• Published 23rd Sep 2016
  • 1,627 Views, 80 Comments

The D.S.P.I. - DungeonMiner



More than 200 years after the return of Princess Luna, Spike the Dragon runs the most powerful secret of Canterlot, The Department of Supernatural and Paranormal Investigation. And he will use it for one thing. Revenge.

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The Door

Silver sat down at the mess hall table, and set down his tray full of food onto the table in front of him. He was the first member of Alpha team to arrive for lunch, and this was due in no small part to his eagerness for a moment alone.

No one had seen Chestnut for a week, and the last member of the team to see him had been Amber, as Spike had him carted away. The Commander had admitted that their heavy weapons pony was still alive and breathing, but he had been sequestered away in one of the medical wing rooms under strict orders that no one but the authorized medical personnel was allowed in or out. With no witnesses to his condition, the team was to accept the Commander's word as fact, at least in theory. However, as Silver quickly learned, theory and practice are two very different things.

At some point during the last week, every member of the team had approached him for some news concerning Chestnut’s health. They had each individually spoken with him, with the sole exception of Amber. Instead, the poor mare had shut down, hardly speaking to anyone beyond one-word responses. Silk was doing her best to comfort her friend, but it was taking more patience than either she, or he himself had.

He sighed, and sat down, sinking into his bench seat like it was an overstuffed easy chair, and eagerly enjoyed the silence.

“Hey, Silver!” a voice cried.

Every time…

Trying to hold back an annoyed sigh, Silver turned toward the source, and saw Neon approaching fast. “What?” Silver asked, trying his best to keep any possible annoyance from his voice.

Neon quickly covered the distance, sitting beside the squad leader without even getting his own food. “Any word on Chestnut?”

Silver shook his head. “No, Neon, nothing yet.”

The support sighed. “Haven’t you talked with the Commander?”

“Of course I did,” Silver replied. “He just hasn't told me much.”

Neon groaned. “This is awful. I can't take the waiting.”

Silver sighed and nodded. He could understand that, he had spent most of his time in the guard waiting, always waiting for something to happen. “You learn how to deal with it, eventually.”

“I can't stand not knowing,” Neon groaned.

That was another thing Silver could relate to. He could even remember the captain's speech, the one she gave to the young guards who wanted to know for sure before they acted. Or at least, he remembered most of it.

“Look, Neon,” Silver said, racking his brain for the overhead words the captain had used, “-you can't know for sure, nopony can. Trying to always know for sure is going to freeze you up. In the meantime we need you here, to act accordingly.”

Even as he was speaking, he knew he was butchering the speech. It lacked the captain's sheer, charismatic stubbornness, that unwavering commitment to rush the enemy down and beat it until it stopped moving. That kind of bullheadedness made practically every speech she gave about the values of endurance, patience, and steadfast strength.

That and she probably had spent more time practicing.

“Just relax, Neon. We need you focused on the here and now.”

Neon groaned. “I’m going to have to ask him.”

Silver glanced at him. “You think Commander Spike would tell you sooner than tell me?” he asked.

Neon sighed. “No...I’m just...I just hate waiting.”

“Look, if you want, we can go see the Commander together.”

Neon nodded. “Alright, alright…”

“Just let me eat, real quick and we’ll go.”

===ᐁ===

With a meal in his belly, which was eaten with a nervous Neon standing and staring on, the two unicorns went off to find the Commander. The various persons that inhabited the body of Fluttershy said that she had not seen the Commander for a few days now.

Caramel said that she thought she had hear him earlier, but by the time she had spun her head in her jar to look, he was gone.

Sweetie Belle hadn’t seen him either, even after poking through a few walls to check.

Not even Velvet Storm, the most orderly pony in the entire Department, in charge of every meeting, every requisition, and every schedule, didn’t know where Spike was.

They searched the entire complex together, checking the training rooms, his office, the medical lab, engineering, everything that they had access to. Every hallway, every recreation room, everything was subject to a quick search for the dragon until finally they came to the door.

The wooden door with the candle carefully painted into it’s face.

Both unicorns stood before it, staring up at the door to the room that no one was allowed into. Silver knocked softly on the old door, and the hollow thud of his hoof on the wood echoed in the room beyond.

No answer came.

“Well…” Silver said, “I guess we need to keep looking.”

“Keep looking?” Neon repeated. “Where else could he have gone?”

“Well it’s not like we can go in there,” Spike said.

Neon grunted something that sounded very similar to “We can...we just don’t.”

Silver turned to face the support pony. “You know he killed the last pony that went in there, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what Siren said,” Neon answered, referring to the ghost by her codename.

