Oh Spike We Hardly Knew Thee

by 5u0myn0n4

Chapter 18: The Chase

Originally published on August 10th, 2018

---

In the last chapter Twilight Sparkle finally caught up to Henry, the horse who had kidnapped Spike. Unfortunately, Henry wasn't ready to give up Spike so easily.

---

"So, Henry I presume." Twilight said.

"Yes, that is me." Henry said. "It's about time you caught up Princess. I'm almost surprised it took you this long. Almost." Henry said.

"You've got a lot of nerve stealing Spike from me. You didn't even have the guts to do it in front of me, you did it behind my back."

"Twilight! You're here!" Spike clamored.

"Of course I am Spike. I'm here to rescue you. You didn't think I wouldn't show up did you?" Twilight said.
"You came all this way... just to save me!" Spike said emotionally.

"Of course. I've been so worried ever since you went missing." she replied. "I'd travel to the end of Equestria to save you, and well, heh, I guess I did just that."

"Oh Twilight, I'm so glad you're here-" Spike was interrupted by Henry.

"So, Princess. Where are your friends?" Henry asked, referring of course to the mane 5.

"They're... not here." Twilight answered.
"And why not?" he asked.

"Because..." Twilight's voice trailed off.

Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Because I don't need them to stop you!" Twilight said.

"You came all this way for the little dragon, but in doing so, you've neglected your friends in the process." Henry said.

Twilight was reminded of her other friends. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight Glimmer. She felt terrible about the way she'd treated them over the past few weeks. She was so eaten up by the loss of Spike, that she turned against them bitterly. After her brush with near death in the snow, she wanted to apologize to them so dearly. So much so, it was the first thing on her agenda after rescuing Spike.

"It's a that shame you came all this way for nothing. Spike isn't going anywhere. He's staying with me." Henry said.

"Twilight, I'm scared." Spike said.
"Hang on Spike, I'll get you out of this." Twilight assured.

"Look, I don't want any trouble." she said. "Just hand him over and we can make this easy."
"Why should I? Your threats are as hollow as your promises." Henry said. "Spike's mine, and he's coming with me."

"Don't make me have to use force." Twilight threatened. Her horn started to glow.

"Daww, the little pony princess wouldn't use violence to solve her issues would she?" Henry teased.
"I will if I have to. Spike's coming with me, by any means necessary." Twilight assured.

"Are you sure about that?" Henry asked.

Twilight's composure was slipping. The guilt of her friends was eating her up, and she was nervous in the face of this new adversary. Henry was so calm it was almost disturbing. It was almost as if this was all part of his plan. Could Twilight be walking right into some trap? Spike could see how nervous Henry made Twilight, and he wasn't going to let him get to her.

"You better watch yourself Henry! Twilight is no ordinary pony! She's one of the four princesses of Equestria! She is the Princess of Friendship, and represents the Element of Magic! She plays an important role in Equestria, and has saved the land time and time again! Whether she's standing alone, or besides her friends, you're no match for her determination and power! So you better think twice before you mess with her!" Spike said. "You can make all the threats you want, but Twilight's duty to unite ponies and stop evildoers like you! If you think you can rattle her with your words then you have another thing coming!"

"Thanks Spike. I needed to hear that." Twilight said. His words gave her a much needed confidence boost.

"Spike's right! I'm not afraid of you! Spike rightfully belongs to me and I'm not leaving without him!" Twilight said.
"Rightfully belongs to you? That's funny." Henry said.

"You two put so much unjust trust in each other." Henry said. "Poor naive Spike. He puts too much blind faith in the four princesses of Equestria, totally unaware of their dishonesty."
The two gave Henry a stare.

"And you Twilight, you should think twice about letting your guard down around a dragon. If not, you might get... BURNT!"

"AAH!"
"GAAH!" Twilight flinched.

Henry squeezed Spike to force out a breath of fire, but nothing came out, as the rope was tied too tight around Spike's neck.

"HA! You flinched! You were scared he was going to burn you wasn't he?" Henry said. "Dragons are vicious creatures, so it's best to keep them in check."

