Dragon's Roar
Spike stood alone in the ring. He could not resist scratching himself all over. Walking to the ring and standing there, he had felt his vocal chords contract and expand to varying levels, making it hard to take deep breaths and calm his heart rate. In addition, belches had assaulted him, ranging from minor hiccups of smoke to vomitous flames that scorched the hall leading into the ring.
Twinkle Shimmer furrowed her brow and muttered, “Damn dragon, that thing is unpredictable.”
Jack Pot grinned when Spike burped, sending out a fan of flames. “Afraid of an X factor?”
“I wouldn’t blame you,” Firelight sighed. “That brute even managed to one-up my Glimmy-wimmy.”
“Is this even fair?” another pony whispered.
“Dragons have too many tricks up their sleeves.”
“What about a handicap?”
“He should just forfeit.”
“Hmm, this is tournament for heroes after all.”
“My-my,” Blueblood mused with perked up ears. “Seems the crowd is in favor of Sunset. True, she was quite violent against me, but I’d prefer her win over the dragon’s.”
“Indeed” Jet Set concurred.
“Oh yes,” said Upper Crust.
“I’m probably gonna regret this but…” Roseluck, Golden Harvest, and Junebug turned to Mud Briar. “What are your thoughts?”
“Spike presents several factors I have not accounted for. His abnormal growth, his apparent rash, and his inconsistent conflagration expulsions are most prominent.” Mud took a slow and steady breath. “On the other hoof, Sunset appeared at an emotional apex in her confrontation with Rainbow Dash that went unresolved due to Ms. Cheerilee stopping her. Sunset has demonstrated a vast knowledge of spells and sciences, making her a formidable match for any opponent at our level.”
While most of Mud’s explanation went over Golden and her friends’ heads, she managed to hone in on the last few words. “What do you mean ‘our level?’”
“We are still only first years,” Mud answered. “That likelihood that an opponent with more power and experience radically changes my expectations with the fight.”
“So…” Roseluck and the others leaned closer to him. “Who are you betting on?”
Mud blinked, leaving Roseluck’s group lingering. “Too many unknowns. I will observe and consider different scenarios after the match.”
“Gah!” all three fillies screamed as they fell back into their seats.
“Foals.” Suri grinned. “Clearly Sunset will win. She already beat Fluttershy while she was using dragon powers.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Everyone in her row turned to see Starlight getting lifted back into her seat by Trixie. They held their breath while Trixie eased Starlight into her seat. Trying to get as comfortable as she could with her injuries, she sighed, “You all saw what that dragon did to me. If he could do that while out of control, I can only imagine what awaits.”
Suri wrinkled her nose. “Whatever. Look at him. He clearly blew it with you, Starlight. Now he’s just an itchy stinky mess. Are we sure we can’t ask somepony dealing with the barrier to make it also cover smell?”
“Be more observant,” Starlight ordered. Suri straightened and focused on the ring. Starlight’s eyes had been on it since she had returned to the stands. “If we ever encounter dragons, this match will be critical in our education. Moreover, Spike will be a powerful ally. We would do well to know how to cooperate with him.”
~~~
Pinkie wheeled Twilight back to the seats. “Thanks, Pinkie.”
“You just tell me if there’s anything you need.” There was somehow a hat emblazoned with a red cross atop Pinkie’s head. “I’ll be on nurse duty for this round.”
Rarity had her eyes on the ring. “If only there was something we could do about the itching.”
“I can try hucking a bottle at him,” Tree Hugger suggested.
BonBon sighed, “You forgot about the barrier, didn’t you?”
Tree stopped ruffling around her bag and sank back into her seat. “Ah, barrier, right. Probably would get me in trouble for throwing stuff too.”
“Hmm.” Twilight bent her head down. “I wish I could talk to Smolder. She might know a bit more.”
In another part of the stands, Smolder sneezed. After wiping her snout with a claw, she crossed her arms over her chest. Her pupils were narrow and piercing with enough intensity to make the ponies near her inch away. She did not notice. Her world came down to only Spike and the ring. “Well, whatever happens, this’ll be great to brag about.”
~~~
Sunset emerged opposite of the hall Spike had come from. With her earlier display, Spike had expected her to storm into the ring wreathed in flames. But, she stepped up to meet him in a measured walk. With the ice in her eyes, he found himself wishing his expectations had come true.
