Treasure
A flash lit the forest as Twilight teleported straight into the ruins of Zecora’s hut. Spike and Trixie followed close behind.
Spike felt relieved that Twilight hadn’t dragged him into her teleport; while efficient, the process always left him a little singed. Still, he felt a swell of pride at how casually she used the skill. Teleportation was a talent few unicorns could hope for, and Twilight made it seem so easy.
Spike looked around the ruins, his stomach knotting as his foot brushed against wreckage. The putrid smell of overturned potions sliced through the nighttime air, far more pungent than the murky forest scent. Zecora's collection of books and scrolls of magic—a collection that, while nowhere near the size of Twilight's, was still respectable and well cared for—was scattered. Pages were ripped loose, fluttering about as they played in the forest breeze. Whole encyclopedias sat ruined beyond repair in piles of muddy water, their spines snapped.
There was no hint of Zecora.
Spike had never been as close to Zecora as Twilight or Apple Bloom, but he was fond of Zecora in his own way. He supposed it was because they were both outsiders in pony society—one scaled, the other striped.
Spike sometimes wondered why Zecora had left her homeland. Was it hard for her? Did she regret living among ponies? Celestia had nurtured him even as an egg; Spike had never had a chance to truly live among dragons.
Spike’s opinion of other dragons was not flattering. A green dragon had tried to kill him, and a red dragon, while not malicious, had thoughtlessly endangered Ponyville. Even the migratory group he’d once joined had been filled with violent brutes. Another migration would be passing by Ponyville soon—he felt it in his bones. He had no intention of joining this time around.
But it was hard. Very few places stocked gems and jewels for him to eat, and he’d needed to be specially schooled by Celestia and Twilight his whole life rather than cause a panic at pony schools. And the older he got the more he began to doubt, deep inside, whether his beloved, beautiful Rarity would really consent to spend her life with one who had scales instead of fur.
Zecora was an outsider too, just like him. She was like Twilight as well—thoughtful, intelligent, a lover of magic.
And those monsters had wrecked her house. They’d hurt her.
Spike felt anger building inside of him, a well of anger so deep that ponies would never understand. Though small, he was still a dragon. He was not to be angered lightly.
As Spike fumed, Twilight grimly surveyed the scene. Trixie stood nearby, her eyes—still red from her recent cry—wide with shock.
“Do you think…Morning and the others killed—” she began, but Twilight cut her off.
“It’s possible.” Twilight’s voice was level, with no hint of sorrow or apprehension. It was calm, collected, and authoritative.
Spike admired that about her. Ponies who didn’t know Twilight thought she was cold and callous, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. Twilight loved her friends and family, and was fiercely protective of them. She was nerdy and neurotic, and she spent long nights reading by candles or the light of the full moon. She wasn’t a social expert and sometimes made blunders or misjudged others’ feelings, but she was earnest and always empathetic towards her friends.
But unlike many ponies, Twilight did her best to keep a level head in a crisis. Now was the time to keep cool and apply intelligence to the problem at hoof; she could fret and worry later. It was this keen intellect, this measured calmness in times of trial, and the way she so easily slipped into command that made Twilight—in Spike’s opinion—the most natural of leaders.
“Twilight,” Spike ventured, “I’m pretty sure they didn’t kill Zecora when they attacked this place.”
The two mares turned towards Spike.
“Oh? And what makes you think so?”
Spike pointed towards his nose. “It’s kind of hard to tell because of how overpowering the potions are, but if she’d been killed I’d be able to smell a lot of blood. Heck, even you two probably could have smelled it. But while there’s a faint trace of it in the air, it’s not enough to make me think she was killed.”
Twilight nodded firmly. “Good job, Spike. I knew I could count on you.” Spike valiantly tried to fight down a wide grin, but it was a losing battle.
“Morning and his cohorts have attacked Zecora,” Twilight said. “They’ve likely abducted her. We need to know if they’ve taken the Amulet, and any other information we can find—everyone, search this place thoroughly.”
Spike nodded dutifully; Trixie followed suit with much less enthusiasm. They split up.
Spike poked through parts of Zecora’s hut, overturning splintered planks of wood and searching through half-destroyed books. He made sure to avoid shattered bottles or puddles of mystery mixtures—who knew what they could do to you?
Spike caught a glint from beneath a pile of rubble. He walked over and began digging it out but before he could make much progress, pale pink magic gripped the debris.
“Let me help,” Trixie said. Her starry cloak trailed across the ground as she approached. Trixie’s voice was soft and much mellower than when she’d last visited Ponyville. It sounded the way she looked: downtrodden.
