• Published 13th Oct 2014
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The Origin Chronicles Vol. 2 - SmokeShadow95



Spike returns to fight a new Madness that is dragging Equestria in the dark

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Ch.22 Locked Away

Spike stared into the eyes of the enemy. His eyes could see more than almost any other being in the land of Equestria. He could see more about a pony with just a glance than any other. And right in that moment he finally saw it all. He could see the truth of it all finally revealing itself. Spike stared into the eyes of Ebony Thorn, and he finally saw the threat she posed in all of its entirety. But there was nothing he could do. He was already gone, defeated. He was already falling down farther and farther on his way to meet the ooze. Ebony had sealed his way with a kiss.

Spike met the ooze with a silent splash. The ooze erupted around him as he impacted the surface. The ooze rose up as if to greet him like he was a long awaited hero. But there was no sound to his greeting. No sounds, no noise, no nothing. Spike sank further down into the ooze. It fell back down all around him, like a black rain of darkness. Still, he stared up and could see Ebony thorn looking down at him.

Slowly he sake down. He had lost all sense of how long he was in there. There was no way for him to tell. To him it was all just still, but his world was slowly getting darker, and darker. He could feel it, this darkness creeping into him. Somehow, it found its way into every part of his being. Under every scale it slithered in. Through every wound it seeped inside of his body. He could feel it burrowing into his mind, corrupting it and dragging it into the darkness. He could feel the ooze with its darkness and evil cracking open his defenses, and climbing in like a deranged beast. His very soul was being taken from him. It would not be long now. Spike was already more than half way submerged, and he was losing more of himself by the second.

But that couldn't be! There was still something that Spike had to say. He clenched his fist together and rose from the ooze. He could feel the changes in himself, and he hoped that the girls would still listen to him. Even now, he still had a part of him that was still him. He had to use it, and tell them. There was something the she needed to hear.

And so Spike rose from the ooze and crashed down in front of the girls. The ponies he swore to protect were standing before him, six pairs of eyes stared at him full of fear and concern. That didn't matter, not right now. Pain was coursing through him. His mind thought to the point that thinking itself was an agonizing task. The very act of holding himself up made his arms burn like lave itself was poured under his scales. And yet he spoke.

Spike fought through the pain to tell Twilight, “Tell Luna that I'm sorry.”

Spike could feel himself slipping away. His very essence was being taken over and whatever was left was being corrupted by Darkness. He summoned up the very last reserves of what he had left and sent the girls away with a wave of his hand. And with that Spike's world went dark, and he slipped away into the Darkness.

“Welcome, young dragon.”

“What? Someone there?” Spike said. He could hear something, some voice out in the dark. There was nobody there, though. At least, no one that he could see. Spike could sense it, however. He could feel that other presence out there in the dark.

“Yes, young one. Someone is here. You are here, and I am you.”

“Don't play games with me!” Spike yelled out into the nothingness, “Tell me where I am and what you are right now!”

“So demanding. So commanding. So forceful, and aggressive,” The strange voice said, “But you are stuck firmly in the false light of your actions. Don't you see, young dragon? There is a shadow cast wherever there is light.”

“Let me guess, you are that shadow?” Spike responded.

“There must be balance. I'm sure Smoke Shadow told you much about this.”

“Answer my questions!” Spike called out. He rose up to stand up tall. He stood at the ready and waited for the strike he could feel was coming. “Who are you? Where am I? How do you know Smoke Shadow?”

Spike was suddenly overwhelmed by the pressure of something behind him. He turned to find himself facing a scene unfolding. It was beautifully dark with a red sky fading down below the horizon line. Spike gasped as the scene zoomed in to the land of Equestria. Images flashed before him. At first it was just a few and then more and more. He recognized a few images of the ancient dragon empire and the Dark Dragon King Galeek. Images flashed by of the ooze and many other things that Spike did not understand. Being and lands that were unknown to him. But in all of them there was one thing consistently the same.

“I have sat idle and waited and watched. I have been in these lands longer than any other thing, living or not,” The strange voice said, “I have seen many kingdoms rise and fall, yet only a select few have ever come across my great power. Those that have do not linger.”

