Spike has now entered high school, where he hopes to make new friends and maybe get a girlfriend. However, he doesn’t know that it’s a school for monsters.
Spike has just enrolled in a school called Dreadmire Academy. Since he was lonely in middle school, he wants nothing more than to make lots of new friends to hang out with. Next, he hopes to get a girlfriend before graduation. When he arrives there, he notices that the students and teachers exhibit odd behavior, like only having classes at night and eating raw meat. But at least the girls at this strange school are hot! Then, the creepy principal tells him the big secret: Dreadmire Academy is a school for monsters! And he’s the only human student there! As if that wasn’t bad enough, the principal also tells him that he might get eaten if they find out he’s human! Will Spike Drake survive this supernatural alma mater? Read and find out!
It was a bright, moonlit night. The full moon was rising above the leafless trees and bathing the surrounding landscape with it's beautiful, yet haunting light. The moon itself was bright red in coloration. A swarm of bats flew off into the night to begin their nightly feast of insects. Off in the distance, a single wolf could be heard howling its mournful howl. Soon, the others of its pack joined their fellow wolf in an orchestra of howls that carried through the chill night air. There was a weak wind riding through the air, blowing the grass and branches in a southerly direction.
Off in the distance beyond the trees, was a large schoolground with multiple buildings. The buildings themselves were Gothic in design. The buildings had all the characteristics of such architecture: pointed arches and spires, large stained-glass windows, high-vaulted roofs/ceilings, ornate decorations, flying buttresses, and even some gargoyles at certain points. The main building was the largest of them all, with it's tall and menacing spires casting a shadow that eerily loomed over the landscape. This shadow seemed to swallow up everything it touched.
Suddenly, a fearful scream issued from the main building. The large main doors to the main building were forced open by a terrified teenage girl. The girl was probably sixteen years old. She had pale skin as the color seemed to drain from her face. The girl had dark blue hair and grassy green eyes. She was tall and quite slim. She wore a uniform that appeared to be a female school uniform, consisting of a black waist-length coat, a red tie, a white undershirt, a short red plaid skirt, knee-high black socks, and brown dress shoes. However, the state of her uniform was another matter: it showed signs of ripping and tearing from some form of assailant. There were spots and streaks of blood on it. The blood came from the open wound on her arm that the girl was currently holding against herself. Her face was a mask of terror. She had eyes that bore a haunting expression and were red with being bloodshot. She was panting and sweating from a great amount of pain and physical exertion.
From behind her, a cacophony of roars and shrieks that no animals could make sounded from behind the frightened girl. The horrible sounds were coming closer and closer to where the girl was currently standing. The poor thing realized that she couldn't stay where she was and bolted for the forest that surrounded the school.
She must have ran for what felt to her like hours. Running through thick woods with thorny plants tore at her uniform and skin, leaving cuts along her legs and arms. But she didn't mind the pain. Her adrenaline was telling her to ignore the pain. All she knew was that she had to run. To get away from whatever was chasing her.
She wished that she had never come to this godforsaken place. To this house of horrors. Nothing here was human, not by any definition of human. This place housed things. Things that should've been nothing but scary bedtime stories. Things that should've been considered myth. But no, these things were real. And out for flesh and blood.
The frightened girl ran between the dark trees and jumped over creeks and fallen logs. She had to find the main gates. She had to get away from this nightmare. The moon illuminated some of the girl's path, but the branches of the trees did nothing to help her situation.
Eventually, the girl decided to simply find a place to hide. If she could find a hiding place, she could wait until morning, when the horrible things chasing her would return to the school to sleep the day away. After a frantic search, she found a potential hiding spot.
It was a short hill with a rocky overhang. The space underneath looked big enough for someone of her size to fit through. She dropped to her hands and knees and crawled underneath the overhang. Once she got herself situated in her spot, she covered her mouth and focused on watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary.
At first, there was nothing worth worrying about. She could hear the soft hooting of a great horned owl from the trees and saw a few bats fluttering around a small pond.
Then she heard a collection of sounds that chilled her very bones. Lots of roars, howls, and screeches coming from the distance and closing in. The girl gathered a bunch of leaves and bunched them up in front of herself as a shield from their sight, while leaving just enough space for her to look out into the night.
Suddenly, shadowy shapes burst through the trees. The figures were inhuman in their forms. Some were tall or short. Some had horns, jaws, or wings. The girl couldn't quite make out more distinctive features except for the fact that they all had glowing red eyes. It was like their eyes were actually producing light. Eventually, one of the figures spoke.
"Spread out! Find that human!", it said with a gruff voice. The other figures followed the first one's command and spread out to find her. Those with wings took to the air while the wingless ones spread out to search at ground level.
The girl breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the figures moving further and further away from where she was hiding. She would survive until morning. She was going to escape. She would leave this place behind and get the police or even the military to destroy this place. She was going to see her father, mother, and little brother and sister again. She smiled at thought of seeing her family again.
But that smile immediately left the girl's face when she opened her eyes to see an inhuman face staring right at her! The face only faintly resembled a human face. From what little light her eyes could draw in, the face before her was reptilian. It had a very feminine look to it, indicating that the creature was female. It had slightly slanted eyes, which were glowing that same shade of red as the others' and had slit pupils. Its skin was covered in dark blue scales. The nose on this monster had two vertical slits for a nose. The creature had no lips, but it was smiling at her, revealing rows of sharp curved teeth. A forked tongue flicked out its mouth, licking the girl right across the face! Its head was bigger than the girl's, adding to the creature's already-fearsome presence.
Then, without a word, the creature pulled its head out of the hiding place. Suddenly, without warning, a long and snake-like tail shot into the hole and wrapped itself across the startled girl's body. The strong tail then pulled the girl out of the hole and into the crimson moonlight. Now the girl had a better look at the monster who found her.
The creature itself was long, maybe sixty feet in length. Like its head, the rest of the body was covered in dark blue scales, with starry patterns on its back. It fanned out a cobra-like hood that revealed two red eye-shaped markings. The monster was wearing the same type of uniform that the girl was wearing, but it looked like the uniform was made to fit a creature like her. It was like a snake that grew legs. The creature had arms and legs with quite a bit of distance between these pairs of limbs. Each finger and toe ended in a sharp claw. The entire body felt comprised of nothing but sheer muscle. It's body had a decidedly feminine shape, with noticeable hips and a chest that stuck outwards. Its tail was even longer than its body and ended in a rattle similar to a rattlesnake's. Its tail rattled happily at having caught the human.
"Are you that dull, little mouse?", the creature asked in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.
"Why do you ask?", the girl asked in return.
"This whole place is surrounded by a magical barrier twenty four-seven. Without an enchanted pass, no one can get in or out of the grounds. Knowing that, would you still attempt to run away?", the snake creature said.
"Is there even any point? You've already got me.", the girl said, having given up any hope of getting out of here. The snake girl just gave her a mischievous smile.
"That's a fair question, but you're right. Even if I let you go, there's really no point in running.", the snake replied.
"Now our fun little game is over.", the snake continued. "Well, the fun's over for you at least. I'm just now getting to the good part."
To the girl's shock, the snake girl opened her mouth. However, her mouth kept opening and opening until she heard the jaw separate from the rest of the skull! Her fangs and tongue gleamed in the moonlight. The girl was moving towards the open maw. The girl's mind was filled with images of her days with her family. How she would play with her siblings, help mother with cooking, and fishing with her father. She silently prayed that she would see them again one day. The girl then closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
The first thing she felt was the monster's mouth close around her head and shoulders. The fangs pierced her skin, but she ignored the pain. The creature's tongue was pressed against her face. Next, her head was pulled to the back of the creature's throat. Her head slid down effortlessly. This was followed by her shoulders and pressed her arms against the sides of her body, making it easier for her to be swallowed.
On the outside, the snake monster was enjoying herself getting to eat a human. After she swallowed the girl's shoulders, she tilted her head upwards to allow gravity to further push her prey down her throat. After a few minutes, she managed to get the girl waist-deep down her throat. Before her feet could disappear into her mouth, though, she grabbed the girl's shoes and took them off. After removing the shoes, the snake girl continued swallowing her prey. After a few more minutes, the girl's feet went down the snake girl's throat. There was noticeable bulge in the monster's neck as the girl traveled further and further to the beast's stomach.
Back inside the monster, the poor girl was being squeezed further down into the monster's gullet. It was dark, warm, and slimy as hell. She felt like she had been in here for hours. Finally, after around ten minutes, she slid into the monster's stomach. There was a bit more room in here, but only enough to nudge the stomach lining with her elbow. She struggled to get herself situated until she was curled into the fetal position in the monster's gut. The various sounds around her were constantly sounding in her ear. Sounds of gurgles, growls, and the faint beating of the creature's heart. Surprisingly, there was a little oxygen in there. But only enough to keep her alive. This was where she was going to die: in the belly of a giant snake monster.
Outside, the snake girl felt the girl moving around until she must've tired herself out. There was a shapely bulge in her abdomen where the girl now lay awaiting death. The creature moved her head until she was looking right at the bulge.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that my species takes a long time to digest food? You'll probably be alive in there for three whole days until I finally start digesting you. Until then, you'll just be put into a nice and peaceful sleep. It's a better way to go then just being ripped apart by some other monster, in my opinion.", the snake girl informed her victim.
Then, in a bright flash of light, the snake girl changed from that of a snake monster to that of a human teenage girl roughly the same age as the girl she just ate. The new girl had light skin with a bluish tint to it and light purple eyes. She wore a witch's hat that had stars stitched onto it. To a human, she was vey easy on the eyes. She had a gorgeous face, C-cup breasts, slender-yet-shapely hips, and legs that would drives any male within eyesight mad with desire. The only thing that detracted from her beauty was the noticeable bulge in her abdomen, which had changed size to compensate for the change in the creature's physical form. This meant that the human she just ate shrank along with her. The monster girl gently rubbed her stomach and smiled.
"Thanks for feeding me. No human can escape the *belch* Great and Powerful Trixie!", the creature named "Trixie" exclaimed. She picked up the girl's shoes and slowly walked back to the school. Boy, were the other students and faculty going to be jealous!
From within the main building in the school, someone was watching the entire ordeal through a crystal ball. This someone was sitting at a desk finely carved of redwood and painted black. There were two seats in front of the desk and a green carpet on the floor. The office the figure was sitting in had a high-vaulted ceiling with a chandelier holding candles that were emitting bright orange flames. The sides of the office were lined with bookshelves containing hundreds of books. Behind the figure was a wall-sized window. To the sides of the window were two display suits of armor, each carrying a shield and sword.
The figure sighed in annoyance after watching Trixie eat that human girl. He hated it when that happened: students eating each other. He especially hated what he had to do whenever that happened to the human students. He'd have to send someone to that girl's family's home and erase their memories of her existence. It's sad, but it had to be done.
"Another one, failed. It doesn't matter. I'll have to keep on trying until I finally find the perfect one!", the figure said to himself.
Suddenly, the door opened. Into the office stepped a rather beautiful woman with a business-like suit and skirt that were dark gray in color and a red tie. The woman had dark blue hair and reptilian aquamarine eyes. This woman was quite beautiful, with a figure like a professional model. She walked up to the seated figure and looked disheartened.
"Another human student couldn't do it?", she asked. The figure sighed. He stood up to face Luna with a head that resembled a ram's head on a human's body.
"Yes, again."
"What will you do?"
"I'll do what I've always done: try again until I finally find someone worthy of being the Guide-Light. You know I have to do this, Luna."
Luna just shook her head. "Are you sure we have to keep doing this? We've been doing this for five years, now, Headmaster Grogar. How do you even know if the next one is going to be the Guide-Light?", she asked, earning a frustrated grunt from the Headmaster.
"I'll know it when I know it! The Guide-Light will help our people hope for a better future!", Headmaster Grogar exclaimed.
From behind them, the crystal ball starting rhythmically glowing. Grogar quickly ran to the crystal ball.
"Strange. It never did this before.", Grogar thought to himself as he looked at the crystal ball.
After focusing his magic, he saw a young boy. A young human boy. He looked to be around fifteen years old. He was a bit on the short side, with thin musculature, emerald green eyes and spiky green hair. He appeared to be reading a book. A book about monsters. Grogar and Luna leaned forward to pay closer attention to the boy.
After looking up from the book, the boy spoke. "Man, if monsters were real, I'd like to befriend one. Monsters seem more interesting to me than other people.", the boy said.
The boy's bedroom door opened and in walked a boy with a red jacket and an orange Mohawk. This new boy looked to the smaller one and spoke. "Spike, little bro, if you love monsters so much, why don't you marry one?", the boy asked his little brother "Spike".
"You know what, Garble? I hope I meet a monster one day and maybe a will marry a monster girl!", Spike rebuked to his older brother Garble.
Grogar and Luna looked at each other with shocked, yet hopeful eyes. They quickly turned their attention back to the crystal ball.
"What about all those stories about monsters eating people? Does that not scare you?", Garble asked.
"I don't care. I want to prove that it doesn't matter what you look like of where you come from, everyone we share this world with should be friends."
Garble chuckled at his brother's hopeful nature and playfully ruffled his hair.
"Just don't get eaten before you start high school, okay? You just graduated middle school and I don't want to lose my little brother."
Spike just laughed. "Okay, I promise."
And with that, the crystal ball turned off. Grogar looked up at Luna and smiled.
"I think we've found the Guide-Light.", he said.
Monster Guide
Trixie's Species: Vashta (a species made up by the author of this tale)
Vashta are snake-like monsters from the Middle East. They are rare due to their extremely territorial nature. Vashta are carnivores, eating most the herds of camels, sheep, and goats that are found in their territories. But humans have been known to be a favored food item. Vashta will go through a herdsman's entire herds and then eat the herdsmen. Vashta will take on human form and infiltrate human societies to feed on homeless populations. They use their venom to paralyze their prey before taking it back to a den to eat later. They can swallow humans whole in their true form, but eat humans bit by bit in their human forms. Vashta can go long periods of time without food. The only weaknesses of a Vashta are silver and decapitation. Like Saurians, they lay eggs. Vashta venom, when applied to the skin, can cure acne and dermatitis.
It was a nice and calm summer morning in the home of Spike Roman. The sun was shining. The birds were filling the air with the sweet songs they sing. And Spike was sitting in his bed, holding something that he made sure to keep hidden from the rest of his family. Though, his parents weren't home. They were off on a couples retreat and left the brothers in charge of the house.
It was a mature-rated manga! It wasn't hentai, but the scenes were quite graphic and left little to the imagination of a hormone-addled teenager. It was one of his favorites. It was called "Monster Island Dreamscape". The story revolves around a guy named Akira Minamoto and he finds himself transported to an island full of monsters with the intent of him being a human sacrifice! But, instead of the monsters eating him, the female monsters all fall in love with him. He then tries to live a peaceful life on an island full of horny she-beasts. Akira always finds himself in compromising positions with his harem from hell. Spike was getting to the part where the Lamia girl coils around Akira and starts licking his neck when he heard a knock at his bedroom door, which he always kept locked when he had his reading sessions.
"Yo, Spike! Can I talk to you for a minute?", his older brother Garble asked from behind the door.
"Yeah!", Spike replied before putting his manga in his hiding spot and opening the door.
Garble walked into the room followed by their dog Amy.
Amy was a sweet dog. She was a short-legged dog that was mostly white except for a few black spots here and there. She had a patch of brown that covered half of her face. Her floppy ears perked up at seeing Spike, one of her favorite humans. Whenever someone sat down, she'd go right up to them and roll over onto her back and expose her stomach to someone. That was her way of asking for belly rubs. Amy was also terribly afraid of thunderstorms.
She waddled over to Spike, looked up at him, and then proceeded to roll over onto her back. Spike just smiled and rubbed Amy's stomach vigorously. Amy just closed her eyes and started enjoying the affection she was receiving. After a little bit, Spike stopped and looked up at his older brother.
"What's up?", Spike asked.
"Breakfast is ready. Better eat it now before it gets cold.", he informed Spike.
As if on cue, Spike's stomach began to growl.
"I think I will eat breakfast."
"Good. Don't worry, I made sure to make a lot of food for you. You're still a growing boy, after all.", Garble said while ruffling Spike's hair. Spike playfully pushed him away.
"Oh please! Once I get into high school this fall, I'll go from being a boy to a man!", Spike exclaimed. Garble just chuckled.
"Okay, but eat breakfast before becoming a man.", Garble said.
The brothers went into the dining room to find a spread that was more akin to a royal banquet. There were stacks and stacks of pancakes, eggs that were sunny-side-up, strips of bacon, bottles of syrup, and glasses of orange juice on the table. Spike was always impressed with how good of a cook Garble was. He said that if he ever had kids one day, he should be able to cook for the family as well as his girlfriend Ember. Spike liked Ember, as she always treated him kindly and watched over him when his parents weren't home. He really wanted to have Ember as a sister-in-law, but Garble always got nervous about that particular subject.
After the Roman brothers sat down at the table, they put their hands together and closed their eyes.
"Thank you for the meal.", they said in unison. After saying the blessing, they both dug in. Spike loved his brother's cooking. Everything was delicious and always left him with feeling like he could sleep for three days straight. Amy was off somewhere enjoying her dog food along with her owners.
After finishing breakfast, both brothers looked like they were ready to pass out.
"That was awesome, bro. No wonder why Ember loves you as much as she does. You're a great cook!", Spike praised.
Garble just smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Oh that's why she loves me? I thought it was because of my rugged charm and good looks."
"If that image helps you sleep at night.", Spike said laughing.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Amy started barking and making her way to the door, like she always does whenever the doorbell rings. But this time, when Amy got close to the door, she froze in position and stopped barking.
"That's weird. She's never done that before.", Spike thought as Garble got up and made his way towards the door.
Garble knelt down to calm Amy. It was so bizarre. She wasn't moving, except for the shivering. She just kept staring at the door. She hadn't made a sound. When Garble tried to pet her head, Amy yelped at the contact and ran off. Garble looked at where Amy ran off, then to his brother, then back to the front door. The doorbell rang again. Then, with slight hesitation, Garble opened the door.
What stood before him was a bit weird. The person who stood at the door looked like a Victorian-era carriage driver. He was thin and tall, reaching over six-foot, eleven. He wore a black hat, coat, pants, and shoes. All of these were black. The man was wearing black sunglasses with round lenses. There was no hair to be seen from underneath the man's hat, suggesting that he might be bald. From where Spike was sitting, he could see that the man's ears were slightly pointed. He also had a big grin on his face, showing teeth with prominent canines.
Garble didn't know what to make of this stranger. He was giving both himself and Spike the creeps. The man reached into a pocket on his long coat and pulled out a manila envelope with a seal stamped in red wax. The creepy man spoke while still smiling.
"Important letter for Spike Roman.", the man said in a smooth Cajun accent. He handed it over to Garble.
Garble was confused. Did this creepy stranger know his little brother? Who would send Spike a letter? More importantly, who would send this scary individual to deliver the letter? Garble opted to be the responsible big brother that he is and slowly took the letter from the man, who hadn't stopped giving that disturbing smile of his.
"T-thank you, good sir.", Garble thanked the man with a sliver of fear in his voice.
The man's already big smile somehow grew even bigger. He looked as if half of his face was nothing but pearly white teeth.
"You're quite welcome, young man! Make sure your brother gets his letter of acceptance.", the man said before turning around to leave.
Garble looked at the letter and looked back up to ask the man some questions. But the man was nowhere to be seen. He was gone! As if he vanished into thin air.
"How the hell did he do that?! I only looked down for two seconds!"
Garble decided not to focus on it and walked over to Spike and handed him the letter. Spike was just as confused as Garble.
"'Letter of acceptance'? What does that mean? Accepted into what?", Spike thought to himself.
He hadn't signed up for some weird club or anything like that. He looked down at the envelope to examine it. It was quite nice. It looked like the paper used to make the envelope was aged and soft to the touch. Spike turned the envelope around to look at the red wax seal keeping it closed. It was a stylized image of a ram's head with the letters "D.A" right below it.
Spike picked up a knife and carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a letter. The writing was in a Gothic font and was barely readable to him, but he could make it out. Spike decided to read the letter aloud.
"Dear Spike Roman,
I am the Headmaster of a school called 'Dreadmire Academy. After speaking with your previous teachers and looking at your grades up until now, we here at Dreadmire have deemed you fit to enroll here at our esteemed alma mater. Here, the curriculum is adjustable for all students, the students and faculty are friendly, and free tutoring is always available. Food and lodging will be provided. If you or your family are worried about tuition, don't be. We don't believe in tuition. We believe that exceptional youths like you are our future. We sincerely await your answer.
Sincerely, Headmaster William Johnson. "
After Spike read the letter, both he and his brother were stunned. Spike got accepted into what sounds like a private school! And no tuition needed, either! That sounds a little too good to be true. But then again, the letter did look fancy enough to have come from a private school. But still, Spike felt a little unsure about this. Spike looked at his brother.
"What do you make of this?", he asked.
"I don't know, bro. I mean, getting accepted into a private school? Just because they looked at your grades? That sounds a little suspicious to me."
"Or maybe this is legit. I don't know. Maybe I should call Mom and Dad?"
"Good idea. Oh! Send them pictures of the letter and envelope, as well. At least that way, they'll believe us about the letter arriving."
"Good call."
Spike took out his phone, took pictures of the envelope and letter, then called his parents. The phone rang for three whole minutes until the call was finally answered.
"Hello, Spike! What can I do for you?", Spike's dad asked his youngest child.
"Hey Dad! Nice to hear you. Listen, a creepy guy came over this morning and gave me a letter."
Spike's dad's voice turned serious. "What kind of letter, son?! Was it some lunatic threatening you?", he worriedly asked.
"No! No! It wasn't a death threat or anything. It was a letter saying that I got accepted into some fancy-shmancy private school. Here, I'll send you the pictures I took beforehand."
Spike then sent the pictures from his phone to his Dad's phone. After a while, he could hear the voices of both his dad and his mom. His mom spoke first.
"My baby boy, I'm so proud of you! You actually got yourself enrolled into a private school without even trying! You really are an amazing boy!", his mom gushed over the phone. His father spoke next.
"And there's no tuition to pay, either! If anything, I'd say you really lucked out on this, my boy! I must be the proudest father on the planet, right now!", his father exclaimed while gushing as much as his wife.
After a few more minutes of blubbering, Spike gave up trying to talk to them anymore and hung up on them. He looked to his brother and shrugged.
"Well, I guess that settles it. I'm enrolling in Dreadmire Academy.", Spike said.
When the day before the first day of school rolled around, Spike was waiting outside by the bus stop. There was no one else there but him. It was an overcast day today, but there shouldn't be any rain. Spike stood there with a large bag filled with basic necessities such as dental care products, shampoo and body wash, and a few pairs of clean socks and underwear. He also packed his collection of "Monster Island Dreamscape" manga. He counted it as a necessity that he simply couldn't live without. He stood there casually waiting for the bus to Dreadmire Academy to arrive. What the Academy did send, however, was not a bus.
The first thing he noticed was the sounds of clopping hooves and horses breathing. Following these two sounds was the sound of wheels grinding on asphalt. Spike eventually saw the source of the sounds.
It was a carriage. A long, black, and ornately designed carriage pulled by two huge black horses rolled into view. The carriage was being driven by the same man who first delivered Spike his acceptance letter!
"No wonder why he looked like a Victorian-era carriage driver. Wait, how are these still around? You'd think that a place as prestigious as Dreadmire Academy would be able to afford a bus. Then again, the Amish and Mennonites still use horse-drawn wagons.", Spike thought.
As the carriage got closer to the young Roman, the driver pulled on the reigns of his horses. This got the horses to slow down until coming to a complete stop with the door to the carriage being in front of Spike. The driver looked at Spike with the same smile he gave him before, only a bit warmer and gentler, somehow.
"Glad to see that you're enrolling in Dreadmire, kid.", the driver said with the same smooth Cajun accent as before.
"Glad to be enrolling.", Spike replied. The driver still made him feel uneasy, but decided to ignore it.
The door to the carriage opened to reveal a lovely interior with the seats cushioned with dark red velvet padding and curtains on the windows. The floor was made of black-painted wood. There was a small window at the front of the carriage for the passengers to see, situated below the driver's seat. A small set of steps descended as soon as the door open to allow Spike to climb into the carriage.
Once Spike was inside, the door closed and the driver got the horses to move again. Spike thought that it was a little strange that a school would send horse-drawn carriages to pick up students. The ride was a bit bumpier than riding the bus, but Spike quickly got used to it. The carriage ride made Spike feel like he was a king ready to greet his subjects after a few more minutes of riding in the carriage.
Suddenly, the carriage made a sharp turn to the right to ride down to the countryside. They seemed to be heading into the backroads parts of the town.
"That's weird. Why are we heading out here? I've been down here before and there's no large buildings for miles and miles.", Spike said to himself.
As time passed, Spike began to notice some really creepy stuff happening. At first, he felt something similar to a static shock go through his whole body. He noticed that, even with the day getting overcast, it started getting darker until it was as dark as night. The trees seemed to change, too. What were once healthy and full trees turned into dark and leafless ones. It was as if autumn had slapped Mother Nature in the face.
Spike began to feel the carriage slowing down quickly and looked right out the front window. He saw that there was a pack of wolves blocking the carriage's path. Now he understood why the driver slowed the carriage down. Once the carriage stopped, Spike began to stare at the pack of predators in front of the carriage. The golden eyes and sharp fangs of the wolves were glistening in the faint light of the lanterns that hung from the side of the carriage. The wolves were growling and snapping their jaws at the carriage. The horses were rightfully freaking out when facing the wolves.
Before Spike could freak out at the idea of the horses getting attacked in front of him, the driver confidently leaped from the seat and stood between the wolves and his horses.
"What are you doing?!", Spike called out to him. "Do you want to get eaten?!"
The driver didn't keep his eyes off of the wolves for a second, but responded. "Don't worry, kid. I can handle this situation.", the driver said with a calm confidence in his voice.
The driver looked at the wolves for what felt like a few minutes until the wolves stopped growling and snapping. Instead, the wolves looked calm and peaceful. Then, with a wave of the driver's hand, the pack disappeared into the surrounding forest. That was the most amazing thing Spike had ever seen in his entire life! Once the driver turned around, the boy finally remembered how to talk.
"That was awesome! How did you do that?", Spike asked eagerly. The driver just smiled.
"I simply have a way with wolves, my boy. Anyway, we'd best be getting to the Academy before daylight.", the driver said.
The driver got back onto the carriage and had the horses take off for their destination.
After ten more minutes of riding, Spike could finally see their destination: Dreadmire Academy. Spike had never seen such an amazingly designed building in his life. Gothic in structure, the high-vaulted ceilings and spires were an intimidating sight to behold. The tall iron gates parted as the carriage drew near. After the carriage passed through, the gates closed. Spike could see that there were multiple buildings making up the school, with the main building being the biggest and at the very center. In front of the main building was a fountain displaying a statue of a horned and winged demon with fire coming out of its mouth. Surrounding the fountain and going between it and the steps to the main building was a driveway for the carriage to come to a stop.
As Spike got out of the carriage, the driver spoke to him again.
"Good luck surviving in this place, kid. You're definitely going to need it.", the driver said before taking off with his carriage.
"Okay, that was weird. Why would he tell me I need good luck surviving here?"
Before Spike could think about what the driver meant, a voice came from behind him.
"Spike Roman, I presume?"
The boy quickly turned around to see a woman standing at the top of the steps and making her way down to him. Spike thought the woman walking toward him was quite beautiful. Indeed, she was quite beautiful.
She wore a dark gray business-style suit, a matching dark gray skirt, blue heels, and a red tie. She had dark blue hair, aquamarine eyes, and slim yet curvaceous figure. Spike couldn't look away from her. He snuck a quick glance at her chest.
"Looks like a very respectable C-cup.", Spike noted to himself.
Once the official-looking woman made her way down to Spike, she gave a small bow with her right hand over her chest.
"I am Vice-Headmistress Luna, but you can just call me Ms. Luna, one of the individuals who helps to run this esteemed institution. I'll be the one showing you to your new dorm room.", Luna said before walking off toward one of the buildings, located to the right of the main building.
Spike grabbed his bag and jogged off after her. As they walked, he noticed that they seemed to be the only ones out and about. There was no one else around. No students, no teachers, no groundskeepers. Nothing.
"Where's everyone else? I thought that the other students would be here, seeing as this is the day before school starts.", Spike relayed to Luna. Luna gave a small chuckle.
"Oh, the other students are here. It's just time for lights-out. They're all asleep.", she replied.
"All of them? Asleep? But it's only barely past noon!"
"Here at Dreadmire Academy, we adhere to a different sleep schedule. We sleep during daylight hours and exclusively hold night classes and events."
That is a little weird, but Spike could see himself getting used to it easily enough. He used to pull all-nighters doing homework or reading his raunchy manga. If this school is strictly nocturnal, the so be it.
Once they got to one of the dormitories, Luna quickly turned around and spoke to him.
"This is the boys' dorm. The girls' dorm is right across the field.", Luna said while pointing to the other sex's dorm. "Also, the Headmaster wants to see you before classes start in the evening. Have a good sleep, Mr. Roman."
And with that, she walked up the stairs and led Spike down a fancy-looking hallway until the got to one of the rooms on the twelfth floor. It was labeled as Room 1213. Luna produced a key in her hand and unlocked the door.
Spike was amazed. The room had a high-vaulted ceiling, a large stained-glass window depicting a purple dragon, red couch, a TV, personal kitchen, bathroom, and a large bed that looked like it could fit ten people at once.
Luna smiled at the young man's amazement and put the key in his hand. "This is your room key. Don't lose it. I'll see you later when you go see the Headmaster.", she said before walking away and closing the door behind her.
Spike went into the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. The bed was amazing! he could feel himself sinking into the mattress and pillow as if it they were made of gelatin. He stared up at the ceiling and smiled.
"I think I'm going to love this school.", Spike said with no small amount of confidence.
Little does he know the terrors that await him.
Monster Guide
Werewolves
Werewolves are classic monsters in terms of their prevalence in popular culture. Werewolves are monsters who appear human during the day and turn into a wolf-like creature at night. The werewolf, like most monster species, becomes more powerful on nights of a full moon. They are one of the stronger species of monster, earning them a high place on the supernatural food chain. Like true wolves, werewolves live and hunt in packs led by an alpha. But solitary individuals have been known to exist. They reproduce by either breeding with other werewolves, biting a human to turn them, or breeding with a human. Human-born werewolves gain the ability to transform. Humans that were bitten have less control over their wolf instincts or transformation. The only weaknesses a werewolf has is silver and decapitation. Purebred werewolves are the strongest of their kin save for the Progenitor Werewolf. Due to their transformations, werewolves tend to live on the fringes of human society or out in the countryside. Werewolf packs defend their territories fiercely. Packs that live in cities will often work around the same place, such as a motel or butcher shop. Like most monsters, werewolves are known for eating humans.
Spike slept like a baby throughout the day. In fact, it was the most peaceful sleep he'd ever had in his life. He awoke around what appeared to be early evening. With a yawn, he got up out of bed and made his way towards the kitchen.
He opened the fridge to find it full of food. There were ample amounts of meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, apple juice, and even probiotic yogurt. The freezer was full of frozen treats like ice cream and had a built in ice-maker. Spike closed the fridge and opened a small pantry to find it filled with packaged and canned food.
Spike grabbed a box of Fruity Griffons, his favorite cereal, from the pantry and enjoyed a nice bowl of the amazing cereal. After putting the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, he went to go get himself ready for his first day of his first year of high school life.
The eager boy wen into his bedroom, opened the closet door, and saw a school uniform awaiting him. The uniform consisted of a black short-sleeve jacket that was a button-up, a white undershirt, black pants with an optional belt, and brown loafers. Once he put on the uniform, he looked at himself in the full-length mirror just inside the closet door.
"Not too bad-looking, even though I say so myself. Who knows? Maybe a beautiful girl might take notice of me.", he thought with no small amount of eagerness.
After brushing his teeth, he grabbed his backpack filled with the necessary textbooks he would need for the entire year and walked towards the door ready to start the night with a positive attitude.
He opened the door, stepped outside into the hallway, and turned to see something really weird. Standing before him in the hallway was a tall, thin, and horrifying creature Spike had only heard of in bedtime stories. The monster was quite tall, with Spike only coming up to the creature's lower ribcage. It looked thin, too, with its skin pulled over its bones. Its arms were long and ended in spindly fingers tipped with razor claws. Its face was like a corpse. The creature's hair was as white as snow. Its bright blue eyes were sunken in their sockets. The monster's nose was two small holes in its grim face. The monster gave Spike a somewhat friendly-looking smile, revealing rows of sharp yellow teeth. It raised its huge clawed hand in a small wave.
"Morning.", it said with a snarl in its voice. "You must be one of the new freshman joining this school.".
Spike could only stare at the creature in shock. The monster suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Oh, I must've changed into my true form when I was sleeping. Happens from time to time. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Rumble. I'm a Wendigo. Nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends.", Rumble said, holding out his hand for a handshake.
Spike mentally slapped himself. "N-n-nice to meet y-you, too. I'm Spike Roman.", he replied to the Wendigo in front of him. He managed to summon a small amount of composure and shook Rumble's hand with as straight a face as possible.
"Nice to meet you, too, Spike. I'm a freshman, myself. We better head to the main building so we can get our class schedules.", Rumble replied to the scared human boy.
"Before I forget, I better change.", Rumble said.
Right before Spike's very eyes, the creature in front of him started to change. He shrunk down to Spike's height and gained a small bit of muscle to mask his frail-looking appearance. He claws shortened to fingernails and his teeth started to look more human. His eyes changed from an bright and icy blue to a deep brown. His hair changed from white to black. Suddenly, Rumble looked no different than any other human.
"Alright, we better get going.", Rumble said in much clearer voice than the vicious-sounding snarl he had previously. He took off in a jog while Spike could only stand there dumbfounded.
He just saw a monster. A Wendigo. And he saw it change into a normal human. Spike struggled to get his feet to move due to the shock. Once he did get his feet to move, he made his way down the stairs to find Luna waiting for him. She offered him a sympathetic smile.
"I take it that you saw one of your new classmates?", Luna asked the boy. Spike could only wordlessly nod in response. The Vice-Headmistress gave a small chuckle.
"It's fine. With the exception of the dorms or sporting events, students are to remain in human form while on campus.", Luna informed him.
Spike finally found his voice. "What is this school, exactly?", he asked in a shaky voice.
"I believe that the Headmaster will explain everything. If you'll just follow me."
She then turned and walked to the main building to meet with the Headmaster. Spike followed after her. He was going to get some answers about this Halloween horror show of a school.
The walk to the main building and to the Headmaster's office was something to behold for Spike. He saw monster students everywhere changing into human form. He saw monsters he recognized from movies, such as vampires, werewolves, and goblins. He also saw monsters that he had never even seen before. It seemed like there were various species of monster to be found at this school.
Once Spike and Luna entered the main building, Spike worked up the courage to ask Luna a burning question.
"Ms. Luna, if everyone here is a monster, does that mean that you're... ?", Spike asked.
"Yes. I am a monster. A werewolf, in fact. Same as my sister: Vice-Headmistress Celestia. We werewolves are one of the most powerful monsters on Earth.", Luna responded to Spike.
"Uh-huh.", Spike gave. He could hardly believe it. Both of the Vice-Headmistresses at this school were werewolves! Actual werewolves! He felt a small surge of excitement in his gut to be in the company of an actual werewolf.
After walking down seemingly endless hallways lined with lockers and trekking up mountains of stairs, they finally stood before the Headmaster's office. It sat at the end of a long hallway lined with decorative suits of armor. The doors to the office were a deep red and stood almost as tall as the ceiling. The double doors were flanked by two gargoyles glaring menacingly down at the human boy and werewolf.
Suddenly, the doors slowly creaked open and released a gust of lavender-smelling air and a flood of candlelight. Luna strode into the room with great confidence while Spike had to force himself to move forward. Once both individuals were inside, the doors quickly closed.
Spike stared ahead of them to see a demonic-looking entity sitting at the opulent desk before them. The Headmaster had a blue ram's head, with curled horns that looked like they had seen battle. His eyes gleamed with red light and his smile revealed white fangs. He was dressed in a well-made black suit and sat with his back straight and hands clasped around each other on the desk. When he spoke, the deep baritone voice made Spike's chest vibrate.
"Hello, Mr. Roman. It's so nice to finally meet you face-to-face.", Headmaster Grogar said, giving a small nod to the boy
"H-h-hello, sir. It's nice to meet you, as well."
"Please, no need for formalities. You can simply call me 'Grogar'.", Grogar said. His look turned to one of interest.
"Obviously, you have questions about our humble Dreadmire Academy."
"I am made of questions.", Spike said with a bit more courage. Grogar chuckled.
"Of course you do. I'm happy to answer any and all questions you may have. I am an educator at this school, after all.
"Okay. First, why am I even here? You know that I'm not a monster right?"
"Yes, we know you're not one of our kin."
"If you know, then why am I here?"
"Because you have been chosen to be our Guide-Light."
Spike was super confused about that. "'Guide-Light'? What is that?".
"The Guide-Light is a very special human. One that is chosen by the Mystic Powers to unite humans and monsters in harmony.".
"Wait, so I've been 'chosen' to unite humans and monsters because some strange magical forces say so?"
"Yes. You have been chosen to be the Guide-Light."
"What if I don't want to be the Guide-Light?"
Grogar's face suddenly looked grim, like he'd seen some horrors in his life that he can't bring himself to talk about. He flicked his hand into the air and conjured a book from one of the bookshelves in the room. The book opened and flicked through pages of pictures. Pictures of war, blood, pain, and death. There were two sides: humans and monsters. All of them were fighting each other to the death.
