Storms, beasts, mutants, and an atomic winter. At the center of it all is Spike and his mask.
In the ruins of the world, an atomic winter ravages the lands. Underground, a young dragon blooded man lives, trains, and fights to protect his home and people.
One day, he is charged with finding his old friends. He will have to shoot through a radioactive wasteland, filled with beasts, strange occurrences and cults of beasts disguised as men to get to his destination.
This was once Equestria, land of the pony bloods, powerful magic users who would bend the very will of the earth and sky to suit their needs. The Earth bloods, whose strength could help them work the land and tend the fields, were the most in tune with the ground. They helped the plants grow and the fields to be plentiful, and had some serious strength.
The sky bloods, whose magic allowed them to roam the skies in beautiful wings, would help move the very clouds, allow the rains and snows to fall, and could help summon tornadoes simply by flying together.
There were the magic bloods, who would use spells and magic to help the world. They would learn, become stronger, and use their magic to help the other two bloodlines out, even helping to predict events in some individuals or go back in time, as some rumors say.
Then, there were the last line, the Royals. The Royals were a combination of all three lines. They had beautiful wings, powerful magic, and the strength to move mountains. They were the rulers of the land, and some say could even move the sun and moon, and paint the very stars.
And yet, even with all their power, all of their strength, all of their abilities, they could not stop the coming violence in the world.
It started as a normal day in the beginning, clouds were drifting by, birds were chirping, dogs barked and children played in the fields, enjoying their summer vacations from school. The sun was drifting high into the sky, and it seemed like a beautiful summer day in Equestria. That is when the sirens came.
The loud tone echoed out, striking through the peaceful day and shattering it, much like one does with glass and a hammer. Parents shot up and ran with their belongings out of their homes and businesses, having been mostly prepared for this day. Youngsters, scared and confused, ran home, only to be picked up by their parents.
A young child, hair green and beautiful emerald eyes, stared up at the kingdom on the mountain, which quickly sprung up a magic shield. The youngster looked to and fro for his guardian, only to be swooped up by the mayor of the town, staring up into the skies in horror.
There, multiple streaks of smoke and light racing across the sky, the youngsters eyes filling up with fear, pupils constricting into slits and tail wrapping around the woman carrying him. He held his hand out, calling someones name, which was lost to the crowd.
It was all a blur to the youngster, who could not make out faces or shapes, he did not even look at the familiar boutique as they passed by. Tears stung his eyes as he stared into his old, familiar faces blended together. He saw trees flash by, then dared to look forward, seeing caves and a massive, metal door in the side of one.
"Come on! Come on! Everyone inside!" He heard his savior yell out, before he dared a look back out towards his home, one he had lived in for years, and the distance, shielded city that was Canterlot.
The sounds of distant, echoing booms erupted out, everyone stopping in their mad dash to watch. His emerald eyes stared off at the distance, seeing a bright flash and the worlds greatest mushroom sprout out of it. It grew in size, making the young boy hiss in panic, squeezing the woman tighter.
"Quicker! Inside!" His charge yelled, ushering in people. Once everyone (or they hoped everyone) was in, a loud boom echoed out, a shockwave and soundwave echoing out.
She pressed a few buttons, before pulling a lever, the doors giving a loud, protesting groan before slowly closing. "Come on, come on, come on come on come on." She muttered to herself, watching the doors close. She looked at the young lad in her arms, who flashed her a scared look.
A loud boom shook them both and they looked back, seeing a mushroom cloud, still really far off. However, the shockwave nearly sent the two flying, though Mayor Mare grasped onto the door and shielded Spike. For a few moments, it felt like the world was about to rip itself apart, before the shockwave finally stopped. She looked up, in horror, watching as Cloudsdale was ripped apart by the force of the bomb, no doubt sending hundreds to their immediate, collective death.
She looked back down at Spike, before walking back into the cavern, taking a note of everyone inside. It seemed some did not make it, no doubt killed in the shockwave, but she couldn't tell who in her current state, and her mind was racing. She felt a tap on her chest, pulling her from her thoughts, and looked down to the emerald haired lad.
"Mayor Mare, what are we gonna do?"
She gave a fake smile, then stared at the door, it finally closing with a hiss and a loud thunk. A moment later, the ground shook and and the lights flickered, making people scream in fright. "Don't worry, Spike. We'll be fine." She mumbled to the young lad, who tightened his grip on her. She looked down, brushing his cheek, before looking back at the group. The ground shook again, screams of fear echoing out, though Mayor Mare only stared down at Spike. "We'll be okay. We'll be fine."
Spike turned to the door, dust slowly falling doen onto the group, a distant boom and ground shaking confirming their world had been shattered and burned into nuclear glass. A few tears streamed down his face, collecting dust and dirt and cleaning his cheeks, before he looked back and asked, "What about Twilight? And the others? What about Mom? What about-"
Mayor Mare shushed him, gently holding the young lad close, before responding, "Remember, they went to the Crystal Empire. You know Shining Armor and Princess Cadance wouldn't let anything happen to them." She assured him, before looking back at the crowd, seeing everyone covered in dirt and dust, their eyes filled with fear. She looked back down at Spike, who was sniffling a bit, before returning back to the crowd, her heart filling with determination. She suddenly called out, "Everyone!"
Everyone's whispers and muttering stopped as they turned to her. Being someone in politics, the suddenly change did not phase her, though Spike pressed up against her breasts, sniffling still, trying to calm himself down.
"I need someone to give an accurate head count of everyone here. Line up in rows. First, we will have farmers, then magic users, then flyers, and then builders. We will need to fix up the old settlement deep in the cave. Then, we will need explorers to map out safe spots, find clean water, and any salvage." She walked towards the group, it parting a bit, gently scratching Spikes scalp. She looked down, peering at him, before clearing her throat. "The main building should still be operational, assuming the bombs did not loosen any rocks or boulders and destroy parts of it. All the children, stay with Ms. Cheerilee and head towards the main building after the count."
"What about the others, in Cloudsdale or Canterlot?" A womans voice piped up, making her frown a bit, holding Spike closer once she felt his arms squeeze her tighter.
"There's nothing we can do for them right now." Mayor Mare spoke, before sitting down on a rock, hugging Spike tighter, her protective instincts taking over. "We must think about survival right now. Once we get a steady line of food and water, and are able to house everyone, then we can talk about scouting parties and rescue plans. Now, everyone line up, we'll try to do this safe and thorough!"
Mayor Mare looked down at Spike, who had calmed down, eyes still red as he looked up at her. She only smiled sadly, before hugging him tighter. She wanted to cry. She wanted to weep and scream and hug Spike forever, keeping him safe and sound.
She didn't do these things, for she had to be strong. For all of them. Their world may have been destroyed and plunged into a nuclear darkness, but she had to carry hope for them, and show that they will not be broken and turned into dust.
It had taken a few hours for them to gather up their strength and descend into the darkness. They had lost quite a few people, unfortunately, but most were still alive. As they walked, Spike had dozed in her arms, adrenaline from the previous events taking a toll on him.
Mayor Mare took a look at the cobbled together pieces of scrap they would call home. Until rescue arrives or they found someplace better, that is. The cavern itself was massive, easily able to hold four ursa majors and then some. It looked like there were dusty sheds and tools, a large building for food with dusty lights, and a few other buildings, made out of metal and stones.
"Alright." Mayor Mare called out, turning around and giving the group of survivors a stare, catching their attention. "We need this place in tip top shape. We'll need tools, rebreathers, masks, and metal. Who knows what else lurks in these tunnels, and I, for one, do not want to be caught unaware." Some of the group started to walk into the buildings, Mayor Mare setting Spike down and kneeling in front of him. "Spike."
Spike looked up at her, his emerald eyes with rounded pupils staring up at her, though in the low light, they reflected, much like a dogs eyes. Even though his eyeshine unnerved her, he just moved his eyes around, landing on various different survivors, hoping to spot his friends, though rather fruitlessly. It would be another few days before they could really stand on their legs, and they all knee this, but they kept moving on. Mayor Mare looked him up and down, noticing his normally purple and green scaled tail was currently dulled, drooping and resting on the ground, and his shirt, which had a cute, purple dragon designed on it, was covered in rocks and dirt.
Mator Mare followed his gaze, finding Applebloom and Big Macintosh mourning, holding the scarf of the Apple matriarch in their hands. Even in the low light, she could see the apples on its design. She looked over to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hugging each other, sobbing and crying together. It was no doubt the two lost their families in the attack, and since she did not spot them anywhere.
She looked around more, seeing the mohawk of the familiar Zecora, her beautiful brown skin marred with scratches and dust, and holding a bag, which no doubt had the few belongings she could carry. In the corner, she saw Mister and Misses Cake, both holding on to their young children, who were far too young to understand why their parents were upset, but were crying because of the noises and shaking. She could even spot some guards, their usually shiny armor dusted with dirt and grime, and their weapons held in a relaxed state.
Mayor Mare looked down at her outfit, spotting cuts and tears, and even wet spots from where Spike had cried. She brushed her dyed hair with a hand, some dust and dirt coming free, before giving Spike a sad smile. "Well, at least you don't have the afro on." Spike joked, his voice croaking out in the darkness, making Mayor Mare smile.
"You should rest, Spike. We have a long day ahead of us, and you know Twilight will be worried sick when she finds out you are still up this late." Mayor Mare offered, making Spike look off into a rock wall, then back at her.
"Do you think Twilight is okay?"
"Are you kidding me?" Mayor Mare said, before giving Spike a reassuring side hug, unintentionally squishing his dace into her breast. "That Princess survived Discord, Tartarus, an evil shapeshifting queen, and Pinkie Pie! I'm sure she is more worried about you right now." She then brushed some dirt off of Spikes face, making him smile, his fangs for canines being shown, though she felt no fear from it. "Now, the main building will be where you and I will stay until Princess Twilight gets you. Now, let's get a gem off the wall and call it a night."
It had been one month since the world was turned into ash and snow. The world outside would be unrecognizable, had anyone the strength or bravery to face it. However, despite how bleak and desolate the surface is, life still thrives, and when there is life, there is hope. Nearby, a deer walks through the snow, pushing some snow over and eating the wet, packed grass, not noticing the glowing sludge nearby. It perked up as it heard a branch crack, the bucks head twisting this way and that.
He strained his ears, listening against the howling wind and not noticing the feeling of poisons striking against it. Though, if any sapience was somehow brought forward by the strikes of the weapons, it showed no signs of it.
Another branch snapped, and the buck was already taking off. However, it mattered not, as a shadow from above swept down. It fave a throaty call of surprise, before its throat was torn out, blood splattering against the ground. It gave a gargled cry, trying to breathe, before the shadow struck again, swiping the poor deers head off and letting it flop to the ground.
A quick death. Merciful. Though, not brought on by any merciful being. The beast snarled, before spreading its wings and taking off into the sky, dragging the body with it. It gave a deep roar, ignoring the winds and cold as it carried off its meal.
Had it decided to stick around, it may have felt the earth rumble below it, giving a slight clue of what was happening underground.
The settlement, named "The Caverns", had been heavily modified whilst the citizens were trapped down in the caves. As they built and explored, it turned out that the caverns were far more expansive and held secrets. One such secret being that the caverns had an spring, which in a cave nearby. Here, people would gather drinks, bathe, clean clothes, and slowly set up their own sewer system, with clean running water and designated places to destroy waste.
Another such secret was a cave full of different colored gems. Spike particularly liked this new passage they discovered, but the air smelt strange to the other Humans, so they had walled it up for the moment, until they could figure out what the strange feelings and smells would come from.
Of course, they had created a housing structure, a school for the children (which, thankfully, someone had stocked up the books before the disaster, though did not think to CLEAN the place), a place to eat, a medical clinic (with dwindling supplies, unfortunately), and a few other places to help create metal and other such supplies.
Thanks to the magic of the the Magicbloods and the strength of the Earthbloods, they had made a farm. Although it was not much food, they still had some in storage and would use the seeds to plant even more.
Although being vegetarians, they did not turn down meat in a state of survival, and seeing the circumstances they were currently in, some Earthbloods had learned how to catch and trap animals, such as small rodents and bats and learned how to cook them.
One of the many drawbacks they experienced was that guards, only four of them, were not properly prepared to handle many issues. They could maybe fend off a beast at a time, but Mayor Mare still hesitated to even think about training others to fight.
They were simple folks from Ponyville, they should be worried about food, what little power they could generate, who liked who in class, not fighting off beasts or training so hard their very bones ached. That being said, she did agree that they need some form of defense. Maybe she could have volunteers on patrol start training with the guards and see how that turned out.
"Mayor Mare! We found something!" A voice called out, bringing her out of her thoughts. Her eyebrows perked up, before adjusting her clothes and standing up from the bed. She looked back at Spike, her mind wandering a bit.
She had learned much about Spike during the month (at least, they hoped it was a month.) they had spent together. First off, despite looking 9 years old, the young lad was actually 13, and was going through a growth spurt. It seemed dragonbloods, like Spike, could live for millennium and barely change in appearance, though would go through growth spurts every once in awhile, the strongest and most violent happening when they were young and settling down as they grew.
Second was that, despite his small appearance, he is quite durable and strong, which made her realize how he tore holes into her clothing by accident on that fateful day. At the rate he was growing, he would make a handsome, strong young man before she knew it. He would also make any lady he chose very happy.
That last thought brought a blush to the Mayor, who quickly stamped the thought and brushed it under the mental rug. She brushed a strand of emerald hair away from Spikes forehead and smiled, before standing up.
And third...he had nightmares. Bad ones. About Twilight and the others. He cried himself to sleep sometimes, or would thrash and scream in his nightmares, calling out the names of the six until he would awaken and would be settled down by a random person passing by or the Mayor herself. It seems the only times the nightmares would stop was when someone was close, which caused Mayor Mare to spend nights and mornings cuddling with the young dragonblood.
Yes, he could eat the toughest diamonds and take damage that would kill a normal person and brush it off with barely a scratch. He could even breathe fire and drink lava. However, he felt helpless in his own dreams, and some, small, motherly part of the Mayors mind loved that he saw her as safety.
She wondered what happened to Luna if she could not protect Spike or any others now. Perhaps she was helping Canterlot or trying to find survivors? Yes, that must be it. No room for bad thoughts in her head, no siree!
She started to walk away, though some small part of her yearned to hold Spike close and cuddle more. She spared his sleeping form a glance, before walking out of the room. She entered the main building, looking around the carved rocks and metal, giving a soft sigh.
It wasn't much, but it was home.
She looked at the guard, who saluted her, her giving a soft chuckle. At first, it was confusing and even embarrassing, though, it had been a common sight to see a guard with the mayor, usually relaying information or protecting her.
Not that she thought she was important enough for said protection, but apparently, having four, hunky, male and female guards tend to her every request had made her blush more than once.
So she swung both ways, deal with it.
She cleared her throat, the guard lowering his arm, and she seemed to sense something on his normally stoic face. "So, what's wrong this time?"
"We have good news and bad news. The good news is that whilst exploring one of the deeper caverns, we think a Skyblood found something."
Mayor Mares eyebrow shot up, before she asked, "You think or you know?"
The guard looked around, making sure they were alone for a moment, before continuing, "That is the bad news, ma'am, we have no idea what happened to him. He hasn't returned for his schedule check in."
Mayor Mare sighed, then rubbed her temples with her finger tips, trying to soothe the coming headache. She just knew sending that man out was a bad idea. "I'm all cooped up" he would crow, "I need to stretch my wings", he screamed.
Perhaps training the others under the guards was not such a bad idea. They walked by a field of edible mushrooms, one of the few things they could grow without near constant supervision, the guard gripping his spear a bit as they walked closer. Two more guards had been stationed near the hole, though it appeared one was dozing and the other was cleaning their spear, much to the irritation of the guard leading Mayor Mare.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I have to take care of something." He grumbled out, walking towards the two. It seemed they did not notice him, the other being too focused on cleaning their spear and the other dozing off. He cleared his throat, the one still focused on cleaning their spear, and the other having finally fallen asleep, before giving a smirk.
Time to teach these punks a lesson.
Mayor Mare noticed the mans smirk, covering her ears, the business of the evening should drown out the guard. However, these two unlucky women would not be in the business center.
"PRIVATES! ATTEEEEEENTION!!"
This caused the woman on the wall to scream and fall down in a panic, before scrambling back up and giving a salute, weapon forgotten on the ground. The one cleaning her weapon jumped out, accidentally clunking her helmet down with her weapon, blinding her. Not stopping her, she made a salute...the completely wrong direction, a 90 degree turn towards the other guard, still saluting, as if nothing had happened.
"So, private Meteor Storm. Mind telling me why, exactly, you were cleaning your weapon at this time?" He barked out, the Mayor peeling her hands off her ears and giving an amused smile.
Said private, Meteor Storm, was a beautiful young Earthblooded woman, probably in her early twenties. She had a scar across her lip, probably from some early life injury, light skin, and her hair under her helmet was a mixture of blacks, blues, and greys. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with panic, making the Mayor chuckle at the sight.
"Well, sir, I was just -"
"You were distracted during guard duty! You did not hear me walk up, you did not notice my throat clearing, and you certainly would not have time to do that half assed salute if I was an enemy! If you must clean your weapon, do it on your own time!" He turned to the other guard a beautiful skyblooded woman, his gaze unwavering as he glared at her. "Private Storm Chaser!"
The woman in question tightened her grip on her spear, and Mayor Mare got a good look at her. The woman bore no scars on her face, but her helmet and chest piece looks like it was struck by some of the rocks when they were first setting up their settlement. Her hair was black with a few yellow highlights, her skin was an almond color, and she possessed wings, which were black with yellow primary feathers. It looks like there was a bandage on one of her wings, though the guard was likely too proud to admit she was grounded.
"Yes, sir!"
"Can you tell me why you look so tired?"
"Yes sir, I was guarding the food stores last night and ended up chasing a few rodents around to keep them away."
"I see, so when I sent private Steel Wing to guard the food last night, he never showed?"
"No sir, he did not."
Mayor Mare grew worried, though it seemed the leader of this group was unfazed, and then said, "Lazy ass, probably decided to go to sleep instead." He then cleared his throat, Meteor adjusting her helmet and standing the correct way now, adjusting her weapon. "Normally, I'd reprimand you and punish you both with some task to build character, like cleaning the latrines. However, we have a missing man at the moment, and the Mayor here is coming with us to check out the discovery."
"Sir, permission to speak."
"Granted, Storm."
The guard shifted on her feet, her spear still on the ground, then spoke, "Sir, do you believe it is wise to bring the Mayor along?" Mayor Mare blinked at the question, the guard continuing, "Perhaps it would be best if Ms. Mare stays here while we check it out. It may be dangerous."
The leader, whose name was Silver Spear, rubbed his cheek. It appeared the whiskers had grown back, though he either did not notice or care, scratching cheek in thought.
"A good point. However, seeing that the Mayor is already here, I assume none of us has big enough balls to send her back to her son at this time."
"Actually, Spike's not my-"
"That being said, an extra pair of eyes wouldn't hurt, and we are all armed. We can handle anything these caves throw at us." Silver sliced through her sentence, staring at the two guards. "Now get ready, we leave in five!"
Mayor Mare sat down on a rock stared at the three, checking their armor, helmets, weapons and other such things. She looked at the Silver, who was adjusting his armored chest plate and spoke, "She is right, you don't really need me, do you?"
"No, but you look like you could stretch your legs, and this seems like the perfect excuse." Silver admitted, before giving her a soft smile, "You need to keep your spirits up. You and that little dragon boy are keeping hope high whilst we live down here, you should be able to get some "me time", same as the rest of us."
"Thanks, but it's mostly Spike holding out hope at this point." Mayor Mare admitted, rubbing her cheek, staring down at the ground. "He still holds out hope that Princess Twilight will him and they can be a family again."
Silver stared at her, sitting down to readjust some straps to his boots and calves, before asking, "Do you not believe that?"