"Look, I don't know who you are, or what your agenda is, but I am not going to let you demonize dragons. Not now, they're so close to an alliance with the ponies, and I'm not going to let you undo all of that." Twilight said. "Just give me Spike and turn yourself in, and I won't have to teach you a lesson."

"Hmm, I tell you what, since you're so sure that Spike belongs to you, I'll make this easy after easy after all." Henry said.

"How so?" Twilight asked.
"You can have Spike... if you can answer this simple question." he replied.

"Pfft. Answer a question about Spike? Easy! I know everything there is to know about Spike. I know his favorite gem cake recipe, the book I got him for his first birthday, as well as the book I got for his second birthday, and the birthday after that, and-" Twilight said.

"Where did Spike come from?" Henry asked.
*gulp* "Except for that one." Twilight said shocked.

Twilight was ready to answer any question... except that one!

*gasp* Spike gasped. The dreaded question that haunted his life. The answer to this mystery stood between him and Twilight.

"Um... hmm." Twilight thought.
"You don't know?! Seriously?! I'm not surprised, I'm just amused." Henry said.

"Hey! That's not fair! You picked a difficult question on purpose!" Spike argued.
"No no, let me think..." Twilight said.

Twilight thought, but she could not come up with anything.

"Well?" Henry asked, growing impatient.

"Um... He came from the dragon... region... you know the one... where dragons roam... " Twilight answered.
"But how did a dragon egg end up at Canterlot of all places?" Henry asked.

"I don't know!" Twilight snapped. "But it's not like I haven't tried to find out! I must've asked Princess Celestia at least twenty times where Spike came from, but every time, she either doesn't give me a straight answer, or drops the subject!" she ranted.

"Typical. If there's anything Celestia's good at, it's secrets." Henry said.
"And whenever I try to research anything on dragons, there's almost no records!" Twilight said.

"Well if you don't know the answer, then I guess no Spike for you." Henry teased. "Pity, it's as if you don't even know Spike at all."

"What do you know about Spike?" Twilight was growing mad. "Wait, how did you even know that Spike was hatched in Canterlot?" Twilight asked.

"I know more about Spike than you apparently." Henry replied.

"Spike is my dragon!" Twilight tugged on Spike. "Give him back!"

"YOUR DRAGON?! HA!" Henry tugged the other way.

"What's so funny Henry?" Twilight asked.

"Finders keepers Princess. I found Spike, so therefore he belongs to me." Henry said.
"I think you meant that you stole Spike, from me." Twilight corrected.

"Found, stole. What is possession in the first place?" Henry pondered.

"Whatever you call it, could you two not pull so hard?" Spike cringed in pain as they each pulled on him.

"Give up now Princess!" Henry exclaimed.

"Twilight? Please help me." Spike was getting nervous.
"I will use force!" Twilight threatened. Her horn and her cutie mark lit up.

"But if you took Spike by force, how does that make you any better than me?" Henry teased.

This made Twilight very angry.

"I'm nothing like you!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I think you and I have more in common than you want to admit." Henry said.

---

Tension in the atmosphere built. Until that tension snapped.

"If you want Spike so bad, then take him!" Henry said.

In a flash, Twilight fired a powerful beam of magic at Henry! But he blocked it with an equally powerful magic shield. The magic collided in an intense concentration of energy. Twilight's blast was powerful, but Henry's shield withstood it. The magic connected and made for a stunning light show.

The magic spells wore off, and Twilight flew forward, but Henry used his magic to grab Twilight and throw her onto the ground.

"GAHH!" Twilight cried. *plunk* she landed in the snow.
"TWILIGHT!" Spike cried. Watching Twilight get thrown like a rag doll was almost too hard to watch.

Twilight jumped out of the snow, charged her horn, and lunged towards Henry. But in an instant, he and Spike disappeared into the ground!

Like that, Henry and Spike were gone again!

"SPIKE! WHERE ARE YOU!" Twilight cried. Searched the ground, but it was solid.

"I'M DOWN HERE!" said a muffled Spike's voice.
"WHERE IS HERE!?" Twilight exclaimed.

---

*alarms sound*

The ground started to shake violently. Something heavy was rumbling underneath. A big hole opened up from beneath the snow.

