Spike Quits His Job and Goes on Numerous Quests

by B_25

59 – "Get out of There, Now!"

~59~

"Get out of There, Now!"

Applejack kept glancing from the magical barrier protecting from the barrage flames to the quivering form of her white unicorn friend. She knew nothing could be done about the situation besides trying to burden some of the pain, though like before, she wished she could be doing more.

“...darling…” the strained voice of Rarity reached her orange ears. “...please...tell me that the flames are at least waning...?”

The cowpony looked back to the barrier where the flames were dimmed, but the quantity all the same. “We’re almost there, Sugarcube.”

“Really?” The question sounded more like a squeak. “Because...if I may be frank...dear…I’m not quite sure I can hold on...for another moment.”

Applejack took the full extent of her friend’s weight by sliding her barrel onto her orange back, looking to both the entrance and back exit of the bar. “Ya gotta keep it together for just an little longer, Rarity.”

“I’m not sure that’s a promise I can keep.”

Applejack dipped her head. “Then ya gotta at least let me know the moment you can’t take it any longer. Ya read me?”

“My eyes are closed, so it’s kind of hard to read at the moment.”

“And here Rainbow and I thought you weren’t one for jokes.”

“You both thought wrong, apparently.”

The blue aura surrounding the blaster horn had begun to diminish by the second, leading to the current moment where there were only a few sparks left. Electric shocks resounded from the horn, followed by a pained whimper, yet Rarity made no mention of it.

Finally, a small array of sunlight began to fall phase through the top corners of the windows to land on the wooden floor. The once bold golden flames had grown thin and faint enough to allow in sunlight.

“Heh, we’re almost there, Rarity.” Applejack couldn’t help but begin to laugh. “We’re almost there!”

“Why weren’t you this happy when we were almost there a few moments ago!?”

Applejack, once again, couldn’t help but chuckle. “My bad, Rares. But just hold tight – daylight is almost here!”

Rarity too chuckled.

But just as hope seeped inside both of the mares, so too, did the last embers of blue magic fade away from Rarity’s horn. She suffered a pain so great that her lips gave a terrible scream as her body finally gave out.

If she had already been spiral over the cowpony back, then she would’ve hit the floor with a thud. But the cowpony had no time to feel relieved over this fact as she looked over to her demise, only to find a lack of scathing flames.

Instead, she found the black backside of the princess of the night, whose horn was charged and repelling the last of the dragon’s flames. She glanced back into the bar and caught the two mares in her sight.

“Get out of there, now!”

Applejack nodded and moved without a word.

Princess Luna looked back in time to see that the flames had ceased, though the dragon’s sweeping claw phased through her dark-blue barrier and caught her form in his impact. She went flying leftward as her barrier ceased.

Applejack had to make a choice, and she made it on instinct alone. Setting her friend down behind the counter, she offered her last parting words. “Ya’ll have to forgive me, sugar cube.”

She then burst forth and tensed the muscles in her hind hooves.

The dragon watched his prey fly over to the railings that saw to the planes of Canterlot, landing before the metal bars. He was glad for his meal would not be a splatter, but his eyes caught just in time to his newest prey rushing him from the door frame.

And before he could so much move, the mare leaped into the air and turned herself around. Mustering all the energy she could, she invested it in her hind legs where she then used them to buck the dragon’s right cheek as hard as she could.

Luna, who attempted to stand upon reaching the ground, suffered the blurriness once received when damage is done to the head. Although it was hazy, the princess glanced up in time to see the golden rays of light silhouette the cowpony form, as the dragon cried out spit and blood from the impact.

The force of the buck twirled the dragon in circles as his body winded up, blinking repeatedly in confusion of what had just happened.

Applejack landed flawlessly as her eyes had gleamed the lone malice stranded on the battlefield. Not taking the moment breathe her well-deserved breath, she picked up the handle of the weapon of her teeth and picked up into a trot once more.