Spike sulked as he watched Trixie move the rubble aside. Unlike Twilight, who could have easily moved all the wreckage with one spell, Trixie could move only two or three objects at once. No wonder she’d needed the Amulet to challenge Twilight.
It took longer than Spike would have liked, but the last bit of debris finally floated aside.
Trixie looked down at Spike with a small, almost hesitant smile. Spike looked back with a flat stare, and as seconds passed, Trixie’s smile began to falter.
“…Thanks,” Spike said coldly.
Trixie gave a jerking nod and wandered off. Spike had received a lecture from Twilight—and she was right, denying Trixie help when she was obviously hurt had been wrong, and he was ashamed of suggesting it—but that didn’t mean he had to like her or feel sorry for her. Those monsters had been the ones that attacked Ponyville, but Trixie was the one who had led them here.
How could Twilight stand to be around her? Especially after what she’d done with the Amulet: Transforming him, muzzling Pinkie, and—
Spike shook his head, clearing his thoughts. There was important work to be done. He needed to focus.
The prize buried beneath the rubble was a treasure box make of thick, heavy, unassuming dark wood. It wasn’t large by pony and zebra standards, but Spike needed both arms to carry it. Swirling, pencil-thin designs traced their way across the lid and body. The thin lines appeared to be impressed metal—brass, maybe—and they all led to a thick, yet elegant lock keeping the box firmly shut.
Spike tried opening it, and was not surprised when it refused. He breathed out a small jet of greenish flame; no matter how well-crafted this lock was, it couldn’t stand up to dragon’s fire.
Something astonishing occurred. The lock glowed with a soft tannish light, and the tongue of fire lanced sideways, spiraling into the muck of the nearby forest. Spike watched with growing eyes as the brass inlaid into the box swirled, dancing across the dark wood. They flickered like flame. As the glow subsided, the patterns ceased their ballet and came to rest in a different weave than they were before.
“Enchanted…” Spike murmured in a low, almost reverent whisper. He’d spent his life growing under Celestia, an entity near a goddess, and Twilight Sparkle, one of the most promising mages of their age. They had taught him to appreciate magic, a fondness which was magnified by the fact that as a dragon, he could cast no spells of his own.
“These must be zebra runes…” he murmured, tracing a claw along the brass lines. “Zecora must have worked so hard to make this. Days, at least.”
Further inspiration struck. “And she wouldn’t place just anything inside a box like this. She would use it to guard something special.” His breath caught in his throat. Hope came upon him like a sudden dawn.
“Maybe like the Alicorn Amulet?”
A feminine voice carried through the air. “Find something worthwhile, dragon?”
“Yeah, I think it’s—”
Spike’s words ran cold. He’d turned his head to the source and it was neither Twilight nor Trixie walking out of the glooming trees. The mare was familiar, but her coat was a blue much darker than Trixie’s—a blue reminiscent of the sky during a new moon. Her mane and tail were silvery. The image of a thorny bush rested on her flank. Two pegasus wings tucked against her torso. And from her right ear, a shard of black stone dangled from a silver chain.
“Hello, little one,” Bramble purred, her voice thick with false honey. “Oh, I remember you.” She brushed a hoof against the bottom of her torso, and a slight shiver trailed through her body.
“Being burned hurts,” she whispered. “It really does. Are you even sorry, lizard? Are you?”
Bramble slowly stepped out of the trees, her wings flexing with anticipation. Spike stared back in a panic. Somewhere, the back of his mind urged him to flee, to fight, anything! He was a dragon. Dragons didn’t just sit there and—and—
Bramble’s mouth upturned in a cruel smile. “Why don’t you give me that there? I promise I’ll make it quick,” she crooned, reaching a hoof out to take the box. “For you and for them as well.”
Something snapped within Spike.
Twilight. She’d threatened Twilight.
Spike unleashed a flurry of small fireballs, each no bigger than a coin. They surged towards Bramble’s earring. Before the projectiles could reach the shard, the onyx glowed a sudden, sickly green, and each of Spike’s fireballs suddenly fizzled out, puffing into ash that drifted listlessly towards the forest floor.
A low sound echoed through the trees, a sound like the snapping of rotting wood. It rumbled through Spike’s ears, and Spike shuddered as he realized that it sounded like a deep, basso chuckle.
“Oh dear,” Bramble smirked as the onyx stopped glowing. “You’ve gone and made Wormwood laugh.”
Freed from his panic, Spike kicked dirt in Bramble’s direction and fled back towards the two unicorns. Bramble deflected the dirt almost lazily with one wing and took off after him, not even bothering to go full speed.
“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike clutched the box tight against his body.
