Chapter 1: Occurrence at the Border

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This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.

Twilight Sparkle breathed in happily, and looked out at the sea of clouds, red, pink and gold with the rising sun.

“Spike, you gotta come see this!” she shouted back into the room they shared.

“Twi. Trying. To. Sleep.” answered back a peeved off baby dragon's voice.

Twilight ignored his grumpiness and looked back over the balcony. The sky from this height was so beautiful and rare to see for a unicorn, niegh anypony except for pegasi, to see.

Twilight reminded to thank Princess Celestia again in her next letter to her. She had constantly sent her mentor letters of what happened so far and how thankful she was to her for this fun birthday present. Twilight remembered when Princess first gave her the small card with two tickets for an all-expense paid vacation to Romaneia. At first, Twilight was sad she couldn't bring the other mares on the trip with her, but she was extremely excited to go. Her friends all agreed that she needed a vacation away from Ponyville, and this sounded like a great change of pace.

Twilight thought about the country and became even more excited. She had been reading up on the country of Romaneia for quite some time, asking the Princess about it in many letters. Twilight was interested in the country not just because it was so different from Equestria, but also because it was the home of some of the strongest unicorn mages in pony history. It was even speculated that Twilight's loved hero, Starswirl the Bearded, came from Romaneia.

Twilight took one last deep breath of the morning air and walked back into the airliner's room, closing the balcony door behind her. She walked to her bed and gently nuzzled the lump in the sheets.

“Twilight! Stop it!” the lump giggled, obviously ticklish.

Twilight smiled and kept at it, the young dragon's giggles becoming louder until he finally threw the covers off of him.

“Stop! Stop! I'm up!” he ceded, wimping the tears of mirth from his eyes. “So what are we going to do today, Twilight? Maybe some more swimming? Or that all-day buffet downstairs...” he drooled.

Twilight gently closed his mouth with a sisterly hoof. “Actually, we're landing today.”

“Really?!”

True, the airliner had been fun. There had been plenty of fun to be had, from the shuffleboard, to the various eateries on the ship that always had some sort of entertainment, and even to swimming in the ship's pool which had a bottom made out of thick windows. It had always scared Twilight to swim in it, to see the open sky underneath her, but it was also a sort of rush.

Alas, it all had to end eventually. The three days of fun they spent on the ship was coming to a close today, only to be replaced by greater fun and adventures.

Twilight walked over to the bedside table and opened up its top drawer. Inside, was a small, hoof-written itinerary.

“10:00 AM. Land in Oatadea. Site-see and shop until Noon. Then board shuttles to travel to Clip-Nacloppa to stay night. Make sure to have all luggage and passports ready.” Twilight read aloud before glancing to the clock on the table. It read '8:30.'

“Come on Spike, let's go get breakfast before we pack up!”

“Sure thing Twi! Where are we going to eat?”

“I was thinking the Haycake house on the third floor.”

“I wanted to go back to that Tail resturant! It was so good!”

“That stuff that made me breath fire?!? That was too hot to be good.”

The two walked out of the room still squabbling friendly, Twilight shutting and magically locking the door behind her. They traveled down corridor after corridor of plushy opulence. The Princess's gift had not been cheap. Celestia had pulled all the stops for her prized student, sending her away on the fanciest and most qualified airliner service she find.

Twilight thought about this again, while still playfully teasing Spike until they came to the haycake restaurant. Twilight and Spike had a delightful breakfast, Twilight eating a bowl of fruit salad while Spike devoured a stack of haycakes. When they were done, Twilight put the breakfast on her tab that Celestia paid for. The duo cheerfully went back up to their room to pack up, arriving there a little after 9:00.

Twilight and Spike had both packed lightly, since they only expected to traveling for a little over a week. Twilight had all her things in her saddlebags, which were basically her bit bag and a few things; the itinerary, a small camera Rarity had given her, a translation guide, a small traveler's guide of the significant landmarks, her and Spike's passports, and a letter from Princess Celestia if anything went bad. Spike had also packed some things too, just they were worn in a small pouch around his neck. The items were small trinkets, but very important to him; a few gem shards, a couple of bits, some parchment, and a stick of charcoal for writing.

Packing went fairly quickly, so they focused on clearing up the room, not wanting to be rude. They finished that shortly too and soon became bored.

Twilight glanced at the clock again. It was just 9:30. They had 30 minutes to kill, but what to do?

“Can we go to the pool deck one last time Twi?” Spike asked pleadingly.

Twilight glanced at the clock again, worrying a little. Then she let it go and shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, why not?”

They left the room, Twilight leaving the door open, showing the housekeeping ponies on the ship that they had left the room for the last time. They descended a floor and walked towards fore of the ship until they came out onto a warm, sun-filled deck.

The pool was built into the boat and ponies swam and lounged around it in the morning sun. Twilight thought it was surprising it could be so warm above the clouds, but still found it pleasant. She and Spike walked to the pool's side and grabbed a pool chair. Twilight put their things under the chair while Spike cannonballed into the pool and swam to some foals that waved him over. Twilight shook her head, sitting down in the chair, relaxing in the warm sunlight. She closed her eyes and wished that this would never end, knowing that this was the good life.

But all good things must come to an end, or at least make way for better things.

Twilight perked her head up from the chair when the ship's intercom buzzed and popped.

“Hi folks, this is your captain speaking. It's a gorgeous morning and we're set to land in 10 minutes. If you're out on deck, I'd like for you all to come inside while we make our decent. Thank you for your understanding.”

Twilight started to get up out of the chair lazily, stretching and popping her joints. Spike walked over to her, drying himself off with a towel belonging to the ship.

“Are you all dried off?” she asked as she grabbed their stuff from under the chair.

“Enough.” Spike said throwing his towel in a receptacle as they walked inside to a communal dining area.

The wait was short as the captain came on the intercom again “It's been fun flying with all of you folks. Welcome to Romaneia.”

Twilight and Spike practically sprinted out of the airliner. They came out into the same warm sunlight, but the sea of clouds was gone. Instead, lush, green mountains surrounding a small town that glistened in the sun replaced the clouds. Twilight's and Spike's eyes grew big as they took in the scenery. They looked at each other and hugged.

“We made it!” Twilight squealed.

Spike escaped out of her hug and excitedly hopped up onto her back. “Come on Twi! Let's go!”

They duo sped off the boat and into the town, looking at all the shops and lovely buildings. They had straw roofs like the homes in Ponyville, yet the overall architecture of the houses was different.

“Wow, they look like ginger-bread houses!” Spike said. “Reminds me of Hearth's Warming Eve.........”

“Well let's see what these ginger-bread stores have to offer!” Twilight replied just as excitedly.

They shopped for what seemed like a short time, but Twilight became anxious when Spike pointed out the time. It was 11:45, and they didn't know where the bus station was.

Twilight dropped the hoofcrafted dress she was looking at and sped out of the store without a second thought, not hearing the yelling that followed her from the store's owner. She looked around the square of the town frantically and raced over to a pony selling flowers from a stall.

“Excuse me? Do you know where the bus station is?”

The pony was an elder stallion with a mustache who looked confused when Twilight asked him so much. “I.....no.....speak...” he said in a thick eastern accent, pantomiming speaking with his hooves.

“Oh! Right.” Twilight uttered. She removed the translation guide from her saddlebags and flipped until she found the words she wanted. She tried speaking the fragmented sentence out to the shop-keeper, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

“No...speak..” he repeated.

Twilight decided to just open the book to the right pages and show him the words, hoping he could read.

He read quickly, and shook his head in realization. He raised a hoof and pointed to eastern side of the square, where sure enough, two large metal gates and a sign that had the words for 'bus station' in Romaneinan on it, stood.

Twilight looked in the book one last time to find out how to thank him. Then she turned around and started running off towards the station, before running into a bag-full of vegetables.

Twilight collided with the bag and the Romaneina filly who held them.

“Oh my gosh! Are you alright?” Twilight uttered.

The filly said something in Romaneian and then started picking up the spilled vegetables.

Twilight and Spike helped her put them back into the bag and the little filly turned to Twilight. She stuttered out an accented “Thank You” in Equestrian. Before giving Twilight a big hug. Twilight was taken aback at first, but smiled and hugged the filly back.

The filly left with her vegetables and Twilight let Spike climb onto her back. She cast a glance and looked back at the filly walking away in the crowd and sighed.

“Awwww, she just about Applebloom's age.”

“Um, Twi? Shouldn't we be in a hurry?”

“Why is that Spi......THE BUS!!!!!” Twilight realized with a start, racing carefully through the crowds She burst through the gates of the station and went straight to the ticket-mare.

“Could you tell me where the noon bus for all passengers of the airliner is?” Twilight asked her breathlessly.

The mare had a light green coat, a blonde mane, and was chewing something. She lazily looked at a magic chart on her desk. The chart changed with every bus arrival or departure.

“Oh, I'm shorry, the noonday buss hash left already.” she said, Twilight deflating at the words.

“I could transhfer your tickets to another bus.” the ticket-mare continued, quickly scribbling something down on two pieces of thin paper.

“Really?”

“Yesh, but you'd have to hurry.” she said, dunking the pieces of paper in a jar of fluid that turned them gold when they were pulled out.

“It's a public bus and it leavesh the third terminal in two minutes.” she finished handing the two tickets to Twilight.

The lavender unicorn was relieved. “Thank you so much! Goodbye!”

The ticket-mare waved. “Revedere.” she replied back in Romaneian.

Twilight and Spike got on the bus mere seconds before it was to leave. They were reprimanded by the driver for that, but brushed off his curses in Romaneian and had their tickets punched. Elated and tired from the sprint and close-call, Spike and Twilight grabbed the first two seats on the bus. They chatted excitedly for a minute or two, but the atmosphere of the bus slowly killed their conversation.

Twilight looked around fully for the first time, noticing that the bus was actually quite grimy. It ran on solar energy like all other buses, but it seemed all the sunshine and happiness stopped at the magical voltaic cells. The bus was filled with quiet ponies, some dressed in shabby clothes, and all were just as dirty as the bus.

This was strange. Where was all the niceness, the sublime beauty that was seen in the town? All these ponies on the bus looked sad, many even looked ill, and not the kind of illness that would go away with a night of sleep and some good soup. Twilight had never seen ponies like this. She felt as if she had entered a new world. One that wasn't the bright, happy one she was used to.

“No,” she told herself, shaking such thoughts away. “sure these ponies are.... a little down on their luck, but they'll get help right? I mean there are ponies like this in Canterlot.....but not so much....”

Indeed, the bus was filled with sick and dirty ponies. It felt less like a public bus, and more like a hearse.

She looked over at Spike to find him watching the scenery pass outside, trying to be oblivious to the bus and its passengers. Twilight decided to follow suit, picking out the book of famous attractions and landmarks across Romaneia.

The bus went on for miles, the sun falling to the horizon in the process. It passed through the gorgeous mountains Twilight and Spike had first viewed when coming out of the airliner, and out into the valley roads. The roads themselves could explain a lot about Romania. As they went up into the mountains, they were beautiful, but with one turn, they turned into gravely and brown muck. This continued on throughout the journey into the valleys, only those roads had large pot holes.

When the bus went over another pot hole, Twilight had her book come crashing to her face and Spike hit the window with his head. Both muttering obscenities under their breaths, they braced for another pothole.

They both grumbled at the pain they felt caused by the horrible suspension of the bus, but their pain evaporated as they heard a loud crash near the back of the bus and a gasp that would scare anypony.

Twilight and Spike looked back in curiosity, only to find fear. An elderly mare in a shawl had fallen to the aisle of the bus. A younger mare sat in her seat, tears streaming down her face, biting her lip. Twilight was shocked. She quickly stood up and rushed to the mares. She looked at the mare on the ground and felt for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Then she looked up to the crying mare.

The mare had two long blonde braids that made up her mane, but her coat was a dusty orange, with brown splotches. Her eyes reflected her horror as Twilight looked into them.

“It's ok” Twilight said taking the mare's shaking hoof in hers. “I can help her.”

The mare looked at Twilight, her eyes growing even wider and her tears coming in rivets down her cheeks. She quickly glanced up to the front of the bus and then at Twilight again. She pressed her eyes closed and started to silently sob. Twilight tried to pull her into a hug, but she resisted with all her being.

“Hkelp hker.” the mare whispered to Twilight before breaking down into crying in silence.

Twilight stood up and looked around. She shouted to all the passengers. “I need a blanket! Does anypony have a blanket?”

Somepony poked her on the hoof. She turned and was surprised to find the stallion from the flower stall who had helped her find the bus station in Oataeda. He handed her a thick woolen blanket.
Twilight went to grab it, but the stallion pulled her close to him hardly.

“Don't....speak...” he whispered in his accent, handing her the blanket and releasing his hard grip on her hoof. Twilight looked to him in shock, but he only put a hoof to his lips and shook his head; the universal sign for 'be quiet.'

Twilight quickly wrapped up the elderly mare in silence. She took the mare's shawl and rolled it into a small pillow and put it under her head. From what Twilight could find with her limited medical expertise, the mare had a bad fever. The best thing the lavender unicorn was keep her warm and comfortable. Without a true doctor, this mare could die. Twilight cringed at the thought. She turned to the front of the bus and walked up the aisle of the bus to the driver with a purpose.

“Excuse me? Sir?” she asked the pudgy stallion who had his beady little eyes fixed on the road. He seemed like he was aiming to hit every pot hole he could. He hit another one before quickly darting an eye to view Twilight.

“What is it?” he said nastily.

“Somepony back there is sick. I think she needs to see a doctor, or she could die.” Twilight said, gulping down the feeling of being sick herself.

The driver's demeanor lightened from a nasty frown, to a sad look.

“Don't worry miss.” he said with more gentleness than Twilight though he had. “We're going to stop at a checkpoint in a short while. Whoever is sick will get help.”

Twilight headed back to her seat with Spike trying to fight a feeling of sickness and grief. She sat down silently next to Spike, who watched her with a mix of curiosity and worry. Then Twilight broke into a series of silent sobs, much like the mare at the back of the bus. She felt a small purple and green claw on her shoulder as Spike pulled her into a brotherly embrace. Twilight scooped him up and cried quietly for a time. She didn't know why she cried, but she knew it shouldn't have been like this. What happened? Everything was so normal this morning? When had her world gone to Tartarus?

Celestia's sun was setting as the bus pulled up to a squat, gray building sitting on top of a crest of one of the valley. The building had a bar that blocked the road and had ponies in combat fatigues that stood guarding the building. One was in a boxy room that operated the bar, one was on the roof of the building with a high tech crossbow, and three came out of the drab building as the bus pulled up.

As one, the poor ponies in the back rose and filed out of the bus, making Twilight and Spike scared. Were they supposed to follow them? Should they stay there? What was going on?!?

The one of the three ponies filed the passengers into the building, while the other two approached the bus. The got on and the driver started speaking to one of them in Romaneian, while the other cast a suspicious glance to Twilight and Spike. The first army-pony passed by the duo, but the next came up to them.

“You two.” he said in fragments. “Go in building, Chief will talk with soon.” then he went off to join his comrade who was picking up the sick mare to take her off the bus. Twilight and Spike decided to heed the soldiers words and they left the bus to walk outside for the first time in hours.

Twilight would have loved the chance to stretch and walk about any other time, but the outside seemed as oppressive and scary as the bus had been. The sky was already dark, not from the sunset, but from the dark storm clouds rolling in, telling it would rain tonight. It also felt a little chilly, putting shivers in Twilight's spine. She slowly approached the door into the gray juggernaut as the bar was lifted and the bus sped to the other side of it only to stop when it was clear of the bar. The bar went back down and the bus waited, while Twilight walked into the building with a scared Spike clutching her neck and sitting on her back.

She entered through the door to find out it led down a long unlit corridor. She followed it, taking every twist and turn with apprehension, until she spotted a white light around one last turn. She took a left and came into a room with two more guards. The room was bright, but still felt cold. It was sterile, much like the hospital in Ponyville, but it felt more.....sinister.

The guards looked at Twilight and Spike surprised. They chatted to each other in Romaneian, before one spoke to a magical communications device on his fatigue. Another static-y voice spilled out of the communicator, speaking Romaneian quickly. Both guards looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

One guard went over to the door in front of Twilight on the opposite side of the room and closed it. It slammed shut with a metallic 'CLANG'. Twilight started to panic before she saw the other guard going to a door on the right wall of the room and opening it up, waving Twilight over as he did.

Twilight followed the first guard, while the other guard followed behind in single file. They walked down a normal sized corridor which was well lit and had white-washed walls. The feel of normalcy started to dispel Twilight's panic. Twilight felt even more secure as they came out to a larger room that had looked like a normal office. They passed through the room and down another wing that had many doors on the walls. The first guard stopped in front of one room and pulled a ring of keys out from one pocket. He unlocked the room and the other guard gently pushed the duo towards the open door. Twilight went into the room.

The room was like the rest of the building, well lit, yet eerily cold. However, there were some slight differences. In the center of the room stood a table with one seat on each side of it. The two walls on either side of the door were made of dark glass from chest-up. Twilight turned around when she heard one of the guards clear his throat.

“La Chief vill be hkere soon.” he said before closing the door in Twilight's face.

Twilight walked over to the table and stood in front of it. What was going on? She felt like she was safe now, that she could get some help; then why did this place feel like nothing but bad news? Why was she so scared? Those military ponies were just there to help. At least she thought so.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened up to reveal an older stallion that wore the same fatigues, but with different markings. Twilight could tell he was the leader not from the guards telling her so, but because he walked with command.

He closed the door behind himself and walked over to Twilight and Spike. He had a dark green coat and a darker green mane.

“Sit. Please.” he said as he pulled on chair out of the table, offering it to Twilight. Spike hopped off of Twilight and quickly scampered onto the chair and then onto the table. Twilight silently took the offered chair, sitting down in unsure what to think. She was comforted though, when a small dragon sitting on the table put his clay over her hoof.

The 'chief' sat at the other side of the table, slowly putting his hooves onto the table.

“Hello, my name is General Tin. As you can tell from my title I am a general in the Romaneian army.” he said politely, but with authority. “I came to this minor stop for a routine check up only to find a surprise waiting for me. Would you like to tell me who you are and how you came to be on board a worker's shuttle?”

Twilight gulped trying to think of what to say first, but the small claw on her hoof tightened, helping her calm her anxiety. She took a deep breath.

“I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's protegee and the Bearer of the Element of Magic.” she said introducing herself first, then pointing to Spike. “This is Spike, he's like my little brother. We both come from Equestria and we got on that bus by accident. There was a mix up with buses....” Twilight explained, General Tin nodding his head understandingly.

“If you are who you say you are, could you show me some form of identification?”

“Of course!” Twilight said reaching into her saddlebags with her telekinesis. She fished around for her bit bag, which held their money and passports.

Twilight smiled knowing they could get out of there safely and that this was all an accident, until she couldn't find it.

She nervously laughed to the General who looked on with a growing frown. Twilight took off her saddlebags and dumped their contents onto the table.

“Where is it, where is it?” she said frantically searching for the small bag. Then she realized. The filly with the flowers. She must have taken it. It was the only way it could be gone. That thieving motherbucker!

Twilight nervously smiled. “It appears they have been stolen....But don't worry!” she said her eyes darting between the General and the now frozen-stiff Spike.

“I have a letter from Princess Celestia explaining my station.” she said floating it to the General out of the pile of stuff.

The General took it stoically and read it with a solid frown.

“This would be redeeming evidence.” he said slowly. “If I was not told you were fraternizing with the workers. Getting them riled up?”

“What? No, there was a little old mare....”

The General rose crumpling up the letter in anger. “How do I not know you are a spy of those damn rebels? How do I not know this letter is a clever fake?” he said throwing the crumpled letter to the floor, yelling at Twilight.

Twilight was too stunned to say anything.