"What the..." Twilight thought.

She heard the sound of... engines revving up? And then, fast like a speeding bullet, something drove out from beneath the snow.

*VROOM*
*TIRE SCREECH*

Twilight stopped in disbelief. It was some kind of metal horseless... carriage! It was Henry's car! The same vehicle Henry had used to kidnap Spike! Now he was using it to make his getaway with Spike.

The vehicle drove circles around Twilight, kicking up snow. That and the blur made it difficult to get a clear look at the vehicle. Twilight circled around in disbelief. The car stopped and stared Twilight dead on. The headlights shined bright as day, into Twilight's retinas.

"AAHHH! I CAN'T SEE!" she cried.

In this moment, Twilight's life flashed before her eyes.

Henry hit the accelerator. All Spike could do was scream from inside the car.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY TWILIGHT!" Spike cried.

The car accelerated towards Twilight!

"AAAHH!" she screamed.

The car crossed Twilight's path. So much snow had been kicked up, that it was difficult to see what had happened. Spike's only view outside of the vehicle were two windows on either side of the cabin.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike cried.

Spike witnessed Twilight's dislodged coat fly past his view.

"NO!" Spike screamed.

"Looks like that princess really doesn't know how to put up a fight after all." Henry said.

The car drove away.

Was Twilight...? No of course not. Her head popped out of the snow. She managed to dodge the car just in time.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Twilight yelled.

She spread her wings and took flight, chasing after Henry's vehicle.

---

And now begins the long awaited car chase. I know I've been looking forward to this since almost the start. This has been hinted for a long time.

---

Twilight flew after Henry's car. In the air, she got a better look at what she was up against.

Henry was driving a four-wheel vehicle, engine at the front. Henry sat in the front compartment with the steering wheel. Spike was tied up in a compartment in the back.

Henry drove fast, but Twilight flew faster. But it would take much more than speed to overcome this challenge.

"You're not getting away from me!" Twilight said. "Not with Spike you ain't!"

She fired a blast of magic Henry's way, but he swerved out of the way and dodged the blast. When that didn't work, she fired a barrage of magic blasts at Henry's way, but his driving skills were superb, he dodged every blast.

*PEW PEW PEW* "SWERVE* *SCREECH*

"So, you wanna play with magic? I'll give you magic!" Henry exclaimed.

Henry pressed a button in the cockpit, activating the car's secret weapon. A weapon that Henry hoped was powerful enough to defeat the Princess of Friendship herself. On the top of the car, extended a large antenna. It looked troubling, but Twilight scratched her head as to what it did.

"Now then, try this one for size!" Henry exclaimed.

Inside the car, Henry attached a probe to his horn, which tapped into his magic directly. The probe sucked as Henry used his magic.

"Ew... that's kind of gross." Spike said.

He aimed the antenna carefully, and then...

*PEW*

"WOAH!" a fast blast of magic nearly hit Twilight dead on, she barely dodged it.

The probe connected Henry's magic directly to the vehicle, so when he fired a blast of magic, it came out of antenna, with great force. Almost as powerful as Twilight's shots.

Henry fired a barrage of magic blasts at Twilight.

*PEW* *PEW* *PEW*

* BRZZZTTT *

Twilight maneuvered around the blasts, while charging up her own magic. She fired a magic blast back at the car.

*BAM* *POW*

The two exchanged beams of magic back and forth, while the car raced forward at high speeds through the snow. The car's special tires were well equipped for snow traversing.

"I'm putting an end to this right now!" Twilight exclaimed.

She took careful aim, and fired an especially powerful beam at the front of the car. But the shot was redirected and absorbed by the antenna! The antenna on top of the car sucked and pulled on Twilight's magic, like some kind of magic lightning rod. It put a near death grip on Twilight's magic.

"AAAHH! LET GO LET GO LET GO!" Twilight cried.

The antenna sapped Twilight's magic strait from her horn, and pulled it into a storage tank in Henry's car.

"TWILIGHT! BE CAREFUL!" Spike pleaded.

"Heh heh. This device sends magic both ways." Henry said.