"This is what the Guide-Light will prevent from ever happening again. You see, boy, monsters and humanity have fought and slaughtered each other for centuries. Ever since your kind were living in caves and using stone tools. As it stands right now, the only way for monsters to survive among the humans is to live in hiding among them or hiding in the shadows. Most humans don't know that our kind exist. Those that do know of us hunt us relentlessly. Most monsters hate your kind for the centuries of monster hunters killing our brethren."
Grogar spoke with a form of passion Spike had never seen in anyone.
"So, I'm the Guide-Light, huh?"
Grogar simply nodded. "I'm glad it's you. I could tell that you have a good heart. I had foolishly hoped that the others before you were the Guide-Light, but apparently not."
That sentence caught Spike's attention. "There were others here? Other humans?".
The Headmaster could only give Spike a sad look. "Yes, there were other human students here. But they didn't stay for very long."
Spike was suddenly worried. "Grogar, what happened to them?"
It was Luna who answered for the Headmaster. "They all got eaten. By the students and faculty alike.", she said. Spike was shocked.
"They were eaten? By their teachers and students?", he thought.
"Wait, they're going to eat me if the others out there find out I'm human?!", Spike asked frantically.
"Don't worry, we've taken measures to make sure they don't find out you are. You're way too important to be eaten.", Grogar assured the boy.
"So, all the other human students are dead? How did you cover those up?", Spike asked the Headmaster.
"I used simple memory alteration magic to erase their families' memories of them. And also, not all of them are dead."
One of the students was still alive? Grogar got up from his desk and moved to the left bookshelf. He pulled one of the thicker books on it. It made a mechanical sound before the bookshelf moved to reveal a secret room behind it. The room looked similar to a hospital room. In the middle of the room was a human girl lying on a gurney with many tubes flowing strange liquid into her. Grogar pointed a clawed finger at her.
"She was the last human student to enroll here before you did.".
Spike moved closer to the prone girl to see that her hair was gone and her body was covered in what looked like chemical burns. The boy turned to Grogar and pointed at the girl's injuries.
"What happened to her?"
"An unfortunate encounter with one of my students left not only her secret as a human exposed, but also these terrible injuries. She's still alive, but it appears that she's in a coma. Who knows if or when she'll ever wake up?", Grogar responded.
Flashback
Trixie walked into the Headmaster's office with a hint of nervousness. She thought that the reason for her being called to the office was the human they found on campus. Trixie was still carrying the human in her stomach. She walked into the office and gave a respectful bow to Grogar.
"You called, sir?", Trixie asked. She saw that Vice-Headmistress Luna was in the room with him.
"First, I'd prefer talking to you in your true form.", Grogar commanded.
Trixie was confused but changed into her true form. She nearly filled up the room.
"It's about that human you've discovered in our midst, dear Trixie Lulamoon.", Grogar said.
Trixie was suddenly nervous. "What about her?", she asked with genuine sincerity.
"Is she still alive? I know you swallowed her.", he responded. Trixie's answer betrayed her nervous feelings.
"Yes. She is still alive. Why do you ask?"
Grogar gave Trixie a sharp look. "Because I'm going to need her back.".
The Headmaster raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. In a great burst of speed, Luna made her way under Trixie's underbelly and punched her right in the gut! The blow sent painful shockwaves from Trixie's abdomen all the way to her head and the tip of her tail. She felt something rise up in her throat, and without holding back, threw up the human she ate right in front of Grogar. He checked her pulse to see if she was still alive. Thankfully, she was. After checking, he saw that Trixie had changed back into her human form. She was lying on the floor curled up in a ball and clutching her stomach. Her face was a mask of pain.
"That was all I needed, Trixie. You can go to Nurse Redheart and receive treatment.", Grogar said.
Luna helped Trixie to her feet and began helping her to the nurse's office.
Once the situation had been fully explained to Spike, he only had a few more questions about masking his human scent. Apparently, the shampoo and body wash he was provided was designed to make him smell like a monster. He was told that if he sweated at any time, the stuff would wear off and he'd be torn apart. Grogar also informed Spike to keep a low profile during the full moon, when most monsters would have their instincts cloud their minds and judgement.
After all of that, Spike and Luna left the Headmaster's office. Spike was holding his new class schedule in his hand. He was about to leave for his first class of the day when Luna suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Now, Spike. Do try to be careful around the other students here. Most are very friendly. Others might try to hurt you. I don't want to see another human student get killed under my watch, okay?"
Spike was certainly surprised. She was worried about him. He could only blush and look down at his feet.
"Okay, I promise to be careful.", Spike promised the werewolf teacher before him.
Luna gently held Spike's face as she licked his forehead a few times.
"Ms. Luna?", Spike asked shocked.
"I'm sorry. It's just that you remind me of a cute little werewolf pup. I just couldn't help myself.", Luna apologized. She suddenly and hurried away from Spike. He turned and walked towards his first class.
"Yep, this is going to be the weirdest high school life anyone's ever had.", Spike said to himself.
To be continued
Monster Guide
Wendigo
Wendigos are famous monsters from Native American folklore. These creatures are described as tall, emaciated, corpse-like monsters. Their sharp teeth, claws, and tremendous speed makes them brutal opponents. Wendigos have intimate knowledge of their territories, which they use to lure their prey deeper into their forest homes to devour them. Territories are massive, with either one wendigo or a small clan in one. Wendigos establish territories near human settlements to feed on them. Most have been known to express sadistic delight in killing their prey, using very deliberate methods of killing. While they can eat the flesh of animals, human flesh is craved by almost all wendigos. These monsters draw most of their power from extreme cold, making them hibernate during the spring and summer months. Sometimes, a wendigo will bring prey back to a den to eat until the fall and winter comes. Apart from their enhanced physical abilities and senses, wendigos can perfectly mimic human voices to lure humans closer. Wendigos reproduce by either breeding with others of their kind or by making a human eat wendigo flesh.
Spike was still trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. First, he finds out that the monsters he's read so much about actually exist. Second, he is enrolled in a school for exclusively for monsters. Third, he's told that he has some magical destiny shit about bringing humans and monsters together. And finally, there's a possibility that he'll get eaten if the others ever find out that he's human.
The Headmaster did everything he could to explain to him what his role as the Guide-Light implies. Apparently, he's the one to bridge the gap between monsters and humans. He'll probably be expected to fight both humans and monsters alike to achieve the goal of the Guide-Light. Spike was confused.
"Do I even want to do this? Do I want to be the Guide-Light? Headmaster Grogar did place a lot on my shoulders in a short amount of time. How am I even supposed to start doing my 'duties as the Guide-Light?" Spike thought to himself.
Before he could try to figure out an answer, Spike felt himself collide with something the instant he turned the corner. No, it wasn't a something, it was someone! He had accidentally ran into another person while trying to turn the corner! They both grunted fell to the floor, with Spike landing on top of this person. Wincing in pain and rubbing his head, Spike was the first one to speak.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... ", Spike apologized. However, he wasn't able to complete that sentence after he opened his eyes.
What he saw shocked him to his very core. He was staring right at an upturned skirt, giving him a full view of red lace panties and smooth and plump legs. His eyes widened in shock and he started to panic. He quickly moved away from the girl.
"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you! Really! I would never do this on purpose!", Spike quickly apologized.
He opened his eyes to see a gorgeous, yet shocked female face staring right back at him. Spike could hardly believe it. This girl was absolutely beautiful. She was around his height from what he could tell. She had shoulder-length purple hair with a two different shaded streaks of light pink running through them. She had large eyes that were a lovely shade of violet. She was wearing a typical female school uniform with the exception of a little pin on her collar in the shape of a bat. This girl had skin that looked creamy pale. She was quite slim, but still was quite curvaceous. Spike could tell that she was a C-cup. She pulled her skirt down over her exposed panties. The girl stood up, dusted herself off, and tried to regain her composure. She looked at Spike with a red flush to her cheeks and with her eyes turned towards to ground.
"It's okay. It was an accident. No one means for these things to happen.", the girl said before walking away quickly.
Spike could only watch her leave. He had just bumped into a girl. A very beautiful one, at that, too. Spike could only sigh and left to go to his first class for the first full day of school.
He pulled out his class schedule and saw that he had Homeroom for his first period class. The teacher's name was Ms. Cheerilee. With a name like that, she must be very nice. He continued walking down the hallway until he found the room he was looking for.
"Okay, if I'm going to survive in this scary-ass place, I just need to keep a low profile and not draw any attention to myself.", Spike thought to himself as he opened the door.
The second he opened the door to his Homeroom, he found that the room was filled with students who each had their own seats and workstations. There weren't any individual desks, instead they were built like the seats in a sports arena. The other students instinctively turned their heads and looked at the new student to just walk in the door. He said nothing as he walked all the way to the highest row of seats in the very back of the classroom. He took his seat next to the window and looked out at the moonless night sky. He hoped with all of his heart that he wouldn't stand out.
Now that he got a better look around the class, he could see that it was mostly made up of girls, with only four other males including himself. He could also see that the girls in this class were drop-dead gorgeous. Sure, they all may be in their human forms right now, but Spike intended to enjoy the sights while he could.
As soon as the first bell rang, the Homeroom teacher walked into the room. She was wearing a red sundress, a gray sweater, and black shoes. She was beautiful, too. She had light pink hair, with slightly darker strands here and there. Her eyes were a light green in color. Her breasts were a respectable BB-cup. She smiled and waved her hand at the class before her.
"Good evening, everybody! My name is Ms. Cheerilee, and I'll be your Homeroom teacher for the year! I hope you're all ready to have a wonderful freshman year here at our illustrious Dreadmire Academy.", Cheerilee said in a voice that would make anyone feel like she was the gentle mother of their dreams.
"Good evening, Ms. Cheerilee!", the rest of the class said in unison.
"Now, we don't have any lessons today because it's the very first day of school. Today, you're just going to going around to each of your classes and meeting your teachers. For right now, let's introduce ourselves to our fellows here. You'll give your name, dream job, and what species you are. Then I'll go over what you should expect from Homeroom this year.", Cheerilee informed the students. "I'll go first. My name is Ms. Cheerilee. I'm a Crocotta. I'm already doing my dream job: being a teacher.".
Spike started to panic! When she said that she wanted everyone to tell them what species they are, Spike knew he was in trouble. He tried to think of what to do.
"Okay, think, Spike! Think! What species should I tell them I am?! Wait, I could just tell them I'm anything! It's not like they're going to see what I really look like. I think I should be okay!"
His thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Cheerilee clapping her hands.
"Alright, everyone! Lets get started."
Spike's Homeroom
"Let's start with any volunteers.", Ms. Cheerilee said.
As soon as she said that, a tomboyish and somewhat raspy voice spoke up. "Me! Me! I'll go first!"
"Okay, you go first.", Cheerilee said.
A short, petite girl with rainbow streaks through her hair confidently strode up to the front of the class and introduced herself.
"My name's Rainbow Dash! I'm a totally awesome Harpy and someday, I want to join the Wonderbolts! For those of you who don't know, the Wonderbolts are the most amazing and elite flock of flyers this side of the Mississippi!", Rainbow introduced.
Spike decided to take in all of this info on his new classmates. Maybe he could try to befriend some of them, if only to see if they won't want to eat him if they ever find out that he's human.
Rainbow was shorter than Spike, only coming up to Spike's chin from what he could tell. She a had petite figure with B-cup breasts. Her face was so childlike and cute that it contradicted her obvious tomboy attitude. Her eyes were a dark magenta and her skin looked quite creamy. She had a confident and mischievous smirk on her face as she introduced herself.
As soon as she sat down, another student walked up to the front of the class. One of the boys. He had a short and stumpy build, light brown hair, and two buck teeth.
"Hello. My name's Snips and I'm a Saurian. I want to be a barber one day and inherit my grandpa's barber shop.", Snips introduced.
As soon as he sat down, the guy he was sitting next to took his spot to introduce himself. He was tall, skinny, and had light blue hair.
"Hi, my name's Snails and I'm an Orc. Someday, I want to be a marine biologist."
After he sat down, the third male in the class went to speak. He had pale skin and dark brown hair. He spoke with an English accent.
"Hello, my name's Pipsqueak Broadmoor. I'm a Kelpie. I want to run a seafood restaurant one day."
A tall girl with tan skin, blonde hair, freckles, and a cowboy hat went up next.
"Howdy, partners! The name's Applejack. I'm an Ogre. My dream is simply to continue to help my family run their apple farm.", she said in a voice that sounded like sugar and molasses was pouring out of her mouth.
Next, a gorgeous girl with alabaster skin and curly purple hair went up. When she was in place, she struck a pose and looked at the class the way a model would.
"Greetings, darlings! My name is Rarity and I'm a Jorogumo. My passion is to one day become a world-renowned fashionista!"
Spike could only stare at the beauty before him. She certainly had the figure of a model. Those D-cup breasts of hers looked like they would pop out of her uniform anytime she moved. Spike was secretly hoping they would.
After she took her seat, a girl with a big smile and pink poofy hair walked up to the front of the class.
"Hiya! My name's Pinkie Pie! I'm a Kitsune! My dream is be a professional party planner!", she exclaimed before bouncing back to her seat.
Spike noticed that this girl's boobs were bouncing about as much as her. They looked like balloons ready to pop! As soon as Spike got control of himself, a rather shy-looking girl slowly made her way to the front of the class. She looked at everyone through her strands of light pink hair with turquois eyes.
"Hello. My name is Fluttershy. I'm a Vouivre (vwee-vrah). My dream job is to be an animal caretaker.", she said with the cutest voice Spike's ever heard.
After introducing herself, she practically ran back to her seat. Immediately after taking her seat, three girls walked up to the front. Each of them were beauties. One of them has long and poofy golden hair and magenta eyes. The other had purple hair with green streaks tied in twin-tails and had dark purple eyes. The last on had light blue hair with darker blue streaks tied up in a ponytail and had purple eyes. The one with the golden poofy hair spoke first.
"My name is Adagio Dazzle. These are my sisters Aria and Sonata.", she said while gesturing to her two sisters. "We are Sirens. We each have the shared dream of becoming famous singer-songwriters, as well as swimming teachers on the side."
As they sat down, another girl with brown eyes, green hair, and freckles walked up.
"Hi. My name's Wallflower Blush. I'm a Kappa. I'd like to run a reptile sanctuary."
Soon enough, another girl took her place. She had black hair and purple eyes. This girl walked with an elegance and poise that Spike had only seen ladies in "Downton Abbey" do.
"Hello. My name is Octavia. I am a werewolf. My ambition is to join the Darkwing Orchestra as a cellist."
The girl she was sitting next to took her place, afterwards. She had pale skin, electric blue hair, and purple shades.
"Hiya, everybody! My name's Vinyl Scratch. But most know me by the stage name DJ Pon-3. I'm a vampire. I want to be the world's greatest DJ!", she said with a raised fist.
A girl with purple hair with teal green streaks walked up.
"My name's Starlight Glimmer. I'm a Rougaru (roo-ga-roo). I'd like to become a clinical psychiatrist.", she said.
Finally, it was Spike's turn. His hands were shaking when he went down to the front of the class and gulped as he spoke.
"Hi. My name is Spike Roman. I don't really know what my dream job is, yet. As for my species, I'm a... Ghoul."
A Ghoul was the only thing Spike could think of on the spot. He hoped it was enough. Thankfully, the class looked like they accepted that for an answer. Quietly sighing to himself, he went back to his seat. As soon as sat down, he heard the door open.
"Sorry I'm late! I had to use the restroom and lost track of time!", a female voice said.
That voice sounded familiar. He looked down and saw that it was the girl he bumped into earlier!
"Don't worry about a thing. You can just introduce yourself to the rest of the class. Just give us your name, species, and dream job.", Cheerilee instructed the girl.
She stood in front of the class and spoke clearly.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle Tepes! I'm a vampire. My dream job is to become a scholar.", Twilight said.
Cheerilee spoke next. "Thank you so much, Miss Tepes. You can sit next to Spike up there."
Twilight looked up and saw Spike. It got really awkward for a good bit after that. She slowly made her way up to the seat next to Spike. They avoided eye contact with each other the entire time. As soon as she sat down, she just stared at the front of the class without moving a muscle.
"Yep, this is going to be an awkward Homeroom.", Spike stated to himself in his mind.
To be continued
Monster Guide
Crocotta
Crocottas are monsters from African and Indian folklore. They are large hyena-like humanoid monsters with a bone-crushing bite. They are usually solitary creatures, only gathering together to breed or if need demands it. Like wendigos, crocottas can perfectly mimic human voices to lure their prey closer. Crocottas are known to dig up graves and eat fresh corpses. These creatures have been known to feed on humans, most eating certain parts of the body such as arms, legs, or specific organs. Crocottas can live for centuries.
Vampires
Vampires are pretty well-known monsters; nocturnal bat-like creatures that feed on blood. Some are solitary, but most live in nests of five to twelve individuals. Vampire nests are led by an alpha, who's the oldest one in the nest. Instead of the classic two fangs, vampires have a whole mouthful of needle-like teeth, which they can regrow if one becomes loose. Vampires produce a venom that numbs pain and makes their victim feel great. These monsters often bring prey back to the nest, where they feed on their victims for days or even weeks at a time. A vampire's sharp teeth, claws, and greater powers put vampires in the upper echelon of monster species. Vampires get stronger with age. These blood-drinkers reproduce by either turning humans or by breeding naturally. Natural-born vampires age to a certain point then they stop aging completely. Vampires can feed on animals, but human blood is most desired. Older or natural-born vampires have a great plethora of powers, such as wingless flight, summoning bats, and the ability to psychically communicate with vampires they themselves created.
Harpies
Harpies are half-human, half-bird monsters originally found in Greece. Harpies live in large flocks of up to thirty individuals. They nest on the tops of cliffs or mountains out of range of humans. Harpies are famous for a special defense mechanism called the "Insanity Shriek", where the flock will shriek at their opponents. This scream can cause temporary psychosis in the victim. Harpy feathers make good ingredients in various potions. Harpies have been observed hunting and eating humans, but they'll gladly eat other animals. Like birds, Harpies lay eggs. Harpies are one of the few monster species that are mono-gendered, meaning the entire species are made up of females. The only way they can reproduce is by mating with other monster species or with humans, the end result always being a new generation of Harpies. There was a reported case of a small Greek village being terrorized by a Harpy flock. They would kidnap men, rape them for breeding, and then eat them afterwards.
Ogres
Ogres are large humanoid monsters. They can stand over seven to nine feet tall. Ogres have a pair of bull-like horns growing either from the sides of their heads or the top of their foreheads. Females have smaller horns. Their size and strength makes them deadly opponents in battle. They normally live solitarily, but family groups have been seen. Ogres like to either live in mountain forests or lowland woodlands. Like humans, ogres are omnivores, but they are well-known for eating humans. Ogres have been known to mark their territories with the bones of slain prey or enemies.
Saurians
Saurians are humanoid reptilian monsters. They are tall and muscular in their builds with a strong tail. Saurians are great climbers and swimmers, giving them a good advantage over humans. Saurians live in small packs of up to six led by an alpha. If something happens to the alpha, the rest of the pack will fight for the position. They have a keen sense of smell, rivaling even that of a werewolf. They can also sense the body heat of nearby prey. Thick scales protect them from most attacks. They lay eggs. Saurians are strict carnivores, eating both animals and humans.
Orcs
Orcs are humanoid monsters with noticeably ape-like features, such as a flat nose and prominent canine teeth. They have thick, dark gray skin with ceremonial scars carved into them. Orcs are a warrior species, carving ceremonial scars onto themselves when they're young as a rite of passage. Orcs live in large war-clans, with some containing 1,000 members. Each one is led by an alpha and a shaman. Shamans perform the rite of passage for young Orcs by carving the scars into their flesh using a Crystal Dagger. If an Orc is dishonored, they scars are forcibly healed and they are banished from the clan. Orcs are omnivores with humans on the menu. Orcs live for battle and have a strong code of honor.
Kelpies
Kelpies are aquatic monsters from Great Britain and Ireland. These creatures have three distinct forms: their true form, their horse form, and their human form. The true form of a Kelpie is that of a green colored equine creature with a long mane and a fish-like tail, sharp teeth, and glowing white eyes. They mostly eat fish, other aquatic animals, or any other animal they find near freshwater territories, but they are famous for eating humans. They can take the form of a beautiful horse standing near the edge of water, the human will try to pet it, get their hand stuck onto the kelpie's mane, and get dragged into the water and eaten. Kelpies secrete a sticky substance and coat their manes with it. This substance is dissolvable in water. They can assume human form to lure humans close to the water as well. This species is mostly solitary, but some will inhabit the same body of freshwater if it's big enough. Their main weaknesses are iron and silver.
Jorogumo
Jorogumo are an all-female species of spider-like monsters from Japan. They often appear as beautiful women to tempt passersby into staying with them. They wait till they fall asleep, paralyze them with their venom, and wrap them up in their webs to eat later. Jorogumo webs are lighter and stronger that steel, so some clans of samurai have used Jorogumo silk to make better swords and textile armor. Jorogumo often live by themselves in houses with webs strewn in their main quarters along with the bones of their previous victims. Jorogumo can command spiders to do their bidding. Jorogumo reproduce by seducing human men and male monsters. In the case of human men, they are usually eaten afterwards. For male monsters, they become devoted lovers and mothers. A Jorogumo can lay up to five eggs, which she attaches to a certain part of the web. A Jorogumo's true form is that a woman with claws, fangs, six monochrome eyes, four spider legs sprouting from her back, and a spider-like abdomen protruding from the lower back. The only way to kill a Jorogumo is either by fire or a katana that's been given a Shinto blessing.
Kitsune
Kitsune are fox creatures from Japan. They come in distinct variations based on the number of tails they have. Nine-tailed kitsune are the most powerful of these variants. They are solitary creatures, only coming together to mate or celebrate a holiday. Some are kind and wise, some are mischievous tricksters, others enjoy causing harm to others. Like humans, kitsune are omnivores, but some kitsune have been known to eat humans. Those that do eat humans favor the brain. There are both male and female kitsune, but kitsune-human parings have been known to occur. Kitsune are some of the most powerful monsters in terms of magic power. Kitsune can take the form of a giant fox, a human, or a human with foxlike features. Kitsune have the sharpest claws of all monsters.
Vouivre
Vouivres are an all-female species of monster native to France. They can appear as beautiful women. A Vouivre's true form is that of a short armored serpent's tail for the lower half, while the top half is more human-like except for the reptilian eyes and claws. The lower half of a Vouivre's body is a short serpentine tail with armored scales, unlike their Lamia cousins. Another difference between Vouivres and Lamias is the fact that Vouivres have wings. Vouivres have a gem-like stone on their foreheads that acts as an extra-sensory organ, allowing them to sense targets from miles away. Vouivres are solitary in nature, carving out large territories near bodies of freshwater. They are strictly carnivores, being more than happy to eat humans.
Sirens
Sirens are part of the Mermaid family of monsters, alongside mermaids, selkies, and merrow. Sirens are famous for using their hypnotic voices to tempt sailors and other creatures to come closer before killing and eating them. A siren's scales are smooth like a carp's. Sirens usually live in small groups called "songs". They mate by luring in men with their songs and mating with them while they are under their control. They lay eggs, with one to three eggs in a clutch. They look similar to mermaids with the fish tail attribute, but their whole bodies are scaly, unlike a mermaid's. Sirens also can fly and swim with appendages that acts as both fins and wings
Kappa
Kappa are water monsters from Japan. Kappa appear as small turtle-like humanoids. They have a beaked mouth, small sharp teeth, large yellow eyes, a small hole on the top of its head, a green scaly body, webbed hands and feet, and a turtle-like shell on its back. Kappa have a small hole on top of its head that is usually filled with water, the source of its supernatural strength. If the water is spilled, the kappa will become weak and unable to fight. Kappa are known to feed on humans, dragging any human they see near a body of freshwater into the water to eat. When out of water, kappa cover their water-filled heads with a special scale they can remove and use as a helmet. If the scale gets damaged or destroyed, it grows back. A kappa can be tamed by either filling its head-hole with water or by feeding one a cucumber with your name carved on it. Kappa lay eggs for reproduction.
Rougaru
Rougarus are relatives of the werewolf. This species can be found in the wilds of France and the bayous of Louisiana. These monsters are described as being tall and thin, with shorter muzzles than a werewolf. They have long ears to give excellent hearing. They have greater speed and strength than humans. Their dietary habits are most interesting: they eat flesh and feed on blood. A Rougaru will often drain the victim of blood first, then eat their flesh. This species is solitary in nature and territorial. They can turn humans into others of their kind as well as breed naturally. They can shapeshift into the forms of other animals to throw humans off guard, such as a rabbit or a small bird.
Werewolf
Werewolves are monsters with power rivaling that of vampires. During the day, werewolves appear human. But when night falls or the full moon rises, these monsters turn into lethal wolf-like creatures that could one-shot a bear on steroids. Most of the time, werewolves live in packs but solitary individuals do exist. During the nights of a full moon, werewolves become more powerful and feral like most monsters. Werewolves are quite territorial when it comes to their own kind, but often share their territories with other monster species. These monsters can heal from most injuries, but they can be killed by silver weapons, fire, dismemberment, and decapitation. Interestingly, wolfsbane usually acts like a sleeping potion to werewolves. Werewolves reproduce by either breeding with their own species or by biting humans. Werewolves that sire offspring with humans produce a hybrid called "wolfmen".
As soon as the introductions were over, Spike and his classmates were listening intently to what Ms. Cheerilee had to say next.
"Alright, everybody! It's time that I go over certain rules that Dreadmire Academy has put in place."
Spike was rather interested in learning just what rules apply to a school for monsters. He wondered what rules they had regarding humans on campus. He decided to listen to what his new teacher had to say, then ask about humans later if she didn't go over that.
"Rule One: under normal circumstances, you must always remain in your human form. You can change back into your real form when your in your dorms.", Cheerilee stated to the class.
Pipsqueak raised a hand. "I don't understand, we're all monsters here. So why do we have to be in our human forms when we're not in the dorms?"
"That's a good question, Pipsqueak. The reason is because of how the buildings here are designed. Given the various sizes and body type differences between monster species, it would be hard to cater to the needs of different species. Does that make sense?", Cheerilee replied to the question.
Pipsqueak nodded and continued to listen to the teacher.
"Rule Two: no fighting on campus. If you're going to fight, please do so in the dueling arena on the other side of the campus."
Spike was stunned. If there was a fight, they had to fight in a designated fighting arena? What kind of logic does that make? Also, the school has a fighting arena? What was this, ancient Rome?!
"Rule Three: no unauthorized use of magic in the school. Save the magic for Magic Class."
Applejack raised her hand at that. "What would be 'unauthorized' use of magic?"
"That's a great question, Applejack! Basically, it means that you shouldn't use magic to bully others, cheat on tests, or damage school propety. In other words, don't be stupid with your magic.", Cheerilee replied.
"Rule Four: boys shouldn't go to the girls' dorm and girls shouldn't go to the boys' dorm. We don't want any... incidents happening here.", Cheerilee informed the class. All the males in the room looked disappointed while the girls all simply blushed.
Cheerilee seemed to ignore all the looks the students had on their faces. "Alright, that concludes the rules. Any questions regarding them?"
Spike decided to raise his hand and ask a dreaded question swimming in his brain. "Are there any rules about finding humans on campus?"
Suddenly, the whole class turned and looked at Spike as if he asked the same question they all had. Cheerilee spoke in a rather low voice.
"It's impossible for a human to find their way on campus. This entire school and its grounds are inside a pocket dimension. To an outside observer, this whole place would look like an abandoned collection of buildings. The only way to get into this school is to come in through the carriages the school sends out. Besides, if a human did somehow get into the school, the official protocol is to capture it and take it to the Headmaster.", Cheerilee responded.
That response made Spike feel slightly better about his current situation. That is, until Rainbow Dash spoke up.
"If we do find a human on campus, why don't we just eat 'em?", she asked. That question made Spike's heart skip a few beats.
Cheerilee looked up at the ceiling as if she was thinking about how to answer that. She looked back at Rainbow and cleared her throat.
"You see, currently, the human population is much bigger than our numbers. If lots of humans started going missing, the humans would do everything in their power to investigate. And if they discover us, we could expect to be caught up in another Dark Age.", she replied.
That answer seemed to satisfy Rainbow. But her question seemed to get everyone else murmuring about the subject of eating humans.
"I've never actually eaten humans, before."
"I hear humans are quite a tasty treat."
"Wonder what humans taste like?"
"Are humans healthy to eat?"
From what Spike could tell from these murmurs, it sounded like none of his classmates have ever eaten humans before. He could get some solace in that. But still...
"Better keep my humanity a secret from these guys. Just in case.", he thought to himself.
Suddenly, the bell rang, indicating the start of the next class. Everyone was gathering their things and heading right out the door.
Cheerilee waved them all goodbye. "Bye, everyone! I'll see you all tomorrow night!"
Spike was more than happy to be out of that room. He looked down at his schedule and saw that he had Alchemy Class next. He turned and made his way to another class he was sure he was going to dread.
Spike's Alchemy Class
Spike again made his way to the back of the class to sat in the seat next to the window. He sat there for a good few minutes and then realized that all the students from his Homeroom class were in this one, too. He didn't know whether to be happy or fearful.
When the final bell rung, the teacher walked into the room and motioned for the students to pay attention to her. The teacher seemed nice enough.
The teacher was wearing a black dress jacket with a red undershirt, a purple skirt that reached down to her ankles, and had on black heels. She was African in descent from what he could see. She was quite lovely to boot. Her eyes were a sparkling shade of blue. Her hair consisted of a black-and-white striped Mohawk. There were gold earrings and rings around her neck.
Spike looked down at her desk to read the name plate: Ms. Zecora- Species: Wereleopard.
"Okay, dear students, please sit down and learn. For this potential future as alchemists, you must earn.", she said in a deep voice heavy with a Swahili accent.
Ms. Zecora proceeded to go over what to expect from this class. To sum it up, they're going to learn the basics of alchemy, learn the different uses of various ingredients, and create simple potions.
This teacher was so warm and friendly to be around. Spike a strange sense of ease when around her.
As soon as the bell rung, Spike headed off to Magic Class.
Spike's Magic Class
Spike decided to stay in the back of each class as a way of keeping a low profile. Once again, his classmates from Homeroom were there with him.
"I guess we're going to be stuck together in every class this year.", Spike noted to himself.
A few seconds before the final bell rang, the teacher strode silently into the room. Spike thought he was looking at very cartoonish looking villain.
The man wore all black. He wore a black overcoat, a black button-up dress shirt, and black pants. He had dark gray hair, purple eyes, a lean body, and face that looked as if he had never smiled once in his entire life. He gave a small scowl to the class to effectively shut them up. The teacher then turned and wrote on the board.
Professor Flintheart. Species: Ghoul
When he finally spoke, there was a gruff British accent to it. "This is Magic Class. There will be no slacking off or inattentiveness in this class. You are here at this great institution to make something of yourselves, not become the world's next illiterate garbage bins."
The energy in the room suddenly became quite gloomy. This teacher was definitely a no-nonsense type. Spike would have to study hard to pass this teacher's standards.
Prof. Flintheart spoke again. "I expect you all to work diligently and strive to better yourselves for surviving this world. And remember, magic isn't a toy for you to play with. It is is art made real. Magic can also be a tremendously helpful tool for you in dire situations."
It seemed that the entire class was trying its best to stay on the professor's good side. Prof. Flintheart continued.
"Tell me, does anyone here know the basic definition of magic?", Flintheart asked the class. Twilight's hand shot up instantly.
"It's the manipulation of arcane energy to perform various supernatural feats, such as enhancing your body's abilities, turning the energy into physical objects, or to summon weapons.", she replied.
Flintheart's face didn't show it, but he did seem pleased with Twilight's answer. "Very good, Miss Tepes. Now, how many of you have practiced magic before? Do you know your own arc levels?"
Spike was both confused and scared. "Wait, I don't even know if I'll be able to use magic! And what does he mean by 'arc levels'?!"
Luckily, Flintheart seemed to have an answer for them all. "Arc levels are the amount of arcane energy your body is able to produce and use at any given time. Your arc levels can increase through training and concentration. Today, I will collect data on how much arc you currently have."
Before Spike could internally panic, Prof. Flintheart used his magic to conjure a large mirror out of thin air. The mirror was tall, with very clean glass and a red jewel adorning the top of the mirror. He placed it by his desk and pointed to it.
"This is a Measuring Mirror. This magical device will give me an exact measurement of your current arc levels. With this data in mind, I can plan our curriculum more effectively.", he said. Then he motioned for the students to line up single-file in front of the mirror. Spike made sure that he was the last one in line.
Twilight went up to the mirror first. "How exactly does this work?", she asked.
"You simply place your hand on the glass. The number indicating your arc level will appear above your hand. Let's get started.", Flintheart replied while preparing to write down the results of the measuring.
Twilight calmly put her hand on the glass. The jewel on top of the mirror started to glow. Suddenly, a series of numbers started to appear on the mirror. They seemed to be counting up until they stopped at 105. The other students were shocked by that number.
"I guess that means that she has quite a lot of magic power.", Spike thought.
Applejack placed her hand on the mirror next and the numbers quickly landed on 10. Flintheart shook his head and wrote it down. Apparently, that's a pretty weak number. As she passed Spike to go sit down, Spike could hear her say something under her breath.
"I help my family on the farm. I don't really have time to practice magic.", she said.
As the line went on, everyone else either had passable or higher than average arc levels. But none were higher than Twilight's. When it was Spike's turn, he was visibly pale.
"Come on, lad! We don't have the whole class period.", Flintheart grumbled.
"Let's just see how this plays out. Maybe I'll get a number even lower than Applejack's", Spike thought hopefully.
With a shaking hand, he put his hand on the glass. At first, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Flintheart opened his mouth to speak. Probably to ask Spike why the mirror might not be reacting to him. But before the professor could utter one syllable, the mirror's gem started to glow brighter than he'd ever seen it glow thus far. Spike felt a huge shock rock his body as if he was electrocuted. The numbers suddenly appeared on the glass and were rising rapidly. The whole mirror started to shake with great ferocity. Flintheart stood up and carefully backed away from the mirror.
What's happening?! The mirror had never reacted like this before! And the numbers are still rising! How could someone have this much power inside them?!" Flintheart thought to himself.
Spike turned around to see that the other students were staring with wide eyes and mouths. They had never seen such a thing happen before. Spike tried to pull away but found that his hand was stuck to the glass. No matter how hard he pulled, his hand wouldn't leave the glass! He turned around and reached out with his other hand.
"Help me!", he cried out in fear.
Surprisingly, all the students in the class rushed to help him, but Prof. Flintheart stopped them. "No, it's too dangerous! It's too dangerous to be near him right now!".
"But we gotta do something!", Pinkie cried out.
The vibrating the mirror was doing was gradually increasing along with the numbers on his arc levels. After a while, the glass and the jewel started to glow rhythmically. The glowing was getting faster and faster, indicating that it was going to blow!
"GET DOWN!!", Flintheart shouted.
The other students and the teacher dropped down on the floor. Shielding himself as best he could, Spike could only stand there as the mirror exploded! The mirror exploded with a loud "boom", sending shards of glass in every direction along with a wave of arcane energy.
Slowly, Spike opened his eyes to survey the scene in front of him. There was a blast point where the mirror had once stood. The back of the mirror had been blown to pieces. He checked himself for any injuries. Surprisingly, there were none to be found anywhere! He looked behind him to see if anyone else was okay.
The others that were in the room were unharmed, but they were absolutely shocked by what they had just seen. Someone was powerful enough to make a Measuring Mirror explode! And they didn't even get a number on his arc level. Not that they needed one if this destruction was nothing to go by. Bits of glass had embedded themselves in the surrounding seats and unified desks.
Flintheart looked around and found one large piece of glass that seemed to have a number on it. He leaned in for a closer look. His eyes widened at the number he saw on the shard before it disappeared completely.
"What is it, Professor?", Rarity asked.
Prof. Flintheart slowly turned to look at the other students and then turned to Spike.
"Two-thousand.", he said quietly. The other students gasped and turned to Spike, who was just as shocked as them.
"What?! Two-thousand?! How could I have that high of a arc level when I'm not even a monster?!"
Suddenly, the door burst open and teachers and students alike flooded into the room. They all had worried looks on their faces as they were surveying the destruction that had taken place within the room.
"What in Nyx's name happened here?", one of the teachers asked.
Flintheart could only look up at Spike in astonishment. "I think we've just found a true prodigy for magic.", he responded.
The Nurse's Office
Spike was waiting patiently in the nurse's office for the teacher to arrive. Given what happened in Magic Class, Prof. Flintheart was insistent that he go see the nurse for any potential injuries. Spike sat there on the bed with his thoughts to keep him company.
"What the hell happened back there? I was expecting to have no arc levels at all. But instead I got one that's super high? That doesn't make any sense? I'm human, not a monster? How could I have such a high arc level?"
From the side of the room, he could hear the door open. A rather beautiful nurse strode into the room and walked up to Spike.
"Hello, Spike. I'm the resident nurse here: Nurse Redheart. I heard that there was an incident involving a glass object in Magic Class?", she said with a voice that sounded rather husky for a school nurse.
Now that Spike got a good look at her, he could see most of the male students and teachers falling for her. She had a gorgeous face, a slim figure, a very nice I-cup rack, and hypnotic hips. That nurse's outfit seemed to increase her sex appeal. It took Spike everything he had to keep himself under control. Nurse Redheart gave a little giggle.