“No, I KNOW you are a spy sent by that damn Gogol. He has been sending people like you for the last three months, and they have been nothing but trouble. Destroying the roads. Stealing our documents. Harming my soldiers by poison and foul-play. But the foolish spies are not invincible!” he spat accusignly at Twilight.
“Do you know what happens to them?” he said leaning towards Twilight, threateningly. “We get every one of them.” he whispered in her ear.

Twilight's eyes grew wide with fear. This was a vacation! Princess Celestia said the letter would be her fail-safe, her get home free card! Why was this happening?!?!?!?!?

Twilight turned her head when she heard a loud slap. She saw Spike standing on the table, his chest heaving. She saw the General leaning back, holding his cheek with one hoof, glaring at Spike.

“Don't you talk to my sister that way!” Spike said heroically in defense of Twilight.

The General simply raised his hoof and smacked Spike off the table. Spike flew through the air and hit a wall with an 'Umph!' as the General muttered. “Runt.”

Twilight broke out of her trance of fear. Somepony can threaten her all they want, and they can even attack her, but NOPONY lays a hoof on Spike!

Twilight acted out of anger and instinct, blasting the General head-on with a strong magical blast. He was thrown off of his hooves and through the glass, shattering it and falling into the next room.

Twilight rushed over to Spike.

“Spike are you ok?”

He groggily rose bracing himself against the wall, rubbing his neck.

“I think so. That was one heck of a spell Twi.” he said looking at the broken window.

Twilight gasped and threw Spike on her back. She plodded over to the window slowly. She looked into the other room with horror. She couldn't live with herself if she killed another pony, nay, another living creature. She always knew how strong she was with magic, but when he hit Spike.....

She looked at the crumpled body of the General, cut up by glass shards and scaring Twilight with every second. She had to know.

“Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike exclaimed as Twilight climbed over the low wall into the room. The force of her spell had blasted all the glass outwards into the room. The power of the spell could be seen by the amount of glass shards embedded into the wall opposite of where the window once was.

Twilight stepped on the broken glass, each step crunching until she reached the General's body. She felt for a pulse and checked for a breath, and sighed. He had been knocked out and wounded, but not dead.

She slumped with relief before Spike gasped loudly and pointed further into the room. This was the first time Twilight truly took in the sights of the new room. It was sterile like the last, but it had metal gurneys in it and it led into another room by a small aperture. Twilight saw what Spike gasped at, and she thought she would be sick.

Past the opening in the wall was a metal gurney. On that gurney laid a large black mass. Or at least that's what it looked like at first, until the pair had noticed the open zipper at the top. It was a black body bag, and from the opening, the old mare from the bus could be seen.

Spike jumped off of Twilight and walked through the aperture. He uttered a loud “Oh Celestia!” when her rounded the corner. Twilight followed quickly, but numbly. She too muttered “Oh Celestia!” before throwing up on the floor when she saw what was in the room.

There were gurneys that almost covered the entire room, and on each one was a large black bag. All were zipped closed with thick black tape covering the zipper and zipper train. Some of the bags were distorted and bloated, showing they had been there for quite a while. Twilight assumed she had just found out where the spies had gone.

Twilight curled up into a ball on the floor away from her vomit and started to cry. Spike held her in a hug and cried too. They did not cry loud pangs of loss and sadness, but of a soft cry of fear, of being totally scared. They cried in silence when they heard the the glass start to crunch and Romaneian swearing. The pair closed their eyes and held each other tight, wishing to be away from this deceptive land and to be home.

They opened their eyes once more when they head a door open and slam shut, knowing that they were safe, for now.

“Twilight, we have to get out of here.” Spike said, drying his tears and trying to put on a brave face. “Let's sneak out while the General is gone looking for us.”

Twilight rose feeling sick to her stomach, but determined to escape this horror. She nodded at Spike's plan, and she started to walk out of the room of sadness, Spike following her. They crossed over the broken glass and the wall back into the original room. Spike slowly inched the door open and looked up and down the hall.

“Let's go Twi. I don't see anypony.” he said waving her on.

They snuck down the hall back to the room that looked like an office, and they both noticed a large rain streaked window. It overlooked the valley below it and the foothills that rose beyond. Spike rushed to the window and pointed out to a hill.

“Twilight, do you think you could teleport us there?”

“I....I think so, just.....just give me a minute.”

She started to collect the magic within herself, but kept losing it as she lost her focus thinking about the dead bodies. So many bodies......

She broke down again, but Spike comforted her.

“Come on Twi. You beat Nightmare Moon, you stopped a Ursa Minor, you stopped Discord, and even helped stop the Changeling invasion! This is just one little teleport! You can do this Twi, I know you can.”

Twilight sniffeled and tried to collect the magic within herself again. She almost had it when the General broke into the room with eleven armed soldiers who must have been stationed at the building.

“Hold it right there, rebel scum.” he said as his soldiers took aim at the two with their hi-tech crossbows. Twilight and Spike instinctively put up their hooves and claws, respectively.

“You spies have been a plague on me for too long. With you two we are going to find Gogol and put this whole Faust-damned rebellion down! Take them away.”

“Wait!” Twilight said quickly.

“What is it?”

“If we tell you where Gogol is now, will you let us go?”

The Generaly looked smuggishly bemused. “Go ahead and tell us now, you might get your freedom..”

“Let me talk to Spike first, we both know only half of the directions to Gogol.”

The General's eyes narrowed. “Quickly, or you die on the spot.”

Twilight inched closer to Spike, bent down and whispered to him. “I can't teleport yet, I don't have enough energy.”

“That's fine, I got a plan that 'ill give them something to occupy themselves.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you just summon a strong wind that will blow towards them when I give you the signal. Then you get ready to teleport. I'll take care of the rest.”

“Alright. I love you Spike.”

“I love you too, Twilight.”

They broke apart from their hug-huddle and the General looked at them expectantly, not feeling the breeze Twilight had stealthily summoned.

“Well, where is he?” he asked with finality.

“I've always wanted to do this...” Spike said a little too happily for the situation.

The General looked at him in surprise. “You always wanted to betray Gogol?”

“Nope.” Spike said taking a deep breath.

“THIS!” he shouted, blowing out a gout of his strongest flame. Twilight reacted accordingly to Spike's plan, creating a breeze that fed the fire and directed it into the group of soldiers.

All the soldiers were caught off guard by the sudden blaze. Some caught fire and ran around while the rest ran out of the room now coated in flames.

“Spike I'm ready, let's go!” Twilight called to the dragon who was proudly admiring his clawwork. He ran over to Twilight who's horn was glowing with powerful magics.

Fate, however had other ideas. Out of the flames burst a cut up, and now burned, General Tin. He grabbed the baby dragon by the scruff o his neck with his teeth. However, he didn't stop there. He followed the momentum of his jumping-dash, and bucked Twilight square in the chest.

This time, Twilight was the one to get thrown through a window. The force of the buck threw her off her hooves and through the window and also stealing her breath.

“TWILIGHT!!!!!!” Spike screamed from the now receding building.

Twilight tried to answer, but her lack of breath made it impossible. Tears fell up from her eyes as she fell from the cliff, smacking her head on a rock and teleporting away.

Spike looked out over the cliff from his prison within the General's teeth. He tried to free himself by clawing, scratching, and breathing flame onto the antagonistic muzzle, but that only earned him a hard hoof to the back of his head.

“Twilight.....” he cried one last time before blacking out.

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Three valleys away, a large flash of purple and a smoking crater in the muddy fields signified Twilight's landing. She looked around slowly and unclearly, feeling a splitting pain in her skull. She closed her eyes again. She felt the cold rain hit her coat and soak her to the bone, but it didn't matter anymore. Spike was gone. She didn't know where she was. The only thing that was left was death. She sunk lower into the mud and cried hard.

She didn't stop until she heard some voices calling out in Romaneian. Oh great, now the soldiers had found her. She wiped her face. If Spike didn't give up without a fight, then neither would she. She pulled herself up on her forehooves and charged up her horn.

The Romaneian ponies came into sight, or what could be called Twilight's sight which was extremely dark and blurry, both from the stormy night and her head injury. She fired an unstable ball of energy at the ponies, which completely missed them, but alerted them to where she was. One of the ponies carried a lantern and from what little light it gave off, Twilight could see they didn't wear the fatigues of the soldiers.

She slumped back into the mud and fell unconscious wondering who they were.

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Twilight woke up some time later dry and warm in a bed of cushions. She tried to open her eyes, only to get fleeting images of her surroundings and an incredible pain in her skull. She heard more voices out side of whatever shelter she was currently in.

A wooden door opened and she heard a Romaneian yell what sounded like obscenities back at the other voices. The voice was rough and commanding, and so were the hoofsteps that followed as the pony came inside and sat on the cushions near her hooves. However, the hoofsteps were light and the way the pony sat down was gentle, trying its best not to cause Twilight any unnecessary pain.

The voice spoke again, but this time in an accented Equestrian, that sounded vaguely pleasing to Twilight.

“I know you are awake Equestriani. Can you use your magic?” the voice asked.

It was now obvious that the speaker was a stallion, but whether it was a friend or foe, she didn't know.

“I think so.” Twilight said softly.

“How about a small flame?”

Twilight raised her head gently and produced a small flame on the tip of her horn. The stallion stuck something in it for a few seconds then removed it.

“Ok, you can put it out now.” he said as he breathed in deeply from something.

Twilight put out her flame and wondered what he was doing. Her wonders were answered a few seconds later when she smelled something that made her angry.

She opened her eyes quickly, ignoring the pain and trying to get a glance of the stallion.

“You asked a wounded unicorn to use magic to light your cigarette?!?!” Twilight yelled at him, her eyesight slowly going back to normal.

“You ain't so bad Equestriani.” the stallion said as he took another drag of his cigarette.

Twilight raised her hooves to her eyes to rub them and to clear the rest of her sight. The movement hurt, but it was worth it to find out who this pony was.

Twilight glared straight at a large stallion who looked a little bored and was smoking, lokking him up and down. Large wasn't the best term to describe him, Twilight decided. He was toned, but not as muscular as Big Mac. It was more of his......presence. He FELT like he took up about three times the room he actually needed, yet he looked completely oblivious to this quality of himself. Twilight looked him up and down again taking in his personal details. His coat was a dark gray, like lead, while he had large patches which were a lighter gray, a dirty silver color. He wore a tan leather vest that was made very artfully upon his chest and a dirty brown cabbie cap upon his head. His chocolate brown mane and tail were much longer than that of an Equestrian stallion's, but they were still cut short enough to be considered a 'colt's manecut'. However, his mane was billowy and had the slightest bit of natural curling to it, giving it a wild look. Twilight thought it looked good.

The stallion noticed the attention he was getting from the mare and he turned to face her, his golden-green eyes lighting up as he gave her a foolish smile.

“Like what you see, frumos?” he said, his cigarette dangling off of his lip.

Twilight frowned at the ashes he was spilling all over the blanket that covered her, so she put out the cigarette with a small amount of telekinesis.

He gave a wink to Twilight and laughed before turning away and trying to take a drag on the cigarette.

Twilight bit her cheeks when he tried again and again, finally looking at the tip of the cigarette, noticing it out with puzzlement and some frustration. He turned to Twilight again.

“Could you do your little flame again for me, please?”

“Buck off.”

He rose from his seat swearing in Romaneian and went over to the lamp hanging from the center of the room. He opened a little door on the side of it and re-lit the cigarette. He took a drag and then walked back to where he was sitting and sat down again.

“Now that you're fully awake,” he said waving a hoof over Twilight's 'bed'. “and I have my cigarette lit, I'd like to ask you a few questions.”

Remembering what happened after the last time she was asked a few questions, she cut him off.

“No. First, I ask you a question.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Do all Equestriani have such chutzpah? Bah, go ahead, ask away.” he said taking another drag.

“Who are you? Where am I? Are there any soldiers around?”

Again his eyebrows raised. “Why would you want to know about soldiers?”

“Answer my questions, or you get no answers from me.” Twilight said fiercely.

The monochromatic stallion sighed. “Alright. First off, there are no soldiers here. They never come here because we don't let them find us. Second, you are 40 miles away from Targu Mareses, the second biggest city in Romaneia and a stepping stone to the capital, Bitarest.” he said. Then he stood up again and looked at Twilight.

“Finally,” he said as he bowed to her. “In your language, I am known as Red Star, as per my mark.” he said standing up straight and then turning and showing off his cutie mark with a flourish.

It was a perfect five-pointed star, a red as the thick glass that surrounded the lamp.

“Now, may I ask you some questions?”

“Why don't I just tell you how I got here.....”

Red Star pulled a cushion away from her bed and sat on it directly across from her, his eyes now serious and his demeanor changed from the fool she thought he was too a very serious thinker.

“Go. Tell your tail, frumos.”

Twilight told her tale, introducing herself in the process, but also releasing her grief and stress that had built up on her throughout this sadistic journey. When she finished the story, she was almost in tears, but Red Star seemed not to notice. He had risen from his cushion and started pacing her comfortable wooden room.

“Hmmm. Your friend Spike? I do not think Tinny will kill him. He is too important. He will take him to Emperor Pyrite. However, what Pyrite does with him, I cannot say.”

Twilight looked at him in desperation. “Why did I teleport to here? Why wouldn't I teleport to the most obvious place, my home in Ponyville?”

“That is gypsy magic for you, Twilight Sparkle.” Red Star said as he took another drag.

“What?”

Red Star came closer to Twilight.

“Did I not tell you? This place you are in, it is the real Romaneia. It is not the false land of pain and oppression that those pigs made it to be. Romaneia has always been and will always be, the land of the gypsy pony.” he said, blowing a perfect smoke ring into Twilight's face before laughing heartily.

“I'm stuck in a foreign country without a passport, without money, with my little brother KIDNAPPED and he might even DIE, and I'm also accused of being a SPY, and all you can do is LAUGH?!?!?!?”

Red Star went over to the door and opened it up wide. He threw his now smoked away cigarette out the door as the sun rose over the wet hills. It's light illuminated the room and Red Star looked back to Twilight. The rising sun made his eyes glitter to her, making her suddenly feel like everything would be all right.

“Twilight Sparkle,” he said still holding the door open. “We gypsies have a saying.” he raised a hoof. “After bad luck comes good fortune. Do not worry about your friend or your current situation. Just get some rest and know, I will help you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but you will help me as well.” he said mysteriously with the devil's grin before walking out the door and down the wooden steps.

The door closed by itself and Twilight was left wondering what he meant. However, she did agree with one thing: getting rest. She put out the lamp with a little magic and the room was encased in darkness. Twilight drifted of to an uneasy sleep, until she hear a phrase in her dreams that calmed her.

“After bad luck comes good fortune.”

Chapter 2: When Worlds Collide

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This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.

Chapter 2: When Worlds Collide

Twilight woke up in her small-cushion bed with a kink in her neck. She grimaced and stretched, getting up slowly in the dark wooden room. She wondered how anypony could sleep like that, in a small layer of cushions on an unforgiving floor. She rose to her hooves a little upset from her harsh night's sleep. She felt fully rested, but couldn't get the sick and persistant feeling out of her head.

The feeling had started within her dreams. The dreams, more like nightmares, had plagued her sleep, yet she did not wake up once. The dreams were especially strange in that Twilight actually remembered them. Usually the memories disappeared with the morning sunlight, but theses nightmares had stuck in her mind making her wonder their meaning. Were they just figment of her imagination, or could they be something more? Twilight had never been superstitious, but these dreams, they were too....real.

In these nightmares Twilight felt alone and trapped in a long plane of darkness. Then she felt herself traveling quickly though the plane without moving one hoof. Then she was jerked back and stopped while a bright, harsh white light shone down onto her from above.

In the dream, Twilight cringed at the light, and opened them up when the light started to get hot. She saw herself in the center of an illuminated circle, surrounded by the darkness she had been in. Then she heard a squeaking and a rolling as a metal gurney rolled into the illuminated circle. There was the old mare's body on it, its face turned directly at Twilight. Twilight tried to run in horror, but was frozen in place by some power of her dream. She eventually calmed down enough to stare at the face without total horror. That was true until the body spoke.

The dead mare's eyes were clouded, but her eyelids blinked over them. She coughed and started to speak in Romaneian. Twilight tried to scream, but a force blocked out her voice, much like the force holding her rooted to the ground. The mare spoke quickly and fluently, but Twilight couldn't understand a word she said.

“Please,” Twilight cried. “leave me alone!”

The dead mare shut her mouth and glared at Twilight.

“No.” she said in Equestrian, with a little pout. “Not, until the debt is paid.”

“What debt? Why don't you leave me alone???”

Other gurneys rolled into the light. They were the others from the General's slaughter, all holding the same black body bags. Twilight almost fainted when the body bags started moving, and then corpses burst from them. Many were younger stallions, but then there were the odd elderly stallions and mares. Twilight was horrified when a young filly and colt burst from a bag. She started to scream as the corpses climbed off of their gurneys and started to stumble towards Twilight. She closed her eyes in fear and screamed louder and harder.

She kept at it until a corpse said “Shut up.” as they passed her. She opened her eyes and shut her mouth as she saw all the corpses surrounding the old mare.

“Baba, baba. Baba Yaga.” they said as they greeted her.

“Hello, my friends, my brothers, my sisters.” the dead mare said to all the corpse-ponies. “Make space so I can see her.” she said to the corpses who obediently obliged, flocking behind the old mare so she could view Twilight once again. Many of the corpses did so solemnly, but quickly, wanting to please the mare. From the looks in their dead faces, they respected the mare reverently.

“I will not leave you until the debt has been paid.” the mare repeated.

“Please, I don't owe you anything!!!!! Just leave me alone!!!”

The mare shook her head. “It is not you who must pay a debt....”

The dead mare's words were the last Twilight head before she woke.

Twilight tried to dismiss the dreams, any way she could. This entailed her creating a small aura around her horn so she could see in the darkened room. She looked around the room as it was splashed with a faint purple light.

The room was completely wooden, except for where Twilight had slept and a small rug in the center of the room. She looked up and found the red lamp hanging down from the curved ceiling by chains that extended to each corner of the room. Instead of lighting it, she just looked at it. It was ornately made, with intricate textures and lines running through the red glass and gold-colored metal that held it.

In fact, everything in the room seemed to follow the gold and red colors of the lamp. Twilight looked to the blanket she used last night, it was a deep red. The carpet underneath the lamp, again red with a gold trim and golden lattice-work running through its circular shape. Even the drapes that hung from the otherwise bare walls were dark red with golden tassels. She chuckled as she wondered what Rarity would think of this.

Rarity. The other mares. Spike. She cringed as the initial thought of Rarity leaped to her friends and her number one missing assistant. Would she ever see them again? She pondered this as she felt pangs of sadness. She let her horn go dark as tears came down her cheeks. She sobbed in the darkness, until a sound came from outside.

Light pinging of metal guitar strings created notes of beauty that soothed her. She started to feel even better when she hear some drums enter in, then a tambourine, then the unmistakeable sound of an accordion, then what sounded like a violin. She smiled when she heard a familiar rough voice enter into the song, singing in Romaneian. They played for what seemed like an eternity to Twilight, and she found that her mood was getting lighter. She even smiled when Red Star sang something in Romaneinan that made all the musicians stop playing and start laughing boisterously. Twilight was infected by the mood and had to see what they were laughing about.

Relighting her horn, she found the heavy wooden door and opened it. She covered her eyes to the mid-day sun and took a step out of the shelter. Her hooves faltered as they hit nothing but air, and she tumbled to the ground, landing hard in a small, cold mud puddle.

The laughing increased as the musicians spotted her and started pointing and laughing. Twilight was dazed from the fall, so she looked at what she had fallen out of. To her it looked like Trixie's caravan, but to the gypsy ponies it looked like home. In fact, there were wagons like that all around them. It looked like the wagons extended out into a half-circle from the one she had just fallen out of.

The caravan was made entirely out of wood, except for the door hinges and the cross-braces on the wheels. The wheels were made of wood too, but immense in size, elevating the wagon high off the ground. At its front, there were two long planks of wood that would allow ponies to pull the home. Twilight immediately saw the steps coming down from the door to the ground and realized how stupid she had just looked. She blushed in embarrassment as she looked back to Red Star and the musicians who were still laughing. They were sitting up against another caravan, under a homemade awning that drooped from the caravan's roof. There was six of them, four five stallions including Red Star and one mare.

