Dragon's Fate

by pokefreak13

Chapter Nine: A New Party Member

When the first light of dawn peeked out from behind the trees, Spike stiffly crawled out of his sleeping bag and stepped outside before shielding his eyes from the sun's rays. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked at what remained of their now ragged camp.

Most of the ground was still uprooted, creating mounds of dirt and twisted tree roots. Dangling from a branch was their weapon stash, and by a root that curved into somewhat of a 'c' shape was Blueblood, who was talking to Shining Armor, a pearl white scroll just peeking out from the commander's saddlebag. When Spike turned his head to the left, he could see Caramel throwing knives at a crudely drawn target which was attached to a tree with a spare knife.

Letting out a sigh, Spike made his way to Blueblood and Shining Armor, once Spike got within their field of vision, the two stopped talking and trotted over to Spike.

"How are you feeling?" Blueblood asked.

"Sore, but I'll be fine," Spike replied while rubbing his neck.

"Well, today's the big day, so make sure you're prepared before we leave." Shining Armor piped up while giving Spike a quick pat on the back, causing Spike to lurch forward due to the stallion's strength.

"Um, okay." Spike said, regaining his composure.

"Anyways," Blueblood exclaimed, "Shining Armor and I will be looking over the weapons to make sure they are still intact. If you need us, you know where to find us."

He then motioned for Shining Armor before the two headed towards the dangling sack.

Once they were a little ways off, Spike made his way towards Caramel who was now guzzling down a water from a silver canteen. As he walked closer, he noticed that Caramel was wearing a slim, light brown vest with empty slots on the sides. When Caramel saw Spike staring from the corner of his eye, he dropped the canteen with a plop and wiped his muzzle, stray water droplet splashed onto the ground.

"Wat can ah do fer ya?" Caramel asked while trotting over to his target that looked more like a porcupine from all the knife handles sticking out.

"I um, wanted to ask you about where they took Sunset. Exactly how guarded is that place?" Spike questioned while helping Caramel getting the knives from the tree.

Caramel placed a knife into an empty slot on his vest before placing a hoof to his chin. "Hmm...lots ov tos soldiers. But ta building iz ancient an fallin' apart. So ah noticed ah few places we can all sneak into witout being found out."

"That's good to hear." Spike exclaimed before pulling the last of the knives out and giving it to Caramel. "Oh and one more thing, what are you wearing?"

Caramel placed the last of the knives into the empty slots before giving Spike a lopsided smile. "Tis iz ah throwing knife vest. Better ten havin' ta dig through ah saddle bag fer tem."

"That's really cool. Well, I'm going to go get breakfast and see if Twilight is awake already. See you later." Spike gave Caramel a little wave before heading over to their storage container which has seen better days. The wood was dented in multiple places and the lid was so badly misshapen that it wouldn't even close all the way. Letting out a sigh, Spike plopped the lid off and grabbed an apple with purple splotches. He grimaced, but ate the apple anyways. Though, with how badly bruised it was, it fell apart in his mouth almost instantly. Spike gagged a little but managed to swallow.

"Here." A cup full of water floated next to Spike, who gratefully chugged the frigid beverage. When he was done, Spike turned around and smiled at Twilight.

"Thanks." He grinned.

"No problem. Anyways, since everypony is awake, let's get going so we can save Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Spike shouted, getting the attention of his comrades.

"Seems to me that somepony is ready." Shining Armor smirked while he, Blueblood, and Caramel trotted over to Twilight and Spike.

"I've been ready from the start," Spike corrected.

"Well, since everypony seems to be ready, Caramel lead us to Sunset." Blueblood piped up.

"Got it." Caramel said before beckoning everypony to follow him.

---

The warehouse was made up of brick and steel plates that were now rusted with age. On top of the roof was a strange antenna with a lime green crystal that seemed to almost pulsate. Ponies dressed in shabby armor circled the roof and iron door like sharks. The citizens eyed them warily whenever they passed, but didn't really seem all that shocked seeing them.