“I’m willing to trust her on that,” Silver said, before he began to head down the hallway. “Come on, he might have gone to talk with the Princess. He may be gone for a couple of hours, but if we leave a note on his desk—”

The sound of a wooden door swinging open interrupted him, and Silver spun just in time to see Neon disappearing through the door. “Neon!” Silver yelped, before he chased after the support pony into the dark room.

“Neon! Neon, are you crazy!” he whispered frantically as he stepped inside the room.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust, but Silver was not quite prepared for what he saw. The room was large, but covered in clutter to the point where it was almost claustrophobic. He could hardly see the walls for all the stuff that filled the room, and Silver wasn't sure that any actual light in the room would help him with that. A desk dominated the space in front of the room, and Neon was staring at the various knick-knacks that at strewn about it.

“We’ll be fine,” Neon insisted. “The Commander doesn't waste lives, remember? Besides, I’m curious, I want to know what he keeps in here.”

“You are out of your mind!” Silver whispered. “We need to get out...of…”

Is that an old Wonderbolt outfit?

It certainly looked like one, sitting there in a glass case and clinging to the body of an old ponyquin. The old spandex almost looked new, and the only thing that betrayed its age was the design, which Silver knew was discontinued nearly a hundred and forty years ago. Beside the suit were a number of awards, including an old set of Golden laurels that read “Best Young Flyer” along the stems.

Silver looked away, trying to refocus, only for his eyes to fall on something else that caught his attention.

A bonsai tree grew from a tiny pot, and small fruit that looked like apples hung from its branches. Beside the tree, in a large, glass case, was a cowpony hat, sitting lonely, but protected in its home. A pair of work boots, too small for anyone but a foal were set beside the table that held the small collection, so shiny that they might have been worn once.

Everywhere he turned, Silver saw more, almost themed sections in the eclectic collection of clothing, pie tins, pinecones, and more, spread throughout the room with reverence.

“Neon, we really need to get out of here. He’ll know if we’ve touched something, I can feel it,” the assault whispered.

“Woah! Memory gems!” Neon said, holding open a small chest of sparkling gems that played life scenes across their facets.

“What did I just say?” Silver hissed, before he brought a hoof down on the lid of the chest.

“Hey! Careful! My hooves were in there.”

“We need to—” he repeated, before something caught his eye.

Hidden from the door by a divider of stuff, Silver found himself staring at what looked like the edge of another gem, that shone with a soft magenta light. He leaned over, followed by Neon, getting a better view of the gem and its sheer size.

It was longer than a pony, and came up to their barrels if it were to sit on the floor. Instead it was on a short table, lined with a deep, purple velvet that cushioned the gem with a delicate touch.

Yet more than the gem’s colossal dimensions, and its eerie, mystical glow, there was something else that held their curiosity. Something that neither of them could truly see, but that the facets of the gem hinted at.

Silver desperately wanted to leave. He wanted to get out of the room so fast it left a trail in the dust. Yet, as he found himself staring at the gem he could not help but feel captivated. The depths of the gem were distorted by a hundred thousand facets along its sides.

There was something in there. They could tell.

“Okay, we check out the gem and then we leave,” Silver said.

Neon gave him a look, and a small, victorious smile.

They approached the massive stone, getting closer with each careful step until they finally stood next to the massive stone.

The top of the gem was a single facet, a perfect window to the inside, and what they saw took their breath away.

A mare lay still in the crystal. Her forelegs were folded across her barrel, and her face was calm and serene. Her coat was a pristine white, and, if Silver looked hard enough through the side of the gem, he could see the trio of bright blue diamonds on her flank. Her mane was a perfect, royal purple, and styled in royal style that spoke of elegance.

There was but a single flaw upon her features, a dark, red band across her neck, but beyond that, she was the picture of grace and beauty.

She was beautiful.

Her eyes were closed, as if in sleep, but her chest was still. She made no move, and Silver quickly began to wonder if she was actually dead, simply preserved in this strange, glowing, magenta crystal.

Neither of two ponies spoke, simply staring at the mare in the crystal. They had no words for her, for the nameless mare that was forever caught in this gem.

“What are you doing in here?”

The voice froze both ponies where they stood. Neither spoke, neither moved.

They both knew who spoke.

“What are you doing here!” the voice roared, furious.

And they felt that wrath.

===ᐁ===

Alpha team was enjoying lunch, or trying their best to, anyway. Their recent loss left a dour atmosphere over the entire team, and they ate their meals in relative silence.

Amber and Silk sat together, trying to eat while both of them worried. No one had seen Chestnut, in a week. Silver, or Neon hadn’t been seen for almost an hour either. It was starting to worry the sniper.

Then the entire mess hall exploded into chaos.

Silver and Neon were set skidding across the mess hall floor. A table was pushed aside as they landed hard on the concrete floor. Both were suffering from a dozen different cuts along their bodies, and Silver’s subdermal armor was exposed.

