Spike Quits His Job and Goes on Numerous Quests

by B_25

72 – "Time for Y'all...ta Do the Rest."

~72~

"Time for Y'all...ta Do the Rest."

The dryness of the rope slithered out from her tongue, leaving a salty taste as trailed behind the back of the dragon's head; the rope's end tied around his snout. The dragon flew over the pavement with great speed due to his giant mass, a look of confusion adorning his face when snapped back to his senses at the world around him. An influx of pain pulsated from the back of his skill and extended its painful reach at the end of every pulse.

By the time the dragon regained control of his motor skills, it was too late.

The blue scales of his face were torn from their places by the grating, opposing force that was the ground the dragon skid across. The now exposed skin under the ripped scales seared with pain from the many rocks piercing the flesh with their sharper ends. The blobs of fire intermixed with items from the mountainside now burnt and damaged those recently cut areas, and applied a barrage of bruises and such to the scales that clung to their host. His underbelly suffered through the same agony as continued to skid forth, before experiencing the cherry atop his pain sundae when his face crashed into the metal railings of the bottomless circle.

Applejack heard the horrible clank of metal as she too helplessly glided through the air without any control. One move of the body would determine the trajectory she would take. One turn of the waist, and it could crash against the railing and snap her spine in half. Her hope was not to crash land how the dragon had, but to summon all lingering energy in her system to make the dragon to suffer a pain far worse than the one he was currently enduring.

The wind whistled in her ear as she swung her body in the midst of the current. She adjusted for the sway of her body, swinging around till her hind legs aimed forward. They tried to keep themselves steady amongst the opposing winds as they were directed at the back of the scale, wobbly head rising from the metal railings.

Applejack saw that the image of the railings had imprinted themselves on the dragon's face, just as she, struck the back of precious skull once more. The momentum from her free-flying, as well additional force from her well-timed buck, transferred onto a concentrated patch of the dragon's skull. She heard the, strangely gratifying crunch of bone from under her hooves, as the beast's head smashed once more into the railing with double the impact than from before.

Dragon teeth flew over the bottomless circle, as well as the spinning body of Applejack.

After her hind legs had delivered their full impact to the back of the skull, the legs themselves endured a portion of that force that saw the bones within them to crack. The rest of the force sent her body flying over the dragon's head, over the bottomless circle, landing on the other side and painfully skidding to a stop before a group of familiar faces.

Agony impaired Applejack's vision, yet not even haze could bar her mind from recognizing the details of her friends. Even more so when she caught sight of her most treasured hat clinging to the neck of her ruler. "My hat. Ya kept it safe. Thank you."

Applejack arched her back forward from off the ground, trying to settle her wobbly eyes on the surrounding faces growing larger around her. She offered a smile to them, rose her hoof, and imparted a final line from her mouth. "I did my part. Time for y'all...ta do the rest."

The slouched, orange back, became straight once more against the floor. A golden aurora, shimmering in its own caring light, surrounded the body and lifted it slowly in the air. Celestia summoned another aurora around the hat that had been bestowed on her by a dear friend, and by taking it off her head and combining the two fields of magic; the hat was returned to its rightful owner.

With a flick of the eyes to an area hidden in shadows, the golden aurora glided carefully there – escorted by four guards. Once the body was safely laid to rest, Celestia returned her eyes to the friends around her. "Never before has a pony dealt a great harm to a dragon by their lonesome than from what we have seen today. Applejack's bravery will be noted in the aftermath of this battle, but do not fool yourselves into thinking the dragon has been quenched just yet."

As if on command, the dragon's body began to stir. Those guards who had assembled out of the way prior to the beast descent were now filing around him once more, their eyes fearful for every twitch, as missing those subtle signs last time called for their defeat before. They did not make any attacks on the scales, rather, slowly closing in to keep the beast at bay from their distant leaders.

Said leaders looking to one another, sighing, and looking down onto their group. Currently, the mane five, despite their disheveled states and bewildered confusion, perked their ears to listen to the older mares' words.

Luna was the first to speak. "The dragon is nearly the point where our magic can keep him confined in a limited space, enduring the same pain as we when his impervious scales touch our magic. But we still need to do a little more harm until we can vanquish our foe."

Celestia nodded her head at her sister, before speaking to her little ponies. "Rainbow Dash has already sustained the dragon's fury, a feat which not many live from, yet here she is standing on her two hooves. And you, Twilight, have already dispelled most of your magic to keep the dragon from hurting your friends, and in that time, recover much of you mana which was lost."

Celestia closed her eyes as her next words were like thrones, scratching her throat on their way out. "The previous battles have put you at too much risk to fight in this one. So rest easy, and recover what you can before the Elements of Harmony are needed."

Surprisingly, Rainbow did not object to being left out from the action. She simply bowed her head in exhaustion, casting an eye to Twilight. She too, had nothing to say and bowed her head as well.

Celestia's mustered a smile at seeing the maturity beginning to blossom in her little ponies, before casting a dreadful glance at those who held their heads high. "I wouldn't expect for you, my little ponies, to want to fight against a beast so vile as this dragon. But each of you bears a special magic that not even the impervious scales of a dragon could resist for long."

She allowed a moment for the ponies to digest her words, just as the winds began to blow once more in their ears.

"I won't hold against any of you if you wish to not fight." Celestia began to walk side by side before them. "Just like Rainbow, Applejack, and Twilight. You can recover safely from this ordeal in the shadows, and that rest could quite possibly increase the power behind the Elements."

The Princess of the Sun should have been expecting it, but her ponies reaction still caught her off guard. Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy huddle closer together and looked to their princesses with a glint of determination in each of their eyes. "I'm sorry, princess." Rarity began, but sincerity was lacking from her tone. "But we can't be let our dear friends believe that they have been doing all the work. After all, work should always strive to be done equally."

Pinkie vigorously nodded her head. "Not to mention the stallion with the big afro being pulled out from the dragon's claw! Those super nice guards have been risking their lives just to protect us, so it's totally unfair if we don't start doing the same for them."

"I agree." Fluttershy's cheeks blushed upon the influx of attention, but kept her back straight all the same. "What I mean to say is that each of those guards is special in their own way. Just because we have a magic that's capable of sealing away the dragon doesn't make us any more valuable than them, and if we can, we should help them out. Even if it is in a small way."

A smile blossomed once more on the sun princess's muzzle. "Very wise and courageous, my little ponies. The guards at your disposal and it is still their prerogative to defend you with their lives."

Celesta came to rest on her rump, cross her legs, and erect her neck. "Luna and I must stay here to prepare an ancient spell to restrain the dragon. It should only take us but a few minutes, so use whatever time you have against the dragon wisely."

The remaining Elements Bearers nodded their heads, watching Luna to come to rest in the same fashion as her sister. They gave a final bow to their solar leaders, before trotting off to join the remaining guards in the ponies final battle with the beast.

The end was upon them now.

Comments

[He23t]

Sooner the better if the dragon is put out of it's misery....... but it I fear it will have a ripple effect that will cast fear that grows concern to all ponies the power the alicorns and the harmony have.