Twilight and Trixie emerged from a thicket beyond the hut, Twilight levitating a half-burnt scrap of parchment. They glanced up at his holler, and froze when they saw the pegasus in pursuit.
A dazzle of violet light and Twilight was standing alongside Spike. A magic shield quickly surrounded both of them. Bramble hovered low in the air, glowering at Twilight.
“You didn’t seem too keen on facing the Elements of Harmony before,” Twilight warned. “I’m giving you one chance to stand down.”
“I am afraid of the Elements,” Bramble admitted, “but I only see one of the wielders here. And she doesn’t have her crown.” Her eyes and earring both glowed green and cracks appeared in Twilight’s shield. The unicorn grunted, her knees buckling under the pressure.
“This seems familiar somehow,” Bramble taunted. “And don’t try the same trick as last time. I’m ready for whatever you have—”
A potion bottle soared through the air. Spike glimpsed a pink aura surrounding it. It smashed into Bramble’s face. The dark blue mare screeched, tumbling to the earth. The potion ran down her face, making a sizzling sound as it went, and Spike felt queasy when he saw more than a little blood coursing alongside it.
Trixie galloped up as Twilight lowered her shield. Behind them Bramble rolled in the dust, pawing at her face with her hooves and howling in utter agony.
“Thanks Trix—” Twilight began, but Trixie cut her off, her eyes wide with obvious terror.
“Talk later run now!”
She continued running as fast as her injuries allowed, streaking into the forest. Twilight nodded and levitated Spike up onto her back.
“Stay on!” she commanded. “And if she comes after us, breathe as much fire as you can!”
Spike gulped and nodded. As they raced away from Zecora’s hut, Bramble rose. The potion seemed to have eaten away the skin of her face and even part of her eye tissue, but her wounds were already healing the way they had in their last battle. The earring glowed more fiercely than ever and she split the sky with a furious war howl.
She had already been a monster when Spike had arrived to help in the last fight, and so it was with horror that the young drake watched her transform. Her wings expanded to an enormous size, wicked-looking tips dripping with poison. Her legs elongated and four more sprung from her body with a sickening noise. Her face turned to the fleeing ponies and Spike saw a third eye splitting her forehead.
“Oh crap,” Spike said. His claws felt clammy around the box. “Oh crap, oh crap—”
“Spike! Calm down!” Twilight commanded. “We beat her once!”
“But there’s less of us now!”
“Spike, don’t—” Twilight began, but the low thrum of Bramble’s wingbeats cut her off.
The sound came from above them, closer…closer…right above them…
Silence reigned for a few moments before a massive blue form smashed through the forest canopy a few feet away. Spike shielded his eyes from bits of shattered wood and branches. Bramble shrieked and swung a wing in the direction of Spike and Trixie. A shower of poison raced through the air. It fell short of Trixie, but a few drops caught Twilight’s flank and legs. She wailed as they began eating into her, wriggling to shake them free. Spike barely kept hold.
A few drops landed on Spike himself, but the poison seemed to have a tougher time burning through his scales; he sloughed them off without harm. The box’s enchantment protected it, the designs swirling hypnotically as they warded away the poison.
Spike returned fire, shooting off several fireballs larger than his fist before unleashing a long, continuous stream of flame that formed an impromptu wall between them.
The fireballs slammed into Bramble’s torso, leaving painful looking burns that were quickly swallowed up by healthy flesh. The unbroken flame, however, was more effective, walling her back. Bramble could go up, but to do so she would need to claw her way through the canopy and fight her way through it coming back down, wasting valuable time.
Twilight recognized the lull in their enemy’s pursuit and seized the opportunity, barking out orders to Trixie.
“Trixie! She’s likely going to focus on Spike and I! Whatever you do, keep running!”
Trixie slowed as she turned to look at Twilight and Spike with concern. “Wait, what? What are you—”
“Just go!” Twilight shouted.
As Trixie vanished into the trees, Twilight stopped running. She turned around, facing the wall of fire and Bramble behind it, and her horn shimmered with power.
“Spike, whatever you do, don’t stop breathing fire!”
Spike dutifully nodded. As he continued feeding the wall of flame, Twilight’s magic rippled through the air like a magenta serpent. It seeped into the inferno, and the fire began to change.
Spike watched in awe as the green fire took on a reddish tint. As Twilight’s horn glowed, the fire danced to her command. Two lances of flame broke out from the central wall, curving left and right. They rushed towards Bramble, each slamming into one of her sides. She hissed as the heat blistered her, but her wounds slowly began to heal.
The smoke, too, glowed as Twilight’s will suffused it. Bound by her magic, it pooled into a near-black glob and plummeted towards Bramble, resting over her monstrous face. Bramble sputtered and hacked, aimlessly swiping at the blinding cloud with three of her eight spindly legs.