Mayor Mare sighed and leant back, her back pressing against the wall. If she was uncomfortable from her seat, she did not show it, and spoke, "I believe I want Spike to be happy. If the girls are alive, I know he will find them, and if they aren't then..."
They were interrupted by a sound echoing out from the cavern. It was faint, distant, though the guards shot up and aimed their weapons at the hole in the wall. It was a scream. Definitely human.
"Alright, let's move in. Everyone have your flashlights?" The guards adjusted and put on headlamps, Silver taking out a flashlight and handing it to the Mayor. "Okay everyone, let's try to come home safe, we don't need anymore dead heroes."
"Spike..."
Spikes hands trembled as he saw Ponyville in ruins, fires sprouting out of homes and businesses he once knew. He looked behind him to see Sweet Apple Acres, the trees barren and burnt, and the ground covered in ash. Turning his gaze he saw a pile of bones sitting on the porch, the broken remains of a rocking chair mixed in with the piles of ash.
He knew who it was, and couldn't bare to even think about it anymore.
He turned his head, starting to walk, his feet kicking up dust and snow, though it would stop in midair, as if frozen in time. He kept walking, the snow frozen around him midair, fires still glowing but unmoving. He peered into businesses, empty, broken, the insides a mixtures of flicking lights and broken in roofs.
He passed by SugarCube Corner, the roof was smashed in by a massive tree, likely uprooted in the blast, and a fire had broken out inside, though, like the rest of the town, was frozen. He peered into the broken window, pastries all gross and moldy, covered in flies, frozen mid flight.
"Spike."
He continued walking, his tail curling around in anxiety, peering around wordlessly. He passed by Quills and Sofas, giving out a heated breath, steam spilling out of his mouth and disappearing into the air, looking around, trying to spot it through the white snow.
He spotted his target, his heart sinking at the sight.
Home. Half of it was smashed in, gems lying everywhere, and some strange creature was nesting in the spire. He could spot the body of a deer in the nest, half being dragged in, and the base of the massive crystal home was cracked. No doubt it would collapse if something big were to hit it, and the thought of his home being more damaged upset him.
"Spike!"
He opened the door, dust flying out again, before settling in the air, frozen as well. He walked in, walls smashed and cracked, his eyes travelling over the crystal walls. Although once bright and vibrant, the gem seemed dull and lifeless, cracks cobwebbed across them, Spike giving a sad sigh as he brushed his hands along them.
He pulled his hand away and started walking towards the throne room, his eyes tracing over the chairs and cracked table. He walked over and ran his fingers over the thrones, before coming across Twilights throne.
He suddenly pressed his forehead against her throne, giving a soft whimper. He felt warm tears slide down his face, his squeezing the throne, not caring about the dust falling on him. His mind flashed with their possible deaths.
Burning, pained screams, mangled bones, cooked flesh. Their screams seared into his mind and he grasped onto the chair harder, hot tears streaming down his face, the salt burning his eyes, leaving them red and puffy.
"Twilight, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..."
"SPIKE!"
Spikes head shot up and he looked to his right, a bright light erupting out of the wall. He shielded his eyes, giving a loud hiss of pain, before adjusting a bit. "Hello?"
A black hand extended, slightly longer than a real human hand, black and clawed, although he felt no fear from the strange sight. He held his hand out to it, before it gently grasped
The surroundings around them melted into the snow, the hand squeezing for a moment, before pulling away. Another hand reached through, trying to grasp Spike, obviously female.
"Spike! I see him! Spike! If you can hear me, never give up! Keep going!"
The voice was so familiar, but eventually, even it and the hand phased into the white. He thought he recognized the voice, but his dream state quickly wiped away those thoughts. He sat down, feeling tired, and slowly drifted off into the first peaceful dream he had in a month, his body settling in real life, nuzzling into the pillow, still smelling of Mayor Mare.
Safety. Home. Love. He would be having good dreams tonight and be well rested.
If only Mayor Mare were so lucky.
The Mayor Mare stared at the walls, spotting the occasional gem and outcropping, some stalactites dripping water onto the floor below, gathering onto stalagmites and ever so slowly causing them to grow. Her flashlight was spanned around, peering at walls, noticing odd shaped holes. She peered at them, thinking they might have been claw marks or teeth, but quickly dismissed it.
"Sir." Meteor called out, making the guard huff out a noise as a response. "Perhaps we should split up and -"
"No." Silver cut down her thought with such a simple word. "If we split up, more chances for us to be attacked. We stay together, in a group, and that may drive off any animals or threats that may enter our circle. Remember, private Meteor, we are doing rescue first, fighting only if we need to."
Mayor Mare heard something behind them and panned around. She saw a flash of grey for a moment, before it disappeared into the wall. She backed up and pressed against Storm, who gave her a glance, before looking at the wall, seeing some claw marks near the hole they had just passed.
"I don't think we're alone."
Storm tapped Meteor and fave a head tilt towards the Mayor. She nodded, before twirling around and giving a soft breath through her nose. "Miss Mayor, we should keep moving."
"Yeah."
As they walked, the walls started to become further apart, before the group finally reached a cavern. Silver Spear inspected the ground, seeing some silver feathers, picking one up and inspecting it. It was covered in blood, but he hummed, handing the feather off to Storm, who inspected the feather as well.
"This seem familiar to you, Storm?"
"Yeah, looks like Steel Wings feather."
"Sir?" Meteor called, Mayor Mare walking over to her, before giving a soft, inquisitive hum at the sight. Silver and Storm both standing up and walking over, seeing a blood trail lead the way to a large, heavy looking metal door. "What do you make of this?"
"Well..." Silver began, only to hear a sound behind the door, like scratching on the metal door. He quickly brought up his spear, Storm and Meteor acting and pressing up against the sides of the door. "Mayor Mare, get behind some cover. Meteor, power still on in that thing?"
"Yeah, thermal probably, like The Cavern. It'll keep running until the planet is gone." She said, peering at the buttons near the door. She adjusted a bit and looked at Silver. "Got a plan?"
"Meteor, open the door and get ready for a rush. Storm, I want you to be defense and keep an eye out for anything that rushes out. Mayor Mare, stay behind me. I am going to throw down a light spell and blind whatever comes through, chances are it is used to the dark." Silver barked out, the others taking positions. Mayor Mare grasped her flashlight and squeezed it a bit, her knuckles turning white, ready to use the heavy object in her hands as a club if need be. "Three. Two. One. Mark."
Meteor slammed her hand on the top button and knelt down, preparing her spear and adjusting to give herself better footing. Storm took a stance, spreading her legs out a bit and adjusting her spear, and Silver allowed a bright white orb to form in his hand. The door screeched loudly, before slowly moving up, gears grinding loudly as it slowly opened, dust falling from the ceiling as the ground vibrated a bit at the moving door.
Steel threw the ball of light down the hall of rocks and the two steeled themselves, waiting for a rush. Steels eyes hardened, before his grip tightened on his spear, his eyes searching. No screams, no cursing, no roaring or growling, not even so much as a peep from the hole they opened. Steels eyes searched as he saw minecart tracks and a rusty minecart sitting there, blood caking its side, and slowly moved forward, Mayor Mare still holding her flashlight like a club.
Steels headlamp moved to and fro, painting the walls with light, slowly stepping forward, the light from his spell slowly fizzling out further in the tunnel, showing the blood trail continuing on into the tunnel.
"Check holes and corners, don't want any surprises." He told them, slowly moving into the hallway of rocks and stones, carefully scanning the walls.
"Claw marks on the right wall and a bloody handprint." Meteor said, brushing her fingers against a bloodstain, rubbing it between her thumb and index fingers. "Still pretty fresh. Couldn't be more than an hour old."
Mayor Mare saw something flash in the distance and pointed towards it silently, Steel and Storm quickening their pace, Meteor watching behind, keeping Mayor Mare in-between them, protected in case something happened. They kept walking down the rocky area, coming across claw marks and different minecarts, full of rocks and strange tools.
"These were used recently." Mayor Mare said, seeing Steel spare her a questioning glance. "I was friends with a woman, one of the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie Pie. She said her family owned a rock farm, saw her keep tools like this and would point out their uses." She traced a hand along the pickaxe, bringing her hand up to show some dirt. "No dust on them, just dirt."
"Maybe Diamond Dogs?" Storm offered, before looking at the walls, covered in claw marks and blood. "Or...somethin?"
"Couldn't be, Spike told me about Diamond Dogs, they use their paws to dig up jewels like with his hands." Meteor said, gaining a look from the other three. "What? The little guy used to live in Canterlot, we would talk at Pony Joes sometimes. He recognized me, been having lunch every Thursday to catch up."
"You've been having lunch with Spike every Thursday? Why didn't he tell me?"
"No clue. Guy seems scared though." She looked back at Mayor Mare again, giving her a soft look. "Afraid of losing you, I think."
"Sir, we got a body!"
Steel, Mayor Mare, and Meteor walked over, spears at the ready, Mayor Mare rolling her wrist to help stop the crick developing in it. It was definitely a body, skyblood. "Oh Celestia, is it Steel Wing?"
"No." Silver answered. He lifted the body up, giving a grim look. "Appears to be man, early thirties, face is mangled beyond recognition. Body is cold and blood pool is dried, he's been dead for awhile. Claw marks on his chest and bite marks on his neck indicates he was bitten and clawed, likely to death."
"Cutie mark?" Mayor Mare asked, before giving a sick look. She held her hand over her mouth and backed away, the stench of death already making her sick.
Silver moved the mans tattered pants down a bit, looking at the right side of the hip, before responding, "Looks like a...wing with some fog around it?"
"That's the man we're looking for. Name's Foggy Flight. Got his cutie mark flying through the fog in a race, I remember." Mayor Mare spoke, scratching her neck. "Got drunk once and bragged about it...right before flying into a pole trying to do it again."
"His wings are a different color than the feathers we found, and the trail of blood continues on into tunnel." Storm pointed out, before adjusting a bit. "Movement!"
They shot up, spears at the ready, searching the darkness, headlamps and flashlights flicking to and fro. Mayor Mare decided to shine her flashlight, seeing something being dragged into the darkness, the sound of metal scraping against the rocks.
"What was that?"
Silver walked forward, before throwing another spell of light, making it flash out. This time, there was something; a grey mass dragging something fleshy and metal. Silver started walking, hearing rumbling echo down the hall, then used his magic to levitate a rock. He threw the rock at the grey form, eyeshine from the light being flashed to him, before a growl. He threw another rock with his magic, the beast yelping and scrambling back, running into the darkness, claws scraping against the track.
Silver ran over, using the light from his spell into the hallway, the beast giving a snarl as it backed up, powerful claws being shown for a moment before it ran into the darkness, huffing loudly. Silver looked down and sighed, before taking a defensive stance, aiming his spear at the darkness.
"We got Steel here!" He called out, hearing scraping in the darkness. He threw up another light spell, sweat pouring down his forehead. So many spells in an hour, he was starting to get tired.
Meteor ran over, kneeling down and sighing, saying, "Steel Wing, you stupid bastard, you owe me a barrel of cider after this one." She mumbled out, checking his pulse. She sighed and smiled up to Silver, saying, "He's alive. Let's bring him to the docs."
She grasped him, standing him up, before slinging him over her shoulders. She grasped her spear and slowly started to walk back with him, before looking back. "Sir, the lights-"
"I know, just quicken that pace."
As they walked back, the group stiffened when they heard something; a howl. Silver turned back to see the light flickering, and in its light, he saw multiple pairs of eyes, shining in the darkness. Mayor Mare started to back up, her light flashing onto the beasts.
Diamond Dogs. At least, they had once been Diamond Dogs, as she saw them with random tufts of fur. Their faces had sunken in looks, fur was mangled, jaws ready to eat flesh, and powerful claws ready to pounce.
"Everyone, run." Mayor Mare said, the light flickering again, much dimmer now. "RUN NOW!"
They started to sprint now, brushing past minecarts and jumping over boulders. Meteor spared a glance backwards, Steel giving a groan on her shoulders, though stayed unconscious.
"Wouldn't happen to have another in you, sir?"
"Would it surprise you to know that's not the first time I've heard that?" Silver joked, though his face was stone cold. He suddenly flipped around and struck, a Diamond Dog howling in pain. It seemed the beasts were no longer phased by the lights and were charging one by one. A fatal mistake.
He struck again, stabbing his spear into the beast, its howls of pain quickly dying out. He pulled his spear out and stabbed another in the skull, kicking the body off as he started backing up.
"Come on, sir! We gotta get going!" Storm called out, ushering Mayor Mare out, staring back at them.
"Go on! I'll protect you!" He started to walk backwards, stabbing another beast in the arm, ignoring its roar as he stabbed its throat, making its roar turn into a bloody gurgle. He started running in the lull of the attacks, ignoring the deep, gutteral howls behind him.
"I thought Diamond Dogs didn't eat humans!" Meteor called out, ducking when she heard something scratch along the walls, missing swipe from one of the beasts, who had scrambled out of a hole.
It made for another swipe, only for Storm to smash its teeth out with a staff. It yelped, only for Silver to stab his spear into its head and vaulted over. They passed the body, Mayor Mare giving a loud gasp as she saw it dragged into a hole, before Silver tapped her with his hand.
"Focus on the door, get it closed, I'll fend them off for as long as I can." Silver said, before stopping in front of the door, slamming his spear in. He beat his chest with his hands, his armor clanking loudly. "Come on! I'll teach you mangey mutts a whole new meaning of pain!"
The first beast jumped him, meeting its end as he slashed its throat, lopping off its head. He twirled his spear around and sliced through a beasts head, spilling its brains onto the floor.
As Mayor Mare pressed the button, she felt something. She stopped, then slowly put her hand up, giving a shocked gasp at what she felt; an air current. She could feel air moving out of the passage way, giving a soft noise at the discovery.
She pressed the button again, the door making loud screeching sounds as it slowly lowered. Silver Spear stabbed his weapon into another beast, only to get knocked off of his feet, his spear sliding to Mayor Mares feet. He gave a strangled cry as his chest piece was raked by claws, damaging the gold armor even more. His helmet was knocked off, and in response, he pulled a knife from his hip and slammed it into the mutated mutts side. He twisted the blade, kicking the beast off, before another took its place, raking its claws off of his face, making him scream in agony, his arm being bitten by the beast.
He couldn't bring his knife up, so, he looked towards Storm and Meteor, currently fending off a dog. He looked back as the beast raised its arm, ready to strike him and end his life. He closed his eyes, accepting defeat, ready to meet his end with honor.
Suddenly, a spear was shoved into its eye, blood splattering onto the wounded leader. He looked up to see Mayor Mare, gagging at the sight of blood, but pushed the spear further into the beasts face. It screamed, before slumping, the Mayor ripping the spear out and tossing it outside the door. She grasped onto Silvers shoulder pauldrons and started tugging him in, giving grunts of exertion. She pulled him through the doors, panting as she closed them.
They could hear scratching and deep barks, though none broke through. Perhaps The Caverns had a far tougher walls than she originally thought, or maybe the smell of all the people freaked them out?
"Hey...piece of cake, right?" Mayor Mare joked, sliding next to Silver on the wall, panting loudly with him. "And look, you got some scars now! Spike told me the chicks dig those."
"And what did you say to Spike?" Storm asked, holding onto her knees and panting loudly.
"Told him to go to bed."
"Not a bad idea. We'll head back home and get Steel Wing to a doctor, then get some real sleep." Silver spoke, rubbing his shoulder, before standing up unsteadily.
In one week, everyone in The Caverns had learned about what happened. They had made contact with an unusually aggressive variant of Diamond Dogs, lost another one of their own to the dangers of this new world, and two of their strongest fighters. Current theories go from a new species, to the frozen wasteland above, to magical rocks, to even mad scientists and aliens for the beasts they encountered. Of course, Spike himself thought it had something to do with the strange magic he could smell in the air after the bombs, but never told anyone.
The beasts had prompted Mayor Mare to give the go ahead to train people to defend themselves. With Steel Wing put in the temporary hospital and Silver Spear still resting from his wounds, Mayor Mare had no choice but to hand Meteor Storm and Storm Chaser the job. It was going well, at least, according to Meteor.
Storm, however, said that Big Mac and Applebloom looked like the only decent fighters in the whole lot, and that Scootaloo had potential. Sweetie Belle had done alright in the running and athletic departments, same as Scootaloo, but Applebloom and Big Macintosh were great physical fighters.
"It'll take elbow grease and prayers to get the rest of them into fighting shape."
Mayor Mare didn't agree with her, but she did know how to actually fight, so she couldn't argue against her. Silver Spear himself was ready to train them, though the bandaging around his head and near constant yelling from Nurse Redheart had put the captain in his place. Steel Wing, who had awoken three days after the attack, would be seen flirting with said Nurse, and she would respond by rolling her eyes and letting him down. Multiple times.
Mayor Mare watched the training and even participated in some of it, though was at no point to even challenge the guards. Hell, she couldn't take them even if they had both hands tied behind their backs, but, she still trained with the others.
If nothing else, they provided an excuse for her to exercise and stay in shape.
As for Spike, her charge, she had not seen much of him except whilst eating and getting ready for bed. At the moment, she was currently looking around for the young dragonblood, Storm Chaser by her side, peering in the corners.
"You know, I heard Spike once turned into a giant monster and wiped out half of Ponyville." Storm spoke, adjusting the bandages around her right wing. "That true?"
"No." Mayor Mare said as she looked around, Storm giving a soft sigh. "He actually destroyed a few sirens and a water tower, did minor damage to a few buildings, also took down the Thunderbolts."
Storm turned white at that thought, stopping for a moment, before catching up with her, asking, "He uh...won't be turning into an actual dragon, will he?"
Mayor Mare gave her a teasing grin, before answering, "Not unless you are something shiny or a cute damsel."
"Thank Celestia...wait, I can be cu-" She was cut off as Mayor Mare lifted her hand. She brought a finger to her lips, the universal shush motion, before slowly walking around the corner of a building.
Around the building was Spike, sitting down and staring at the flickering lights of candles. The wall in front of Spike was covered in pictures, drawings, and names, the low light of the candles and the light of the buildings creating a solemn glow around the pictures and names, as if forever wanting to honor the memories of the lost. He stared at the picture in his hands, brushing his thumb over it, his tail wrapped around him, almost protectively as he stared at the picture.
Mayor Mare could spot pictures of Applejack and Granny Smith, the older woman kissing a pair of squirming toddlers, who were Big Mac and Applejack, not caring what they thought in the moment. Granny Smith herself had been old and wrinkled, hair grey and eyes filled with energy fit for a woman barely a tenth of her age. She had a farmers tan, much like most of her family, orange eyes, and her shirt had an apple pie on it, her signature scarf tied around her neck. Next to her photo stood Applejacks, petting Winona's head and watching out into the fields in her photo, her farmers tan gently colored by the setting rays, her freckles just another addition to her natural beauty, golden hair braided and trusty Stetson on her head.. Mayor Mares heart longed for the taste of those apples, and that loving cider the Apple Family always produced.
In another spot, she spotted Rarity's fabulous photo, giving a soft, warm smile at the camera. The dress she was wearing was as beautiful as ever, and the heart shaped ruby around her neck did nothing to draw the attention away from her brilliant blue eyes. Above that was a middle aged couple, Hondo and Cookie, if she remembered correctly. The man, Hondo, had a beautifully trimmed mustache, beautiful blue eyes, and his hair was comed back, brown with a few lighter spot sprinkled in it. He wore a Haywai'ian shirt and shorts, his skin tanned from being in the sun. The beautiful woman to his left in the photo was Cookie, which resembled Rarity in facial structure. She had a big, poofy, beautiful hair style with striped of lighter purples and blues, and wore a simple shirt and shorts, her skin being slightly sunburnt in the photo. Rarity and Sweetie Belles parents.