Red Star strode over to Twilight with a smile and one of his signature cigarettes put behind one of ears. He extended a hoof to Twilight, who took it gratefully. She was lifted to her hooves, shivering from the cold mud, and Red Star walked around her, inspecting her. She blushed under his gaze.

“Good, you are not hurt. Come now Twilight Sparkle.” he said jerking his head back to the smiling musical ponies. “ Soon you will be helping us, so it would be wise to meet my friends.” he said.

Twilight was confused about what he meant about 'helping them' but Red Star turned around quickly and walked back to his friends before she could ask him. She followed him mutely until she stood shyly in front of the other ponies.

Red Star addressed the musicians. The only thing Twilight could understand from his quick Romaneinan was 'in Equestrian'. The musicians nodded in understanding some even muttering “Ahh. Ok.”

Then Red Star switched back to Equestrian. “Comrades, this is Twilight Sparkle.”

The ponies looked at her interested.

“What kind of name is Twilight Sparkle?” asked the stallion holding a small drum.

He had a light tan coat, a salt and pepper mane, and was obviously oblivious. The way he said it made Twilight shift uncomfortably, remembering bad memories from magic kindergarten. But the mare of the group who held the tambourine came to her rescue.

The pegasi mare had a windswept blue coat and an orange mane that was cut short, yet still feminine.

“Crashed Cymbal! So rude you are, you little schmuck!” she said slapping the stallion on the shoulder before getting into an argument with him, shouting in Romaneian at him.

“Forgive the younger fools Miss. Sparkle.” said the elderly pegasi stallion who held the violin. His coat was a deep blue and his mane was a sharp white.

“My name is Grafted Scroll.” he finished.

“This group of foals are my closest friends. They will help you out if you can not find me, as long as you decide to help us.”

“Wha...”

Red Star quickly pointed to the ponies, introducing them.

“You met Grafted Scroll, yes? He plays our violin. That quiet one over there is Squeeze Box.” he said pointing to a smaller stallion who held an accordion. He had a slick black mane and mustache with a hat like Red Star's. However, his horn still managed to poke out from underneath it. His coat was a muddy-gold. He waved at Twilight sheepishly.

“He doesn't know much equestrian, but can play the accordion great. That one in the back” he said pointing to a lounging stallion in the back of the group. He looked up at the sky and seemed distant, yet still plucked the strings on his guitar out of muscle memory. His coat was a shiny brown and his mane was black with specks of gold in it.

“That one is String Saddle. He is often like that drifting off. Such foolishness...” he said as her took off his hat and scrunched it up into a ball. Then he threw it, hitting String Saddle in the face.

“Oy, baybak! Get up, greet my guest.”

String Saddle sat up and waved to Twilight. “Don't hkang around him for too long. He's a meshugener.” the guitar playing pony warned.

“Oh yeah?” Red Star said challengingly.

String Saddle put down the guitar and walked right up to him. He threw the hat square in his face.

“Yeah.” the cocky stallion said, before Red Star pulled threw him to the ground. Twilight was shocked by the behavior. She was even more surprised when she was picked up from the middle and pulled away from the ground, as the stallions rolled in a fighting mess where she once was.

Twilight looked behind her to see Grafted Scroll holding her. He flew her over to where the other ponies were watching the spectacle and gently let her down.

“Again,” Grafted said. “I apologize for the way they act. Youth....” he said with a shake of his head, a shadow of a grin coming over his face.

Twilight looked at the two stallions. The rolled around in the mud and grass of the clearing throwing punches and kicks. They looked like they were trying to kill each other.

“Shouldn't we stop them?”

“Why? We both know that Red will win.” said Crashed Cymbal.

“Nu. String vill win. I have been training with him.” said the pegasi mare proudly.

“Perhaps you have not met my daughter, hmmm?” Grafted said loudly to Twilight, drawing the pegasus's attention.

“Oh, I am Streaking Comet.” she said extending a hoof. Twilight took it and almost had her leg shaken off. Streaking Comet didn't stop because she was watching the fight.

“Oh! Look String vill vin!” she said excitedly as he landed a loud blow on Red Star.

“You want to bet on that?” Crashed said slyly.

Streaking dropped Twilight's hoof to her relief.

“Sure. 40 bits String vins.”

“40 he doesn't.”

“Deal.” both ponies said as they shook hands. Then they started cheering loudly for their bet-pony in Romaneinan.

“Are you sure we shouldn't stop this?” Twilight whispered to Grafted. She was deathly afraid somepony would get hurt, but the gypsies around her seemed not to care about the seriousness of it. Two even had bets on the fight for Celestia's sake!

Grafted shook his head. “Don't worry. They do this all the time.” he said as he sat back down and picked up his violin. He started to tune it with all the care in the world.

“But somepony could get hurt!”

He arched an eyebrow and looked at her, paused in his tuning. “Pfft. You think this is a true fight? We gypsies are resilient. As the legends say 'You can not kill a gypsy by cutting him into ten pieces, you only make ten more gypsies.'”

Twilight muttered “What?” as Grafted went back to tuning his violin. Then he picked up his bow and started to play a soft, sad tune that carried on the wind.

Twilight watched the fight while listening to the tune. Was this really how they lived? It eluded Twilight how a group of ponies who made such beautiful music could be so violent. She soon saw the fight slow down and both ponies stop since they were out of breath. String was the first to rise from the ground, covered in mud and grass.

“Old one! Play something better suited to a fight! Love songs don't work!” he said cupping his hooves to his mouth.

Red Star hopped up behind him and put him into a headlock. “You idiot. Love songs are songs about fighting!”

String rolled, taking Red down to the ground again, yet he was still trapped. “How so?” he croaked out, his face starting to turn blue.

Twilight couldn't help but giggle. Here were two grown stallions carrying on a conversation about love songs while they were fighting!

“You always fight loneliness or sadness with a love song. Thus they are about fighting.” Red Star explained as he sat back, putting more pressure on String's head. String's eyes bulged and he reached up and patted his hooves on Red Star's legs. Red Star released him. String sat up and breathed deeply while Red Star stood up and brushed himself off. Crashing and Streaking engaged in a loud argument in Romaneian, most likely over the bits they bet.

Red Star strode over to Twilight and removed the cigarette that miraculously was still behind his ear.

“Would you mind, frumos?” he said breathing deeply and wagging the cigarette in front of her.

Twilight sighed and just went with it. She produced a small flame and Red lit his cigarette.

He took a deep drag, then breathed out a volley of smoke that would rival any dragon's breath.

“Vă multmesc, frumos.”

“Are you done now?”

“Why are you so angry frumos? I just won a fight!” Red said flexing.

“Can we just get moving. You keep on saying I'm going to be 'helping' you and 'working' with your friends.”

“Yes! So you are eager to help!”

“Not really.” Twilight replied coldly, putting out the cigarette with magic. “I just want to get Spike to safety.” she said feeling a pang of sadness when she thought about him. She needed to work as fast as possible. Spike might have been able to be tough in the face of danger for Twilight, but she knew he was still a baby dragon. She shuddered at the thought of what conditions Spike could be facing right now.

Red Star frowned at the cigarette and put it back behind his ear. Then he and the rest of his friends, even String Saddle followed him towards a larger caravan at the end of the half-circle.

“Come Twilight Sparkle. You will learn of what we do, and why you will want to help us. Not only for your friend, but out of goodness of your heart.”

“Horse-apples.”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“I said 'can't wait to help.'”

“Very nice!” he said as he trotted up the steps of the caravan and opened up the door. Twilight sullenly followed him and his friends inside.

The inside was much like that of the one Twilight had slept in, except for three very big exceptions. One, this room was green. Like Twilight's caravan, it had drapes, a rug, cushions, and a lamp hanging above the center of the room, but instead of red and gold, it was green and black. Second, there was a table in the center of the room that sat on top of the rug, but below the lamp. It was tall enough that ponies could sit around it on cushions and see what was on it quite comfortably. Third, the walls and table were covered in maps. There were different maps everywhere. Some were political, showing Romaneia's borders, some topographic, showing the mountains on Romaneia's western border and then the decreasing altitude of the land as it moved eastward. However, most of the maps showed routes marked out in red, with markings like red circles and writing in Romaneian.

Red Star and his friends sat around the table, Red sitting at the head of the table. Twilight followed suit, sitting down at the corner of the table next to him and Grafted Scroll.

He had a serious demeanor on his face and he looked at Squeeze Box.

“What do you have for us today?”

Squeeze unrolled a map and spread it out over the table. It was a road map of Romaneia and it had large red circles all over it. It also had a little Romaneian scribbled next to the circles. Some of the circles closer to the western border were crossed out and there were numbers next to them.

Squeeze cleared his throat and started to speak in rapid Romaneian. Red Star nodded every so often and sometimes spoke back, his voice less friendly, but more serious and down-to-business. Occasionally, their friends would speak up, getting wither a curt nod or a head shake and a few words from Red Star.

Twilight couldn't understand a word of their conversation, so she just looked at the map trying not to be rude. She looked around a little bored at the circles. They were spread out along all the side roads, but were never on the main roads and there were a lot of them. Twilight thought this was strange. What could the circles be? Toll booths? No, there would be some on the main roads too. Stops that the gypsy ponies made? Why were they crossed out then? She looked at the map and found the city She and Spike had arrived in yesterday. She felt pangs of pain when she thought about Spike, but she pushed the thoughts aside as she tried to trace where they were. She found the main road out of Oatadea and tried to follow it, but it led straight to Clip-Nacloppa. Twilight quickly found the scale of the map and did some quick math in her head. If the bus she was on was going to Clip-Nacloppa, she would've never been here. She would have been to Clip-Nacloppa before the sun had even started to sink in the sky. So where had that bus been going?

Twilight put a hoof under her chin and looked at the other roads leading out of Oatadea and tried to find the one she and Spike had traveled on last night. Finally, she found one that might have been it. She traced it until it hit one of the red circles. She quickly did the math, and found that they had stopped at the red circle. The red circles! That's what they were! Those horrible checkpoint-buildings, they were all over Romaneia. Then why were some of them crossed out? Twilight had to know.

She stood up and placed a hoof on the sinister red circle and spoke up.

“This was where Spike and I were last night. If we hurry, do you think he could still be there?” she asked the group. The stared up at her blankly and then at each other a little guiltily. Twilight had assumed that Red had told them her story.

“Miss. Sparkle, I do not think your brother will be there.” said Grafted Scroll.

“Why?” she almost cried.

“Twilight, they would have taken him to the capital by now.” Red spoke up, gently and openly.

“But we haven't done anything! Please, we need to check there! Please!” she pleaded, tears starting to spill from her eyes. Red Star took a long look at her and then broke out into a large smile.

“What do you say comrades? Infiltrate this one?”

“Well it's the closest to the capital we've ever done.” said Grafted a little apprehensively.

“Yes, but that will just send a message!” replied String Saddle.

“I don't know, I might have to agree with the old one here.” said Crashing Cymbals. “We could go after it when the rest of our caravan comes back.”

“I say we strike hard and fast! They von't know vhat got zem!” interjected Streaking Comet.

Red sat with a hoof pawing at his chin. “Squeeze, how long will it be until Golden Sickle and the rest of the caravan comes back from the shanty town?”

Squeeze tried his best Equestrian. “Fffffffoure dais.”

“And what of the checkpoint?”

“Aafffter Twii...” Squeeze made a face at Crashing and Streaking who were giggling at his bad Equestrian. He dropped trying to speak the language and switched back to his own. He spoke rapidly, and Red Star went back to stroking his chin.

“What did he say?” Twilight whispered to Grafted Scroll.

“The guard detail has been increased by two-fold. However, their building is still not at full operation, thanks to your little adventure.”

Grafted finished his translation and looked at Twilight with a little doubt.

“Listen Miss. Sparkle.”

“Just call me Twilight.”

“Alright, Twilight, I can assure your brother is not there. It is valiant you want to save him, and make no mistake, we will. But, we can't go there right now. We don't have the pony-power, and we can't afford to lose anyone here.”

Twilight was confused. “Why are you talking about it like we're going to attack the place? I was thinking we just sneak in and save Spike.”

Red Star brightened at Twilight's words.

“Yes, yes. Very good plan Twilight. We will sneak in and liberate the 'goods' along with her brother.”

“Goods?”

“Do not worry about this Twilight, it is not your concern.”

“If she's going to be helping us, it is her concern.” Grafted said to Red Star sternly.

“Not now Grafted......”

“NO!” Twilight screamed at Red, tears streaking her face.

“This is my brother, MY BROTHER! I need to know what you're doing before you end up endangering both of us, because you're too busy looking for 'goods' then I won't help you!”

“I am sorry Twilight, but it is none of your concern.”

“SHUT UP!” Twilight shouted, her horn starting to glow. “How dare you put simple materials in front of anypony's life. HOW DARE YOU! Do you know I have half a mind to do to you what I did to that building?”

Red Star looked at Twilight with a scowl at first, but then looked at her horn and a little fear came into his eyes. Not terror, but fear from understanding that this was no push-over mare. He sighed.

“Fine. The 'goods' we speak of. They are things we need for our cause. Medical supplies, food, blankets, military documents, weapons. We need them. I am sorry I put them before your brother's life, but to me these things are more important.” he said methodically and bluntly.

Twilight was shocked. A cause? She could understand a cause would need food and blankets, especially out here, but weapons and military documents? What kind of cause would.......

“You're Gogol.” Twilight said with sudden realization.

“Yes.”

“And your leading a revolution?”

“Again yes.”

“Why?”

Red Star looked up at her as if she was crazy. “You ask me these things you should already know Twilight Sparkle. You have seen the death they create, the pain. They have even separated you and your brother.”

“But they thought we were spies, because of your operation.”

“You do not understand. You do not live in our country. We Roma, we gypsies, we see everything.”

“Then tell me.” Twilight crossed her hooves in front of her chest. Crashing and streaking looked at each other with pained expressions on their faces while Squeeze looked at the ground and shuffled uneasily. String Saddle glared at her while Red gave her a muddled look.

“Are you sure you could handle these truths, Twilight Sparkle?” Grafted asked in a wizened voice.

“I am a bearer of an Element of Harmony. I don't approve of this revolution” she spat “But if it means I can save Spike, then I will help. But, I need to know both sides of the story.”

String Saddle gave out a rough laugh. “Both sides? There is only one side of this story and it is paved with bodies.”

“There is always two sides to a story.” Twilight said, pouting a little.

“Tell that to the dead you fool!” he screamed at her in anger. He stood up from the table and headed towards the door. He opened the wooden door, but held it as he cast a glance to Red. “This is why I told you to leave her. She does not know, nor will she ever. This is our world and she is just visiting.” he said coldly before leaving. The door slammed shut and shook the caravan. Everypony in the room except for Twilight looked at the ground in sadness.

“Well, why are you creating a revolution?” Twilight asked after she regained her composure.

“Shut up.” Red said without remorse. Twilight was shocked at what he just said, but when he looked up at her with tears brimming in his eyes she realized the gravity of what she had just done.

“W...What?” Twilight asked feeling very small.

Red took a ragged breath. Then he leaned his head back and closed his eyes as tears came out from the sides of his eyelids. He sat like that for a minute, before pulling his head back down to face the ground, never opening his eyes once. He lifted his hoof to his ear, and then waggled his cigarette in front of Twilight.

Twilight lit it without complaint and Red took a drag. He breathed out a long smokey breath and then began to speak.

“String Saddle has felt the worst of this world. Neigh, we all have. Us Roma, we...we have had such pain in our own land. It is not right.”

“It all started with my father's father. It was in his time when the rulers turned against us. They were once kings, and loving kings too. But then one rose to the throne when my grandfather was a boy. He was narcissistic and greedy.”

“We Roma by nature are a free people. We travel throughout our homeland. We are, how do you say, nomads, yes? The greedy king he wanted power and a capital he said 'the other countries should be proud of'. So he looked for workers. He started off with his subjects.”

“But the city we landed in, Oatadea, it was beautiful. It looked like a utopia.” Twilight said sadly.

“Hah. Looks can be deceiving, yes? That is part of the kingdom's debauchery. But back to the past, we will catch up to the present in just a moment. Back to the subjects. The king, he enslaved all the ponies above a certain age to work for him. When he was king, he had them mine for the strong marble and granite to the east for his battlements. But now it is much worse. The king's son took over when I was young, and he is all his father was and worse. He is more than greedy. He is coldblooded and power-mad.”

“I understand how you are worried for your country, but the gypsies sound like the buffalo in Equestria.”

“Buffalo?”

“Yes, they live alongside ponykind, and they are much like gypsies from what you tell me.”

Red was quiet for a minute as he took another drag on his cigarette. “You do not know how lucky you are to live in a land of true freedom. My grandfather's father's people could be called the last truly free Roma.”

“But you're nomads. You can escape from the king!”

“We can run, but we can not run forever. Even the strong winter winds must sleep in the summer. But at first we did. We ran from the king and his forces. My father and his generation of Roma, they even tried to fight back, but not in the way we do. They sought a peaceful solution.”

“Then he was doing it right!”

“YOU KNOW NOT OF WHAT YOU SPEAK!” Red screamed as he stood up. He breathed heavily and stared at her in pure fury. Twilight shrunk back, thinking she would be hit, but she bumped into somepony. She squirmed around to find she was being loosely held by Grafted.

“Do not do something stupid Roşu Stea.” he said to Red calmly.

Red took one last angry breath in through his nose and then turned to the rest of his friends.

“OUT!” he shouted. The all rose silently and left, casting worried glances back Red as they left. Red breathed hard and then took the longest drag on his cigarette, pulling it down to a stub. He tossed on the floor and stepped it out, holding his breath. Then he released a dragon's breath, calming down as the smoke cleared.

Grafted sat Twilight back down, but with in hoofs reach, just in case. Red stayed standing, and he started pacing around. He did this for a few minutes, his mouth working silently the whole time. Twilight could only guess what he was saying, until he stopped and pointed a hoof at her.

“You want to know the truth? Then do not talk. Listen until there is nothing left. Then listen some more. You will learn something, perhaps. So quiet.”

Twilight nodded her head and Red sighed, walked back to his cushion-seat, and sat down.

“My father was doing what many ponies would see as the 'right thing'. He protested this enslavement of the subjects. He even went so far as to protest at cities that tourists would come to, to try to get ponies from other countries involved. At first, he succeeded. It was a beautiful thing. All the Roma were on his side, common ponies would follow his lead anywhere, and he even managed to get the ponies working the mines to leave their enslavement and join the cause.”

It may sound easy to you Equestriani, but it is not so easy to leave enslavement when your family could be killed by your actions. But still, they followed, and they were an true force of justice and beauty. Their cause shone like the noon sun.” Red said smiling sadly.

“But then, they tried to march to the capital. They had a great force and they marched and marched, swelling in numbers each town they passed. The finally reached the doors of the castle and protested the injustices of a dying king. The king's son, our current ruler, ordered all the ponies be arrested and he even called the royal army on the peaceful protestors. It was a bloodbath. Ponies were beaten, arrested, and killed. Luckily, my father and many of the Roma were able to make it out of there, but the common ponies.....they were not so lucky. Later, we found out that all the ponies that were arrested were killed and hung outside the castle walls as a warning to any more protesting. The towns that allowed tourists in were fixed up and all the countries money went to them, and any sign of protesting was dealt with immediately. However the worst was to come.”

“Three days after the protest and the bloodbath, the old king died. His son, called Pyrite, our current nenorocit of a king, who calls himself an Emperor, ordered that the protest was an attempted coup. Can you guess who he named as leaders?”

“The gypsies.” Twilight said breathless with understanding.

Red just nodded and looked away for a moment. Twilight saw his shoulders heaving and could tell he was sobbing. She looked back to Grafted and saw a unnatural look on his face for such a nice old stallion: hatred.