"It's okay, Spike. Most males have the same reaction as you when they come to see me. In fact, I think most of the male students get themselves hurt on purpose just to be in my office with me.", she said.
Spike could only blush deeper, making the nurse laugh. "Now then, I'll need to examine you for injuries you may not have initially found. Can you please remove your clothes?", she asked.
The poor boy could only stare at the nurse with obvious apprehension.
"It's okay. I'm a doctor. This is just a checkup.", she assured Spike. "Here, I'll even give ourselves some privacy."
Redheart got up and closed the curtain around them, giving them complete privacy. Spike then stood up and began to quickly remove his clothes.
"As soon as she checks me up, I can put my clothes back on."
As soon as he was standing in his boxers, the nurse spoke up. "Could you please raise your arms above your head?", she requested of her current patient.
Spike raised his arms over his head, as told. As soon as he did, Nurse Redheart placed her hands on his chest and stomach. He expected her hands to be cold, like those of most doctors, but her hands were surprisingly warm. As she started going lower to check for glass shards, he felt blood rushing from his head and flowing down to his third leg. He had to will himself not to get a raging stiffy in front of the nurse. As soon as she was done with the front, she asked Spike to turn around so that she could examine his back. He turned around for her and she started the examination of his back.
"So, what's it like being the only human in a school full of monsters?", she suddenly asked.
"What do you mean?", Spike asked back.
"It's okay. I know you're human. Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you or anything. Unless you're into that.", she said with a healthy dose of flirtation in her voice.
"First, I'm not into that. Second, it feels really weird. It kind of feels like I'm going to die at any time. But at the same time, everyone here seems nice. I want to try to bury my fears and try to have as peaceful a high school life as I can.", Spike replied.
Spike could hear Nurse Redheart giggle behind him. "That's a pretty good goal to have. If it makes your experience at this school any better, know that I'm rooting for you."
Before Spike could thank her for that, he felt something press into his back. No, not one something, but two somethings. Whatever they were, they were super soft and warm. They seemed to cover most of his upper back, too. Two arms wrapped themselves around the boy's middle in a warm hug. That's when Spike realized just what was pressing into his back: it was the nurse's boobs! He was actually getting back-pressed by two amazing flesh pillows!
"N-n-nurse Redheart. What are you doing?", he asked nervously. He could feel her whisper into his ear, tickling his ear canal.
"I'm rewarding you for being such a good patient with me today.", she said before slowly releasing him.
As soon as Spike got his clothes on, there was a question burning him the whole time he was there. "Nurse Redheart, if you don't mind me asking, what species of monster are you?"
"That's a normal question for a human to ask. I'm a Jiangshi, a subspecies of vampire native to China. I was turned by one when I was visiting San Francisco around the late 1800's.", she replied
Spike could hardly believe it. She looked more like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. Still, she looked great for her age.
Before Spike could walk out the door, Nurse Redheart called out to him. "If you ever need to talk to someone you can trust about any troubles at all, just come visit me: Nurse Sylvia Redheart."
"I'll... I'll do that.", he replied.
"Oh, and here's a word of warning: since the whole school now knows that you have a super high arc level, you might become annoyingly popular around here.", she warned him.
Spike gulped and walked out of the Nurse's office.
Monster Guide
Wereleopard
Wereleopards are a species of monster found in Africa and Asia. Wereleopards come in both gold and black variants, with the black ones being quite rare. They have their human form and their true form. Their true forms are that of tall humanoid leopards. They have excellent night-vision as well the strength to carry a baby giraffe up a tree. Wereleopards are notorious man-eaters, with corpses being found in trees in the morning after someone goes missing. They'll eat other animals too if humans are getting too scared to go outside at night. Wereleopards can sneak up on humans without making a sound. They can bite and turn humans and breed naturally.
Ghouls
Ghouls are monsters with a pale gray or white skin color. Ghouls are famed for eating humans, both dead and alive. This species is usually solitary but they will gather in small packs if there's enough food for them all. They have sharp teeth and bone-crushing jaws. Ghouls are extremely intelligent, using cunning to trick humans. Ghouls are usually nomadic creatures but they will settle down if food is abundant. Ghouls can take the form of hyenas and vultures to get closer to humans. Because of their diet of both fresh and rotting meat, ghouls are often called the "dumpsters of monsters". They can turn humans and breed naturally.
Jiangshi
Jiangshi are a subspecies of vampire native to China. They have the strongest legs of any monster, being able to destroy boulders with a single kick. They are stronger than humans. They don't run after prey, instead, they leap great distances after prey at great speed. This hunting strategy allows to let prey tire itself out while costing little energy to the Jiangshi. These monsters are also able to hover in the air for a short time. This allows the Jiangshi to change directions in mid-air if prey makes a sharp turn while running away. Sharp claws help them grapple with prey and hold them down. Like vampires, they feed on blood. Unlike vampires, they lack any venom. Jiangshi either live alone or in small nests. They can turn humans and breed naturally.
When Spike left the nurse's office, he noticed that it was already time for lunch. So, he headed to the cafeteria. As he walked there, he noticed that the other students and teachers he passed all stared at him with varying looks. Some looked at him with amazement at his abnormally high arc level. Others looked at him with fear for what he might do with such power. But most of the girls were all looking at him with nothing but love in their eyes. He heard some of them sighing as he went. He could even hear them whispering about him.
"Did you hear? That's the guy with the arc level of two-thousand!"
"No one's ever gotten an arc level that high."
"He's so cute!"
"I'd like his arc level to overwhelm mine, if you know what I mean."
Spike couldn't help but smile at what the female half of the student body were saying about him. If he ever looked at his reflection in the mirror, he could see himself as a good specimen of masculinity. He walked to the cafeteria with a bit more of a spring to his step.
As he entered the cafeteria, he saw it buzzing with activity. All these different friend groups and school clubs tended to gravitate towards each other. The cacophony of voices all taking to each other at the same time was almost deafening.
When Spike was making his way to the line to get food, it seemed like he had casted a spell on the others as he passed. When they saw him, they all stopped talking and stared after him. The attention was really making him uncomfortable.
"Shit! Everyone's staring at me! Okay, stay calm, Spike. You don't want to draw anymore attention to yourself than you already have.", he thought to himself.
He calmly walked to the back of the lunch line. He could feel the eyes of the other students on his back, but he didn't make a fuss about it. Eventually, the others delved back into their conversations. But these conversations were more than likely all about him, now.
As the line moved forward, the guy in front of him looked behind him to see Spike standing there. His eyes widened to the size of quarters.
"Oh! You can go in front of me, man!", he said nervously. Spike was so confused by this guy's reaction to simply seeing him.
"Is this what it means to have such a high arc level? The others won't want to mess with you? If that will keep me safe, then I'd better try to be tough, but not too tough.", he thought.
"Thanks, man.", he said simply while moving in front of the guy. The others in the line in front of him saw this and offered that he move to the front of the line.
It was like Spike became an alpha male in the course of a few minutes. He was suddenly in the front of the lunch line, getting food for himself. Fortunately for him, the cafeteria served food that humans would eat. However, they didn't serve standard American food. They actually had an enormous variety of foods from around the world. Spike saw that there was egg fried rice and sushi from Asia, piri piri chicken from Africa, chicken hearts from Brazil, Shepard's pie from England. The cafeteria at this school seemed to have it all. But there were some foods there that were rather... off-putting. There were some trays filled with raw meat or organs from various animals.
Spike decided to ignore the fact that some of the students ate raw flesh and got himself his lunch. He got himself a cheeseburger, mac-and-cheese, a salad, and a chocolate milk for his lunch. The lunch ladies all gave him the same looks as the girls he walked by earlier.
Once he got his lunch, he went to look for a place t sit. Somewhere out of the way and private. As he looked around, he could see that the other tables were full up with students talking to one another. But there was one table in the back of the cafeteria that caught his eye.
It was way in the back with only a single student sitting there. It was Rumble, the wendigo Spike met this morning! He was sitting all alone at the table, eating what looked like a raw sheep's leg. Swallowing his rising vomit, Spike made his way to the table.
Rumble noticed Spike approaching him and positioned his body in a way that looked like he was ready to bolt if Spike made any sudden movements. As Spike set his tray of food on the table, he had to assure Rumble that he wasn't there to hurt him.
"It's okay, man. I'm not gonna punch your skull in or anything.", Spike said whilst holding up his hands.
Rumble stared at Spike for a long time and finally seemed to relax. "Okay. Sorry about the apprehension. It's just that when I heard that you had such a high arc level, it kind of chilled me to my bones."
"Hey, it's fine. I guess having a high arc level is enough to make everyone be on edge around me, huh?"
"Yeah. Though, I never heard of a human having such a high arc level, before."
That sentence immediately caught Spike's attention. "A human? What are you talking about?", he asked trying to keep his cool.
Rumble leaned in closer to Spike and whispered, "I know that you're a human.".
Spike's heart started to race. "What now? Is he going to attack and eat me in front of the entire cafeteria?".
However, Spike's fears were put to rest when he saw Rumble giving him a friendly smile.
"Dude, it's okay. The Headmaster told me about you before you got here. Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you.".
"You're not?", Spike asked nervously.
"No. In fact, I've never eaten a human before."
Spike was intrigued. "Never?"
"Never. I've never even wanted to eat a human. Actually, it's because of that that I'm kind of the black sheep of the family."
Spike's curiosity surged at hearing this. "Wait, are you trying to say that your family doesn't respect you for not wanting to eat humans?"
"Yeah. My clan prides itself on hunting and eating humans. But me, I've always thought that humans were interesting. Even fun to be around."
Now Spike was afraid for his life again. "Your family hunts humans?".
"Yeah.", he responded. "We're wendigos. Our species is particularly famous for eating humans. But I didn't feel the drive to eat humans like my brother. In fact, I even had a secret friend who was a human. He even knew that I was a wendigo, but he still wanted to be friends with me. That is, until my family found out about our friendship.".
Spike's fear turned into morbid curiosity. "Rumble... what happened to your friend?", Spike asked slowly.
Rumble could only lower his head and look away with a haunted look in his eyes.
Flashback- Six Years Ago
A nine year old Rumble was running through the snow-covered trees to get to his friend Luke's house. Luke Hendricks was such a nice guy. Being part of a family that wanted to live out in the country and run a beef ranch, he lived close to where Rumble and his family made their territory.
Rumble wondered why his man-eater family hadn't attacked the Hendricks's ranch, yet. Perhaps it had something to do with the warding charms the neighboring Native Americans on the nearby reservation put around the property. Those warding charms were meant to keep out creatures and spirits with evil intentions. The native people there had long told stories of wendigos.
But since Rumble refused to eat humans, he could run by the charms with no problems. Rumble was in his true form and running through the forest with the wind at his back to push him forward. Wendigos were some of the fastest monsters on the planet, achieving speeds so great, it looked like they could teleport.
Once he reached the back fence of Luke's ranch, he changed into his human form and hopped the fence. He went to the front door and knocked on it. The door was opened by a very friendly-looking boy about the same age as Rumble.
"Hey, Rumble! Thanks for coming over! Did you bring those new Batman comics I told you about?", Luke asked his best friend.
"Did I bring them? Of course, I did!", Rumble said excitedly while pulling out the comic from his backpack.
"Awesome! Let's read them already!", Luke exclaimed.
The two boys ran into the living room where Luke's parents were enjoying themselves watching "Wheel of Fortune".
"Hello, Mister and Misses Hendricks.", Rumble greeted the two adults.
"And hello to you, too, Rumble.", Mrs. Hendricks said.
"Great to have you around, sport.", Mr. Hendricks said.
But before they could start reading about the best DC hero in existence, Rumble suddenly caught a familiar scent on his nose. His eyes widened with fear when he recognized that scent.
Luke noticed his wendigo friend's reaction and spoke softly. "What's wrong? Everything okay?".
Rumble could only whisper. "You have to hide!".
He spoke louder. "You all have to hide now!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's wrong, Rumble? Why do we need to hide?", Mrs. Hendricks asked.
Suddenly, as if on cue, the power to the house was shut off. The whole house was plunged into darkness. The Hendricks family started to panic.
"What's going on?"
"What's happening?"
Luke grabbed Rumble's hand with both of his own and held on tightly. "Rumble, what's going on?!", he whispered to him in a panic.
Rumble looked at Luke and said, "Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
Then, right before the human family's very eyes, Rumble changed into his true form. That of a wendigo. Once he finished, he took a battle stance. Luke's parents were understandably terrified of what their son's friend just turned into.
"Luke, what is that?!", both parents asked their son in unison.
"It's okay! He's still my friend. I promise I'll tell you everything later. Right now, Rumble's trying to protect us.", Luke said.
Rumble noticed that the air suddenly got colder. Frost was starting to form on the windows, floor, walls, and ceiling. Rumble focused all of his senses on finding out where his family might come out. As he looked around, a voice called out.
"What are you doing, Rumble? Playing with food, maybe?", a deep voice called out from the darkness.
In front of Rumble's face, three wendigos seemed to rise out of the frost before taking on their true forms. The all stood in front of Rumble and the humans he seeks to protect.
"No, I'm protecting my friends.", Rumble replied. His mother walked up and smacked Rumble across the face! Rumble was shocked by the display of violence this woman had just inflicted upon her own son.
"You foolish boy! Humans and monsters can never be friends! Centuries of war and carnage have proven that!", his mother wailed at the poor Rumble.
"Boy, I could barely tolerate you not eating humans as it is. But actually being friends with one? That's out of the question!", the father said.
"Wait a minute. How did you even get in here? Those warding charms should've kept you out.", Rumble asked.
Thunderlane smiled. "Turns out that one of the trees holding up the charms was struck by lightning last week. That left a gap for us to come through.", he responded.
Rumble was shocked at this news. But he shook off the shock and snarled at his family. "I won't let you hurt my friend or his family!", he declared.
Father simply scoffed. "Well then, I suppose we'll have to make you into a proper wendigo by force.", he stated flatly.
Before Rumble could react, his parents ran behind him. The next thing he heard was ear-piercing screams coming from behind him. He turned around to see that Father had started tearing out Mr. Hendricks's throat and Mother had completely ripped Mrs. Hendricks in half! Luke screamed at the deaths of his parents and tried to run to fight off the monsters who killed them.
He was stopped by Rumble, who had grabbed him and was holding back. Luke and Rumble could only watch as Rumble's parents murdered and ate Luke's.
"Proud of yourself, brother?", Thunderlane asked from behind him.
Rumble was suddenly punched in the back of the head with great force. He let go of Luke and tumbled to the ground. Rumble looked up to see his older brother grab Luke by the neck and held him up to face him. Thunderlane looked at his little brother with disgust in his eyes.
"This is what we're supposed to do with humans!", the older brother explained before opening his fang-filled mouth.
"NO! NO! NO! Please don't do this!", he begged.
But it was too late. Thunderlane sank his teeth deep into the struggling boy's neck, spurting arterial blood everywhere! Luke shrieked in agony as Rumble's monstrous brother tore into his neck. Luke's screams quickly devolved into gargles as he was choking on his own blood. The last thing Luke said before death was one small sentence.
"I hate you, Rumble."
That simple sentence stung deeper than anyone else could ever know. Thunderlane then tore off Luke's left arm and walked over to the stunned Rumble. He held the arm out to him.
"Eat.". That was all he said.
Before Rumble could refuse, however, his mother and father grabbed him and held him down. Rumble didn't have the strength to struggle. Thunderlane walked over to Rumble and tried to force the arm into Rumble's mouth!
Rumble refused with all his might! He wouldn't do this! He wouldn't eat his best friend! As the family was trying to force the flesh further into Rumble's mouth, he made a silent promise.
"One day, I will get my revenge. I'll kill you all. I swear it.".
After Rumble finished telling Spike his story, both boys had their vision clouded by tears. Spike had never heard such a terrible tale in his life. The boy wanted to become friends with a human and his family killed the boy and his entire family for it?! And to add insult to injury, they tried to force feed Rumble the flesh of his friend?! Rumble's family life sounded horrible! After drying his eyes, Spike spoke to the troubled wendigo.
"No offense, Rumble, but your family sounds like a bottle of dirty douche-water.", Spike said simply. Rumble gave him a small smile.
"It's okay. I hate their guts, too.", Rumble replied.
"So, what happened after that night?", Spike asked.
"They forced me to go to my grandparents' place to 'learn to be a proper wendigo'.", Rumble responded.
"And what did that involve?".
"Learn the proper techniques for hunting humans, how to trap them, and even how to prepare human meat.".
That statement stunned Spike. Rumble was forced to learn how to be a truly terrifying monster. But since Spike saw the other food options available to him in the cafeteria, he decided to probe Rumble for information about monster society and biology.
"Hey Rumble, do monsters need to eat humans to survive?", Spike asked.
Rumble's answer came quickly. "I've never eaten human in my life and I'm fine. Actually, I learned from Headmaster Grogar that the reason monsters feed on human flesh and blood is because of its addictive properties for us.".
"So, it's more like a drug addiction rather than a biological need?".
"Correct.".
"Since I'm new to the existence of monsters, could you tell me more about how monster society operates?".
Rumble smiled. "Of course I'll help, buddy. The last thing I want to see is another human get killed. So what do you want to know?".
"First, what's with the dueling arena I've heard about?", Spike asked.
"Monsters are more prone to fights than most humans are. Monsters will fight for a variety of reasons. Food, territory, status, you name it. Other times, monsters will challenge each other to fight simply just to blow off some steam."
"That makes a little bit of sense. What else can you tell me?"
"Well, monsters conform to a hierarchical structure. Those that are either the smartest or the most powerful tend to lead others and are served like kings. However, generally, you have monsters at the bottom, those that aren't that strong. Then, you have the alphas. The alphas serve as pack leaders, especially for species that live in groups. Above the alphas, you have the Overlords, who unite groups of various species to serve them. And finally, you have the Progenitors. Every monster species has either one or two.".
"The Progenitors?".
"Just like how your species came from Adam and Eve. The Progenitors are the mothers and fathers of their respective species. Wendigos have a Progenitor."
"Are they strong?"
"Dude, they're the most powerful of all monsters. They even have abilities that the rest of their descendants don't have!".
Spike made the executive decision not to piss off any of the Progenitors. Then Spike remembered to ask about arc levels.
"What about my arc level? You said that those with great magical prowess gain status?".
"Oh hell yeah! You'd be on par with most of the Overlords, at least. Your high arc level makes you both a great ally and a terrifying enemy.".
"That sounds like trouble for me if someone wants to challenge me.".
"Well there is a bright side to being so innately powerful: all the lovely female monsters will likely flock to you. Female monsters always go for those that are the most powerful.".
"What?!".
"Yeah. Once a female chooses a mate, it's for life. And since you're so strong, you could potentially have multiple mates. And your offspring could be quite powerful.".
Spike suddenly thought back to Rumble's story. "What about human-monster relations?".
"That's kind of a taboo for us. Those types of relationships are frowned upon among our kind. That's probably what led to my family's massacre of my friend. They especially don't like it when a romantic relationship with a human leads to half-monster offspring.".
"Why?".
"Think about it. Humans and monsters have been fighting and killing each other for centuries. Humans are seen as food and as our sworn enemies. Any relationship with a human is considered repulsive.".
"I see. Do all monsters think that?".
"Surprisingly, no. There are those among the Parliament of Progenitors that wish to bury the hatchet and wish to coexist with humankind. They're simply called the Harmony Faction.".
Spike thought back to the duels. "What about monster duels? Can you tell me about those?".
"Well, once a challenge has bee made, you can't refuse. It'll open you up for other monsters to see you as weak. Besides, you have an abnormally high arc level, so most will not even want to challenge you. Duels are supposed to be hand-to-hand fights. You can be your true form or not. If you win, the loser has to be your servant for a whole month. If the challenger wins, then you'd be their servant for a month. Students aren't allowed to challenge teachers.".
"Do all the students here eat humans?".
"Some do, but most don't. If they do, then the Headmaster tries to wean them off human flesh or blood. We can feed on animals just like humans do.".
"I think that's all the questions I have for now. Thanks for answering my questions, man.", Spike to said. That earned a smile form Rumble.
"You're welcome, dude.", Rumble replied.
After the little "interview", the two boys got down to eating. Spike thoroughly enjoyed his lunch and saw that Rumble had enjoyed his as well. Eventually, Rumble spoke to Spike.
"Don't look now, but you've got some fans coming your way. Spike was confused by what he meant until several of his female classmates were sitting next to or around him.
These were the same girls from his class. They were all sitting by him, the guy with the arc level of two-thousand. Even Twilight was there. She was sitting next to his right side and Rainbow Dash sat by his right. Rainbow suddenly wrapped her arms around Spike's right arm, pressing her breasts into his arm! Spike was shocked by this sudden act of affection. Rainbow looked up at him with stars in her eyes.
"Hey there! I'm Rainbow Dash! That display of raw power back there in Magic Class was totally awesome!", Rainbow exclaimed excitedly.
"Indeed. We've never heard of one with as high an arc level as you, darling.", Rarity said.
"Shoot, that was a mighty exciting time in that class.", Applejack said.
"You must be some walking dynamo of raw power!", Pinkie shouted.
"Are you an Overlord?", Fluttershy asked.
"No, I'm not.", Spike said, trying to distract himself from the small sweater puppies currently pressed into his right arm.
Spike had gotten to know a little bit about them from Homeroom, so he decided to ask.
"What brings you all over here to sit by me?", Spike asked.
Twilight seemed to follow Rainbow's lead and pressed her own breasts into Spike's other arm! It was like electricity had shot up both of Spike's arms!
"Well, it's just that powerful males are the most appealing to us.", Twilight said.
"What?!", Spike whispered frantically.
"That's right. Strong males make for better partners, wouldn't you say?", Applejack asked before winking at him.
"I know people are talking right now, but I can't concentrate with the two lovely pairs of chesticles pressing into me!", Spike frantically thought.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by a scream coming from behind him. Spike and the others looked over to see three guys ganging up on Pipsqueak.
"Come on! Give us your money so we can use the vending machines!", the apparent leader of the three thugs ordered of the boy. But Pipsqueak wasn't backing down.
"Bugger off, you horror movie reject!", Pipsqueak said with a hint of fear in his voice.
That got the bullies' anger rising. "What did you say, you little shit?!", the biggest of the three demanded.
Suddenly, the leader grabbed Pipsqueak by the collar and hoisted him up. "I guess I'm going to have to teach you a lesson about respecting those stronger than you.".
The leader of the bullies then raised his fist to punch the poor lad. As Spike watched this unfold, he could anger rising from the center of his chest. That anger soon turned into rage. The rage seemed to cause something in Spike, as he could feel something weird passing through his body. It started from his chest and extended outwards from there. Spike knew he had to do something to save Pipsqueak.
It was the weirdest thing he had ever done. One second, he was sitting with his new friends, and the next, he was right next to the bully about to punch Pipsqueak. How did he get there that fast? That was a question that could only be answered by what Spike did next. He drew back his own right fist and shot it right into the bully leader's face! Spike could feel the bully's lower jaw disconnect from the rest of his skull from the blow as the bully was sent flying back to crash into the wall, leaving a web of cracks across the bricks! The bully didn't get up. Spike could tell that the guy was still alive. Thankfully.
His two lackeys looked to their leader and then to Spike. He stared at them with a glare. Their resolve disappeared in an instant and the left to check on their fallen comrade. Spike turned around to see Pipsqueak and the rest of the cafeteria staring at him in awe. They had just witnessed Spike absolutely destroying on the school's bullies and make the others back off.
Suddenly, the whole cafeteria erupted into cheers for their new hero.
"Three cheers for Spike!", Pipsqueak shouted.
"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!", they all cheered.
Spike didn't know what to say about all this attention he was getting. All he did was defend his friend from getting the stuffing beaten out of him.
"Enough!", a new voice called out from among the crowd.
The effect the new voice had on the crowd was instant. They all stopped talking and looked to the source of the voice. From what Spike could see, someone was walking towards him. It was a girl.
She appeared to be a year older than Spike. She was wearing the standard female uniform, but she also had on a black leather jacket. She was slim and curvy with a nice D-cup rack. Her hair was an interesting combination of red and yellow, making her hair look like flames. Her eyes were a nice blue color and her skin was a nice tan. She walked up to Spike with her hands behind her back.
"You the guy who just took out one of my subordinates?", the girl asked.
"Well, one of your guys was about to beat up one of my classmates! I couldn't just sit there and do nothing!", Spike responded.
The girl smiled deviously at him. "Since you're a freshman here at this school, I'll let you know how things work around here: I'm in charge here. My goons act like they normally do, you look the other way. If I need a favor, you do it for me with no questions asked.".
"Well, that sounds unreasonable.", Spike said, earning gasps from everyone in the cafeteria. The girl in front of him looked furious.
"If you have a problem with that, then how's about a duel. Just you and me?", the girl challenged Spike.
The boy considered this. Since he just took out one of her goons with no problem, he should be able to fight her easily enough. Spike gave a smile at the girl.
"I accept your challenge. What time do you want to have it?", Spike asked while accepting the challenge.
"Friday at three PM. Dueling arena. Don't be late.", she said.
"I'll be there. By the way, I never got your name.".
The flame-haired girl gave him a devilish grin. "My name's Sunset Shimmer. And I'm going to turn your ass to ashes.".
After Sunset shook Spike's hand and left, Spike went back to his table. His new friends all looked at Spike with stunned eyes. Especially Rumble. He looked like Spike just told him he was about to kill himself.
"Spike, what did you just do?!", he asked Spike incredulously.
"I just accepted a challenge to duel! Did you see the way I took that guy out? It'll be a piece of cake fighting her.", Spike replied with no small amount of bravado. Rumble just shook his head.
"Spike, I don't think you fully understand what you just did.", Twilight said.
"What did I just do?", Spike asked.
Rainbow was the one who answered him. "You just challenged the alpha female of the entire student body to fight. Sunset Shimmer of all creatures!".
Spike was now confused. "Why? Is Sunset strong?".
"Eeyup. Sunset Shimmer's an extremely powerful Fire Demon. Her fire-based magic is unmatched.", Applejack informed him.
"What's her arc level?", Spike asked.
"We don't know. But we do know it's well over one thousand.", Pinkie said.
"So there's a possibility that she could rival me in terms of raw power.", Spike thought.
If Sunset is as powerful as they say she is, it's no wonder that she pretty much rules the student body. And she's a Fire Demon, too?! Spike didn't know what to say. On one hand, he could still potentially beat her with his raw power alone, but he doesn't really know hot to properly fight with magic. That punch he threw at the bully was an act of instinct. He wouldn't know the first thing about fighting someone one purpose. He didn't even know that much about Sunset, either. Spike decided to learn as much as he can about his opponent.
"What can you guys tell me about Sunset?", Spike asked.
"Apart from the fact that she's bisexual?", Pinkie asked.
Spike wasn't expecting that. "Uh, no. I mean other things about her. Like her fighting style and stuff.".
Rumble spoke first. "Well, she's ranked as one of the most powerful among the students and faculty alike.".
"Sunset is the type of warrior who trains thoroughly before every bout she has.", Rarity stated.
"She's good at long-ranged attacks, but she's even better at close quarters. In fact, Sunset prefers to attack at close range.", Twilight said.
Fluttershy spoke next. "She never backs down from a fight. Must be part of her family pressuring her.".
That got Spike's attention. "What do you mean?".
"Sunset is the daughter of one of the Seven Princes of the Underworld. Her family prides itself on producing strong offspring.", Fluttershy replied.
"Well, Sunset seems pretty strong from what I could tell about her.", Spike said.
"Still, her family seems to want Sunset to make sure she stays strong enough to be a part of the family.", Fluttershy stated.
"What does that mean? If she loses to Spike, they'll disown her or some shit like that?", Pinkie asked. Fluttershy just nodded her head in response.
Meanwhile, with Sunset
As the demon girl walked down the halls, she felt a buzz coming from her phone. She pulled out her phone and looked at who was calling her.
"Father"
She almost dropped dead from the shock. Why was her father calling her? She was just going about her normal routine. She hesitantly pushed "Call" to answer her father.
"Good evening, father. How are you?", she asked.
"Hello, dear. I heard that you just challenged another student to a duel.", a deep voice replied.
It always amazed Sunset how her father was able to find out about these things immediately after they happen. But the fact that he was calling about a duel was even more amazing.
"That's weird. Father had never even showed the slightest bit of interest in my duels before.", Sunset thought to herself.
"The student you just challenged is named 'Spike Roman' correct?", her father asked.
"Yes. That's his name.", Sunset replied. How did he even know her future opponent's name?
"Well, I need you to keep your guard up around him. Apparently, his arc level is two-thousand.", Sunset's father said.
That sentence shocked her. The dude's arc level is two-thousand?! She saw that he was strong, but not that strong! How was she supposed to fight him then? She figured that she'll just train a little more intensely than the other times.
"Don't worry, Father. I'll take him on and I'm going to win.", Sunset assured her father.
"You had better defeat him, Sunset. Otherwise, I'll just have to stop telling my friends that you're my daughter at all.", he replied before hanging up.
Sunset said nothing as she put her phone away in her pocket. She punched a locker door off its hinges in frustration. Father would always say that whenever she said she was going to do pretty much anything. Put the family's reputation first and don't do anything to make the family look bad. That's how it always went for Sunset.
"I'll defeat you, Spike. I have to. My father's love is on the line. I refuse to lose to you.", Sunset swore quietly.
In the School Library
A figure was looking at the various books about monster history and prophecies. The individual was male, tall, skinny, and wore the same male student uniform as everyone else. He had pale skin, white hair with a single red streak running through it, and two different colored eyes. His left eye was bright green while the right eye was red. He possessed a grin that would scare even demons away from him.
The book he was currently holding was a book on prophecies for monster kind. One chapter in particular caught his interest: the prophecy of the Guide-Light, the hero who would create a world of harmony between humans and monsters. The Guide-Light would witness the world descending into an abysmal future and would fight to keep monsters and humans alike safe from the foes of unity. The young man grinned at the idea that such a hero could be at this very institution.
In fact, he knew that this fabled hero was in this very school. And he even knew who exactly it was.
He put the book away at the sound of someone opening the library door and entering. Up until now, the guy had the whole library to himself. The other person in the room was a female student with the standard female uniform with only one exception: the mask. It was a plain black-colored mask with large red eye lenses and a small beak to make the mask look like an owl's face. The masked girl walked up to the guy and gave a small, respectful bow.
"Sir, I am here to inform you that Sunset Shimmer has made contact with Spike Roman.", she said.
The young man smiled manically. "Thank you for informing me, Amora. Spike's sure to make things interesting around here.", the young man responded.
(Amora- sophomore. Species: Pontianak)
When Amora left, the young man turned to look out at a star-filled sky. "You finally found him, huh? You've finally found the Guide-Light. I hope he gets stronger over time. So I can torture him to the best of my ability. You should have known that I would get involved with the Guide-Light the second you brought him here. Isn't that right Headmaster? Or should I call you... 'Father'?".
To Be Continued
Monster Guide
Pontianak
Pontianaks are spectral creatures found in Malaysia. This species is all-female and inhabit the jungles of Malaysia. They normally appear as beautiful women until their true form is revealed when it's too late to run. Their eyes turn bright red with black sclera, black veins bulge from their skin, their teeth became fangs, and their nails become claws. They can disappear and pass through walls and objects. They can fly without the aid of wings. They can mimic the sound of a baby crying to lure in prey. Pontianaks feed on both blood and organs. The only way to kill a Pontianak is to drive a silver nail into the back of its neck.
The day after Sunset issued her challenge, Spike and his new friends went to the school's gym building to help train Spike for his upcoming duel with Sunset Shimmer, the school's alpha female. Spike, Rumble, and most of the girls from his class were there to help train him and to cheer him on.
Awaiting them in the gym was the school's gym teachers, Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Spike could see that most of the male students would drool over them.
Spitfire was a tall woman, even taller than Spike. She had flame-colored hair similar to Sunset's, only with orange and yellow instead of Sunset's red and yellow. Her eyes were a sharp shade of amber. She was wearing a gym uniform with the top exposing her slim, yet toned and muscled stomach. Her sweatpants complimented her figure nicely, hugging her hips and butt in such a way that they'd draw the eyes of even the celibate males. Her top hugged her ample D-cup chest tightly. She held a whistle in one hand and a small towel in the other one.
(Gym Teacher- Spitfire. Species: Nachzehrer, a subspecies of vampire native to Germany)
Fleetfoot was noticeably shorter than Spitfire, only coming up to the woman's shoulders. She had pale skin and discerning green eyes. She was quite the looker herself. Her uniform was the same as Spitfire's, even hugging her curves in just the right way. Spike could tell that she was a C-cup like Twilight. Her exposed stomach wasn't as muscled as Spitfire's, but it was definitely slim.
(Gym Teacher- Fleetfoot. Species: Crocotta, a monster with hyena-like teeth that can mimic people's voices while having a hypnotic affect to their own voice)
Both gym teachers stood before the gathered students and found their gazes drawn to Spike. Spitfire sniffed the air.
"Well, well, well.", Spitfire said. "Looks like you've got quite a bit of power under those good looks of yours.".
Spike blushed like a tomato. "Do you really think so?".
"I know so. You should be able to beat your opponent in short order, but it's always beneficial to train.", Spitfire said.
"Alright, where do I start?", Spike asked, eager to get started.
Meanwhile with Sunset
Sunset Shimmer was training near a rocky area of the forest that surrounded the school. She always came to this spot to either train or clear her head. After that phone call from her father, she came out here to do both.
"If I lose to Spike, it's all over for me. I'll be kicked out of the family. Hell, I won't even be considered family if I lose!", Sunset said while unleashing a volley of fire-balls at a lone rock.
She then used her fire powers to fly into the air and rain a barrage of blast on purposefully placed rocks. The rocks all shattered from the impact.
"If Spike's arc level is as high as they say it is, I'd better not become reckless. Still, it's really interesting that his arc level is so high. Has he done some kind of childhood training? Is he some kind of genetic anomaly?", she asked herself.
"What was Spike's species again? A Ghoul? I've dueled Ghouls before and I got the impression that they weren't that strong of monsters."
Sunset's training was interrupted by some rustling in the bushes. Sunset turned towards the source of the noise and prepped herself to attack.
"Who goes there?", she called out to the bushes.
The bushes parted to reveal a female student wearing a stylized hyena mask. Sunset's eyes widened in recognition.
"Tammy? What are you doing out here?", Sunset asked the masked girl.
(Tammy Shiner- sophomore. Species: Aswang, a vampiric monster native to the Philippines)
"I've been sent here to tell you something important.", Tammy replied behind the mask.
"What?", Sunset asked.
"I'm here to inform you that he'll be watching the duel as well as your father.", Tammy informed here.
That statement sent shivers down Sunset's back. He's going to be at the duel watching her. As if her father watching wasn't bad enough, but that guy of all people is going to watch.
"Why's he going to watch the duel? He's never watched any duels before.", Sunset asked.
"I don't really know, myself. All I know is that he's taken a keen interest in Spike Roman. And how you'll fare against him.", Tammy replied.
If that lunatic was going to watch Spike, in particular, he must have something big planned. But then, who really knows what that psychopath is thinking?
"Well, if he's going to be there to watch, I'd better try to not disappoint him.", Sunset stated.
"I'll be sure to let him know that.", Tammy said before disappearing into the tree line.
Once Tammy was gone, Sunset continued training.
"I don't understand. What does Jack Volgaroth want with Spike?", Sunset asked herself.
Back with Spike
Spitfire walked up to Spike and pointed towards the floor. "First, I'll need to test your natural strength. Please get down on your hands and knees.", she ordered.
Spike wasn't really sure why she wanted him on his hands and knees, but he did as he was told.
"So how does this work? Are you going to put something on my back?", Spike asked.
"Something like that.", Spitfire replied to him.
"What do you mean 'somethi-", Spike asked before he looked over his shoulder.
He looked over his shoulder to see Spitfire turn her back to him and bend forward, showing her butt to Spike. To Spike's shock, the gym teacher sat right on his back! The sudden application of the new weight nearly made Spike's limbs give out. But, he held strong and didn't collapse.
Spike was having the time of his life in his mind. A beautiful teacher was sitting on his back. Not just any teacher, but a teacher with an amazing ass. Spitfire's butt pressed into his back in a way that was almost soothing. He could feel parts of his spine pop as she adjusted herself, rubbing her cheeks on Spike's back. Her butt was firm, yet had just the right amount of soft squish that he wasn't thrown off.
"If this was any other time or any other place, this would be so fucking hot!", Spike thought.
He looked up to see his female classmates glaring at the scene before them in jealousy. They looked like they wanted to take Spitfire's place in Spike's back.
After ten minutes of butt-to-back massaging, Spitfire got off. "Alright, looks like you've got plenty of strength and stamina even without magic.".
"Ms. Spitfire, that wasn't a necessary method to test my strength, was it?", Spike asked the older woman. Spitfire giggled.
"No, it wasn't.", she replied before moving to Spike and placing a hand on his cheek. "But don't tell me it wasn't enjoyable.".
Spike could only give a meek response. "N-n-no.", Spike replied.
To Be Continued
Monster Guide
Nachzehrer
Nachzehrers are ghoul-like monsters from Eastern Europe. Unlike vampires or ghouls, they can't turn humans into others of their kind. They must breed amongst themselves or breed with a human. Their teeth may look similar to human teeth, except that they're stronger and have a sharper edge to them than human teeth. This makes Nachzehrer bites sharper and more painful. They normally live in mated pairs but small packs are also common. They only way to kill a Nachzehrer is to chop off its head and put a copper coin in its mouth. Nachzehrers eat humans and animals. Those that eat humans will eat the organs only.