“This is it!” Vinyl announced. “The final round: Sunset Shimmer versus Spike the Dragon! Hope you got a chance to cool off during the break ‘cause I’m betting things are gonna heat up fast!”
“Indeed,” Tantabus commented. Given what Vinyl observed, I just hope Sunset can handle how the last match ended.
“Begin!” Rockhoof declared.
Spike opened his mouth to shoot out flames, but only embers fizzled out.
“Even I was expecting more,” Sunset sighed. She strafed around Spike with her horn aglow. “If you had any brains, you would have forfeited in the state you’re in.”
Spike rushed her, but she weaved around his claws. His movements stalled whenever an itch rose up and distracted him for the fraction of a second Sunset needed to dodge. With her horn glowing bright, she launched a spell at Spike.
Spike yelped and fell to his knees with the magic drilling through his scales and hooking into his flesh. With orange smoke rising off him, he huffed, “What did you do?”
“Just made the air a little more breathable,” Sunset answered. Throughout the colosseum, ponies removed their hooves from the noses, took whiffs, and let out sighs. Back in the ring, Sunset snorted, “You’re pissing me off enough without that stench. Now then…”
Sunset was upon Spike in an instant. She pulled back a leg and launched it with the aid of a blast from behind her knee. Her hoof slammed into Spike’s face, launching him to the right, but Sunset clocked him with another blow to the other side to keep him in front of her.
“I’ve observed enough.” Sunset drove a hoof into Spike’s left ribs. Blow after blow rained down on him. Her hooves gritted against his scales, sending out a shower of sparks. “This is enough to cause trauma, but not break anything yet.”
She relented for a second to let Spike catch his breath. He took the chance to jump back. “‘Yet?’”
“That’s right, I’m going to take my time with this.” Sunset exploded off the ground in a burst of flames and plunged her hoof into Spike’s gut. The blow sent him flying across the ring. He sucked in air, trying to regain what Sunset had knocked out of him. She advanced over to him. While she did, she sneered at the participant’s section, particularly Twilight. “I figured this match meant more to you than just winning first place. So, let’s see how much those scales are really worth!”
Spike wobbled to his feet. He gasped for air and scratched his neck but managed to glare at her. With a snort, he charged. “Not if I take you out!”
“Please.” With a burst of flame, Sunset sidestepped Spike and smacked him in the back of his head. He crashed to the ground, cracking the tiles. She stood over him while he struggled to get up. “Look at yourself. Look at your friends. You all failed because you got tied up with what others think about you.”
Spike was halfway to his feet. “What about Fluttershy?”
Sunset kicked Spike, sending out a wave of flames in her wake. The strike sent Spike across the ring, but a fiery net ensured he would not tumble out of it. Sunset strode over to him. “What about Fluttershy? I respect her for giving it her all, but in the end, she still lost. A hero that loses is worthless!”
Spike could only get onto his knees and palms, but he still shot a defiant glare at Sunset. He wheezed, “So what about the first game? Or your fight with me and Maud?”
“You and your friends really don’t know how to shut up, do you?” Sunset’s expression was cold and focused when a burst of magic shot out of her horn. A collar of flame squeezed around Spike’s neck, leaving him with only a minimum amount of air. Sunset lifted him up with her spell and launched her hooves at him. The collar expanded and contracted with each blow, allowing Spike to gasp and get whatever air Sunset allowed before she struck him again and repeated the process.
“Oh my word!” Rarity shrieked. “Why in Equestria doesn’t she just ring him out?”
“She’s venting,” Dash coughed. Everypony turned to see her limp back to her seat. “I ticked her off bad.”
Sunset fired off a bigger blast than before from behind her leg. There was a sharp crack when her hoof bore into Spike’s ribs.
“It’s not your fault,” said Twilight, momentarily sharing a look with Dash before turning back to the fight. She bit her lip. “Sunset has been like this since she got her cutie mark. Winning matters to her over anything. For that sake, she’s trained herself more than anypony I know, and having her efforts challenged is new to her. She’s gotten better since the first day of class, but she’s still having trouble processing defeat.”
“Sounds like if we both chilled out a little, we’d make good friends,” Dash sighed. She and the others winced when Sunset drove a hoof into Spike’s gut.
In the ring, Spike’s cheeks turned green and filled up. Smoke hissed through his teeth. With a snort, Sunset jumped back just as Spike spewed out fire. It had a lumpy consistency to it and spread out in an uneven way. Even though the fire was doing a number on his stomach and throat, Spike angled it around and used the massive discharge to lock him and Sunset in a dome like he had with Thunderlane.