“They came in the night.” Red said, his voice cracking. “And they attacked. Our caravans lit up like the pyres that they became. Whole families were killed, fathers, mothers, children, newborns. The soldiers did not stop. In fact they couldn't, for their new king was leading them in person. Many of our other sister tribes were attacked too, but because my father was in ours, the king had to come to us personally. He wasted no mercy on us and slaughtered us as if we were animals.”

Red gave a sad and angry chuckle. “We had no chance. That was the worst part. If we had any warning, any at all, we could have fought, or at least run. But nothing. It was as if our gods left us specifically at that time.”

Red picked up his head. There were tears streaming down his face. “But they are back. Our gods lead us, because our god is this land, and the land will never leave the Roma.” he said as he smacked his chest.

“Now you know Twilight Sparkle. We tried the way of peace. But peace is not what will solve our problems now. We are left with but one choice: to fight. Our revolution started small, but we are gaining strength to free ourselves once again. Will you help us Twilight Sparkle? If you are an Element of Harmony, then this is your fate. To help us restore our harmony.” Red said looking at her with a teary, yet proud, face.

Twilight was stunned she didn't know what to say. She just sat there thinking and looking at Red. After a while she noticed she was crying like he was, but she didn't know why.

'What if it was Spike?'

'What if it was our friends?'

'What if it was Ponyville?'

“I'll help you.”

Red looked at her and laughed, his face breaking into a sad smile. He grabbed her and pulled her close. Then he kissed her on each cheek and the forehead below her horn. Twilight blushed despite the tears and how she felt.

“It is a Roma custom to bless their loved ones like this.” Grafted explained as he turned her around to face him and he did the same.

“When you join us, you become part of our family. Never forget that Twilight Sparkle.”

“But I thought...I mean I haven't even lived here. How can I be part of your family.”

“'All ponies are our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers.'” Red said with a hoof up.

“Another Roma saying?”

“Yes.”

“But now you also see why it is so hard for us to go to war.” Grafted said before getting up. “Dinner will be ready in about an hour. I think we will have Sarmale. I assume we will be leaving at dusk?”

“Da.”

“Then I will be leaving you for now.” he said leaving the caravan. He poked his head back through the door seconds after he left.

“No naughty business, you two.” he said before leaving.

Twilight blushed furiously and looked away from Red, but he just shrugged.

“In this caravan?” he said looking around at the walls and table covered maps. “We would tear up all the maps.”

Twilight was now the color of Big Mac and had enough of this. “Excuse me?”

“No you are alright. Other than your ignorance, you did not do anything to upset us. But you might want to apologize to String.”

Twilight's embarrassment faded because of Red's misinterpretation and her curiosity.

“S...so why was he so angry?”

“I am sorry Twilight Sparkle. It is not my location to tell of his story.”

“Well then, what happened to you?”

Red grimaced for a moment but then said “It is hard to talk about, but for you, I will frumos.”

Twilight smiled sadly and hugged Red. “Thank you.”

Red blushed and said “This is enough. Ok, thank you.”

Twilight giggled. He could talk about sex so easily, but when it actually came to the touch of a mare, he became as shy as a schoolyard colt. Twilight loved that.

Red cleared his throat. “As I had said earlier, we were attacked in the night. My brothers and I woke up to screaming. I had two twin older brothers then, Golden Sickle and....and Shining Hammer. My father would have been called Steel Sword in Equestrian. He knew that the corrupt king and his troops had come for him, so he told our mother to take us and run, while he ran out of our camp and directed the troops attention.”

“We Roma, we do not get our true name until we receive our mark. For example, I was called something that would translate to 'Third son' in Equestrian until I received my mark. So, my father was named after his too. It hurt him greatly to raise his sword and use his skill against other ponies, but to protect us, he would do anything.”

“I remember our mother rushing with us out of the camp. We crested a hill and were about to run away when one of my brother saw something that made him cry out. It was Shining Hammer, he saw our father being overwhelmed while the king looked on. He screamed and escaped our mother's grasp. He rushed down back into the camp to help our father. Of course we tried to follow him, but our mother bucked Golden Sickle and I in the chest so we couldn't move. I've come to see that she did that to save us, for if we went back in our foolishness, we would have died. I learned this by watching both my brother and my father die.”

Red took a deep breath in. “Shining Hammer. He was.....he was a smith. An artisan with the hammer that made work as beautiful as an musician could on their instrument. After he ran away, into the flaming camp, our mother looked around for him from our perch. Finally she saw him, as did we. He was carrying his hammer in his mouth. Just as my father started to get overwhelmed, Shining Hammer brought down his fury upon the soldiers. He and Father fought a hero's battle that made every Roma proud. But it was all in vain. The soldiers soon stopped with their swords and retreated, taking out crossbows and killing our family members from farther back.”

“Shining was the first to fall to a shot to the leg. Then my father protected him all he could, until he took a vile bolt that took his life from him. Then the soldiers came back with their sword to take the bodies away, but Shining wasn't done. He rose off the ground with the bolt still in his leg, and took down a few soldiers, until he was eventually overwhelmed as well. The soldiers held him while the king came in and ran him through.”

Twilight put both hooves to her moth and gasped. What if that was Shining? Wait......Could it just be a coincidence that both brothers had the name “Shining”? Nevertheless, Red continued.

“Our mother went into hysterics when she saw them die, but she was of the strongest Roma blood. She picked us both up and ran and ran and ran. We stopped when we found other Roma survivors. We have been traveling with them ever since.”

“What happened to your mother?”

“Two years ago, Baba Yaga took her from the living.”

“I'm sorry.” Twilight said turning pale, thinking the name sounded familiar.

“It is alright, she is not here with us, but she is. She is now the earth and she will be with us where ever we go.”

“That's very profound.”

“Prowhat? I do not know this word.”

“What you said. It was deep.”

“Like sea? You are strange Twilight Sparkle. Words are not like seas.” Red said shaking his head.

Twilight decided to just go with it and laugh at the cultural barrier. Unlike most language confusions, it didn't make everything harder, it just made the mood lighter.

Red tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “Come. Dinner should be ready soon.” He smiled at her laughter. This mare was strange, but likable. Not to mention he didn't lie when he called her 'frumos'. She came from a completely different world from him, but they could still laugh together. That was the beauty of this world, he knew it. Now all he had to do was bring this beauty back to his home.

Twilight and Red rose and left the planning caravan to walk out into the chilling dusk. Twilight shivered and Red noticed. Twilight stopped waking and looked at the sunset over the green hills. The clouds had come back, but they weren't rain clouds. Twilight thought back to last night and shivered harder, remembering how cold she had been in the mud and the rain. She stopped shivering when she felt a large warm thing surround her midsection. She looked around to find Red putting his vest on her.

“I...I can't take this.” she said sheepishly.

“You are cold and not used to Romaneian weather. Use. I have others I can use.”

“Thank you.” she said slipping it on and sidling up next to him. His cheeks soon became just as flushed as hers. He led her over to another caravan which had smoke trailing up from behind it.

“I thought I told you two no naughty business?” Grafted said from behind the couple, making them jump up and away from each other.

“Ahum. Grafted if you are here, then who is making of the dinner?” Red said quickly.

“That would be String Saddle.”

Red moaned. “Why do you torture me so??”

“Is he really that bad of a cook?” Twilight asked.

“Not at all. Actually he is the best one out of all of us. However, he likes the spices. By the way, we will be having potato soup tonight.”

“You mean potato soup from hell..” Red moaned, pulling at his face with his hooves.

Twilight giggled. So he couldn't stand spicy things and got embarrassed by a mare's touch. Interesting.

“You should apologize to him now before he makes your bowl and dish of hellfire.”

“I'll do that after dinner; I actually like spicy food.”

Grafted chuckled as Red's jaw dropped to the ground as Twilight went into the dining caravan.

“That mare is so strange.” Red said to Grafted in Romaneian.

“Yes, but you chose to take her home an lay her in your cushions.”

“Sh..shut up.” Red blushed. Both stallions knew that gypsy marriage was considered full, only when the stallion had taken his wife home and laid her in his bed.

“Let'sgoeat.” Red blurted out, fuming at the ears.

Grafted just laughed as he followed Red into the dining caravan.

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After a pleasant dinner, aside from all of Red's complaining about how 'demons have my tongue! They have my tongue!'. Twilight approached String Saddle, who had apparently decided to wash dishes as well.

“Please excuse me.” she said as she approached the bucket of hot water String was using as a sink.

Sting stood up and got out of her way.

“No I don't mean like that.” String sat back down and resumed washing.

“Look, I didn't mean to insult you. I didn't know, and I was ignorant to think I could impose anything on anypony. Could you forgive me?”

String continued to mutely wash the dishes.

Twilight sighed and was about to walk away when String said “Finish these dishes and I will.”

Twilight happily obliged, completing the task with magic in mere seconds.

String Saddle whistled. “You have some pretty impressive magic Equestriani. You should teach Squeeze a thing or two.” he said jerking his head in Squeeze Box's direction.

“Do you want some magic lessons?” she asked him sheepishly.

He nodded his head furiously. “Nnnot manny Corni in Romaneia. Hhhkard to leearn.” the short unicorn stuttered out.

“Ok, then why don't we start now!”

“Sorry Twilight.” Red interrupted, putting a dampener on things. “We leave in two hours and assault the post a little after 1 o' clock, understood?” he addressed the whole caravan. Many pony heads shook in agreement.

“Good. For now we sleep. Squeeze, make the accordion play when we must wake up.” Squeeze box said something in Romaneian, and then he left the caravan. He came back minutes later carrying a lot of cushions and blankets on his back and floating his accordion above his head with magic.

The cushions and blankets were dispersed, so that each pony had a small bed. Squeeze's horn glowed a dark gold and an aura surrounded the accordion for a second before slowly fading. Twilight was impressed, but from the tired look on his face, she knew that Squeeze had little magical training. In fact that was probably the most he could do. Twilight's thoughts were stolen from her as Red started speaking again.

“We go to sleep now to awake in victory!” he said cheezily. Then he said “Would you turn off the light frumos?”

As Twilight put out the lamp with magic, a loud 'OOOOH!' came from the inhabitants of the caravan. String Saddle even made kissing noises.

Streaking spoke up in the darkness. “Hey Crashing?”

“Da?”

“40 bits Red ends up in Twilight's bed.”

“I can't bet against something I know is going to happen!”

The whole caravan broke out into laughter as they fell into a gradual, happy sleep.

Chapter 3: Undestructable

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This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.

Chapter 3: Undestructable

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Spike woke up uncomfortably when he hit his head on something hard and metallic. He slowly came to awareness, his head pounding and his sight bleary. He saw distorted images flash before his eyes and closed them, trying to go back to sleep. However, he was thrown into the air and landed hard on the metallic thing again, his body arching in pain, jolting him awake. He tried to rub his eyes to clear them, but he found his hands were bound behind his back.

He struggled with the binds and tried to call out for help. His plea went unheard when he found out his mouth was bound similarly with a muzzle. He could breathe, but calling out was impossible. He started to panic and struggled at all his binds around his hands and feet. Perspiration seeped off of him as anxiety and fear took control over his body.

Spike was calmed down when whatever he was in threw him again, only this time he flipped and landed on his stomach. The impact wasn't enough to break anything, but enough to hurt him and snap him out of his anxiety attack.

“Ow.” he deadpanned in his mind. “I've had enough of this.”He started to look around at his enclosure to find out why it was bouncing him around so much.

He rolled over on to his back and looked up to dark metal ceiling. It was exactly the same as the rest of his small prison, dark and cold and sloping off to Spike's right. It made the prison larger at Spike's left, but considerably smaller to his right. Spike tried to examine the walls closer, but he was bounced again. When he landed, he realized the prison was moving. He could feel the hum of an engine from the floor of his cage.

“That explains the bouncing.” Spike thought as he pictured what he could be in. Then it hit him, literally. He was thrown again, and he hit the right wall, the smaller one, of his prison. He saw that the right wall was actually part of the ceiling.

“A trunk. I'm in a trunk of a car.” He figured. “But where is it going?”

Spike pondered this and started to run over the events of the past night. Actually, was it day or was it still night? Spike couldn't tell. He assumed it was day, but the lack of light made it hard to define. But it didn't matter. He remembered that he was captured and Twilight had escaped. At least he hoped she did. That jerk of a General had bucked her out the window, and that was the last he saw of her.

“Don't worry, she's the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria.” he reassured himself. “She probably teleported out of there and was back in Canterlot, readying a rescue party.” He kept trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head that said she hadn't made it, that he was alone, and that no help was going to come. However, his thoughts were wrecked again by a constant bouncing of the car on the road. Spike was shaken around like small green and purple maraca until the car came to a stop. The shaking and tossing stopped, but Spike could only focus on breathing and fighting the urge to vomit. He laid on the floor of his cage, eyes closed just breathing in and out.

“That's strange.” he thought. “The engine hasn't stopped.”

Spike's thoughts were answered by the slow movement of the car's wheels. He could feel that the car was going much slower, and that they were ascending something. He slid to the short end of his prison and could only wonder and feel in the dark. Then the car slowly came to a level area and Spike sighed. He hoped all this movement was done. Then the car quickly shifted it's weight, Spike being thrown to the front of his prison and feeling the car pick up speed quickly. He started to feel queasy again, but was granted a reprieve, as the car leveled out again, but still stayed at its current speed. Then it started to ascend again, making Spike hit the other side of the trunk again. Spike rolled onto his side and focused on letting all the pain slowly seep away.

“This is worse than when I ate all of Rarity's gems.” Spike thought with chagrin. “Rarity...” Spike started to think about his love and all the ponies he held dear back in Ponyville. Especially, his older sister who had been torn from him by a cruel twist of fate. He felt a tear slide down his cheek when Twilight popped into his mind. Would he ever see her or any of them again? Would he even make it back to Ponyville? He sniffled and a determined look grew on his face.

“No. It won't end in this Celestia-forsaken country. He would make it back, and he would see them all again.” he thought confidently. “And then when he returned to Ponyville, he'd give Rarity a big kiss on the lips. She'd say 'Oh Spike, you're so masculine! I love you!' Yeah. That would be awesome.” he daydreamed, picking his spirits up.

The car stopped again and the sound of opening doors drew his attention. He started to panic, and decided to feign sleep as he heard hoofsteps on gravel outside of the car. He quickly closed his eyes and tried to slow his heaving chest, to appear asleep. His ruse was unsuccessful when the trunk opened, flooding him with bright sunlight. The light was harsh even behind his closed eyes. He heard somepony speak some Romaneian and then he was unceremoniously grasped by the binds that held his hands.

Spike opened his eyes and looked around, seeing the heavy black sedan that carried him thus far. He saw that it was parked on gravel and they had pulled up in front of a massively gray castle, one that dwarfed the one in Canterlot.

Spike tried to struggle, but was hit again by his captor. He stopped when he noticed the pony carrying him was in fatigues, but more importantly, had a long knife sheathed on his shoulder. He looked around and found there was more than just one soldier escorting him. But then he saw one of the soldiers open a back door and General Tin came out. The General saw Spike and smirked at him.

“Put him down and cut the binds to his feet. He should see this.”

The soldier that held Spike quickly dropped him, and then held his squirming body down with a strong hoof. Spike stopped struggling when he heard the knife being unsheathed. He quivered when he felt the cold steel touch his flesh and again when it moved along his scales, cutting the tape around his ankles. He shuddered with comfort when the knife was pulled away from him, but he was jerked to his feet before he could count his blessings. He was turned around and shoved, until he stood on and overlook. From the overlook he could see the whole capital.

It was surprisingly clean and up-kept. It reminded Spike of the town they had first ventured into, Oataeda, before everything went to hell. The capital had a large outer wall surrounding it, looming over the cutesy wealthy homes and buildings in the somewhat of a dip. Then the Castle, and the overlook Spike stood on, were at the far end of the city upon a hill.

“Welcome to Bitarest, rebel scum.” the General said as he strode up next to Spike. Spike glared at the antagonist with pure malice. The General noticed and turned around to face the castle, smirking smugly.

“Come, it is time you meet our exalted Emperor.” He signaled to his soldiers and they fell into a rough box around the General and Spike, who was being shoved by a soldier that stood behind him.

Spike walked with the General, knowing it would be more than stupid to try to escape now. But he couldn't help but scheme. He tried to think of a way to escape, but the massive castle soon overtook his concentration.

The castle was made of large gray stones that looked like a sheen metal from far away, but grimy when you approached closer. However, it was still massive. Spike estimated that the whole Royal Castle could fit inside of this one, and then still have room for the Royal gardens inside as well. It's large towers touched the heavens, blending in with the cloudy skies. Spike strained to see the tip of the towers. He bet that somepony could see for miles from up there, and that it was no mistake that the castle was made on a small hill while the town sat in its valley.

He passed through the large portcullis and through a vast atrium that held many doorways and openings to various corridors. The group past all of them and then went through another, smaller portcullis. They came out into a vast, open yard which was terraced with pathways. Spike realized that this was the center of the castle, as the main part of it was built up, not out. The walls were not only for protection, but was in fact a large part of the castle's living quarters. However, the large mansion that the walls expounded from at the far end of the courtyard had to be the king's quarters; Spike was sure of it.

Movement on the tops of the walls grabbed Spike's attention, and he cast a few quick glances. There were many sentries walking their rounds, and all armed with large crossbows. Spike's eyes narrowed at the excessive show of force, but he hadn't see anything yet.

The General swaggered into the large mansion and went down the main corridor after entering, but took a sharp right halfway down it. The guards surrounding Spike gave each other quizzical glances and Spike realized that this wasn't the way to the Emperor's throne room. Spike was forced to follow the General through a wooden door and down a narrow, winding staircase. They group filtered out into a large, dark, damp, stone room that that had two other rooms separated by a thick glass and a door off to Spike's right.

“Deja vu.” Spike thought to himself, remembering the last time he had been in a room with large glass walls.

The General barked at the soldiers in Romaneian and he flipped a light switch. Lights went on in the glass room, showing it was occupied by two ponies. Spike realized they were the two ponies Twilight had spoke to on the bus, the crying filly and the flower-stallion. They were asleep on the cold stone floor, but woke with a start as the harsh white lights flooded their cell. Spike sympathized with them and watched in fear.

The soldiers reacted to the General's orders, and four went through the door to the right quickly. Spike watched as the ponies in the cell, got up. The filly started to look about frantically, wondering what would happen. Spike wanted to wave to her, or just comfort her somehow, but it looked like she couldn't see through the glass. The flower-selling stallion got up slowly, his face stoic in knowledge of what would happen. The door to the cell opened up and the filly screamed and backed against the far wall. The soldiers barked orders to the prisoners and the elderly stallion frowned at them before speaking to the filly gently.

Spike thought the whole thing was horrible, but he couldn't stop watching. It was as if it was a play, but he knew that this terror on the filly's face was no act.

The stallion took the filly's hoof in his and led her out of the room led by two guards, and followed by two more. They came out into the room the General and Spike were in and noticed the extra soldiers, the gruff General, and what appeared to be a heavily bounded dragonling. Both ponies gave Spike a wondering glance, but their glances turned to looks of fear and apprehension as they noticed the soldiers fall in around them. The General barked some more orders and then went back up the stairs. Spike and the ponies were shoved towards the exit, and they left following the cruel stallion.

The group went back up the stairs and followed the General through a series of twists and turns, until they stood in front of a large set of ornate double-doors. The doors were covered in artistic decorations, each depicting one earth pony doing feats of impossible strength and power. Spike thought the doors were made of thick dark wood, until the General knocked on them, and a metallic resonance was heard throughout the corridor the group stood in.

The doors opened each with a loud 'BOOM!'. Spike looked around the large throne room. He saw that the room had a second story, with open corridors that ran along the wall of the room. The room was vast and a long, plush red carped led to the throne which sat raised above the floor of the room. It was flanked by two stallions in light-plated armor, holding spears. Their grimaces and size scared Spike, but it was the lounging earth-pony in the throne that frightened him the most.