The magic was deposited into a containment chamber in the middle of the car.

"First Spike and now my magic?! Is there anything you won't steal?!" Twilight cried.
"Want your magic back? Alright then, HERE YOU GO!" Henry pulled a lever. The antenna fired Twilight's magic back at her!

"AAHHH!" she cried.

*BOOM*

The blast hit her square in the face. The blast blew up a puff of smoke, obscuring the view. Twilight fell from the dust cloud and landed in the snow.

Spike watched in horror as Twilight fell from the sky.

"TWILIGHT! NOOO!" Spike cried.

Twilight's body impacted the snow below as Henry drove away. She tried to maintain consciousness, but was losing it.
"No! Come back!" she pleaded. "...please!"

---

Twilight watched helplessly as the vehicle escaped.

Henry continued to drive, when all of the sudden.

*KA BOOM*
*SQUEAK*

The car hit something that released a blast wave. It hit a landmine? The car hit a colorful landmine, filled with confetti and streamers? That's what it looked like alright.

The blast knocked Henry's car against a stone wall.

"WHAT THE?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

He put his hoof against the accelerator, when, in an instant, a flash of light circled around his vehicle, and tired a rope around the car and a boulder.

Henry pressed the accelerator, but the car was stuck! It was tied to a boulder.

"I can't move!" Henry cried. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?"

*PLOMP*

"NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Henry said.

Something landed on the hood of Henry's car. It was none other than...

"RAINBOW DASH!" Spike exclaimed.

"So you're the jerk who took Spike!" Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow Dash wasn't alone either.

"We don't take kindly to your behavior sir." Rarity said as she hopped into view.
"I see you ran into my hidden party cannon! Well that's just the beginning of what we're going to do to you!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"RARITY! PINKIE PIE! You're here too!" Spike said joyfully.

"You make me so angry! Stealing a baby dragon!? How could you!?" Fluttershy also appeared.

"We're gonna have a field day mowing you down." Applejack said.
"There's no way we're going to let you get away with this!" Starlight said.

"FLUTTERSHY! APPLEJACK! STARLIGHT! I can't believe it! You're all here!" Spike rejoiced.

"Girls! You all made it!" Twilight flew besides her friends.
"Sorry we came Twilight, we know you wanted to handle this alone." Applejack said.

"Are you kidding? I've never been happier to see you!" Twilight said.
"Girls! You all came, for me!" Spike said.

"Of course we did silly. We love you." Pinkie said.
"You're the most awesome dragon we know of!" Rainbow Dash said.

"We can't imagine our lives without you." Rarity said.
"You're just as important to our group as any one of us." Starlight said.
Their words warmed Spike's heart.

"Also, side note: I called it! Big metal horseless carriage!" Pinkie giggled.
"I gotta admit, your prediction was dead on." Rainbow Dash said.

"No, no, NO! This is not how it was supposed to play out!" Henry ranted. "I was supposed to steal the dragon, and defeat the lonely princess! You other ponies weren't supposed to show up!"

"You underestimate our bond Henry!" Twilight said. "Alone, you and I may be evenly matched, but your machines give you an unfair edge. With my friends by my side, there isn't anything we can't do! Now come on girls, let's save Spike together!" Twilight said.

"So now that you've reunited with your dumb friends, what are you going to do? Blast me with your rainbows and friendship and stuff?" Henry said mockingly.

"Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea." Twilight said.

The mane 6 started to glow. They all joined forces, and started to activate their Rainbow Powers.

"NO! I was being rhetorical!" he cried. Henry got very nervous at this sight.

"Oh hey. Rainbow Powers. You go ahead and... do that." Starlight said, watching them unify without her.

Spike was enamored by the rainbow colors and the glowing.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy all joined forces, and united, activated their Rainbow Powers!

"There's got to be something in this car that can stop them!" Henry said frantically.

Their manes transformed, and they were fully girls were charged up... but right before they could make a move, things went south very fast.

*FLASH*

"HEY! WHAT THE!?" Twilight cried.

* BBBZZZZ *

"AAAH!" screamed Rarity.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" exclaimed Fluttershy.
"I CAN'T MOVE!" cried Rainbow Dash.