A magic bubble formed a seal around Sunset’s mouth. “Pathetic. You think getting rid of the air will stop me? Now, how about you?”
The fire coming out of Spike’s mouth sputtered and he fell to his knees clutching his gut. What didn’t ache itched, but those concerns faded away in the face of him gasping for air. As his own flames withered, he saw that orange and gold flames were beyond them, sealing him in an even bigger dome of Sunset’s making.
“You’ve blown it.” Sunset walked over to Spike while he struggled to breath. “And for what? If you’d forfeited, you’d at least have the last two matches to show for it. Now, I’m gonna make sure you know just how worthless all the friendship crap i—”
Sunset seized up. Gemstone shards sank into her back. They were hidden in Spike’s discharge but with no flames keeping them aloft, they shot down all over the ring. Spike’s scales kept him safe, but the barrage punctured and slashed Sunset across her body. With a snarl, she closed her fire dome in on herself, destroying any gems left. Flaring her nostrils, she yanked out the shards embedded in her with her magic and sealed the wounds and cuts up with fire. She whipped her head back in Spike’s direction only for a fist to slam into her face.
While she stumbled back, Spike huffed, “Friendship isn’t worthless.”
Sunset’s icy demeanor slipped. She bared her teeth and glared at him with fury blazing in her eyes. Her right cheek smoked. Before her, Spike now glowed not with aura but with some kind of heat, making the air near him red. Sunset only took it in for a second before turning her leg crimson and charging him.
“I’ll show you how worthless it is!” she roared. Her leg crashed down on Spike but thanks to his size, he dodged. Sunset swung it back around, bashing Spike across the face. The blast sent him flying, but once more Sunset made sure he didn’t fall out of the ring with a net. It launched him back at her and she reared back a leg. “You think you’re here because of your friends? You’re here because of luck and natural ability!”
Spike belched and the jet of flames sent him out of Sunset’s range. He tumbled across the ring. Sunset pounced and slammed her crimson leg down, but Spike rolled away. The force of the blow and the subsequent blast sent him spiraling through the air.
Sunset pursued while Spike scampered to his feet. “You won against Thunderlane and Starlight because a dragon can easily outclass a regular pony, but I’m different! I’ll show you what effort yields without all that friendship crap!”
Sunset swung at Spike again. He dodged once more but this time sprung off his feet and headbutted Sunset in the chest, knocking her away. “That’s why I have to beat you! A jerk like you will never be a great hero!”
“You think you can say that after that rampage in the last match?” Fiery tendrils shot out of Sunset’s horn and lashed at Spike with enough force to knock him off his feet. He got back up even while the tendrils whipped him and put up his dukes. “You’re no better than the dragon that destroyed half of Canterlot!”
“You’re wrong!” Spike shouted with enough power in his voice to blast back the tendrils. They coiled around in the air and Sunset waited a moment. “I am better than that and it’s thanks to my friends!”
“Oh, them?” Sunset dispersed the tendrils, and her leg regained its natural color, but her horn glowed bright. “Maybe you should have looked where you landed then.”
“Get her!” Dash yelled from behind Spike.
“You can do it!” Pinkie shouted.
“We believe in you, Spike!” Rarity cheered.
Only Twilight remained quiet with wide eyes. She wouldn’t…
Sunset’s sneer at her told Twilight everything. Spike had realized it too and turned pale. He tried to breath and steady himself but the air was thin. He saw that a column of aura surrounded him and Sunset. The chilling realization even made the itch recede. The glow around Sunset’s horn grew brighter and brighter. “You’ve seen what my attacks can do on the barrier indirectly. How about a direct shot?”
“You’re… you’re bluffing,” Spike huffed.
Sunset leveled her horn, not at Spike, but at his friends. “Let’s find out. I made sure to thin the air out enough so you can’t rush me, but you can dodge. Of course, the barrier takes the full brunt of my spell then and after that…”
Sunset fired. “Flare: Line!”
A beam of plasma with a circumference about that of a pony’s leg exploded out of her horn. It melted the tiles as it raced over them straight at Spike’s friends.
“No!” he screamed and jumped into the way. The plasma crashed into his claws, blasting off some of his scales and turning his palms bright red. Sunset did not relent and kept the spell going even as it drove Spike back. He feet scraped through the melting ring.