And bearing down on them came Commander Spike. He took slow, methodical steps, and his eye were afire. “What were you doing in there!”

Manticore looked up, and began to move, running up to get between the unicorns and the furious dragon.

Spike shoved her aside, his eyes never leaving the two ponies that were barely holding on to consciousness. “You could have broken something!” He yelled, stepping closer. “I can't replace them!”

Silver pushed himself up. “Commander! Commander, I’m sorry, we didn't—”

“You could have ruined something! You could have destroyed the only thing I have left of them! You’re not supposed to go in there!”

Manticore grabbed the dragon, trying to hold him back as he continued to stomp forward.

She barely slowed him down.

“We didn't mean to, we didn't touch anything!” Silver yelled.

“That's all I have left!” Spike roared.

“Spike!” A new voice called, and Sweetie Belle shot through the floor, standing between them. “Spike stop it!” Her voice was a sorrowful wail, and the sheer force of it kept Spike at bay for a moment.

“It's all I have!” Spike said, ignoring them all.

Sweetie closed the distance, arms wide open before she embraced him. “It’s not all you have, Spike. I’m here…”

Whether it was the freezing chill of Siren’s touch, or the words themselves, Spike stopped. He seethed quietly, furious but the flames in his eyes had dimmed.

Finally, he pulled away from the ghost and pointed a claw at the two ponies. “Get them medical attention,” he growled, before stomping away.

Everyone else in the room breathed a sigh of relief, before Sweetie Belle turned to the barely conscious Silver. “You are an idiot.”

===ᐁ===

All things considered, Commander Spike could have done much worse. While Silver's subdermal armor had protected him, Neon had no such protection. Even so, while the cuts were deep, they missed all vital points. After a few spray bandages were applied, and a few growth stimulants to speed up the healing process, they were ready to leave.

The head of the medical team led them out, letting them both know that he would get the a few days leave from active duty. They both quickly thanked him, before they turned and stood face to face with Manticore.

Or one of her softer personalities, at least. “Are you two alright?” She asked.

“We'll be fine, Ma’am,” Silver answered.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes Ma’am,” Neon answered.

“Okay,” she finally said, before she looked down the hall towards The Door. “S-Spike wants to see you in his room,” she said, pointing down the hallway.

Neon glanced toward The Door. “He...he does?”

Manticore nodded. “He needs to talk to you,” she said.

Silver slowly nodded, and began to move.

“Is he still mad at us?” Neon asked.

“Very,” she replied, “but as far as he’s concerned, you’ve been punished enough today.”

“Neon,” Silver called. “Let's not keep the Commander waiting.”

Neon frowned, before he quickly caught up with the unicorn that now seemed bent on suicide.

“Are you crazy?” Neon whispered as he stood next to Silver, who continued confidentially to The Door. “He’s going to kill us.”

“If he was going to kill us, he would have,” Silver said. “ This...this is something else.”

“I wish I had your confidence,” Neon said with a sigh.

They finally came to the door, and Silver gave it a firm knock. “Commander? We’re here.”

There was silence for a long second, before an answer came back. “Come in.”

Both ponies entered the room, and were marginally surprised to see it as dark as before. The desk that sat in the middle of the room was empty, but after a few seconds of searching they found him, sitting next to the giant gem, with a claw gently stroking the side. He didn't look up as they approached, didn't even acknowledge that they were there. All he did was speak.

“You came here, but you had no idea what you were doing,” he said, sorrow tinting his voice. “You had no idea what this room means to me, and the damage you could have done. So now, you’re going to learn why this room is so important, and what it means to me,” he said with a sigh.

There was a long silence.

“This room is why the Department exists,” Spike said at length. “I started it because of my friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They were off fighting monsters, saving the world, and I was young and wanted to do my part.

“It started well, I put down a few zombies, caught a lycan. I was doing well, Twilight was proud of me, Rainbow Dash was impressed. Everything was nice, you know, despite the whole ‘dealing with monsters’ thing, but the best thing was that it impressed Rarity.”

Spike dragged his claws against the top of the gem. “Looking back, it was the confidence boost. I wasn’t ‘little baby Spike’ anymore, I was a dragon coming into his own. I was starting to act like an adult, and so everyone started treating me like one. It was great, for a bit, but then everything went wrong, and it was that same confidence of mine that let it happen.

“In short, I met a vampire. A very powerful one. His name is Valentine Ebonbite, and I was not ready for him. Of course, I was young, stupid, and riding a high of confidence, so I took him on.”

Spike sighed, before he finally drew his eyes away from the gem to look at them. “He...I don’t know, was amused at first? He toyed with me, led me on a merry chase, we danced the dance, fought some fights, he even let me win a few on occasion.” Another sigh escaped his lips. “I fell for it. I fell for it hard.