Spike watched as more images flashed up. These images were of beings, given dark powers and there lands being torn asunder as they themselves lose everything that was their own. Their minds, their bodies, their homes.

“I am the ooze, young dragon! I am the Darkness that forever haunts these lands!” The voice called out as the images faded back out to the horizon with the red sky. Spike watched as the imaged morphed and shifted itself until he was looking into a mirror almost. “For now, you may call me Spike, young dragon. And you, you are not even relevant anymore.”

The Anti-Spike raised a hand at the real Spike. He smirked and quickly clenched his fist. The real Spike lurched forward at the other one, but got nowhere. A sphere of energy emerged from the dark around him. Spike slammed into it and pounded on it with both fists. Chains shot forth from the sphere, glowing with the same energy and clasped around his wrists and his ankles. Spike was suspended in that sphere like a work of art in some museum, or a trophy. He angrily glared out at the dark version of himself as it strutted about in front of his eyes.

“You,” Spike snarled, “I will end you!”

“Oh, please, spare me the petty threats,” The Anti-Spike replied, “Do not be so angry that your home is going to be taken from you. Or is it the ponies that you worry over?”

Spike's anger flared up, “I failed my friends! I left them behind!” He yelled out in his fury. “I left her behind! I left Luna, I broke the promise I made to her. I won't let you get away with any of this.”

“Promise? Oh, you mean that silly little thing where you promised you would come back to her?”

Impossible! There was no way he could know about that. That was between him and Luna, and no one else. He couldn't know, he just couldn't. Spike stared at him in awe. He was shocked, stunned. The Anti-Spike could see the torment he was doing, and he was loving it. He smiled wickedly and laughed even more so.

“Do you still not realize it, young dragon? This is your soul. I have taken over your very being. All that was you, is now me. I am you!”

Spike hung his head low and sank as low as he could within the length of the chains that bound him. They held him up high, though, so he could watch. He was forced to watch. The darker version of him turned and threw up another image before him. This was not like the others. No more images of the past flashed before his eyes. No, not this time. Now, Spike was forced to watch the world through his very own eyes as the Anti-Spike faded away into the dark and took full control of him.

Spike was forced to watch as his body acted without him. Spike was forced to watch as Bloodthorn's power, his very soul was ripped from his being and destroyed. Spike was chained like an animal and forced to watch the horrors committed by his own body, with his own to hands. He couldn't stand to watch as he drove away Shining Armor with Flake on his back, and yet he had to. He could not look away. Everywhere he looked there was the image, and even when he closed his eyes tight and tried to think of other things, still he was tormented by those images. It was impossible to get rid of them.

A full day passed after that. Spike watched as more of the forces that fought the day before were forcefully transformed into the agents of Darkness to follow his dark version. Even Ebony Thorn didn't escape this, but she was not forced. She was a willing subject who changed to same way she acted. Evil, yet graceful. Dark and twisted, but with a strange beauty to her. All Spike could do was think of Luna.

“Luna, I gave you grace. Now please, come and give me peace.” Spike said between tears, “Please, Luna, come and free me from this. I beg of you.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That just won't do, young one,” The voice said as the Anti-Spike materialized before him. “You should know that you are never getting out of here. No one can free you. Do you know why? You should.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“Where is the fun in that? Let me explain a bit more, because you seem to be a bit slow in picking this up.” The Anti-Spike leaned against the energy shell and was lazily doodling something as he spoke.

“You see, young one, I corrupted you. I found my way into the very deepest parts of you and I claimed them as my own. The ooze that made up the most of my physical aspect outside seeped into you. I am you. You are me. There is no separation, no freedom, and absolutely no being left alone. Do you see now, or does your stupidity extend further?”

“I understand,” Spike said, “I think I finally realize why all the others that got corrupted by the ooze went mad. You never shut up, do you?”

Annoyed at Spike's defiance the Anti-Spike raised a hand and clenched his fist tightly. Shocks of pure magical energy raced along the chains and tortured Spike for a solid minute. Spike breathed heavy and his head was low. When he did look back up again he still had that defiant look in his eyes. The Anti-Spike shocked him a few more times before leaving to do something in the real world. Spike was left in pain, but still not broken. He noticed the area of the sphere where the drawing was had not been erased. A crude drawing of him stepping on Spike was etched into the sphere.