The earth-pony was of normal size, not overly muscular, or cruel looking at all. In face he was smiling at the ponies and dragonling as they walked in. The earth-pony who had to be the Emperor had a gray-green coat and his mane was a deep gold. He wore large glasses and his smile seemed charming. Spike hoped that his smile reflected how he truly was, but from the way the ponies acted around him, he doubted it.

They walked up to the steps of the throne and Spike was pushed to the floor as the General, the soldiers, and prisoners bowed to the Emperor. The General rose and spoke to him in Romaneian. The Emperor's smile faded and he nodded in understanding. He told the soldiers something in Romaneian, and most left the room, leaving just two behind. The two Imperial Guards flanked the prisoners and brought them to the Emperor's side. He paid no attention to the filly who was silently crying and the elderly stallion who had a brave face on, but was betrayed by his shaking knees.

The Emperor gave another order and Spike was grabbed from behind. He was forced down upon his knees while he heard the other guard unsheathe his knife.

Spike closed his eyes. “Oh Celestia, this is it...”

The knife paused on the back of his neck and then cut, Spike giving an involuntary flinch as he heard the noise. He opened his eyes in relief as he found out he wasn't dead. In fact, his situation looked like it improved a little; seeing as his muzzle was cut off.

“Stand dragon.” said a light voice.

Spike stood, noticing the Emperor was smiling at him.

“Now little dragon, my General tells me that you are a spy. I find that a little hard to believe.”

Spike was relieved. Finally a sane pony. “I'm not sir!” he said earnestly.

“What are you then?”

“A tourist.”

Spike told him the story of how he and Twilight had come to Romaneia and their misadventures that had taken place after they had gotten onto the bus. The Emperor put a hoof under his chin and listened intently until Spike finished his story.

“General Tin, it looks like you have caught a tourist.” he said a few moments after Spike finished his story.

“But milord, Pyrite he injured my soldiers, burnt down part of way station 24, and helped his accomplice escape. Only spies would fight our orders so intently.”

The Emperor shook his head. “Fool. His sister, or should I say 'accomplice', and he were scared to death. Of course they would try to escape. The situation was your fault. You should have never blamed them to be spies.”

General Tin looked to the ground and bowed. “Forgive me, milord.”

“Rise. I still have use of you. You shall be charged with finding his sister.”

“Yes milord. I shall depart at once.”

Spike felt so happy he could have died. He looked at the leaving figure of General Tin and his soldiers and then smiled to Emperor Pyrite.

“Thank you sir!”

The Emperor smiled. “Now that I have solved this whole mess for you, I believe I require something in return.”

“Anything!”

“Alright.” The Emperor's smile turned sinister. “Never leave.”

“What?” Spike stuttered, shocked.

Emperor Pyrite sat back and looked at his hoof disdainfully, his smile leaving his face to be replaced with a look of boredom. “Quite frankly little one, you have seen to much of my country. If you are who you say you are, a scribe to the archmage of Canterlot, then you will undoubtedly tell your Princesses of the things you have seen here” Pyrite glared down at Spike. “Now I can''t have that happening. Especially now. So you are to stay here for the rest of your life.”

This couldn't be happening!

“You've got to be kidding me!” Spike cried falling to his knees again.

“Oh, do not worry. You will have an acceptable life. I have already decided you would be best suited in to work in the Royal library.

“You can't do this! I am a citizen of Equestria and even if I am trapped here, the Princesses will come for me. I will find a way to escape.” Spike said, his anger rising.

Pyrite sighed. “I wished it wouldn't have to come to this.” He clopped his hooves together.

One Imperial guard started to drag the crying filly, who was now screaming in fear, her tears streaking down her face, to in front of the throne. The stallion struggled to go after her, but the guard held him back. The stallion started to scream something in Romaneian. The Emperor looked over at the struggling stallion and an evil grin spread along his face.

“Fine.” he said pointing to the elderly stallion and ordering something in Romaneian.

The guard dragging the filly stopped, and started to drag her back to where they started and the other led the stallion out to in front of the throne. The stallion didn't struggle, but walked slowly, with a solemn look on his face. The crying filly started to scream and cry even more when she saw the stallion stop in front of the emperor.

Pyrite said something in Romaneian and the guard holding the filly back slapped her hard. She fell to the ground and fell into a spell of quiet sobs. Spike didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was something bad. However, he was still confused. The Emperor had been so helpful; so why had he turned evil all of the sudden? Pyrite said something to the guard in Romaneian, and the guard and flower-selling stallion stopped.

“In my country, people who help raise trouble are killed. This means all spies and anypony seen helping them.” He pointed to the stallion. “For example, if I decided that you were a spy, he and the filly over there would die.”

“But I'm not a spy!” Spike pleaded, tears coming to his eyes.

“Oh, I know that.” Pyrite said. “But it also happens to be that usurpers die as well.”

“What?”

“Anypony, or dragonling, who decides to fight my orders in my country dies.”

Spike gulped. Was he going to be killed?

“I'm not scared of death.” Spike said defiantly.

“Hah! Don't worry. I still have use of you.” Pyrite said making Spike sigh quitely.

“Then head this example.”

He said something in Romaneian and the elderly stallion was thrown to his knees.

Time slowed down as Spike saw the Imperial guard leave from behind the stallion. He moved fluidly around to the stallion's front, twirling his spear with a deadly beauty. The plated guard moved quickly and with evil purpose, passing in front of the stallion, slicing his throat open.

The stallion's eyes grew wide as blood splurted out of his now opened throat. His hooves flew up to the incision and he gasped, shocked. He chocked on the blood and fell to the ground holding his neck. The blood pooled around the steps of the throne and the stallion looked around frantically. His eyes came to rest on a frozen Spike. He mouthed something to him , but then all his movements stopped. The frantic look was frozen on his face, and his lifeblood trickled down the steps towards Spike.

Spike doubted everything. He could feel his reality breaking. This had to be a dream. This would never happen in a world with sane ponies right? But it just did, didn't it? Spike felt the warm blood touch his claw and he just stared at it numbly. He picked up his paw and looked at the blood. Was it real? The smell told him is was, and he broke from his trance of non-feeling, throwing up all over the floor in front of himself. He cried racking sobs as he finished, looking over to the filly who was doing the same.

“Do not try to escape or tell anypony of my country. Do you understand? If you do, she will be next.” Pyrite said ever so coldly. He turned to his guards.

“Take the girl to the kitchens. She will work there now.” The imperial guard nodded and stood her up on her shaking hooves, and forced her to walk through a side door at the back of the room.

“Take him to the librarian and get him cleaned up.” Pyrite said to the other guard. The guard nodded and complied by picking Spike up in his mouth, walking the opposite way the other guard had gone. Spike sobbed the whole time the guard carried him through a door and up a long, winiding staircase. Spike finally stopped when the guard carried him through another door and into a library that dwarfed the Royal Canterlot library many times over.

Rows of bookcases lined the walls and made corridors throughout the room. The bookcases continued on the second level of the library surrounding the stone walls, only to be broken by vast stained glass windows. Instead of the single pony being shown as superior, like on the throne room's doors, each glass window had a different glowing alicorn on each. Spike saw that Celestia and Luna were on two opposite windows, but the rest were strange to him. Spike didn't even know that there were other alicorns, well other than Cadence.

The guard dropped him and he fell to the floor. The guard barked something in Romaneian as Spike cursed and rolled onto his back to get up. From the second floor came an older sounding voice that sounded very brave, from the way he talked back. Spike could hear hoofsteps coming down ancient wooden stairs. The hoofsteps echoed off the floor and the bookcases along with the voice. Finally, the proprietor of the voice rounded a corridor and could be seen. He was a grizzled old unicorn. He had a pure white coat which was covered in a long brown robe, much like a monk's robe. His flowing silver mane was swayed in the air as he walked. His face showed much, with many wrinkles that not only showed his age but also his knowledge. He also had a long scar running down the side of it, but that just added to the fierceness in his blue eyes and his brisk voice.

The guard spoke shortly and curtly with the unicorn in Romaneian and then hit the butt of his spear on the ground before leaving.

The unicorn cleared his throat. “I am told you are called Spike and that you will work with me for the time being. Tell me why you are here.” The unicorn sat down on his haunches in front of Spike.
Spike complied, still amazed at the library. He spoke of his adventures with Twilight before being separated and even the entrance into the castle with little trouble, but the feelings of the current incident caught up with him as he told the unicorn about the death. Spike finished his story trembling, feeling sicker than before.

“Come little one.” the unicorn beckoned to Spike. Spike took a few wobbly steps before falling into a warm hug. He cried as the unicorn comforted him with his hug and a calming hoof along his spines.

“It is alright small one. Even the greatest of warriors must cry, for the greatest enemy is not found on the battlefield, but in the grief inside of everypony.”

Spike tried to dry his eyes but couldn't. “Thank you.” he said blearily.

The unicorn smiled. “Call me Kells. Now, we must get you cleaned up and robed.” Kells picked up Spike and put him on his back. He sagged a little when Spike landed on his back.

“Are you alright?”

Kells popped a few joints. “As fit as a fiddle.” he replied as he started to canter through the corridors of bookcases, through a circular desk in the middle of the library, past some more bookcases, and up the stairs to the second level. He headed to the very back of the room where a small wooden door was. Kells opened it and Spike found himself in a room that could only be described as Kells's bachelor pad. Kells took a right through a doorway without a door into a bathroom. In it was a tub, a sink, a toilet, a mirror, and a small stained glass window that rattled some.

Spike could usually handle the cold alright, being a dragon, but he found the room to be quite chilly. He shivered a little when Kells gently picked him up and place him on the cold ground.

“Hold still.” he said as he cut the last binds on Spike's hands. Spike massaged the life back into his wrists and arms as Kells started to draw the water for the bath.

“I'm sorry young one, but all the water I get up here is cold. By the time it passes through all the pipes to up here, it has lost all it's heat.” he said as water filled the tub.

“Ttttthatsss okkkk.” Spike said, his teeth rattling. “Iiiii gottt tttthisss.” He stopped the water and took a deep breath. He breathed out a gout of flame on the tub surprising Kells a little.

“Quite the flame for such a young dragonling.”

“Tttttthankksss.”

Spike was about to get in when Kells said. “Are you not going to remove your neck-pouch?”

“What?”

“Your neck pouch. Did you forget about it?”

“You gotta be kidding me...” Spike felt down around his neck and sure enough, it was there. He jumped up into the air with joy and undid it from around his neck. He kissed it and praised Rarity in his mind. She had given him it as a small traveling gift before he left with Twilight and was smart enough to make it from pink and green velvet. To anypony but her and a few others, like Kells, it was neigh but impossible to see. Spike reminded himself to give the beautiful mare a long kiss when he got back to Ponyville, because she probably just saved he and Twilight.

Kells looked on in puzzlement, until Spike told him about his ability to send messages directly to Princess Celestia. Kells took on a grim look and Spike just realized what he had done. Sure the unicorn was nice, but so had been Pyrite until he betrayed his trust. Spike took on a dire expression and took a deep breath in.

“Calm yourself little dragonling.” Kells said sternly waving a hoof in Spike's direction. He started to pace the bathroom and talk to himself in Romaneian.

“What are you doing?” Spike asked after blowing out his flame onto the cooling tub. The water started to steam again before Kells stopped pacing.

“I will not stop you from writing this letter of help to your princesses” he said, Spike's spirit lightening. “However, I would like to write the letter to your princesses.”

Spike was confounded. “Why?”

“You must trust me Spike.”

Spike's mind doubted this unicorn with all its logic, yet something deeper than his sentience told him to listen to the unicorn. It was his instinct, roaring out against his doubting heart and mind. It told him to trust him with every fiber of his being.

“A...Alright.” he said handing the bag over to Kells. “There's parchment and a charcoal stick in there for writing.”

Kells nodded. “I will be back shortly. For now, relax in your bath. I don't know about you, but a piping hot bath is always a pleasant thing for me.” he said leaving the room. Spike hear him go to something and start scribbling on the parchment from his bag.

Spike sighed and climbed over the high wall of the porcelain tub. He fell into the warm, soothing water with a small splash, but it all felt good to him. He breathed out content bubbles from under the water and then surfaced. He breathed in steam and slicked back his spines with the warm water, feeling himself relax. He let himself float for a while, not only physically, but mentally as well. He let the waters cleanse the filth of his endeavors and turmoils from his scales and his mind, feeling better with every second. Soon he'd be able to send a plea for help to Celestia and hopefully he could find Twilight and escape.

Spike's happy thoughts were broken by hoofsteps and the sound of shifting cloths as Kells trotted into the bathroom. He was carrying the scroll aloft in the air by magic.

“The letter is ready, small friend.”

“Can you toss it into the air?”

“But of course.” Kells tossed the rolled scroll into the air closer to Spike. Spike zeroed in on it and blew a jet of flame on it, until it turned to magical ash and passed through the cracks around the rattling window.

“So what did you put in it?”

Kells trotted over to the tub and floated a bar of soap in the air.

“I wrote of your story down, explicitly about your current situation. I also told your princesses that you were in good hooves, so they would not worry.” he said as he started to scrub Spike with the soap. The scented bubbles caught Spike's attention before he could say anything back to Kells. The scent of the soap intrigued him for some odd reason. Where Spike was used to the lavender soap the lavender mare found so fitting, this soap smelled of honey and mint, but also something heady.

“What is this?” Spike motioned to the soap as it scrubbed under his arm.

“Do they not have soap in your Ponyville?!”

“No, no. It's just that the soap smells weird.”

“Yes, most ponies would agree with you. I made it myself.”

“Really?” Spike said as he closed his eyes to allow the soap to scrub his face. The scent filled his nostrils. It was most definitely the sweet smell of honey mixed with the sharp, invigorating smell of mint, yet there was something more, something irresistible to it.

“I mixed honey and mint extract with a little known secret ingredient.”

“Hmmm?”

“Short-grain Mead. If you'd like, we could have some with our dinner.”

Spike didn't know something alcoholic could smell so delicious. He thought about all the times Twilight had a mare's night where the other mane six would come over and have a few drinks. Each time Spike hung around he managed to smell the drinks, but each turned him off to them. Applejack's hard cider smelled like apple juice that had gone bad, Pinkie's various party drinks looked exotic, but smelled toxic, and finally, Rarity's cocktails looked delectable, but the smell was to harsh for him. He giggled at the fact that every time he was caught by Twilight, he was punished and sent straight to bed before he could taste anything, and yet here he was being offered some.

“What is it little one?” Kells asked a small smile spreading on his face.

“I don't think Twilight would appreciate me drinking.” he giggled.

“Bah, you are a dragon! Even if you are a child, you could out drink her anyday.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In the olden days, before the Pax Equestria, dragons razed towns. Many ponies would say for their gold and precious gems, but in Germaney, all the ponies would agree that their towns were razed for nothing but their drinks. In fact, some very unusual alliances were made between some towns and dragons. The dragon would agree to protect the town for a monthly dowry of their finest ales and beers.”

“Woah.” Spike said as the soap scrubbed his back. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”

“Oh I was there.” Kells said lightly before grabbing the wrinkles on his face and pulling them and sticking his tongue out. “Why doo you think I look shoo ould??”

Spike laughed and let Kells pour the water over his head to wash away the suds.

“Come on, it is time we eat.” Kells said, pulling Spike out of the tub with telekinesis.

Spike landed on the cold floor shivering, the warm water cooling his skin even more against the cold air of the room. Kells led him out of the room in to his equally cold bedroom. Spike noticed it was the main room he had entered at first. It had a lard fireplace which Kells was currently lighting with magic on the wall opposite of the bathroom. On the wall opposite that was a large opening with a pulley system leading out of it. Between the walls was a plush and ornate rug, with a small table with one dining chair at it and a recliner on the other side. The far wall was half stone but half stained glass window with a bed pressed against it. The setting sun illuminated the window perfectly in Spike's eye.The window depicted the four seasons around an alicorn in golden armor. The alicorn was wearing a helm, so it was impossible to make out his face, but Spike could tell it was a stallion. The alicorn carried a large spear aloft with magic.

“Who's that?” Spike said as he dried off by the now lit fireplace.

Kells turned around and squinted at the stained glass. “Oh that is the champion of time.”

“But I thought there were only three alicorns, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence. But Cadence doesn't really count. She's not immortal or anything.”

“There were and are many more alicorns that those three. Many ponies make the mistake of thinking the race dead, but do not be as foolish as some of your pony counterparts. And make no mistake, all alicorns have immense power, and all can be immortal, but only if they want to. Princess Cadence takes on the aspects of her mother Princess Venus. Think about it Spike, is it not hard enough to change the minds of ponies to follow you?”

Spike thought back to the time Twilight put a spell on Smarty Pants that went horribly awry. “Yeah.”

“So hard do you think it is to control ponies hearts? Princess Cadenza Mi Amore is incrediblely strong, but like her mother, chooses not to be immortal.”

“But why?”

Kells walked over to the table and sat in the dining chair, leaving the recliner to Spike. “Would you rather live forever or be with the ones you love?”

“Oh.” Spike said shaking his tail to rid it from the last of water on his body. He started to walk to the table, but heard a strange scraping noise and stopped.

“Whazat?”

Kells smiled. “Don't worry about it. Come, sit, the chair is calling to you.”

Spike had to agree that the chair did look comfortable, so he sat down on the other side of the table to find a place setting ready for him. The sound continued as Kells floated a bottle of mead out from under the table and poured a little for each of them. Spike sniffed at the glass apprehensively.

“Are you sure it's ok?”

Kells was already sipping at his. “You may have followed your sister's rules in her home, but this is mine. And rule number one is keep your guests happy. Everypony knows that mead is liquefied mirth!” he said sounding a little like Pinkie Pie.

Spike chuckled and took a tentative sip of his drink. Kells was right, it was liquefied happiness! It didn't make Spike light headed or suddenly happy, but it was warm and sweet, reminding him of blissful summer days. The golden drink helped keep the cold of the room at bay, and also settled his grumbling stomach.

The strange scratching sound came to an apex as something slowly came up out of the darkness in the opening in the wall. Spike was surprised to find that it was a large silver dish covered by an equally exquisite silver cover. Kells floated it over to the table and Spike saw that it had sat on a wooden plank in the opening.

“It's called a dumb-waiter.” Kells answered before Spike could ask. “I send it down to the kitchen for each meal, and it comes back up with deliciousness.” he continued as he put the dinner down on the table, and uncovered it.

Steam rose from the moist and delectable looking eggplant tart with alfalfa and turnips spread around it. The juices from the seasoned eggplant mixed with the smell of the alfalfa and turnips making both the pony's and dragon's mouths water.

“This beautiful creation deserves a moment of respectful silence before we devour it.” said Kells, his eyes never leaving the food.

Spike nodded dumbly and was silent with Kells for a second.

“Ok, that's enough. Dig in!”

Spike and Kells each cut the eggplant in half and shoveled their half onto their plates and went at it. They ate with gusto, only stopping to take sip of their mead. The dinner was quickly finished off and each sat back in their chair, rubbing their full bellies contentedly. Kells slowly got up and pulled his chair over to in front of the fireplace and sat contentedly there while Spike did the same with his chair.

“Here.” Kells said when Spike was close enough to the fireplace. The recliner Spike was sitting in fell backwards slowly, reclining and letting Spike lay down in it comfortably. Both pony and dragon gave a content sigh and Spike looked at the window, now dark with the night. After a few minutes, Kells got up from the chair and moved it back to the table. He saw Spike trying to get up and do the same but he motioned for him to stop.

“No, no. That's your bed.” Kells said as he walked over to his bed and reached underneath it. He pulled out a drawer and removed a smaller robe. He held it up with magic and looked at it, nodding with approval before tossing it onto Spike.

“It might be a little big, but we'll fix that in the morning.” He stripped his robe off his body and threw it at Spike as well.

“For now, use those as a pillow and blanket. I'm sorry that I don't have any extras.”