In a third and final spot, she noticed a blank square, though sat multiple ponies and griffons, some of whom she did recognize, many she did not. The blank square drew Mayor Mares attention, before she looked down, finally noticing the photo in Spikes hands.
"Spike?" Mayor Mare called out, her voice soft and loving, almost motherly. Spikes head moved, looking at her from the corner of his eye, before he moved his head back, returning his gaze towards the photo. She walked up to him and sat next to him, saying nothing, but gave him an one armed hug, him leaning on her.
Storm couldn't help but give a soft smile at the sight. She slowly walked up and knelt down next to the pair, giving them some respectable space, but close enough to them that she could rest her hand on Spikes shoulder, if need be. She finally looked down at the photo and blinked in surprise at the sight; a photo of the Elements of Harmony, and Spike, in the middle of them.
Spike was giggling in the photo, a party hat on his head, and surrounding him were the girls. She blanked on their names for a moment, cursing her awful memory, before looking up at Spike, his eyes trailing the photo.
In it, Fluttershy was hugging him tight, an unusual sight for anyone who knew the woman, her skin a darker tone than the others, though it seemed more out of genetics than any actual outside work, her beautiful pink hair falling past her shoulders, and sweater with three beautiful butterflies being shown to the camera. Applejack was yelling and reaching for Rainbow Dash, whose skin was tan from working out in the outdoors and her weather woman job. Rainbow was currently holding Applejacks hat in the background of the photo, a teasing grin painted on her lips. Pinkie Pie, whose skin was light and was surprisingly thin for the amount of sweets she could eat, was laughing at the sight, her pink hair bouncing even in the photo, her pink shirt blank, likely to get people to stop their excuses to stare her body. Rarity, of course, was smiling for the photo, hand on Spikes shoulder, whilst Twilight was holding the camera in her magic, smiling as she hugged Spike from behind, resting her chin in his spikey hair.
"These are..." Storm trailed off, seeing the pain in young Spikes eyes, the young dragon swallowing thickly at the sight of the photo.
"My friends." Spike spoke, gently placing the photo back on the wall. He lifted an unlit candle up to his face and gently blew onto it, a green flame spewing from his jaws and lighting the candle up. "And my sister."
Mayor Mares grip tightened onto Spike, allowing him to nuzzle into her breast, not caring who saw in this moment. He felt his eyes give a familiar sting, though no tears came, Mayor Mare rubbing his back lovingly as they sat there in silence. She wanted to give him time to heal, give him time to wait for his friends, his family to come. She simply did not have that time, but she hoped she would, soon.
Mayor Mare ignored the numbing feelings coming from her legs, Spike staring at the wall again, his hand coming up and grasping hers, giving it a soft squeeze. She smiled, a small part of her mind wanted to hold him and kiss him all better, though she suppressed these feelings.
Storm took this moment to adjust and reach into her chest plate. She pulled out a photo and flipped it open, attaching it to the rock wall thanks to some sort of magic that a unicorn had casted. Despite what many had thought, it was actually Spikes idea to start the memorial wall, and he had pitched it to Mayor Mare whilst they were eating dinner together. She flattened the picture out and smiled a bit, seeing a picture of a woman there, a magic blood, wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and long scars on her arms, along with a bite mark on her other arm.
"Who is she?" Mayor Mare asked, her hand coming up and slowly scratching Spikes scalp. A low thrum erupted from Spike, surprising the two women, but Mayor Mare continued it, smiling at the sound.
"She, uh...she was a naturalist. She would study animals in different parts of Equestria, damn near got her head bitten off by a Manticore when I met her. Somehow dragged me along for a few adventures too." Storm spoke, before giving a soft, shaky breath. "She was uh...planning to visit Canterlot, but was in Las Pegasus when..." She trailed off, leaving it unfinished.
They sat there in silence, their eyes lowered. Finally Spike sat up and looked back, Mare and Storm following his movements to see Meteor standing there, standing at attention. Mayor Mare sighed and gave Spike a wistful smile, brushing some hair away from his eyes.
"Come Spike. We'll get some food and cuddle up later, okay?" Mayor Mare promised, before turning to Storm. "You tagging along?"
"Yeah just, uh...just give me a minute." Storm said, giving the picture a sad, longing look. Mayor Mare gave a nod, then walked with Spike and Meteor.
"So, what happened?" Mayor Mare asked as they walked, Meteor giving a cautious look back at Spike, before Mayor Mare sighed. "He was raised at the castle, along with Twilight, which means the closest things he has to parents would be Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkles mother. I really doubt whatever you'll say will shock him."
Meteor made another glance at Spike, before speaking, "Ma'am-"
"Mayor Mare or just Mare is fine, we've had this discussion before."
"Sorry ma'am, old habits and all that. It seems we are not as well stocked as we once thought."
"What do you mean?" The silence that met Mayor Mare made her frown. She looked back at Spike, before giving a smile as she knelt down. "Hey, I heard Big Macintosh has a Power Ponies comic, do you wanna go ask him if he'll let you borrow it?"
Spike gave a gasp and raced around the corner, only to suddenly stop when he heard harsh whispers. He slowly started to back up and strained his ears, listening to the conversation.
"Well, it seems the supplies of food are lower than we previously estimated." Meteor continued, giving the Mayor a soft look. "We are also low on medical supplies, there was an accident the other day and we are out of fresh bandages, pain killers and the like. We need to get some from the surface and soon."
"What about the farms?"
"Ma'am, normally our food would be growing out of our ears, but underground, even with the light the unicorns can supply and the mushrooms, we still won't have enough food before the crops are ready to be harvested. Which means starvation isn't a matter of if, it's a matter of when now."
Mayor Mare sighed, before rubbing the back of her neck and staring at the gems at the roof of the cavern, seeing them glow softly in the darkness brought her some peace.
"So, we need people to go to the surface, grab supplies and come back...any ideas?" Mayor Mare asked, Spikes hand gripping onto the building as he listened.
"Well, some of the doctors think it'll be hard to breathe, so we'll need some masks they are cooking up. They say it might feel like we'll be breathing in a volcano."
"Well, Spike can swim and even drink lava, I'm pretty sure if he can handle that, we can handle similar conditions in gear."
"That's another thing." Meteor interrupted, before looking around, making sure no one was listening in, before continuing, "We think the Mutts are down here because something is up there."
Mayor Mare gave a worried look, then sighed a bit, rubbing the back of her neck. Of course, the apocalypse had to be complicated, couldn't just be survival for the group. "Alright, let Silver Spear and Steel Wing know. Round up your best students, we'll talk to the magics and see if we can pin down some areas for rations and medical supplies."
Spike took this moment to slip away, frowning a bit as he thought. Well, the outside world was survivable, as far as he knew, and it apparently was toxic to them. Spike himself would be fine, he breathed in toxins and gasses from volcanoes with no issues, but the others would likely not make it far without protection.
They needed food and medical supplies, and he knew where both of those things were. He just needed to get to them.
On the migration of his kin, Spike would often go through insanely cold areas and barren wastelands following them whilst they took to the skies. However, the world had changed whilst Spike was down here, that much he knew, so he had to be prepared.
He went to his room, pulling out a case from under his bed. He brushed away some dust that had gathered onto it, unclipping it, then opened it, revealing heavy looking jackets and clothes. He slowly put on a few extra shirts, silently thanking Rainbow Dash for the clothes that was far too large for him.
"It would keep him warm, he's cold blooded!" She would say, not knowing Spike was endothermic, like them. "He'll grow into it!" She argued when Twilight would correct her with facts about him.
He tucked the shirts under his pants, already feeling stuffy, before grasping a winter jacket. He pulled the jacket over himself, zipping it up, then grasped a mask, putting it over his mouth and nose. He nodded to himself, before tugging the mask down, already sweating, walking outside. He peeked around the corners, seeing no one outside, and silently slipped into the darkness.
Mayor Mare sat there, Silver and Steel in front of her, relaxing before she could drop the bomb on them. Silver had bandages wrapped around the right side of his head, being lucky he had not lost his eye in the attack, though the bandages looked like they needed to be changed. Steel had some bandages around his chest, some of his ribs being broken in the attack. His arm was also in a sling, though the edges of claw marks were still visible through some of the bandages.
Storm had entered the room with Meteor, along with Big Mac (whose skin was kissed by a farmer tan, freckles dotted his cheeks, green eyes, his shirt dirty from a days work in the farms, and his head had an old, beat up hat, probably an old Stetson, akin to Applejacks, and his orange hair tucked and tied behind him in a pony tail), Bulk Biceps (his skin was light, hair short and blond, red eyes hardened and ready for anything, his shirt struggled to keep the walls of muscles he had in, and his wings were rather pathetic looking, but still worked), and Thunderlane (who had rather dark skin, akin to Zecora, and was wearing a aviator jacket with a thunderstorm stitched onto it, white hair cut into a mohawk, and yellow eyes filled with worry.)
"Thank you all for coming, take a seat."
All of those present sat down, Thunderlane and Bulk both sharing a glance when Mayor Mare sat back, rubbing her temples to try and stop an incoming headache. They sat there, Mayor Mare sitting up and clearing her throat a bit.
"We have a situation." Mayor Mare spoke, setting her hands down on the table, staring at the group. "We've run the numbers, and unfortunately, we don't have enough food or medical supplies to last the month."
The room sat in silence for a moment, before Thunderlane finally asked, "Well, if we don't have enough food, what will we do?"
Silver Spear stood up, walking over to Mayor Mare and handing her a piece of paper. Mare cleared her throat, before speaking, saying, "We have nailed down a few locations where food and medical supplies would be kept, and possibly some equipment to help us defend ourselves."
"Defend ourselves?" Bulk asked, adjusting in his chair, it squeaking under his weight. "I thought you locked those dog things behind the door."
Mayor Mare scratched her cheek and leaned back, giving a sigh, before responding, "That's another issue. We found out there is another cavern filled with supplies that would help us immediately...but it is wide open to the elements outside, and crawling with those things." Mayor Mare looked over the map for a moment, before tracing her fingers up The Caverns entrance and looking back at the group, "We have to trek through the snow and trees and make it to what's left of town. It'll be longer, but safer."
"What 'bout the farm?"
"What about it?"
"Well, we have food stocks there, and plenty of seeds, in case somethin happened to tha farm." Big Macintosh said, leaning forward and resting his arms on his lap. "Granny wanted to stay when the farm was hit. Said she uh...she wanted to be with the farm when it happened. So, knowin her, those supplies are still there."
Mayor Mare tapped the map in thought, before nodding to him. "Very well. Get as much as you can carry. We'll get you the necessary equipment before you head out." Mayor Mare then stood up, giving them a grim look, stating, "I probably don't need to tell you this, but, I need to reiterate just how important this is. If we don't do this, many will starve and suffer. We need to act now, before the situation becomes dire."
The group nodded to her, Mayor Mare smiling, before Silver Spear grabbed the map and adjusted it, speaking to the team, "You will split up into two teams. Team one, Meteor Storm, Bulk Biceps, and Thunderlane, you will be heading to the hospital and gathering as many supplies as you can. We need needles, blood bags, IVs, pills, anything and everything you can grab." Silver Spear then drew his hands along the map. "Team two will be Big Macintosh, Storm Chaser, and myself. We will be heading to stores for canned goods and more cooking supplies. Then, we will go through the backroads and alleyways towards Sweet Apple Acres and gather food and seeds there. If we're lucky, we can find enough food for everyone. At worst, everyone will have to ration, but they'll live until harvest, where we'll really be able to survive. Any questions so far?" Bulk raised his hand, making Silver turn to him.
"Yes, I was wondering, why aren't we heading towards the castle?" The group shared a confused look, Bulk adjusting in the far too small chair and tapping a finger on it, elaborating, "Well, Princess Twilight Sparkle -" Mayor Mare winced at that name, gripping her arm, a motion unnoticed by most of the group, "- lived there. Having met her before, I know she would probably have some books and spells which might help with food underground or healing injuries."
Silver gave Mayor Mare a glance, who rested her face in her hands, closing her eyes, then responded, "Well, at the moment, we should worry about food and medical supplies. We'll go back for those books and scrolls after this run, and after we get some rest."
"Alright, everyone. Go report to the doctors and scientists to get your gear." Silver ordered, the group leaving, except Steel Wing, who shifted in his seat. "Steel Wing, I want you to stay and rest. I know you are feeling cramped in these tunnels, but right now, you are the only one I can trust to keep everyone safe if the Mutts decide to attack."
"Sir, permission to speak."
"Granted."
"I got my ass beat the last time those Mutts got me, is it really wise to keep me here?"
Silver Spear and Mayor Mare shared a look, before Mayor Mare nodded, Silver looking back at Steel, "Well, you were under prepared last time, so, the metalworker has something special in mind for you. Go see her when you have a moment."
"Yes sir!"
When he left the room, Silver Spear looked at the Mayor and smiled, "Although the docs'll be pissed, I feel like I need this. You sure you won't come with? Heard it'll be one Tartarus of an Easter Egg hunt."
Mayor Mare smiled, then adjusted the papers on her desk, replying, "Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll pass. I have paperwork to catch up on, and a dragonblooded boy to look after."
"End of the world and you still have to do paperwork?"
"My own personal Tartarus."
Spike walked over to the boarded up gem room, flicking his long tongue out, a backpack on his back. He stared at the walls, scanning it for any weaknesses, before kneeling down and testing the bottom of the structure. He was about to pull when he heard some scraping against the ground. He shot up, his eyes searching in the darkness, only to feel hot breath on his shoulder, making him shiver. He stood up slowly, before twirling around, rock in his hand, ready to strike the beast.
Instead of the beast, he looked down to see Winona, on her back Owlowiscious, and Tank by her side. It seemed Angel and Opalescence were doing their own thing. Spike knelt down and scratched behind Winona's ears, simultaneously petting Tanks back, careful not to harm his machinery.
"Hey guys, don't worry, I'll be back. I won't leave you guys behind." He adjusted on his seat. "Try to keep an eye on everyone while I am gone, and Owlowiscious, no telling Mayor Mare. Not a word." He turned around, the owl twirling his head to Spike.
"Who?"
He strained a bit, before looking back at the Owl, "Mayor Mare? The person who has been taking care of me?"
"Who?"
"The lady who watches over me?"
"Who?"
"Beautiful? Grey hair? Blue eyes? Cute lips you just kinda wanna kiss sometimes?"
"Who?"
Spike raised his hand, ready to yell at the owl, before giving a huff, mumbling out, "Forget it." He started to pull, the board breaking off, a loud snap echoing out. He looked around, Winona giving a soft whine. "I promise I'll be back, I just need to help get food and medicine."
He ripped the board off, kneeling down and crawling under. He got up and wiped the dirt off of his body, then peered under the boards, saying, "Keep everyone safe while I am gone. I'm counting on you guys."
Spike stood up, ignoring the gems around him as he walked through them. His heart yearned for the gems around him, but he needed to help the others first. He clambered up a gem, sniffing the air, then continued on. He could smell fresh air, but it was distant, he had a bit of a walk ahead of him.
He walked forward, adjusting the bag on his back, looking at the wall in front of him. He dug his fingers into the wall, smashing into it, slowly climbing up, then mantled over the side, giving a soft huff as he looked back. His eyes scanned the walls, sniffing the air again, before slowly walking up, careful not to shatter or disturb any gems.
After all, he shouldn't be here, not really, but he needed to go up to help The Cavern. He'll bring back food and medical supplies from the castle. It may be dangerous, but he needed to do this. He stepped over another gem, humming to himself, before his thoughts turned to the others and his strange dream.
He did not recognize the voice talking to him, and certainly not that hand reaching toward him. It felt very human, but it clearly wasn't. Pure black skin, it felt powerful, yet peaceful, like it genuinely wanted to help him. He didn't know what that creature was in his dreams, but it tore through his nightmares and brought him peace, and for that, he needed to find it and help it in some way.
Spike was many things, but an ungrateful lad was not one of them. He heard the rush of wind and scrambled through the gems, finally finding his target; a metal door.
His eyes scanned it, before he yelped, seeing a skeleton to the side, holding a pickaxe in its hands. He put a hand on his chest, trying to calm his beating heart, before inspecting the skeleton. Whilst holding a pickaxe, it looked like its ribcage had been broken by something sharp. He looked on its helmet, the headlamp broken and smashed, and have of its skull was caved in.
It looks like the skeleton had been there awhile, and some animals had gotten to it, as its ribs were chewed on, and the right tibia had strange marks on it. He knelt down and sighed, lowering his head. "May you find peace with Faust." He quietly said, before standing back up and walking towards the door. He pushed on it, hearing it screech loudly, wincing as he pushed it open.
Had he been paying attention, he would have heard something scraping in the darkness, along with a chitter.
"Hey, beautiful, Captain Silver Spear you had somethin for me?~" Steel Wing flirted with Nurse Redheart, who rolled her eyes.
Big Mac sighed loudly, before lifting the smaller stallion up and moving him aside, "Calm down, Romeo, we're here for it too."
Meteor Storm and Storm Chaser shared a look, Nurse Redheart humming as she looked back, "Time Turner, the devices?"
Some rustling behind her was heard, before a Earthblooded man walked through, carrying a box full of strange devices. He set them down and gave her a soft glare, "For the last time, it is The Doctor! Not Time Turner!" He heard a throat clearing and looked over, his face turning from frown to excited grin, "Oh! How wonderful, you are all here! On time too!"
Big Mac shared a look with Bulk, who shrugged, before looking back at the man, "Uh...yeah, so, the Mayor said ya were wantin to give us some stuff?"
"The Mayor?" The Doctor scratched his cheek in thought, before snapping his fingers, "Ah, yes, Mayor Mare, right! So, I got the equipment right here." He adjusted the box, Thunderlane leaning in to peer into the box.
"What kinda quack science experiment did we just let ourselves be talked in to?" Bulk whispered to Big Mac, who gave the Doctor a soft look.
"So, what do these thangs even do?"
"I'm glad you asked!" The Doctor pulled out a strange mask, the mask being big and bulbous in the front, with a clear glass view. "This, I call this a rebreather! This bulbous part right here is detachable, and you are able to clean it. It will help you breathe in the environment up there, and you get two."
"How do we clean it?" Thunderlane asked, Silver Spear walking up behind the ground, seeing Steel Wing giving a flirty look to an obviously uninterested Redheart.
A vein appeared in his forehead, before he walked over to the side, then yelled, "ATTEEEEEENTION!" The group shot up in a line, The Doctor and Redheart both staring at the magicblooded man. "Continue, Doctor."
He brushed his lab coat, giving a uneasy smile. "Right...so, you'll need to find a building or some nice shelter, click a little doodad here-" He pointed to a button on the bottom of it, then continued, "-and wipe it down, before replacing it. Of course, this is a prototype, so if it doesn't snap open, don't panic! You have at least thirty minutes of air in your filter."
Nurse Redheart cleared her throat and said, "The hospital should have some cleaning supplies, if you need some for the filters."
"I see." Silver Spear said, peering down at the mask. "You...wouldn't happen to know what kind of environment is up there, would you?"
"Best we can do is guess. Doctor Fauna thinks the magic and radiation may be mutating the animals up there, and that the Diamond Dogs near the surface turned into the Mutts you fought before." The Doctor sighed a bit as he pulled something out, giving it a soft look, before saying, "I'm sure you all know how much we hate violence, ignoring the guards here. Unfortunately...we will have no choice in this savage world."
"Is that what I think it is?" Storm Chaser asked, staring at the object with hunger and admiration, ready to grasp it.
"No way..." Big Mac mumbled out, staring at the object, his eyes scanning over everything.
"Now that is a thing of beauty." Steel said, making Silver nod in response.
"You guys are weird." Thunderlane mumbled out, ignoring the glare Meteor gave him.