“You know your drawing skills are terrible,” Spike shouted. “I know three fillies that can do better than that.”

~~~

Luna lay upon her bed and stared up at the canopy above. It's dark folds and cast shadows drew her gaze as she traced them in a desperate attempt the avert her attention away from the world. Her attempt failed as her head fell to the sheets and she found herself looking once again the Luna's Grace that Spike had given her. It lay on the folded letter that was with it. She knew he had used magic on it, for it did not age or wither or require water. It just sat there and was beautiful with its grace. She knew Spike would say that she was just the same way.

“Ahh!” She cried out sharply, “Why do these thoughts torment me so? I know that Spike is gone, and I know that I need to go after him.”

“Then why don't you?”

“Because I am afraid,” Luna said as she climbed out of her bed. “I am afraid of what I will find. Will it be Spike? Will there be any of my Spike left to save? Can I even do it? I was ready before, but then . . .”

“What happened?”

“I was ready. I was set to go. I had Spike's gift with me, I had the power of our love burning inside of me even stronger than usual, if that's even possible. And then Shining Armor appeared with young Flake Frost and I- I-”

“You got discouraged, Luna.”

“Hey!” Luna recoiled on the sound of that voice. She had been talking with it for a short while but never actually saw its source. When she did turn to face it she found herself staring into her very own standing mirror. She could see her own reflection and then the mirror got dark. It's reflective surface turned dark with a swirl of mist and another figure appeared in the mirror.

“Smoke Shadow?!” Luna cried out in surprise. “Can this truly be? Is it you?”

“I could feel your pain, Luna. I could hear your heart calling out for answers. I came to help in any way I could.”

“Does this mean that you are-”

“I am still gone, Luna,” Smoke Shadow said, “But I will always be with you, as corny as that sounds.”

“It is still good to see you, old friend,” Luna said with a smile, “Are you aware of what has happened here?”

“Unfortunately, I am. The aftershocks were felt far beyond the lands of Equestria. The balance has been tipped, the scales broken. Darkness is coming, and Spike is its herald, it general, its king.”

“How can I get him back, Shadow? Please, if you have anything that can help me, I will take it.” Luna pleaded of her old friend for answers and advice. The old story telling dragon smiled and looked at his old friend.

“Luna, you have more than you could ever need to get Spike back,” He said, “Strip away your title and your crown, you still have what you need. Take away your magic and your wings, you still have everything you need. Don't you see, Luna? You have his love, and he has yours. In times of great Darkness, love can be the light that guides you. It worked for me.”

“What do you mean? You never told me this before. Who held your love?”

“It matters not anymore,” Smoke Shadow said, “She sacrificed herself a very long time ago. Now it is time for you and your love to shine bright.”

Luna nodded her head in thanks. “Thank you, old friend.”

“Luna, who are you talking to?”

Luna's head snapped to the side. She saw Twilight standing in the doorway holding a door open. Luna was dumbfounded as she tried to formulate an answer that would appease Twilight and her intuitive mind. She looked back at her mirror, but it was blank and empty of all but her own reflection. Luna smiled and turned back to Twilight.

“I was just talking,” She said, “Getting some advice.”

“It better have been good advice,” Twilight said, “We are going to get Spike back. I just don't know how.”

“Fret not, Twilight Sparkle. I have everything we need,” Luna said with a hopeful smile as she grabbed the Luna's Grace off her nightstand.

~~~

More days passed on by as Spike hung still in his chains. He watched through the special view his dark self set up for him, as his body moved and acted under the control of another. He despised the ooze, the Darkness and everything that fell in with it. He hated having to watch such despicable things occur with his own two hands. But he was powerless to do anything. He was effectively-

“Trapped.” The Anti-Spike hissed, “That is all you are. A little lizard who got caught in the grasp of something far more powerful than yourself. Now you are trapped and that is how you shall remain for as long as you live.”

“Wow, that is a really long time,” Spike sarcastically responded, “I mean, really. Do you know how long dragons live? Well, let me tell you its a really long time. I don't know about you, but I am gonna get bored after a first few hundred years. Maybe you could stop by a comic store and pick up a few for me.”