Aswang
Aswangs are vampiric monsters from the Philippines. There are two notable subspecies of Aswangs: the common aswang and the Manananggal. The Common Aswang looks like a bat-like humanoid with the ability of wingless flight. They have long ears, fangs, and claws. As their name implies, they are the most common subspecies. Manananggals look like women without their lower halves. Instead, they have tendrils that look like intestines. They have large bat wings, fangs, and claws. The one thing they both have in common is their proboscis. They have a long tongue-like proboscis they use to pierce the skin to feed on blood. These two subspecies are famous for feeding on children. Animal blood is just as sought, but it's human blood they both crave the most. The only way to kill these two subspecies is to stab them in the heart with silver daggers and coat the bodies in salt or garlic juice. Both of these subspecies are solitary. They are both mono-gendered, so they need human men and monster men to reproduce.
After the awkwardness of having Spitfire bless his back with her butt, Spike decided to really get down to business to train.
"Alright, let's see you use magic against a target.", Fleetfoot said. A practice dummy was brought out for Spike to practice on. The dummy itself had tons of claw and teeth marks on it. It would seem that magic wasn't the only thing used on this dummy.
Suddenly, the dummy came to life and ran at Spike ready to fight.
"What the hell kind of dummy is this?!", Spike shouted as he dodged the dummy's attacks.
"It's a golem. A statue given artificial life. They're incapable of killing, so they make the best practice partners.", Fleetfoot said.
A golem, huh? Spike better put his all into defeating this thing if he wants to defeat Sunset. Spike drew in as much magic as he could and threw a mighty punch.
The blow shattered the golem's head in an instant! The golem fell to the ground in a crumbled heap. Friends and teachers alike stared at Spike with wide eyes. Spitfire was the first one to speak.
"No one's ever been able to defeat a sparring golem that quickly before!", she exclaimed.
Spike had never felt such power before. He used magic and crushed that golem's head like it was nothing. He never used such power before.
"How am I suddenly able to use magic?", he thought. "Is it because I've never been in a situation where I've ever had to use it? And what are the extents of my power?".
"What else should I do?", he asked the teachers.
"Let's test your speed and agility.", Spitfire said. "One of your friends will help you with that.".
Rainbow Dash was the one to raise her hand. "Me! Me! I'll do it!", she cried out.
"Okay, Dash. You can do it.", Fleetfoot said.
"Can I do it in my true form?".
"You have my permission to be in your true form to test Mr. Roman.".
Now that caught Spike's full attention. Rainbow's true form? He was about to see what Rainbow really looks like. She's a Harpy, so Spike knew she was about to look very avian. Rainbow walked up to the floor and started changing right before Spike's eyes.
Rainbow's true form was a sight to behold. Her hair changed into a plentiful crest of rainbow-colored feathers. Her chest stuck out more to accommodate the muscles needed for powered flight, making her chest appear bigger. Her eyes changed to bright brown in color. Her teeth and become sharper to suggest a carnivorous diet. Her legs and feet grew scales and talons on each toe. Her arms grew longer and sprouted flight feathers. Rainbow's hands changed for the wings as well. She had the first three fingers for grabbing and manipulating objects while her ring and pinkie fingers fused to provide extra support for the wings. She still looked beautiful to Spike's eyes.
Once she was in her true form, her flight feathers began to glow. Suddenly, Rainbow only did a single flap of her wings and she was in the air. As she circled around Spike, he could only stare in amazement.
"How was she able to become airborne with so little effort?", Spike thought. "Did it have anything to do with why her wings were glowing? Maybe she was channeling magic into her wings, allowing her to take off with no energy loss.".
As he continued to stare, he noticed that she astonishingly fast and agile in the air. Rainbow was like a feathered fighter jet. Dash suddenly dive-bombed the awestruck Spike, who'd only barely managed to jump out of the way.
Spike could now see that this was all part of the training, testing his increased speed and agility. When Dash divebombed again, Spike jumped. He was going through the air faster and higher than any human could. He decided to further test his new agility by jumping from wall-to-wall-to-floor, staying out of Dash's reach. Spike decided to run around the gym.
He took off running in a giant circle within the gym. It was unbelievable! He was going faster and faster. To his friends in the gym stands, he started to look like a blur.
"I wonder if my agility will be affected by this new speed?", Spike asked in thought.
Spike suddenly leapt into the air and began bouncing off the walls at incredible speed. Rainbow Dash was getting dizzy from watching Spike bounce around like this. Before she could land, however, Spike accidentally crashed into Rainbow Dash. They both fell to the ground in an injured heap.
Spike felt nothing but pain throughout his entire body. Rainbow was unconscious. Twilight helped Spike to his feet.
"I'll take them both to the nurse's office!", she volunteered while everyone else was worrying.
Twilight easily put Rainbow over her shoulder and Spike put his arm around Twilight for support. They then left the gym for the nurse's office.
As they walked down an empty hallway, Spike could feel something trickle down his nose. He put one hand to his nose to see what it was. His eyes widened with fear when he saw what it was: his own blood. Spike remembered that most monsters are drawn to the scent of human blood.
Twilight suddenly stopped in her tracks and started sniffing the air.
"What's wrong, Twilight?", Spike asked trying to play dumb.
Twilight moved her head as she was tracking the scent. Eventually, her face turned towards Spike's nose. Her eyes widened at seeing the trickle of blood making its way down his face.
"Spike, forgive me for saying this, but your blood smells amazing!", she blurted out.
"You really think so? Thanks.", Spike replied.
Twilight suddenly turned and gently put the still-unconscious Rainbow on the ground.
"Uh, Twilight, what are you-", Spike attempted to aske before Twilight suddenly threw herself on top of him!
Spike was on the floor with Twilight glaring over him. "I'm sorry, Spike! But your blood just smells to good!", she exclaimed.
The girl's appearance had changed. Her skin was deathly white. Her eyes were glowing bright red. The tips of her fingers turned into claws. Twilight's ears became longer and more pointed, like a bat's. Twilight's teeth had changed, too. Instead of the classic two fangs one normally sees in vampire movies, she had an entire mouthful of needle-like teeth. And she looked hungry.
With slow movements on Twilight's part, she soon brought her teeth to his neck and bit deeply. At first, the pain was staggering. But after a few seconds, there was no pain at all. In fact, Spike started to feel great. It felt like his whole body was being lifted into a warm cloud.
"Is this what Heaven is like? If it is, I'd love to stay here forever.", Spike thought.
The only sounds that could be heard was the sound of Twilight slurping and moaning in Spike's ear. It was an oddly pleasing sound for him to hear. All Spike cared about right now is that the two of them felt great. It didn't matter that Twilight was drinking his blood. It didn't matter that it was getting harder and harder to breathe. It didn't matter that he was losing feeling in his fingers and toes. As long as they both felt happy, nothing else mattered. Not even his upcoming duel with Sunset.
Spike woke up to find himself laying down on a bed in the nurse's office. He could barely move his arms and legs. His neck felt strangely sore for some reason. He tried to remember what had happened before he came here.
"Okay, I accidentally crashed into Rainbow Dash when I was practicing using my magic. Twilight was taking us to the nurse's office. I noticed that my nose was... ", he thought before he remembered that his nose was bleeding prior to their arrival here.
"Twilight smelled my blood and then... Oh, god! Did she drink my blood? Did she find out I'm human?!"
As if on cue, Nurse Redheart pulled back the privacy curtain and stepped towards the poor boy. She looked at him with a relieved expression on her face.
"Oh, Spike! I'm so glad to see that you're finally awake.", she said, clearly relieved to see him awake and alert.
"What happened? How are the girls? What happened with Twilight? How am I not dead?", he asked frantically. Nurse Redheart held up her hands to try to calm him down.
"Twilight attacked you on the way here. She drank almost half your body's blood supply. Rainbow Dash should be fine with a few days rest. As for Twilight, well... ".
Flashback
Nurse Redheart heard a weird commotion coming from outside her office door. It sounded like struggling and moaning. Out of curiosity, the nurse opened the door and looked around. The sounds were coming from down one of the hallways.
She went down the hallway leading to her office and took a left to see a most distressing sight. Twilight was pinning Spike down onto the floor and was feeding on his blood! Rainbow Dash was lying unconscious on the floor beside them.
"Twilight! What are you doing?!", she shouted at the ravenous vampire girl on the verge of killing Spike.
She noticed that Spike had a blissed out look on his face. The nurse knew that it must have been Twilight's venom kicking in. After running back to her office, she looked through her medicine cabinet and found what she was looking for: a syringe filled with silver nitrate. Silver nitrate acts as a fast-acting sedative for vampires, werewolves, and other species with a weakness for silver.
Redheart ran back to Twilight and Spike with higher than human speed and quickly stuck the syringe into Twilight's neck! Twilight, in her frenzied state, tried to attack the nurse before falling unconscious to the effects of the silver nitrate.
Nurse Redheart had to drag her three new patients back to her office. She put Spike on one bed and injected him with vampire anti-venom. Rainbow was treated for any head injury she might've sustained. As for Twilight, she put her in a bed and cuffed her arms and legs to the bed railings.
Back in the Present
Spike could hardly believe his ears! Twilight was feeding on him! He was bitten by an actual vampire!
"Why did it feel so nice when she bit me?", he asked the nurse.
"Vampires subdue their victims using a venom they produce in a gland in their lower jaw. The venom numbs the pain of the bite, induces a sense of euphoria, and makes your mind open to suggestion. They can make so your never remember the attack.", the nurse said matter-of-factly.
Spike recalled what Twilight looked like before she bit him. That was the face of a predator. One that was willing to attack him for his blood. He never knew that someone's face could look like that. But then again, these were monsters he was dealing with.
"So, the girls are fine?", he asked sincerely.
"They're both fine. They're just resting for now.", Nurse Redheart responded.
Spike was relieved to hear that. Both of the girls were going to be alright. He was going to be alright.
"Will I be in good enough shape to duel Sunset this Friday?", Spike asked the nurse. She gave him a smile.
"You'll be in good shape to fight after a bit of rest.", she replied.
Spike then laid back down onto the bed to relax from his "encounter" with Twilight's monster form. He didn't have to dwell on it to long, though.
Something laid down next to Spike. Something soft and warm. It wrapped itself around Spike. Spike's eyes shot open and he looked to see Nurse Redheart not only lying next to him, but was actively cuddling him!
"Nurse! What are you doing?!", he whispered in a panic.
"I was just thinking that humans like you appreciate sharing warmth with others.", Redheart said with a hint of flirtation in her voice.
Spike was too shocked by the nurse's physical proximity to try and give a rebuttal. Her soft rack and ample legs made him feel like he was wrapped in the best weighted blanket in the world. He did not want to move from this spot.
Ten Minutes Later
Nurse Redheart had begun to move. Spike felt her weight shift until she was right on top of him. Spike looked to her in astonishment.
"Uh, what are you doing?", he asked her nervously.
"I was wondering if your body is fully able to move, yet. Shall we test it?", she responded flirtatiously.
Before Spike could say anything, Redheart leaned down and started nibbling on his neck. This was a sensation that Spike had never felt before! When Twilight attacked him, she just bit down right onto his neck with force. But this was gentle and ticklish. Spike tried to resist the urge to laugh at the sensation. He could feel her hot breath on his neck. His skin would feel warm when she exhaled and feel cool when she inhaled. The tip of her tongue gently probed his neck at several spots, sending shocks up and down his back. He began to feel blood rushing to his loins from the remarkable sensation.
Then, he felt her teeth change. What were once normal human teeth and changed into thick needles pressing into his skin. He opened his eyes to reveal the fact that Nurse Redheart had changed into her true form.
Nurse Redheart's true form, that of a Jiangshi, was surprisingly beautiful. Her hair remained the same color, but her skin was a pale blue and her eyes were glowing red. Her fingernails changed into owl-like claws. Her ears became pointed like an elf. Redheart's teeth looked similar to Twilight's, long and needle-like. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she was panting. She still had that I-cup rack.
She leaned down and began to whisper in Spike's ear. "Hey Spike, did you know that Jiangshi don't have venom like common vampires?".
"N-n-no.", Spike replied weakly. She kept her mouth next to his ear.
"We don't. When we feed, our prey feel every bit of the pressure and force of the bite. The pain that shoots through them is so... excruciating. But they can't bring themselves to scream. Do you know why?", she asked. The raging boner in Spike's pants was starting to hurt.
"No, I don't know why.", he replied.
"Because the victim can't with a pair of jaws lovingly wrapped around their neck.", she said. "They can struggle all they want, but they can't get away. I could just... hold you in place. Press my body against yours and... use my claws' grip and boy weight to keep you from getting away from me.".
"Really, now?".
"Yes. Would you like to know what I'd do to you next?".
"Oh, Jesus Christ, yes please! Please tell me!".
"I'd do what I'm doing now: whispering in your ear and looking right into your eyes. I'd start kissing your neck. Gently scrape my sharp teeth along your neck and probing you like my tongue.".
If Spike could die of a heart attack, he should've by now. Her teasing him with her words and her playing with his neck was so fucking hot! His boner was still hurting from this, but he was enjoying her playing with him. The hot nurse continued.
"Then, without warning, I'd bite deep down into your throat. My teeth would pierce your veins and arteries in your neck and anchor myself to your... juicy and succulent neck."
"My neck is rather tasty-looking.".
"The pain of the venom-less bite would shoot to the top of your head and down to your chest. You would... helplessly struggle. But you can't. I'm much stronger than you.".
She gave gave him some more strokes with her teeth.
"You would try to scream. You find that you can't. My jaws are closing off your airways. You hear a sound in your ear. That's the sound of me drinking your very blood. Your hear me... suck... and swallow mouthfuls of your blood. You can hear it traveling down my throat and into my stomach.".
"Really?".
"Yes. You feel your body being compressed like a juice box from losing so much blood. The rest of your body gets colder from the lack of blood. But your neck feels red hot. And the pain! The pain is burning your flesh and your mind. It's the type of pain that makes you want to come back for more. If I let you live.".
"Is that a fact?".
"Yes. Do you want me to let you live, my little blood-bug?", she asked.
"If I could experience this sensation again, then yes. Sweet Jesus, yes.", he responded.
Nurse Redheart smiled at that response. "I'll let you live if you promise to call me 'Mistress Redheart' when we're alone.".
Spike didn't even hesitate with his reply. "Okay, 'Mistress'.". Nurse Redheart put on a sultry look.
"Good boy. Now here's your reward.", she said before leaning her head towards his neck.
Spike felt Redheart's hands reach underneath his shirt and pull it over his head and off completely. She gently raked her claws across his chest in a soothing way. She scooted backwards to place her head over his chest. Redheart smiled at him.
"Wow, your body is a lot more toned and muscled than I thought.", she noted.
She looked further down to see his raging boner. "Glad to see that you you're a normal healthy young male.".
Nurse Redheart then proceeded to undo Spike's belt and pull his pants down. Next, she pulled his boxers down. Not completely off, but down enough to expose his throbbing penis. Redheart looked shocked.
"It looked slightly smaller with your pants on.", she noted.
"What are you going to do?", Spike asked nervously.
"Well, since I can't claim you as a mate yet, I'll just have to satisfy myself with this.", she replied before licking the tip of Spike's third leg.
"Oh my god! This is really happening! I'm getting mouth treatment from the school's hot nurse! And it's only my second day!", he thought to himself.
Nurse Redheart eventually switched from licking the tip to lightly sucking on it. He could feel sharp teeth scraping against the tender flesh of his dick. Her hot breath and moist mouth almost made Spike blast off immediately. Then, without warning, she shoved his whole dick into her mouth. He heard Redheart gag as it reached down her throat. She kept it there for a nice while until she moved her head up so that she could breathe. Her tongue continuously wrapped around his shaft and swirled around it in a circular fashion.
Spike's dick was trembling from the stimulation being applied to such a sensitive appendage. She started to bob her head up and down. Redheart started off slow, but gradually picked up the pace. Since it was his first time with this sort of thing, Spike's climax was coming closer and closer with each head bob.
"Mistress! I'm... I'm... You should stop soon.", he panted.
Nurse Redheart spoke with her mouth full. "It's okay! You can cum in my mouth.", she responded as she continued her oral assault.
After three more head bobs, Spike couldn't hold back anymore. With a bunch of grunts, he arched his back and blasted off into her mouth. Nurse Redheart kept her mouth wrapped around her patient's cock and took in every last drop. She felt her mouth getting filled up more and more with Spike's load. It shot into her mouth with such force that she thought she was going to choke. When Spike was finished, she sucked off the tip with a popping sound and swallowed his load. She looked down at Spike and licked her lips.
"How was that? Having your first oral treatment from an older woman?", she asked.
"T-that was a-a-amazing.", he panted in response.
"Good. I'll be here whenever you need me. For right now, you need to rest. I did just put you through a stressful situation.", she responded. After that, she left Spike alone so that he could sleep.
"I don't care if she's a monster or not, this nurse is awesome!!", Spike thought before he drifted off to sleep.
A lone male vampire was running down the hallways of the old asylum his pack was using as a nest. He was an unassuming creature by most human standards, but once he dropped his lure tactic, he was a truly terrifying monster to contend with. He usually struck fear into the hearts of all humans who encountered him in his predatory form.
But right now, he was the one who was filled with terror.
He was running down the tight corridors of the abandoned asylum his pack was nesting in. The old facility was mostly intact with lots of places to hide away from daylight. The halls he was running down were so tight, he couldn't run at his full speed. The old vampire was wearing a plain white dress shirt and black jeans. He looked like a man in his twenties, but he was well over three hundred years old. His white dress shirt was stained with his own black blood. He was clutching a clawed hand over a slash wound that wouldn't heal.
Normally, his species healing ability would have this wound closed in seconds. But this wound wasn't made by any ordinary weapon. This was made by a weapon made of silver, a metal known for killing monsters.
The wound was bleeding and burning as if the wound had acid poured on it.
As he rounded a corner, he was trying to figure out what had just happened. One moment, his nest had been enjoying a lovely evening of drinking the blood of some homeless humans they had kidnapped. They weren't going to kill the humans at all. They were only going to drink enough to leave them feeling a bit weak for a while. Suddenly, the window on the floor they were gathered in shattered as something metallic landed on the floor with a "clanking" sound. It was cylindrical in shape with an insignia on it. An insignia that was a stylized deer's head with a longbow on it. This was an insignia that these vampires recognized all too well.
This was the Order of Artemis launching an attack against them. The global human organization dedicated to hunting and eradicating monsters. Regardless of whether or not they even fed on humans.
The object suddenly released a strange cream-colored gas into the room. The entire nest began coughing and wheezing from the gas. The gas had a really foul smell. This smell started to make their heads fill like helium balloons. Their legs and arms felt like wet ramen noodles. Their vision was getting blurry. All they could smell was the noxious gas. It took a while for the vampires to recognize the smell: it was garlic.
The entire room was flooded with garlic gas. No wonder he was feeling so dizzy. Garlic by itself would drive away most monsters due to the strong smell. But if the juice is used as a gas, it could slow a monster's reflexes and dull their senses.
He couldn't really see through the noxious fumes, but he could make out the silhouettes of his nestmates. They were all coughing and wheezing from the gas, too.
In the midst of the gas attack, he could hears sounds coming from the gas around him. It was the sounds of grunts, cries, blood splattering, and flesh ripping. The heads of his nestmates started rolling around him.
Panicking, the vampire had begun to run away from this place. Before he could make it out of the room, a silver blade came swinging down. The blade missed the vampire's neck, but it did slash his chest. The silver would prevent any wounds from healing.
He neared the door to the rear exit of the asylum. At last he would be free. He would be safe. He would leave the town and go start a new nest. He would survive this.
A great pain shot up his right leg, sending the vampire tumbling to the ground. He looked down to see a small silver dart enter the space between his thigh and lower leg, severing his hamstring in that leg. The vampire looked down the hallway to see two human girls walking towards him.
Both of these girls were wearing the typical uniforms of the Hunters from the Order. The uniforms consisted of long dark blue coats and pants, pauldrons, pointed hats, and plague doctor masks. The insignia of the Order, a horizontal bow and a vertical arrow, was stitched onto the left breast of each uniform. Both of the Hunters took off their masks.
One of them was a girl with short and light minty green hair with streaks of white running through them, blue eyes, and a buxom figure. Two large gauntlets covered her hands with spikes on the knuckles.
The other one carried a scimitar in her right hand. This one had light purple hair with a hot pink streak running through it. Her blue eyes were sharp and discerning. Just like her partner, she too had a curvaceous figure.
"Well, looks like this is the last one, Bon-Bon" the minty-haired one said.
"Yeah. Looks like this was one of our easiest hunts yet, Lyra" Bon-Bon replied.
"Oh, can I finish this one?" Lyra asked giddily.
"Sure. As long as it's done" Bon-Bon replied.
Lyra walked towards the incapacitated vampire with her gauntlets glowing with arc energy. One strike from those gauntlets would mean death. The vampire bared his fangs at the approaching Hunter.
"Why are you doing this?!" he shouted. "We don't even kill humans!"
Lyra just shook her head in response. "I'm afraid that that doesn't matter. See, the thing is that monsters have many unfair advantages over humans. That alone makes you and the rest of your kind a threat to humanity's safety."
"Besides, there are monsters that kill humans for fun. That we can't overlook. We were ordered to eliminate all monsters in this area, so we're following our orders" Bon-Bon interjected.
"We don't kill humans!" the vampire pleaded. "We have as much a right to exist in this world as you do!"
Bon-Bon and Lyra gave the vampire a cold stare. They both had slight auras of madness in their eyes.
"Then let us just agree to disagree" Lyra said before raising her gauntleted right fist.
"Damn you all!" the vampire cried.
Lyra brought her fist down on the unlucky vampire's head. His head exploded like a water balloon. Blood, brain matter, and countless skull fragments decorated the wall in a gruesome display of brutality. The headless corpse slid further onto the floor before turning into ash. Lyra brought up her bloody gauntlet and shook off the blood. She did a wide stretch.
"Well, that takes care of that. Another monster nest destroyed" Lyra said.
"Have you noticed that monster activity has been increasing recently? The higher-ups have been giving us more and more hunts recently" Bon-Bon inquired.
"You know what, I have noticed that. It seems the vermin are becoming bolder for some reason. Just the other night, I heard that some monsters are gathering together in larger groups for some reason" Lyra replied.
"Why is that?"
"I'm the wrong person to ask, Bon. Maybe one of the brains back at HQ could tell you"
Lyra had a point. They were simply Hunters, meant to hunt and kill monsters. But there were those within the Order who sole purpose is to study monsters. It was likely they'd know something about the monsters' recent behaviors.
"Anyway, we should get going" Bon-Bon said. "We have to meet up with one of our superiors to receive our next mission".
"You mean we have to meet up with that creepy guy from the Paladin Division?" Lyra asked.
"Yes. Look, he creeps me out, too. But we have to meet him to receive our next mission"
"Okay, let's go"
And with that, the two Hunters left the abandoned asylum to meet with their contact.
With Spike
Spike woke up to find himself in his room. He barely remembered anything, apart from the fantastic experience he got from the school nurse, Redheart.
He looked at the clock next to his bed and saw that it was now morning. If it was morning, than the students and teachers would all be asleep by now. So far, he'd had an interesting time to say the least.
"Well, if I'm going to beat Sunset in the upcoming duel, I might as well get up and start training," Spike said to himself.
As he sat himself up, his hands rested on what felt like warm and soft pillows, one in each hand. He looked to left and right to see Pinkie Pie and Applejack sleeping in the same bed as him. He instantly pulled his hands away and jumped out of the bed with a startled yell.
Pinkie and Applejack both woke up and looked at Spike with sleepy expressions on their faces. They were both wearing lingerie, too, which left very little to the imagination.
"Spike, are you okay?" Pinkie asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, sugarcube," Applejack said.
"Why are you in my room?! And why are you dressed like that?!" he shouted.
"The sun was rising and we decided to carry you back to the dorms," Pinkie replied.
"As for why we're dressed like this, we wanted to keep you warm while you were asleep," Applejack said.
Spike was about to protest, but he thought back to when he was asleep. He was pretty warm. But it somewhat bothered him that they only seemed to like him because he was powerful. He decided to put that thought out of his head.
"Wait, aren't guys and girls supposed to be in separate dorms?" Spike asked.
Both Pinkie and Applejack smiled. There was something somewhat predatory about those smiles. Their eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the room. Both of them got on their hands and knees and began to slowly crawl towards him. Both of them changed into their true monster forms.
Pinkie's eyes changed into bright green eyes with slits for pupils. Pointy, fluffy ears formed on the top of her head. Claws and fangs formed. A fluffy pink tail wagged behind her.
Applejack grew short smooth horns from the top of her forehead. Her skin changed to a dark leafy green color. Her teeth lengthened into vicious-looking fangs and her fingers sported claws instead of fingernails. Her ears lengthened until they looked like blades. Taut muscles could be seen under her skin. Everything about her spoke of a powerful monster.
They both looked at Spike with half-lidded eyes. Pinkie began drawing circles in the sheets using her claws.
"Come on, Spike. The sun's up. This is the time for sleep," Pinkie said.
"If you want to sleep soundly, it's always best to sleep with someone to cuddle," Applejack said.
Spike wasn't sure what to do. He was presented with the opportunity to cuddle with two beautiful monsters. Seeing nowhere else to sleep, he got back into bed between Pinkie and Applejack. They both wrapped their arms around him and pressed themselves against him. They both smelled nice, too.
Spike looked to them both to find that they were sound asleep. It was nice to see them both sleep peacefully, even in their monster forms.
Spike would have to talk to Rumble about more monster stuff tomorrow night. There was still more for him to learn. He also had to train for his upcoming duel against Sunset Shimmer.
Lyra and Bon-Bon changed into their civilian clothes and waited at a local church for their contact. It was a classic Gothic cathedral in its architecture with two praying angel statues looking down over them. They walked through the doors and waited in the pulpit for their contact to arrive.
"What do you think our next mission is?" Lyra asked.
"Not sure. Maybe we'll be sent to hunt down another nest or be sent to scout a location for a full assault," Bon-Bon replied.
Lyra stretched her arms over her head, pushing up her ample bust. She looked up at the cathedral's vaulted ceiling in boredom.
"It would be nice if we could take a few days off. I heard that this town's having an anime convention this weekend," Lyra said.
"That would be nice. I think this one's having a few special guests showing up," Bon-Bon responded.
"Oh really? Who?"
"I think Luci Christian, Tia Ballard, Josh Grelle, Felecia Angelle, and Bryce Papenbrook are going to be there."
Lyra's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Oh, now I want to go even more!"
Bon-Bon really wanted to go, too. If they were given new orders, she hoped they could wrap it up quickly in order to go to the convention.
"If you wish to go, you'd better work hard. Especially with this particular assignment," a strange voice said.
Both of the Hunters looked around in surprise for the source of the voice. As they looked around, an old man walked into the main room. They never heard him come in. There was no doubt about it, this man was a seasoned Hunter.
The man was tall and wore a long white coat. He had a bald head and surprisingly few wrinkles for one of his age. Thanks to magic, he's been alive for longer than normal people. Clinging to his side was a sheathed shortsword. The biggest thing about him that stood out to him was the scarred and empty eye socket that used to be his left eye. He walked toward them with a smile on his face.
"Good evening, girls. My name's Father Banesworth. I trust your last hunt was successful?" the old Hunter asked.
Bon-Bon cleared her throat. "Yes sir. We both successfully destroyed a vampire nest living in an old asylum."
"Excellent. Now, I know you two are fresh off a hunt, but the Order has a new task for you," Father Banesworth replied.
"And this is?" Lyra asked.
Father Banesworth reached into his coat and pulled out a picture, and handed it to Lyra. The junior Hunters were looking at a picture of what appeared to be a long-abandoned school.
"Are we dealing with a solitary monster, a nest, or a mixed lair?" Lyra asked.
"Your target is similar to a mixed lair, but it's not. Apparently, it's a whole school for monsters," Banesworth replied.
Both Lyra and Bon-Bon were confused. A school for monsters? This was the first time they've ever heard of that.
"How are we to approach the situation?" Bon-Bon asked.
"Apparently, the higher-ups want you to wipe out the entire school," Banesworth said.
"Wait, why us?! Are we doing this alone?" Lyra asked incredulously.
"The Order has other Hunters dealing with other matters. They need you to deal with this particular situation. Don't worry, they'll be sending you the proper equipment to deal with the situation, including Enochian Blades," Banesworth says.
The part about the Enochian Blades was what really took Lyra and Bon-Bon by surprise. Enochian Blades were weapons literally made by Angels. The blades were made out of pure Angelic light. But the thing is, because the blades were made of light, humans and monsters can't be harmed by them. The only thing that can be harmed by Enochian Blades is Demons. If they're getting Enochian Blades, that must mean a powerful Demon is in the school.
Demons were on a completely different level than monsters. The kind of magic Demons possess is way different than monsters. Demons use their magic for corruption and domination, whereas monsters use their magic for mainly combat and hiding from humanity.
"So where is this school for monsters?" Lyra asked.
Father Banesworth once again reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of paper with a map drawn on it.
"You'll find the school here," Father Banesworth said. "The school is protected by a special magical barrier to keep out intruders. Our intel also told us that the school is protected by a trained pack of werewolves".
Bon-Bon raised an eyebrow. "How do you know this?"
"We received this intel anonymously. We don't know where we got it from," Banesworth replied.
"Either way, we should really prepare for the fight ahead of us," Lyra said.
"One more thing, don't underestimate the werewolves at this school. They're more powerful than the werewolves you've fought so far," Banesworth warned.
"Why? Have you met these werewolves before?" Bon-Bon asked.
"I have a healthy bit of history with them," Banesworth said.
"Well, let's just get our gear and get ready to exterminate," Lyra said.
Both Lyra and Bon-Bon left the cathedral and Father Banesworth alone. The Paladin looked up at one of the large windows and smiled.
"It won't be long now. I still own you two wolves. And you wouldn't hesitate to accept a challenge from me, would you, Celestia and Luna?" he asked.
Friday- The Day of Spike and Sunset's Duel
It has now been a week since Spike joined Dreadmire Academy. Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight had recovered from their first training session in the gym, but Twilight occasionally threw predatory glances at Spike. Spike and his new friends walked to the school's arena after all classes were done for the day.
When the group arrived, they saw that the entire student body had gathered in the arena to watch the fight. Spike looked around in awe.
"I didn't expect so many to come watch the fight," Spike said.
"Of course! The student with the highest arc level and the school Overlord duking it out in the arena? No one wants to miss that!" Rumble replied.
Curiously, Sunset hadn't arrived yet. Spike took this time to head to the arena's locker rooms and get ready for the fight.
The arena's locker room consisted of rows of lockers, showers, benches, and a duffel bag with a note on it.
"For Your Duel, Spike
Spike opened the duffel bag and saw what looked like fake plastic armor. He took off his clothes, put them in one of the lockers, and put on the dueling armor. It fit him perfectly and comfortably. He put on a pair of fighting gloves and made his way out to the arena floor.
Once he was out there, he saw that his friends had occupied some of the seats in the stands closest to the ring itself. They all seemed to be cheering him on. A gate on the opposite end of the arena opened and revealed none other than Sunset Shimmer, equally decked out in dueling armor.
Sunset had a fierce and determined look on her face. Her eyes glared at Spike with such intensity that she threatened to burn a whole through his face.
With Sunset- Before the Fight
Sunset was getting herself ready and geared up for her duel with Spike. She had a lot on her mind that threatened to distract her from the fight. Some of those thoughts were about how Spike could possibly have such an insanely high arc level.
He's supposed to be a Ghoul. From what I remember, Ghouls aren't that strong of monsters. I've fought plenty of Ghouls before and they were all pretty weak. But how does Spike have such a high arc level?, Sunset thought to herself.
Before she could theorize an answer, her phone rang. She pulled it out and stopped breathing once she saw who was calling her. It was her father. With a shaking hand, she hit the "Answer" button.
"Hello, Father. How are you?" she asked with a shaking voice.
"You'd better win this duel, Sunset," her father said with replying to her greeting.
"I will, Father. I've won every duel I've had before. This one will just be another one under my belt," Sunset replied.
"You'd better. You know what happens if you lose, don't you?" her father asked.
Sunset gulped. "Y-yes, I do, Father. You don't have to worry".
And with that, her father hung up the phone. Sunset put her phone away with a worried look on her face. But she soon replaced her worry with determined rage.
Back to the Present
Both Spike and Sunset faced off in the ring. They walked a bit closer until they were a good twenty feet from each other. Coach Spitfire was in the middle to serve as the referee for this duel.
"Alright you two, what are the terms for the fight?" she asked them both.
Spike looked at Spitfire with a quizzical expression. "Wait, we can have set terms for the fight?"
"Yeah, you can ask the loser to do a variety of things if they lose," Spitfire informed him.
Spike shrugged and looked to Sunset. "What terms would you like?"
"If I win, you'll be my servant for the whole school year. If you win, I'll be your servant for the whole year," Sunset replied.
"If that's what you want, then I'll agree to these terms," Spike said.
"Alright, this is going to be a non-lethal magical fighting duel. The first one who gets knocked out loses," Spitfire said. "Fighters, are you ready?"
"I'm ready to go. I'm dying to see how my training has paid off," Spike replied with a small smirk.
"Eager, are we? Alright then," Sunset said before taking a battle stance. "You ready to go? Let's go!"
Monster Guide
Demons Demons are very well-known throughout all human cultures. However, there are two types of Demons that exist in this universe: True Demons and Soul Demons. True Demons, as their name suggests, are the incarnations of evil. They seek to corrupt, dominate, and destroy. Soul Demons are those who have the one thing that True Demons lack: a soul. With a soul, Soul Demons gain the capacity to be good. Demons possess a variety of powers, including driving people mad just by looking at them, corrupting animals, and possessing people. Demons reside in the Underworld, a place where the souls of the damned are sent for punishment. Demons can eat normal food, but they derive the most nutrition by eating the souls of other creatures. True Demons are ruled by the Seven Princes of the Underworld. There are seven different species of Demons in all. Demons have been known to produce children with humans, producing hybrids called "Devils". Why some Demons have souls is easily answered. In the beginning, the goddess Nyx, the Mother of Monsters, took pity on Demons for living dreary lives in the Underworld and gave some of them souls. She then allowed these Soul Demons to live among her other children. Still, there exists a small degree of animosity between monsters and Demons. It's possible for monsters and humans to make contracts with both True Demons and Soul Demons, but True Demons ask for too high a price in return.
Spike and Sunset Shimmer faced off against each other. Spitfire raised her hand and brought it down to signify the start of the fight.
Both Spike and Sunset rushed towards each other with speed comparable to a race car. They collided in a mess of armored arms and legs.
Sunset was ferocious. Spike found himself on the defensive and struggling to dodge and block Sunset's punches and kicks. When it came to combat and raw power, Sunset's greater training and experienced started to show.
Sunset grabbed Spike's left ankle and hurled him into a wall. He crashed into the wall leaving a spider web of cracks on the wall. The back of his skull broke open, his ribs were shattered, and his right femur broke.
Shockwaves of pain shot throughout Spike's body. He poured his arc energy to healing his wounds. The energy instantly killed the pain. In a matter of seconds, he was back on his feet.
His demonic opponent launched herself at Spike at full speed and gave Spike a punch right to his gut, which nearly made Spike throw up. Pushing through the pain, he grabbed Sunset's arm and threw her to the other side of the arena.
Sunset recovered with the same speed as Spike. She spit out a few drops of blood and smiled at him.
"You seem to have a bit of real power behind you. Color me impressed," she complimented.
"I'm happy to see such a powerful opponent acknowledge me. I'll do my best not to disappoint you," Spike said with a small smile.
Once again, the two opponents rushed each other. Sunset demonstrated great speed and accuracy with her blows while Spike was defending against her with great precision. Once Spike saw an opening, he delivered a power punch to the left side of her head.
The blow sent Sunset flying to the far side of the arena. It took some effort, but Sunset was able to stand back up on her feet. She put her fingers to where she was hit and looked at the blood on her fingers. The Fire Demon looked at Spike with a manic grin.
"This is the first time an opponent has made me bleed. It seems you never cease to amaze me, Spike," Sunset said.
"Then come at me so I can impress you more," Spike said.
That was all Sunset needed. She launched herself at Spike so fast, Spike couldn't make her out fast enough to dodge. He felt a flurry of punches to his face, chest, and stomach. Spike coughed up a lot of spit and blood from the blows.
He dodged Sunset to allow his magic time to heal his fractured forehead, orbital bone, ribs, and collar bone. Once his wounds were healed, he attacked Sunset next and copied her flurry-punch technique. But as Spike struck Sunset, he saw the her eyes had changed.
Her original human eyes were gone. Looking back at him were eyes that were two black pits with red dots of light burning right in his face. It also appeared that a series of cracks was spreading from her eyes. It was if her humans form was falling apart and threatened to expose her true Demon form. Sunset grabbed both a Spike's wrists and drove her forehead into Spike's.
Spike's ears started ringing from the blow. His vision swam as he saw Sunset deliver a punch to his nose, sending him flying. At this rate, Spike could feel his arc levels depleting quickly. If this kept up, Spike could very well lose the fight.
"It looks like I'll have to use most of my remaining power to dodge before delivering a final blow," Spike thought.
Spike, focusing his magic into his speed, started to literally run around Sunset. He was quickly getting faster and faster until he started to leave blurry afterimages as he ran. Sunset, who was slowly becoming more and more demonic in appearance, was finally starting to look worried.