With Bramble preoccupied, the fire in the wall began gathering at the behest of Twilight’s magic. What had been a solid shield of flame quickly compacted into a large, spinning globe of purple and green, rimmed by a film of magenta.
The fiery globe erupted like a geyser, a massive jet of flame shooting horizontally towards the blinded monster. Bramble shrieked as fire blasted into her. Twilight’s magic added a concussive effect that punched into her opponent, knocking Bramble back several feet. Bramble’s hooves scraped and dug ruts into the woodland soil.
Spike sat amazed as Twilight manipulated the fire in ways he had never imagined. We might actually get out of this! he thought. But as awe set into his heart, a burning ate at his lungs. He was only a baby dragon; he had his limits. He couldn’t feed the blaze forever. Spike felt exhaustion climbing through him…
“Just a little more!” pressed Twilight. “Just a little more, Spike, hold on just a little longer!”
Spike nodded wearily, flames still spilling from his mouth. Just a little longer…
The black earring shimmered with a blinding, malignant green, and the enchanted smoke fell away from Bramble’s face. Her three eyes, similarly green, narrowed at the sight of the dragon and unicorn standing resolutely.
Bramble howled again—Strange, thought Spike, her voice doesn’t change with her body—and rushed towards them. Spike felt a river of fear course through him, but Twilight’s horn flashed with blinding brilliance.
A trio of shapes began to move inside the sheet of fire before bursting free to meet Bramble. They were ponies—life-sized ponies, but their bodies and hooves blazed with green fire and their manes glimmered with enchantment.
They cast off sparkles of magic as they ran. Bramble snarled and swiped her hooves at her assailants, but her limbs passed harmlessly through their wraithlike bodies and emerged red and tender. Bramble’s eyes widened and she took a hesitant step backward, dousing the three beings with a rain of poison from her flapping wings. The poison sizzled and hissed as it met the fire. The inferno-born ponies advanced, unharmed, and true fear began to show on Bramble’s face as they pressed her further back.
They darted in, brushing against her side or bucking her with limbs of flame, and Bramble shrieked as she fought back impotently. How did one fight living fire? She battered them with wind from her mighty wings, but Twilight’s magic gave them sustenance—they were not snuffed out.
Twilight…! Spike thought in adoration. She’s united her unicorn magic with my dragon’s fire and made creatures of flame and sorcery!
Twilight’s horn flashed again, and two more constructs were born from dragon’s fire. Unlike their earthbound brethren, these appeared to be pegasi. A whoosh thrummed through the air as they beat against the sky with wings of smoke and ember.
As the two pegasi joined the fight, Spike saw that they even had cutie marks. His eyes widened as he recognized a lightning bolt soaring from a cloud and a trio of butterflies. The other three…
Yes! One had a trio of apples, the other balloons. And the third, which had a tongue of fire to simulate a unicorn’s horn…she had jewels gracing her flank.
They were facsimiles of Twilight’s friends.
The five doppelgangers closed in on Bramble, who screeched and roared and thrashed without a chance of hurting them. Her wings beat as she tried to soar skyward, but Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s fiery doubles wheeled overhead, pinning her earthward.
Spike abruptly coughed, the flames from his mouth sputtering and giving way to black smoke for a few seconds.
No! Not now!
Rarity’s copy speared at Bramble with a horn of emerald flame. The two earth ponies lunged against her. Burns spotted their enemy’s body.
Spike’s lungs begged for release. The flames from his mouth began shrinking…
Twilight’s horn gave one final flash, and the bodies of the five doubles swirled together in a blazing vortex. A flash lit the forest; Bramble stared, quivering, at the soaring, burning form of a regal alicorn. A fiery phantasm of Princess Celestia towered over the monster, her corona eating a hole into the canopy above. The stars blazed overhead.
Spike coughed. Just a little longer…I have to…
Celestia’s construct pointed a hoof at Bramble in condemnation and descended. Her wings flapped like those of a majestic butterfly. Bramble wailed in terror.
Spike gasped, coughing dreadfully, and his flames went out.
Without the dragon’s fire to feed it, the image died. It was a mess of iron smoke, fading fire, and small embers that crashed into Bramble.
The spell’s aftermath still knocked her earthward. As Bramble struggled, pinned by swiftly dying embers, Twilight turned with concern to look at the dragon on her back. “Spike?”
Spike huddled on Twilight’s back, gripping the box tight. He gasped and wheezed, struggling for breath, but tears of shame streamed down his face.