Spike yawned and pulled the robes around him until he was comfortable. “It's ok. I know that nopony else would let me have mead at their sleep-overs.”

Kells chuckled and pulled back the sheets on his bed. Spike sighed and closed his eyes letting the warmth of the fire start to pull him into a nice lull. Unfortinately, his stomach had other ideas.

“Uh oh.”

Kells sat up in his bed. “What is it?”

Spike felt it coming up. “Mail!”

Spike belched out a long green flame that distributed not one, but two rolled up scrolls onto his lap. Spike was puzzled by the excessive scroll, but was even more shocked when one note said “To Spike” and the other said “To Our Fratele.”

“I guess this is for you.” Spike said waving the extra scroll to an approaching Kells.

Kells took it with magic and unrolled it in front of himself. He squinted at it, but looked like he was reading it intently, from the look on his face. Spike shook the wonder from his mind, knowing it was rude to read others mail. He broke the seal on his and opened it. It read:

“Dear Spike,

This is thy Princess of the Night, Luna. Celestia is busy right now writing a letter to our dear friend. I am sorry I can not tell you more about him, but it is not my place. I can tell you that you should trust him; he will never betray you as long as you live.

But, to answer your plea. My sister and I both unanimously agree that this infringement of pony rights. Unfortunately, we can not act straightforwardly, as it may cause an international war. My sister and I will not be able to come to your and Twilight's aid directly. However, this does not mean my Lunar Battalion won't be able to help.

As directed by our friend, known as Kells to you, Puck unit of my Battalion will help free you and Twilight in five days from now. Do not worry, they will come to you.

For now, we ask you to prepare and listen to what our friend asks of you. No matter what he asks of you, trust him. He will not lead you astray. We hope to see you and Twilight back home and safe soon.

Sincerely,

Immortal Princesses of the Sun and Moon,

Luna and Celestia.”

Spike read the letter again and again trying to make sense of the mysterious letter. He already, well mostly, trusted Kells and that was about three fourths of the letter. But do whatever he asks of me? What was that all about? It only made Kells look untrustworthy if Spike had anything to say about it.

However, the Lunar Battalion was coming to save him and Twilight! But why had Kells told them to come in five days? Wasn't tomorrow soon enough?!?

Spike looked away from his letter to say something to Kells, but he snorted at his letter, smiling.

“Here.” he said as he tossed it to Spike while he climbed back into his bed. The scroll landed open on Spike's lap and he looked down at it accidentally. However, it didn't matter, since Spike couldn't read the letter.

It was written in various scratches and dashes, with no punctuation marks. Was this how Romaneian was written? Spike asked himself. For some reason, it looked familiar, but he couldn't place where it was from.

“Rest little one. The letters will be there in the morning.”

Spike sheepishly rolled up both letters and snuggled up with the robes. He closed his eyes, but his thoughts were racing. Eventually, he settled down, only one thought remaining in his mind while he listened to the soothing sounds of the fire.

“I hope Twilight is alright.” Spike whispered, falling asleep with an uneasy sigh.

Chapter 4: 60 Revolutions

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This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.

Chapter 4: 60 Revolutions

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Twilight was in the same place again, her dream seeming repetitive. The circle of light illuminated the metal gurneys that came out of the darkness, carrying each corpse with comfort. Yet tonight, the dream was slightly different. The elderly mare, Baba Yaga was what the other corspses had called her, sat on a comfortable looking throne with her hooves crossed over another. Yet this disturbed Twilight. It wasn't that she was seeing a living corpse sitting in comfort, no. It was that the throne was made out of pony skulls and bones.

However, Twilight's attention was stolen from the throne as the dead ponies started to rise from the gurneys and walk to Baba Yaga again. They addressed her and kissed her front hooves, like she was a long-lost mother. When Twilight saw that all the corpses that had come assembled behind and around Baba Yaga all facing her, she knew she was in for a confusing lecture again.

Twilight opened her mouth to ask the dead matriarch a question, but shut it as the ground started to shake. Twilight cast a quizzical glance to Baba Yaga, who gave a smile that should not have existed.

“Late arrivals.” she said with the same thick accent. A long rectangle of the obsidian ground fell away, making a ramp that came out into the light. Twilight wondered who was coming. It was strange, but she had gotten over the fact that all the ponies here were dead. Sure, it was ghastly, but this was only a dream, right?

Twilight was shocked to see the flower-selling stallion come out of the ground first. He saw her and gave her a sheepish smile, like meeting in death was just another visit. Then two other ponies came out of the ground, and Twilight didn't know who they were, until she saw their cutie marks; a steel sword and a shining hammer.

One was a large stallion, gray, with a red mane. He wore a somber expression and was followed by a smaller colt. The colt looked like he was just about to finish growing and enter his stallion-hood. He had golden coat and a dark amber mane. The colt winked at Twilight as his father whispered his hellos to Baba Yaga. The colt came up to her and gave her a large, loving hug, looking happy the whole time. They stood on Baba Yaga's left, and Baba Yaga smiled at them and then Twilight.

“Why am I here again?” Twilight asked, getting over the shock of seeing ponies she knew and was told about.

“This is simple Twilight Sparkle: the debt must be paid.”

“You said that last time, but what do you mean?”

Baba Yaga swung a hoof around to the ponies that surrounded her. “You are not stupid, we know this Twilight Sparkle. So when the dead speak of debts, it means one of two things.”

Twilight was about to open her mouth, but Baba put up a hoof and looked at the sternly with glazed over eyes.

“One,” she said matter-of-factly “you owe the dead something, and we come to take it.”

Twilight gulped and held her breath. She knew about the old legends. When you owed the dead, they usually took a pony's life as payment.

“Or two, the dead owe you something.”

“Huh?” Twilight said, all of her fear vanishing.

“You showed care for the dead, you did.” Baba Yaga said.

“But this doesn't happen every time somepony dies.” Twilight stuttered, remembering back to when she was a little filly. One of her mother's great aunt's had died, and Twilight's family went to the funeral. Twilight cried for the dead aunt, but only because she didn't know to do anything else.

“That is because the dead you have met before have no reason to be in your debt.”

“So throwing up after seeing your bodies enlists a debt?”

Baba Yaga chuckled. “Do not worry about how you we owe you, for it has not even happened yet.”

Twilight became very confused. “What do you...”

“Just know, In your time of need, find dirt from our land. Wipe it across the eyelids and lips of the one you can not live without and beckon us.” Baba Yaga said with a serious voice.

The light in Twilight's dream started to dim.

“We will come. We will come until the debt is paid.”

“Do do, do do, dun, do do,” went the accordion, wakening everypony in the caravan with a jolly tune. Twilight groggily arose as Squeeze magicked his spell from the accordion. She sat in the darkness of the room as everypony got up. Twilight would usually be extremely tired, yet she was energized. She knew they were going to save her brother now, and then they'd be able to escape. Somepony opened the door to the caravan and walked out into the lighter darkness of the night.

Twilight walked outside to be illuminated by a crescent moon. There were no clouds in the clear and crisp night. Twilight shivered involuntarily as she felt the crisp air on her flank. She was happy she had Red's vest on. It's warmth kept her protected from the cold of the Romaneian nights. She felt a warmth come to her cheeks as she thought about something else Red could help her with to stay warm.

She looked up at the night sky trying to quell such thoughts by looking at the stars. It was so rare to see one of Luna's night-time masterpieces in all its beauty. Back in Canterlot, Twilight could barely ever see the night sky due to all the light pollution. It was better in Ponyville, but she could still rarely see this. For a glimpse of the true beauty of the night sky, a pony had to be far away from civilization.

“Beautiful, is it not?” said Grafted beside her.

Twilight jumped and then let out a sigh. When did he get there? She kept looking up at the night sky.

“Yeah. I was just thinking that we don't get to see enough of these nights out in Ponyville.”

“We see nights like this as long as we travel. It is one of the joys of being a nomad.”

Twilight sighed. “Sometimes I wish I could live like that.”

“Then come join us!” Crashing Cymbal called from behind them.

“Yeah! Red Star could use a mare to keep him warm at night! It would keep him from being such a fund!” String Saddle added.

Both stallions broke into boisterous laughter as Twilight thanked the darkness, so nopony could see she was redder than Big Mac's coat.

Red Star came out from another caravan. “Is everypony ready?”

Streaking came out of no where, a blur of darkness. She was wearing what looked like a harness, but it crossed over her chest. When she moved, the moonlight reflected off of it strangely.

“Let us be gone! I vant to be find out how vell trained these ones are!”

She noticed Red Star was glaring at her. She rubbed her head with a hoof.

“I meant, let us save Twilight's brother! Da!”

“Grafted are you ready?” Red asked, looking over to he and Twilight.

“My quiver is full.” Grafted said with a nod. Twilight examined Grafted with a start. Indeed, he had a quiver on his back. It was full of arrows and one large bow.

“Ready to leave.” Crashing said. Twilight examined him in the darkness and was shocked to find a large hoof-mace strapped to his leg.

Twilight looked amongst the group and found out the were all armed. Grafted had his bow, Crashing his hoof-mace, but Twilight was surprised to find out what the other ponies used with grim curiosity. String had a long whip wrapped around one of his front hooves, ready for use at a moment's notice. Twilight took another glance at Streaking and noticed that her 'harness' was actually two bandolier belts filled with small and deadly knives. The strangest in the group was small Squeeze box, who had ten long and heavy-looking spears strapped to his sides. It was a little comical to see the squat, smiling unicorn carry such long and heavy objects, but Twilight reminded herself what they were for. Finally Twilight looked at Red Star. He had a long sheath on his shoulder and Twilight could tell it was a mouth-sword.

“Would you like anything?” Red Star asked her.

“What?”

“A weapon.”

Twilight felt sick. “I'll stick with my magic.”

Red nodded and pulled out a map from a small saddlebag on his side. He unrolled it onto the dewy grass, making small wet spots appear in it, but he didn't seem to mind. On this map, there were only two circles. One was red and the other green. Red Star pointed to the green circle.

“This is where we are right now. If we move at mid-speed, we will be able to reach the station in four hours. Then we'll split up into groups. Twilight will be coming with me and String.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the map. She counted out the increments and her eyebrows shot up into her mane. They planned to run 30 miles! Red started to roll the map back up and put it into his bag.

“I have a better idea.” Twilight said, putting a hoof on the map before Red could put into his bag. She unrolled it again and looked at it intensely.

“What is it?” Red asked.

“Everypony come here.” she said closing her eyes, her horn starting to glow purple in the night.

Red and the other curiously clustered around her as her horn grew brighter and brighter. With a rush of energy, Twilight released the magical energy and they were off.

In mere seconds, the group popped into existence on a hill only a mile away from the station. All the gypsy ponies were dazed by the teleportation, but Twilight was used to it. She climbed to the top of the hill and looked at the station.

“What are you doing?!” Red whispered angrily at her, pulling her down to her belly. “They could have spotted you!”

“Sorry.”

Red extracted a pair of binoculars from his bag and glimpsed through them. He whistled softly.

“Squeeze, you were right. There's at least ten more soldiers there.” He passed the binoculars to Twilight, who took them and glanced to the station.

The first thing she saw, was that the open window was covered by a blue tarp, showing it hadn't been replaced yet. Then she saw the four soldiers on guard duty, waiting on the roof. Each held a powerful crossbow and was looking out at the night in boredom. Four other ponies paced around the outside of the building on the ground, looking just as bored. Twilight assumed there must have been more on the road side, and probably even more in the building as well. She passed the binoculars to String who had formed a line with the rest of the gypsies, all laying down like her and Red. The binoculars went down the line in silence until they reached Grafted, the last pony in the line.

“So what's the plan?” he whispered while handing the binoculars back to Squeeze.

Red turned to Twilight. “Can you create a diversion with magic? Preferably on the opposite side of the building.”

Twilight's heart raced. She was going to help, no, she was a crucial part of this operation. She had a job to do, and do it she would. Her horn glowed lavender in the dark night and a loud boom resounded from the building. Everypony jumped as it repeated again and again.

“Oy gevalt! What did you do?!?” String Saddle asked.

Twilight gave him a mischievous smile. “I made the bar in front of the haywire. It's now slamming itself into the pavement.”

“Good job, but that's a little over the top. Now all the soldiers are awake!” hissed Crashing.

“Oh please. It's not like you vouldn't have voken them up anyway.” Streaking quipped.

A goofy smile spread along Crashing's face. “Yeah. You're right.”

“Hurry, let's move while they're distracted. Squeeze, Grafted you know the signal. Crashing, Streaking, go. Come on String, Frumos.”Red directed. He led String and Twilight into a gallop down the hill and into the small valley under the building while Streaking grabbed Crashing, and in a feat of amazing pegasi strength, carried him into the air.

Red stopped his group directly underneath the building's overlook and told his group to be quiet with his hooves. From above, startled voices were speaking loudly in Romaneian. Twilight held her breath and could hear every step they made. They stayed around the tarp and the noises they made echoed along the small valley. Red waited until he heard a large amount of ponies in the main room before he whistled sharply.

All movement and voices stopped in that moment. Red and the rest held their breaths and slunk up against the wall of the hill as they heard a pony rustle with the tarp. One of the soldiers had undone it and was now looking out along the valley. The time was measured in heartbeats as the trio heard a faint whistling noise. The pony in the building leaned out the broken window trying to get a glimpse of what was coming, but it was too late. The whistling grew louder and then became a sharper as one of Squeeze Box's spears flew through the air, breaking up into a million sharper pieces as it was designed. The hail of metal flew through the open window and the trio underneath heard loud screams and thumps hitting the floor. Twilight screamed and then quickly silenced herself with her hooves as the pony who had been leaning out the window fell down in front of the trio. To her, he looked like a porcupine in pony form. He had been killed instantly, but the look on his face plus all the shrapnel poking out of his body almost made Twilight throw up on the spot.

“Let's go, Crashing and Streaking will need our help!” Red directed as he led the other two up the side of the hill. From above, loud fighting sounds could be heard. Crossbow darts whizzed in the night and rebounded off the cement walls of the building as the soldiers tried to hit the duo on the roof.

Seconds after Red gave the sign, Streaking had dropped Crashing onto the roof to deal with the four sniper ponies. She helped from the air, until a crossbow dart from a ground-soldier had grazed her wing. She went down hard, onto the roof, but was mostly ok. A few bruises and a minor cut was nothing. More crossbow darts whizzed past the lip of the roof as Crashing and Streaking laid there under fire.

Red, String, and Twilight came to level ground and saw the ponies on the ground had their attentions occupied by the two on the roof. The soldiers yelled things in Romaneian to each other and also to the duo, without noticing the new trio.

Red and String looked and each other and smiled. “Too easy.”

String moved first, whipping the crossbow out of the first soldier's hooves, before wrapping the soldier's hooves together with the whip. He pulled the soldier towards him, before the soldier fell to the ground and String bucked him in the face.

By this time, the soldiers were aware of the other ponies, and they started shooting in their direction. Red unsheathed his long, curved sword and he and String danced away, dodging crossbow bolts and counterattacking. String's whip spoke of its arrival with loud cracks and Red's curved, scimitar-like sword danced in the night, creating fountains of crimson everywhere it went. Twilight saw this and her eyes grew wide. She hadn't signed up for this. Saving her brother: yes. Killing ponies: never.

A few soldiers spotted her and she instinctively cowered down onto the ground and cast a large purple dome around herself. As a Bearer of the Element of Harmony, Twilight was used to fighting with monster and other baddies, so a strong shield was easy to create, even while under extreme stress. She started to quake with fear when she heard more and more crossbow bolts hit her shield. Unknown to her, the dodging String and Red did had brought them further and further away from her. While she cowered, she became a sitting duck. Red and String had moved to the opposite side of the street, fighting and dispatching enemies.

Red wiped the sweat and the grime from his forehead as he pulled his sword out of another pony's chest with a large sucking sound. It was true that this was his father's sword, and that he'd never be as good as Steel Sword with the blade made for him; yet Red found a very satisfying feeling in killing the stallions who killed his father with his father's sword. They deserved it, and Red was their reckoning. Red glanced over to String, who was strangulating another soldier with his whip. String nodded to him as he slowly let the dead body down onto the ground. Another job well......

Wait! Where was Twilight?

Red frantically looked around for the mare and saw a glittering purple shield on the other side of the street, where they had first come in from. It was surrounded by soldiers firing their deadly bolts into it. He hit himself for forgetting she was still a rookie, and and Equestriani at that too. He sprinted towards her.

“Twilight!”

The sharp call pulled the soldier's attentions off of Twilight's shield. They turned just as Red approached, quickly dispatching two with his sword. The rest, however, reacted. They started to fire their crossbows at him, and Red was forced to use on of the ponies he impaled as a shield. Bolts thunked into the fleshy wall while Red backed up. He grimaced as bolts started to fly past his shield and snarled when one grazed his leg. He fell to a knee and braced himself as the soldiers started to move closer.

“Red!” cried String, breaking Twilight out of her terror. She looked up from the ground to see the ponies who were once attacking her converging on Red. She also saw String make a mad dash towards them, but she knew he'd be too late. She started to panic, and looked frantically between the two stallions. She blew out her shield in a fit of terrified magic power. The blast blew the soldiers to the ground along with her friends. She rushed to Red's side as soon as she stopped shaking in place.

“Red?Red!” she cried.

The monochromatic stallion blinked a few times and then tried to stand unsuccessfully. Twilight heaved a sigh of relief. He was ok, she hadn't hurt him. That was all that mattered. She lowered a hoof to him to help him stand and he took it. Then his eyes grew wide, and he pulled Twilight to the ground.

“Shield!”

Twilight quickly brought up an identical glowing dome as crossbow bolts flew into it. The soldiers stood up and fired with a vengeance. Twilight had merely stunned them, and now they were pissed.

Red panted in the dome and saw Twilight had stood up again. She looked wide-eyed at the soldiers. They yelled slurs and curses in Romaneian that were muffled by the shield.

“Stop them!”

Twilight looked down at Red, her face streaked with tears. Red noticed with a start that she was trembling.

“I....I can't do it. I can't kill another pony.” she broke down into sobs, and the dome didn't disappear, but started to fluctuate.

Red pulled the mare down into a hug. He kept forgetting she was from Equestria. They were a nation of peace, where something like this would never had happened. He stoked her mane while mentally smacking himself. She was scared out of her mind, and now he was asking her to do something impossible.

“Shssss. It will be alright frumos. If...If you can not end them, then could you stun them, or put them to sleep?”

Twilight raised her head to look into his face. She bit her tear-soaked lip, and gently nodded. She stood and her horn glowed once more. A dark blue mist wove itself from under the shield and started to surround the soldiers. At first they panicked, but their movements became sluggish, until they finally dropped to the ground asleep. Twilight lowered her shield, still shaking. She turned around and helped the slightly wounded Red to his hooves. He threw his wounded hoof over Twilight's back and he hobbled along. They looked over the street at the power of Twilight's magic. All the soliders had fallen into a deep sleep, plus one unlucky String Saddle.

Crashing and Streaking came rushing out of the building.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, ve saw from the roof. Vat happened?”

Red sighed. “Don't worry about it. It was my fault anyways. Could you two take the weapons off these soldiers and tie them up? I want them locked away in their own prisons.”

“Got it.” Crashing said, starting by removing a knife off of a soldier.

“What did you two find in there?”

“The armory is full.” Streaking smiled gleefully.

“Good. That is what we need. Go help Crashing, and Streaking.....”

“Yes?”

“Wake up String.”

Crashing and Streaking laughed as they found the prone body of String.

“Let's go inside Twilight.” Red smiled. Twilight hobbled inside with him re-living the memory of what had happened just a day ago. The narrow corridor made her flesh crawl, as did the small room that was still lit with its intense light. Twilight and Red navigated into the main room of the building, finding the hoof-work of Squeeze's spear.

The pair hobbled around clumps of shrapnel that seemed to permeated through everything. The whole room looked like the pony corpses that were stacked in the corner; spiking and unnatural. Yet, Twilight was still able to see the not-too-old remnants of her and Spike's antics with his blaze. The various desks and metal cabinets were still black with soot and now spiny from the assault.