"No! I can't keep track of his movements!," Sunset thought. "I'll have to end this quickly".
Sunset started to charge up one of her most powerful attacks: the Infernal Fist. Her magic red flames wrapped around her arm and formed what looked like boxing gloves on her hands.
Since Spike was running so fast, Sunset knew that she would hit Spike if she started punching. Sunset lunged forward to deliver a blow, but Spike grabbed Sunset by the arm. Using his enhanced strength, Spike threw Sunset up into the air.
There was one flaw with Spike's technique, though: he threw Sunset towards the crowd in the stands. And Sunset still had her Infernal Fists active.
"Hold on!" Spike cried.
Spike used his magic to leap into the air and grab Sunset around the waist. He landed on the railing of the stands and jumped backward. Both Spike and Sunset fell backwards and landed back in the arena, with them both landing on the ground headfirst with pained grunts.
Spike's feet touched the ground with his spine bent in an arch. Sunset was draped over his front with Spike's arms still wrapped around her waist. Spike realized what this looked like. Spike had just performed an impromptu German suplex.
Spike let go of Sunset and gently laid her on the ground. Sunset didn't move and didn't even seem to be awake. Spitfire walked forward to check on Sunset.
"Sunset is unconscious! Spike wins the duel!" she called.
The entire arena went nuts. Cheers filled the entire arena for Spike's victory. Spike's friends leapt over the railing and rushed to him to congratulate him.
"That was awesome, Spike!" Rumble said.
"Your speed was awesome! It was like something out of an anime!" Rainbow said.
"Your battle techniques were very impressive," Twilight said.
"Well, I couldn't have done this without the training you all gave me!" Spike said.
A groan from behind them brought their attention over to Sunset, who was starting to wake up. She staggered to her feet and held her head with her left hand. Once she looked at Spike, utter incredulity crossed her face.
"What happened?!" she asked in fear.
"Spike won the duel and beat your ass! That's what happened!" Rainbow replied in pride.
Sunset started to visibly shake. She looked down at her feet in pure shock. Her breathing started to pick up in pace and tears started to stream down her face. She was starting to concern the monsters and human in front of her, but before Spike could aske her what was wrong, something happened.
A red portal opened in the arena behind Sunset, and out stepped a terrifying sight. A tall and muscular male Demon stood over Sunset with a disapproving look on his face. Everyone there was shocked, but Sunset seemed even more shocked. Sunset dropped to her knees before the Demon.
"Father! W-what are you doing here?" she asked fearfully.
"I saw you lose this fight to a simple Ghoul," he replied.
"He won by accident, Father! I would've won if-," Sunset said before her father cut her off.
"No excuses, fool!!" he bellowed at her.
Sunset seemed to shrink to the ground. She didn't even want to dare to look at him. Her father continued in a thankfully calmer voice.
"You failed. Not just as a fighter, but as a Demon and a daughter," he said coldly. "As of this moment, I have no daughter!"
Sunset looked at her father in pure shock. More tears starting rushing down her face in the way an upset child's would.
"Wait! Father, please! I can make this up to you!!" Sunset cried.
Her father simply stared at her with a neutral expression. "Who are you, stranger?"
Sunset simply sank completely to the ground in shame. Her father left the arena without saying a single world. A traumatized Sunset simply sat on the ground without saying a word.
Hesitantly, Spike slowly walked to Sunset. "Sunset... are you okay?"
Sunset turned to Spike. He expected to see hate and rage in her eyes, but instead, it was like he was looking at a hurt child. When she looked at Spike, she broke completely. She ran past him and out of the arena with superspeed.
Spike wanted to go after Sunset, but he knew she probably didn't want to see him. Miss Luna joined Spike and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Spike," she assured him. "Me and my sister will tend to her. We'll make sure she's alright".
Spike looked at the doors Sunset ran out of. He hoped with all his might that Sunset will recover from this.
Once the arena was emptied out for the night, Jack Volgaroth walked around the arena going over the fight's events. He smiled as he recalled how Spike used a wonderful combination of power and brains in his fight.
"Looks like things are becoming more interesting," he said to himself.
Spike's victory would lead to some intriguing developments. He not only defeated a powerful Fire Demon with ease, but also effectively replaced her as the alpha of the student body. He'll be even more popular than ever, and the school year had only just started. Jack's smile grew even bigger.
"I do hope the Order will put Spike's skills to the test once the Hunters get here," he said with hope.
Spike, Rumble, and Spike's admirers were all eating breakfast with a lot on their minds. It's only been three days since Spike's duel with Sunset, and things have been awkward. Not only has his popularity among the student body shot up, but from what he heard, Sunset hasn't even left her room. Finally, someone broke the awkward silence.
"I think Sunset will be fine. She's always been a tough cookie!" Pinkie said.
"Are you sure about that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "She not only lost the duel, but she was disowned by her own father in front of the entire school. It's really hard to see someone bounce back from that. Even tough cookies like Sunset".
"Besides, she's been holed up in her room for the past three days," Spike said. "I can just hope and pray she'll be alright".
"Spike's right, guys," Fluttershy said. "The Highmother will heal Sunset".
Spike leaned towards Rumble and whispered. "Who?"
"She's talking about the Highmother, Nyx. She's the goddess who created all monsters. Nyx is the matron deity of our faith," Rumble replied.
From what Fluttershy said, the others must be devout followers of hers. They all looked as if they were praying to her. He wanted to more into Nyx the Highmother. But wanting to change the topic away from theology and Sunset, he wanted to learn more about the girls. Spike turned to Fluttershy.
"So Fluttershy, I heard from our first day that you're a Vouivre, huh?" Spike asked. "Forgive me for saying this, but I've personally never heard of your species".
"That's because I'm kind of a rarity among monsterkind," Fluttershy said.
"How rare exactly?" Spike asked.
"Dude, Vouivres are an endangered species," Rumble said. "In fact, there are only eighteen of them left in the whole world!"
"Damn! How is the Vouivre population so low?" Spike asked.
"It's all because of the Order of Artemis," Twilight said. "Their European branch has done a splendid job in ensuring the Vouivre population's decline".
"The Order of Artemis? I've never heard of it," Spike said.
Everyone at the table apart from Rumble stared at Spike with the widest eyes he's ever seen. He expected their eyes to pop out at any second now.
"Where have you been living where you've never heard of the Order of Artemis?!" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Well... I've been living among humans, so I've never really had any contact with them," Spike replied.
"The Order of Artemis is a secret monster-hunting organization the humans founded two-thousand years ago," Rarity said.
"They're our greatest enemies! They mercilessly slaughter thousands of our people!" Pinkie said.
"And whatever monsters they don't kill they imprison for information or experiment on them to create better ways of killing us," Fluttershy said.
"I think it's a miracle you haven't encountered them already!" Applejack said.
"Wait, with all this talk of the Order, I just had a troubling thought," Spike said. "What's keeping the Order from finding the school or other monster settlements like this one?"
"That's because of the special barrier we talked about on our first day," Rarity said. "This place is supposed to look like abandoned buildings in the middle of the woods to humans. Even if they somehow found a way in, the school's security team would take care of them".
"This school has a security team?" Spike asked.
"Yep. It's a pack of werewolves run by Vice-Headmistresses Celestia and Luna, as well as a few Hellhounds we keep on campus," Rumble said.
"Well, in that case, let's eat up. We'll just focus on what we can do now," Spike said, sipping his chocolate milk.
Outside the School's Grounds
Lyra and Bon-Bon have made their way through the woods until they reached the heart of the forest. Eventually, they reached their destination: a collection of abandoned decrepit buildings out in the middle of nowhere. The two Hunters stood on a hill overlooking the complex with a pair of binoculars, planning their next move.
"What do you think?" Lyra asked.
"Well, it would be the height of foolishness to simple break through the front door. If Father Banesworth's information is correct, there's not only multiple monster species gathered, but a powerful Demon is among them as well. It's best we prepare of few surprises when we finally do launch our attack," Bon-Bon replied.
Lyra smiled and looked behind them at two large duffle bags they brought with them for this attack. Lyra opened the duffle bags to reveal several small clay statues with special runes carved on them.
These little statues were Battle Golems. The runes carved on them were designed to store magic and bring them to life. Once the Golems are created, they increase to human size and are programmed to fight whatever enemies their masters to them to. And Lyra and Bon-Bon brought two whole duffle bags full of them, with at least one hundred and fifty of them in each bag. All they had to do was to activate them with runes.
"Wait, isn't bringing these Golems to life going to deplete us of our arc energy?" Lyra asked.
"It will. But in this situation, we'll need the numbers to take them down," Bon-Bon. "Battle Golems aren't mindless. They're designed to fight and think on the battlefield. We also have the Enochian Blades in case we run into the Demon we heard about".
Bon-Bon and Lyra set about fueling the Battle Golems with the magic they need to fight and function. The magic within the runes would last for a whole hour, so the Hunters had to ensure that the fight would be over by that time. They had to play this tactically.
Thirty minutes later, all of the Battle Golems were activated and ready for battle. Both Bon-Bon and Lyra were pretty drained of their magic, but the results were well worth it.
"Now then, let's talk strategy. I came up with one while we were activating the Golems," Bon-Bon said.
Bon-Bon surveyed the area around the school and then turned back to Lyra and the Golems.
"Listen up! We're striking the nest today while it's daylight while the beasts are asleep, catching them by surprise!" Bon-Bon said. "Me and Lyra will act as the vanguard while the rest of you will split up into groups of fifty each and attack different parts of the nest! Me and Lyra destroying the barrier will be your signal to attack! Now move out!"
The Battle Golems nodded and began to move out to fulfill their assignments. Bon-Bon and Lyra conjured their weapons and armor to get ready for battle.
Spike was finding it hard to sleep. It's been hard for him to adjust to a nocturnal sleep schedule, but it's been gradually getting easier and easier to sleep during the day. Especially since the girls started cuddling with him to help him sleep. But they were found out by the Security Team and barred from the boys' dorms.
Spike could understand why that happened, but it was damn hard to sleep now.
"Maybe I've grown accustomed to cuddling with someone. It's kind of hard to sleep without one," Spike said to himself. "I could probably order a body pillow to cuddle with. That might help".
Before he could pull out his phone to order it, a loud blast sounded somewhere outside. After that, an alarm sounded throughout the school.
"What the hell?!" Spike shouted.
Quickly throwing on his clothes, Spike ran outside to examine the situation. At various points throughout the school, there were long pillars of smoke rising into the sky. There was a static shimmer in the sky that gave way to unfiltered sunlight. He looked down the railing to see the Security Team running to various points throughout the school.
The Security Team, being made up of werewolves, were all in their werewolf forms running towards the smoke pillars with literal swords drawn. Along with them were dogs with red eyes and flames glowing inside their chests, the Hellhounds Spike heard about. The other male students in the dorms were all watching from their rooms with both fear and excitement.
"What's going on?!"
"What happened to the barrier?!"
"We're being attacked!"
A crackle from the school's PA system sounded. Out of the speakers came the voice of Vice-Headmistress Celestia.
"Attention all students! We are currently being attacked by the Order of Artemis!" he sounded. "The Security Team is currently engaging the enemy! For your own safety, all students must report to the central arena. The faculty will assist in the battle".
Lines of students were quickly forming to get to the arena. Spike quickly joined his friends to get to the safety of the arena.
"Rumble! Girls! Are you guys okay?!" Spike asked.
"We're all fine, sugarcube," Applejack replied.
"How did the Order find us?" Rainbow asked.
"Forget about that! Right now, we have to get to the arena!" Rumble said.
The arena was just within sight. But before they got to it, several balls of flame sat in the air above the arena. The balls shot downward at great speed into the center of the arena, destroying it. Several teachers and students were blown back by the explosion. From the flames emerged at least fifty large statue-like creatures made of clay, all of them armed and making their way towards the students.
"What are those things?!" Pinkie asked.
"Those are Battle Golems! Clay warriors brought to life with magic!" Twilight replied. "I didn't know the Order had them!"
More magic explosions sounded from all directions. From the flames emerged even more Battle Golems.
"We're surrounded!" Spike shouted.
The students were now officially starting to panic. The started running around struggling to figure what to do. One Battle Golem started to run towards Rumble with a raised sword. Spike ran towards him to defend him. But before he could get to him, a familiar Fire Demon flew towards the Golem and kicked its head clean off. The Golem fell to the ground with a thud.
She was in her true form and glaring at the students. She flew above them and yelled.
"Are you going to die here like rats, or are you going to fight like the monsters you are?!" she yelled. "Come on! We're obviously being attacked! We have to show that we're not to be fucked with!!"
That seemed to light a fire in the students. They all started to change into their true forms right before Spike's very eyes. Monsters of all species and sizes now started to rush at the Golems, doing their best to fight them off. The teachers even joined the fray with their students.
"Sunset! Thank you," Spike said.
Sunset gave a small nod. "You're welcome. Now lets go bust some heads!"
With that, Spike channeled his magic to increase his body's attributes and took off running. Joining him was a now full-Wendigo Rumble.
"Where are you going?!" Rumble asked in his true voice.
"I'm trying to see if there are any students trapped in the rubble or if they are any who are being attacked in the buildings that haven't been destroyed!" Spike replied.
"Well, then you'll need Wendigo strength to help with that!" Rumble said.
Thankfully, the main building hadn't been destroyed yet. It seemed perfectly intact, but it was being swarmed by a horde of the Battle Golems. Spike and Rumble practically threw themselves at the Battle Golems, beating one after another. Rumble had to throw off two of them that had jumped on his back.
Once the small horde was taken care of, the two made their way inside the building. They went from room to room, checking for any stragglers. None could be found. Relieved, Spike and Rumble made their way outside the building to check the buildings that were destroyed.
The main building went up in another explosion of magic, sending the two flying. Spike and Rumble hit the ground with their ears ringing. Spike's vision swam as he looked upwards to see two female figures walking towards him and Rumble. These must've been the Hunters from the Order.
"Well look here, Bon-Bon! Looks like we've gotten two of these beasts delivered to us by air mail!" the Hunter with minty hair said.
"Let's just kill them and move on, Lyra. I'd like to end this quickly," Bon-Bon said. "You take the Wendigo and I'll take the disguised one.
Spike leapt to his feet and struggled to take a battle stance. He used his magic to heal his injuries and glared at the two enemies standing before him.
"I take it you're behind this attack?" he asked them.
"Look at that, a monster with manners. You're correct," Bon-Bon said. "We're here to make sure you and your companions never hurt another human ever again".
"Then forgive me if I beat you senseless to defend my friends," Spike said.
Spike rushed towards Bon-Bon with a raised fist. With great speed, Bon-Bon swung her sword at Spike. He used his free hand to grab Bon-Bon's wrist, twist his body mid-air, and kicked her square in the stomach. Bon-Bon was sent flying back a good forty feet away. She got up and smirked at him.
"Not bad. Looks like the beast has some skills," Bon-Bon praised.
"There's more where that came from," Spike said.
With Rumble and Lyra, the two of them were facing each other off until Lyra swung her gauntleted fists at the Wendigo. He did everything he could to dodge her attacks. But as they were fighting, Rumble noticed something.
She's not using her magic. They must have used up a lot of their energy just bringing the Golems to life. I have to take advantage of this, Rumble said.
Rumble swung his claws and grabbed her by the wrists before driving a knee into her gut. Lyra spat out saliva before going down. He then turned to Spike.
"Spike! These two are low on magic! We have the upper hand!" he shouted.
"Thanks, bro!" Spike said.
"Don't count us out just yet," Bon-Bon said.
Two Battle Golems joined the two Hunters. Bon-Bon and Lyra placed their hands on their heads and seemed to drain the magic out of them. They turned into the tiny clay figures they originally were. The two Hunters seemed to be stronger now. Seeing the situation, Spike turned to Rumble.
"Dude, I need you to get out of here," Spike said.
"What?! And leave you here to fight these two murderers on your own?!" he said.
"You know I have a high arc level. I'll be fine," Spike said.
With a slow nod, Rumble ran off to join the others with the enemy forces. Spike turned to face the Hunters.
"You wanna do this? Alright then, let's do this!" Spike shouted.
The two fought. Spike used one hand to increase his agility to parry Bon-Bon's sword swings and his feet to fend off Lyra's gauntlet attacks. The two of them were placing Spike purely on the defensive. The two Hunters threw blow after blow at Spike with him dodging or blocking their attacks.
Lyra punched Spike in the side, digging her knuckle-spikes in his flesh. Spike grit his teeth in pain, but knocked Lyra away with enhanced strength. Bon-Bon swung her sword at him, aiming for his neck. Spike managed to leap out of the way until he was fifty feet away from them. Lyra joined Bon-Bon at facing down Spike.
"What kind of monster is he? Or is he a Demon?" Lyra asked her companion.
"Not sure. Maybe he's the Demon we've been told about," Bon-Bon said. "If he is, we should use the Blades".
Both Hunters put away their normal weapons and brought out what looked like sword hilts with no blades. That was until blades seemingly made of white light formed the shape of sword blades. Spike was amazed by these weapons.
"What are those?!" he asked them.
"These are Enochian Blades, made of pure Holy Light. If you're a Demon, these will cut you to bacon strips!" Lyra shouted.
Lyra and Bon-Bon lunged towards Spike to take another crack at him. Spike was doing well at keeping his distance away from them. But he was starting to tire from using so much of his magic. He braced himself to jump back to think of another attack.
This left him open to Bon-Bon coming at him from his left blind spot and slashed him with the Blade. It passed right through him without making any wounds at all. He looked down at himself but found no injury at all.
But instead, he was starting to glow a bright blue. It was like he was producing magic light. Spike was in as much awe as the people he was fighting. Before he could enjoy the glow more, he felt something snap in his mind. He felt that his focus and senses had somehow sharpened. He didn't feel like he needed to think about this fight or what attacks to use anymore. He felt like he could breeze through this fight without breaking a sweat.
"What's going on with him?! Is he some kind of new species of monster? Some kind of other supernatural?" Lyra asked.
"No, this feels like something else. But I can't put my finger on it," Bon-Bon replied.
"What do we do now?" Lyra asked.
"We finish the job and hit him with everything we've got!" Bon-Bon replied.
The two Hunters charged at Spike with the clear intention to kill him. They lunged at Spike with their weapons drawn. Bon-Bon swung her sword and Lyra threw her punches at him. Their weapons and gear shattered on impact. They were shocked. Spike grabbed their wrists and swung them away from him, breaking their wrists in the process.
Spike, still glowing walked towards them with a blank expression on his face. He simply waved his right hand to the left, blowing them back with tremendous power. He continued to approach them with a blank expression. With virtually nothing left, they started to resort to one last effort to kill Spike.
"It looks like we'll have to use that spell, Lyra," Bon-Bon said.
"Won't that drain us of our magic?" Lyra asked.
"By the time the other monsters are done with the Battle Golems, they'll be weak. We can finish them off easier," Bon-Bon said.
They both knew it was a gamble, but one they had to make to beat Spike. They combined their collective arc energy together to create what looked like a Spirit Bomb from "Dragon Ball Z". Lyra and Bon-Bon aimed their spell at Spike and shouted.
"Arc Warhead!!" they shouted.
The spell blasted at Spike with the speed of a firework. Spike didn't move to dodge or even try to block. The blast hit him at point-blank range! Lyra was laughing like a loon.
"Ha! Take that, vermin!" she laughed.
"Take what?" Spike asked calmly.
To their shock and disbelief, Spike calmly walked out of a smoking crater before he was suddenly right in front of them. He raised both of his fists and clocked them both right in their faces. Lyra and Bon-Bon were sent flying a good two-hundred feet before they finally crashed into a few of the trees on the school property. Both of them were out cold.
The fight over and the threat taken out, Spike snapped out of his heightened state. He looked to the Hunters and was relieved to see that they were both still alive. He looked behind him to see that the students and teachers, still in their true forms, were all staring at him in amazement. Then, one Goblin girl shouted to the air.
"Our hero!!" she shouted.
The others all cheered and shouted for their hero who took out two Hunters like it was nothing. They put him on their shoulders and took him back to the gym, as it was the only building to not get destroyed in the initial attack. Rumble and the girls were all there with them.
"Way to go, hero!" Rumble said.
"Thanks. I don't really remember what happened, but I feel tired," Spike said.
"There'll be time to rest after the celebration of our victory!" Applejack said.
As the crowd walked away, some of the teachers went to restrain the two unconscious Hunters and take them away. It was going to be a celebratory evening to say the least.
Goblins Goblins are one of more classic monster species known to humans. Due to their small size and relative weakness, Goblins are social creatures that like to live in large colonies. They appear as a cross between bats and frogs. They have bat-like ears, a wide mouth, a long tongue, and large golden eyes. Goblins are often employed as engineers for the monster military due to their quick wits and nimble fingers. Goblin saliva is used to ensnare small animals they eat. Goblins have been known for attacking and eating humans. Pairings between Goblins and humans result in the birth of Hobgoblins.
Dreadmire Academy Faculty Office - The Day After The Attack
Grogar and the other members of the faculty were all sitting at a long table to discuss the recent attack from the Order. Thanks to the actions of the students and faculty, they were able to come out on top. The Hunters responsible have been detained in the dungeon beneath the arena. Grogar used his magic to repair the buildings that have been destroyed during the attack. A member of the Security Team was reading off a casualty report.
"Thanks to the students fighting, we were able to minimalize casualties," the werewolf girl said. "Around 63 students and 5 teachers were injured, but recovering".
"And how many dead?" Grogar asked. The werewolf girl's face became grave.
"From what we found, 34 students and 8 teachers were killed," she replied. "We were able to identify them and we've already notified their families. They'll be along tomorrow to take the bodies. We've offered to pay for the funeral expenses".
Grogar lowered his head in sadness along with the rest of the teachers gathered.
"Good. You may go back to guarding the prisoners," Grogar said.
The werewolf guard took her leave. The rest of the teachers had quite a bit to discuss. Zecora was the first to speak up.
"What should we do?" she asked.
"For the dead, I think we should hold a service tomorrow for them," Cheerilee replied.
"Agreed," the others agreed.
"What about the Hunters we captured? What should we do with them?" Spitfire asked.
That earned angry looks and vengeance in their eyes. They were all on the verge of dropping their human forms.
"They should be killed immediately!" Flintheart replied. "They have to pay for this!"
"We've got them detained and made sure they can't use their magic," Grogar said. "We should turn them over to the authorities so they can be tried under monster law. Besides, we still need to interrogate them for information before we hand them over".
"Speaking of information, there's a concern I feel I should voice here and now," Flintheart said. "Someone at this school is a traitor".
Everyone in the room started murmuring about what Flintheart just said. Cheerliee looked to him.
"How could someone at this school be a traitor? We're all monsters here, so it doesn't make sense!" Cheerilee rebutted.
"It's the only thing that does make sense! Think about it, how did they know where this school was located?!" Flintheart said. "And how did they know to bring Enochian Blades, weapons that kill Demons?!"
Once again, the room was filled with murmurs of agreement to Flintheart's words. They started to look at each other with suspicion.
"A teacher or student could've told them where we are!" Fleetfoot said.
"Okay, so who could it be?" Celestia asked.
"Maybe the traitor's in this room right now!" Zecora said.
"Maybe it's you. Can you tell us with complete certainty that you're innocent?" Spitfire asked. "Look, if we start a witch hunt amongst ourselves, it will cripple us".
"Agreed. We aren't prepared to handle this," Grogar said. "That's why I've called in some... outside help".
Everyone in the room all looked to Grogar. They all had wide eyes.
"You mean... you called them?" Flintheart asked.
"Yep. Tomorrow, we're going to be visited by the Nyx Inquisition," Grogar replied.
In Canterlot City
A tall man sat looking out the penthouse window. There was a certain beauty to the city's environment. The door opened to reveal a short Harpy woman wearing a black cloak with the insignia of the Nyx Inquisition, a stylized red iron maiden with a pair of bat wings.
"Sir, we've just received a report," she said. "The school Dreadmire Academy was recently attacked by the Order of Artemis".
The man shot around to look at his subordinate. His handsome features were framed by a flowing sea of black hair.
"What?! Are they alright?!" he asked.
"While most of the buildings were destroyed and there was a small battalion of Battle Golems, there were relatively few casualties," the woman replied.
The man breathed a sigh of relief. "What about Celestia and Luna? Are they alright?"
The woman gave a cheeky smile. "Yes, your brides are perfectly fine".
"I am so happy to hear that. What of the Hunters responsible?" he asked.
"From what we've heard, there were two Hunters involved, both experienced War Witches. And that a single student took them out," the woman said.
"What?! A single student took them down?" the man asked. "That is very impressive. We should present him the Nyx Medal of Bravery, at least".
"That's not all, sir. There appears to be a traitor among the students and teachers at the school," the woman said. "Headmaster Grogar wants us to investigate this suspicion and take the detained Hunters into our custody".
"Very good. Prepare a small squad to be ready to move out," the man said. "I will lead this investigation, myself".
"As you wish, Grand Inquisitor Sombra," the woman said before she left to assemble a squad.
"I'm looking forward to seeing my brides again. I may want to meet this student and congratulate him for fighting the Hunters!" Sombra said.
He would see his brides, shake the hero student's hand, and root out the traitor. If there was a traitor, he would do everything in his power to make sure they stayed behind bars for eternity. Sombra would keep his community safe for his loved ones. He swore on it.
Things have been extremely chaotic mix of hope and sadness following the Battle of Dreadmire. It seemed that everyone had their minds on the fight with the Order and those who were killed in the attack. The only thing distracting them from the somber atmosphere was the large and happy flock of fans swarming Spike Roman as he attempted to walk through the rebuilt school. Thankfully, the school's Security Team acted as his personal bodyguards. He was currently sitting in his dorm room with two guards outside his door.
It had been hard for Spike to wrap his head around the entire thing. He managed to defeat two humans that made a living hunting and killing monsters. But the Battle Golems managed to kill quite a few teachers and students. So far, the families haven't come for the bodies yet. All he can do is pray for them. He was tossing and turning in his bed, not being able to sleep. He basically just sat in his bed until the sun went down and it was time for classes.
As he walked out the door, he saw that the students had gathered into two different rows with people carrying the bodies of the deceased out in stretchers. He jumped down from the balcony and stood beside Rumble and the girls.
"Hey, buddy. These the victims?" he asked.
"Yeah. Their families are coming by to get them soon," Rumble replied.
As much as he appreciated the distraction from the swarm of fans, he wished that it wasn't under such circumstances. He watched as the bagged bodies of those killed in the battle were being wheeled out in one long row to await their families. The air was filled with the sound of sobs coming from their friends and fellow teachers.
But as Spike looked at the mourning students and teachers, one of them stood out to Spike. Directly across from him was another student. His eyes were covered by his hair, but the thing about him that stuck out to Spike was the big grin that plastered across his face. Something about this guy sent a strange shiver down Spike's back. And he couldn't shake the feeling that the guy was looking at him from under his bangs. Another body bag was wheeled between them.
And the guy was gone. Spike looked from side to side to see any sign of the grinning student, but he couldn't find him anywhere. A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. He looked to his left to see Rarity wiping tears from her eyes. He placed his own hand over hers and looked at the body bags.
I wish I could do something, Spike thought. I wish they were still here.
A tear left Spike's eye and hit the ground. The moon turned full and blue with bright blue light. Everyone's attention was drawn to the bright blue moon. Before anyone could ask what was going on, several beams of blue energy shot down from the moon and struck the body bags.
The silence that followed was nearly deafening. Everyone didn't dare to speak or move. They just all had their full attention fixed on the body bags. Then, the bags started to move.
One of the monsters that brought out out the bags cautiously walked up the nearest one and unzipped it. Out popped one of the victims of the battle, a random Saurian student, fully alive and well. He looked around him as if ready for battle.
"Where are they?! Where's the enemy?!" he asked.
Everyone just looked at him in shock. The Saurian student meanwhile, looked at them in confusion.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked.
The next thing anyone knew, they all swarmed the bags, opening them and retrieving the formerly dead teachers and students. There was nothing but cheers and sobs of joy filling the air.
Spike just stood there in shock. The dead from the battle were somehow resurrected right before their very eyes. He thought back to his thought from earlier, wishing they weren't dead.
Did my wish have something to do with this? Or or this some kind of magical coincidence? Spike thought.
The girls all hugged Spike and each other out of joy that the dead were brought back to life. He gave a smile.
I guess it doesn't matter. They're all back and that's all that matters, he thought.
Lunchroom
Spike and his friends were all eating lunch together. They were all amazed and happy about what had happened just earlier that evening. Even Sunset was there joining them in their celebration.
"Can you believe they came fully back to life?!" Pinkie asked.
"I don't think I would've believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!" Applejack replied.
"How do you think they came back to life?" Rarity asked.
"Perhaps it was a miracle from Nyx. She does work in mysterious ways after all," Fluttershy said.
"I'm willing to believe it," Sunset said.
"Perhaps it was the will of Nyx. The full moon is her watchful eye, after all," Rumble said.
"Yeah, maybe it was Nyx," Spike said.
"By the way, did anyone here hear the news?" Rumble asked.
"What news?" Sunset asked.
"Apparently the Nyx Inquisition are sending their best Inquisitors to investigate the attack, interrogate the prisoners, and to reward Spike for taking the Hunters out," Rumble replied.
"Wait, they want to reward Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Reward me?" Spike asked.
"Indeed. Your actions have been worthy enough for a Nyx Medal of Bravery, from what I heard," Rumble said.
"Congratulations, Spike!" the girls exclaimed.
"Do you think they know about the resurrected students and teachers?" Spike asked.
"They have ways of getting information quickly," Rumble replied. "I'd be surprised if they hadn't heard about it".
I don't understand what happened back there, Spike thought. Did I really wish for a miracle and Nyx obliged? Or was it just some random fluke of magic? Either way, I'm sure glad they're all alive and well.
Spike then felt something press into his right arm. It felt like two warm pillows full of pudding were wrapping around his arm. He looked over to his right and saw Sunset pressing into his right side with a sweet smile on her face. Spike couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he thought of something very simple to say.
"Wh-wh-what are you d-doing, Sunset?" he asked.
"Well, you did beat me in our duel and I have to be your servant for a month, remember?" Sunset asked. "Do you have a problem with me as your servant... Master?"
Spike's heartrate instantly doubled. His blood rushed to his cheeks and he started into Sunset's sparkling eyes. He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand.
"Well, I don't necessarily have a problem with it, but are you sure you're okay with it?" Spike asked nervously.
"Yeah. Miss Luna helped me realize that I needed to learn to live without constantly seeking someone else's approval. Besides, I don't mind losing to someone truly stronger than me," Sunset said. "Now, I'll be here to fulfill your each and every desire".
That last part was quite seductive to Spike's ears. But before Spike could enjoy the feeling, he felt the combined heat of a thousand glares being aimed at him and Sunset. He didn't dare look at the other girls, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the girls' eyes were glowing with anger. From his peripheral vision, he could see Twilight flashing her fangs.
"Uh, why don't we enjoy eating?" Rumble asked nervously. "We shouldn't let all our food get cold!"
I don't deserve a friend like you, Rumble!, Spike thought.
"Hey there!" a new male voice called to him.
Without even looking at the owner of the voice, a cold shiver ran down Spike's back. Sunset's face become one of pure fear and she let go of Spike's arm and stood straight as a board. Spike could barely breathe.
What is this fear I'm feeling?, Spike thought. And why does this fear feel so familiar?
A thin pale arm wrapped around Spike as if embracing a friend. He could feel someone's face positioned next his his. He slowly turned his head to the left and saw something horrifyingly familiar.
The face that was looking at him was a terrifying one. A pale face with white hair streaked with red with held a set of mismatched eyes, one green left and one red right, gazed at Spike. But the grin the face bore was one familiar to him.
This is the smiling guy from the assembly!, Spike thought.
"How-how are you?" Spike asked. "C-c-can I help y-you with s-s-something?"
"I just thought it'd be nice if I could talk to the school hero," the stranger said. "I've been wanting to get to know what you're like ever since you first passed through the doors of the school".
"S-sure," Spike said, not wanting to offend him. "What d-do you want to talk about?"
"I'd rather we talked... privately," the guy said. "Let's go to my table".
Spike immediately got up and began to walk with the guy back to his table. But then Twilight stood up.
"Hold it! Spike's eating with us!" Twilight yelled. "If you want to talk to him, wait till after lunch!"
The strange guy turned his head to face Twilight with that big grin of his. His eyes were wide and looked like those of a dead fish. Spike's fear just doubled. Twilight locked eyes with the stranger and her furious face dropped, replaced by one of horror. Her hands began to tremble and her knees buckled from under her, sending her back to her seat. The other girls and Rumble all looked at the stranger in equal horror. The stranger's grin seemed to somehow double in size.
With Twilight dealt with, the stranger turned his attention back to Spike.
"Shall we get going, dear Spike?" the stranger asked. "Oh, where are my manners? Since I know your name, you should know mine. My name is Jack. Jack Volgaroth".
Spike had a horrible feeling of uneasiness as he walked with Jack Volgaroth through the tables to get to Jack's own. The fans who once swarmed Spike now gave him a wide berth when they saw him with Jack. They all looked at him with fear and anxiety.
Why are they so afraid of Jack? Spike thought. Just who is this guy really?
The pair eventually got to the table Jack was talking about. Similarly to Spike, there were several girls around Jack and his table. But these girls were all standing in a row like a line of soldiers in boot camp. The girls all wore very creepy white masks with the exception of a few that wore plague doctor's masks. They pulled out chairs for Spike and Jack as they sat across from each other. After that, Jack motioned for them to leave.
Spike sat in his chair unable to look at Jack. Jack, meanwhile, simply sat there staring intently at Spike. He didn't eat his food, didn't move, or even blink. It was like a dead smiling fish was staring at Spike.
I can't get a read on this guy, at all! Spike thought.
After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, Jack finally spoke up with an unsettlingly flat voice.
"You're as unsettled by me as everyone else around here, aren't you?" Jack asked.
"I-I'm sorry, it's just that--!" Spike replied before Jack cut him off.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm used to others reacting to me in a certain way," Jack said. "It's my grin, isn't it?"
"Well, y-yeah," Spike said in reply.
Jack gave a sharp chuckle at hearing that. That chuckle had a disturbing cadence to it.
"It's fine. I can't really help it," Jack said. "My curse prevents me from frowning."
"Your 'curse'?" Spike asked, paying full attention now.
"Yep, my curse," Jack said. "Have you ever heard of Circe?"
"I have. She's the witch that kept Odysseus and his crew trapped on her island for an entire year," Spike said.
"Well, she was very real. And I am her descendant," Jack said. "After her lover Odysseus left, another man came to her island to be with her. But to make sure he didn't want to leave, Circe used her magic to curse him to always smile. The mental affect of her magic wore off, but the smile stayed."
"So you were born with a curse that makes you unable to stop smiling?" Spike asked.
"Yep. Every male with that bitch's blood coursing through their veins is born with a grin like mine!" Jack said, his eyes flashing with passion.
Jack seemed to instantly collect himself. Now that Spike got a better look at him, he could see that Jack had burn scars underneath his shirt. Jack stared at Spike as he spoke next.
"But enough about my cursed grin. Let's get to brass tacks," Jack said. "I wanted to talk to you in regards to your current exploits."
"You mean the Hunters attacking the school?" Spike asked.
"Indeed. I'm sure you've heard about the Progenitor Parliament sending Inquisitors to this school to conduct an investigation?" Jack asked.
"Yeah. I heard something about that. What are these Inquisitors like?"
"Well, they are quite famous among our kind. They're coming here to interrogate the two Hunters you captured and take them for their trial, as well as investigate how the dead came back to life."
"Really?"
"Yep, though I believe the two Hunters won't survive the interrogation."
"What makes you say that?"
"The Nyx Inquisitors are known for using 'extreme interrogation tactics' on captured Hunters to get information."
That widened Spike's eyes. "You mean they'll torture them?"
"Yes. And Hunters have been known to die during these sessions," Jack replied.
"That's horrible!" Spike said.
"It's perfectly normal for us," Jack replied calmly.
"But they didn't kill those students and teachers! The Battle Golems did!" Spike said.
"Let me ask you, what do people blame: the weapon used for murder, or the one holding the weapon?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow. "Since Battle Golems are considered weapons, the Hunters who activated them will be held responsible."
"Still, what about the fact that the dead have been resurrected? Maybe that will at least give them a lighter sentence!" Spike said.
"I doubt that, Spike. Those two you captured were experienced Hunters, with countless deaths under their belt. Even if they're cleared of the crimes committed here, they'll likely face execution for their other murders," Jack said.
"Maybe they did kill others, but it's not like they think of monsters as being on the same level as humans. And what about the addiction to human flesh lots of monsters have? Do we kill drug addicts for being addicted?" Spike retorted.
"Why are you so dead-set on defending these homicidal criminals?" Jack asked. "Why are you so hell-bent on having them live?"
"Did you see how young they are? They don't look that much older than me. Surely there are laws against giving the death penalty to those under the age of eighteen?" Spike said.
"There are indeed laws like that. But when it comes to Hunters, leniency gets you killed," Jack said. "Though I have an idea for how you can help the two Hunters."
"What is it?" Spike asked.
Jack leaned forward and whispered into Spike's ear.
"You will definitely be asked to testify against them during their trial, as you were the one who defeated them," Jack said. "Due to your popularity and power, you could potentially sway the judge to arrange for a non-lethal punishment for them."
"That's... a pretty good idea. But why are you helping me?" Spike asked.
"I just want to know if you're as good a soul as you seem. And how far you're willing to go for even the most loathsome of criminals," Jack said with sincerity that felt... off.