“Too easy!” Sunset cackled. “You actually thought I’d do it! Even if I could break the barrier, did you forget Princess Celestia is here? As if she’d ever allow anypony under her watch to get hurt!”
“D-doesn’t…” Spike grunted.
“C’mon!” Sunset gloated. “Speak up! Put on that brave face while I sear this defeat into you!”
“Doesn’t matter!” Spike gripped the beam with all his might even as smoke rose off his claws in doing so. He planted his feet and would not budge another inch. “Even if Princess Celestia could’ve… could’ve stopped it, I still won’t allow you to even try hurting my friends!”
“And you’re going to lose because of that!” The tip of Sunset’s horn blackened but her beam’s intensity magnified. Spike’s palms blistered and more of his scales flew off. Beyond her beam and Spike, Sunset leered at Twilight. “Watch, Twilight! Your friends lost to me! You ruined your chances of winning this! And now, I’ll complete your failure!”
The beam exploded into a mass of fission. Spike was swallowed up along with a chunk of the ring.
“Spike!” his friends cried.
In the midst of the ball of fusing helium and hydrogen, Spike felt himself drifting into unconsciousness. Getting burnt was a new sensation to him and having it happen to his whole body made it go numb. He tried to breath, but his mouth and nose were sealed by the blistering heat. He tried to blink, but his eyes would not move. Darkness encroached on him.
Twilight… everyone… he thought with his last shreds of consciousness. Sorry. I wanted…
Something deep inside him flickered. Earlier, that same feeling had pulled him out of his nightmare when Rarity had called to him. It pushed back the darkness and made him struggle against the paralysis that had overtaken his body. His heart thudded in his chest. His thoughts raced.
That’s right! What I want more than anything else is…
The miniature sun Sunset had summoned shrank down to nothing. A large chunk of the ring was gone. A scorched crater was left in its wake. Everyone gasped when smoking fragments of stone plunged into the middle of the wreckage. Some were in the shapes of claws, spines, and limbs.
“Spike!” Twilight screamed.
Rarity, Pinkie, and Dash turned white. The audience fell silent. Sunset’s eyes shrank. She lurched over to the new edge of the ring and looked down at the shattered pieces of Spike. “Oh crap, I didn’t mean to ki—”
She paused. On closer inspection she saw the pieces of Spike only came in thin bits. There were no chunks as if he had fully turned to stone. Sunset knew her spell was not designed for that anyway.
“Whoa!” Dash gasped.
“Holy guacamole!” Pinkie grinned ear to ear.
“My stars.” Twilight’s eyes glistened. Having heard about what had happened while she was recovering, a question had bothered her, but now the answer was right before her. “So, that’s what it was.”
Sunset noticed the odd reaction from Twilight and her friends. They were staring up at the sky. She moved to look that way, but a shout stalled her.
“Sunset, move!” Twinkle yelled as hard as she could. “Move now!”
Seeing Spike apparently shatter and using her most powerful spell slowed Sunset’s mind and reaction time. The meaning behind Twilight and her friends’ actions and her mother’s warning dawned on her just as a shadow fell upon her.
A fist that glistened with every color of the rainbow smashed into Sunset. It plowed her into the ring with such force that faults spiderwebbed out and divided up what remained of the concrete. Debris swirled through the air obscuring the ring, but the crowd could still make out Spike’s silhouette leaning over Sunset with his fist pressed into her cheek.
The crowd was silent. Spike took a breath and felt new muscles and bones on his back. Something sliced through the air around him, cutting through the dust. With a mighty flap, he cleared away the debris, revealing brilliant wings.
“No way,” Dash gawked.
“Wow-wow-wow!” Pinkie gasped. “Even I hadn’t planned a party for this!”
“And he looks simply marvelous!” Rarity took in the prismatic aura that flowed over Spike’s entire body. The light that streamed through his wings’ membranes took on dazzling colors and cast the ring like stained glass.
“I want to be…” Spike looked down at Sunset, irises brimming with shifting colors. His fist had left an indent in her cheek. She twitched and heaved, barely clinging onto consciousness. Spike clenched his fist, raised his head towards his friends, and declared, “I am the hero that always protects his friends!”
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Welcome To The Show.
Go Spike.
But for how long?
Sunset's going to feel THAT in the morning!
spike is now Allmight!
KICK HER ASS SPIKE!