“Come.” Red said, leading Twilight back towards the horrible corridor where they were led into the interrogation room. Twilight began to feel sick remembering the scenes, but Red turned her to the door on the opposite wall. It had been broken in, and the dented remains of the metal hung on open hinges. Twilight followed Red inside and gasped.

There were racks lining the walls, and lined with machines of death. The horrible crossbows that the soldiers were so fond of hung on hooks on the racks, their bolts were in belts underneath them. Above them on a higher shelf were piles of knives, all sheathed, but knowingly sharpened to a fatal point. Red shuffled to the wall opposite of the crossbows and found a few swords. He unsheathed one, a long straight sword. It was very different from his, as it was straight, hard, and looked like it was mass produced. He swung it around a few times. He grunted in approval between teeth clenched between the sword handle. It may have been inferior to his sword, but it would do.

“Can you take these back to the camp?”

“A...all of them?”

“Too many for your magic?”

“No. But why do you need so many?”

Red smiled. “You will see later.”

“Alright.”

“Good. Take them now and then come back.” he said tossing a sword to her as he shuffled out of the room. She caught it with magic and grabbed all the other tools of death with her telekinesis.

“What about Spike?”

“I will look for him! Gypsy's honor!” he called back, chuckling.

Even though it went against every moral fiber in her body, she knew that Red was trustworthy. He must have had good plans for all these weapons. But still, these were meant for killing.

'Or protecting. Face it Twilight, ponies here kill each other. Red needs these and you should trust him. Look at all he's done for you.' said a small voice in the back of her mind. She sighed and had to agree. Whether Red planned to use these or dispose of them (as Twilight hopped), she had to trust him.

In a flash of magic, she was back in the clearing of the gypsy camp with all the weapons. She floated them over to the caravan with the canopy, and stacked them in a pile underneath. Then she gathered her magical powers again and teleported back to the building.

She popped into the armory and walked out into the main room to find Red going through the cabinets while Squeeze stood on a desk above him, casting light with magic. Squeeze saw Twilight and waved while sheepishly smiling.

“Where's Spike?” asked flatly.

“As I suspected,” Grafted said, flying into the room, holding a sleeping and bound soldier. “He is not here.”

“Why?” Twilight cried, cursing her fate.

“Do not worry, Equestriani. I am finding the location of where they took him.” said Red, not looking up from the cabinet. Twilight sat down on a table and listened to Red shuffling through the papers. Streaking, Grafted, and Crashing came and went out of the building dragging the sleeping soldiers who were bound up and gagged into the last room Twilight hadn't entered. She assumed it must have been the prison, but she didn't want to know. String came walking into the room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He yawned and sat down next to her.

“Have a good nap?” Red asked sarcastically.

“Shuuuyawnnnn.” String attempted to answer. Twilight giggled as he smacked his lips after the gargantuan yawn.

“This is all your fault, you know.” he said pointing at her with a silly-sleepy face.

“Me!” Twilight exclaimed, feigning surprise.

“You two can flirt all you want when we get back.” Red muttered grabbing a few papers out of the cabinet. “Let's go” he said waving them around.

“What about Spike?”

“This report says they transferred the dragon to the capital, Bitarest.”

Red's eyebrows raised as he read further into it. “It also says that you are to be captured alive and brought to the capital at all costs.”

“What?”

Red crumpled it up, a scowl forming on his face. “Pyrite must want to make sure that the pony and dragon who saw his country for what it is, don't escape.”

“Why would he keep Spike alive then?”

“Simple. He wants to use him as bait to lure you there. As soon as you arrive, he'll kill both of you.”

Twilight's face whitened. Was this really what would happen? Finally reunite with Spike, just to end up dead soon after?

String saw her face and shook her gently. “Don't worry. We'll be with you when you go to the capital, and we won't let Pyrite do anything but die.”

Twilight was a little shocked at the malice that grew in his voice. “Thanks.” she said a little puzzled, but she remembered what red had told her earlier. String had faced the worst time out of all of the ponies when Pyrite attacked them.

Red nodded. “This is true. Now we must get home.” He called for the rest of the group, who came out of the prison.

“Are the prisoner's tied up?”

“Da.”

“Frumos, let's go home.”

In a flash of magical light the seven ponies disappeared from the building, never to return to it.

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Twilight woke up again later in the day to a loud commotion outside the caravan. She rubbed her eyes, surprised to find that she was getting used to sleeping on the cushions. She remembered last night's events and wanted to go back to sleep, but the commotion was too loud.

After they had returned from the way station, they had deposited their weapons back in their respective caravans and went to sleep. Each pony was exhausted, Twilight especially. She tried for the longest time to sleep, but the images of the ponies they fought kept flashing out in her mind. She cried for a while before falling asleep. Luckily, the dreams of the dead ponies and Baba Yaga did not plague her.

She stood up from her bed and traveled through the darkness of the caravan to the door. She heard pots and pans, cheers and shouts, wondering what could be up. She opened up the door and the mid-afternoon light came flooding into the caravan. Twilight had to throw up a hoof to block the harsh rays until her eyes adjusted. When they did, she looked out to their camp and her jaw dropped to the ground.

It appeared that the camp had grown exponentially. There were so many new caravans that they made walkways and paths that gypsy colts and foals ran and played in. Twilight descended from the caravan still in shock as she saw gypsy ponies of all shapes and sizes going on about their lives. She saw that many of the caravans had canopies and that there were small cooking fires underneath almost each one of them. Twilight assumed that it must be close to dinner time, and her stomach confirmed that it was. She started to walk down the paths, not really knowing what she was doing. She just walked and witnessed the sights of gypsy life.

She saw that each caravan was subtly different from the last, but many of inhabitants were the same. She saw many mothers cooking dinner outside while their children ran around and played between the caravans. She also saw the gypsy stallions were either working their talents, like wood working or smithing. All the ponies worked hard, and many stopped to wave nicely at Twilight. Twilight sighed, feeling how much this gypsy camp reminded her of Ponyville.

Twilight kept walking, her mind caught up in her memories. She walked to the very middle of the camp before realizing she had gotten herself lost. She turned around in a few circles and wondered which direction she had come from. She looked around and saw an elderly stallion sitting outside a caravan carving something. She walked over and introduced herself.

“Excuse me, sir. Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It appears that I'm lost. Could you tell me how to get to.....actually I don't even know where I'm going. Could you just tell me where I am?”

The stallion just stared blankly up at her and continued to carve.

“You can't understand a word I'm saying, can you?”

Again, the stallion just stared at her blankly and carved. Then Twilight thought of something.

“Red Star. Could you tell me where Red Star is?”

He still glanced at Twilight blankly.

Twilight turned sideways and pointed to her cutie mark. “Red Star. Red Star.” she said again pantomiming a star.

The stallion's eyebrow raised, but he continued to carve.

Twilight sighed and thought up something new. Her horn glowed and a large five pointed star appeared over her cutie mark. She pointed at it again and repeated Red Star's name.

The stallion's eyebrows raised and he nodded his head. He put his knife and chunk of wood down and then stood up slowly. He walked in front of Twilight and started to lead her through a series of winding walkways. Twilight followed him, until she found herself in front of a familiar caravan. It was the map-caravan, but two gypsies stood guard outside of it. The stopped the old stallion and he calmly told them about Twilight in Romaneian. He nodded when the guards nodded and then left, slightly bowing to Twilight before leaving.

One of the guards knocked on the door of the caravan and said a quick sentence in Roamaneian, and then Red Star came to the door.

“So you finally woke up, huh.”

“Where did all this come from?”

Red waved with a hoof. “First come inside. I must introduce you to somepony.”

Inside the caravan were all of Red's and Twilight's friends, but there was also two more ponies she didn't know. One rose to his hooves and gave Twilight quite a shock, for she had seen him in her dreams, only he had been younger, and not so massive. His large golden coat gleamed in the lamplight and his dark amber mane completed his appearance as a pony of gold. Only his eyes showed that he was truly alive and not a statue, nor a nightmare. They were sharp, their silver irises only adding to that. He extended a strong hoof to Twilight.

“I am Golden Sickle, brother to Red Star and his second in command.”

“Hi. Uh, I'm Twilight Sparkle.”

He turned to his younger brother. “So this is your new wife? Why do you get married only when I am not here?”

Twilight and Red both blushed.

“She is not my wife brother. She is a tourist from Equestria.”

“And yet she has slept in your bed. Or has Grafted Scroll lied to me?”

Red turned a deeper shade of red. “Yes, but...”

“Bah! No buts! I will officiate this.” he said before starting to speak Romaneian in a sing-song voice. His display caused everypony in the caravan to start giggling.

“BROTHER!”

“Hmm?”

“It is true that she has slept in my bed, but not once with me!” Red Star shouted, turning the deepest shade of red that Twilight had ever seen.

“Oh I knew that. You are not stallion enough to take this lovely mare. Yet, tradition is tradition....” he trailed off, an evil smile on his face. Red fumed and punched him in the shoulder and let loose a stream of Romaneian curses.

“Yes, yes, I know. Wait, she was your mother too, stupid.” Golden nodded as his brother threw a fit. Twilight laughed at the display of brotherly affection. Her laughter was joined in by the rest of the occupants of the caravan.

When Red finally calmed down he sat down back at the head of the table sullenly. He crossed his hooves across his chest and pouted. Golden just shook his head.

“Still such a child.” he pointed Twilight to the other new occupant of the caravan. She was a beautiful earth pony mare. She stood gracefully and walked as if she was made of silk. She eased into Golden's arms, her ivory coat slightly reflecting the color of Golden's golden coat. She looked up to Golden and gave him a quick kiss before looking at Twilight.

She raised a hoof and brushed her ebony mane away from her smokey eyes.

“I am Valley Mist.” she said in a smooth voice, extending a hoof. “I am Golden Sickle's wife.”

Twilight was awed by the beauty she resonated. She took her hoof. “Twilight Sparkle.

They shook and then Golden spoke. “Come and sit. We have many plans to make.” The couple sat back down in their seats and Twilight went around the table to sit near Red Star. He looked at her moodily, but Twilight could see a glimmer of happiness in his eyes.

“As we were saying before Twilight came, you had a great success last night, capturing thoses weapons and troop movements. But now I must inform you of some bad news.” Golden said, his voice growing more serious.

“The negotiations with the leaders of the subject's partisan groups did not fare well. They told us of a new material Pyrite had found deep within the stone mines. This is the reason he has even started pulling extra subjects as a work force from the tourist towns. Whatever he is mining, it has the partisan groups antsy.”

“But they have a plan.” Valley Mist picked up. “They want to attack the capital full on in four days time.”

“Four days!” Red slammed the table. “Insane! We don't have enough time to muster the forces. Plus we still have to liberate all our brothers and sisters imprisoned in Clip-Nacloppa.”

“I believe we can make it. If we march for Clip-Nacloppa tomorrow, the partisan groups in the area have dedicated themselves to helping us in full on assaults. After wards, we will have even more reinforcements from the prisoners we free and the other partisan groups will join us in our march on the capital.”

“But to take Clip-Nacloppa with our meager 60?”

“I know brother, I know. But I know it is a risk we can take. If the oppressed see our assault, then they will rise up and join us, as long as we give them something to fight for.”

“How do we know they will rise p with us? I don't want it to turn out to be like another Hoofdoara.”

“The partisans say they have been helping all the citizens ready themselves for a revolt.”

“You know I don't trust the partisans!”

“But who else can we trust! There are no others!”

Red sighed and looked down at the map covering the table. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he nodded his head.

“We will do this.” he spoke slowly. “But we will not do this as the partisan groups do. I will not have my Roma charge into slaughter. I want to go into Clip-Nacloppa with 60 revolutionaries and come out with 60 revolutionaries.” he said opening his eyes. Their golden-green irises glowed with an inner fire.

“We'll need a plan.”

Chapter 5: Bublitschki

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This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.

Chapter 5: Bublitschki

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“Up you get small one.” said a demonic voice that pulled the comfortable and warm robe-blankets off of Spike. The cold air of the room invaded Spike's ball of snuggly warmth. Spike frowned and tried to fight against the tug, winning the blankets after a brief struggle. He smiled and sighed as he pulled the robes closer around himself.

“So you want to be that way?” said the voice amused as it let go of the robes. The voice chuckled and Spike heard hoofsteps as the voice left the room., along with water turning on and then off.Spike gave a deeper sigh of relief and snuggled back into the robes. He felt the warmth of the blankets and the waves of heat which permeated from the dying fire. He took a deep breath in. Even if he was separated from Twilight and held against his will by a crazy tyrant, this was pure comfort. If only he was back in Ponyville.....

“Gotcha!” said the evil voice as Spike felt a pressure on his exposed tail. He cried out in protest, but the evil pony held Spike upside down in the air by his tail.

“Kells! What are you doing? Put me down!”

Kells walked into the bathroom with the young dragonling. He chuckled evilly at the mischief he was creating.

“Put you down? Are you sure?”

“YES!”

“Ok.” Kells let him fall into the tub filled with cold water. He counted down three seconds and then Spike came out gasping.

“AAAHHHHH!”

Kells shook his head. “It's really not that cold.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Did this water come from the northern ocean?”

Kells rolled his eyes and Spike noticed his coat was wet too. Apparently he had used the tub before Spike's fateful plunge. How could he stand such frigid waters?

“If you're done, then come out and eat some breakfast. It came up while you were still asleep.” He said while walking out of the bathroom. Spike immediately jumped out of the tub, almost slipping on the wet stone, and ran back to the fire place. He let out a gout to get the flames going again and then he stood close to it, letting the heat remove the bitter waters.

Spike turned around and around trying to get warmer faster, but stopped when he got dizzy. He sat down on the hearth while his vision stopped spinning. He looked around and saw that breakfast was on the table just like Kells said, while the pony in mind sat on his bed. Kells was already robed and he held the smaller robe that he said was for Spike in one hoof, while he held a needle and thread in the other.

Spike stood up and walked over to watch him sew.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Making sure this will fit you.”

“Why aren't you doing that with your magic?”

“It's not the same.”

“Will it look like yours?”

“If everything turns out right, yes.”

“You know, I live in a library too, back in Ponyville, but we never wore robes.”

Kells grunted. “It's cold and it's tradition. Go eat your breakfast. We have a lot to do today.”

Spike could hear the familiar stern tone in his voice that he heard all to often in Twilight's. That tone always told him it was time to do things and ask questions later. He quickly sat down in the one dining chair and grabbed the plate that still had food on it. He ate his two little bagels and hard boiled eggs in silence hearing the 'shwip, shwip' of the needle pulling thread. Spike finished up and stacked the dirty plates in the center of the table. He could hear the bed springs creak as Kells stood up.

“Try this on.” he told Spike as he hoofed the robe over to him. Then Kells went over and cleaned up the plates and cups by putting them in the dumbwaiter, yanking on the rope once. The dishes slowly vanished into the darkness.

Spike hopped down from the chair and examined his robe. It was the same brown as Kells', only a little darker and less frayed. Spike noticed that the robe had originally been made by for a pony, but Kells had shortened it considerably. He had removed the bottom sleeves by essentially cutting the robe in half. He had also shortened the sleeves so Spike could use his claws instead of flopping around everywhere. The robe had a long, velvet rope belt and Spike had to wrap it around himself a few times so he wouldn't be tripping over it all day. He tightened it and stood up straight, noticing that Kells was watching him.

Kells looked at Spike in the new garb and nodded to himself, before going over to Spike and straightening his collar.

“Come,” he said walking to the door. “It is time to get started.”

He strode out the door and Spike followed Kells as he took the left pathway along the wall.He noticed that it was more than cold in the library, it was FREEZING! Spike became thankful for his new robe ever so quickly. His feet padded along after the older hoof past the large stained glass windows that went from the first floor to the second. Spike looked across to the other wall and looked at those windows too. Like before, he noticed that there was Luna and Celestia at the beginning of the library, but here closer to Kell's room, the stained glass showed different unfamiliar alicorns.

“Who's that?” Spike asked stopping in front of a window that depicted a dark green alicorn with a leaf green mane in a forest. She sat in a throne in a throne of living branches and roots formed from the nearby trees.

Kells cast a glance to her and then kept walking. “That was Erda. She ruled over the forests that we now call Germaney as an Immortal princess.”

“What happened? Why isn't she still ruling Germaney?”

Kells sighed and kept walking. Spike hurried to catch up, and Kells continued while he descended the stairs.

“She gave up her immortality because she fell in love with a war-stallion named Sigurd.”

“Lucky guy.”

“Indeed.”

They walked through the bookshelf-corridors in silence until they reached the central desk. Then Kells walked around it and went through an opening in the wall. He was lost from Spike's sight as he rooted around under the counter of the circular desk. He came up a moment later, holding a large, brittle, yellowed manuscript with magic. He laid it down on the desk and looked at it. Spike looked at is too and found it was the same strange scratchings and etches that comprised of Kells's letter.

Kells looked at it seriously and then put it back with magic.

“What was that?” Spike asked.

“Hm? Oh the writing? Just a little code I made up with some other colts and fillies when I was young.”

“Then why do the Princesses know it?”

Kells looked at Spike with amazement. He looked from side to side and leaned in towards Spike. He motioned for Spike to come close.

“The princesses know EVERYTHING.” he whispered, leaning back with a goofy look on his face. Spike rolled his eyes, but Kells didn't seem to notice. He disappeared back underneath the desk again and came back up, floating a stack of books. He placed them on the table and started to go through them.

“What are you looking for?” Spike asked in amazement. Nopony could read books faster than Twilight, and yet here was Kells, flipping though the pages and barely glancing at them, but they were being read. After he had finished each book, Kells tossed them out of the stack.

“There was a book in here on the castle's building plan.........Ah! Here we go!”

The book holding the plan was old, musty, and yellowed, but much newer than the parchment. It was thickly bound and looked quite heavy, but that didn't dismay Kells. He magically flipped through the pages until stopping towards the middle of the book. He scanned the page quickly and then started flipping through the res of the book a little dismayed.

“Spike, I didn't want it to come to this, but you're going to have to help me.”

“Isn't that what I'm here for? I am the Ponyville's Librarian's number one assistant.”

“Yes, but you're going to help me with something other than re-shelving these books.” he said walking out from behind the desk. He walked and talked leading Spike though the corridors of bookshelves, until he reached a certain bookcase in the middle of the space between two windows.

“We have four more days until those military ponies come to get you.”

“Yeah, about that. What's the big deal telling them to come later when they could have been here today?”

“And do what? Talk to Pyrite before being killed? I asked them to come in four days for a reason.”

“So? What's the reason?”

“You youngsters don't have any manners nowadays.”Kells shook his head and a book glowed with his telekinetic magics. He pulled it and the whole bookcase moved five feet to the right, revealing a long, dark, curving staircase. Spike's jaw dropped to the ground. A hidden staircase? Awesome!!!!!!

“I told them to come later because we have important work to do; we have to raise an army.”

“What????” Spike asked while Kells walked down the stairs.

“Come dragonling, it is a high honor in Draconic society to be a general of an army!” called Kells's voice from the echoy stairway. Spike stared in shock at the hidden stairway. A general? He didn't even get in fights with other kids! Well, except for that one time with the CMC, but that was an accident when they were crusading for “Swordpony marks”. Wait, this was Kells, he was probably joking.....maybe. Spike stood wondering and heard the hoofsetps get softer and softer and decided it was at least better to be safe and confused with somepony else than it was to be cold andalone in a dictator's library.

“Wait up!” he called as he dashed into the stairwell. The bookcase slowly closed after him, leaving none but the windows of the alicorns to guard over the books.

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“How much farther?” Spike huffed from behind Kells. After chasing down the long staircase and catching up with Kells, Spike found himself following Kells further down the never-ending staircase. It became increasingly narrower as they traveled down it, and Spike kept catching the hem of his robe. He tripped again after he asked Kells the question and almost caused both of them to fall. Kells swore in Romaneian as he used magic to prevent both of them from tumbling down the steps.