I'm not sure I believe this guy, but I don't really have a choice, Spike thought.
The bell rang and brought an end to their conversation. Spike stood up to walk away. Jack waved him goodbye with that dead fish stare of his.
"I hope you have a swell day, Spike," Jack said ominously. "I'm certain we'll speak again... real soon."
An unwelcome shiver shot down Spike's spine. He walked towards his next class as fast as he could. He didn't even acknowledge his friends or his fans as he walked.
That guy may be trying to help me, but I can't shake the feeling that there's something he's hiding. I'll have to keep an eye on him, Spike thought.
At the End of the School Night
Spike was tired. He was just barely able to concentrate on his studies with all the things buzzing in his head. Between the idea of the Hunters facing execution, the impending arrival of the Inquisitors, him testifying against the Hunters, and his suspicions about Jack Volgaroth, it was a miracle he remembered his studies at all.
I'll leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's me. For right now, I'm exhausted, Spike said.
As Spike opened the door to his dorm room, he was greeted by the sight of Sunset Shimmer wearing a maid uniform with a shorter skirt one would normally see in a maid costume. Her neckline was quite low, showing off Sunset's tempting cleavage. Her breasts bounced as she ran to greet Spike.
"Welcome home, Master," Sunset said with a sweet tone in her voice. "You must've had a terribly long day."
Spike did his best to look anywhere but at Sunset. He started to sweat from how close Sunset was. That, and her demonic body heat which he could feel from several feet away.
"I'm happy to see you, Sunset, but why are you in my room?" Spike asked.
"I'm your servant, remember?" Sunset replied. "It's natural for servants to be close to their master to serve them better."
"Even so, I don't think boys and girls should be in the same room together!" Spike said nervously.
"I got special permission to be here from Vice-Headmistress Luna. I even got this outfit from her," Sunset said. "She said proper servants wear these clothes to please their masters better."
Why does the Vice-Headmistress have a skimpy maid costume? And what advice did she give Sunset?! Spike thought.
"You know, I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to bed," Spike said. "You can sleep wherever."
"Very well, Master," Sunset said.
I don't know how I feel about her calling me "Master", but I don't think she'd stop even if I tell her to, Spike thought.
Once Spike turned off the light and crawled into bed, another weight entered the bed with him on his right hand side. Of course it was Sunset. She snuggled up next to Spike and draped herself over Spike's form. Her sweater puppies pressed themselves tightly against Spike.
Spike felt like he was never going to get any sleep. He turned towards Sunset, who gave him glowing half-lidded eyes and a sly smile.
"Uh, Sunset... why are you in bed with me?" Spike asked.
"You said I could sleep wherever I wanted," Sunset said. "Are you saying you don't enjoy my company?"
"I enjoy your company, but when I said you could sleep wherever, I was implying the couch," Spike said.
"But servants are supposed to stay by their masters at all times," Sunset said. "And keeping you warm at night is the least I could do."
"You don't have to. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing things you wouldn't want to," Spike said.
"That's so sweet of you, Spike. And it's because you're so nice that I want to do this for you," Sunset said.
Sunset changed her position and straddled Spike, her soft thighs clamping around Spike's midsection and her hands started to stroke and rub Spike's chest.
"Besides, you can't deny that you're enjoying this," Sunset said in a breathy voice. "Demons can instantly tell what desires lurk within the hearts of others."
Spike was at a loss for words. She was acting flirty before, but this time she was acting completely bewitching. She leaned down and whispered to Spike, her hot breath tickling Spike's neck.
"I know what desires lurk within your heart, too," Sunset whispered. "Let this demonic servant serve you all. Night. Long."
Oh god! Oh sweet god! Is this actually happening?! Spike thought.
Sunset started licking Spike's chin when they both heard the sound of the bedroom window opening. They both look to the window to see Twilight entering the room in her pajamas.
"Hey, Spike. I thought you may have been troubled from talking to Jack so I thought I'd come to comfort you," Twilight said before she saw Sunset.
"Uh, Twilight! Hello! This isn't--! We weren't--!" Spike said before Sunset shoved her bosom into his face.
"Hello, Twilight!" Sunset said with mock sincerity. "Would you mind leaving us? I was in the middle of helping my master sleep and you've rudely interrupted us."
"Oh really?!" Twilight said annoyedly. "'Cause it looks like you're trying to kill him!"
Sunset looked down and saw that Spike had stopped moving. She raised herself off Spike's face, who was gasping like a drowning man. Twilight shot herself forward and shoved Sunset off the bed.
"Spike! Are you okay?!" Twilight shouted.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Spike said regaining his breath.
Sunset jumped back and took up Spike's right hand side. "Now that we all know that Master is okay, you can leave us now."
"Oh no!" Twilight said. "I'm staying here to make sure you don't kill him with your boobs again."
"I'm sorry, but you are under no obligation to him. Unlike me, who became his servant fair and square," Sunset said.
"I don't care. I'll have you know that I drank Spike's blood!" Twilight said. "That's the most intimate thing vampires can do!"
"Doesn't matter. I can still please Master in ways you can't," Sunset said.
"Girls!" Spike shouted. "Look, it's getting late and I'm tired. Stay here or leave, I don't care! I just want to get to sleep!"
Twilight and Sunset looked at each other and then down at the bed.
"Okay, we'll stop fighting," Sunset said.
"We'll behave," Twilight said.
Spike finally let himself relax on the bed. He could feel Twilight and Sunset cuddle up to him on both sides, their busts almost encompassing him. Spike was so tired that he couldn't pay attention to that. For now, he just had to get to sleep.
The sun was blocked out by the trees by the time Spike woke up. Twilight and Sunset were both beginning to stir on both sides of him. The two nonhuman vixens on Spike's arms had shifted into their true forms while they slept. Spike had seen Sunset in her Demon form before, but he hadn't really remembered what Twilight's true vampire form looked like.
Twilight's skin had always been pale, but now her skin was chalk-white. Her eyes were bright red slits like a cat's. Her needle-like fangs glistened as she yawned. What Spike really liked was how her pointed ears twitched. She looked at Spike with sleepy eyes.
"Good evening, Spike," Twilight said.
"Evening, Twilight," Spike said. "How did you sleep?"
"I slept alright. I liked sleeping next to you," Twilight said. "Better than sleeping in my coffin."
"You sleep... in a coffin?" Spike asked.
"It's not a rule that vampires have to sleep in coffins. I just enjoy the closeness and the darkness," Twilight replied.
"I don't think I could sleep in a coffin. I get claustrophobic," Spike said with a chuckle.
Meanwhile, Sunset hugged Spike's arm and pressed her amazing chest pillows into him. She looked at Spike with sleepy amorous eyes.
"Evening, Master," Sunset said with a low voice. "I see you've already taken your human form."
"I... like to be on top of things," Spike said. "I forgot before and it didn't end well."
"Well, we have plenty of time before classes start," Sunset said. "Why don't we shower and eat breakfast?"
"You girls can go ahead and shower first," Spike said. "I'll get breakfast going."
The girls responded by linking their arms with his and lifting him off the bed. The three of them all walked towards the bathroom.
"But Master, it is customary for a servant to wash their master while they bathe," Sunset said. "Besides, it will be quicker if we bathe all at once."
"You know, that doesn't seem that necessary," Spike said sweating bullets. "I am perfectly capable of bathing myself."
"Come on, Spike. It would be quicker if we all washed each other," Twilight said.
"I just don't think we should all bathe together. It seems a bit improper," Spike said.
"It'll be fine, Spike. We'll just be washing each other. It's not like we're going to eat you," Sunset said before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Unless you want us to."
"T-t-that won't necessary," Spike said. "Fine, we'll shower together. But no funny business, understand?"
"Okay," Twilight said.
"We'll be good, Master," Sunset said.
Before the three walked into the bathroom, Spike took a black blindfold and tied it around his eyes.
"Why are you putting on a blindfold, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"I think that's obvious," Spike said.
"Well, if it makes you feel more comfortable, Master, then that would be fine," Sunset said.
They had to guide Spike to the bathroom. Once inside, they all set about stripping for the bath. Something about the blindfold was soothing to Spike. He heard the water running and the tub filling up with water. The bathtub was pretty big to accommodate for different species, apparently. As soon as it filled with water, Spike and the girls got in. Spike sat on one side while Twilight and Sunset sat on the other side.
"Isn't this relaxing, Master?" Sunset said with a stretch, her D-cup breasts heaving.
"Indeed it is," Spike replied, leaning his head back in relaxation.
"We should start washing ourselves," Twilight said.
Spike grabbed the body wash and shampoo designed to hide his human scent. As he grabbed them, a troubling thought entered his mind.
"Wait, can they smell me?" Spike thought in fear.
Thankfully for him, they seemed too relaxed to notice anything. If they did smell his human scent, they gave no indication. As Spike reached for the washcloth, Sunset grabbed it and held it out of his reach.
"Uh, Sunset... why did you take the washcloth?" Spike asked worriedly.
"It's a servant's duty to wash their master's body for them. This should be my job, milord," Sunset said in a low voice.
Something about Sunset's tone made Spike's heart beat faster. He could hear Sunset moving in the water and place her hands on his shoulders.
"Master, could you sit on the side of the tub? I'll wash your body for you," Sunset said before hugging him close and whispering in his ear. "I'll wash you thoroughly from head. To. Toe."
Spike's little soldier was threatening to stand at attention at this point. Sunset's warm breasts were pressed against his bare chest to the point where he could feel her increasing heartbeat. Before the she-Demon could do anything, he felt Sunset being pulled off him. Next came the sound of a slight scuffling in the water, as well the sounds of inhuman growling.
"Now hold on a minute, Sunset! I don't think you should wash his entire body!" Twilight said. "How about you take the front and I'll take his back?"
"Now now, Twilight. I'm Spike's servant, so it's my duty to tend to my master's needs. Your jealousy is unwarranted," Sunset said with fake sincerity.
Spike couldn't see with the blindfold, but he could tell that Sunset was smirking. Twilight seemed to seethe at that.
"I'm just saying it would be fair to divide this between us," Twilight said. "Besides, your demonically hot body temperature might hurt him."
"I'm not gonna hurt him! I'm just gonna wash his body," Sunset said. "It's not like you're his servant."
Twilight growled like an angry dog at that. Spike started to grow nervous. He had to do something or the girls' claws are gonna come out, literally. Thinking back to his encounter with Jack Volgaroth and what he told him, he had the perfect distraction for them.
"Hey girls!" he called to them.
"What is it?" they both asked.
"I was wondering something. What can you tell me about Jack Volgaroth?" Spike asked.
The two of them definitely stopped fighting after that. Spike could tell the two of them were uncomfortable.
"Well, Jack Volgaroth is considered to be the most feared being in the school," Sunset said. "I admit that he even scares me."
"When Jack gave me that grinning glare the other day, I felt my entire body lock up and I couldn't speak or even think," Twilight said. "Something about that grin made my skin crawl."
"According to him, his grin is the result of a family curse," Spike said. "He said that he's a descendant of the Greek witch Circe."
"A family curse? He can't stop smiling?" Sunset asked.
"That would make sense. No one smiles that much all the time," Sunset said.
"Also, what species of monster is he?" Spike asked.
"He's a Devil, a human-Demon hybrid," Sunset said. "And he's quite powerful from what I've been able to tell."
"What else?" Spike asked.
"He's usually seen with a gaggle of masked girls that follow him around," Twilight said.
"Guess even someone like Jack can attract others to them," Sunset said. "That's really all we know about the guy. Why?"
"I just have this off feeling about him," Spike said. "Him taking an interest in me is unnerving."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Sunset said.
As they were talking, Spike took the opportunity to wash himself in his special shampoo and body wash. Thankfully, they were too distracted to notice. Once that was done, Spike exited the tub to go and dry off. However, Twilight grabbed the towel before he could grab it. Now this was starting to get annoying.
"Twilight, I'm not in the mood to play right now," Spike said sternly.
"I'll give it back to you in a minute, but right now, I need to do something," Twilight said.
"What would tha--?" Spike was about to ask before being cut off.
That was when Spike could feel lots of razor teeth piercing the flesh of neck. Twilight's clawed hands held him tightly as she wrestled him to the ground. Spike could feel Twilight's venom taking effect quickly, with his mind feeling warm and foggy. He could hear Twilight gulping down his blood by the mouthful. Twilight then flew backwards as Sunset pried the hungry vampire off him.
"Twilight, control yourself! I know you need blood, but don't you have Feeders for this?" Sunset asked.
"Normally I do, but Spike's blood in particular tastes so good!" Twilight replied. "I've never tasted blood like his!"
"Oh come on! Is a Ghoul's blood really that good?" Sunset asked.
Just as Spike finally got to his shaky feet, Spike felt another set of teeth digging in his shoulder. These teeth felt like thicker fangs laced with burning acid. These were definitely Sunset's teeth. The pain was immense, but at the same time, oddly pleasant.
After what felt like an eternity, Sunset finally let go of Spike. It felt like her teeth cauterized the bite wounds and the area stung like hell. Thankfully he channeled his magic into healing. The bites cleared up and Twilight's venom was cleansed from his system.
"Right? It's awesome!" Twilight said. "And it's all mine!"
Spike felt Twilight grab his head and hold him to her ample bare chest, causing Spike's face to heat up. Twilight smelled nice from the bath. He could also sense Sunset's irritation from behind them.
"Wait! What makes you think you can claim his blood like that?!" Sunset asked.
"Well, I bit him before, and since I was the first, I get to claim his blood," Twilight replied. "Besides, Spike seems to like my venom."
"Your venom does make me feel higher than a satellite," Spike said muffled in Twilight's rack.
"Oh come on! Since I got to taste Spike's blood, I want more!" Sunset said, wrestling Spike away from Twilight and biting him on his left shoulder.
"Don't you know vampires don't like to share food?" Twilight asked with an irritated tone.
Twilight sank her teeth into Spike's right shoulder. Both of them were taking more of Spike's blood for themselves. Sunset was actively chewing on Spike's shoulder to get more and more blood. Since her teeth weren't designed for feeding on blood, she had to put in more effort to get blood. What's more, Twilight was dosing Spike with a huge amount of venom. Spike had to channel his magic into increasing his body's blood production to keep from passing out. The girls continued to feed until they both seemed satisfied.
They finally let go of poor Spike, who slumped to the ground with healing bites. Sunset seemed a bit out of it from her feeding while Twilight had an oddly distended stomach.
"That was amazing!" Twilight exclaimed with bloody lips. "None of my Feeders even come close to this!"
"I've never had anything like this before!" Sunset said. "I may want Master's blood more often!"
"That's all well and good, but now you two are fed, can we please get ready to get to class?" Spike asked woozy.
"Yeah, we should get to class. I'm eager to get started on the history of monster settlement in the New World," Twilight said.
"I'd like to learn more about that new Napalm spell Flintheart told us about," Sunset said.
The two walked out of the bathroom with the girls having to carry Spike. His magic was still working to heal himself from his ordeal, so he still felt weak. It took him longer than usual to get dressed in his school uniform, but he managed. He went to his fridge and grabbed an apple, an banana, and a small bottle of apple juice. He had to help his magic with healing or he'd be weak for the whole night.
Once the two left the dorm and made their way to the main building across the courtyard. As they walked, something big tackled Spike to the ground and was licking his face.
"What the hell?!" Spike asked between licks.
Spike looked up and saw a large black dog with glowing red eyes, a row of spines going down its back, and an eerie red glow coming from its chest. The dog creature was wagging its tail happily and continued to lick Spike's face. Twilight and Sunset were chuckling.
"Good evening, Styx!" Sunset said, addressing the dog.
"Wow Spike, Styx really likes you," Sunset said. "She doesn't usually warm up so quickly to strangers."
"That's nice, but can you please get this dog off me?" Spike asked.
A whistle came from somewhere across the courtyard, causing the dog to get off Spike and scamper off to one of the members of the school's Security Team patrolling the campus. Spike got up and dusted himself off.
"What kind of dog was that?" Spike asked.
"That's a Hellhound. The Security Team uses them to help protect the school," Sunset replied. "Styx is one of them."
"Oh, that's nice. I'm happy that she seems to like me," Spike said.
When they continued their way towards the main building, a couple of black vans with an emblem of a red iron maiden with bat wings pulled up in front of the school. Spike and the girls watched as several individuals wearing black cloaks and metal owl face masks walk out of the vans. They all walked in a V-shaped formation and seemed to step in tandem, like trained soldiers. Sunset and Twilight took a few steps back.
"Who are they?" Spike asked, not taking his eyes off the cloaked figures.
"Those are the Inquisitors from the Nyx Inquisition," Twilight said. "No doubt here to question the Hunters and investigate the attack."
"They work for the Progenitor Parliament and care for monsters, but they're still terrifying," Sunset said.
Looking at the Inquisitors, Spike felt very unnerved. The black cloaks and metal masks gave them an eerie appearance. And that may be the point.
"We should head to class. We don't want to be late," Spike said.
As they trio made their way inside the main building, the Grand Inquisitor turned and looked at them through his red owl mask. One of his subordinates stopped and looked as well.
"Something wrong, Sombra?" she asked.
"Who was that boy?" he asked.
"I believe that is the Knight of Dreadmire himself, Spike Roman," the female Inquisitor replied.
"Interesting. Very interesting," Sombra said. "I'd like to speak to him while we're here."
Lyra and Bon-Bon were having a horrible time down in the dungeon. The first thing they saw when they woke up was the medieval-looking cell they were being kept in. They had iron collars locked around their necks to prevent them from using their magic and their weapons were taken. The only thing they received was food and water. Lyra was banging on the metal door of the cell in a feeble escape attempt.
"Lyra, just stop. You don't have your super strength and we can't use our magic," Bon-Bon said. "Even if we open the door, they took our weapons. They'd kill us before we even made it above ground."
"We can't just sit here and wait for those things to eat us! We've gotta do something!" Lyra said, continuing to punch the door.
The door suddenly made the sound of it being unlocked. An armed werewolf in its werewolf form entered the room and pointed her weapon at the two Hunters. Lyra sneered at the threatening monster.
"What? You here to eat us?" Lyra asked with venom.
The werewolf ignored her and simply motioned for them to follow her. "Follow me. If you don't do so willingly, I will use painful force. Please choose painful force."
Bon-Bon followed the werewolf with Lyra following behind begrudgingly. The werewolf led Lyra and Bon-Bon down the hall of cells until they finally stopped at a circular room deeper into the dungeon. Two other armed werewolves opened the door and motioned for the Hunters to enter. The two girls were shocked by what they saw.
The room was filled with different devices and mechanisms they knew were used for torture back in olden times. In the middle of the room were two gurneys with chained cuffs. The female werewolf pointed to the gurneys.
"Lay down on the gurneys. It will be a lot less painful for you if you simply cooperate," the werewolf said.
"Like hell we're gonna lay down on those!" Lyra said.
The belligerent Hunter would tried to fight, but the female werewolf simply grabbed Lyra by the neck and lifted her up with one clawed hand while Lyra failed to break the monster's grip. She gave Bon-Bon a threatening glare.
"Are you also planning to be a dumbass like your companion here?" the werewolf asked Bon-Bon.
The only response Bon-Bon gave was to lie down on the gurney. Smiling, the werewolf walked over to the empty gurney and violently slammed Lyra down on it. She clasped the restrains on Lyra while she was coughing and wheezing and walked over to clasp restrains on Bon-Bon who was much more cooperative. Once that was done, the door to the chamber opened to reveal a figure dressed in a black cloak with a red owl mask obscuring their face.
"I've prepared the prisoners for questioning, Grand Inquisitor," the werewolf said with a respective bow.
The figure stood there still as a statue and just continued to stare at Lyra and Bon-Bon. After an uncomfortable silence had passed for what seemed like an infinity, the Grand Inquisitor finally looked at the female werewolf.
"Thank you so much, dear. You can leave them to me," the Inquisitor said.
She happily left the room. Once she did, the Grand Inquisitor turned and stuck his head outside the room to the two werewolf guards.
"You two may want to leave," he warned. "Things are about to get... loud."
The guards looked to each other and back to the cloaked Inquisitor. They happily left the Grand Inquisitor with the two prisoners. The Grand Inquisitor turned back to Lyra and Bon-Bon.
"Now, I'm going to ask you some questions. You'd better answer honestly, for your own sake," the Inquisitor said.
"You're not gonna get anything out of us!!" Lyra shouted.
The Grand Inquisitor sighed and turned his back to them. "Looks like we'll have to use more... strict methods."
Slowly, the Grand Inquisitor closed the door to the room.
Dreadmire Academy Parascience Class
Spike and all of his friends were sitting in their Parascience Class listening intently to their teacher giving them their lesson on how monster hybridization works. At least, that was when their teacher was looking at them.
Whenever their teacher, Dr. Johan Schmidt, wasn't looking, the female students in the room would scoot their seats closer to him. It didn't help that he was given a seat where he was surrounded by his female classmates. He could sense their eyes on him as well as well as their desire. Spike was trying his best to ignore them, but it was damned difficult. He channeled his arc energy to his hearing to enhance it and he picked up the sounds of light sniffing. He looked down at his shirt collar and noticed a few blood stains on it.
"Crap! I didn't clean up all the blood! They can probably smell it!" Spike thought frantically.
A tap on his shoulder brought his attention to Fluttershy, who held a worried expression on her face. Fluttershy was sitting next to Spike on his left.
"Spike, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked. "You look a bit pale."
"Yeah, I just had some blood taken from me by some mosquitos," Spike whispered back.
A loud slamming sound echoed through the room and the students looked to see their Dr. Schmidt looking very displeased with them.
"I know you kinder want to express your gratitude to the school hero, but may I suggest that you do that at lunch?" Schmidt asked.
"Sorry, Dr. Schmidt," the class said.
"Now, then, who can tell me the result of a pairing between a member of a monosex species and that of another species?" Dr. Schmidt asked.
Twilight was the one to raise her hand. The doctor pointed to her to reply.
"Those of a monosex species can either reproduce through parthenogenesis or by mating with a member of another species," Twilight replied.
"Very good, Miss Tepes. What would the resulting offspring of such a union be?" Schmidt asked.
Rarity raised her hand at that. Doctor Schmidt pointed to her.
"The result would always be child of the monosex species, but there's also the chance of a twin from the other parent's species," Rarity said.
"Very good! Now who--?" Dr. Schmidt was about to ask before the door to his classroom opened.
The entire class turned to see that the source of the interruption was one of the Inquisitors! The cloaked figure walked up to stand next to Dr. Schmidt and looked around the room, scanning the students themselves. The Inquisitor's hidden eyes seemed to finally settle on Spike. Spike's heartrate jumped as the figure pointed to him.
"You are Spike Roman, yes?" the Inquisitor asked with a female voice.
"Y-yes. I am S-spike Roman," Spike replied.
"Would you mind accompanying me?" the Inquisitor asked. "The Grand Inquisitor is eager to meet you."
The mention of the Grand Inquisitor got everybody talking amongst themselves. That name "Grand Inquisitor" must have meant that they were very important. Spike got up and walked up to the Inquisitor.
"Why does the Grand Inquisitor want to see me?" Spike asked.
"He has a few questions for you," the Inquisitor said. "Please come with me. Your friends can fill you in on your studies later."
Spike did as he was told and followed the masked Inquisitor down the halls to the Conference Room. The only creature in the room was a tall cloaked figure wearing a red owl mask, an obvious signifier of his rank. The lower-ranked Inquisitor gave a small bow.
"Sir, I've brought Spike Roman as requested," the Inquisitor said.
"Good. Leave us," the Grand Inquisitor said.
Once Spike and the Grand Inquisitor were alone, the man motioned for Spike to sit down. The Grand Inquisitor sat down across from Spike and took off his mask, revealing a handsome man with black hair and sideburns as well.
"Sorry if we scared you there for a while," the man said with a smile. "I know we have a scary reputation."
"Uh, yeah. I heard you wanted to speak to me?" Spike asked.
"Oh yes, I've heard quite a bit about you, Knight of Dreadmire," the man replied. "Wait, where are my manners? I am Sombra, Grand Inquisitor of the Nyx Inquisition and head of this particular investigation."
"Thanks. So... what do you want to know?" Spike asked nervously.
"I heard that you were the one who defeated the Hunters and that you possess an abnormally high arc level," Sombra said. "If you could, please tell me how exactly you bested two experienced Hunters?"
"I'm... not really sure myself," Spike replied. "It's kind of blurry. It's like I was fighting based solely on instinct."
"Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. Now, about the victims of the attack suddenly coming back to life, what are your thoughts on it?"
"It's obviously nothing short of a miracle. It looked like strings of magic shot down from the moon and struck each one of the coffins and the dead were brought back to life."
"Streams of magic coming from the moon? That's very interesting. I would ask about your arc level, but that's not important to this investigation. Now then, how would the Hunters have found the school's location?"
"I'm sure you've already thought of this, sir, but I think that there's a traitor amongst us."
"That much is obvious. That's part of why we're here: to find the traitor."
"It's not me! I want to make that clear here and now!"
Sombra let out a laugh. "I know it's not you, son! I combed through your memories while we were talking and I know you're not the traitor!"
That statement caught Spike's attention. "Wait, what do you mean you combed through my memories?"
Sombra's appearance began to change right before Spike's eyes. Gray slimy skin replaced his peach tan and his head lost its human face and was replaced with a face with six octopus tentacles surrounding his mouth. Two bulbous yellow eyes looked at Spike with a kind expression.
"You see, I'm a Mindflayer," Sombra said. "I use my psychic powers to help in my investigations, hence why I'm Grand Inquisitor."
Spike didn't know what to say. He couldn't take his eyes off the face tentacles that continuously moved. Sombra laughed again.
"Yeah. I take it this is the first time you've seen a Mindflayer?" Sombra asked.
"Yep, this is my first time," Spike said.
"My species is pretty rare, so not many encounter us," Sombra said. "Our psychic powers tend to make people uncomfortable."
"I don't mind if you need them for this investigation," Spike said. "Besides, I like learning about other species."
"You have an open mind, son, and I respect that," Sombra said. "I like you. I'm glad this school has you to protect it. I can see why the ladies here are drawn to you as well."
"You saw... those memories?" Spike asked with a blush.
"Yeah. Don't worry, you'll have to deal with a lot more of those," Sombra said. "I'm sure even a few Overlords would want their daughters to court you."
"Oh joy," Spike said flatly. "Can I go back to class?"
"Yes yes. I've taken up too much of your time, already," Sombra said.
Spike got up and left the room and headed back to class as quickly as possible. Sombra seemed like a nice guy. Maybe these Inquisitor guys aren't so scary after all.
Spike's Dorm Room - Later That Night
The entire night had gone pretty smoothly. Before he went back to class, he washed the blood off his collar to keep his sniffy classmates at bay. Now, he just wanted to make himself some food and watch some anime in his pajamas before he went to sleep. His room's TV was able to connect to his phone and he had the Crunchyroll app. He was in otaku heaven.
Just as he was scrolling through his watchlist to select a series to watch, he suddenly felt like he was alone in the room. He looked left and right and behind him and saw no one. It wasn't until he turned around that he saw a smiling Rainbow Dash in a tank top, shorts, and her true Harpy form looking at him. Spike nearly threw his popcorn bowl over his head.
"What's up, Spike? Watching anime?" she asked, looking to the TV.
"Yeah, I am," Spike replied. "Now what are you doing here?"
"Sunset and Twilight were bragging about how they took a bath with you this morning," Rainbow replied.
Rainbow Dash then proceeded to wrap her wings around Spike and press her spicy chicken breasts against Spike while straddling his lap. She gazed at Spike like a hawk before whispering in his ear.
"You do know that I want to spend some time with the school hero, too, right?" Rainbow whispered. "I can wrap you in my wings if you want... my lord."
Spike couldn't believe that someone like Rainbow Dash was saying stuff like that to him. She always came off as a fierce one that wouldn't be so submissive to anyone. Before anything could escalate, Rainbow was pulled off by none other than Applejack, who was also in her true Ogre form.
"Now, Rainbow, what was that I just saw?" she asked annoyed.
"I was just... playing," Rainbow replied nervously.
"Rainbow, I know how you get when you see something you like, but you gotta be more mindful of this guy," Applejack said.
"Oh really? Then why are you even here?" Rainbow asked annoyed. "You here because of what Sunset and Twilight were saying?"
Applejack was blushing now, but she tried to hide it. It was oddly adorable.
"I'm just here to see if Spike wanted some help studying," Applejack replied.
The three heard the sudden sound of windows opening and they saw Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Sunset all enter the room. They were all in their true forms, as well. Spike was amazed as he never saw Rarity and Fluttershy's true forms.
Rarity was a beautiful combination of human and spider. Her eyes were solid bright purple and possessed no pupils or sclera, and there were six of them. Her arms were chitinous three-fingered claws and were quite long. Four long spider legs sprouted from her back, and a large dark purple spider abdomen sat at her lower back. She was still oddly beautiful in that form.
Fluttershy had a rather short serpentine tail where her legs would be and had a pair of large bat-like wings folded against her back. Her eyes were a reptilian amber and were shaped like slits. Fluttershy's fingers ended in pretty vicious claws. A thick forked tongue sometimes flickered out of her mouth.
"Great! Now we've got a whole party here!" Spike said sarcastically.
"What are you all doing here?" Rainbow asked.
"We were here to hang out with Spike and help him study! What are you all doing here?" Twilight asked.
"I wanted to give Spike a celebratory cake for his victory in the battle!" Pinkie replied.
"I was going to show Spike this interesting bat documentary I found," Fluttershy said.
"I wanted to get Spike's measurements for a new line I'm producing," Rarity said.
"It's just my duty to serve Lord Spike," Sunset said. "What are you doing here, Twi?"
"I wanted to... drink some more of Spike's blood," Twilight said with a face twisted in delight. "It's soooooooo good!"
Spike turned to Twilight with a determined look on his face. "Actually, I'm glad you brought that up. We're gonna have to out a daily limit on that."
"What?! Why?!" Twilight asked with a pout.
"I nearly passed out today! My magic can only heal so much!" Spike said. "I just think we should limit how much you drink."
"Does that apply to me?" Sunset asked seductively. "I too took quite a lot of your blood. It's easy to see why Twilight would be addicted to it."
"Does Spike's blood taste that good?" Rarity asked, genuinely curious.
Twilight gave Rarity a crazed expression. "It IS! It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!"
"I kinda wanna try it now," Rainbow said.
Before Spike to turn around to try to stop Rainbow, the Harpy grabbed his right arm and bit down hard onto his forearm, sharp teeth puncturing his skin easily and trying to get as much blood as possible. Shockwaves of pain shot through Spike's arm like electricity. Spike miraculously managed to keep himself from screaming. He would've tried to pull her off if Applejack didn't grab his left arm and bit down on his left wrist.
"No fair! I wanna try!" Pinkie cried.
Pinkie Pie ripped off Spike's shirt and bit down on an area below his collarbone. Rarity picked Spike's left leg and bit an area below and behind his knee. Fluttershy took the right leg and bit in the same spot as Rarity. Sunset and Twilight both bit where his shoulders met his neck.
Spike could feel his blood rapidly his body as well as a sense of cold accompanied by the girls chewing at his flesh. Spike really had to focus channeling his arc energy to keep himself from dying. He couldn't scream or cry out due to the loos of blood as well as Twilight's and Rarity's venom working to keep him loopy and numb to anything. Their venom must be working as he couldn't feel most of his body. Still, he just had to wait for them to stop at this point.
Thankfully, they did stop. When they lifted their heads, they all had ecstatic look on their faces and blood on their lips.
"You weren't lying!" Rainbow said. "That is so good!"
"Delicious!" Pinkie said.
"Absolutely splendid!" Rarity exclaimed.
"That's what I call 'quality goods'!" Applejack said.
"So good!" Fluttershy said.
"What did I tell you?" Twilight asked. "Best blood ever!"
"As good as Master's blood is, I'm starting to think we should put a limit on how much we drink," Sunset said.
"Why?" Applejack asked.
Sunset Shimmer simply pointed to Spike. He was in a wretched state.
Spike was deathly pale looked similar to a drained juice box. His chest barely rose and fell with each breath. His chest, neck, arms, and legs were still showing ragged bite wounds that were slowly healing. Spike's breaths came in ragged wheezes. The girls all blushed and looked away in shame.
"Sorry Spike," Twilight said. "I'll try to limit myself."
"We all will," Rarity said softly.
"How about we all join Spike in watching anime?" Rainbow asked.
Once Spike was fully healed, he decided to accept the fact that they were there and sat on the couch with them while he put on an anime for them to watch. As he sat there, he looked to the girls and sighed inwardly.
"Being with these girls won't be easy, but it sure as hell is a lot of fun," Spike thought. "May as well get used to the quirks of hanging around monsters."
The school was a hive of activity in regards to Halloween. Spike walked through the halls trying to avoid the onslaught of students, teachers, and the occasional Inquisitor. It seemed the the Inquisitors were still investigating the attack on the school and the "Dreadmire Miracle" as the students have called it. Grand Inquisitor Sombra has been paying extra attention to Spike for some reason, so he tried to avoid Sombra whenever he could.
Aside from that, Spike noticed that the entire school was getting ready for Halloween. Decorations were being hung up on the walls and ceilings and most of the students were making plans for what they were going to do on Halloween night. The one thing that was common was something that they mentioned called "The Witching Run".
"What's the Witching Run'?" Spike thought.
As Spike rounded a corner in the hall, he saw Rumble hanging up a string of paper bats on one of the walls. He waved over to his Wendigo buddy.
"Rumble! What's up man?" Spike greeted.
"Just excited for Halloween. It's one of the most important holidays for monsterkind," Rumble said.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that. What's Halloween for monsters like?"
"It's the one night out of the year where we can walk among the humans in our true forms without fear of the Order hunting us. They even cancel all hunts on Halloween to avoid accidentally killing innocent humans."
"Huh. Also, I heard some of the students talking about something called the 'Witching Run'. What is that?"
Rumble grinned from ear to ear. His face screamed with excitement. "The Witching Run is when monsters either walk among humans in their true forms or run around the wilds. It's very exciting!"
"That actually sounds fun," Spike said.
"It is fun! There's a huge party that proceeds the Run at sunset," Rumble said. "I heard that your female following are performing a concert for the party."
"Really? That sounds awesome!" Spike said. "I'd love to stay and hang out with you, but I've gotta get back to my dorm. I need to write a letter to my family."
Ever since Spike first arrived at the school, he had been writing letters to his family letting them know he was okay. Of course he left out the fact that he was now able to use magic and that his teachers and classmates were monsters. Also, the magic prevented him from sending or receiving texts to begin with. Miss Luna had been making sure that the letters were delivered and she was the one to give Spike the responding letters. Spike made his way to his dorm without much trouble.
As soon as Spike opened the door, he had been greeted by a sight he wasn't ready for. Before him was Sunset and Fluttershy wearing maid outfits. Both girls were in their true forms and were kneeling before him with pleading eyes. Sunset gave a small smile to Spike.
"Good evening, Master. Would you like us to serve you?" Sunset asked in a soft voice.
"Sunset, why did you make Fluttershy do this?" Spike asked.
"Well, I figured her personality would be suitable for this role," Sunset said before giving Spike a sly look. "You can't tell me that Fluttershy doesn't look good like this, can you?"
Now that Spike was really looking at Fluttershy, she did look good in the maid outfit. She coiled her serpent tail underneath her and hid her face with one of her wings.
"Do... do you like it... Master?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
It was taking every ounce of restraint within Spike to keep himself from tackling her in a hug. Fluttershy was as adorable as a little kitten at this very moment. Sunset took Spike by the hand and led him over to the couch and sat him down. Both she and Fluttershy joined him while Spike simply wondered what they were planning to do. Sunset looked to Fluttershy with a bizarre expression.
"Okay, Fluttershy, do exactly what I taught you," Sunset said.
"Sunset, what have you been teaching her?" Spike asked in his head.
Spike looked down and saw that Fluttershy was coiling her snake half around Spike and placed a firm grip on his body. The sensation of being coiled like this felt both terrifying and oddly arousing. Fluttershy's coils hiked up Spike's shirt while wrapping him up, so he could feel her scales on his bare skin.
Her scales were so smooth and soft, and Spike could feel the thick and powerful muscle underneath. He could feel her coils loosening and tightening, the subtle movements and quivers of her muscles, and the scales gently rubbing against his skin. It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before!
Once Spike was coiled up, Fluttershy wrapped her arms and wings around him, pulling his head into her bountiful chest. He could hear her heartbeat through her shirt. A fast and steady beat pounded in his left ear as he sat there in Fluttershy's embrace.
"How does this feel?" Fluttershy cooed into his right ear, her breath tickling it.
"This feels amazing and terrifying at the same time. I can't really explain it," Spike replied.
"Fluttershy, it's time to do the other thing I taught you," Sunset said.
"Wait! There's more?"
Fluttershy started to loosen and squeeze her coils at regular intervals. Her coils slowly shifted to other parts of Spike's body, hitting every sore spot perfectly. Spike smiled goofily to himself at the sensation.
"Okay, this is nice. Hell, this is addictive!" Spike thought giddily.
Spike could feel all of his worries and tension melting away like a ice. It was like Fluttershy's coils were turning him into a pile of quivering jelly. It was the most amazing experience of his life so far. He was about to fall asleep when he heard his door open. He looked to see the other girls simply barging into his room.
"Where are the teachers telling them to leave the boys' dorm when you need them?!" Spike thought.
"Hey, Spike! I thought we could all hang--," Twilight was about to say before she saw the position Spike was in.
"What's going on here?" Rarity asked with a mischievous look on her face.