"HE'S SUCKING OUT OUR MAGIC!" cried Twilight Sparkle.

Their Rainbow magic was being sucked out by the antenna and into Henry's vehicle.

"I've never held this much magic at once." Henry said nervously. "This had better work!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" the mane 6 all screamed simultaneously.

Their rainbow magic drained from the mane 6 and filled the container inside the car. Starlight and Spike watched in horror.

"SAY GOODBYE PRINCESS!" Henry aimed his laser at the girls, and fired!

"NO!" Starlight cried.

*BOOM*
*INTERCEPTION*

"WHAT THE?!" Henry exclaimed.

"OH MY LORD! STARLIGHT!" Twilight yelled.

Starlight leaped directly in front of Henry's blast, and absorbed the entire thing!

"WHAT THE?!" Henry was starstruck by Starlight.

With their magic drained, the mane 6 fell to the ground. *plump* Rainbow Powers were gone, they were back to normal. Starlight on the other hand was super duper charged! She held onto all six of their collective energies. She held so much energy, she could hardly control it.

"Starlight Glimmer!" Twilight cried.

Starlight fired the powerful blast away from anyone. Everypony watched in awe as the blast flew away... or did it?

"Uh... why is the magic heading back this way?!" Applejack asked.

The magic was absorbed back into Henry's vehicle.

"Don't want the magic Starlight? Don't mind if I do." Henry said.

Henry floored his vehicle, breaking the rope, and he drove away from the scene.

"HEEELP!" Spike cried.

---

"What the heck just happened?!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"We got totally got pummeled!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Did he just... defeat the elements of harmony?" Rarity asked.

"No! He just sapped our magic using his cheap machinery." Twilight said.
"Now come on... huh?" Twilight tried using her magic, but nothing came out! "My magic's gone."

"Mine's gone too!" Rarity replied.
"I still have some magic though." Starlight added.

"But where did your magic go?" Fluttershy asked.
"Um, hello? Magic went sucky suck into magic lightning rod of doom." Pinkie said.

"Or in layman's terms, Henry's got our magic." Twilight said stern.
"Flutters and I still have our flight though." Rainbow said. "So, I guess we're mostly fine?"

"But how are we gonna defeat him without magic?" Rarity asked.
"We better think of something fast!" Applejack said. "He's heading into the northern mountain range!"

The ponies watched as Henry's car drove towards the mountainous area.

"Then that's where we're heading!" Twilight said.
"What an odd choice. The rugged terrain has got to slow him down." Fluttershy said.

"Then it's our chance to catch up, let's go!" Twilight said.
"Right, there's no time to lose!" Starlight said. "Girls, let's go!

Starlight used her magic revealing the hot air balloon, which she made invisible earlier.

"You brought the hot air balloon?" Twilight asked.

"How else are we going to lug around so much dead weight?"
"Wow, that's not a nice thing to say about Applejack." Pinkie Pie said.

"It's so we all travel together. But the balloon may not cut it for this job." Starlight said.
"Good point." Twilight said. "You all follow in the balloon for support."

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer hopped into the air balloon.

"Rainbow Dash and I will fly ahead to try to slow him down." Twilight said.

"Ahem, I think you mean Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and you." Fluttershy said.
"Atta girl. I like your spunky spirit." Rainbow Dash said.

"Okay, so the three of us will fly ahead, while the rest be our support." Twilight said. "Once we stop the vehicle and get our magic back, you get the jump on him. He won't know what hit him."

"Affirmative." Starlight said.

---

With that, the two pegasi and alicorn princess flew after Henry in his car, in order to rescue Spike trapped inside. Rainbow Dash flew above Henry, and then dove down at great speed. Rainbow was planning on hitting Henry with a Sonic Rainboom! She accelerated faster and faster, but she couldn't get fast enough.

"Why aren't I going faster?" Rainbow wondered.
"Look out!" cried Fluttershy.

*PEW*
Fluttershy nearly pushed Rainbow out of the way of Henry's blast.

"Guess the magic drain does affect us pegasi too." Rainbow Dash said. "I couldn't get enough speed to generate a Sonic Rainboom."
"Well then, think of another plan!" Twilight said.