A nearby garbage container slowly opened, allowing Caramel to poke his head out. He quickly scanned the surrounding area before lifting his body out of the container, Caramel's hooves landing softly on the sandy alleyway. Then, Caramel helped the others out of their hiding spot. Once they were all out, Caramel glided through the back alley until they came to the back of the warehouse.

"That antenna up there is a magic cancelling device," Blueblood began to whisper, "Caramel and Twilight, you two need to destroy that device while Spike, Shining Armor, and myself try and stall Mayor Claude and his soldiers. Once you destroy the antenna, Twilight I'm going to need you to use your magic to make sure Claude doesn't escape."

"Got it." Caramel piped up while climbing onto a fallen crate and using it to clamber up onto a small ledge. There, he stood up on his hind legs and slowly edged his way to the top.

"You can count on me," Twilight replied while flapping her wings, sending up a small cloud of sand before taking off into the sky.

Once the two were gone, Shining Armor flicked his foreleg. Then, with a quiet snap, a blade that gleamed in the sunlight appeared. Spike let out a small gasp as Shining approached the wall. Then, with some searching, inserted the blade between the brick and metal sheet. With a few tried of twiddling the blade back and forth, the metal sheet gave way, revealing a medium size hole.

"Good job." Blueblood commented before entering the hole. Shining quickly placed the hidden blade back in its holder before crawling after his captain, Spike in tow.

The crawlspace was dusty and it took all of Spike's willpower not to sneeze. Not only that, but when he first entered, Spike felt a tinging sensation in his stomach. Curious, he tried to breath fire; though not even a spark came out. His eyes began to tear up from the dust and he was about to completely loose it, but luckily the crawlspace ended and Spike found himself crouching besides Blueblood. His heart racing as he took in the interior of the building.

Towering crates, like the ones they were currently hiding behind, were scattered everywhere. Above, there were catwalks where Mayor Claude's soldiers were striding across with crossbows attached to their forelegs. In the very center of the room was a rusted staircase where Claude stood out like a light in a blackout. His colorful attire a deep contrast to the greys and rust that cloaked this warehouse. Next to him though was Sunset Shimmer whose hooves were in chains. Her mane was a mess and the vibrant reds and yellows were now dull and dusty.

"What's our plan?" Spike whispered.

"Shining Armor and I will keep everypony's attention on us, allowing you to sneak around and get to Mayor Claude." Blueblood replied.

With a quick nod of understanding, they set off to put their plan into motion.

"Hey!" Shining Armor shouted as he and Blueblood stepped out from the crates, giving Spike the chance to run behind the next set of crates.

The soldiers quickly pointed their crossbows at the two. Mayor Claude looked at Blueblood up and down, a frown formed on his lips before turning into a grin.

"No backup? Honestly, I'm a bit offended." Claude sneered.

"You are under arrest for illegal weapon smuggling and emotional abuse!" Blueblood exclaimed, causing Sunset's head to perk up and Claude to gasp.

"Weapon smuggling?" Sunset asked meekly.

"How do you know that!?" Claude questioned.

Blueblood smirked while pulling out the scroll Spike saw earlier. "Queen Rarity has documents on ponies and their background history. So, as her leading commander, I simply asked her to give me your history." He unfurled the scroll and quickly scanned it, making disapproving glances at the mayor the further he went. As everypony's attention was on him, Spike left the safety of his crate and glided over behind a pile of metal and discarded fish bones. He was only a few hooves away from Sunset. Spike wanted to just save her right then and there, but without his magic he would easily be taken down by at least one of the archers.

Come on Twilight and Caramel, hurry up! Spike screamed inwardly to himself.

---

Twilight gazed at the aftermath of their battle and felt bile from the back of her throat. Never before has she felt so unclean before. Her horn felt like it was dipped in red paint and some of her fur was starting to clot where blood touched her coat.

On the rooftop, the once sandy platform was now covered in pools of blood where the armored ponies lied. Gaping holes covered them like swiss cheese. Their eyes were glazed over and some had their tongues sticking out, making them look like they were trying to lick their fallen blood like dogs.