"Looks like someone's getting a bit cozy," Applejack said with a chuckle.
Rainbow Dash changed into her true Harpy form and spread her wings. "Spike, if you wanted to cuddle, you could've just asked me. My feathers are soft and warm."
Sunset clicked her tongue in a condescending way and stood to face them.
"Now girls, I put Fluttershy up to this," she informed the group. "She wanted to have her own way of getting closer to Spike, so I provided her with a way."
"I see what you mean. It's not like the rest of us have snake tails we can wrap around Spike whenever we want," Pinkie said before showing her tails. "Though my tails are soft and fluffy."
Twilight sighed and walked to Spike, still wrapped up in Fluttershy's coils. "Spike, I was wondering if I could have a few sips of your blood?"
The rest of the girls shot their gazes towards Spike with hungry looks in their eyes. Spike had to really set his foot down on this one.
"Actually, I'm glad you brought that up. We're going to put a limit on that," Spike said. "Ever since the first time, I've been tired and weak. It took every ounce of strength I had just to keep my eyes open during class!"
"But it's so gooooooood!" Twilight whined.
"I'm sure, but I need you to place a limit on yourselves if you all want more of my blood," Spike said firmly. There was no budging on this one.
The girls looked to be considering this and pouting like children. It was kind of cute for Spike to see them like that. Rarity was the first one to respond.
"Okay, Spike. We'll try to be careful with your blood from now on. It's your blood, after all," Rarity said.
"I'll... try to restrain myself from now on," Twilight said. "But... can I have just a little bit?"
Seeing that these girls weren't going to leave without a drink, Spike sighs. "Alright, fine. You all can have just a few sips."
Immediately, the girls launched themselves at Spike, biting him at different points to draw blood. Spike, full of venom, tried to keep his mind focused on keeping his healing factor up to heal from the bites. After a few of these feedings, Spike had grown to actually enjoy the act.
"I should probably talk to someone about this," Spike thought with little concern.
Surprisingly, the girls did indeed stop after a few sips of blood. Spike was able to fully recover from his experience after a few minutes. He sat up, still wrapped in Fluttershy's coils and looked at the girls with gratitude.
"Thank you all for restraining yourselves," Spike said.
Rainbow looked to Fluttershy with a smirk. "You know, Flutters, you could start an OnlyTails with your tail skills."
"I don't think I could handle something like that," Fluttershy said with a blush.
"I can only guess what OnlyTails is," Spike thought.
"Actually, while we're here, there's something we've been meaning to ask you about," Twilight said to Spike and Sunset.
"What is it?" Sunset asked.
"We were wondering if you two would perform with us for the concert this Halloween," Pinkie replied.
This was something that neither Spike nor Sunset had expected to hear from them. Spike had never sung in front of an audience before. Sure he sung in his old school's choir, but never for something like this. Sunset seemed to be eager to do so.
"You know what? That sounds fun. I'll sing," Spike said.
"I will, too," Sunset agreed. "I've always wanted to perform at the Halloween celebration."
"Then it's settled, we're all performing at the festival," Twilight said. "How about a band name?"
Everyone looked around in thought for a band name. It would have to be something good, something that will grab the audience's attention. Eventually, Spike raised his hand.
"I have an idea! How about we call our band 'The Dusk Pack'?" Spike suggested.
The girls seemed to be mulling over the idea in their heads, but eventually smiled at the idea.
"'The Dusk Pack'? I like it!" Pinkie said.
"I can fly to it!" Rainbow said.
"I guess we're the Dusk Pack, now," Fluttershy chimed in.
"How's about we all have dinner together to celebrate?" Applejack asked.
"I'm happy with that," Twilight said.
Pinkie shot up her hand to add something. "We can all also enjoy watching anime together while we eat!"
"That sounds awesome!" Rainbow shouted.
That night, the newly-minted Dusk Pack ate food they brought from their own dorms and ate while watching anime on Spike's TV again. Yes, Twilight drank more of Spike's blood during the feast, but Spike didn't mind. After this, they would have to rehearse for the upcoming Halloween party. Spike knew it was going to be a Halloween he wouldn't forget.
*****
Halloween Night
If Spike thought the school was active before, it was positively buzzing now. Spike, the Dusk Pack, and the other school bands all gathered together in one room while waiting to go on next. The Dusk Pack were watching the other bands perform while waiting.
The Halloween concert was taking place outside where the school's theater department had built a large stage in the field where the bands would perform. This concert was being streamed to everyone's families and the Inquisitors took time out of their investigation to observe the party. Vice-Headmistress Celestia was the one to announce the next group to go on after the first groups were done.
"Up next is the Witchdoctors! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Rumble, Snips, Snails, Featherweight, and Pipsqueak walked up to the stage. Spike gave Rumble and the guys fist bumps.
"Good luck out there guys!" Spike said.
"We don't need luck. We know we're good!" Snips said with bravado.
The Witchdoctors were all dressed up in long white coats with white broad-brimmed hats and put on black goggles as a part of their band's look. The stood on the stage and Spike finally noticed that they had no instruments.
"Are they... doing acapella?" Spike thought.
Rumble walked up to the mic and announced himself and his band.
"Happy Halloween, Dreadmire!" he cried into the mic. The crowd cheered at that. "Me and the other Witchdoctors are here to give a little number called 'Cheri Cheri Lady' sung in Gaelic. Hope you all enjoy!"
Rumble cleared his throat and began singing along with the other Witchdoctors.
Once they were done, the crowd erupted into a chorus of appraisal for their performance. Spike and the others were stunned.
"I didn't expect Snips to have such a set of golden pipes on him," Applejack noted with whistle.
"I wonder how good the other bands are," Spike wondered.
Once the Witchdoctors were done, Celestia ushered them off the stage. The group returned to everyone else clapping for them. Spike high-fived his group of buddies.
"You all killed it out there!" Spike said. "Are you sure you aren't famous?"
"Hopefully, we will be after this," Rumble said. "I was afraid we were gonna mess up our performance."
"You were all great!" Adagio said, standing next to the Dusk Pack. "I know musical talent when I hear it and you boys got it!"
Just then, Celestia's voice came from the stage. "Next up is the Dazzlings!"
"That's us. Better move it," Adagio said.
"Time to show our stuff," Aria said.
"Wish us luck out there!" Sonata said.
The other bands gave their assurances as the trio of Siren sisters made their way to the stage. Adagio was the one to speak into the mic.
"Hello and happy Halloween! I hope your ears and souls are ready for a Siren's talents!" Adagio said before turning to her sisters. "Ready, girls?"
"Ready!" Aria and Sonata confirmed in unison.
"First, a song to give thanks to our Nightmother, Nyx, for this auspicious night!" Adagio said, before singing.
The crowd didn't necessarily cheer, but they all had looks of blissful contentment on their faces. Spike was watching the Dazzlings with a goofy look on his face.
"So this is what a Siren's singing is like. I could listen to them and no one else from now on," Spike thought dreamily. The Dazzlings continued their lovely selection.
Everyone in the crowd was ecstatic to hear the singing of actual Sirens on display. The Dazzlings bowed and returned to the stage. The other groups were more than impressed by their performance.
"That was amazing!" Rarity said.
"You were so awesome!" Featherweight said.
"Thanks! I've always loved making people happy by singing," Adagio said. "And I've always loved performing with my dear sisters."
Adagio hugged Aria and Sonata close to her. Sonata wrapped her arms around the two and squeezed tightly while Aria simply wrapped her arms around them with a small, but loving smile.
"We love you, too, Adagio!" Sonata cried.
"Yeah, I love you guys, too, I guess," Aria said.
"Huh. She seems like the tsundere type," Spike noted while looking at Aria.
"Next up are 'Trixie and the Illusions'!" Celestia called from the stage.
Spike had heard of Trixie before. She was a Vashta that was known for being really good at stage magic. It was slightly weird for someone like that, but she might be pretty good. Trixie and her two other bandmates were dressed up as witches with a nice Gothic lolita look. Spike gave them a thumbs-up.
"You all kill it out there!" he encouraged.
"Thanks, hero!" Trixie said.
Trixie then leaned close and whispered sensually into Spike's ear. "If you ever want to hang out after the show, I'd be more than happy to show you some magic tricks."
Spike felt a forked tongue caressing his ear seductively while she spoke. Spike's cheeks flushed as he dumbly stared into Trixie's eyes.
"I'll... pin that as a 'Maybe'," Spike said.
Trixie giggled while he felt dark energy coming from his bandmates behind him. The Vashta girl joined her bandmates on the stage and prepared to sing.
"Prepare yourselves for a truly magical musical performance on this hallowed eve!" Trixie called out to the crowd.
The crowd cheered as Trixie and her band began their performance.
The entire crowd clapped in awe at the Illusions' songs. The girls bowed and walked back to the others.
"That was great music!" Rumble said.
"You should do this for a career," Adagio said, impressed with their talents.
"Yeah, you'd be platinum in no time!" Spike agreed.
"Thanks. I have a real passion for stage magic, but maybe I can throw in some music to spice things up," Trixie said.
"The final group for the evening is the Dusk Pack!" Celestia called.
It was finally time. Time for Spike and his friends to show the school what they were made of. They agreed that some of them would take turns being the lead singer for this. Sunset was the one going first. She stepped up to the mic and presented themselves. Then, she started singing.
Finally, Spike and Twilight were singing. Spike would've been lying to himself if he said that he wasn't nervous. His hands were trembling until Twilight took a hold of them. Calming down, he took a deep breath and began their final song.
The Dusk Pack bowed when the crowd began cheering. Celestia joined them on the stage and spoke into the microphone.
"That concludes our school's on-campus party. Now onto the main event!" Celestia said.
The large gates in front of the Academy's main building opened wide and a strong breeze swept over the crowd. Celestia put the mic to her lips and brought down her right hand.
"Let the Witching Run begin!!" she called.
Right in front of Spike's eyes, every teacher and student changed into their true monster forms. They looked powerful, menacing, and strangely exotic to Spike's human eyes. Everyone took off towards the main gates with the speed and determination of hungry wolves. The Inquisitors weren't joining them.
"Probably still focused on their investigation," Spike thought.
Celestia shifted into her Werewolf form and ran off after the others on all-fours. The rest of the bands took off already while leaving the Dusk Pack on the stage. Twilight, in her true form, turned her bright red eyes towards Spike.
"You're not changing into your true form?" Twilight asked. "It'll be fine. It's the Witching Run!"
Before Spike could say anything, Luna joined them, still in her human form. "Ah, Mister Roman, could I ask you something real quick?"
"Uh, sure," Spike replied. Spike followed Luna a ways away from the rest of the Dusk Pack until they were out of sight and she handed him a small plastic vial with a purple liquid of some kind.
"What's this?" Spike asked.
"This is a potion that will allow you to look like a Ghoul for twelve hours," Luna said. "It should help you get through the night unharmed."
"Thank you so much!" Spike whispered with audible gratitude.
Spike opened the vial and drank the contents within. It tasted like sweaty socks, but the effects were worth it. Spike was enveloped in a low purple light and his form had changed into that of a Ghoul.
His hair had turned chalk-white, his skin turned gray, and his fingers were now tipped with vicious claws. Running his tongue along his teeth, he felt many sharp points. He used his phone to look at his reflection. His nose was nothing but two vertical slits in his face and the sclera of his eyes had changed into bright purple while his irises had turned white. Truly a terrifying sight.
"I'll never forget this, Miss Luna!" he said, wrapping her in a hug. Luna blushed and blinked her wide eyes a few times.
"It's okay. It's my job to look after you," Luna said returning the hug. "Now, go on and have fun with your friends. It's Halloween, after all."
Spike turned back to his friends and ran off with them towards the gates. They would have fun and Spike would get to spend Halloween with actual monsters!
*****
Spike's Neighborhood
Spike and his friends found themselves in a spot that Spike recognized all too well, and that made him worry. It was his neighborhood. And there were a lot of humans around, parents and kids all in different costumes. Spike hoped that they wouldn't find out about his friends' true natures. They walked through the neighborhood with all the confidence of a fashion model.
One pair of kids, dressed up as Frankenstein's Monster and a ninja respectively, walked up to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was in her full Kitsune form, which looked like a pink fox walking on two legs. The kids walked right up to Pinkie with smiles and wide eyes.
"Hi there, kids!" Pinkie greeted. "Can I help you with something?"
"We were wondering, can we take a picture with you?" the ninja boy asked.
"Of course you can!" Pinkie said.
The ninja boy pulled out his phone and positioned it to take a selfie with his Frankenstein companion and Pinkie. Her muzzle smiled, revealing sharp teeth as the camera flashed. Both children were elated.
"Awesome! Your costume looks so real!" the Frankenstein exclaimed. "Where'd you get it?"
"That's a little secret I have. Now go back to your parents," Pinkie said. "And happy Halloween!"
"Happy Halloween to you!" the ninja boy said back before leaving.
People really don't seem to see that there are actual monsters in their midst tonight. Spike began to wonder just how many times he went trick-or-treating on Halloween and encountered an actual monster? The thought nearly made Spike's head hurt, so he decided to have fun with his friends.
The Pack wandered through the neighborhood until Spike noticed something he didn't expect to see outside that night. It was his older brother Garble dressed as Jack Sparrow, but that wasn't what he didn't expect to see. There was a female Werewolf walking next to him. An actual Werewolf, not a human in a costume. Somehow, this she-wolf looked weirdly familiar to Spike.
The she-wolf was tall and lean with noticeable muscle on her, and white and dark silver fur covered her body underneath the red T-shirt and black leggings. She was gazing lovingly at Garble with piercing golden eyes and wrapped a clawed arm around him. As she and Garble walked down the street, Spike noticed something about the she-wolf. One of the she-wolf's fingers had a titanium ring decorated with a wolf's head. Spike knew that ring anywhere.
"Is that... Ember? My brother's girlfriend?" Spike thought. "She's a Werewolf?!"
As if some higher power was at play here, Garble turned to face Spike and his Pack and his eyes widened in recognition. He smiled at him and ran over to hug him. Spike laughed and returned the hug.
"Spike! It's been too long!" Garble laughed. "That costume is so good! It's like you're an actual monster!"
"And it's like you're everyone's favorite pirate, bro!" Spike greeted back before turning to Ember. "Ember? You look great as a Werewolf!"
Ember didn't reply immediately. She stared at Spike with a hidden look of shock on her face. Ember smiled and tried to save face.
"And you look great as a Ghoul," Ember said.
Garble finally took the time to look at Spike's companions. "And who are these girls with you? Your girlfriends?"
The last bit was said in a teasing tone, which made Spike blush. He shook his head rapidly as he gave his reply.
"They're my friends from school! That's it!" Spike said.
Spike then felt a pair of arms wrap around him and a face rest on his right shoulder. He saw that Twilight had embraced him from behind. She smiled, flashing her fangs dripping with saliva and venom.
"He says that, but we do enjoy different... intimate activities," Twilight said before licking Spike's neck.
Electric tingles shot throughout Spike's entire body at the contact. Garble and Ember stared at the two of them in shock. Garble had an impressed look on his face.
"Spike, you sly wolf. I'm so proud of my little brother!" Garble said with a thumbs up.
"Wait, you're Spike's brother?" Applejack asked.
"Yep, we live nearby. I can't wait for you to return home during the breaks, Spike! I hope to hear all about this mysterious school of yours," Garble said. "Me and Ember are heading to a party at her friend's place. You all wanna come?"
"Sorry, but me and my friends already have other plans for tonight. We'll go with you next Halloween, though," Spike replied.
And with that, Garble and Ember made their leave, with Ember shooting Spike a look that said that there was going to be a conversation between the two of them. Spike and his friends walked a ways down the street when Fluttershy spoke up.
"You never told us you had a human brother, Spike," Fluttershy said.
"I was adopted by humans at a young age," Spike said, thinking quickly. "I hide my true self from them, though. I can't be too careful."
"Makes sense. It must be hard hiding your true self from your family," Rarity said. "Your brother seems really nice, though. I didn't know he was dating a Werewolf. That seems a tad queer."
"Yeah, the fact that she's a Werewolf is new to me. She's always been human whenever I saw her before," Spike said. "I don't think Garble knows she's a Werewolf."
"That's a bit concerning, a human dating a monster without knowing it," Twilight said. "I hope those two will be alright."
"Garble's not the type of guy who would stress over things like that, so I think he'll love Ember, human or monster," Spike said.
"I hope you're right. Anyway, let's have some fun!" Twilight said.
From the shadows between two houses, out of sight of the Dusk Pack, Jack Volgaroth was watching them until they were out of his sight. Jack put a finger to his chin in thought.
"So... Spike's family is human and his brother is dating a monster," Jack noted before his perma-grin became more manic. "How interesting. I'll be sure keep this in mind."
Jack reached into the pocket of his special black trench coat and pulled out a small vial with a pair buzzing mosquitos inside. He brought the jar to his lips and whispered a spell at the mosquitos. The insects stopped buzzing until Jack was done. Once he was, Jack shot up into the air and used his magic to fly off towards the forest.
"Now's the time to begin. I'll be sure to keep Spike and the Inquisitor's occupied while I work," Jack said to himself as he reached the woods. "I wonder how the Guide-Light will be able to handle this."
*****
The Woods Outside of Town
Jack was flying around the forest at top speed, scanning the forest floor with his enhanced vision. He reached a large clearing in the woods when he saw a familiar pair of Werewolves consuming the carcass of a deer. He recognized them as Octavia and her friend Twinkle Shine. These two were part of the same pack.
"Perfect timing," Jack whispered with a more devilish grin than usual.
The half-Demon landed on the top of a tall pine tree and unscrewed the jar for his two mosquitos. The mosquitos flew out of the jar and made a direct beeline towards Octavia and Twinkle Shine. Jack watched as they went for their respective targets and saw them strike themselves at the spots where the mosquitos bit them.
"What was that?!" Twinkle Shine asked.
"Just a mosquito. I got bit, too," Octavia said. "Forget about them. Let's get back to eating."
And just like that, Jack had succeeded. Now, all he had to do was wait. Spike and the Inquisitors were going to have a major problem coming up soon. And Jack was going to have a front row seat to it all.
Halloween Night came and went for the students at Dreadmire Academy. Everyone was talking about the amazing time they had during the Witching Run. A lot of the them were able to walk around among the humans during trick-or-treating or were running around in the woods. Those that ran around the woods were mostly monsters that had notable sizes or physical appearances. Still, a fun time was had by all. Spike and his friends were all sitting in homeroom working on homework.
"Good thing that potion Miss Luna gave me that potion. I don't deserve her as a Vice-Headmistress," Spike thought to himself.
The sound of books falling to the floor brought Spike's attention to Octavia, one of the Were-monster students in his class. She was picking up some of her books off the floor while Miss Cheerilee looked at her.
"Are you okay, Miss Melody?" Cheerilee asked.
"I'm fine. My muscles have just been spasming since this morning," Octavia replied with a slightly weary voice.
Spike and some of the others looked to Octavia with looks of concern. Miss Cheerilee walked towards her with a hand held out in concern.
"Maybe you go see the nurse about that," Cheerilee said.
Suddenly, Octavia swatted the teacher's hand away and gave her a wolfish growl. Her eyes switched to her lupine golden eyes and seemed instantly angry.
"I said I'm fine!" she yelled at the teacher. Cheerilee immediately backed away with her hands in the air.
Everyone in the class was looking directly at Octavia with shock and fear written all over their faces. Octavia twitched a little as she seemed to struggle to calm. It was almost as if she were being pinched and pulled by invisible strings. She wiped off a bit of drool before looking to the teacher.
"I... I'm sorry, Miss Cheerilee," Octavia apologized. "I've just been a bit under the weather. I swear I'm fine."
"Miss Melody, I can tell you're not feeling well," Miss Cheerilee said. "I just think that you should see the nurse to keep yourself healthy."
Octavia twitched as she thought about that. Now that Spike was getting a closer look at her, he noticed that her hair was matted with sweat and strings of drool were coming from her mouth. She definitely didn't look good.
"You know what? I think perhaps I should pay the nurse a visit," Octavia said. "Though, I would like to ask that Spike help me to the nurse."
Spike spoke up when he heard that. "Wait! Why do you want me to take you to the nurse."
Octavia blushed and looked away with a few twitches. "Because if I collapse, I may need someone to carry me to the nurse's office."
The reply earned a few jealous glares from the other girls in the class, but Spike nonetheless obliged.
"Fine, I'll walk you to the nurse," Spike said.
Spike led Octavia out of the classroom and down the hall. Octavia's whole body seemed to move as if she were being electrocuted. Her fingers flexed and some of her joints jolted involuntarily. Her breathing was somewhat ragged and he could feel a feverish heat coming off of her from just a few feet away.
"Octavia, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you not been feeling well?" Spike asked.
"I felt a little hot last night, but this evening was when the spasming started," Octavia replied. "I feel hot and like my body's being pinched at the joints when I move."
"Don't worry, Nurse Redheart is an amazing nurse. I'm sure she'll have you right as rain in no time," Spike assured her.
"Thanks, Spike. You really are a nice gu--," Octavia said before doubling over on the ground.
Octavia began to shift into her Werewolf form, her body changing and her clothes tearing. Once in her true form, she cast a wild pair of eyes to Spike, who began to slowly back away from her. Octavia stalked towards him with dripping fangs bared aggressively.
"Octavia, calm down," Spike said in a low cautious voice. "It's me, Spike."
No recognition came to Octavia's eyes, only mad rage. She lunged at Spike with a loud snarl, only to crash into some of the lockers. Octavia twitched and jerked to her two paws and... turned her head to her right arm and bit down on the forearm. She began chewing until blood dripped down onto the tiled floor.
A small dart whizzed past Spike's head and struck Octavia in the neck. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed on the floor, asleep. Spike whirled his head around and saw Nurse Redheart standing there with a blowgun in her hand. She walked over to Octavia and picked her up.
"Spike, are you okay?" she asked with a serious expression. "Did she bite you?"
"No, she didn't. I was walking her to you, and then she suddenly shifted and attacked me," Spike replied. "What's wrong with her?"
"Follow me to the office and I'll explain," Redheart said.
Spike followed Redheart to the office, where she laid Octavia down on a bed with... cuffs and shackles. Redheart restrained the sleeping Octavia's arms and legs and fastened a leather muzzle around her jaws. Octavia, though sleeping, breathed in ragged pants. Spike sat down on one of the stools.
"Okay, Nurse Redheart, what's wrong with Octavia?" Spike asked in worry.
Redheart didn't reply right away. She was looking over Octavia the way a doctor would a patient. She was writing down some observations on a small notepad she had.
"Sweating, fever, extreme aggression, loss of transformation control, self-biting, twitching, muscle spasms, extreme salivation, and I'm willing to bet she may not be able to drink water at this point or be able to form coherent sentences," she noted. "This is definitely not good."
"What is it?" Spike asked.
"Have you ever heard of rabies? This is a pathogen called the 'Moonrage Virus', a form of rabies that only infects Were-type monsters," she replied.
"Rabies? Can you treat it?" Spike asked.
"I've treated hundreds of Were-type monsters for this, so I think I should be able to treat Octavia," Redheart replied. "But just in case, I'm going to contact the Monster Health Agency to send a few of their personnel here to investigate."
"I take it the 'Monster Health Agency' deals with monster diseases?" Spike asked.
"You guessed it. I don't have the resources to properly treat this. Besides, I don't think Octavia's the only one infected with this," Redheart said. "There may be other students infected. And if that's the case, we may have a huge medical emergency on our hands."
"Can... humans get the virus?" Spike asked.
"I've heard of infected Were-type monsters attacking humans, but I don't think it can jump from monsters to humans," she replied. "Still, you should play it safe. Now, you should get back to class. I'm going to inform the Headmaster and tell him we need to initiate a school-wide quarantine."
"What about Octavia?"
"I'll keep an eye on her and treat her the best I can for her symptoms, but I need the MHA to properly help her."
"Okay, then. I trust you, Nurse Redheart."
"Oh, before you leave, I need something."
"What's that?"
Nurse Redheart grabbed Spike by the shirt collar and pulled him to her where she sank her mouth of fangs into his shoulder and took quite a bit of his blood. Without venom to numb the pain, Spike felt cold, piercing pain shooting from the bite. It hurt, but it was an oddly pleasurable pain. After several gulps, Redheart released Spike, licking blood off her lips.
"Twilight wasn't lying when she said your blood is better than the Feeders we have here," Redheart said giddily. "Sorry for the sudden drink, but curiosity got the best of me."
"It's... completely fine. Just try... to give me a warning... next time, yeah?" Spike said, trying to heal the bite. It was bruised and swollen.
Nurse Redheart cocked her hips and gave Spike half-lidded eyes. "So you're saying there's going to be a next time?"
"I mean, if you want. I'm happy to help out with your biological needs," Spike replied.
The sultry nurse undid the first few buttons of her whitecoat and showed off a bit of her bountiful bust as she gave a sly smirk.
"What about personal needs?" Redheart asked. "You willing to help me out with those?"
"We'll... we'll talk about that later," Spike said before walking out of the door.
As he walked down the halls, he thought back to Octavia attacking him. If there was any chance that the school may be on the precipice of a virus outbreak, then things were about to become even more hectic.
Nurse Redheart was waiting outside the school for the doctors from the Monster Health Agency to arrive. Due to the scope of the situation, she asked for an entire team to come to the school to handle the situation. As she stood there waiting, Sombra joined her.
"Is this about the reports I've been hearing about an epidemic spreading?" he asked.
"Yes. Given what's been going on, I felt it necessary to call the MHA. They're sending a team over here," Redheart replied.
"What do you think started this?"
"I'm not sure. The two original patients I have don't have any large bite marks and they never reported any attacks."
Sombra sighed in irritation. Just another thing to deal with while they were investigating the Hunter attack. A health crisis on top of this would slow things to a near halt. At the same time, he knows that this a horrible thing to have happen to the students and the faculty. He was certain that most of the student body was scared.
"I hope the MHA will be able to do something about this. As for the sake of my Inquisitors, I'm going to put the investigation on hold for the time-being," Sombra said. "Perhaps we can even help restrain some of the infected if it comes down to it."
"Thank you, Grand Inquisitor. Though, I honestly hope that we never have to resort to that," Redheart said.
It was at that moment that several large white vans parked in the school's front ground. Several masked doctors came out of the vans and began to retrieve equipment from them. One of them walked up to Nurse Redheart and Sombra and gave a respective bow.
The man was in the form of a fit man in his forties, with black hair that was graying at the temples and a clean-shaven face that was lit up by a pair of bright silver eyes. He wore a typical white doctor's coat and had a black plague-doctor's mask tied to his waist. Nurse Redheart's eyes lit up as she recognized this particular doctor.
"Doctor Glade! I didn't know they were sending you!" Redheart said.
"I would never miss out on an opportunity to help out my star pupil during this time of crisis," Doctor Glade said. "This is too big for one nurse to handle."
"Is there anything we can do?" Nurse Redheart asked. "I've got my claws full taking care of the current number of infected."
Doctor Glade looked around the school and his eyes eventually settled on the large dueling arena in the back. He seemingly sized up the building for something before he turned to his former student.
"Do you think I can use the arena as a makeshift clinic for the infected?" Glade asked.
"Of course. I'll inform the faculty," Sombra said, leaving the two doctors.
Both Nurse Redheart and Doctor Glade left to help the other doctors move their equipment to the arena. As the group worked, Glade was asking Redheart questions about the situation.
"What's the current number of those infected with the Moonrage Virus?" Glade asked.
"It started with just two Werewolf girls, but that number's shot up to twenty," Redheart replied.
Glade's eyes widened at that response. He placed a finger to his chin in thought. The doctor's tone conveyed a great degree of interest in this case.
"That's extremely abnormal. I've treated plenty of Werewolves with this virus before, but I've never heard of the virus spreading so quickly," Glade said. "Sounds like some blood tests are in order."
"Good. I was wondering about the virus's spread and I don't have the equipment to test blood," Redheart said. "Have you properly restrained the patients?"
"I chained them to the beds, gave them all IV drips, and muzzled them," Redheart said. "I hate to do this to young monsters."
"I guess the best thing we can do right now is treat the symptoms and try to stop the outbreak until we can try to come up with a solution," Glade said. "For now, we should set up the arena as an emergency clinic."
Out of the corner of Redheart's eye, one of the school's janitors ran out of the main building and made a beeline towards the doctors. He was holding an injured arm that was dripping quite a lot of blood. The doctors were immediately concerned at the state of the man. Redheart recognized him as the janitor she had watching over the infected students, so this was not a good sign.
"What happened?!" Redheart asked with worry.
"The sick students, some of them managed to break free of their restraints! I barely managed to get away from them to tell you!" the janitor replied.
Redheart and Doctor Glade looked to each other with fearful eyes. Glade turned around to issue orders to his other colleagues.
"Everyone! We've got a Code Gray! We have to round these patients up before they hurt themselves or others!" Glade ordered.
*****
School Gym - Spike and Co
Spike was having a good time in the gym with some of his friends. He and Applejack were lifting some of the weights provided while Rainbow Dash was flying around in the air above them, and then promptly perched in the rafters to preen her wings. Fluttershy was lifting weights with her tail and Pinkie Pie was running around on the track with her true speed.
"Man, this feels great!" Spike said, lifting one of the larger weights. "This kind of strength still amazing to me no matter how heavy a weight I lift."
"You should see my brother. I've seen him fight off an angry grizzly with his bare hands," Applejack said. "And he always beat me whenever we wrestled."
"He sounds like a good guy," Spike said.
"You know, I'd love for you to visit the farm sometime. I could whip up some good apple pie," Applejack said.
Trying to bribe him with food, are you?" a familiar voice asked.
Spike and Applejack looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying down to them. Her head crest of feathers was ruffled with agitation as she approached them.
"Are you saying he wouldn't enjoy my family's apple pie, or are you afraid there'll be none left for you?" Applejack asked. "I know how big of a glutton you are for apple pie, so don't try to hide it, baby bird."
Rainbow blushed and ruffled more of her feathers, an oddly adorable sight. She practically squawked in anger.
"Your delicious pie has nothing to do with it!" Rainbow rebutted. "You're just trying to lure Spike to your place so you can do the no-pants-dance with him!"
"Like you don't! Didn't you say that you want Spike to make you 'squirm like a worm on a hot sidewalk'?" Applejack asked.
Spike turned to Rainbow Dash with a look of surprise. "You want me to... what?"
"I-I-I was on sleeping pills when I said that!" Rainbow Dash said. "When you take them and try to avoid going to sleep, they give you a small high!"
The PA system came on with a few crackles and Headmaster Grogar's voice came over it. He sounded upset.
"Attention, students and faculty! Students infected with the Moonrage Virus have escaped the nurse's office and are now on the loose!" Grogar said. "Please stay where you are and do not go into the hallways for any reason until the infected are properly detained!"
The message ended with a few crackles and the students in the gym with Spike were slowly staring to panic when they heard that. Coach Spitfire waved her hands in the air to get their attention.
"Everyone! Please calm down! We should be fine as long as we stay right here!" Spitfire called.
A loud crashing sound came from the doors leading into the gym, causing all eyes to turn to the doors in anticipation. More loud bashes caused the doors to fly off their hinges, showing Octavia and a few other infected Werewolves that looked very angry and ready for violence. The students screamed and scrambled to get away when the infected ran towards them.
Spitfire, in her true Nachzehrer form, stopped one of the nearer Werewolves with her strength while the captured Wolf tried to bite and claw her. Fleetfoot stopped the other one, leaving only Octavia to go after them. Spike instinctively shot forward and put himself right in front of Octavia.
"Octavia! Calm down! It's me, your friend Spike!" Spike said.
His attempts to reason with the rabid Wolf fell on deaf ears as she launched forward. Spike grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and the hem of her skirt and threw her back, away from his classmates. She crashed into one of the other infected Wolves, but she got up easily, ready to attack again.
"Damn it! Spitfire and Fleetfoot can't stop them on their own! I need to find a way to lure them out of here!" Spike thought until an idea hit him. He turned to his friends.
"Guys! I've got an idea to lure them away from here!" Spike said. "It's a bit risky, but it might be enough to work!"
"Whatever you do, do it quick!" Rainbow called from the rafters. "Spitfire and Fleetfoot can't hold them back for long!"
Spike pulled out a pen and with a slight moment of hesitation, stabbed the point into his wrist, causing a cascade of blood to leak out. His classmates just looked to him in shock.
"Spike! What are you doing?!" Pinkie asked. "Now's not feeding time!"
"I'm hoping the smell of my blood will draw their attention!" Spike replied.
Just like he planned, the infected sniffed the air and fixed their hungry gazes on Spike. They easily lost interest in everyone other than Spike, and began to approach him with dripping fangs. Spike saw an opening and ran past them and out the doors. He looked behind him and saw Octavia and the other Wolves chasing after him.
"That's it, just follow me!" he said as he ran.
Using his magic to enhance his speed, Spike zoomed through the halls until he got to the common area to see the doors leading outside. He took off towards them and was about to open them... until something heavy tackled him from the side and sent him crashing to the ground.
"What the--?!" Spike asked before he looked up.
A rabid-looking Wereleopard peered down at him with drool dripping from her snarling fangs. Her claws had Spike pinned and did not want to let go. Octavia and the others joined her in surrounding Spike. Their nostrils flared as they smelled the blood. All of them opened their mouths wide, making Spike's heart nearly drop.
"Wait! Wait!" Spike cried.
The Wereleopard girl sank her fangs right through Spike's shoulder, tearing off a chunk before swallowing it. The pain was immeasurable, and before Spike could scream, the Wereleopard sank her teeth intro his neck. Octavia and the Wolves joined her in eating him, and he could feel everything.
He felt his arms being chewed on like chicken wings while Octavia opened up his abdomen. Spike could feel Octavia's head literally enter his abdominal cavity and pull out his intestines. The flesh around his ribs was being torn away and being eaten. Spike managed to look down and see his own bones sticking out. His body started to feel cold and heavy, and shock was sinking in.
"So... this is it? Is this how I die?" Spike thought. "Why do I feel so calm? Is this from the shock?"
At that moment, Spike finally felt the sweet release of death.
Spike had this weird feeling surrounding him. What was once the cold embrace of death had now become something warm and comforting. He opened his eyes and saw something he was not expecting to see.
He was laying down naked in a field of flowers, bright colorful ones that made up a glowing rainbow. The sky was the dark navy blue of night, lit up by a large full moon that gave off a soft blue light. Spike looked around and saw a forest in the distance.
"What is this place?" Spike asked. "It's... so beautiful."
"This is my garden and home, dear," a warm voice said from behind him.
Spike shot his head around to see a tall woman clad in a dark cloak looking at him. He couldn't see most of the woman's face underneath the cloak, but he could see a warm smile on her face, a smile that could soothe a restless soul just by looking at it. The weirdest thing was that Spike was standing in front of this figure naked, but no sense of shame overwhelmed him. In fact, he felt completely at ease around this woman.
"Who... who are you?" Spike asked.
"You'll find out in due time," the woman said. "But right now, you have to return. The world will need you."
"What do you--?" Spike asked before a bright light shone in front of his eyes.
...
Spike woke up with a slight ache in his chest and neck. He looked around to see that he was laying on a tarp just outside the arena. To his right was a nurse wearing what looked like a medieval plague doctor's mask, who turned to Spike and seemed visibly shocked.
"Hey, do you know what--?" Spike asked before getting cut off.
The nurse screamed as she ran off inside the arena, leaving Spike there to wonder what was happening to him. He looked down and saw that his uniform was shredded and blood-stained. He thought back to remember what had happened to him, and he finally remembered.
"I... was eaten. Literally torn apart and eaten," Spike said silently. "If I was eaten, how am I back?"
He looked down at himself again and saw that his body was completely intact. There was no indication that he was even bitten at all. Feeling for his internal magic, he could feel the energy flowing through him.
"Is this what magic healing is like?" Spike asked.
The nurse returned with Nurse Redheart, now wearing a plague mask, and another doctor that Spike didn't recognize. They all looked just as shocked as the first nurse was to see Spike among the living again. Redheart and the other masked doctor rushed to Spike immediately.
"Spike! How are you alive?! Are you okay?!" Redheart asked.
"I don't know! All I know is that I was being eaten by some of the infected, and then... I wake up here," Spike replied.
"How is this possible?" the masked doctor asked. "No monster should be able to heal from that kind of damage."
"Well, Spike here has an arc-level of two-thousand," Redheart said. "Maybe that has something to do with it."
The masked doctor looked at Spike with even greater interest. "That might explain the state of the students who ate you."
"What? What happened to them?" Spike asked.
"By the time we got to you, they were all passed out around you," Redheart replied. "They're awake now, but it seems that they're no longer suffering from Moonrage."
"You mean... they're better?" Spike asked.
"Indeed, which makes this mystery deepen. Our blood tests have shown that this is a mutant strain of Moonrage, so it doesn't make sense that they could be healed at the drop of a hat," the masked doctor said before turning to Spike. "Unless... "
"Unless what, Doctor Glade?" Redheart asked.
"Spike, would you be willing to donate blood to the infected?" Doctor Glade asked.
That was an interesting question to ask at this point, but Spike had a good idea what the doctor was thinking. Besides, if there was a way to help them that didn't involve him getting eaten alive again, he could do that.
"Yeah, I could donate," Spike replied.
"Excellent! I'll get everything set up!" Doctor Glade said.
Now that Spike and Redheart were alone, the Jiangshi nurse turned to Spike. There was relief in her eyes as she looked at him. Without warning, Redheart grabbed Spike and pulled him to her in a tight hug.