“Twilight, I—failed, I—I’m so sorry—” he said. Twilight silenced him with a gentle hoof on his mouth.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Spike, don’t be ashamed. You did so very well.”
An eruption of dirt and cinders showered the woods as Bramble stood upright. Twilight ceased her talk, her attention on Bramble once more. Her hooves quickly cycled backward.
“You don’t frighten me!” Bramble shouted. Her enlarged wings flapped as she rose into the air. She hovered over to a stone buried in the earth that was at least the size of three stallions. Her spidery limbs coiled around it and she heaved it upwards. There was a muted rumble as the stone broke free from the earth, the bottom of it stained with soil.
Bramble spun and heaved the stone. It flew through the air, hurtling towards Spike and Twilight.
Twilight summoned a shield of energy that formed a quarter-circle in front of—and partially above—her and Spike. The stone slammed into the shield and Twilight grunted in effort. There was a muffled note and cracks splintered through both shield and stone, but Twilight’s defense held. Bramble’s missile thudded to the ground as the shield faded away.
Her flight limited by the trees overhead, Bramble returned to the forest floor and scuttled forward, all eight legs moving with a spidery quality.
His breath already returning—dragon physiology was far more robust than that of ponies—Spike sat up just in time to watch Twilight’s magic flood the great, cracked stone. . It shattered with a sound like a firecracker. As the stone’s remains tumbled earthward, Twilight’s magic gripped several large fragments. They spiraled towards Bramble, striking large gashes in her torso, and one smashing into her hock with a sickening crunch. She stumbled, crashing into the ground.
Twilight galloped away as Bramble’s leg healed, and Spike eyed Bramble warily. Soon enough their enemy was on her hooves once more and in pursuit. Her size gave her great strides, and she quickly gained ground on Twilight, who was burdened with Spike’s extra weight.
“Spike, is she getting closer?” Twilight yelled without turning her head.
“Yeah!”
“Tell me when she gets very close, and prepare yourself!”
“Prepare myself? Prepare myself for what?”
Bramble snarled and leapt, sailing towards them. Her wicked fanged muzzle stretched wide and the claw-like tips in her wings stretched out eagerly.
“Twilight, she’s—”
There was a dizzying sensation and Spike found himself in a different location. His eyes swam and his scales felt oddly sooty, but as his vision stopped spinning he saw Bramble some further distance away.
We teleported, he realized.
Twilight took a few steps forward before collapsing against a dead tree. Spike slid off her back and saw her torso heave as she gulped enormous breaths. The magic aura surrounding her horn flickered and slowly faded away.
Twilight flashed a weak, slightly sad smile at her friend. “Heh. Told you not to be ashamed. Looks like I…wore myself out too.”
Bramble, some distance away, caught sight of them and roared. She swiped her wing at the two; poison arced towards them.
Twilight huddled and closed her eyes. Spike dashed in front of her, holding the box out like a shield. The brass enchantments shimmered and warded away most of the venom. A few drops splashed on Spike’s scales, which he mindlessly brushed off. Twilight, thankfully, remained unharmed.
Bramble snorted and charged in their direction. Twilight took a big breath and began relaying orders to Spike.
“Spike, take that box back to Ponyville. Run as fast as you can, and don’t look back—”
“Twilight! I can’t—”
“I said don’t look back! As soon as you can, write a letter to the Princess. Tell her what happened and—”
Spike pushed the box against Twilight, cutting her off. “Hold that!” he said imperiously.
“Spike, what are you—Spike! No!”
Spike’s stamina—though not his ability to breathe fire—was already mostly restored. He raced to meet Bramble. The monstrous mare chuckled at the sight of the baby dragon heading her way and swiped a hoof at him. Spike crouched, barely dodging the attack, and kept running, ending up beneath her torso.
In their last fight, he’d unleashed a continuous blaze at her underbelly. That wasn’t an option this time, so he raked his claws against Bramble’s underside instead. The wicked gashes knit up—perhaps not as quickly as they might have, Spike noticed. Twilight’s doppelgangers had eaten some of Bramble’s healing power.
Still, even with her ability handicapped, her wounds healed much faster than Spike could inflict them. He was fighting a losing battle if he wanted to exhaust her power.
Bramble aimlessly reached at him with her legs, but Spike wasn’t worried. He felt confident from prior experience that she couldn’t reach him here.
He kept slashing, but saw Bramble’s legs buckle in his peripheral vision. Her torso suddenly dropped towards him.
She’s trying to crush me!
Spike rolled to the side, barely avoiding being pancaked, and sprung up onto Bramble’s now-accessible back.
She shrieked and bucked, trying to throw him off, but Spike hung on tight. Her wings beat madly, scattering poison all over his body. It actually began to hurt this time, perhaps through sheer volume.