"This is a specialized crossbow. I have modified the original design so it can autoload and fire. Although we have no wood down here, I had changed the shaft type to metal. You will have to get used to the weight, I suggest practicing before you guys head out." The Doctor spoke, adjusting it a bit, before twirling it around, showing the underside, "This is where you can attach any flashlights or other such items. Be warned, it may impede the accuracy a bit, so be careful."
"Anything else?"
"Lemme see here..." The Doctor rummages through the bag, pulling out some knives, Silver immediately grabbing one and twirling it around in his hand, gaining impressed looks from Big Mac and Bulk. "Oh!" He pulled out a wrist bracer and a strange, sleek machine with a trigger on the side. He adjusted the bracer, the armored side being rolled over to show a digital clock, blinking zeroes on its screen, along with a strange device near it. "This will show you how much time your filter has before it quits on ya."
"What is this?" Silver asked, pointing on the little glass item on the bracer, putting the knife into a sheath on his chest.
"This is the Magic Counter, it reads magic and radiation and gives a loud clicking noise when you are in danger. You can use it to scout out locations, keep yourself safe from magic and radiation, and...well, it looks cool, to be honest. The bracer itself is armored as well, so if something bites you there, it might take awhile for it to even scratch these sensors and damage them." The Doctor said, giving a soft hum, before pointing at the machine with a trigger on it, saying, "This will recharge your batteries and any shops you come in contact with. Be careful though, lights attract attention, and we'd much rather have you all stay safe than endanger your lives for some medicine and food."
They started to bundle up in gear and warm clothing, Bulk needing to adjust his items a few times, trying to make room for his muscles to breathe. Silver attached the mask to his chest, giving a hum as he flexed his arms a bit, trying to get used to the warm feelings, being stuffed inside armor and the hot clothes on top of himself. As they were about to head out, Doc cleared his throat, gaining their attention.
"One more thing," The Doctor spoke, before adjusting on his feet. He looked down, giving a soft sigh, adjusting the spare items outside the box a bit. "We don't know if anyone else survived, but if they did, they may need help. This new world of ours is harsh, nearly impossible to survive. If they did survive, the likelihood is that they may have done some terrible things to survive. So be very wary. And if you can, try to help out the folks with good hearts, we could always do with more hands back here, in the Hospital."
The group started to head up, Steel Wing sighing as he walked with them. They stopped at the gateway, Steel scratching the back of his head, saying, "I should watch that one entrance when I have time. Gotta make sure you guys don't hit your ass on the way out."
Big Mac turned to Steel, the rest of the group moving up, before leaning in, whispering out something, Steel nodding a moment, before ushering them out. "Don't take too long now."
The door started to grind behind them, Steel giving a sigh at the screeching and grinding of metal on metal action. It gave a soft rumble, as it opened, the massive metal door moving out of the way, Silver gave everyone a look, clearing his throat.
"You all have approximately thirty minutes for each filter, so let's try to make this fast. We'll split up at the main gate, then reconvene there. Any questions?" When nobody said anything, he looked back towards Steel, "I'm countin on you, Steel Wing. Keep this place protected until we get back."
That is the first thing Spike felt when he walked into the room. He looked around, his already hot breath turning into steam in the air, looking around, his pupils scanning the area. Had he been a normal Human, much like the ones he surrounded himself with, he would have been totally blind in the pitch black room.
Luckily, he was anything but normal.
He let out another hot breath as he walked, his eyes scanning the room, pupils constricting into slits as he walked along, scanning the desks and computers. It seems he was in some sort of underground bunker, made to study something, though it was too dark to make out any text or the folders on the desks and ground.
He ran his fingers through the dusty tables, giving a grimace. Twilight would have a heart attack if she saw this place, but Spike himself cared little for that now. He continued on, scanning the walls for a light source, before finally brushing his hand against a button on the wall. He pressed it, the lights flickering for a moment, before turning on, the sounds of a soft hum filling the room.
His slitted pupils rounded instantly, shielding his eyes from the lights. He jumped as he heard a scraping sound and turned, grabbing a chair and whipping it about. No attack came though, his eyes scanning the darkness, staring at every corner and desk. He slowly lowered the chair and scanned the walls, humming when he saw a hole in the side, cobwebs sprouting out near it.
It must have been a spider.
He walked away, humming softly, not noticing a Mutts hand as he passed the hole, before it was slowly dragged in, clicking a chittering echoing in the empty room. Spike walked up the stairs into the second floor, his breath still coming out as steam, passing more and more cobwebs. He stopped as they blocked the way, sighing softly, licking his tongue loudly.
He really hoped nothing in the room was flammable.
He breathed some fire onto his thumb, before tracing it along the cobwebs, setting them ablaze, the emerald flames making quick work of them. He sat there for a moment, before hearing more skittering behind him, turning his head. He saw nothing, though noted more holes in the wall cobwebs sprouting out of them.
Just how big were these spiders?
He turned back to see a body, holding some sort of weapon and flashlight. The flashlight itself was smashed, and the weapon had old blood on it. The body was not yet skeletal, but had been dead for awhile, judging by the smell. Spikes nose crinkled, then inspected the body seeing the weapon; a blade, it looked like a machete of some sort, covered in blue blood and...ash?
Spike heard the skitter again, looking back and seeing a leg pull back into the hole. From the quick look he saw, it was skeletal white, and big. He looked back down at the machete, seeing the body. It was covered in bite marks, clawing, and what appeared to be some sort of stab wound.
The same as the skeleton downstairs.
His eyes narrowed, before looking at the holes on the walls. He didn't know how, but these were connected, and he wasn't willing to be lunch. He grasped the machete, tearing the poor mans arm off in the process. He gave a disgusted look, before using the tips of his fingers to open the mans fingers. He flung the hand off, shivering as he wiped his hands off on his pants.
He gave the machete an experimental swing, then twirled it around. It seemed his lessons with Shining did not go to waste. He stared at the body, then bowed his head in respect, before walking up the stairs.
Had he stayed another moment, he would have seen several lights burn out and pop, something stirring in the darkness as it watched him. It skittered away, giving a hiss, the cobwebs around the hole shifting for a moment as it scrambled back inside. It was patient, it could wait.
Silver Spear walked over to the outer gate, adjusting his mask and putting it on. He adjusted the filter, making sure his clothes were over his armor, and checked his bracer, seeing a flashing red number peer at him. He nodded to himself, slinging his crossbow over his back and adjusting the bandages to be more comfortable.
He looked back, seeing the others getting ready, checking their gear, much like him. He pulled the knife out, inspecting the blade for a moment, twirling it to and fro in his hands, before sliding it into a sheath and nodding to himself. Eventually, he cleared his throat, interrupting everyone, saying, "Listen up, boys and girls, cuz I am going to say this once."
Storm Chaser chuckled and elbowed Big Mac, who gave her a soft look, in the middle of checking his mask out for any scratches or imperfections, before she said, "This is my favorite part."
"When we go through those doors, we will think of one thing, and one thing only; survival." Silver Spear spoke, walking towards the buttons on the side. "We need to think about survival of The Cavern, survival of those women, men and children. If you are in danger, you must protect yourself and leave everything. If you are attacked, you are to try and escape or find a place to hunker down. If you have no options of escape, then fight like a cornered animal until we can save you. I don't want to bring anyone else bad news today, so let's try to all make it back alive."
He pressed a button, the door giving loud clicks as it adjusted, before giving a loud whine of protest as it opened. The group adjusted, masks on already and packs ready, readying themselves and bracing themselves.
A gust of cold wind battered against the door, snow spilling into the cave. Silver shivered as some of the cold wind bit at his exposed ears, before adjusting a bit and walking outside. Big Mac gave a look back, seeing Bulk adjust uncomfortably a bit.
"Never been a fan of tha snow?"
"Never been a fan of seeing destroyed towns." Bulk said, uncharacteristically quiet, before stepping out with the others.
Big Mac stood for a moment, hearing the wind howling outside, then looked back towards the darkness of the tunnel. He hummed softly, hand drifting down to a pocket and pulling out a picture. In the picture was Applebloom, Applejack, and Big Macintosh himself, hugging and laughing at something off the shot. He sighed softly, before putting the picture back.
"I'll find ya, sis."
Big Mac walked out, only be be battered with cold air, shivering as the cold seeped its icy claws into his bones. He walked out, snow melting onto his mask, making him wipe the water off with his gloved hands, slowly walking towards the others. Big Macintosh gasped as he stared at Ponyville...or, what was left of it, anyway.
"This explains why they never sent a rescue party." Silver Spear said, his voice muffled by his mask. He adjusted his gear, then looked back, speaking, "Group One, you know your mission. Group Two, with me."
They stood still for a moment, taking in the destruction, Silver walking on. The main gate showed Ponyville in big, striking letters, however, icicles and snow had made the sign lean over to the side. Streets were blasted with snow, and half of the buildings were smashed in, though all were damaged.
A violent storm drifted ahead, swirling around endlessly, humming with magic and radiation. Snow billowed out, trees once filled with life swayed in the wind, branches dead and barren, giving ominous shadows and clacking noisily. Judging by the sun, blocked by the clouds, it was late in the morning during summer, and yet the blizzard they were in blew as if it were winter in the Crystal Empire.
"Oh Celestia..." Thunderlane mumbled out, walking forward, his wings tucking up behind him. "No wonder there were no rescue parties. Look at this place."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Storm said, pulling her wings back into her own body. "This wind would snap my wings if I tried getting higher. Not to mention how cold it is, you'd develop icicles and frost on your body."
"Alright everyone, split up. We'll gather supplies, find a place to clean our filters, and head back here in forty-five minutes. Don't be late." Silver ordered, using his hand to signal them to move forward. Big Macintosh and Storm Chaser joined him, Thunderlane, Meteor and Bulk heading off in another direction.
On top of the castle, a creature stirred. It opened its eyes, staring into the white abyss it called home, and moved. At its feet lie the bones of its meals, it pushing the skull of a buck away, one of its antlers broken off from the beasts feeding. It licked it chops as it stared out, watching shapes in the snow far below. It gave a curious sound ad it watched, before its stomach made a noise.
It shook its body, before slowly clambering out of its nest, stretching its heavily muscled wings out. It took off, eyeing the two groups, before picking a target and gliding in the wind.
It will hunt again.
Spike gave a grunt of exertion as he pushed the door. He could easily rip the door off its hinges, but something told him that he needed the door there, so he pushed against the wind battering against it. He pushed the door open, giving a grunt as snow spilled inside of the room, along with light. He sighed in relief and slowly walked out into the snow, looking around, trying to spot anything.
Seeing no animals or people around, he stepped out into the snow, adjusting the machete on his hip and walking into the biting wind, peering through the snow. He looked around, seeing smashed windows and caved in buildings, giving a soft sigh as he saw Quills and Sofas.
He adjusted the mask and slid it over his face, the steam from his breath being hidden in the mask. He kept walking, seeing the smashed windows of shops he once visited, his heart sinking as he saw Sugarcube Corner. He rested his hand on its front door, giving it a soft, sad look, his mind filling with laughter from that bubbly woman.
"Oh Pinkie...I hope you're okay." He mumbled out, tracing his hand along the window, brushing away some of the ash and snow. He saw a black shape in its reflection, freezing for a moment, then twirled around, grasping the hilt of his machete.
He scanned the rooftops, trying to spot the shape. He snorted out some smoke, then continued walking, casting one last sad look to the shop, before continuing on. His tail whipped to and fro as he kept walking. He pulled his mask down and huffed out some smoke, before breathing a soft flame, warming his own face in the process. He kept walking a once familiar route, strange and mysterious now, covered in snow, blanketing the ground. He looked back, giving a sniff, before putting the mask back on over his face, gripping onto the machetes hilt.
That's when he spotted it; The Castle. Home.
Or, at least, what used to be the castle. Much of the crystalline structure had been damaged by the blast, but it was still standing strong. He ran over, peering at the side; the school had seen better days, half of it was collapsed in, the lake around it was frozen, though a waterfall still flowed.
It seemed the blast had, unintentionally, raised water levels, as he could see the lake was much higher than before. He walked up to the Castles front door, opening it up, tugging his mask off and giving a happy hum as familiar scents flooded his nose.
He was home.
He started walking along, giving a soft sigh as he walked into the throne room. He saw chairs overturned from the forces that once struck the land and gave a small sight.
He started with the first chair, the closest towards him, Rarity. He slowly pushed it up and set the chair down. He brushed the dust off of it, smiling softly as he remembered the first day he met her. He once thought she was the most beautiful woman he ever met. Those feelings had once stroked a powerful flame, but now were nothing but ashes and smoke within Spike.
He pushed up Pinkies chair, adjusting it into place. Flashes of her crazy parties and gemstone sprinkled cupcakes fluttering into his mind, her smiling face and bone crushing hugs. When he was younger, he used to be indifferent to them. Now, he wished he could feel her hugs again and cook food with her. Listen to her laughter and singing, make dumb jokes and puns with her. He sighed softly, staring at the chair.
He brushed his hand against Applejacks chair, the memories of the cowboy hat wearing woman flashed through his mind. The feeling of them relaxing under a tree, her hat being placed on his head while they watched the sunset together, fighting and running from the Timberwolves together, cooking together and laughing as they had fun.
He turned to Fluttershy's chair, some moths resting on it, before fluttering away from his movement. His mind filled with her soft voice and loving feelings, his hand clutching his own chair as he felt her warm hand land on hers. His heart quickened, his breath coming out as steam, tail curling around his own chair. Her soft voice, helping her with her animals, even the scary moments they both braved together.
His eyes scanned the room to Rainbow Dashes spot, his hand squeezing his own chair again. As brash as she was she seemed to have a soft spot for them. Especially him. Her pranks were pretty bad at times, but they always shared a laugh and brushed it off. Though, if anyone messed with him, she would be ready to pound the asshole into the dirt and flash him a cocky grin while doing it. So loyal, even when the world was on fire, he knew she would always be there.
Then his eyes turned to her chair. Twilight Sparkle. His oldest friend, his big sister, his teacher and mentor, the woman he looked up to. The woman that had been there through his good and bad times, who was there for his silly crushes, who was there when he lost himself to greed, who was there throughout everything. No one could ask for a better friend.
Gone.
His eyes stung, had he been crying? He didn't know or care. He wanted to rip his chair from his place and break the table in front of him. He wanted to smash the thrones and burn the world for his lost kin. He wanted to rip apart his very memories, knowing that his love and loss would be lost forever if he did that.
He did none of that. His anger and pain were a sweltering inferno that started to die down, seeing all six of his friends flash in his mind, smiling and trying to get him to run at them in time for the photo to go off. He looked upon the throne Twilight once sat upon, then pressed his forehead against it, tears trailing down his cheeks and soaking his mask, body trembling with half contained sobs.
He wouldn't let go of this pain, for it meant letting go of his friends. Letting go of his family. And he was willing to carry that pain, forever if need be, to remember each one of them. Even hundreds of years from now, when he would still be around and the world finally healed, he would still remember them. And that pain transformed into a sad happiness, knowing that they will always be a part of him, alive or not.
He rested for a moment, eyes red and mask still soaked. He tugged it off and stood up, making a silent promise to himself; should the girls still be alive, he will find them and bring them home. And, perhaps, they could find somewhere better to live. Together.
When he finally stood up, he wiped his nose with his sleeve, then took a deep breath. He started to walk towards the library first. If there was one thing Spike knew for sure, it was Princess Twilight was an egghead. She likely had a book on different foods and medical practices or even medical spells that could help other people out.
Before he went to the library in the castle, he stopped and looked upon the wall from his dreams. It was coated in dust, though, a strange mark was upon it, almost looking like a handprint, though it was far too dusty to be touched recently.
Thunderlane shook as he walked. He hated the cold. He hated the ice and snow. Really, he hated this whole experience. However, he kept trudging on, ignoring the icy chills that went up his spine. He felt the hair on his neck raise, making him look back, peering into the white snow. His eyes scanned every spot he possibly go through, the blizzard making it nearly impossible to see any threats or targets.
He shook the feeling off and wiped his gasmasks visor, wiping away water, then walked on. Meteor hummed softly as she peered at the door, Bulk underneath a window, watching her. She gave a soft sigh, before looking at Bulk, "Wouldn't happen to have a lockpick, would you?"
Bulk shrugged, Meteor standing up, staring at the door in front of her. "Why not just break the window?" Thunderlane muffled out, Bulk shaking his head at the young man.
"You don't want to cut yourself by accident. It would also make far too much noise, and we don't want to attract attention." Bulk explained, staring at the glass window. He adjusted his pack, then spoke, "We should go around the back, perhaps there is an employee entrance we can force open."
"You two stay here. I'll unlock the front, we'll probably need to make multiple trips if enough is intact, and I'd rather not have to go through the back every time." Meteor said, trudging through the snow, grasping a knife out of its sheath and clambering through the bushes. Bulk grasped his crossbow out and pressed it against his shoulder, keeping himself in a relaxed state, Thunderlane pulling a knife out and inspecting it.
There was the howl of wind, the snow blasting past them, Thunderlane putting his knife away and staring blankly into the blizzard. Bulk adjusted a bit, looking at some of the broken windows high above, giving a soft hum of curiosity, before looking back at the fellow skyblood with him.
"Hey, do you get the feeling we're being watched?"
Big Macintosh rubbed his hands together a bit whilst they took cover in a building. He put his gloves back on and looked around, seeing lights flicker as they walked along the aisles. They had decided to use a local grocery store to take cover in, though it seemed some type of animals had beat them to the punch, so to speak.
Many of the aisles had been trashed, cans of food smashed and splattered, the regular produce was long gone by now, and only a few cans were left. Silver was able to quickly find and put them in his bag, but it was clearly not enough. Silver sighed and adjusted as he knelt down and recounted for the fourth time, rubbing the back of his neck.
This was the third story they had checked, and with this one, they had been lucky. Not lucky enough, it seemed.
"Six cans of corn, three cans of soup, some packets of ramen, and what looks like some alcohol." Silver Spear mumbled out, before sighing loudly, the breath coming out of his gas mask, visible in the cool air. "This food won't last a few hours, much less a few months."
"Agreed." Storms voice echoed out from the back, before it sounded like the door opened in the back, the woman grunting a bit. "Next store?"
"Yeah, one more. Then we'll head over to Sweet Apple Acres." Silver said, zipping his bag up and walking towards the back. Big Mac made to follow, only to stop when he saw something flutter by the front window.
He gave it a look, kneeling down a bit, only for the shape to take form; a Mutt. It, luckily, had no spotted them and was just sitting there, resting in the blizzard. Its thick fur and fat kept it nice and warm in these cold conditions, and it seemed to be just sitting there, resting.
It suddenly looked up and gave a whine, before scampering off, disappearing into the snow, Big Macintosh trying to follow its vision with his eyes, not seeing anything through the snow. He pulled his crossbow out and started to walk after Silver and Storm.
As they walked to the next door, both Big Macintosh and Silver Spear stood guard, crossbows at the ready, silently watching both sides of the alleyway. Storm knelt down and pulled a pin out, starting to pick the lock. Big Macintosh twirled his head around, before looking up, seeing a flash of movement. He waved Silver and pointed upwards, Silver nodding in response and tapping Storm, who gave a soft, muffled sigh.
"Do you know how hard it is to do this normally? I have to do it with water on my visor, snow smashing against me, and this clunky thing limiting my breathing, the one thing you two can do is give me some-"
They were interrupted when something landed on the roof, a loud rumble echoing out. They pressed up against the wall, Silver slowly drawing his crossbow back and starting to put an arrow into the string, Big Mac adjusting a bit and aiming, Storm stopping for a moment. Silver looked at Storm and nodded, Storm working faster, giving breathy curses. The sound of the roof shifting drawing closer and closer, Big Mac giving a silent grimace as he saw snow shift and fall off of the roof.
The roof creaked above them, two claws became visible, the head slowly being shown; it was some form of bat. It was massive, with long ears, slightly shorter face than normal, and bore some scars on its chest. It opened its mouth and released a heavy breath, fangs being shown off, ears twisting and twirling. It released a deep roar, foot claws gripping into the building, tearing hokes into the structure.