Heck yeah! Go Spike!
Harmony score 1 point in shipping.
Never mess with a dragon's horde, be it material goods like gold and gems or immaterial treasures like family and friends, for dragons are the greatest defenders and will conquer all that threaten what they hold dear.
Well. Expected this to happen but not the mention of Rainbow like wings. Sounds like the wings Twilight got in Rainbow Roadtrip.
9846683
The rainbow effect is likely only temporary caused as a side effect of using some power. In Rainbow Roadtrip remember Twilight was wearing wing sleeves that glowed when she channeled magic into her wings, like the Wonderbolts do to create contrails during stunts.
I gotta say, the intro examination from most of the characters was not only warranted, but incredibly desired, far more than I expected at first. The banter was nice, so was the analysis, and Goddamn do I feel bad for Spike knowing what it's like to be hated and considered a villain just for being weird or different.
This was so cute I laughed. Not only that, but incredibly in character that I could imagine it in his voice. I always did like Mud.
This made me smile so wide. It's nice to see he at least has one ally in Class B.
I imagined it in her voice with ease. This is an incredibly apt line for her, and I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's just the sheer obliviousness before a realization that only she'd have trouble with. I won't lie, you make Tree Hugger a really good character in this. You make me like all the side characters that much more. Your writing is top notch.
This simple comment is just one example how effectively you've turned my expectations on their head. I really don't know who's going to win, because Spike could just as easily take the role of "attempted grab at villainy" even if it's not quite as believable as Sunset. Won't lie I'm hoping for Spike.
I probably expected too much out of Spike, but the battle's not done yet.
Cute. If i had to guess what she did it was burn the smell away. Makes the most sense.
Huh, I get the feeling this has multiple layers of sadistic reasoning. One, she's jabbing at Twilight, two, she knows Spike is the one from the shopping district, and three, she's taking her anger out from the last match. I hope Luna teaches her something about that last one if it's the case.
Nice comeback but it'd never get through to Sunset.
You're incredibly good at using creative maneuvers for Sunset, and I wish I was half this creative with the skills I give my characters.
Things were looking incredibly hopeless and I thought i saw exactly where things were going up until this point. You're always dishing out the unexpected.
I mean while this is soooooorta true I'm hoping badly he sets her straight about why he practiced so damn hard. I've been rereading the fic lately because it's by far my favorite on this site, and it's nice seeing how hard they all work. I'm really rooting for Spike. I could see it going either way.
Whew. This is super intense. And I can't help but fear it's all gonna go downhill soon. I'm on the edge of my seat. The next line is terrifying.
Even if she's half right that was still incredibly villainous. Far more than even Bakugo ever did. I'm impressed.
At this point I started getting goosebumps on my cheeks. Very intense.
I laughed so fucking hard. Jesus Christ Sunset, even if he WAS dead this is what you fucking get with that attitude. Holy shit. I hope Spike beats her to the pavement.
As soon as I read "rainbow" I sniffled.
Now this is the world's #1 assistant/friend. Fucking Christ. That was an epic chapter and I'm genuinely hoping Spike wins. Even if Sunset only gets second place she can easily show off an attitude of a villain that gets her recognized by the actual villains.
Even if Spike doesn't win, I think this is enough to crack Sunset's shell, even if only slightly.
I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the next chapter. This was just incredible. You are ALWAYS outdoing yourself with every new installment of this novel.
And Sunset is a volleyball. How do we know?
She just got...Spiked!
Compared to a skilled spellcaster?
That's a fair point.
Give it time.
Oh boy. She's full Tranquil Fury.
Yet?
You are insane.
I can't help but feel that antagonizing her is not smart.
And it's going to cost her. She's pulling a Vegeta, playing with her food, and it's going to backfire.
Clever.
Is Spike gonna go Burning Godzilla?
What?
You are actually mentally unstable. Fucking BAKUGOU was never this much of a psychopath!
You are a positively massive cunt,.
You know what this is.
Behold! Rainbow Spike!
I have no idea how this is going to end. I was expecting Sunset to win but after pulling such an obvious villain tactic I am fully expecting her to lose now. Yeah, Bakugo was an asshole but even he'd never do something like that, he takes being a hero way too seriously to rely on cheap tricks and gimmicks.
I hope she stays down
Right, confirmation that Spike is in fact taking Deku's place, not Twilight. That right there was a Big Damn Hero moment if I ever saw one.