Spike jackhammered his tail along Bramble’s back, a skill he’d first improvised against the Diamond Dogs. She gasped as bone cracked and snapped. As her spine re-aligned itself, Spike darted forward and sunk his fangs into the back of her neck.
Bramble reared back onto five legs, unleashing an ear-splitting howl that temporarily deafened Spike and echoed through the Everfree Forest.
She spun with renewed force and Spike was forced off of her back. He crashed against the ground and was only halfway up before her hoof slammed into his side. Spike tumbled over the ground until he smacked into an old stump. His head sang in pain.
Spike tried to stand, but he was too woozy. He collapsed against the stump, and saw Bramble slowly approaching him. Her three eyes stared back malevolently. Behind her, Twilight was screaming something; he couldn’t tell what. She was trying and failing to stand on shaky, still-exhausted legs. Her horn sputtered as she fruitlessly attempted magic.
Bramble stopped before him. The wound on her neck had already healed, but half-dried rivulets of blood still stained her neckfur and mane. Bramble raised one of her hooves like a great hammer, and Spike realized that she was getting ready to pop his head like a grape.
“Well then,” she said, “looks like you’re first.”
She swung the hoof down…
Vines and branches sprung from the trees surrounding them, ensnaring Bramble’s leg. Bramble tugged at it with a snarl, but as the entangling vines started to break, new ones took hold.
Wha…? Spike thought. He tried to focus, but his head still tilted from the blows Bramble had given him. He saw the obstacles wrapped in a magic aura. Did Twilight manage to…?
As his vision returned, Spike saw to his confusion that while the magic was there, it was not Twilight’s rich magenta. In fact, it seemed to be the color of a rosy dawn. Pink. The color of—
“Trixie!” he yelped in shock, fully snapping to. As he realized it, that same rosy magic enveloped his body. He floated through the air and came to rest on Trixie’s back; she burst from the foliage, towards Twilight and away from Bramble. Spike saw her running almost full speed despite her injury; he couldn’t begin to imagine the pain.
“Come on, dragon!” she said. “We need to help Twilight!”
Trixie came back for us? Spike thought in confusion. But…she’s a selfish bully! She’s rotten!
Trixie approached Twilight and Spike hopped from her back. He took the box as Trixie helped the other unicorn up.
“I thought I told you to run!” Twilight said in a weak voice. Watery trails showed where tears had ran down her face, and Spike fully appreciated that she’d nearly watched him die.
Twilight, I’m sorry…
“I couldn’t just leave you,” Trixie said, letting Twilight support herself on her shoulder. “Not in good conscience. Now let’s get out of here!”
With Trixie’s help, Twilight could now stand and walk. But their hobbled pace was almost laughably slow. A snap echoed behind them and the three turned to see Bramble breaking free from the last of Trixie’s bindings.
“Lulamoon!” she spat. “I knew you didn’t deserve true power! You’re just a showmare! Are these parlor tricks supposed to stop me? What can you do?” She charged once more.
Trixie opened her mouth, perhaps to give a response, but seemed to think better of it and shut it without saying anything. Her horn shimmered with power, and more than just pink played about it—Spike saw red and blue and green, all vibrant and swirling.
Trixie unleashed her spell and it whistled cheerily through the woods like a rocket, a blend of happy colors streaking right towards Bramble. Before it made contact, it burst.
The firework boomed and shook the forest. Its force nearly blinded Spike for a moment, but he saw Bramble flung against two distant trees.
“She’s burned and maybe broke her bones, but come on! That won’t stop her for long, and I don’t think I have another of those in me!” Trixie urged.
Spike nodded and the two tugged Twilight forward. After a half-minute she shook them off and began walking under her own power, though still not as fast as Spike would have liked.
“Bramble will likely catch up with us again before we reach Ponyville,” Twilight said. “I have an idea. A last resort. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use it, but…”
Crashes and roars sounded behind them. Bramble approached.
Twilight stopped running and turned in the direction of their foe. Spike and Trixie looked on worriedly.
“Do you have enough magic to fuel the spell?” Spike asked.
“It partially fuels itself. That’s…part of what I’m worried about.”
Bramble crashed into sight. Scabs peppered her face and front legs.
“Trixie, I’d like you to hold her, if you please.”
Trixie nodded and more plants sprung to defend them, though not as many as before.
Bramble struggled against their grasp.
Spike blinked. It seemed as though the forest shadows, shrouded under the trees, had a life of their own. They were moving, almost breathing…
Suddenly, from a patch of darkness to Bramble’s right, a wicked looking crystal lanced through the air and speared Bramble in the side. Bramble reared back, roaring, and more began sprouting around her. Some struck into her body; others encased her, forming a prison of black, sharp-edged crystal.