The surrounding guard called a cease on the next array of steel arrows at the account of possibly killing an Element. Even the guards who had been impaling their spears into the dragon’s tail and back stopped as to not outrage the dragon to transition into an uncontrollable beast.

This dragon possessed knowledge and tactics that most of its species were still ages from comprehending, yet this dragon knew to endure the pain of exposing himself to the guards so he could attempt to kill those whom he deemed to truly be a threat.

Even when out of breath and sensing his prey running away, he still used the lingering two to lure out the pestering pest, and use said pests concern for them to attack her with the full might of his claw.

But none of these facts were of any interest to the galloping form of Applejack, who leaped once more onto the wall of the establishment; jumping off that to reach a higher height and descend upon the dragon.

The dragon himself managed to stop his eyes from rolling and cleared the blurriness by his own will alone, and his efforts were thanked by the vision of the same mare falling toward him. Instead of a grin stretching upon his muzzle, he opened his mouth and awaited the taste of her fur.

Just as he could smell her scent, the dragon’s eyes finally dilated to the thing in her mouth. He whimpered and awaited fate.

Applejack craned her neck as far left as it would go, swaying her right during her ascent just so she could time her attack right. Those practices fight back on the farm with Big Mac had tutored her on the art more than she cared to admit – especially when taking on bigger foes.

Though her bigger brother would very much doubt such tactics would ever be used on an dragon. Still, Applejack imagined herself the star hoofball player, readying her bat – a malice in this case – as the ball – a dragon’s head – came before her.

Swinging lower body left, Applejack’s upper body flew right. The malice descended on the dragon’s left cheek, and with all the impact possible from a mare of her size, the energy from her attack coursed painfully through the dragon.

Like how he had done earlier, the dragon did not stumble but rather flew back into the railings of the bottomless circle. Never meant to support the weight of a dragon, the railings crumbled, and the dragon fell past and into the bottomless circle.

The momentum from her swing still propelled her forth, as Applejack's eyes reeled open as her shadow flew past the railing as well. Finally, her descent began as she fell forward into the bottomless circle.

The orange fur of her chest smacked against the cold metal of railing on the other side of the circle, knocking the wind out of her system as her body began to slid backward. Her body flinched into consciousness as she tried to wrap her hooves around the railing.

Applejack’s hooves smacked against the stone of the circle as her hooves banged against the back of the railing, breaking her grip as she fell backward. She attempted to have a scream that would follow her the far land below, but her mouth was too filled with malice to be able to do so.

So she conceded to simply close her eyes and await the funny feeling that accompanied her belly whenever she fell off of a play set when she was young. Though when the feeling didn’t come, it made it all the worse for Applejack.

It was as if the world waited for her to open her eyes so it may torture her with the full extent of her fate. Yet, she knew whatever was going to happen next, was only going to happen when she opened her eyes. And Applejack wasn’t exactly the waiting type.

So Applejack opened her eyes and was treated to the sight of the two princesses past a flickering golden aurora. The malice fell from her mouth as her mouth hung open, being caught in the suspension field responsible for keeping her afloat as well.

Celestia wore a knowingly raised brow as her sister held a smirk.

“Greetings, Applejack.” Celestia began to reel in the suspension field closer to solid ground. “Quite a nice day to tackle a dragon alone.”

Applejack felt the lump travel down her throat. “I-Indeed.”

The golden aurora hung before the two princesses but hadn’t yet dissipated. “Applejack, may I be so selfish as to make a request of you?”

“Seein’ how I owe you my life,” Applejack’s eyes trailed between the the princesses as slight trembles coursed through her body, “anythin’.”

Celestia sighed and dipped her head, before eyeing her weapon held in her magic as well.

“Would you mind wiping your saliva off the handle of my treasured weapon?”

Comments

[He23t]

That is awesome!

[Deadman123]

The tension is driver me crazy

[OmniFox]

What is that crazy old bat talking about?!!?

[Moonlight Blitz]

This was another great chapter as always keep up the good work.