The lock clicked, it stopped twirling its ears around, giving a soft huff. The trio froze, the massive beast sat there, like a Gargoyle, waiting for another sound. It was going to turn, when a deep howl rang out into the wind. Its head snapped that direction, it giving a throaty rumble, before walking back onto the roof, out of sight. The three let go of a breath they were holding and silently slipped inside, closing the door behind them.
The Gargoyle growled as it landed in the alleyway they were in, its wings curled in as it walked on all fours. It stuck its nose to the ground and sniffed, giving a growl as it picked up the trios scent. It looked over to the door, seeing the footprints no covered by the snow, thanks to the roof of the building. It gave a soft rumble as it looked at the door, curling its lips back to show off its fangs. It brough its one fingers up, a sharp, scythe like claw at the end of its one finger. It slid its claw against the door, effortlessly slicing into it, before drawing its finger away.
It was strong, but it wasn't strong enough to attack all three of them in close quarters. It will wait for the perfect time to strike. It pulled its claw away and snarled as it caught the scent of something powerful in the air. It slowly clambered onto the rooftop, walking away from the door and watching. Waiting.
Bulk adjusted his bag, carefully, to try and fit as much medicine as he could. He unzipped the front pocket and put IV bags in there, sighing a bit as he looked around the room. He pulled out pills, strange needles, and even some blood bags that he put into the bag, making sure they would not break or be ripped apart.
Meteor walked by, tugging her mask off and giving a heavy sigh. The air was cold, but at least they could breathe, a soft clicking echoed out every so often, her pushing the button and popping the filter out. She started wiping it clean, pushing another filter into the mask and pocketing the now cleaned filter. Bulk looked at his mask and sighed, his breath coming out as steam, before he looked back up at Meteor.
"Something out there is watchin us." Bulk spoke, before looking back out, seeing a shape move out in the snow and disappear. Meteor nodded and knelt down by the window, readying an arrow in her crossbow.
"Yeah, I saw them a bit ago too. Five or six, maybe more." Meteor mumbled out, before adjusting her bag. "We can't just leave these things, there are too many valuable medicines and vaccines. We'll have to carry them back, and something tells me they are surrounding us."
Thunderlane took this moment to silently crouch in, aiming his crossbow around. "We got company. My bag is full, so we better high tail it outta here." Thunderlane said, before a smash in the next hallway made him aim the crossbow down the hall.
Meteor and Bulk stood up, readying their crossbows. They put their masks on and started to slowly step out, weapons drawn and ready. Meteor held a finger to her mask, Bulk and Thunderlane nodding as they turned around and started walking down the hall, only for a shadow to appear on the wall in front of them.
Bulk held his hand out, stopping them, the sound of sniffing being heard down the hallway. They took cover in a room, seeing a bed for a patient set up, though it seemed a body was there. They likely died shortly before the bombs fell, but the body looked preserved in the cold. Bulk pushed against the wall, Thunderlane and Meteor taking up the opposite side of the wall, Meteor grabbing the hilt of her knife as they heard the clicks of the animals claws.
The Mutt walked by the open the door, sniffing loudly as it walked by. It stopped by the door, sniffing the air and growling loudly, one of its massive hands gripping onto the door frame. It growled a bit as it peered into the room, sniffing the air as it slowly started to poke its head into the room.
Meteor grasped the hilt on her knife, slowly starting to slide it out. The Mutt gave loud, heavy pants, licking its chops as it peered into the darkness, trying to spot anything. A howl rang out deeper in the building, making the beast shoot up. It gave a bark behind itself, before running down the hallway, two others scrambling after it as it ran down the hall, the group waiting a few more moments before slowly peering around the corners.
When no threat came, they started to slowly make their way to the exit, crossbows twirling around. Meteor held her hand up, Bulk nearly falling down the stairs as he stopped, Thunderlane watching their backs, giving the two of them a curious look. Meteor peered down the stairs, before bringing a finger up to her mask, the duo nodding as they crept down the stairs.
At the bottom was a Mutt, who was in the middle of a nap. It snored rather loudly and humorously, tongue lolling out, legs kicking in the air. It seemed it was having a happy dream, with the way it huffed in its sleep. The Mutts deep brown hair was dotted.with scars and some sort of tumor was growing on her back, though her red claws and fangs just confirmed she recently fed.
Meteor took a position at the bottom of the stairs, aiming at the beasts face, Bulk slowly walking around it. Thunderlane stopped when it started wagging its tail, slowly turning to Meteor. Meteor took her eyes off the beast and nodded, before Thunderlane stepped over it. Meteor went to follow their example, only to jump over the beast and feel its tail hit the back of her legs a few times.
The beast snorted and snarled away, slowly sitting up, wiping its face with its big hands, the trio freezing. It stood up, stretching, before loudly flopping over, drifting back into sleep.
The trio held their breath, only for loud snores to fill the room again. Meteor nodded, the trio moved around the beast and down another staircase. This time, they were clear, so they moved towards the door.
That was until Bulk made it out first and was suddenly slapped away from the door and out into the snow. He gave a gasp of pain, his wings stretching out and flapping a bit. He got up and yelped in surprise as a Mutt pounced him, Bulks visor cracking when his head was slammed back into the snow.
He lifted his arm up on instinct, the beast biting down, making him yell out in pain. He tugged a knife out and stabbed into the beast again and again, an arrow suddenly lodging into its back. It roared in agony, before Bulk punched its face, knocking a few fangs out, making it stagger back. He raised his hand, knife clutched in it, and slammed it into the beasts forehead. It twitched a few times, before going limp.
Thunderlane ran over and gave a sigh, "Holy Celestia...fuck me, you okay Bulk?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Wow, this armored gauntlet saved my life." Bulk said, the clicking growing louder from his gauntlet as he raised it up, the breeze blowing by faster, making it kick up a notch in clicking He sat up, wiping the blood on his knife on the beasts fur, sighing a bit. "Wish it didn't have to be this way."
Meteor walked down and tugged her arrow out of the beasts corpse, looking all around. She looked down at her watch, then nodded, turning to the two lads. "Let's start heading back. The sarge will be expecting us."
Bulk sat there, breath shaky as he sheathed his knife. He just killed a living being. For self defense, but he killed it. His hand rested on the still beast and he closed his eyes, lowering his head. "I am so sorry."
Thunderlane rested his hand on Bulks shoulder, looking around, seeing shapes in the snow. "Come on, Bulk, we gotta go."
"Yeah, I know."
Spike adjusted his bag, before looking over at Sweet Apple Acres, the trees, which were once filled life and apples, were now barren and rattling in the wind. Spike looked down towards the barn and the house, his eyes scanning the porch from the tower. He looked down at the photo in his hands of the group of his friends he had snagged out of his room and sighed.
"Alright, I'll do one more thing, then I'll head home."
He started walking back downstairs when he heard a howl in the distance. He stopped, gripping onto his machete, then slowly started to walk down the stairs, peering into the darkness. He heard no movement, yet his grip did not lessen on the machete, slowly walking down the stairs.
He opened the door and stared outside, poking his head around to and fro. When he saw nothing, he scrambled out into the snow, ignoring the howling behind him, both of the wind and the beasts.
He walked pasted the school, giving it a glance, before continuing on. His mind slowly drifted back to his dream that one night. That voice sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't place a voice to it. It wasn't the Princesses, at least, not Princess Luna.
Perhaps it was Twilight? No, no, the voice was too different. Maybe Rarity? No, she has a far soother and elegant voice. As far as Spike knew, Rarity was not that powerful in magic. At least, not powerful enough to change his dreams.
And that hand, he didn't recognize it, at least no someone he knew. Perhaps it was some sort of strange beast or mysterious helper? Or maybe it was one of his friends, disguised, hiding in another form in his dreams? Why would they need to hide their forms?
Was someone targeting them? Was that why they haven't come to look for him? Was it some sort of God or beast or-
He bumped into a wooden fence, knocking him out of his thoughts. He looked up, wind blowing across the dead trees, rattling their branches. He adjusted his mask, looking over toward the farm, his heart sinking at the sight. He noticed the sign of the Apple family on the ground and knelt down, brushing the snow off of it. He grasped it and lifted it up, putting it against the pole which once held the symbol of the powerful Apple family.
He pressed his hand against the Apple symbol and sighed a bit. "I'm sorry, Applejack. I really wanted to help your family out. I...I wanted to keep you and the other girls safe. Hopefully, this can bring you peace. Wherever you are."
He stood up and started walking towards the house, his eyes trailing along its porch. Like his dream, his eyes fell onto the chair, the bones of the matriarch lay there, undisturbed. He knelt down for a moment and gently rested his hand on the rocking chair, ignoring that his hand was creating steam, and let tears fall down his face, soaking into his mask. He lowered his head, shutting his eyes, and let the tears flow, steaming once they hit the ground.
It seemed that Spikes body was heating him up, unintentionally. His anger and pain and sadness came out, steam erupting from his body, before he looked back at the chair. He stood up, then threw down his machete, tore off his mask, and let loose a scream of rage and pain. It cut through the wind and howls, mixing into a roar at the end, before he slumped to his knees.
It took him some time, before he looked back at the bones on and surrounding the chair. He walked over and peered through the snow, before settling on a nice spot, near the house. He inhaled, before suddenly letting loose a stream of fire, melting the snow around him.
However, he wasn't done, he kept blowing the fire on the ground, heating it up, burning grass that had once been green and lively. He kept blowing the fire, warming up the ground and causing it to steam and melt the snow out of touch of his flames. He stopped, seeing the snow still melt into the ground, then looked around. He walked to the shed, forcing it open, breaking the lock in the process, and grasped a shovel.
Now, he will dig a proper grave.
Silver Spear walked down the road with Big Macintosh and Storm Chaser, following the battered fence as they walked. It was a quiet journey, Storm giving Big Mac a look every so often, one which he did notice. Eventually, Silver stopped and adjusted his gear, peering back at the two. "Okay, al ost there. We'll rest up and tug off our masks once we're in the clear. Rest up for a moment."
Big Mac took this chance to set his bag down and peer into it, adjusting some items to make his load easier to bear. He felt Storms eyes burn into him, making him sigh and turn to her, "What?"
She shot her head back the other direction, blushing as she has been caught. "Nothing, don't worry about it."
"You're lyin." Big Mac said, zipping his bag up and kneeling on the ground, resting for a moment. "If you're bugged by somethin, it's jus' easier to spit it out."
Storm sat there for a moment, before turning back to Big Mac, her voice muffled by the mask, asking, "Will you be alright? I know you mentioned your grandmother stayed behind when it happened."
Big Mac sat there for a moment, brushing his thumb against the side of his finger for a moment. Silver looked back at Big Mac, adjusting something on his crossbow as he listened.
"No. I reckon I won't be." Big Macintosh finally said, before looking back up, the snow blinding them from the view of the farm. "I'll probably be a mess. But...thinkin about things won't help our people. I can mourn later. We need to help 'em now."
They sat in silent for a minute, before Silver adjusted on his legs, clearing his throat. "We should head to the farm now. The sooner we are out of this storm, the better."
The soft clicking of their wrist mounted counters filled the air as they walked. Had they stayed a few minutes longer, they would have seen the grey shape in the snow, heading towards the farm, wings outstretched and claws ready.
Bulk grunted as he walked along, wiping his armor, seeing his heavy shirt torn from the scuffle. Thunderlane walked beside him, shouldering his weapon, Meteor was behind them, peering all around through the snow, trying to spot any beasts that may be trailing them. Bulk stopped when he saw something on the wall, giving a loud gasp as he saw some shape take form. Both Meteor and Thunderlane twirled around, weapons ready, aiming towards Bulks direction.
That is when they saw it. Shadows.
No, not shadows...outlines of people. Once they were living, breathing people. Some were running, others were holding items or their loved ones. Some were even praying. All gone in a flash, all that was left were the blackened silhouettes of their bodies.
Bulk rested his hand on the wall, being as gentle as he could be, as if the entire thing would crumple at the slightest miscalculation. He ignored the ticking on his counter, before it suddenly went haywire, screaming at him, warning him of danger.
He pulled his hand back, Thunderlane resting his hand against Bulks shoulder, asking, "You know them?"
"A few I recognize. Some I don't." Bulk confessed, looking at the wall. He slowly stood back up, his counter clicking loudly as they started to walk again, back towards the front gates. "We should head back."
"Can't wait to get out of this cold." Thunderlane mumbled out as they walked, his eyes scanning along the shops. He stopped when he saw a trail lead off into the following street, adjusting his crossbow. "Hey, what's that?"
Bulk and Meteor turned, the latter walking over and kneeling down, inspecting the prints. She hummed in thought, before a distant howl was carried by the wind. The group shot up, aiming their weapons around, hearing another howl, closer and further ahead. They twirled around, Bulk straining his ears as he struggled to listen to anything.
All he could hear was breathing, the filters doing their work. Wait...not their breathing. Something was breathing further ahead. Heavy panting and sniffing, Bulk slowly turning and kneeling down, crouching and aiming at the sound.
A shadow moved, Bulk aiming his weapon and giving a loud yelp in surprise. He shot his crossbow, on instinct, before the beast fell in front of them, arrow miraculously planting into its forehead. Another beast emerged, snarling and giving a low, throaty growl, Meteor spinning around and firing an arrow into its arm. It screeched in pain, before another arrow was shot into the beast, silencing its pained cries. She reached down and planted her boot on the beast, grunting with exertion as she tugged the bolts out.
Another Mutt appeared in the flurry of snow, Thunderlane firing an arrow into its hand, pinning it. It roared and barked at them, before Thunderlane took his knife out and slammed it into the beasts forehead. He slammed it down again and again, silencing the poor beast and violently shanking into its skull.
Now, hands soaked in blood and some brain matter, he sat back, panting and staring at the deadly beast. He heard another bark, tugging the knife out and ripping the crossbow bolt out of the beasts hand, aiming his crossbow towards the noise. He fired another shot, then another, the beast falling into the snow, bloody and broken.
Bulk grunted as he fired another bolt, another.mutated beast crumpling before him, before giving a yell of surprise, being tackled out of the group, Meteor and Thunderlane twirling around. They shot into the beasts back as it tried biting onto Bulks throat, the mans hands and incredible strength ripping the jaws open and keeping it there. Its teeth cut into his hands, his face underneath his mask grimacing as the beast tried clawing into his armored sides and chest, gripping his jaws. He kneed it in the stomach, making it yelped, before grabbing the beast and headbutting it, his mask miraculously holding together.
He twirled himself and the dazed beast around, tugging his knife out and slamming it into the beasts eye. He grunted as he kept the movement for a moment, before tugging his knife out of the still mutant. He stood up and grunted, both Meteor and Thunderlane pressing their backs against him, taking up multiple sides, weapons aiming around. They saw more shapes in the snow, taking shape, barking and growling surrounding them from all sides.
That was when they heard the roar, a sound which froze their blood far faster than the snow and ice around them. It was deep, loud, and seemed to suck the very sound out of the air, continuing for a few moments, before slowly tapering out. The trio turned towards the origin, slowly backing up.
The beasts had the same idea and yelped as they scattered, scampering into the snow with their tails between their legs. One of the beasts ran by Bulk, though paid him no mind, ignoring the exhausted humans and scrambling into the alleyway, yiping in fear.
"We...should get outta here." Thunderlane said, leaning down, tugging his bolts out of the bleeding beast. He put his boot down on the beast and tugged bolt after bolt out. After all, they had no clue when they would get ammo again, better to resupply and leave.
"Whatever that is, sounds powerful." Meteor said, her grip tightening on the bolt she was pulling out. She started to reload the weapon, giving soft grunts of exertion, before the beast bit at her, snarling angrily.
She took a knife out and slammed it into the beasts head. She grunted as she forced the beasts head into an awkward angle, feeling it slash at her, tearing into her clothes a bit. She finally pushed, a loud crack echoing out as the beast finally fell still, Meteor panting in her mask as she pulled the knife out.
She sat there for a few minutes, catching her breath, when a loud shriek echoed out in the wind. Meteor stood up and gave a soft noise, her flashlight flicking on and they walked out into the snow.
The bodies they left behind painted the snow with blood, snow battering against the bodies and hiding the tracks that Meteor had noticed before the battle.
Big Mac and Silver Spear walked along the fences of the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. Silver Spear was scanning ahead and to the sides, his crossbow drawn and at the ready, Storm bringing up the rear and watching behind them, her eyes scanning the dead trees and snow, the heavy snow falling all around them making it nearly impossible to see twenty meters around them.
Big Mac himself was watching the trees go by, sadness filling into his heart at the sight of the once mighty orchard. He gave a trembling breath, his eyes may not have been able to see, but his heart knew the way. They were close, very close.
"Hey, if we get a moment, we could probably put your grandmother to rest." Silver Spear finally said, Big Macintosh looking at him in surprise.
"B-but, what about tha-"
"Mission is important, but this is your home. Wouldn't feel right to just leave her up here. She should be put at rest." Silver Spear said, Big Mac staring at the man in silence. He then nodded, Spear taking his eyes off the road ahead of them and looking at Big Mac. "We've lost a lot. Friends. Families. Our homes, but we don't have to lose our hearts."
Big Mac smiled, only for the trio to freeze when they heard a roar tear into the air. Their fight or flight response shot through their systems, but they stood their ground, raising their crossbows up. They waited a few minutes, fingers on the triggers, before slowly moving forward, eyes peering out into the snow, jaws clenched and ready.
"What was that?" Storm finally asked, her eyes scanning around, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"I don't know." Silver Spear said, Big Mac peering all around.
"Hey, do ya get tha feelin we're bein watched?" Big Mac mumbled out to Silver Spear, who nodded in response. "We should hurry up then."
Silver Spear and Big Mac kept walking, Storm taking a few seconds to scan the sky, before slowly following behind the duo. Storm looked back at the fence, then back up towards where Canterlot would be, if the clouds surrounding them did not block the view.
"Wonder how the others are doing back at the palace." Storm finally spoke, breaking the anxious silence, her eyes turning soft. "Bright Chimes up and making her breakfast, maybe waffles. Maybe
Silver Spear smiled as they walked, before responding, "I remember when Flash Magnus and I would scare the shit out of recruits in the morning." He looked back at Storm, giving a hum, "He thought you had potential. Would say you would always stay up, cleaning your weapons when the others fell asleep. He'd make them go exercise in the Pit while you just got to clean your weapon."
"I hated that Pit." Storm said, her crossbow being swept around in defensive motion. "I hated boot camp even more."
"I hated boot camp too." Silver agreed, before Big Mac started running ahead, Silver giving a look back at Storm. "Cover the flanks, we don't wanna be snuck up o-"
Big Mac suddenly fell to his knees, staring ahead. Silver jogged up to him, aiming all around. He lowered his weapon and gave a soft sound, kneeling down next to Big Mac. The ruins of the house were shown, snow whipping past them, the barn half sunken in from the blast waves over a month ago. Big Mac lowered his head, his eyes stinging quietly as the grip on his crossbow tightened.
"Big Macintosh, I am so sorry..." Storm said, resting her hand on Big Macs shoulder. The man shuddered a bit, trying to hold in the tears, only to look up, eyes burning.
"We been through a chaos god, fruit eatin bats, giant wooden wolves, a literal dragon...an it finally takes tha end o' the world to take this farm down." Big Macintosh said, before blinking his tears away. "Wait...what in tarnation?"
Silver followed his gaze and stood up, mumbling out, "A hot spring? On a farm?"
"We didn't have a hot spring."
They helped Big Mac up and they walked over to the steam spilling out of the corner of the barn, peering around the corner and seeing a form taking place through the snow. Silver held a finger up to his mask, before making a motion with his hand. Storm nodded silently and started to circle around, keeping her crossbow aimed squarely at the form, moving in the snow. Big Mac slowly walked forward, Silver Spear flanking him, kneeling down and getting prepared to fire.