Spike saw that some sort of magic oozed from the wounds inflicted by the crystals. It flowed from where they met Bramble’s flesh, seeping out and eating against her, actively fighting her healing ability. Bramble’s three eyes first widened in shock, but then narrowed in utter rage. The onyx shard shined more fiercely than ever before, shaking on the end of its chain.
Spike turned to Twilight and froze at what he saw. Twilight was using magic, but her horn was bathed in a malevolent mix of green and utter black.
Dark magic.
“Twilight! You didn’t—you’re using Sombra’s magic?”
“I didn’t want to, Spike! I had no other options!”
The crystal prison kept growing, encasing Bramble entirely. Nothing was visible behind the dark encirclement except for a muted green glow from the onyx shard.
“Will that hold her?” asked Trixie. “What even is that?”
“Tell you later,” Twilight said. “Let’s escape while we can.”
They ran through the forest. For once, Bramble did not pursue.
A minute passed…two minutes…
Ponyville is close! Spike thought. He still held Zecora’s box against his body. We’re almost there!
A few moments later a mighty crack resounded through the forest, accompanied by a bestial roar.
“You dare.”
Spike felt dead as he noticed something in her voice beyond Bramble’s usual screams and taunts. It was something that he felt, rather than heard. There was a low, almost thunderous edge to her usually feminine voice. Spike shuddered as he recognized it as that same sound that had laughed at him when he’d tried to attack the earring.
“You dare wield shadow against a shadow.”
Silence followed, but soon another sound met their ears: the familiar noise of Bramble’s wings beating against the sky.
“You’ll bleed for that,” said her voice, this time devoid of the unearthly, monstrous undercurrent. It came from somewhere above them. “I’ll show you exactly what—”
Another sound sliced through the air. It was the most awful sound that Spike had ever heard. It sounded like a wounded griffon’s death scream, but magnified one-hundred-fold, and echoing with fierce resonance. Spike shook when he heard it. For some reason, he knew that sound promised the death of dragons.
The new sound cut over Bramble and hung in the air for several seconds. It went unimpeded, lasting without interruption or pause for breath. When it died it did so quickly, with no warning.
Spike heard a low whimper and turned to see Trixie’s eyes wide with terror and shock.
“It can’t be…not him…” she whispered.
“Who?” demanded Twilight.
“Him! In his fell form! He’s here!”
Silence reigned for a few seconds before Bramble’s voice came from overhead once more. Before it had been proud and hateful; now it struck some strange balance between petulance and quiet fear.
“Master, please, I beg you, just let me kill—”
The noise burst into being once again. Spike couldn’t help but yelp at its sudden rebirth. Trixie began shaking; Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder, trying to calm her.
The sound died as suddenly as before. A few seconds passed and Bramble spoke once more. Her voice was quiet and barely audible.
“Yes, Morning. I’ll do as you say.”
Spike stood still, barely daring to hope that they could escape. The low sound of Bramble’s wings beat farther…and farther…and was lost altogether.
They were free.
Spike collapsed into the dust in sheer relief. Twilight was still trying to talk to Trixie.
“Trixie, I know you’re afraid, but we’re safe now, okay? We need to get back to Ponyville right away.”
Trixie slowly nodded. The two unicorns huddled together and walked back to Ponyville. Spike followed.
The remainder of their journey proved uneventful. They broke free from the oppressive branches of Everfree and walked back into Ponyville under the dimming stars. At the edge of town, Twilight turned to face Spike.
“Spike, I’ve been meaning to ask. What is that box?”
“Oh, this? Something I found at Zecora’s. I think it’s magic. It warded away my fire, and Bramble’s poison too!”
He held it up for Twilight to see. She studied it, recognition dawning on her face.
“I’ve seen these designs before. Zecora showed me. They’re an enchantment passed down by a certain zebra tribe…the countermeasure is almost impossible to figure out on your own, but deceptively simple to perform.”
Twilight’s horn glowed, and the designs began rippling in the presence of her magic. However, as they shifted, Twilight began speaking words in Zebrican, and her magic glowed a soft, pleasant white. The brass designs turned a similar whitish color, and Spike watched openmouthed as they ran backwards like water across the box, retreating from the wood and returning into the central lock. Twilight stopped chanting when all the designs were gone, and the magic faded. A small click came from the lock.
“It’s the Amulet,” Spike said excitedly as he opened the box’s lid. “It has to be. She wouldn’t put anything that wasn’t important in here!”