“Insolent whelp! Do you still not fully understand what this is?!”

Spike looked at him with a puzzled look. He scrunched up his face as he pretended to be thinking hard on an answer. “The most intense internal debate ever,” Spike guessed.

“Argh! Why?! Why do insist on being so defiant?!” The Anti-Spike roared angrily, “Why will you not just break? Your friends are gone. Your life is gone. I will make you watch as I perform unspeakable horrors with your body to the very ponies you swore to protect. You will watch as I personally corrupt your dear, sweet, lovely, Luna.”

“That is really dark,” Spike said flatly, “All I'm trying to say is that every other time that you did this to someone, you drove 'em mad and you ended up having to restart the whole process after a while. Maybe if you keep me sane you will get to enjoy this body a bit longer.”

“And what possible reason could you have to help me?”

“What? I don't want to help you. What do you think I am, stupid,” Spike replied with exaggerated head movements. “I'm just trying to stall you so I remain sane for as long as possible.”

The Anti-Spike stepped forward a few steps and let out a wicked little chuckle and sank his claws deep into the energy sphere holding the real Spike in. His claws tore through the energy like it was thin, wet paper.

“I do believe you are already losing it, young one,” He said venomously. “Your sanity is slowly seeping away, being eaten up by the dark vortex that surrounds you. Just sit back, and enjoy it. It get better after a while.”

He yanked his claws out and Spike watched as the sphere repaired itself from the damage that was done. His dark version sauntered off like the owned the place and chuckled a bit as he went. Eventually, he faded away into the darkness and Spike noticed something about the sphere.

“Hey, you destroyed your little doodle,” Spike loudly complained, “It was a crappy drawing, but I was kinda starting to like it. Eesh, maybe I am going insane. Hmm, maybe I could use my tail to draw some doodles myself.”

Spike stretched out his tail after thinking that thought and reached out in any direction he could, but it was no use. No matter where he stretched his tail the energy sphere was just out of reach. It was almost like the sphere was purposely making itself impossible to reach. Spike groaned with effort as he tried again and again for what seemed like hours to him. After a while, he relaxed and let his body fall limp. He was actually kinda tired.

“Well, this is just great,” He mumbled to himself, “The host is terrible, and the customer service is even worse. I mean, I haven't seen a single waiter anywhere. There are no comics. The conversation is completely one sided and always off topic. On top of all that the rooms are really small and uncomfortable. Man, this is gonna get real boring real quick.”

As Spike mumbled to himself the area of darkness directly in front of him flared up. A light flashed brightly as his body opened its eyes. The light faded and Spike found that his body was staring up at a ceiling in the fortress. Wait, he was still there? He honestly thought they had moved on.

“Come on now, Spike, it is time for us to go.”

Spike's head turned to see Ebony Thorn standing there and looking better than ever before. Her long, slender, beautiful legs supported her small, graceful form. Her sleek coat was the color of dark amethyst and even shone a little bit as her crystal pony heritage bled through. Her long, straight mane fell down in front of her right eye, but left her other eye open. Spike could see the that her eyes were unlike any others. Fully black, with a small red circle where her iris would be. Her Unicorn horn was just a bit longer then most and came to a deadly sharp point. She stayed true the Thorn in her name.

“Ah, yes.” The Anti-Spike rose from his bed and walked over to Ebony. “It's time for use to begin. Where shall we start, my dear?”

“At the beginning, of course,” Ebony replied, “We will start with the place where Spike first learned of dragons and magic and the ooze. We will take Canterlot!”

“Haha! Excellent!” The Anti-Spike said. “After you, dearest Ebony.”

Together they rallied the forces. Ebony and the new, darker Spike stalked the halls of the fortress. It was not like any other time she walked those halls. She had been down the maze of hallways dozens upon dozens of times, and yet she had never seen anything like this. With every step the two of them took more and more ponies emerged from the shadows and all the dark hidden places. With every corner they turned the pair had more and more of them following. When they finally emerged through the doors they had an entire army at their backs, and still more were crawling out from every nook and cranny. Darkness poured forth from the fortress and it was going to spread its evil across Equestria until it finally came to Canterlot. And all Spike could do was hang by his chains, and watch.