The three flying horses flew after Henry. Dash kicked a patch of snow, to try to snow in Henry's car, but the avalanche missed and he drove past it. Fluttershy waited up ahead on a cliff face. She pushed over and dropped a boulder over the edge. Unfortunately, Henry drove so fast, he was already past the impact zone before the boulder contacted the ground. Twilight flew in closer to the vehicle, but she got too close.

*PEW*

"I wouldn't get too close if I were you!" He fired their Rainbow magic at Twilight. Using their own magic against them.

Twilight backed away to regroup with Dash and Fluttershy. The three regrouped with the rest of the friends in the hot air balloon.

"This would be much easier if we all had our magic!" Starlight said.

"Well we can't! Okay!? Because whoever this pony is, he is managed to invent a magic lightning rod that is both powerful enough to work on us! And compact enough to fit onto a motorized automobile!" Twilight said.

"Calm down Twilight. Let's just think of a new plan." Rarity said.
"And do it fast. That Henry's not waiting for any pony." Rainbow Dash said.

"We're going to need a better plan if we're going to penetrate his defenses." Applejack said.
"I got it. We need to come up with a new plan. We gotta take out that antenna if we're going to have a chance." Twilight said.

"I have an idea. How about we drop a bunch of pies on the car so he can't see?!" Pinkie suggested.
"Uh, how about a real plan?" Rainbow Dash nagged.

"Hmm, I still got plenty of rope. It may not have been enough to hold down the entire car, but maybe it's strong enough to tie around that antenna and pull it right out." Applejack proposed.

"Again, how about a real... actually that could work." Rainbow Dash admitted.
"I have an idea!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's going to be dangerous, but we don't have many other options."

"Well whatever it is, I'm down." Starlight said.
"Me too." Rainbow Dash added.

"And me." Pinkie Pie assured.
"What's the plan Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight whispered her plan.

---

Meanwhile, Henry continued to drive through the mountains.

"No sign of those ponies anywhere." Henry said. "Looks like they don't care after all, and have given up on you."

"No way! I'm sure they're just... regrouping." Spike said. "And you know, you're a pretty terrible driver."
"Just be grateful you're fastened tightly. Otherwise you'd be flying all over the cabin." Henry said.

"I'd rather be flying out of this dumpster on wheels." Spike sassed.

The coast seemed clear for now, but that intuition was incorrect, as Henry was in for a surprise.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash waited some ways up the road.

"Ready..." Twilight waited for the vehicle to be in just the right spot.

"Now!" she commanded.

On her command, Pinkie initiated phase one of the plan.

"Look out below! Or don't!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

She dropped a load of pies from the balloon down below.

The pies landed on the windshield of Henry's car.
*SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT*
"GAH! WHAT THE?! I CAN'T SEE!" Henry cried.

The car swerved around blindly.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy waited just up ahead for phase two. Twilight and Fluttershy waited on one side of a gorge, while Rainbow hid across from them.

"Ready girls!?" Twilight asked.

"Um... are you sure about this..." Rainbow Dash took a metaphorical step back and realized just how ridiculously dangerous this plan was.
"I know I'm the irrationally fearful one, but this plan seems really scary."

Henry's car had just about reached them.

"NOW!" On Twilight's command, they lifted up a rope to catch the antenna.

"AAHH!" they all yelled.

The rope attached to the rod, but it did not give immediately, and it pulled them along for the ride.

The three pegasi held on for dear life.

"HANG ON GIRLS!" Twilight cried.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike cried.

Henry used his windshield wipers to wipe away the pies. He could now see out the window.

"THERE YOU ARE!" Henry exclaimed. "So this is your plan! A rope?! Seriously!?" he laughed.

"TWILIGHT! RAINBOW! FLUTTERSHY! CAREFUL!" Spike exclaimed.

Henry aimed his blaster at Twilight.

"I can't hold on! I'm sorry!" Fluttershy let go and tumbled onto the ground below.

"FLUTTERSHY!" Twilight and Rainbow exclaimed.
"WATCH OUT! HE'S GONNA FIRE!" Dash cried.