"Freeze!" Silver yelled out, and although it was muffled and against the howling wind, the figure froze and threw their hands up. Sapient, good, not an animal. "Canterlot Guard! Turn around slowly, and keep those hands up!"
"Silver Spear?"
Big Mac froze, giving a frown, staring at the figure. He shouldered his crossbow and grimaced, yelling out, "Spike?! Now what in tarnation are ya doin' out here, boy?!"
Storm and Silver sighed and lowered their weapons, walking over to the young dragonblood. Storm knelt down and gave him a frown, "Spike, I saw you with Mayor Mare two hours ago, how did you even get out of here?"
"Well, I, uh-"
"And why exactly are ya at my family's farm?"
"It's because of-"
"And why are you-"
They were cut off by the sound of water and looked back at the grave, the freshly dug dirt resting on top of Granny Smiths now peaceful body. Big Macs eyes trailed up to the tombstone erected, although the words literally scratched in drew his gaze, the snow melting around the grave to give it some reprieve from the cold.
HERE LIES GRANNY SMITH LOVING MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER, AND MATRIARCH OF THE APPLE FAMILY
"Spike, you...did ya..." Big Mac looked down at the young dragonblood, tears slowly creeping out of his green eyes. Spike smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck.
They were interrupted by something heavy landing on the roof of the barn, the trio of adults aiming upwards, Spike gripping the hilt of his machete in response, but not tugging it out. They stood there, wind howling at them as the roof creaked with the weight of the beast. Silver tapped his leg, catching the trios attention, then thrust a thumb back towards the house.
They nodded and quietly (well, as quietly as they could through the crunching of snow), and walked towards the house. Big Mac pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, slowly pushing it open.
"Doors and corners. If you run into the room, the room eats ya." Silver mumbled out to them, Storm kneeling around and slowly aiming inside. She swept the room and slowly circled around, before nodding to them. "Okay, inside, we'll wait that thing out."
They shuffled into the room, Big Mac quietly closing the door behind them, and the group shared a quiet breath of relief. He leaned against the door, before looking around, seeing the windows cracked and broken in, and the furniture thrown around from the shockwaves.
"So, young Spike," The young dragonbloods tail curled around himself, the boy tugging his mask down and giving an ashamed look at the tone of Silvers authoritative voice, before he continued, "Mind telling me why you are out here instead of being in the Caverns?"
Spike sat there silently, before motioning for them to be quiet. He pointed towards the roof, creaking being heard as the beast walked across. It gave a shrill hiss that echoed throughout the house, before slowly clambering back.
Big Mac took this opportunity to point towards the outside, giving a slight grunt once a few moments passed. "Cellars entrance is outside."
"We should wait a few more minutes, then get in the cellar." Storm mumbled out, Spike sitting down on a chair, it creaking a bit from his weight. "If we have to fight, we have four against one."
"Ya better not be suggesting that Spike is goin ta fight with us!" Big Mac hissed out, only for Spike to glare at Big Mac. He puffed his cheeks out, before Big Mac interrupted him unintentionally, "He may be a dragonblood, but he is still a boy."
"I agree." Silver said, before turning to Spike, saying, "If things go south out there, you should run to the Caverns as soon as possible."
"I can't just-"
The sound of claws scraping against the wall stopped the conversation. They waited a moment, a bead of sweat dripping down Big Macs forehead as he strained his ears to listen. They waited, listening, Storm silently pressing the stock of the crossbow against her shoulder, slowly panning around, Silver himself aiming at the noise, eyes hardening at he stared at the wall.
A few more moments passed, before a muffled scream echoed out from beyond the wall, the creature taking off into the wind. They stood there, motionless, for a few more minutes, before Spike slowly stepped out, sniffing the air, flicking his long tongue out for a moment.
"It's gone." He finally said, the group relaxing at the sound. Silver checked his watch, then nodded to the group.
"Once we are in the cellar, we'll clean our filters and get the supplies." Silver said, slowly opening the door. He slowly poked his head out, looking around, before opening the door more, sweeping his weapon around. "Clear."
They shuffled out of the door, before Storm whipped around, hissing, "Wait! The kid doesn't have a mask on!"
"I'm a dragonblood." He said, before pulling his surgical mask up. "I can breathe this stuff. You guys can't."
"Then, what's with the-"
"Hides my breath from sight, and it helps me see without any steam obscuring my vision." Spike explained, before looking up, his green eyes scanning the swirling clouds.
Big Mac walked ahead of the group, scanning the snow covered ground, Spike slowly sliding his machete out and walking with him. Silver and Storm knelt down and took positions, kneeling down and aiming around, keeping an eye towards the clouds.
"Sorry Big Mac, I just wanted to...you know, ever since AJ and I...well, I just...sorry."
"Thanks Spike."
Spike blinked, before giving him a confused look, "But, what did I do?"
"You...ya buried Granny. Somethin' Applebloom, Applejack and I, we just...jus' couldn't even think about it. And you did it for us. You didn't have to, but...but ya did." He knelt down and started brushing away snow, giving a soft hum as he brushed away the hardened powder. He sat up and gave him a look, which warmed Spikes heart, even as the cold was biting at his skin, then continued, "I really don't think I could...that Applebloom or I could...thank you."
Spike smiled, before resting a hand on Big Macs shoulder, who grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze. Spike felt his knuckle pop, but said nothing and just stood there, Big Mac lowering his head. The large man then patted Spikes hand and started wiping the snow off the cellar door after a moment had passed.
"We'll mourn when we head back home." Big Mac said, before lifting the cellar door. "For now, we got a job to do."
Silver made a movement with his hand, Storm nodding and slowly moving into the cellar. Spike pulled his machete out and slowly stepped down, Silver bringing up the rear, aiming around as they slowly made their way down.
Had they looked up at the barn, they would have seen the face of the beast that had been tracking them. It stared down at the cellar, lazily resting on the roof, waiting, watching.nits ears flicked a bit, chittering a bit to itself as it waited.
The dragonblood would cause a problem, but if it was lucky, maybe it could get a meal without too much damage.
Mayor Mare hummed softly as she clicked her pen thoughtlessly, the paper in front of her empty and baren. She hummed softly, before looking up through the low candle light of her office. Some books, cute models that Spike had found and built (including one of a strange, bipedal dragon with massive spikes on its back roaring that reminded Mayor Mare of Spike), and a few scrolls that Mayor Mare had found in the office.
She drummed her fingers on the desk for a moment, before leaning back on her chair, giving a soft sigh. She peered around the room again, before setting her pen down, rubbing her cheek in thought, her eyes scanning every book, every nook and cranny and yet found nothing.
It was quiet. Far too quiet.
She stood up, adjusting her shirt a bit as she walked out of the door, peering around. It seemed, although they were underground, people still rose and set with the sun, and the late afternoon still proved to be busy.
People were talking, children were playing, pets ran back and forth, all was peaceful in the cavern they called home.
Something was missing.
She stood up and sighed, walking over to her door, opening it and stepping out. Perhaps she needed fresh air, she was worried about the group up above. That's it, just worry. Just worry.
No, it was something different.
She started her trek towards the front gates, panning her head around, seeing everyone going about their business. Kids were playing, totally unaware of the outside world, people were working and trading. Although bits were now useless, they did trade in gems or items, much like the bartering systems of old.
Mayor Mare kept walking, until she saw Steel Wing watching the door, his weapon pressed firmly against his shoulder. Steel Wing was patting himself down, before watching Mayor Mare approach. He stood rigid, making Mayor Mare roll her eyes a bit.
"At ease." Steel nodded, then started patting himself down, Mayor Mare quirking an eyebrow at the sight. "What are you doing?"
"Sorry, ever since I quit smoking, I usually have some gum or something on me." Steel explained, patting down his pockets, frowning a bit. "But it seems I may have forgotten my pack in my room."
Mayor Mare chuckled a bit, before looking at the massive door. She hummed in thought, before looking back at Steel, asking, "Did you grab what Smith wanted to give you?"
"Warming Smith? Yeah, he gave me the thing. Said he wanted to test it out before the rest of the team got it...I will admit, it is pretty cool." Steel said, adjusting his right wrist, before looking back at the door. "They're taking a long time."
Mayor Mare gave a soft sigh as she looked at the door too, scratching the back of her head, "Yeah, well. From what the labs tell me, it may be covered in snow up there. Not the easiest thing to travel through."
Steel looked back at her, before adjusting his crossbow a bit, "Where's the kid?"
"Reading a comic somewhere." Mayor Mare answered, though Steel chuckled a bit. "What?"
"With how much he talks about wanting to leave and find his friends? You'd think the kid was talking about saving the world." Steel Wing said, before a skittering caught their attention. Steel lifted his weapon and turned on the mounted flashlight, shining the light up the tunnel. They saw a hole in the side of the cavern, Steel giving a hum as he walked over, shouldering his weapon.
"You don't think the Mutts dug into the tunnel, do you?" Steel asked, shining a flashlight into the hole, kneeling down a bit to get a better look.
"Not unless they spit acid. Walls are too hard to get into, they would need a sort of acid to break through."
Steel looked over, moving his flashlight away from the hole, not noticing the chittering erupting out of it. "Well, something broke through, and if it wasn't a Mutt, wha- OH FUCK!"
Mayor Mare turned around to see Steel on his back, holding back some sort of strange creature. It screamed in his face, its massive tail swinging forward and stabbing into the rock where Steels head was a moment ago. He yelled as he grabbed his knife out and jammed it into the beasts back, though the knife slid off of its armored hide.
Mayor Mare froze, her fight or flight reacting instantly, her body's adrenaline kicking in, her eyes watching. His weapon clattered when it hit the ground, Steel jamming his armored bracer into its mouth, feeling its mandibles scrape against it. He tried hamming his knife into the monster, only to drop his knife when it struck again, just barely missing his head.
He snapped his arm up and grasped its tail, trying to force the thing off of him, hearing it scream and claw at his armored chest. "Fuck! If I die like this, I am gonna be so fucking pissed!"
His words snapped Mayor Mare out of her stupor, making her jump for his weapon, not caring if her clothes got dirty. She grabbed his crossbow, and aimed it at the beast, pulling the trigger, only to hear a click. She smacked the contraption three times, before suddenly turning the mounted flashlight on, the sounds of the scuffle stopping when she aimed again.
The insect like beast scrambled off of Steel, the man grasping his knife and scooting towards the opposite wall, holding his knife in a defensive manner. The creature screamed and started smoking, Mayor Mare keeping her flashlight on it, its tail whipping to and fro as it tried scrambling away from the pain. Its carapace started to darken as it scratched across the ground, trying to stop its pain.
It finally flipped over, belly bright red, before Mayor Mare finally shot, the crossbow bolt slamming into it and killing the beast instantly. Steel and Mayor Mare waited for it to move, but its legs just curled in, its body smoking and charred as it lies there.
"Holy shit, Mayor."
"Yeah, well..." She walked over and handed him the crossbow in a disgusted motion. "You were being attacked, I needed to help." She walked over and knelt down, nose crinkling at the smell of the burnt carcass. She reeled back and gagged, walking away from the carcass, before looking at the hole in the wall. "What ever it is, it hates lights."
"Yeah, dude burned like he was set on fire just by this weak flashlight."
"We should get some people to plug up that hole."
"Won't they burn through with acid?"
"Not if they use magic. And not if this place has lights too."
Steel adjusted his weapon and looked at the carcass, examining it. Before, its exoskeleton was a white, almost yellow like coloration, but now it appeared to be charred black. Its head was almost scorpion like, multiple eyes, mandibles were strengthened and had teeth in them. Strangely enough, it possessed no front pincers, it had legs instead with sharp tips. Its tail was massive, containing two extra stingers on top of a large one, likely used to strengthen its attacks.
Its back was hardened at first, likely able to take some heavy damage before it would eventually be damaged, though its extreme sensitivity to light seemed to make all that armor useless. It also seemed like the underbelly was much softer than the upper carapace, making it an ideal target, if one could get to it.
Steel hoped Silver and the others were having an easier time on the surface. Now he had to sit here and watch a damn hole in case more spider things came out while the Mayor went to grab some magicbloods.
Spike remembered some saying Twilight had told him once. When they reached the edge of the map, the explorers would remark, "There Be Dragons". A strange adage to Spike, to be perfectly honest, as he was a dragon blooded lad and was not really in any sort of unexplored areas. Perhaps it meant unseen dangers or warning of his kind?
Spikes mind snapped back to reality as they walked through the snow, looking back through the blinding snow, his pupils turning into slits as he heard something shift in the snow. He turned a bit and looked around, eyes scanning between the buildings and streets, the wind battering against him as he searched.
Big Mac tapped his shoulder, the young lad jumping a bit and looking at the larger man. "Come on, Spike. We gotta get all this stuff down to tha Caverns." Spike nodded, before looking back, his eyes scanning the area behind them for a quick moment. He returned to the group, peering around, sniffing the air through his mask.
A loud beeping shocked them out of their thoughts, Silver bringing his bracer up to his arm and giving the timer a once over. "Okay, gotta find a secure building, clean the filters, then move back to the Caverns." He walked towards a building, only for the little instrument to start screaming at him, clicking loudly when get got close. He took a few steps back, the machine only clicking every so often now, and grunted, "Well, so much for this building, let's try another."
He walked towards another, slowly walking forward, no clicking going off this time. He nodded to them and slowly opened the door, peering in. Silver panned his weapon around, slowly walking in, flashlight on and lighting up the room. Storm silently followed, aiming all around, checking the corners as she entered another room, her device screeching as her as she walked into another room, adjacent to the first. She backed up and stared into the room, seeing strange, glowing mushrooms sprouting out of the furniture and walls. The walls seemed damp, and the bones in the middle of the room offered no comfort to her, seeing the them huddled around something against their chest.
She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.
Big Mac slowly opened another door and peered inside. No clicking, no bones, nice and dry...well, relatively dry. He turned to Silver, Storm and Spike, waving them in, the three huddling inside with Big Mac. He closed the door behind him, before checking his counter. No clicking.
He pulled the mask off and smiled at the others, "So far, so good."
Spike groaned and looked Big Mac and shook his head, loudly scolding, "Have you ever met Twilight? Whenever she says that, everything gets worse. Every time."
"He's right. Something is up." Silver finally spoke, cleaning his filter out, Spike pressing his ear against the wall, adjusting his mask a bit. "Nothing has chased us since we saw that bat thing. I think it's stalking us." He said, smacking his filter against his knee, before putting it back into place on his mask.
"Sir, if I may, this seems to be a walk in the park so far." Storm finally spoke, aiming at the door whilst the other two clean their filters. "I mean, that bat thing can't find us, and it has unintentionally chased away the Mutts."
"That is the issue. The Mutts are so scared of that thing, which makes it far more dangerous than the Mutts." Silver said, before adjusting his crossbow a bit. He slid his mask on, then nodded to the others, who did the same. "We should keep moving and regroup with the others."
Spike slowly opened the door and slid out, the other adjusting their masks a bit and lining up behind him. He looked around, his pupils constricting into slits as he looked around in the darkness. He nodded, before backing up a bit, letting the three slide out of the door and aim around. They walked back outside, Spikes mind silently turning to the Caverns.
The Caverns.
He couldn't stay there forever, no matter how much Mayor Mare wanted him to. He had to head out some day and try to find Celestia and the girls. He loved Ponyville, but Twilight was his family, he had to find her.
And as much as it breaks his heart, he knew Mayor Mare wouldn't be safe if they made that journey together. He'd need to go alone, or with someone who was experienced in that sort of thing.
The hairs on the back of Spikes neck pricked up, making him stop in the middle of the street, and a cold chill ran up his back, making his shiver.
Suddenly, his vision turned black, a screech echoing in his ears as he fell unconscious.
Meteor stood at the entrance to the Caverns, watching the cave system with a critical eye, eyes scanning the snow blasted wasteland in front of them. She sat there, Bulk silently standing by the door, Thunderlane peering inside the entrance to the Caverns. He tapped his foot impatiently, before he suddenly knelt down and groaned.
"It's taking too long. They should be back by now." Thunderlane finally spoke, looking back at Meteor. "We can't leave this thing open for much longer."
"I hate to agree, but we do need to get these medical supplies to the hospital."
Meteor said nothing, staring at the snow. She stood up when she saw something moving within the blizzard, relaxing a bit as she adjusted the crossbow on her shoulder. "They're coming."
"Finally." Thunderlane sighed out, before standing up, looking inside the cave.
Bulk squinted against the snow, before suddenly taking a knee and aiming his crossbow. "That isn't Silver."
A deep howl echoed out, the three taking positions, Bulk watching the shape in the snow. It rushed forward and snarled, Bulk reacting a bit too late as it lunged for him. Luckily, an arrow found its mark and slammed into the beasts skull, killing it instantly. Its body collided with Bulk, knocking him down, though the man threw the body off of him.
He was covered in blood, wiping his helmet off as he took aim again. "Contacts!" Meteor yelled out, the three backing up as more shapes moved in the snow. "We gotta close the door!"
Thunderlane looked at her incredulously, "If we close this door, we sentence the others to death!"
"And if we don't close it, they flood into the Caverns and slaughter everyone." Bulk argue, tugging the arrow out of the body and walking back. "We gotta do it, then we can mount a rescue mission after these things leave."
"Into the tunnel. Now!" Meteor barked out, Bulk complied immediately, though Thunderlane glared at the back of her head for a moment. However, another howl made him grit his teeth, before relenting and scampering back into the tunnel. Meteor slowly backed into the tunnel, aiming at the shapes coming forward. "Close the door!"
It started to slowly grind as it started to close, Meteor kept walking in. She ducked down as a beast screeched overhead and scampered down the tunnel. Bulk made to chase after it, only to hear chittering and a yelp follow. Thunderlane slowly turned around and stared into the darkness, hearing chittering, then turned on his light, flashing it down the tunnel.
He saw a bloody trail lead into a hole in the wall, giving it a wide berth as the sound of grinding continued. Bulk turned back to the door, hearing snarling and howling, shooting an arrow into a creature that slipped through. Meteor shot another arrow into the beast, causing it to stop moving.
The door started to close, two more slipping in. Another tried, only to get caught in the door. It screamed in agony, before it was snapped in half, hanging limp in the doorway. Meteor and Bulk were knocked down by one of the beasts, the other being shot by Thunderlane. It screamed at him but continued on, running down the tunnel.
"One got though!"
The beast jumped off of the two and scrambled towards Thunderlane. He grabbed his knife out and slammed it into the poor Mutts skull. It screamed and claws at his relatively less armored sides, making him yelp in pain, before slamming his knife down again and again, spraying him with blood. He sat there for a moment, catching his breath, before jumping into the air and flying down the tunnel.
Meteor and Bulk sat there, catching their breaths, Bulk standing up and offering her a hand. She accepted it, letting him help her up, before the both stared at the dead Mutt on the floor. They turned to the door, hearing soft bangs come from it, though none broke through.
"Hopefully we didn't just lock them out there to die."
The shouts of Steel Wing and Thunderlane caught them by surprise, before the dying sounds of a Mutt echoed out. Meteor sighed a bit, before waving her hand, "Come on, big guy, let's make sure we don't have to bandage those idiots."
Silver turned in time to see the bat thing descend on them, swiping Spike into the snow. He opened his mouth to yell, but was stopped by the creature screeching and swiping at him. He, luckily, had time to dodge, firing his crossbow into the beast. It roared at the trio, walking over Spike and towards the three.
"Why isn't it grabbing him?" Storm asked, taking cover behind a stall, reloading the crossbow. "Shouldn't it have picked him up?"
"Dragons are tough! Way too tough! Might be a hassle to try and eat him!" Silver yelled back, through fired at the beast. Big Mac started to run for Spike, the bat beast tugging some bolts out of its face with its one fingered hands, before locking onto him. "Big Mac! Down!"