"Caramel, I-I don't feel well," Twilight admitted.

Caramel ripped his knife out from the chest of a solider with a sickening crack, causing bits of bone to fly out as well as making Twilight's stomach to churn.

He quickly flicked the blood off as best he could and placed it back in his vest. "Eh, ya git use ta it after ah while. Now come on, lets destroy tis orb."

Twilight hesitantly caught up with Caramel as the two trotted towards the antenna. "B-but still. What if they had families or lives outside of this mess? Maybe Claude brainwashed them just like he did to Sunset-"

Caramel raised a hoof and Twilight immediately quieted down. "Word ov advice, alicorn. When ya kill ponies, never think tey have families. Tink ov tem as monsters an only monsters. Ten, killing iz much easier."

Twilight frowned but gave no reply. Caramel is one of the queen's most trusted knights, so he had to be right in some way. Still, a haunting thought crept into her mind. Sure Luna turned everypony into statues, but she never truly killed them. Did this make Twilight evil because she killed a few soldiers? These thought kept cycling through her mind as she tried to make some sense of what was happening. She could say it was self defense, but it was them who first started the fight. Well, Caramel was the one who made the first move. However, Twilight soon found herself following suit. Did this make Caramel evil and Twilight just an unfortunate follower like in the fairy tales?

"Twilight!" Caramel shouted, allowing Twilight to come back to the present.

"Sorry," Twilight said, her cheeks growing a tint of red.

Caramel rolled his eyes before placing a hoof on the steel base of the antenna. "Come on. Let's destroy tis sucker so we can rejoin ta commander."

So, Twilight flew up to where the crystal resided and wrapped her legs around it while Caramel began pounding the base with his back hooves. Twilight stretched out her wings to their full length before moving them back and forth in rapid succession. She could feel herself being lifted up, but only ever so slightly. However, when Caramel's hoof struck the base again, Twilight could feel something inside giving way. With another powerful down stroke, Twilight could feel the wires holding the orb breaking free. With an extra pound, the crystal broke free.

"What do I do with it now?" Twilight asked while she slowly descended.

"Just throw it away. Thing iz worthless, just look at it." Caramel answered while wiping his forehead.

Twilight landed and gazed at the crystal. There were multiple long, thin scratches that ran up from the bottom and ending in the middle. The crystal was also blotchy in some places and instead of feeling smooth, the texture was more akin to sandpaper. With a sigh, Twilight rolled the crystal to the edge of the roof before giving it a final push. It plummeted to the ground and landed with a CRASH. Ponies trotted over to the noise and soon a large crowd formed. However, when they looked up to see where it came from, the rooftops were empty.

---

Spike could feel his magic coursing through his body one more. With a grin, he glided over to Sunset's side.

"Come on, the antenna's broken." He whispered.

Sunset Shimmer looked at Spike, her brows in a twist. "But why are you helping me after I tried to kill you?"

"Because, we need you to help us save the world," Spike answered.

Sunset let out a small sigh and lit up her horn, gaining the attention on Mayor Claude and everypony else.

"What!" Claude screeched before Sunset disappeared in a bluish light before reappearing next to Spike.

Mayor Claude's forehead began to sweat as he slowly backed away from Sunset and Spike. "Now come on, I-I can give you bits a-and we can all say this never happened."

"We don't need yer stinkin' bits," Caramel growled, peering down on the mayor from the catwalk. A few of the soldiers pointed their crossbows at him, which only made Caramel smirk.

Claude looked up at the ceiling to discover that the skylight was gone.

"It was really easy to levitate out." Twilight exclaimed while gliding down from the catwalk to the floor beside Spike.

"Come quietly and Queen Rarity may lessen the sentence," Blueblood commanded.

Mayor Claude quickly glanced at his soldiers who were poised for battle. With a smile, he jumped behind a crate, but not before exclaiming: "Yet you are all still outnumbered."

For a split second, all was quiet. Then, the soldiers let out a hoot before firing round after round of arrows at Spike and his friends.