Twilight braced herself.

---

The two needed a miracle this instant, and a miracle was on the way!

Henry fired a blast of magic at Twilight, but the blast was intercepted by none other than...

"EMBER!?" Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Henry all cried simultaneously.

YES! Ember came back to help! She used the Bloodstone Scepter to absorb the shot of magic.

"Twilight! Rainbow Dash! Let go!" Ember exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" they cried.
"JUST TRUST ME! I GOT THIS!" Ember commanded.

Twilight and Rainbow nodded in agreement.

"AAAHH!" the two let go of the rope and tumbled through the snow. They watched as Henry and Ember sped off.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." Twilight said.

Ember took a deep breath, and prepared herself for the daring stunt she was about to attempt.

"It was foolish for you to come back Ember. You should have escaped when you had your chance!" Henry exclaimed.

Ember pointed the Scepter at Henry's vehicle and fired a blast of energy.

*BAM!*

The antenna started to suck on the Scepter.

"I BLASTED YOUR SCEPTER ONCE BEFORE! I'LL DO IT AGAIN!" Henry yelled.
"NOT THIS TIME HENRY!" Ember exclaimed. "THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!"

Ember flew in closer. The transfer of energy made the Scepter heat up, but Ember endured it, she had to. She flew in even closer, until she was right next to the antenna, on top of the car.

"AAHHH!" Ember yelled in pain, but this was the point of no return.

She flew next to the antenna and put a grip on it with her claws.

"THIS IS FOR EQUESTRIA! AAHHH!" Ember pulled with all her strength, and pulled the antenna clean out of the car!
*YANK* *BZZH*
"AND NOW, TAKE THIS!" Ember had thrust the Bloodstone Scepter down into the car with all her might!
*BAM*
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Henry panicked.
Ember had shoved the front of the Bloodstone Scepter directly into the car, piercing an opening in the tank, and all of the rainbow magic shot out of the tank.
*BOOM*
The magic rushed out of the tank. The force sent Ember flying off the car and onto the ground.

With the magic free, all of the magic returned to Twilight and friends! Their magic flew through the sky, and returned itself to their rightful owners!

The car, now out of control, swerved and careened its side into the rocky side.

"Look out!" Spike exclaimed.
"AAH!" he and Henry screamed.

*crash*

The car had a minor collision, resulting in the cracking, but not shattering of the window next to Spike. The entire vehicle came to a stop.

"EMBER!" Twilight, Dash, Fluttershy, and Starlight ran to Ember's aide.
"Are you okay?!" Twilight asked.
"I'm fine. I did what I had to do." Ember assured.
"Wow! You totally disarmed Henry's car!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly. "You were like AHH! And you went all close and shoved that Scepter in, totally wrecking the whole thing!"
"And we got our magic back too!" Starlight said.
"There were sacrifices to be made however..." Ember held up the now ruined Bloodstone Scepter. The crystal at the end was completely shattered. What remained was just a regular stick.
"What you did was extremely brave Ember, and we salute you." Twilight said. "Now then, there's only one thing left to do."

*vroom*

*gasp* their hearts sank at the vroom sound, because it meant that Henry's car wasn't out of commission just yet.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike cried.
Henry floored the gas pedal of the car, and drove away from the scene at high speeds.
"HELP!" Spike pleaded.

---

"Come on Twilight! Now that the antenna is gone and our magic restored, we can use our Rainbow Powers and blast that Henry into oblivion!" Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight hesitated however.

"What are you waiting for?!" Rainbow asked.

Twilight analyzed her surroundings. Henry was getting away, while the hot air balloon with the rest of her friends was still a fair distance away.
After careful examination of the scene, Twilight made a foolish decision.

"There's no time!" she exclaimed. She flew after Henry herself.
"Where are you going Twilight?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"His one and only weapon/defense is down! With my magic back, beating him now will be a cinch!" Twilight said.

Twilight flew ahead of her friends and after Henry by herself.

"Twilight! No!" Rainbow Dash cried.
"Wait up Twilight!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Don't do it Twilight!" Ember cried.

---

Henry continued to drive recklessly through the perilous and rocky mountains, desperate to escape.