"Spike's down! Someone has to help 'im!" Big Mac argued, before ducking under a swipe. The bat beast roared at him, before an arrow shot into its face. It screamed and backed away, trying to wipe the arrow off, Big Mac running towards Spike again, his eyes locked onto his fallen form. "No no no no, Twilight and Applejack'll kill me if you're down Spike. I can't...I can't lose ya too, Spike."
He slowly moved Spike over, the young lad not giving a noise as he moved. Big Mac saw the long scratch along his chest. It hadn't even penetrated the skin enough to cause him to bleed, but the long red mark would certainly leave a reminder, if the boy was still alive.
He wasn't breathing. Big Mac couldn't see any steam coming from the boys mouth, his heart sinking. "Don't do this to me Spike, don't ya dare leave me too!" Big Mac felt his eyes burn, shaking the boy, before slowly lowering his head, repeating, "Ah...can't lose ya too..." He sat there in silence, the sounds of the battle becoming muffled.
Spike suddenly gasped and coughed loudly, making Big Mac jump up, blinking away the tears and staring at the boy. Spike kept coughing for a moment, before blinking a few times and looking up at Big Mac. "That...really freakin hurt..."
"Celestia damn it, boy, ya tryin ta give me a heart attack?!" Big Mac said, hugging the young boy in his arms. Big Mac stood up and offered the boy a hand, smiling underneath his gasmask. "Come on, we gotta r-"
A screech echoed out, Big Mac being slashed by the beasts claw, smashing his mask open, steam and air spilling out, Big Macs shirt being torn and blood spilling out. He smashed into the wall of a building, the bat creature hissing as it smelled blood. Spikes eyes went wide, pupils barely slits as he watched Big Macs limp form, almost mirroring Big Macs look when he was struck not even minute ago. His mind suddenly went blank, rage filling his body, his hands clenching into fists, watching the beast walk over to Big Mac, mouth dripping saliva as it got ready for its next meal.
Silver Spear got out, grabbing his knife, trying to rush the beast, before he was smashed away by its wing. Storm shot into its back with crossbow bolts, but the creature ignored her and was upon Big Mac.
Spike, however, did something the others will never forget.
He ran from his position, licked off the ground, released a roar from his throat that belonged to a much larger dragon, then stabbed into the beasts back with his machete. It screamed as it stood on its hind legs, Spikes gloves ripped open, hands now shifted into claws, stabbing them into the beasts shoulder. He used his draconic strength and tugged the beast back, pulling the machete out and slashing into the beasts back again and again.
Silver got up, staring as the beast tried, in vain, to get Spike off, the young dragon blooded man, smashing his claws into the beasts back, blood spraying out with each strike. He tugged the machete out and stabbed it into another spot, causing it to scream in anger.
The bat shook, slinging Spike across its shoulder. It reached its single clawed finger up, ready to strike, but Spike was faster. He slashed across the beasts face, claws digging through its brow, eye, then finally cheek. The beast gave an unholy shriek and finally threw Spike off, blood dripping off of it, before taking off into the air, a trail of blood dripping under it.
Spike roared and threw a rock after it, before giving out hot, steam filled breaths. His hands, still claws, were covered in blood, and blood stained his face and chest, before he turned to Storm and Silver who froze in their tracks.
Silver, although seeing many a fight himself, felt his veins turn to ice and his chest squeeze with terror, barely stopping himself from shaking. All the old legends of dragonbloods flashed into his mind in that moment, though Storm only had one thought herself seeing Spikes eyes.
Predator.
Their instincts told them to run, until he turned his gaze to Big Mac, his claws slowly shifting back into hands, his eyes turning soft as he ran over to the fallen form of his friend. A loud coughing rang out from Big Mac, Spike wincing a bit at the sound.
"He's still alive! We need to tape up his helmet and take him back!" Spike yelled out, snapping the guards out of their trance. Spike grabbed his bag off the ground and ripped it open, pulling out duct rape and taping the break in Big Macs helmet closed, allowing the man to breathe the filtered air. Spike looked over his chest, giving a wince, "This wound looks pretty bad."
Silver gave Spike a wary glance, before looking up at the raging storm clouds above them, grimacing, saying, "This weather is getting worse, I don't think we have enough time to get him back to the Caverns."
"Not the way we came, at least. He'll bleed out before we get there." Storm said, staring at the place where the bat left, nothing but bloody arrows and the machete on the ground, drenched in blood. The handle was crushed by Spikes clawed hands, making Storm flash an uneasy gaze towards Spike.
Spike thought for a moment, before looking around, recognizing where they were. "Come on." Spike grabbed Big Mac, trying to help the man up. Silver grabbed Big Mac and slung him over his shoulders, adjusting his weapon in his hands. "I know another way in the Caverns." Spike said, before walking through the snow, his tail brushing away some snow as he walked.
Silver made to follow, only for Storm to grab his armed, stopping him. "Sir, you just saw what happened...are you sure we can trust this kid?"
Silver stopped, before sparing a glance towards Spike, Big Mac giving a soft groan on his shoulders. "Mayor Mare trusts him, that means I should too. Come on." Silver started walking, Storm waiting for a minute, before following, looking back at the spot Spike had fought the beast, blood upon the snow. She finally followed, ignoring the wails of the injured beast.
Spike stared into his bag, hands covered in blood, ignoring the red liquid staining his hands and peered at the first aid kit. He kept walking through the snow, lowering his mask down and flicking his long, draconic tongue out. He tasted the air for a moment, ignoring its icy grip on his tongue, then continued on. He kept walking, looking around, squinting his eyes through the blizzard, being following by Storm and Silver, who was carrying Big Mac on his shoulders.
They stopped for a moment, Storm taking this chance to cautiously walk towards Spike, before asking, "Kid, you sure you know where we're heading? All I can see are buildings and more snow."
"We're almost there." Spike said, walking off, Silver silently following, Big Mac giving a soft groan on Silvers shoulders. Storm looked up at the clouds, then grunted loudly, walking with them.
"Why are we following this kid around?" Storm asked Silver, making Silver give a grunt in response. "He's clearly lost, we need to set up shop and get Mac here some-"
"I...trust Spike..." Big Mac weakly said, Storm giving him a surprised look. Big Mac was too weak to lift his head too far, but gave Storm a glare, continuing, "I...trust him with...my life...he'll get us...where we need to go."
That seemed to shut Storms questioning down, Silver giving a smile that was hidden under the rebreather. It seemed only a minute or two passed when Spike finally found what he was looking for. He slowly started to push on the metal door, the ice on the hinges cracking and splitting as it groaned open, Spike grunting as he pushed it open more and more.
Seeing it open enough, Spike waved the trio in, Storm taking the lead, using her flashlight and weapon to aim around, crossbow at the ready. Silver followed, giving a grimace at the skeletal remains they passed, Spike giving a grunt as he started to drag the door closed, gritting his teeth as it screeched, piercing into the howl of air.
Once it finally shuddered shut, Spike gave out a breath he was holding. He spared a look at the skeletal remains, before heading down the stairs and into the main room. Storm has brushed away some of the tables, getting rid of dust, computers and papers, letting Silver set Big Mac down on it, his shoulders having blood on them, the former farmer groaning in pain.
Spike scampered up, digging through his bag and pulling the first aid kit out, along with a bottle of water. He washed his hands with the water, washing away the blood from the beast and cleaning them, shaking them dry and opening the kit. He pulled out alcohol, needle and thread, and multiple ointments, tugging out a needle with a strange substance inside.
He poked Big Mac, giving a wince as he gave a groan of pain, saying, "Sorry. This is going to hurt...a lot, but you'll be alive until doctors look at you." As Spike used the alcohol in the cloth, Silver and Storm sat next to each other, scanning the rest of the room.
Big Mac pointed at his mask, Spike pulling it off, before cleaning Big Mac wound, hearing soft hisses from the man, before Big Mac finally spoke, far too soft for the two guards to hear, "I saw what ya did. Ya sure you're alright?"
Spike was silent for a moment, slowly starting to stitch up the wound, his hands slowly getting bloody as he did so, "Yeah."
"Spike, I've never seen anyone do somethin like that. You're clearly not fine." Big Mac said, staring at Spike, the young dragonblood giving Big Mac a soft look, before continuing on.
"I...I dunno what I did." Spike finally admitted, loud enough for the two guards to hear, though Spike was too busy helping Big Mac to notice. He continued, "I just saw you get struck, lying in the snow, motionless, and...something inside of me snapped. Like I needed to help you, that I had to do anything to keep you safe, even if that meant ripping that thing apart. I got so angry...and so scared, and I just kinda blacked out."
Big Mac stared at Spike, before weakly resting a hand on Spikes shoulder, the young teen looking at Big Mac, seeing his soft green eyes full of comfort, before finally speaking, "Tartarus, woulda done the same thing in your shoes...don't remember any of it though?"
"Not a thing. All I remember is sort of...waking up and seeing you lying in the snow." Spike admitted, before pulling the string, closing up the wound. He cut the string, before applying the gauze, then the bandages, giving a soft sigh. "This'll hold until an actual doctor gets a look at you."
Silver walked over, giving a impressed hum, before speaking, "Good job kid."
"Living with a bookworm had its perks." Spike explained, before giving a soft smile. "She would drill medical knowledge into my head every time she got a chance. And it comes in handy."
At that moment, the lights flickered, making the group look around. Silver and Spike slowly started to help Big Mac up, the larger man giving a grunt as he felt an ache in his side, before wobbling on his feet for a moment, a soft chitter being heard throughout the room. Storm started to slowly inch around, the lights flicking again, her eyes narrowing. She slowly checked her wrist, before slowly nocking an arrow into he crossbow, slowly scanning the room.
"Something's up. We better get to the Caverns. Now." Storm finally said, the lights giving another flicker, giving a wary eye to the holes in the walls.
"Come on, kid, you lead the way." Silver ordered, helping Big Mac walk across the room. "You keep a close eye on the kid, Storm. If anything happens to him, I'll probably have to bury myself before Mayor Mare finds me."
Storm nodded, letting Spike take the lead, the young dragonblood giving the lights above a nervous glance. He started walking, Storm giving him soft glances as they walked forward, the lights shutting off for a moment. Storms slowly walked down the stairs, checking the corner as they went down, before slowly walking into the bottom floor.
"Clear."
The lights flickered again, making Spike glance around in worry. He flicked his tongue out, before walking in, flicking his tongue again and again, tasting the air. "We should hurry. Smells awful in here. Something's close."
"How do you do that?" Storm asked, aiming around, eyes darting this way and that. "I can't smell anything except...ugh, something rotting."
"Dragons have a better sense of smell. At least, according to Twilight." Spike mumbled out, eyes narrowing, before his nictating membrane slid over his eyes. "Come on, the lights won't last long."
Silver walked in with Big Mac, Big Mac giving ragged breaths as they walked inside. The flickering lights started going, Spike giving a worried look. He walked past the computers and paper, before a light popped, making Spike jump. And, just as quick, the lights shut down with an audible whir, sending everyone into darkness.
Spike heard them rustle around for their lights, only to breathe out a stream of green flames, illuminating the room before them in green light.
"Thanks, Spike." Silver spoke, reaching into his pocket and pulling a light out, turning it on. He scanned the room, before they heard a scraping sound, the group turning to it.
It seemed a table had moved on its own. Then a skitter echoed out, Storm twirling around, weapon raised, turning her flashlight on. She heard a screech and turned, ducking under a chair, firing a bolt into whatever it was.
The bolt bounced and flew away, smacking into the wall, the creature giving a scream of anger as it ran away from the light. Spike felt fear creep into his heart, but kept it at bay, looking back to see Silver trying to teach his weapon. What Silver and Big Mac didn't see was a shape taking form behind them, Spikes pupils suddenly constricting into slits as he watched. He couldn't lose a friend, couldn't lose anyone else.
He refused to lose anyone else.
He flew forward, grabbing Silver and Big Mac, pushing thek out of the way, then blew a stream of green fire onto the carapace beast, lighting the room up in a green hue. The beast scrambled and screamed in agony, but Spike only took another breath in, then blew another stream of green flame out, making the beast back itself into the wall from the force. The crackling of flesh and armor gave Spike no pause, though when he drew his breath in for a third time, Silvers hand grasped onto his shoulder, making his snap to them. Seeing the fear in Silvers eyes may not have done anything to the young dragonblood, but Big Macs gaze pierced straight through Spikes heart.
It was a look of worry.
Spike snorted out some smoke, only to look back and see the blacked beast, dead under his flames. It was some strange mixture of scorpion and spider, with the hardened shell reminding him of some sort of crab in a way. He turned then gave a calming breath, nodding to Big Mac, who smiled a bit at the sight.
"Come on! We gotta get outta here! Now!" Storm broke them out of the moment, only to hold her weapon up, giving a disgusted look at the creature she shor at spit at her. The weapon started to sizzle and smoke, to which she responded by shining her flashlight on the creature, making it screech and start to smoke.
"These thangs don't like lights. Keep yer fire goin, Spike, we'll back up into the cave. Seems lit up fer some reason."
Spike nodded to Big Mac, before taking a deep breath in, aiming towards the ceiling and blasting a stream of flames from his mouth. It finally lit up the room, making the creatures scream as they started to back away, the light making them smoke, their armor starting to blacken under the light. Silver speed walked to the other end of the room with Storm, who was aiming around, keeping her flashlight in a solid motion in front of her.
"Come on kid!" Silver yelled out, helping Big Mac into the doorway. Storm waved Spike over, who grew red faced trying to keep it up. He panted loudly as he finally finished, before running back towards the others. The creatures made to follow, only to scramble back when Storms flashlight hit them, scampering back into the holes and shadows, Spike panting, then scrambling into the hole, Storm following after into the cave of gems.
They took deep breaths as they finally made it out of eyeshot, taking a moment to breathe deeply, deeding oxygen into their starved lungs after the mad scramble.
"So...who's hungry?" Storm asked, ignoring the looks the three men gave her. She patted her belly and started walking, inspecting the weapon in her hands. "Those things spit acid! Damn near melted through my crossbow!"
Spike rolled his eyes, only to walk past her, Silver giving a chuckle, "Don't you worry, private, I'm sure you can use that sparkling personality to win a new crossbow from the metal workers."
Thunderlane and Bulk Biceps watched the tunnel, Steel wing wiping his armor free of blood, giving a disgusted look at the hound before them. First the bugs, now the dogs? He must think nature hates him. Meteor herself was adjusting the sights on her weapon, giving a soft grunt as she switched her sitting style, her right leg having fallen asleep with no movement for so long.
"We shouldn't have left them out there." Thunderlane finally said, rubbing his left shoulder where his bag once was. Luckily, they had gotten the supplies to the medical areas, and now they were just waiting for the others. "It's been too long, we have to open the doors now."
"Thunderlane." Meteor spoek, only to be cut off by Thunderlane.
"I mean, if it was us up there, I know they would look for us!"
"Thunderlane, I-" Meteor tried again, though the mans wings were rustling, greatly annoying the guard.
"It's been too long! We gotta get some more people, maybe round up volunteers and-"
"THUNDERLANE!" Bulk yelled, making the man pause, the muscled man having to use his loud voice to draw Thunderlane out of his own head. He then turned to Meteor and gave a grimace, "Continue."
"Right...like I was about to.say,.timer hasn't gone off yet." Meteor pointed to her watch, before continuing, "If the timer goes off and we still haven't heard from them, we'll go out looking."
Steel Wing gave a chuckle, before admitting, "You're worse than I was at bootcamp." The skyblood rotated his shoulder, then stretched a bit, sighing as his back popped. "We should hear from them. Silver is too damn tough to be taken out by a couple of mangey mutts. And Storm kicks some serious ass."
Meteor stood up and hummed in thought. Perhaps Thunderlane was right, they were taking a long time, and Silver was usually not like this. She adjusted her weapon, walking over and resting an arm on the door, staring up into the tunnel ahead of her. That was when she turned, only to see some people running towards the gem cave. Her interest piqued, until she saw the familiar form of Big Mac being carried away by medics.
She whistled, catching their attention, then pointed towards the trio who had returned, giving Thunderlane a look, before saying, "Next time, have a little more faith in the captain."
The group walked over, Steel and Meteor giving a salute, Thunderlane mumbling something, while Bulk gave a wide smile, seeing the trio. The four, however, noticed Spike and gave Silver looks of confusion, making Silver wave his hand a bit.
"Hey, kid, get these to the storage area." Silver spoke, handing Spike the three, heavy, filled bags. Spike wobbled a bit, before nodding, walking off with the supplies. "Long story, Storm will tell you while I report with Mayor Mare."
"Big Mac is with the medics, but he'll be fine." Storm added on, brushing Spikes hair when he walked past. "You did good, kid."
Spike sat the supplies down in the storage area, stretching a bit, walking away from the storage area, heading towards his bedroom. He flopped onto his bed and groaned happily, slowly drifting off to a dreamless, well earned sleep.
He would need the energy, because Mayor Mare would give him a scolding of a lifetime in the morning.
In the morning, Spike had hoped to get up, make Mayor Mare coffee, and hopefully get some reading done before she yelled at him for going out there, even if he did bring supplies and books back. At least, that was what he was hoping for, perhaps a quick thing of scolding and grounding, though when he woke up, all he had found was Mayor Mare cradling him as if he was nothing more than her own child. She was still asleep when he woke up, though her grip was as iron as ever, and he struggled to move as he was afraid to wake her.
He would just lie there, waiting for her grip to loosen, silently enjoying her soft, warm body. He slowly hugged her tight and nuzzled into her, feeling her shift a bit and hum a bit. She gave a groggy noise as she.slowly let go of him, only to sit up and stretch, popping a few joints in the process.
"Morn..." She mumbled out, slowly getting up and stretching, slowly stretching out. Spike turned around to give her some privacy, as he just realized she was in her underwear, her butt was pointed directly at his face. "We need to talk."
"Yeah."
"About yesterday."
"I know."
She sat back down, before slowly scooting over to Spike, before wrapping her arms around him, drawing him into her breast. "I know what you did really helped the others out. In fact, I'm sure Big Mac would have died out there without you, but..." Mayor Mare spoke, giving him a soft squeeze, before continuing, "I feel like I have to look at for you since Twilight...isn't here."
"I know."
"And I'm not angry, I just...care a lot about you, Spike, and I don't want you hurt." The Mayor pulled away and lifted Spikes chin, staring into his beautiful green eyes, giving him soft, motherly smile."So, next time you wanna be a hero, just warn a lady, okay?"
Spike smiled and nodded, before blushing a bit as he turned. "You uh...still have no pants..."
"Oh. Right. Sorry." She felt her own cheeks heat up as she started getting dressed, Spike giving her some privacy. She soon smoothed out her shirt and pants, before ruffling Spikes hair, ignoring the boys hiss about his looks. "I have to attend an official debriefing, so feel free to eat breakfast without me. And if you do sneak out, make sure you are home before dinner, okay?" She teased him, before walking out of the room.
Spike sat there in silence, before starting to dress himself, thinking about what he was going to eat this morning. Before that thought continued, he heard cursing in the next room and smiled a bit. "I told you that the coffee gets hot."
"You can swim in lava and react like its nothing more than a warm bath, your sense of temperature scale is strange to me!" Mayor Mare called back, making Spike shake his head. He got up and stretched a bit, sighing a bit.
He walked out, seeing a few people up and about already, getting ready for the day. It seemed early in the morning, or as far as he could tell it was early in the morning, his eyes scanning over the people setting up stands and getting ready for the day, before he looked over at the medical tents. His eyes softened, deciding to check up on Big Mac before breakfast, making his way towards the tents.
Seeing Nurse Redheart standing there, Spike smiled as he walked up, the woman giving a soft smile at the young man. "Hey Spike."
"Hey Miss Redheart. Is Big Mac awake?"