“Careful dragon! We will be there in a moment. No patience, none at all from this generation.....” Kells grumbled as he carefully resumed his descent. Spike rolled his eyes at the old unicorn's words. They had been traveling for what Spike thought was at least half an hour, and he was getting pretty fed up. First Kells says wild things about armies and generals, and then he travels down a staircase for too long. Where was it going anyway? Spike sighed as he continued down the steps. At least is wasn't cold anymore. In fact, it was getting warmer the deeper they went underground.

Spike smelled something that made him snap his head up. Smoke and sulfur?

“Here we are impatient child.” Kells said as he stopped on an wooden platform that signified the end of the stairs. He turned left and opened a wooden door. The air's smell thickened as Spike followed Kells through the door. He came out to a pitch black room that slanted downwards into a tunnel. Kells had his horn glowing, casting a faint light onto the mining cart he was climbing into.

“Let's go dragonling. We don't have enough time to twaddle.” Kells said as he picked up Spike with magic and deposited him in the cart next to himself.

“Where are we..”

Kells put a hoof in his mouth. “Face the back and breath as much flame as you can when I tell you.”

“Oompf?”

“Just do it.” Kells said, ushering the dragon to the back. Spike shrugged his shoulders and sat facing the back.

Kells seated himself in the front of the cart and started speaking.

“Driving systems: Operational.” A rusty driving wheel turned and squeaked.

“Breaking systems: Confirmed.” Kells stepped on an equally rusty break pedal a few times.

“Charging thrusters.” Kells said. He coughed. “Ahem, charging thrusters.”

Spike rolled his eyes and faced the back of the cart. Spike took a few deep breaths and then let a continuous jet of flame out of his mouth. It wasn't much, but that meant that Spike could keep it going.

“Flipping switches, pressing buttons, and playing with doodads.” Kells started making noises that made it really hard for Spike to keep the flame going.

“Swish! Click! Flip-flip! springo!, shwip, klock!” Then Kells started talking in a falsetto voice.

“What are you doing? You're not actually going into an asteroid field?”

The Kells spoke normally again. “They'd be crazy to follow us. Pew, pew, shpewwshh! Do! Dun dun dun dun-unn da!!!”

“What are you doing?” Spike asked, giggling.

“This is what I always do before I fly the mill....er I mean drive this cart. Hey, you're supposed to be charging.”

Spike crossed his arms. “Are we gonna go soon? I believe you said that we don't have much time.”

“That's why you should be charging!”

Spike sighed and faced the back again, but this time he didn't blow any fire.

“Final scan: All systems go. Removing locks.” Kells pulled two wooden blocks from under the two front wheels away with magic. The cart started to teeter forward.

“Jump to lightspeed in 5...”

Spike grabbed the back of the cart.

“4....”

He took a few shallow breaths.

“3.....”

He sucked in as much air as he could in one giant breath.

“2....”

He focused all his internal fire into this one breath.

“1.....Punching to lightspeed!!!!”

Spike bellowed out a shouting-flame that propelled the cart way faster than any fire could produce. Spike had a felling that Kells' unicorn magic was involved, but he didn't care. He sat back in the cart and felt the rush of warm air around him. With his back resting on Kells, he saw the walls of the tunnel rush by, turning from dark black to a brown-ish red color as they approached light. The cart bumped as Kells drove it onto some tracks and the heat became palpable and the sulfur smell was pungent. The cart suddenly shot out on the track into thin air and Spike saw where the heat and the smells were coming from.

Beneath him, was a large smelting and mining operation. There were dozens of ponies working in the forges and smelters, pouring vats of thick, molten liquids into molds. The heat from the fires and metals was pleasant for Spike, but he could tell that none of the ponies liked it. In fact, they shouldn't have been down here. This was a job that only dragons should have been qualified for. But as soon as Spike saw the first guard, he knew where these ponies had come from. Immediately, Spike became scared. He spotted more as they traveled on, seeing the ones on the work floor having long whips on their belts.

“We gotta get out of here!” He hissed at Kells.

“Don't fret, they can't see us. Our shields are at full power!”

“What?”

Kells sighed. “I put a cloaking spell on us, and as soon as we get to the floor they'll fall asleep for awhile. Or until we're done here.” The cart coasted down the tracks and came to rest next to other carts on tracks that headed into the mines. They were filled with a strange metal ore. It glowed faintly and Spike thought he felt heat coming from it, but he couldn't tell. Kells jumped out of the cart and every guard in the place slumped to the ground. Spike clambered out of the cart and was mystified by the massive power of the Kells' spell. He could have rivaled Twilight any day.......

“Come small one.” Kells said as he put Spike on his back with his magic. “We have little time to speak to Molten Ingot and Blistering Flame.” He said as he galloped off into the workplace with Spike on his back. He reached the center of the work floor that had bee crowded all but one second ago. Now, however, they were bare. Obviously, all the enslaved ponies had been aware of Kells' magic.

“Hail, old one!” called a voice from above them. Spike looked up to see a stallion with a wicked scar running down one side of his body standing on rock outcropping over a tunnel. “This way, quickly! The bosses wish to speak to you!” Kells nodded and rushed into the tunnel. He followed the cart tracks that lead down into the mine shafts of the tunnel only to be waved down by another stallion.

“This way!” he called as he removed a seemingly broken cart from a wall of stone. Behind it was a hole in the stone wall. Spike was lifted from Kells' back and was slid rudely through the hole by Kells' magic. Then Kells lowered himself to the ground and shimmied himself through. On the other side was a small meeting room carved out of the rock. It had a canvas flap that served as a door over an opening in the rock on the other side of the room.

The room was spartan to the extreme. There was nothing but a wooden table and two ponies that sat on one side. One was a grizzled earth pony stallion that had an eyepatch covering his right eye. His other eye was golden with a slit-pupil. His blood-red hair sprung up behind his head and his black coat was covered in slashed scars and burn marks. He gave a feral smile when the two entered the room The other pony that sat next to him was much tamer compared to her counterpart, but looked much tougher. She was a light tan pegasi and her lithe muscles bulged as she crossed her arms over her chest. She blew stray blue hairs of her mane that had escaped from her large winding braid that ran down her back. He steel-blue eyes looked at Spike disapprovingly and she grimaced as he and Kells sat down across from them.

“Thank you for meeting us today. I assure you it is urgent. I believe that you both received the message.” Kells said with a polite smile.

“Yes, and it is ridiculous.” said the pegasus mare.

“Don't listen to her librarian. I will join you in your revolt in four days. The ponies of the mines will gladly help.” said the earth pony, smiling wickedly, showing off his semi-pointed teeth. “It has been such a long time since we fought a good outnumbering fight......”

“Do you even hear yourself when you speak Flame? You would sentence ponies to death so easily?!?” the angry pegasus shouted.

The stallion's smile shrunk. “I would never condemn them to such a fate. I asked each and every one of them if they would risk it all to save their families, to free themselves, and to free their country. They agreed to it and they will follow me into victory, or into death.”

“How romantic.” the mare said sarcastically.

“Why won't you join us Molten?”

“Four days! Four days! How are we to arm all the ponies of the mines and smithies all while dodging the guards!”

“We can help.....”

“By doing what you foolish old schmuck!” And with that curse, Molten Ingot and Kells were arguing in Romaneian.

Blistering Flame rolled his eye and gazed across the table at Spike. He smiled his feral smile and Spike gulped.

“Come here dragonling.” he said, motioning for Spike to move closer to the far end of the table. Spike didn't want to be rude to somepony who would help them, and more importantly looked so terrifying, so he scotched down towards the far end.

“So dragonling, what are you called?”

“Spike sir.”

Flame growled. “Titles are for the dead. I am Blistering Flame. But now down to business. Breath some fire young one.”

Spike gulped as Blistering waited patiently. “A..are you sure...”

“Yes, yes I know, now breath.”

“Alright.” Spike breathed a small gout of flame that Blistering immediately stuck his hoof into. Spike gasped and cut off the flame from his mouth, but it was too late. Blistering's hoof was already on fire. Spike paled at the sight and tried to apologize, but Blistering silenced him.

“You have a good flame for one who is so young.”

“You should really put that out Mr. Blistering. I don't think that's to good for you.”

Blistering's smile widened and he laughed. “Nonsense!” he said boisterously. “Watch.” He raised his other hoof and took a breath of his own. Then he released a flame from his mouth. It enveloped his hoof in a black flame as Spike's eyes bulged out of his head. Spike's brain overheated trying to comprehend what had just happened. A pony breathing fire? Impossible; brain shutting down. Spike blacked out and fell out of his chair.

“..ike. Spike, come on. Don't make me dunk you again.” Kells voice cut through the darkness.

Spike gasped and shot up. “No more water! No more water!” His head rushed as he heard Kells chuckle and Blistering laugh loudly.

“Finish your negotiations you two.” Blistering said filled with mirth. He put his hooves together in a mock prayer. “I promise I won't do that again.” he said with fake innocence to an even angrier Molten Ingot.

Spike sat down across from Blistering again and saw that Blistering was leaning on one hoof looking amused.

“I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. It was strange. You were in my dream and you breathed...” Spike face paled again as he saw black flame play around Blistering's sharp teeth.

“That was no dream egg-brother. I did just breath flame.”

Spike looked around and leaned closer. “How? You're an earth pony.”

“No, I'm not.”

Spike's eyes widened. “Only dragons can breath flame.....”

“Actually there are more creatures than dragons that can breath fire, like the Chimaera and fire elementals, but I am neither. I am Blistering Fire, member of the Lord of the Shattered Claws Dragon clan and one of the few Draconeqqui of Romaneia.”

Spike's mouth dropped open in shock and fear. “Bbbut Discord is a draconequuus. I thought he was the only one.”

Blistering snorted sullenly and twin spurts of black flame shot from his nostrils. “Discord always ruins our reputations. Just because one dragon razes a village, does that make you just as bad?”

“No.”

“There you have it. We are not bad just because of one acting badly.” he said with a lazy flick of his hoof.

“So that's why you have pointy teeth and eyes like m...oops. Sorry.”

“Don't be. I lost my eye in a fight with another dragon of my clan. You should have seen what I did to him. This was a war wound, and I am proud of it.”

“Um.. so how exactly are Draconeqqui made. I mean dragons don't marry...”

“They don't usually marry ponies. My father was an adventurer who came out to Romaneia 400 years ago.”

“400 hundred years!!!!”

Blistering rubbed a hoof against his chin. “Yes I know I don't look a day over 150.”

Spike snickered and Blistering continued.

“My father came looking for a precious metal in the mountains, but fell into a crevice and almost killed himself. He ended up breaking most of his ribs and a hoof, but he survived. The trouble came when he had found out he fell straight into a dragon's den. The dragon was not to pleased, but my father was not afraid. He had the guile to attack first and scored a few hits on the dragon before word had spread through the clan. My mother was Lady of the clan and she rushed to the scene, luckily stopping the fight before my father was killed.”

“Your dad was stupid enough to attack a dragon?”

Blistering beamed. “One hell of a pony he was.”

“But how did they, you know, create you?”

“That's simple. My mother was the oldest and wisest of the dragons of the clan, not to mention Lady, so she knew of old dragon magics. When every dragon reaches a certain age, 1000 I believe, that is when they are called back to Draconia to go to a comprehensive school in dragon magics. This school is the oldest there is of any kind like this and it teaches magic that only dragons can use. My mother had gone to the school and learned how to transform herself into the other races. She took my father back to her warren and changed herself into an earth pony who looked very much like myself. She nursed him back to health and they eventually feel in love. Over time my father earned his place in the clan through his renowned gall. Ask any dragon about the Stallion of Shattered Claws and they will tell you about him.”

“Sounds a little....violent to me.”

Blistering's jaw dropped open. “Don't you feel the glorious urge to battle? You ARE a dragon aren't you?”

“Of course I am! A proud dragon of Equestria!”

Blistering sat back and nodded. “That explains it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why your flame is green. You did know your flame reflects who you are, correct?”

“No.” Spike said shyly. “I thought they were like unicorn magic; they were the same color as my scales.”

“Not at all young one. Green means a fire of happiness and friendship. A strong flame, but not very deadly. Red is a flame of anger, Purple is of beauty, Yellow is of life, Blue of knowledge, and Black...black is the flame of passion. Mine is a deep black and that shows you my true character. Pitch black like sins in the night.” Blistering said as sultry as any living thing could say it.

Spike chewed on what the draconeqqus had told him. He was glad that his fire showed that he was a living lesson in the power of friendship, but he was dismayed at how little he knew of his own people. Granted, he lived with ponies for all of his life, but was dragon life that different? Looking at Blistering, it must have been because he was covered in scars and burns. They couldn't all love fighting as much as Blistering right? He even said that there was a flame of knowledge, so there must be some civilized dragons out there in the world. His thoughts were broken when a hoof gently tapped his shoulder.

“Come along Spike. We reached an agreement and we will be back here in two days time to help with final arrangements.” Kells said. Spike looked at Molten Ingot and saw she was just as surly as ever.

“You are sure the spells you will cast will stay until you visit again?” she asked suspiciously.

“They will, I promise you.”

“Then leave. We must spread the news.” she said pointing to the hole they crawled in from.

“Alright. We'll be back at the same time two days from now.”

Molten Ingot sighed and Blistering Flame smiled and stood up.

“May the gods bless you.” Molten said as she shook Kells hoof.

“They already have.” Kells smiled as he returned the shake.

Blistering walked over and embraced Spike in a crushing hug.

“Take care until the day we go to war, brother.”

“Th..thanks.” Spike chocked out. He let go of Spike and went over to Kells. He and Kells crossed hooves and hit each others chest in a friendly manner.

“I have known you for a long time librarian. I hope to see you on the battle field.”

“I will be there, and you will earn much glory for your clan.”

“The members of my clan with honor will be there alongside us, however the hegemony will not allow me to engage in a full on assault against Pyrite.”

“Do not worry.” Kells said seriously, dropping his hoof slowly. “Pyrite's time is coming.”

“Let's go Spike.”

The two pairs of ponies turned away from each other. Kells slid through the hole and Spike took one last glance at the two revolutionaries. There flanks were turned to him as they conversed in whispers. That gave Spike full sight of both of their cutie marks.

Molten Ingot's cutie mark was like most smith's, a pair of tongs crossed with a hammer, but in the middle was a wicked looking ebony mace with sharp flanges and a heavyset head. Blistering Flame's on the other hand was plain looking. It was a large chunk of silvery metal in the shape of a flame.

“Don't dwaddle Spike. We'll be back in a day or two.” Kells said from beyond the wall. Spike nodded and slipped underneath only to be placed on Kells' back again. Kells galloped out of the mine and back to the cart. The ponies started to trickle out from every tunnel and the work started to resume their forced jobs. The cart moved on it's own when the pair had gotten into it and it flew up the rails and out of the mine.

“So what did you and Molten decide on?”

Kells shifted as the cart rounded a corner sharply. “ We're going to help Molten make weapons in any ways we can. We're both going to be worked to the bone, but with some luck we can finish before the day you are to escape.”

“Weapons?” Spike's stomach started to turn at the thought.

Kells' shoulders drooped. “Listen Spike, this is going to be hard for you, but you must be brave. You will see things you wish you didn't and you might even have to fight for your life, but I will keep you safe and we will find your sister.”

“Can't we just leave without anypony getting hurt?”

“I wish it was so Spike. I wish it was so....” Kells sighed as the cart shot back up into the tunnel and the light from the mines faded.

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Spike stepped out of the dark stairwell into the cold library solemnly, following Kells. He didn't know how to feel. He was deathly afraid of the concept of fighting for his life and helping supply an army with weapons. But he had seen the mines. He saw how the ponies were, with sooty faces, overheated expressions, and marks from whiplashes. He agreed that this had to stop, but he was an Equestrian! This could be solved by talking or something peaceful, right?

He remembered what Blistering had told him. Spike hated to admit it, but he could feel a tiny part of his being have this urge. It reminded him of when he had the hording growths, but it was deeper and stronger than the urge to collect. It sang a silent song that made his blood boil and heart race. He knew this was the part of him, the instinct to fight to prove his dominance and power.

“Are you alright dragonling?” he heard Kells ask, pulling Spike away from the alluring song of power and destruction sang by his own instinct. Spike found he was covered in a cold sweat and his claws had dug into the cold marble ground.

“Yeah. Yeah, just fine.” Spike said slowly walking away from the spot, noticing he had made jagged scratches in the floor.

“Good. We need to put these books away.” Kells said floating a small pile of ancient tomes to Spike. He took them and huffed under their weight.

“Really?”

Kells shrugged and picked up his own pile. “Despite what has yet to come, this is still a library. I do believe a young dragon said they were a 'number on assistant'.”

Spike groaned and looked at one of the spines of the books. 'The Lusty Argonian Maid' it said. Spike walked through the shelves of the library looking for the books that began with 'T'. As Spike struggled to find the right shelves for the books he noticed that the sun had passed it's apex in the sky and it was slowly heading towards the horizon. He stumbled around and finally found the right section. He put away 'The Lusty Argonian Maid' with a shrug, wondering at the weird title. He grabbed the next book and lumbered on.

Spike found himself upstairs when he reached a dilemma. He had the all the books put away, except for one. It had a thick wooden cover, string bindings, and looked like it was older than Luna and Celestia. However, it didn't have a title on it's spine. Spike opened it up and flipped through the first few pages, but found no title. Spike scratched his spines and eased himself down against the wall next to the bookcase he had just put a book away in. He started flipping through the book, bypassing the first few pages and flipping through the book's contents. His eyebrows raised at what he saw.

On the first page he flipped to, there was a smaller, painted copy of the large stained glass window in Kells's room. Underneath it was some writing in Romaneian, but Spike ignored it. He flipped through the next few pages and found that every few pages held a picture like the one he saw on the first page. The next picture he saw was of the same armored alicorn standing in front of a massive emerald colored dragon. The next picture was ten pages away and it depicted earth ponies on one side of the alicorn while dragons of various sizes were on his other side. Spike flipped through the book quickly to find the next picture, but he found nothing but Romaneian. He sighed and closed the book wondering what it was about. He glanced up at the setting sun and heard Kells call to him. Spike quickly hid the book within his robes and answered Kells. He got up and walked to the bedroom to dine and get ready for bed.

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“I found this cool book today while I was putting them away...” Spike said over a dinner of baked potatoes and mixed vegetables. He pulled the book out from his robes and handed it over to an inquisitive looking Kells. Kells picked it up with magic and hovered it in front of his face while he squinted into the tome.

“How did this get in the rest of the books?” he muttered.

“What?”

“It was a present.” Kells explained to Spike. “It was given to me when I first became the Royal librarian. I thought it was up here.”

“What's it about?” Spike asked.

Kells chuckled. “What did you think of the pictures?”

“They look just like the windows.”

“They should. The same pony did both. But to answer your question, this book depicts the founding of Romaneia. According to this, Romaneia was founded a few years before Equestria, by another alicorn, much like your princesses. This alicorn supposedly joined the dragons of the Misty Mountains and the native gypsy ponies in the first pony-dragon concord and ruled over all of them in this very castle.”

“Then why is Pyrite a dictator? Shouldn't that alicorn be here!”

Kells shrugged his shoulders and frowned sadly. “The book tells of how the alicorn stepped down from power to allow the dragons and gypsies rule together. None have seen him since he left that day. Some say he is still in Romaneia, but many think he is just a legend.”

“So was he ever real?”

Kells smiled sadly. “Only time will tell young dragonling. For now, we must rest. Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, I will clean up dinner.” Spike silently obeyed and retired to the chair for a night of sleep. He fell into a deep, but unsettling sleep filled with the words of the drconeqqus and images of Twilight falling off of the outcropping once again.

A Vacation in Romaneia

by The_Last_Centurion

Chapter 1: Occurrence at the Border

Chapter 2: When Worlds Collide

Chapter 3: Undestructable

Chapter 4: 60 Revolutions

Chapter 5: Bublitschki