket of darkness. At this point, many ponies had gathered around to stare at it. Most were ponies who had taken shelter in the castle. Some were from the city. All eyes were on the dark mist that created the pocket.

“What's going on,” Twilight asked.

“Can't rightly say,” Applejack said, “We saw a whole mess of flashes of light not too long ago, and then a few more just before you landed. Now, there ain't nothing but that dark misty stuff.”

Twilight was worried for Spike. He was in there all alone, with no pony or dragon to help him. She saw Luna and Celestia were also among the ponies watching. They came over when they saw Twilight had returned from her Dragon hunt.

“All the Black Dragons are gone, I take it,” Celestia said.

“Yes, but what about Spike,” Twilight asked, “Can we do anything to help him?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Luna said, “In order to make the darkness last more than a few moments we had to put a special condition in the spell. The darkness will only dissipate when all the dark creatures inside are gone.”

“So what you're saying is that unless Spike takes out every single Black Colt in there he is trapped,” Twilight asked with growing anger, “You yourself said he couldn't survive that!”

“I know, Twilight,” Luna pleaded, “Like you, I just got Spike back. I do not wish to lose him any more than you. I believe in him. I believe he can do it.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said, “He always was a stubborn little dragon.”

Spike

Things were getting rough for Spike. His growl and charge plan did not work out as well as he had hoped. He charged his hands up with fire and ice as he ran. When he got top the front lines he threw out the hand that held fire. A whole line of small explosions went off right in front of Spike. The Colts scattered in all directions. Spike cooled them off with a line of frost and ice that froze many Colts in place. He capitalized on the situation. He used telekinesis to levitate the multitude of debris that was laying around in the pocket. He propelled all of it to go and collide with anything and everything that wasn't him. This is why he wanted to be alone. This way he could go all out without having to worry about any other pony. As he stood there with his flying rocks he neglected to watch his backside. A Black Colt managed to sneak up behind him and hit him with a weak ooze spit blast. Spike stopped all moving rocks. The ooze on the back of his shoulder went up in flame and he turned to the Colt. It was small, but looked feisty. It was bold enough to attack Spike. Spike stomped the ground and a tower of earth and stone sent the colt careening into the top the pocket. That gave Spike an idea. He leaped into the air and came back down hard. He landed with a tremendous hit and struck the ground with both hands at the same time. The earth trembled beneath the stone and all chaos ensued. Dozens of pillars raised from the ground. Some were not stable and collapsed from their own weight, crushing many Colts underneath the stone. In some places the earth opened into bottomless pits, swallowing many Colts. It was the perfect battlefield. And so Spike went on a rampage. He raced through the area of raised earth with magic at the ready. All the Colts were still recovering from the devastating effects from Spike's earth raising spell. He ran through and blasted some Colts with powerful fireballs. Some he zapped more with a lightning strike. Others he froze into Black Colt ice sculptures. Spell after spell, with all the power he had, Spike demolished the forces of the Black Colts. With power of lightning, fire, ice, and air he destroyed the Black Colts. He moved over every inch of the battlefield. He dived and dodged the attacks of the Black Colts. With barriers and walls he did avoid most damage against him. He was a Dragon Mystik and he showed it.

Spike fought to the very end, until one lucky shot nearly took him out. He had just raised a series of fire pillars. As they swirled and burned, the Colts scrambled. Spike exploded the pillars along the ground, but a few Colts remained still. One them got a lucky spit shot on Spike. It came barreling out from behind a pile rubble and blinded him. Spike got a great amount of black ooze in his eyes. It took every last sight away from him. He had gotten almost all of the Black Colts, and then this happens. He clawed at the ooze and it stuck fast to his scales. He yanked on it and pulled, but it stayed right where it was. He angrily roared his annoyance. Another Grand Thunderoar shook the courtyard. A second roar lit the air with electricity. Spike breathed fire as he swung his head about. Many of the last Colts were set ablaze. Finally, after being blinded for what seemed like hours Spike was freed. He held his hands in front of his eyes. A brilliant light poured forth and the ooze burned away. But he did not create the light. How did that happen? Did it really come from him? But he didn't think about that.

His first sight after being able to see again was a welcome one. Not a single Black Colt in sight. Gone. Each and every one. As he cleared his eyes he saw the mist that created the darkness pocket begin to slowly dissipate. The mist cleared and Spike saw Luna and Twilight and the rest of his friends standing not far off. The last of the mist disappeared from the sky the sunlight shined down on Spike once again. He shielded his eyes. He had spent the last several hours in complete darkness. Luna and Twilight both ran to meet him as he left the courtyard. Little did they know that another great danger still lurked nearby.

The black ooze that was left from all the defeated Black Colts and dragons stirred. It left the ground and the walls and every other place it landed. It slowly made its way to the courtyard. It coalesced itself into a being. Small, and fragile, but still a threat. Luna and Twilight both saw this happen, and screamed at Spike a warning. The distance between them, however, was too great and Spike could not understand what they were saying past the ringing in his head. Because of this he did not know of the beast behind him. But he could sense it. He always could sense the darkness around him. He turned to face it just as attacked. It rolled back it's head and spat a giant blast of ooze at him. And that was it. Spike was down. Luna and Twilight let out a cry for Spike that he could not hear. They raced to Spike's side. He was breathing, but badly hurt. Luna and Twilight looked at one another with looks of despair and concern. The beast of ooze let out a menacing laugh as it melted into itself. Luna and Twilight watched it and then turned back to Spike. What were they going to do now, that the greatest hero they had was gone?

Comments

[Aura Zero]

That was a cheap shot on Spike! Can't handle him so they gotta hit him when he's not looking.

[Kichi]

As I read this it make me think... Where is Discord? If Twilight is a princess it means he is reformed. Why is it that they don't think about make him help a little?

[Love able chaos]

Get up Spike your friends need you.