Sunset quickly put up a barrier made out of vines around Spike, Twilight, and herself. Then, Spike clambered onto Twilight's head and released a jet of fire which began to eat up the catwalk. Caramel grinned as the soldiers climbed over one another to escape the flames, giving him plenty of target practice as he released a flurry of knives at them.

"Don't let him escape!" Blueblood shouted while using his sword to block the oncoming arrows.

Twilight gazed at Mayor Claude who, while trying to use the fighting to his advantage, was trying to lumber away. "Spike, I'm going to throw you at him," she informed before enveloping Spike in a violet light.

"Okay," Spike replied before feeling his body being chucked right at Mayor Claude. Quickly, Spike dug his claws into Claude's back, causing him to let out a scream while trying to buck Spike off.

"Spike, catch!" Shining Armor hollered. When Spike looked up at Shining, the stallion threw him some rope before going back to tying up some of the incapacitated soldiers.

Locking his legs together, Spike hastily made a honda knot and wrapped the opening around Claude's Neck. The mayor let out a stream of curses, some of which Spike has never heard of.

"Get off of me!" Claude screeched.

Spike ignored Claude's cries and, using the last of the rope, threaded it in between Claude's forelegs before tying them together. The mayor let out a small cry before both he and Spike plummeted into the ground.

Pain exploded from Spike's snout. Tears brimmed his eyes, but he wiped them away while shakily getting up. He looked behind him and saw Claude struggling in the rope. A large bruise was starting to blossom on his forehead.

"Spike, are you okay!?" Twilight asked while she and Sunset Galloped over to Spike's aid.

"Yeah, though I'm probably going to feel a lot worst in the morning." Spike answered while scratching his head.

"Gah! Sunset, get me out of here!" Claude piped up.

Sunset Shimmer gazed at the stallion. A small smile upon her lips. "You know Mayor Claude, I use to look up to you. You were the hero of Baltimare after all. But, you're going to go away now so you don't hurt anypony else."

"You ungrateful little bi-" Claude began, only to get an armored hoof stomped right on top of his head. Causing him to black out.

"We better put a muzzle on him before he wakes up." Shining mused before gazing at Spike and Twilight, "Good job you two. Let's grab all these ponies and then we'll go back to Canterlot." He then looked at Sunset who cowered under his gaze. "Pleasure to meet you, Harvest Alicorn."

Sunset's cheeks grew a shade of red before returning a small smile. "I can't wait to help all of you save the world."

"Well, you can help by rounding these criminals up." Blueblood piped up while cantering towards the ground. "Oh and Spike, I need you to deliver a letter to Queen Rarity saying that we have acquired the Harvest Alicorn as well as several criminals." He opened his saddlebag and handed a piece of paper and a pen over to Spike who took the items.

"On it!" Spike exclaimed with a small salute before he began to write.

---

And so, after waiting several hours for the carriages to arrive, Spike and his comrades flew back to Canterlot. Though it was quite late when they neared the castle walls, Blueblood told the group that they would call it for the night and check in with Queen Rarity in the morning.

Once they landed, Shining Armor and several of his soldiers began to escort the captured criminals to the dungeon. However, while the rest of the group headed for the barracks, Spike felt as if somepony was missing. Turning around, he saw Sunset Shimmer staring at the castle with wide eyes.

"Yeah, the castle is enormous." Spike smiled while walking over to Sunset.

"And it's a lot more beautiful. The books clearly don't give the castle's beauty justice." She replied.

"Well, if you think the outside is pretty, just wait until you see the inside." Spike remarked.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to meet the queen tomorrow!" Sunset grinned before looking at Spike, "is she nice? Are we expose to wear something formal? Oh I knew I should've packed something..."

"Queen Rarity is very kind and you don't need to wear anything fancy." Spike chuckled, causing Sunset to blush.

"Yeah. Anyways, it's getting really late. Where are the...barracks, as they call it?" She questioned with a yawn.

"Follow me!" Spike beamed before leading Sunset towards the towering barracks.

Comments

[The Villain in Glasses]

Finally got around to this...

New party member, get!

*Final Fantasy Victory Music*