“Then one day, I either got too close, or he grew bored of the charade, and he simply approached me one day and told me to stop. I, of course, thought this was some kind of last ditch effort to get me off his back, so I didn't let up. I messed up one of his operations, and I have been the center of attention ever since”

There was a long second of silence.

“Do you know what vampires do? Do what they will always do no matter what?”

“Suck blood?” Neon asked.

“Obsess,” Spike said. “Vampires always obsess. From that moment onward, I had Valentine’s undivided attention, and he made me pay for every second of it.”

Another second passed in silence, and Spike’s eyes drifted back to the gem, and the mare inside.

Finally, Silver spoke up. “What happened?”

Spike didn't answer at first, staring into the magenta depths of the massive jewel. “He attacked my friends,” he finally said. “Never lifted a hoof against me, just destroyed my friends lives.” He turned from the gem and pointed to the Stetson in the glass box. “He started with Applejack.

“Applejack was the bearer of the Element of Honesty, and she lived and breathed by an honest day’s work. Her goal in life was to make Sweet Apple Acres the best Apple farm in all of Equestria, and she did an amazing job at it, too. By the time I started going out to deal with the things that go bump in the night, Sweet Apple Acres was on the verge of becoming the apple supplier to hundreds of bakeries across the country. With hundreds of them being harvested by her own hooves,” Spike said, almost smiling as he remembered.

And then it disappeared into a frown. “So he broke her back and paralyzed her from the waist down. It was a miracle that she could still use her forelegs, really. That didn't matter, though. You know how difficult it is for a mare who has done everything herself, to deal with living in a wheelchair? She hated it, hated it with every ounce of her being. This mare, she didn’t like asking for help before she couldn’t walk. Now that she was in a chair, she had to prove she was capable. She wasn’t of course, but she’d never admit that.”

Spike sighed again. “It took the concentrated effort of her brother and sister to keep the farm afloat, and...well, I don’t know what really became of her other than the fact that she died of old age.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Neon asked.

Spike sighed and shook his head. “The last time I saw her alive...she...she said somethings. She blamed me, and, to be fair, I blamed me, and I didn’t have the courage to see her ever again.”

Neon blinked, feeling uncomfortable.

“Then came Rainbow Dash,” she said, pointing to the wonderbolts outfit. “She worked her entire life to be Wonderbolt. Flying was life for her, she flew everywhere she went, inside or out, and called herself the ‘fastest flyer in Equestria,’ and had the skill to back it up. It took her years, training, and winning dozens of competitions before she finally made it in, she followed her dream.

“That lasted about a year and a half before Valentine ripped her wings off.

“She was devastated,” Spike continued. “She fell into a depression, and tried to commit suicide by jumping off of Canterlot tower at least twice. Fluttershy did her best to help her out, but she was never the same after that.”

Spike gave a slight chuckle. “Now, you know what happened to Fluttershy. By Celestia, I’m still not sure you guys have ever met the real Fluttershy.

“Valentine tried to turn her into his thrall, but, because of this little misadventure we had years ago, she became this strange vampire fruit bat/vampire cross. She went completely feral from the shock, though, and the only reason she doesn’t growl at every passing pony is because Discord split the trauma between the four or five personalities she now has.”

Then Spike went quiet again. “Then came Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was the cheeriest pony you ever met. She smiled all the way through the return of Nightmare Moon, to hear Twi tell it. She loved to meet new ponies, make new friends, and make them smile.”

“How did she go?”

“Old age. In the far end of nowhere, as a hermit by my order,” Spike sighed. “I tried to protect her. Tried to keep her in protective custody. So I threw her somewhere where nopony would find her, nopony would write, and she’d be alone until her dying day, all because of me.”

He stared into the gem, and rubbed a single facet of the massive crystal. “Then came Rarity. She was the worst one. After Pinkie and Fluttershy, I did my best to keep Rarity under guard. I kept the guard with her at all times, she barely have a moment of privacy, but she was protected.

“She didn’t appreciate it. Of course she didn’t, I knew she wouldn’t but it was all I could do. She became furious with me, kicked the guards out, and refused to see me. Probably as some kind of punishment, and that’s when he ripped her neck open.”

“It wasn’t too deep, but she’d bleed out in a few hours, and he must have put something in her, because she was in pain. A lot of pain. Far too much pain, and I did the only thing I could. I brought her to Twilight, and Twilight froze her in crystal.”

He dropped his face against the jewel, and shook his head. “She’s been with me ever since, all two hundred years. I don’t even know if she’s alive in there. She could be conscious, in pain, asleep, I don’t know.”

Spike turned, and stared at both ponies for a very long time. “Valentine has taken and pushed away almost everyone I know. This is what I have left. This is all I have left. This is a reminder to me of why the Department needs to stand. This is why we exist.”