Inside the car, Spike nudged himself, trying to free himself from the seat belt. "Hrrgh, mmm, aah!" Spike peaked his claws through, and managed to cut one belt, and from there he was unbound!

"Hey! I'm free-ish." Spike said.
"Take a seat!" Henry said.

Spike looked out the window, and saw...

"Look it's Twilight! She's coming!" Spike rejoiced.
"Just Twilight? Heh. Excellent." Henry said with a smirk.

Twilight had caught up to Henry.

"It's over Henry! You're defenseless! Pull over and I'll go easy on you!" Twilight threatened.
"You heard her, just give up now Henry!" Spike exclaimed.
"No!" Henry replied.

Henry floored the vehicle, which sent Spike to the back of the cabin.

Twilight flew after him. She used her magic on Henry's tires to try to slow him down!

*SCREEEEEECCHH*
*PEW*
"Woah!" Twilight almost got hit by a shot of magic.
"I'll shoot you down myself if I have to!" Henry stuck his head out of the top of the car. He put the car in autopilot so he could aim outside.

The two fired powerful beams of magic at each other

*PEW* *PEW* *PEW* *PEW* *PEW* Back and forth!

The car's autopilot was smoother than Henry's own driving, and so, Spike took advantage of this.
Hmm, there's got to be a way out of this thing. he thought.
But the cabin was sealed tight, with no exits, so Spike had to make one.

Come on claws, don't fail me now! *POW* Spike dug his claws into the cracked window, trying to finish the job.

Outside the car was the fast paced magic duel of the century.

Twilight and Henry fired shots of magic at each other, until ultimately...
They simultaneously fired their strongest beams of magic, and they collided dead on.

*BOOM*

Their beams interlocked, and formed one solid and continuous beam of magic in between Twilight and Henry's horns. The beams were so powerful that they cut through solid rocks that got in between. The ground shook as this epic clash of magic waged on at breakneck speeds! It was now a matter of whose beam would win.

"GIVE! HIM! BACK!" Twilight exclaimed.

"NEVER! SPIKE BELONGS TO ME!" Henry yelled back.

The power of the beams grew stronger, so much so that somepony had to give in. But unfortunately, it is not the pony you want it to be.

"HOW COULD YOU TAKE A BABY DRAGON AWAY FROM HIS RIGHTFUL OWNER!" Twilight exclaimed.
"WHY DON'T YOU ASK YOURSELF!" Henry exclaimed.

Henry turned the car and slammed the brakes, causing to fall over on its side. *CRASH* Twilight came falling to the ground.
*SMACK*

"TWILIGHT! NO!" Spike cried. But he and Henry weren't out of the clear just yet.
"AAHHHH!" Spike cried.

The car toppled up and over.
*CRASH*

---

"Ugh, what now? Ah!" Spike had awoken, and was horrified at what he saw.

Henry's car had been completely totaled. Debris littered the ground. What remained of the car was a fiery mess of massacred steel and rubber. Spike laid on the ground just fine, aside from some bruises. He wasn't concerned about himself or the car however, he was worried about Twilight, who laid motionless on the ground.

"TWILIGHT!" Spike ran to Twilight.

"Please be okay Twilight..."
Twilight was completely unresponsive.

"...oh no." he said.
"Yes, such shame indeed." said a voice from behind Spike.

Spike turned around, and his heart sank.

"NO! IT'S YOU! BUT HOW?" he cried.
Henry had survived the carnage.

"My uh, strong will kept me going. But Twilight, apparently Twilight Sparkle doesn't want you as much as I do." Henry said. "She didn't have the spirit or determination to finish the job."

"You're horrible!" Spike exclaimed.
"Me? Why, that was an accident I swear. Car just got a little out of control."

"Either way, with Twilight out of the picture, you look like you're in need of a caregiver." Henry said. "And I know someone just right for you."

Henry carried Spike away...

"NO! STOP IT! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Spike tried to run, but Henry pulled on him with his magic grip.

"NO! TWILIGHT! HELP!"

Spike's voice became less distinguishable as Henry took him away.

"TWILIIIIIiiiii..."

...