His face fell as he peeked inside. There was no Amulet—only a few scraps of parchment.
“What?” he said. “We risked our lives for that?”
Twilight levitated the parchment out. One had a list of what seemed to be nonsense words like Montroose, Vesu, and Koblukk written at random in Zecora’s hoof. All of them were crossed out, except for one—Thoraumoli—which was circled and underlined.
The other parchment was also in her writing, and held only two lines of verse: The Amulet be what you seek? Then find yourself, go take a peek.
Trixie glanced over Twilight’s shoulder at their prize. “What does this mean?” she asked.
“I can’t say. But I think we have a ways to go,” Twilight sighed. She returned the parchment to the box. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go to the library.”
As the two mares trotted off, Spike slowly closed the box’s lid. He shook his head. Zecora’s tendency towards rhyme and cryptic comments was usually something he found charming, but now it was just a pain.
He turned wistfully back to look at the forest, where her home sat in ruins, and froze.
A shadowy figure stood on top of the hill near the edge of Ponyville, only a few steps out of the Everfree Forest. It formed a silhouette against the starry sky.
The figure’s dark outline was difficult to see, but Spike thought it was a pony. From the height and build it was likely a stallion, one of average size.
The figure shifted and Spike took an involuntary step back. Its head turned in his direction for a few seconds before the figure slowly turned and walked back into the Everfree Forest. It was swallowed by the night.
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As always, please fave/upvote the story if you like it! It means so much to me!
Also, don't be afraid to comment! I love getting feedback and I try to respond to every comment my readers make.
It's getting interesting now.
But with enemies of this scale involved, Celestia and Luna are going to have to get involved.
2686540
Gahaha, speculation! I love it! Hmmm...what weight class do you think Bramble in her fell form ranks as? Strong enough to call in the ruler of the land?
First off, it's usually not a good idea to have such a high frequency of paragraphs that start with the same word.
Secondly, your action scenes are exciting, but kinda long-winded. Consider looking for chunks that aren't necessary. In this chapter, having Twilight put up a shield and throw rock chunks at Bramble was just drawing things out. It feels especially monotonous when they're fighting the same villain again.
Nothing to critique here, this is just where I fangasmed. It was better than watching Bilbo Baggins attack that Orc, and half as awesome as watching Kick-Ass fight off three thugs.
And is this potential bonding between Trixie and Spike? And Trixie saving Spike's life? Forget every criticism I left in chapter one.
2688691
I'll take that to mind. I'm a fan of big action sequences (as if you couldn't tell) but sometimes I let myself get carried away. I'll try to keep things more concise in the future.
And trust me: future fight scenes will shake things up a bit.
Awesome!
2689764
Why thank'ee kindly.
I'm beginning to see that Spike is going to be playing a much bigger role than I anticipated. He was all over that monster!
Swashbucklist makes some good points, though I didn't notice the Spike thing until he pointed it out. I have the same problem. Mix it up a bit!
When Twilight did the trick with the ponified fire, all I was thinking was the river scene in Fellowship of the Ring.
Nice going! Keep it up!
2691115
I didn't notice the paragraph thing on my own either, but on a re-read I went
Thanks for continuing to read and comment! I'll keep the chapters coming!
If Disord has been rehibilitated in this story twilight should enlist his help. because really, if your not the weilders of the elements of fricken Harmony than you dont fuck with chaos incarnate. Unless of course your crazy
or stupid
(no offence,derpy)
2724109>>2724276
Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you like the story! As for a rehabilitated Discord, this story takes place mid-season-three: "Magic Duel," "Wonderbolts Academy," and "Sleepless in Ponyville" have already happened, but "Keep Calm and Flutter On" hasn't yet.
So no walking chaos plot device for Twilight, unfortunately.
This sounds awesome! I faved and saved for later. I am seriously reading this! Just the description alone made me want to
3038048 Glad you like!
3042383 Glad you wrote it!
It's a shame to see this is listed as being 'on hiatus'. I've really enjoyed this so far.
Ah, well. Best I can do is hope this updates sometime in future.
3561582
I don't plan on dumping it! It's just that real life has a nasty habit of sneaking up on me lately.
I appreciate the fave, and I hope to someday update this again for you! 
This is definitely one of my most favorite fics ever
this deserves way more likes and faves!!
3570631
Thank you! I hope not to fail you later!
OK as much as I am enjoying this story I did find one thing that kinda bugged me
they said in the show that a Dragon Migration was a once in a lifetime thing. Its a bit too soon for another to be occurring. But really that's my only problem with this so far, and considering this is chapter 3, that's pretty impressive. Everything about this story is Pure EPIC! Please don't stop writing any time soon.