"I'm so happy you're alright!" Redheart said tearfully. "I was so worried when I saw you in that state!"
Spike hugged her back and stroked her head. "It's okay. I'm fine, now."
The two continued their hug for a while until Glade came back. When he saw them, he whistled in his mask's beak and chuckled.
"Well, look who's being a loving puppy!" Glade said.
"I... I was just happy to see that Spike is alive and healthy!" Redheart said.
"Are you kidding me, Red? I know that you always had a thing for younger males," Glade said. "Remember Jason?"
"You...! You said you wouldn't bring him up, anymore!" Redheart yelled. Glade only laughed.
"I swear, you're as easy to tease as a cat with a broken leg!" Glade said. "Anyway, let's get going, young Spike."
Spike and Redheart followed Glade inside the arena and was in awe of what he saw. In the stands and within the ring were beds of restrained Were-monsters hooked up to IV drips and different machines to keep them alive. In the middle of the ring was a chair with several empty blood bags hooked up around it. The doctor gestured to the chair with his hand,
"Alright, Spike, if you could just sit down in this chair, we'll handle the rest," Glade said.
He did as the doctor instructed and sat down in the chair. Doctor Glade rolled up Spike's left sleeve and felt around his lower arm near the elbow for a vein. Once he found it, he rubbed the area with an alcohol wipe before sticking a tubed needle in his arm. Once that was done, he gave Spike a rubber ball.
"I'm gonna need you to squeeze this ball to keep the blood flowing. Do that, and try to use your energy to keep up blood production," Glade said.
"Will do," Spike said, squeezing the ball.
(An Hour-and-a-Half Later)
Spike was feeling extremely weak by the time he filled up all the bags. Redheart was standing next to him for comfort the entire time. His skin was as pale as a ghost and his limbs felt like they were made of jelly.
"You did a great job, Spike. Now let's get you some food, juice, and sleep. I'll inform your teachers about this," Redheart said. "I'm sure some of your classmates can bring you your homework."
"Mm-hmm. Sounds good," Spike said weakly.
Redheart and Doctor Glade removed the needle and helped Spike to his feet. Glade gave Spike a gentle pat on the back.
"Amazing job, Spike. You just helped a lot of your classmates tonight," Glade said.
As Redheart helped Spike walk, they passed a bed where Octavia lay. She was now in her human form and looked a lot more lucid. She smiled upon seeing Spike.
"Spike... I'm so sorry," Octavia said.
"It's fine. As long as you're fine, I'll be fine," Spike said. "I just hope you get plenty of rest and get better."
"Okay," Octavia said.
Spike and Redheart left the arena and made it to Spike's dorm room. Due to Spike's weakened state, they had to use the building's elevator. Bringing Spike to his dorm room, Redheart laid him down on his bed to let him rest up from his ordeal. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Tucking him in, Redheart looked at Spike with a kind expression.
"I was hoping to get some more of your blood at some point, but I suppose I can wait for now," Redheart said. "Well, since I'm here, I guess I can have a little bit of fun."
Redheart removed her clothes and climbed into bed next to Spike, wrapping her arms around him. Spike unconsciously put his arms around her and held her close. Redheart leaned her head towards his neck and gave it a small lick. She gave him a mischievous smile.
"It'll be my turn to play with you when you get better, Spike. I promise you that much," Redheart said. "I think you'd like what I have planned."
*****
Dueling Arena
Sombra and Dr. Johann walked into the arena to see the sight of the infected students being given bags of blood. Amazingly, they were no longer thrashing in viral rage, but were no sleeping peacefully. It was an amazing sight to see. They walked up to Doctor Glade as he was tending to one of his patients.
"Excuse me, Dr. Glade, but what happened here?" Sombra asked. "Your patients look better than they did when I cam by here earlier."
"Thank you, Grand Inquisitor. And I have Spike to thank for this little miracle," Glade said.
"You used a dead student's blood for this?!" Sombra asked, angry.
"What? No! Spike's still alive," Glade said. "Believe me, I wouldn't use the blood of the deceased for this."
Both Sombra and Johann looked to each other in surprise. They turned back to the doctor with questions.
"Spike's... still alive?" Johann asked. "That should be impossible!"
"I was surprised, too! But he somehow healed after being eaten alive," Glade said. "It was nothing short of a miracle."
"Is Spike still around?" Sombra asked.
"Nurse Redheart took him back to his dorm," Glade replied. "He donated quite a lot of blood and he's pretty weak."
Now that they knew Spike was alive and recovering, there was another matter they wanted to learn about.
"What makes you think Spike's blood can heal these students?" Johann asked.
"I don't really know, but it's amazing! It's like his blood is destroying the virus within them!" Glade said. "His blood is a tremendous boon to monster medical science."
"If you don't mind, can I have a sample of Spike's blood to study?" Johann asked. "I myself would like to know how this miracle is possible."
"Of course you can. We ended up taking more than we needed anyway," Glade said. "I'll give you a whole bag to study."
"Thank you, Herr Glade," Johann said.
Glade gave them the promised blood bag and the pair left the arena, with Johann making a beeline for the school's science lab. Sombra looked up at the crescent moon of the sky.
"If Spike can survive that kind of damage and heal terrible diseases with his blood, then what is he?" Sombra asked. "I hope that Johann can provide me with answers."
Hunting was good for the Order of Artemis that night. A trailer park in the Appalachian Mountains served as a home for monsters, which had been feeding on the local homeless population.
The attack came in the middle of the day, when most of the monsters were asleep in their trailers. Each member of the pack had been caught off-guard until they heard the screaming. By the time the got out to fight, it was largely too late. Most of the pack had been wiped out by that point. One particularly Werewolf male howled in anger at seeing his comrades killed.
The offending Hunters were a team of three. Two of the Hunters were of standard rank while the leader of the trio was a well-known Cleric-class Hunter. The Cleric wielded a large longsword with a blade as thick as two hands. The Werewolf's eyes widened in recognition of this Hunter.
"Father Banesworth, you smarmy bastard!" the Wolf growled. "It's been a long time since I've seen your ugly mug."
"And I see that your still a dog who doesn't know when to stop barking," Banesworth said with an insufferable smile. "Looks like it's finally time for me to put you down, so why not make it easier for me?"
The Werewolf stared at Banesworth and his two teammates for a while until an idea crossed his mind. Giggling to himself, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver dagger. Leveling the blade to his heart, he gave Banesworth a smug grin.
"May the scythe of Mother Nyx strike you down!" he shouted.
A bright flash of light later, and the silver dagger was plunged deep into the Werewolf's chest, the blade going right through his heart. The acidic affect of the silver helped to kill him quickly and his body crumpled to the ground with a smile frozen on his face. With his death, that concluded Banesworth's hunt. The Cleric walked over to the body and pulled out the silver dagger, the blood sizzling and dissipating.
"A martyr for your pack, huh? Truly a dumb dog," Banesworth said.
"Looks like that's the end of this pack," one of his teammates said. "Let's go get a bite!"
"Not so fast. I think we need to acknowledge the fact that this is a coalition," the second Hunter said. "This pack contained monsters of different species living and cooperating together. I'm seeing Werewolves, Vampires, Ghouls, an Aswang, and even a few Jiangshi."
"Exactly my thinking, lads," Banesworth said. "Not only that, but the higher-ups have told me that monsters have been getting more active recently. And to make matters worse, the pair of Hunters I sent to destroy a hive haven't reported back, so I may have to assume the worst."
"You mean Lyra and Bon-Bon? They got busted?" the first asked. "But I remember training with those two, and they wouldn't go down that easy to any run-of-the-mill monster. Even a Wendigo would have a hard time fighting those two at once."
"Well, I was told that this particular hive had a Demon among them," Banesworth said. "That fact alone is cause for concern."
"Do you think this Demon-led monster hive is the reason for the monsters acting up?" the second asked.
"I'm not so sure," Banesworth replied. "These monsters weren't showing any sign of Demonic influence, they seem to be headed in a specific direction, and they're all forming coalitions. There is something else at work here, something that's drawing the monsters towards it."
The monsters forming coalitions has been a rare occurrence up until now. And the Intelligence Branch of the Order had told them that they've been tracking the movements of monsters for months and they've determined that they've been traveling towards the hive he sent Lyra and Bon-Bon to. Their behavior has been growing more erratic and unpredictable, too.
"I don't know about you, but I think a recon mission is in order," Banesworth said. "We should keep an eye on this new hive for anything suspicious."
*****
Dreadmire Academy - Biology Lab
Dr. Johann Schmidt was getting finally getting somewhere with his testing Spike's blood. He had been trying to figure out just how his blood alone was able to cure the Moonrage Virus strain he found in the now-cured students. There was simply no way a Ghoul could do something like that, regardless of his high Arc-level.
He had been doing another blood test for Merrow when it came up negative. Again. Johann slammed his fist on his desk in frustration.
"Verdammt! This is impossible! Just what kind of creature is Herr Spike?" Johann asked himself.
"Is something wrong, Doctor?" a familiar voice asked behind him.
Grand Inquisitor Sombra stood in the doorway of the Biology Lab. He looked concerned for Johann, with fatigue evident on the doctor's face. Johann composed himself as best he could and turned to address the Inquisitor.
"Master Sombra! I apologize for my outburst!" Johann said. "This gauntlet of blood tests has been consuming my efforts for hours!"
"It's fine, doctor. Can you at least tell me what you found so far?" Sombra asked.
"All I've been able to determine is that this particular student isn't a Ghoul and doesn't seem to be any known monster species," Johann replied.
"Then... does that mean he's a human?" Sombra asked suspiciously.
"No. He's not a monster, but he's not a human either," Johann said. "It's like he's something else entirely."
The doctor turned back to his microscope and drummed his fingers on the desk in thought. There had to be some way for him to figure out the mystery that was Spike Roman. Sombra looked to the ceiling in thought and an epiphany hit him.
"Have you tried Angelic Light?" Sombra asked. "He was struck by an Enochian Blade during the Battle of Dreadmire. Maybe the Light would reveal something important."
Dr. Johann's mood made a complete one-eighty. His face brightened with joy as he grabbed the Inquisitor by the shoulders with a continent-sized smile on his face.
"Wunderbar! Do you have one of those Blades?!" he asked.
"Uh... yeah. I confiscated them from the Hunters after we apprehended them," Sombra said softly.
Sombra reached into his coat and pulled out one of the said Blades. Focusing his magic, the actual blade appeared in a flash of light. Johann eagerly took the Blade and held it to one of the slides of Spike's blood. Johann's and Sombra's eyes grew wide as they saw the reaction.
The blood on the slide began to shimmer slightly before glowing with a soft blue light. It looked as if energy was flowing through the blood as if it were water. The two men were in awe at seeing this, especially Johann. His face became one of shock when he saw this.
"Do you know what this means?" he asked softly.
"What? Spike's an Angel?" Sombra asked in reply.
"Nein, if he was an Angel or a normal monster, the blood wouldn't react in this way," Johann replied. "This reaction combined with the color of the light means that Spike is... the son of Nyx."
That bit of news nearly blew Sombra off his feet. His knees rocked and his chest grew tight, making him grab his chest and try to prop himself up on the desk.
"The creator of all monsters? Our matron goddess? That Nyx?" Sombra asked.
"Ja. Spike is a demigod," Johann said. "We must inform the faculty at once, especially the Headmaster."
"Agreed. This is amazing news, news that could shake the global monster community to its core," Sombra said. "I wonder if Spike knows about this?"
The night was clear and the moon was a good crescent shape, allowing Twilight and the others, including Vinyl and Octavia, to enjoy their night in Twilight's room. It was the weekend and they didn't have any homework to do and Spike was spending the weekend with his family. The fact that Spike wasn't nearby was making Twilight antsy, but she was hiding it as best as she could.
"So what do you girls want to do, now?" Sunset asked.
"You wanna play video games? Spike recommended Poppy Playtime to me and I love it!" Rainbow suggested.
"I'd like to go for a run through the forest now that I can finally walk again," Octavia said before looking away with a blush. "It was thanks to Spike that I'm able to do anything again."
Vinyl looked at her Werewolf friend with a sly smile. "So you like him?"
"Shut your blood-chugging mouth, Vinyl!" Octavia shouted.
The rest of the girls started to laugh at Octavia's expense, while Octavia herself buried her head in her knees. Sunset spoke up after the laughter ended.
"I've noticed that apart from us, a lot of other females have been casting their eyes Spike's way," Sunset said. "And a lot of the males keep giving Spike jealous glares in class."
"Yeah, I can certainly see how girls would be drawn to him," Vinyl said with a blush of her own. "I saw him when he was fighting the Hunters, and there was something about that smoldering serious expression that was kinda sexy."
"Wait, you caught the Feelings Flu for Spike, too?" Pinkie asked.
"Well, his neck does look soft and chewy to me," Vinyl replied, licking her fangs.
Twilight smirked and added to what Vinyl had said. "It is indeed. The way my fangs just sink into his neck so easily is one of the best feelings. And his blood! I've been neglecting my Feeders because his blood is so good!"
Vinyl nearly jumped up in the air hearing this. She looked at Twilight with a look of both envy and surprise.
"You drank Spike's blood already?! Can I have some?" Vinyl asked.
"You may, as long as you acknowledge that I'm the alpha here," Twilight said.
The rest of the girls weren't happy to hear that as they all glared dangerously at Twilight. Some of them even growled in outrage. Sunset didn't care either way.
"Hold on, what makes you think you're the alpha of this harem pack?" Applejack asked.
"I was the first one to taste his blood, and you know I'm stronger," Twilight said, her eyes gleaming red.
"Hold on, just because your grandma is the Progenitor Vampire doesn't mean you should hog all the best meat this school's got!" Rainbow said.
Twilight shifted into her true Vampire form and bared her fangs at Rainbow. "Are you willing to fight me for that, chicken breast?"
"Hey, leave my breasts out of this!!" Rainbow said, covering her chest with her wings.
"If that's how it's going to be, then how about we settle this the way monsters always do?" Pinkie asked with a psychotic grin.
"Claws and fangs?" Rarity asked, shifting into her true form.
"Claws and fangs," Twilight said.
"Alright then! Let's go!" Applejack replied.
The girls, except for Sunset, all lunged at each other ready to fight. There had to be a hierarchy among Spike's harem one way or another.
*
(One Beatdown Later)
*
The girls were in quite a state by the time the fight was over. Twilight was standing victoriously while the others were lying on the ground, beaten and bruised, clawed and bitten, but still alive. Twilight licked the blood off her lips and claws in victory.
Except for a few bruises, Twilight emerged from the fight as the victor. Sunset started to clap in support of Twilight's win.
"Why didn't you try to fight?" Twilight asked. "I know you have as much love for Spike as the rest of us."
"Because I know that if I did try to fight you, I would lose," Sunset replied. "I may have my pride as a Demon, but I'm smart enough to know when one's my better."
"That's... surprisingly humble of you," Twilight said.
"Ever since my duel with Spike and my... *ahem* 'parental drama', I've had time to reflect on things," Sunset said. "I'm just happy to find someone I love as well as a pack to call my own."
Twilight walked over to Sunset and gave her a tight hug. "I'm happy to welcome you into this pack. But don't go thinking you can have Spike all to yourself."
"I won't. As long as you agree to share him with the rest of us, then there will be no infighting amongst us," Sunset said.
The rest of the girls got up and hobbled over to the couches and began to lick their wounds, literally. Twilight flashed them a dangerous grin.
"Any other objections to our arrangement?" she asked.
The girls all shook their heads and had their heads lowered in submission. After that was done, Vice-Headmistress Luna came into the common area with a sense of urgency.
"Miss Twilight! I have something important to tell you!" she said.
As soon as she saw the state the girls were in, she turned to Twilight. "May I ask what happened before I came here?"
"Just unruly packmates I had to put back in their place," Twilight said with a sickly sweet smile. "What is this message you had for me?"
Luna stepped forward and whispered softly into Twilight's ear. The message was short, but it was enough to make her eyes widen after hearing it. Luna stepped away from Twilight with an anxious expression.
"Are you sure about this?" Twilight asked.
"Indeed, I heard it directly from the Inquisitors," Luna replied.
"This is going to get super awkward!" Twilight said.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
Twilight turned to them with an embarrassed blush on her face. "The Progenitor Vampire, my grandmother, is actually coming here to Dreadmire Academy. And she says that she wants to meet Spike!"
*****
Olive Garden - With Sombra, Celestia, and Luna
Sombra and his brides Celestia and Luna were having a lovely dinner at Olive Garden. It was the first time they've enjoyed a meal together as a throuple in the past six months due to Sombra's job, so they intended to make the most of this one night.
"I must say that this parmesan chicken is heavenly!" Celestia said.
'I'm more of a lasagna man myself, but you can never go wrong with Olive Garden," Sombra said.
"Meals like this make me wish we could do this every night!" Luna said.
"Yes, it's been six months since we've last enjoyed a meal together, but we need to focus on the fun we're having right now," Sombra said.
"You're right. What with the investigation, the epidemic, and the whole thing you told us about Spike, we need to take our minds off work," Luna said.
"I still can't believe it! Spike Roman of all our students!" Celestia said. "Our school, nay, our world, will never be the same."
At that moment, a human couple approached them. By the looks of them, they were close in physical age to the three of them and they looked curious about them. The man spoke first.
"I'm sorry, but did one of you say 'Spike Roman'?" he asked.
"Uh... yes?" Sombra replied cautiously. "Do you know the lad?"
"Of course we do! He's our son!" the woman said with a smile.
The three disguised monsters were shocked. They were approached by Spike's parents! Knowing what they knew about Spike's true blood mother, they wanted to know more. Sombra gestured to the other seats at their table.
"Well, aren't we happy to see you!" Sombra said. "We're all teachers at Dreadmire Academy and have gotten to know your son. He's quite a good student and class leader!"
The Roman parents took seats by the throuple and were eager to learn about how their son was doing at their school. It was easy to see that the night was filled with smiles and laughter among all at that particular table.
*****
-Spike's House-
Spike was having a great time. This weekend, he had been playing all three of the Mass Effect games and had been trying super hard to score a romance with Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, his favorite waifu and character in the games. He was just about to talk to Morrin about how to go about entering into a sexual relationship with her when his brother Garble came into his room.
"Hey, bro. Wanna get some pizza?" Garble asked. "You've barely left this room since you got home and I'd like to have some bro-time before you go back to that academy."
"Maybe later. I gotta rizz up Tali first!" Spike replied.
"You like Tali?" Garble asked as if he was surprised. "I'm more of a fan of Jack as a waifu myself."
If there was a world record for "fastest time to pause a game and run to the door in a fit of anger", Spike would've won it without a doubt. He shot forward like a bullet and glared up at his older brother as if he just destroyed his collection of Call of the Night manga.
"You're really gonna stand there and tell me that Jack's better than Tali?" he asked.
"Look, bro, everyone has their own taste in waifus. There's nothing wrong with that," Garble said.
"I know. It's just that some are better then others," Spike said.
"You know, here's an idea: let's eat some pizza and we can make a tier list about Mass Effect waifus," Garble suggested.
Spike thought about it for a good bit before answering. "Fine. I haven't eaten anything all day and I could use a break."
The brothers went downstairs where a lovely pepperoni pizza awaited them. Their parents were on a date that night, so it was just the two of them for the night. Once they settled in and finished the pizza, Spike and Garble went back to Garble's room and drew a tier list on his personal whiteboard. The tiers were listed from S to F and they agreed to write the character's names where they should go on the tier list. Spike stood there with his arms crossed as he looked to his brother.
"So, do you really think that Jack surpasses Tali in terms of best girl in Mass Effect?" he asked.
"It's not that I think Jack's better than Tali. It's just that there's something to be said about a girl like Jack," Garble said.
"She's mentally unstable and throughout the whole romance, I couldn't help but get the feeling that Jack would literally kill me at some point," Spike said. "Besides, she looks like she would be into pegging and I'm not about that."
"What? You can help her with her issues throughout the time you have to romance her, and she can prove to be a loyal waifu at the end of it all," Garble said.
"That doesn't change the fact that Jack's a huge bag of issues and the bald dominatrix look doesn't do anything for me," Spike said. "But she's not inherently a bad person or character, so I'll be kind and put her in A-tier."
"I'll be happy with that," Garble said.
Spike wrote Jack's name in A-tier. Now, they moved onto another potential waifu.
"Okay, how do we feel about Ashley?" Garble asked.
"She feels like a caricature of a racist human in a galaxy where humans interact with aliens and she doesn't seem to justify her hatred for them, so I think she should go into F-tier," Spike said.
"Okay, she may be racist towards aliens, but if you're a paragon to her in Mass Effect 1, you can become a positive influence on her and make her see the error of her views," Garble said.
"I know, but that's only if you take up the paragon role, so anything outside of that doesn't do jack," Spike said. "And then you basically break up on Horizon, which pisses me off. I know there's nothing wrong with taking breaks in relationships, but damn did this one feel unnecessary."
"Now I will admit that in Mass Effect 3, she'll confront you in the hospital if you move on to Jack or Miranda, which is an issue seeing that you've broken up technically," Garble conceded. "Ashley will insult Jack, calling her a 'wanted shaved-headed criminal' and pokes fun at the fact that Miranda is genetically-engineered to imply that she's not even a real person."
"Exactly! Ashley is way out of line talking about them like that! So that's why I'd break up with her on the spot," Spike said. "I was going to go put her in F-tier, but due to the small amounts of character development she's given, I'll put her in D-tier."
Moving on, the boys got to Liara T'Soni.
"Okay, I love Liara well enough and like how devoted she is," Garble said.
"Agreed. There's something to be said about having a partner that's willing to move mountains for you, and Liara definitely does that for Shepard," Spike agreed. "But I gotta be honest, there's not a lot of depth in her romance. Even when you die, and she says that you can't undo two years of grief, she's still perfectly able to return to Shepard after the Shadow Broker mission."
"Still, she's not a bad romance and it's one that you can carry throughout all three games, so I think I'll put it in B-tier because of the lack of depth the romance gets," Spike said. "If feels too perfect to the point where it's boring."
"Fine, though I'm not happy about it," Garble said.
"Next is Miranda Lawson, and oh boy I like her," Spike said. "She's a lovely woman who hides a soft, tender side underneath her icy demeanor. I think she can go into S-tier easily."
"True, she had a great figure and can turn most players away from the alien waifus," Garble said. "And helping her realize that she doesn't have to be perfect makes her more compelling."
"Yes. It's easy to write off Miranda due to how rude she is to Shepard at the beginning, but once you melt her bit by bit, you can see the warm heart she really has," Spike said. "And if you break up with her, she is genuinely heartbroken. This is a very normal response for someone like her who has problems getting attached to people and it shows how much she was into you."
"And with that, then I'll put her into S-tier," Garble said.
Looking down the list, the boys came across Samara.
"Okay, I think Samara should go into C-tier," Spike said.
"I certainly agree. You can spend all your time trying to win her over, and only have it end with you either getting rejected or getting a simple hug in the Citadel DLC," Garble said.
"Yeah, it's like she's blue-balling us the entire time," Spike said. "The last thing anyone wants to do is jump through hoops just for their partner's affection. I would've settled for the hug if the romance wasn't barley there."
And with that, Samara was firmly placed into C-tier. Next on the list was her daughter Morinth. This one would also be settled quickly.
"Okay, I think we just found our first F-tier here," Garble said. "I wouldn't let Morinth near me for any reason."
"Agreed. Who wants a serial killer and rapist that will fry your nervous system to be near them?" Spike asked. "This psychopath goes straight down into F-tier."
For the final girl they had listed, it was none other than Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Spike smiled as he wanted to delve deeper into his favorite waifu from Mass Effect.
"Okay, Tali is an S-tier waifu without argument," Spike said. "Her quirky personality and the fact that she's had a crush on Shepard since the beginning as well as her nervousness surrounding it was super endearing."
"Yeah, that's true. There's something to be said about how nervous she can get when interacting with Shepard," Garble said. "That, and her researching how to go about an intimate relationship with Shepard despite the risks to her health shows how devoted she is to making the romance work."
"Plus, she's never shown her face to anyone, even to other Quarians, so it makes it all the more special that she gives you the honor of being the first one to see her real face," Garble said. "Though I don't like how you look at the picture and it's just some random stock photo or a photo that you can barely see in the Legendary edition. I've seen Tali fanart better than that shit!"
"True. Plus, there's something to be said about how her helmet plays into her appeal," Spike said. "It's been said that showing a little bit is often better than the thing itself, and it gives you something to look forward to. I also really love the flirtatious banter between them. Plus, she's got some of the best hips ever."
"Amen to that! Tali's got amazing hips. And what about Tali as a character?" Garble asked.
"She's one of the best written characters in the game," Spike replied. "You see her going from a naïve inexperienced girl on her Pilgrimage to a nervous wreck at being a leader to becoming a leader that helped to reclaim her people's homeworld and become willing to work with the Geth."
"Alright, I'm convinced. Tali is an S-tier Mass Effect waifu," Garble said chuckling.
The two brothers looked at the tier list they made and smiled. Spike went back to his room to finish up his current playthrough when Garble put a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, how about we binge-watch the Shrek movies tonight?" Garble asked. "I'd love some more bro-time."
That was true. With everything happening at school, it would be nice to spend some actual time with his family. Besides, he now thought that he could just bring his games and gaming system with him. He smiled at Garble when he replied.
"As long as we skip Shrek 3 then we have a deal," Spike said.
"Ha! Deal! I'll go make some popcorn," Garble said.
The Roman brothers would have a fun night watching movies as a family. Spike would miss him once he went back to school, so he would enjoy this night to the fullest.
(For those who didn't read it, I made the previous slice-of-life chapter longer with a funny interaction between Spike and Garble, so please check it out after this! You won't regret it!)
Dreadmire Academy - Homeroom
Spike had a great weekend ranking Mass Effect waifus with his brother and had just as much fun displaying the waifu superiority of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy to Garble. He now sat in homeroom reading Tali x Reader fanfics on his phone, since he didn't have any homework, when Miss Cheerilee opened the door and walked in with her usual smile.
"Good evening, class! I have some great news to share with you tonight!" she called. "Tonight, we'll be going on a class trip to the woods around the school to learn more about the wild monster communities that live around the world."
The class was abuzz with hearing that. Spike was especially interested in learning that there were monsters that lived off the grid. Anything to stay out of the eye of the Hunters, Spike supposed. Still, he was excited to see how monsters would live in the wild places of the world. And it seemed that there were monsters that lived in the same forest that held the school as well. Spike felt a nature call as he was picturing the trip in his head.
"Uh, may I use the bathroom real quick, Miss Cheerilee?" Spike asked. Miss Cheerilee smiled and even gave a small bow to him.
"Of course you can, Lord Spike," she replied.
Spike was confused about that reply, but he got up to go nonetheless. As he made his way through the halls to the bathroom, he came across Rumble on his back from the bathroom.
"Oh hey, buddy!" Rumble said. "One of the guys texted me and said that we were going to visit some of the wild monsters that live around here. You excited?"
"Yeah, but my mind's on something else right now," Spike replied.
"Is something wrong?" Rumble asked.
"Not wrong, exactly, just plain weird," Spike replied. "Ever since I got back from my family's house, the teachers have been acting differently around me."
"Different how?"
"Well, they've been treating me almost as if I were royalty. Hell, Miss Cheerilee even referred to me as Lord Spike when I asked just to use the bathroom."
"Hmm. That does sound weird. You're the school's hero and celebrity, but this does seem a bit extreme."
"That's not all. Last night, one of the lunch ladies tried to give me a whole pig for lunch."
Rumble burst out laughing when he heard that. He actually gripped his stomach and dropped to his knees.
"I'm sorry, bro. It's just... the thought of you carrying a dead pig on your lunch tray on the way to your table is hilarious!"
Spike chuckled a bit at the thought. He politely declined the pig, but the lunch lady insisted. He simply took the pig and gave it to Trixie, who was more than thankful for it. Trixie then swallowed the pig whole right in front of Spike. He had to do everything he could to try to forget that. Still, he thought it was kind of funny for him to carry around that huge pig.
Thinking back to the behaviors of the staff, even the Inquisitors started to treat him differently. Most of them bow when he passes by them and there was even one that got down on her knees and clasped her hands together and literally began to pray right in front of his eyes. It was certainly odd, but he had to focus on his full bladder screaming for relief right now. He made a mental note to investigate later and sped towards the bathroom.
*****
The Woods Outside the School
Spike was quick to join the others outside the school's gates for their little trip. The woods were deep and dark, and Spike could sense ambient Arc energy radiating from it. Regular humans wouldn't be able to notice it, but to Spike, it was like a fog. He joined Rumble and the rest of his friends as Miss Cheerilee did a head count of everyone there.
"Alright, we all seem to be here, so let's be on our way!" Miss Cheerilee said. "We may be visiting other monsters, but we should still stick together while we're in the woods."
Miss Cheerilee led the group through the woods after giving them advice. Because of how dark this forest was at night, Spike used his magic to enhance his eyesight. As they traversed the woods, Spike noticed how Miss Cheerilee seemed to be familiar with the area and he guessed that either she often frequents the forest or she lives out there. They walked until the school's towers were no longer in view and Spike felt a weird chill shooting down his spine. Spike knew he was being watched.
He shot his head around looking for the one watching him, but even with his advanced eyesight, he couldn't see anyone there. Still, he knew there was someone watching him. Spike ran back to catch up with the rest of the group, where Rarity noticed his expression.
"What's wrong, Spike?" she asked.
"I just... I can't help but get the feeling that we're being watched," Spike replied. "Ever since we got this deep in the woods, it feels like someone's watching me."
"Well, we must be entering a wild monster's territory and they must sense your high arc level," Twilight said, joining them. "It could be that they're curious about you."
"None of them are going to try to fight me, are they?" Spike asked.
"Not unless you tried to pick a fight with them," Twilight said. "Wild monsters may be wild, but they're not stupid."
"If we're already in a wild monster's territory, why haven't they tried to attack us or something?" Spike asked.
"For one thing, we're not here to eat any of the prey that may exist here and we're not looking for a fight, so we should be fine," Twilight said. "I made the mistake of feeding in a wild monster's territory once, and I found out the hard way that wild monsters don't like to share prey."
"Wait, seriously?" Rarity asked. "What happened?"
"I actually got my ass handed to me by an angry Wendigo while me and my family were visiting Michigan," Twilight replied. "I had no idea how fierce wild monsters could be until that very fight. Hell, I'm happy that Wendigo only wanted to drive me away!"
"Well, since we're here for a simple class trip, so I don't think we have anything to worry about," Rarity said.
The group came up to a pretty steep hill where there sat a primitive structure of some kind. Several large logs were stacked against each other vertically surrounding a stump that looked to be dug out in the center. It looked like someone dug through the stump and into the underground. Spike guessed that it was a monster's den. Miss Cheerilee walked up to the den and knocked on one of the logs.
"Hey, Tree Hugger! I brought my students with me and we would love to spend the day learning more about our wild brethren," Cheerilee said.
From underground, Spike could hear what sounded like claws scrabbling up the dead wood of the stump. The group saw a feminine form rise up from the underground and stand before them.
The she-monster that stood before them looked like a bizarre combination between human and plant. Her skin was mottled and colored to look like tree bark. She had bright glowing green eyes and long hair that looked like dark green vines. Her pointed ears stuck out from her head like knives, and wore a simple two-piece dress made from woven vines. The creature, "Tree Hugger" as she's apparently called, smiled at seeing the students.
"Hey, little monsters, how's it going?" Tree Hugger asked in a sleepy tone. "I heard that you wanted to learn more about us wild ones."
"Yes. Would you mind taking us on a tour of your territory?" Cheerilee asked.
"Sure, I guess. I like the good vibes your class is giving off," Tree Hugger replied. "Come on, little fawns. I'll take you to meet some of my neighbors."
Tree Hugger walked off to lead the group through the forest now. As they followed behind, Twilight was staring at Tree Hugger in awe. Spike walked next to her.
"What's got you so shocked?" Spike asked.
"Sorry. It's just that... she's a Leshen. I never thought I'd see a Leshen living here," Twilight replied.
"What's a Leshen?" Spike asked.
"Leshens are monsters native to Eastern Europe and Russia. They're known in Slavic folklore as being forest guardians, and territorial ones at that," Twilight replied. "They're pretty rare nowadays, so seeing one in person is a real treat."
This was an interesting thing to learn about. Spike looked at Tree Hugger and thought about why they may be rare, but he had a pretty good guess.
"Would the Order of Artemis have anything to do with Leshens being rare?" Spike asked.
"Yep. Because Leshens are usually territorial, they often attack or trick humans who enter their forests. That put them on the Order's radar and they began to kill any Leshens they found," Twilight said. "However, because America has vast forests and has laws protecting forests, Leshens have been making a comeback here."
"Well, that's nice to hear," Spike said.
The class continued to follow Tree Hugger though the forest, making sure not to fall too far behind. Spike was walking up one of the hills when he heard something behind him.
"Follow me"
Spike turned around and saw... no one. There wasn't anyone standing behind him, and he was now starting to feel creeped out because of this. He turned back around and his group was nowhere in sight.
"What the hell?!" he said softly. "Where'd they go? And how am I going to find them?"
"You can follow me to find your class, dear boy"
The voice caused Spike to look around again only to see no one else there. His heart was racing as he was looking around the woods around him.
"Is that a ghost? Are these woods haunted? If monsters exist, then maybe ghosts exist too, right?" Spike asked himself fearfully.
A small twig flew out of nowhere and hit Spike in the back of the head. This time, Spike channeled his magic to his speed and turned around faster than normal. This time, he caught sight of the figure that was trolling him all the while.
Standing directly behind him was a girl, one that looked younger than Spike. She was quite small and slight of build, and wore a simple black dress with no shoes. Her skin was as pale as snow and her bob-cut hair was a deep shade of crimson and her eyes were pale red. Her long pointed ears twitched forward as the claws on her feet gripped the tree branch she was perched on. Spike immediately knew that this girl was a Vampire. She gave Spike a fanged smile.
"Hello, dear boy. You must be the famed hero Spike Roman, correct?" she asked in a sweet voice.
"Yes, I am," Spike replied with caution. "Who are you?"
"I suppose that you can call me 'Lamashtu', even though I was never given an official name," the girl said.
"Very well, then. What do you want with me?" Spike asked.
"You know that there are rumors being spread about you throughout the monster community, right?" Lamashtu asked. "Not just in America, but also around the world. Monsters are even making up heroic ballads about you. I wanted to see the beloved Knight of Dreadmire for myself."
Spike was at a loss for words. Monster all around the world had now heard about him, and they were even singing ballads about him. He chuckled to himself as he thought about it.
"Well, I'm flattered to hear that monsters are singing songs about me, if slightly embarrassed," Spike said. "So, you just wanted to meet me?"
"That, and I wanted to see the boy dear Twilight is so interested in," Lamashtu replied.
Before Spike could ask about how Lamashtu knew Twilight, she zoomed over to Spike in the literal blink of an eye and gently wrapped her arms around him, bringing her mouth close to his neck. He could feel her sniffing his neck for a bit before whispering to him, her lips tapping his neck as she did so.
"You smell delightfully nostalgic, dear boy. Let's see if you taste like my beloved Twilight described," she whispered seductively.
Razor teeth sank deeply into Spike's neck before he could say anything else again. He was feeling the euphoric and weakening effects of the venom, but this felt... stronger, somehow. He felt like he was ascending to not just another planet, but another galaxy. He couldn't even muster the strength to channel his magic to heal... or do anything else. All he could do was stand there, feel a cute little vampire gulping down his blood, and get higher than a satellite off her venom. He giggled as she detached her jaws from him. She helped him sink to the ground and propped him up against a tree.
"Wow! Your blood is amazing! I see why my little pipistrelle likes you so much," Lamashtu exclaimed with a giggle. "And it looks like I was right, you do taste nostalgic. I think I'm going to make regular visits here just to get some more of your blood if that's okay."
All Spike could do was laugh and babble like a crackhead who just got his latest hit. Lamashtu laughed at his elevated state like it was the most hilarious thing ever.
"I don't think you'll have much of a problem if I come back, young man!" Lamashtu said. "Now, let's get that neck of your healed before you die."
Lamashtu bit her thumb and drew up a single drop of blood to apply to the bite wound. The wounds closed up almost instantly, but it would take a while for Spike to recover from the effects of her venom. Still, Spike seemed to be slightly more lucid now. Lamashtu sat down next to Spike and stared at him in an almost maternal way.
"To think the Allmother produced a son with a human," Lamashtu said. "Well, I'll do my best to protect you, Spike Roman. And I will admit that you're quite attractive for a pup your age."
At that, Spike's class burst through the trees and saw the display before them. Twilight made her way to the front of the group and saw Spike laying against the tree with a bloody neck.
"Spike! Are you--?!" Twilight shouted before she saw who was sitting next to him. "G-Grandmother?! When did you get here?!"
By now, Spike was lucid enough to hear what was going on. He looked to Twilight and then to Lamashtu in shock, but then his class gave a different reaction. They all dropped down to their knees and bowed. Miss Cheerilee tried to welcome Lamashtu.
"Uh, w-welcome to our school, Your Imminence!" Miss Cheerilee said in greeting. "I-I wasn't aware that the Progenitor Vampire herself would be coming here!"
"It's fine, young lady. I'm here to both do business and visit my beloved granddaughter at her prestigious school," Lamashtu said.
Spike was now in full-shock. Not only was Lamashtu Twilight's grandmother, but she was the Progenitor Vampire. That meant that she was the very first vampire ever! And she was here, right in front of Spike!
"What the hell is going on around here?!" Spike shouted in his head.