The nurse chuckled, then adjusted her clipboard, pointing back with her thumb, saying, "Yeah, but the docs keep telling him he needs rest. I think farm life is too engrained in his brain, he rises with the sun."
"May I see him?"
"Normally I'd say no, but he's been asking for you since he woke up. Head on in." Nurse Redheart said, letting Spike through the flap. She watched his form disappear, cute tail waving excitedly when he saw his friend. "Such a cute kid. Gonna be a real looker when he grows up." Nurse Redheart mumbled to herself, before walking off to get herself some breakfast.
Spike walked in, seeing his strong friend lying in a bed with an IV bag attached to him. The man was reading a book, though Spike couldn't see the cover from where he was standing. Once he heard the tent flap, Big Mac looked up, only to smile warmly and wave him over, Spike happily walking over.
"Hey Mac, how are you feeling?"
"Chest aches, but I'm feelin better." Big Mac said, before adjusting a bit on the bed. "Doc says you saved mah life, an...that if you hadn't stitched me up, I'd be another photo on tha wall." Big Mac smiled and grabbed Spikes hand, squeezing it, before continuing, "I can't thank ya enough, Spike."
"Big Mac, you-"
"Spike, let me finish." Big Mac said, the dragon blooded youngster falling silent, the larger man squeezing his hand a bit. "Applejack was too proud to admit it, but I ain't. When ya saved her life, and helped us outta those scrapes, ya did so cuz it was the right thang. Wouldn't even let us talk about rewardin ya or nuthin." Big Mac adjusted a bit in the bed, his gaze travelling downwards towards the sheets. "What ya did fer Granny...it just cemented what I thought of ya."
"Big Mac, any one of us would-" Spike fell silent as he saw the look Big Mac gave him, before he cleared his throat a bit. "Sorry, continue."
Big Macintosh took a moment to think about what he would say next, before clearing his throat and looking back up at the young lad, finally finding the words he wanted to say, "Spike, all I'm tryin ta say is that...I'm proud of you. And, I'm sure Granny would agree with me when I say that...we would be honored to make you an Apple."
Spikes eyes shot open as he stared at Big Mac, surprise and shock evident in the young lads eyes. He gulped a bit, his jaw uselessly flapping a bit at the sight. It might have even looked comical, had the statement not been so life changing to either men. Finally, Spike found his voice and asked, "Y-you...you really want me as a part of your family?"
"Well, we can't make it official or nuthin like that, and tha only girl close to your age is Applejack and she has her eyes set on certain someone. Had...her eyes set." Big Macs green eyes filled with sadness, before making it disappear in a moment, smiling at the young man, "I'm sure Granny would agree that you are Apple material, and I'm sure Applebloom won't argue with me. Tartarus, AJ already called ya the little brother she never had sometimes. Might as well make ya an Apple at this point."
Spike felt a tear slide down his cheek, though not from sadness or anger, but from happiness and love. He suddenly flew forward and hugged the Apple, Big Mac wincing a bit as his chest screamed in pain, though the normally stoic man never let it slip. Big Mac returned the hug, squeezing Spike a bit, before Spike finally said, "I would be honored to be an Apple."
Applebloom finally busted in, shocking both of them, Nurse Redheart coming in soon after, trying to stop her. "Applebloom! You can't just burst in like that! You have to-", the Nurses voice died in her throat as she saw the glare Applebloom gave her, making the older woman back off and step back outside. "Crazy Apples..."
Applebloom stomped Over, giving Spike a glare, making the youngster shrink under her gaze. Although being slightly shorter than the boy, Applebloom seemed to command an energy when she was upset. Big Mac started to sweat, until Applebloom gave a huff and said, "Big Mac! Ya were supposed to wait until I got here!"
Spike blinked once.
Then twice.
Then thrice.
Finally, his brain kicked into gear, finally asking, "Wait...you planned this?"
Applebloom glared at Big Mac, before sighing a bit and crossing her arms, looking back at Spike, admitting, "Yeah. We know Twilights family raised ya an' everythang, but we noticed ya do too much for us too. And they never really call ya a Sparkle and ya never really refer yourself as one, so, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith and I wanted to welcome ya to the Apples. Had a whole bit planned with the family, but we had to postpone it cuz Applejack went off to the Crystal Empire with her friends and the rest of the class too." Applebloom looked back up, giving a soft sigh, "Ya know how that turned out."
"You guys were gonna do that...all for me?"
"Yesterday really cemented what we thought. I mean, ya saved mah big brothers life, mah big sisters life, and mah life on quite a few occasions. Might as well make it official...or, as official as we could, seeing as ya ain't marryin anyone in tha family." Applebloom said, before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "And somebody was supposed ta wait until ah got here!"
Spike watched Big Mac try to defend himself, Applebloom taking the moment to chew her brother out for not waiting. They both stopped when they heard a sniffle, turning to Spike to see him crying. Applebloom made to ask what was wrong, but he looked up at them, smiling, before bringing the two in for a hug. The anger and guilt quickly disappeared as the trio hugged, Big Mac giving a slight wince, though tried to ignore his pain.
"Thank you...both of you..."
"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you, could you repeat that?"
A voice cut through Silver Spear, the guard giving no hint of this though. On the inside, his heart was gripped with anxiety and stress, and the look from the speaker made him wanna excuse himself as quickly as possible. However, he stayed there, his boots planted on the ground, and repeated, "I wish to train your ward, Spike."
Mayor Mare blinked at him, confusion painted on her face, before she pulled her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose, a headache forming. "Before I even ask, you do realize he is a child, right?"
"He is a teenager, ma'am."
"Point still stands."
"I was younger than he was when I started training." Silver Spear admitted, before opening his mouth again, stopping when Mayor Mare held a hand up.
"Spike's still too young. I may not be his mom, or even his adopted family, but I still care about him, Silver. And I can't agree to this in good conscience!" Mayor Mare spoke, standing up a bit and looking out of her window, seeing Spike leaving the medical tent, Applebloom walking with him and talking to him. She clenched her hand into a fist as she rested her arm on the wall, before shaking her head. "I just...Twilight would never let it happen."
Silver took this moment to walk next to her and sighed softly, before turning to you, "I didn't give you the entire briefing last night
Mayor Mare raised an eyebrow and looked at Silver, "What do you mean?"
"Yesterday, when Big Mac was hurt, Spike...changed." Silver admitted, his eyes never leaving the young dragonblooded boy, watching him happily talk to his young friend.
"What do you mean?"
"He...he grew." Silver finally said, tearing his eyes away from Spike and looking at Mayor Mare, crossing his arms. "Grew taller, stronger, claws on his hands and scales appearing on his skin. Tail even grew longer, nearly ripped the bat thing in half for hurting the farmer. Tore into its houlder and back with a machete, damn near broke the handle in his grip. We put bolts into it and it just brushed them off, but Spike just used his hands and some knife, damn near ripped into its back and out of its chest."
"B...but how?"
"I thought you would know, or perhaps a book. Couldn't find anything in the books we had though, and, the only clue we have is the incident you spoke of."
"Spike grew into a full dragon during that incident. Rampaged through town because greed changed him, Twilight told me about it, but...he wasn't greedy this time. It has to be something else."
"Whatever it is, we can't handle it if he starts changing permanently. How do you think the people will react when he loses control?"
Mayor Mare glared at Silver, before giving a soft huff through her nostrils. "He'll never lose control. He's been Twilights assistant since he could read and write, he knows how destructive he could get if he loses control!"
"He's thirteen! He doesn't understand how much loss can change people! He's lost his friends, his home, his family and here we are, telling him that he is safe in this tomb!" Silver argued, Mayor Mare finally tearing herself away from Spike and looking back at Silver, a deep sadness in her eyes, making him let out a long breath. He looked back at her, finally speaking, "Look, if it were up to me, I would let him live his life how he wanted, but...the Fall has changed everything. He needs to learn how to control his anger and his fear, and I know how to help him."
"I just...he's just a boy, Silver."
"He is just a boy, but we won't always be around to protect him." Silver spoke, pushing away from the wall with an arm and walking towards the door. "I can help him defend himself though, and channel that anger and fear into something more." He paused for a moment, looking back at Mayor Mare, speaking, "It's your call."
Mayor Mare returned her gaze back to Spike, seeing him hug Applebloom, before walking away to the cafeteria to get some food. She stood there for a moment, brushing her thumb against her fingers in thought. On one hand, she was right, Spike was just a child when it came to dragons. The older they got, the slower they aged, but even as a youngster he was still much smaller and younger looking than boys his age. He wasn't like an Earthblood, who could kick trees and knock down apples, or a Skyblood who could fly and cause entire storms, or even a Magicblood who could use magic to lift heavy objects or change appearances instantly.
He was a young dragonblood. He fit in nowhere and that is why Mayor Mare had to protect him. She may not be his adoptive mother or sister, or even her strange aunt who drinks wine, but she cared greatly about the young lad as if he was her own. She couldn't stand when he got hurt, and usually had to restrain herself whenever he fell or smacked into something by accident.
Not that it would hurt him, mind you, but she still worried.
On the other hand, Silver was right. He would soon become an official teenager for his kind, and although they grew slow at first, he would soon shoot up in height and strength, and they needed a way to help him control that. And, not only that, he would likely need a way to defend himself if...if anything happened to her or the others. He may be strong and tough, but he wasn't a guard or a fighter, he would get seriously injured fighting like Silver described.
Not only that, but in this strange, broken world, it appears even nature itself had been mutated into something more, something frightening. And now, Spike proved he was willing to literally bite into whatever attacked them, rip these things apart if it meant protecting his friends and family. There was no way Mayor Mare could stop him from doing that, but Silver would be able to train him to control himself.
The pros outweighed the cons. She decided that Silver would train Spike.
Silver nodded with Mayor Mare as Spike walked in, the young dragonblood holding a ration bar in his mouth, pausing for a moment as he saw the two adults stare so intently at him. He bit a piece off, crunching it noisily, before swallowing thickly, staring at the two.
"Uh...Captain Silver." Spike finally spoke, the older man smiling, making Spike quirk an eyebrow. "Did...something happen?"
"Of a sort." Silver spoke, keeling down before Spike, the older man grasping Spikes shoulder and squeezing it. "Tomorrow, I am going to train you to defend yourself."
Spike blinked, only to give a soft chuckle, saying, "Really had me going there. And Storm says you don't have a sense of humor." He kept chuckling, though when Mayor Mare gave Spike a soft look, his chuckling died off as he looked between them both. "Wait...you're serious?"
"Indeed. You will learn how to defend yourself, Spike, and protect those you care about." Silver said, giving him a strong pat on the shoulder. "Now, rest up, young dragon, training begins tomorrow." Silver stood back up, turning towards the Mayor and nodding at her, saying, "Make sure he gets rest. He'll need it."
Mayor Mare nodded, Silver giving a soft noise as he walked out, sighing a bit as he walked away. He hoped his decision would help Spike out, though he could just as easily create a new disaster.
Whatever that disaster was, future Silver could handle it. Right now, he was feeling like eating some lunch and reading a nice book.
Celestia knows he needed a break.
"Private Storm Chaser, private Meteor Storm, corporal Steel Wing." He called out, seeing the guards in the middle of a card game of some sort. He rolled his eyes, seeing them stand up at attention. "Tomorrow, we'll be training some greens, including one Spike, ward to the Mayor."
"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Silver looked at Storm, quirking an eyebrow at the woman, before nodding, letting her continue, "Why are we training him, sir? Why not just let him be? He already beat the shit out of that bat thing. Pardon my Prench, sir."
"A good point. However, I believe we can help him control the beast inside of him and redirect all that anger at any threat that comes knocking. Any other questions?" Seeing none of them raise their hands, he nodded and spoke, "Everyone get some food and some decent shut eye. Tomorrow, we'll be training the newbies."
It had been a month since Spike started training, and it had just barely gotten easier. Most days his very bones would ache, his limbs would feel heavy, even his tail would ache. And on those days, he loved nothing more than his bed and a hot meal. Before he simply saw his bed as a place to sleep, but after, it was his sanctuary, his Eden, his very home of safety and love. His bedding was so soft and blankets so warm, he loved them both, and hard days of training just meant an easier time to enjoy such things. In fact, he would say his bed was his favorite place in the whole world after training.
He wondered if this is how all guards felt after training. Missing their soft, warm, safe bed.
Silver was ruthless, had no mercy, and seemed to enjoy the suffering that Spike endured whilst training (or, at least, Spike thought as much), and would rarely allow Spike to rest until the older guard deemed it so. He would make Spike run, climb up rock walls, dodge and weave through obstacles, crawl through mud and practice with hand to hand combat.
At the moment, Spike was doing push up, sweat drenching his plain grey shirt and pants, Silver watching from the sidelines. Meteor walked up, adjusting her shirt a bit as she watched the young dragon blood slowly pump up and down, sweat showing off his cute, pudgy body. She sat next to Silver and offered him a protein bar, which he took and ate, Meteor giving him a look while he chewed silently.
"Can't read minds, private." Silver spoke, making Meteor sigh a bit "Though I can make a guess. Probably wondering why I am pushing him so hard."
"That I am, sir." Meteor spoke, staring at the young boy. She then looked at Silver, adding, "The boy is barely ten."
"He's thirteen." Silver corrected, Spike giving a grunt as he paused for a moment, trying to catch his breath. "I only counted one hundred and thirteen!" Silver yelled out, making Spike grunt and stare up at the man incredulously. "Twelve more to go, Spike!" The dragon blooded boy rolled his head, then let it hang, snorting out some smoke, before continuing.
"Still, kid needs to worry about school or maybe learning about himself, not about training like this."
"Don't know how to tell you this, private Meteor, but Spike isn't an ordinary boy. He needs to train and control his...dragon side." Silver spoke, before leaning back a bit. "I know this, you know this, and he knows this. Hence why he won't give up, no matter what kind of shit I put him in. Five more!"
Spike glared at the man, before slowly complying, making Meteor hum in thought. "Man, I didn't get it this bad." A voice spoke, making Meteor nod a bit. Steel ate the ration bar in his hand, giving Spike an impressed look, before cupping a hand up, yelling, "Keep it up, kiddo! Ladies are digging it!"
This caused Silver to look over at some of the other trainees, a few of them watching with impressed looks on their faces, while a few of the women were giving hungry looks towards the young dragon blood. Silver looked over to Spike, who spared a glance towards the ladies and looked uncomfortable, Meteor watching the action and adjusting in her seat.
This caused a vein to appear in Silvers forehead.
"Oooh, enjoying the show?" Silver asked coolly, making the group shoot up, the older guard giving an evil smile at them. "Since you have so much free time on your hands, you won't mind when I tell you ladies to GO THROUGH THE OBSTACLE COURSE UNTIL I TELL YOU TO STOP!"
This made the group shoot up and run off, Meteor shaking her head at the sight. "You sure you weren't a drill sergeant before the bombs, boss man?" Steel asked, his wings rustling a bit, making Silver chuckle at the question.
"I considered it at one point. Seems like life decided for me anyway." Silver looked at Spike, who was too busy panting and lying on the ground to chime in with his usual banter. Silver walked over to Spike, the young lad panting and looking up at Silver, drenched in sweat. "You did good, kid, go hit the showers and take the next few days off, you earned it."
"Thanks...uh...can you help me up?"
Silver chuckled, offering the drake his hand, which he took, the older man yanking the lad up. He was yanked up, moving his hair out of his face with his hand, wiping away the sweat stinging at his eyes. Silver gave Spikes shoulder a reassuring squeeze, giving him a smile. "Alright, go wash up, you smell like a dragons sweaty sock." Spike walked off, Silver giving him a soft look, before turning around to the group who was watching earlier, seeing them take a breather, "HEY! KEEP GOING!"
Meteor walked over to Silver, sparing a look towards Spike as he walked off, "Kid attracts too much attention for someone his age."
"Well, the females of Equestria outnumber the males, four to one." Silver spoke, before smirking to himself. "And yet, Steel still can't land a date."
"Ha ha, very funny sir."
"Private Meteor, go make sure Spike actually makes it to the showers. And make sure none of our off duty trainees gets any ideas."
"Sir, I don't think they would-"
"The world just ended, Meteor. Do you really think everyone cares about the rules right now?" Silver interrupted Meteor, Steel humming in thought after he spoke. The woman saluted, walking off, Steel walking over to Silver and watching the group run through the course.
"We really should talk to Mayor Mare about punishments and the rules."
"Agreed. Now go get some rest, Storm should be up in a bit to take your watch."
Spike walked to the showers, giving Meteor a look as she stood by the door, the woman just brushing his hair with her hand, making him grumble at her. She just smiled before taking out a block of wood and a knife, slowly carving into it, Spike entering the showers. Thankfully, it was not one of those open ones, each shower had a stall and door, and were easy to lock for privacy.
Spike himself liked these showers, as Mayor Mare would accidentally walk in on him showering in the place they shared, and he would rather not answer any of those uncomfortable questions she had about dragonblood anatomy. Spike stepped into the shower and started to slowly wash away the filth and sweat of the day, sighing as the warm water cleaned him.
Meteor hummed to herself as she kept carving into the wood chunk in her hand, before stopping. She looked around, blinking in confusion, hearing soft whispers enter her ears, her eyes scanning around. She sighed a bit and stabbed the knife into the wood block, setting it down, speaking, "Steel, if this is a prank, I am going to kick you in the apples, and I don't mean your snack."
She kept hearing the whispers, growing confused at the sound, before slowly pulling her knife out of the block and holding it in a ready position. She scanned the area, her eyes looking over every rock and shack she could, turning in a circle. Eventually, the whispers stopped, she twirled the weapon around and quickly turned around, hearing a door close behind her.
Nothing was there.
She finally let her guard down after a moment and returned to her carving, her eyes briefly scanning every so often, a shape slowly being carved into the block. Her mind drifted slowly to the world above, how much death and destruction over a piece of dirt and rock, such loss of life would be incalculable to the mind. Numbers meant nothing, life was much more than statistics and papers with numbers,.life was life.
All the joy, tragedy, experiences, dreams, nightmares, hopes, successes and failures that one person went through meant much more than the people who would just label someone as a number. And such loss of life should be held within high regards, as life itself was meant to be loved and cherished, not disregarded, it was meant to be wondered about and enjoyed. As the cosmos itself were vast and infinite, so too were the possibilities of life, the dreams that one would hold were also as infinite and unknowable as the cosmos, yet were to be enjoyed and cherished as one enjoys the stars or the breeze on a gentle, calm day. Nobody should throw that away on a whim, over some piece of land that could be shared.
Meteor blinked herself out of her thoughts, before returning back to carving into the wood.
Of course, what did she know about such philosophy? She was just a guard, carving into some wood in a hole in the ground.
Spike adjusted his pants a bit, wiping his hair with his towel, staring into the foggy mirror. He wiped it with his towel and sighed at his smeared reflection. He started to wipe his hair again, staring at his shirtless image in the mirror, before sighing softly, shaking his head.
"Oh Twilight...I wish you were here right now. So lost and confused, and...I could use you and the girls. Maybe even have Fluttershy hug me, Rarity telling me what colors go with what gems, Rainbow Dash brag about how she could beat up that bat thing, Applejack could give me some life advice, Pinkie would...well, let's be honest, she would invite everyone to a 'Spike Saved Big Mac' party." Spike spoke to nothing but the open air, hanging his head a bit, closing his eyes and giving a soft, smoke filled sigh. When he looked up, he blinked in confusion when he saw a flash of purple in the mirror.
He twirled around, seeing nothing behind him, his pupils slowly constricting into slits as he scanned the room. He turned back to the mirror, rubbing his eyes a bit, before seeing that same purple flash again. He leant closer, seeing the fog slowly clear up on the mirror, the smiling face of...Twilight?!
He gave a gasp and twirled around again, seeing nothing there again, before looking back at the mirror. He saw nothing there as well...was he insane? Was he going mad from the chaos of life? Was Discord playing a prank on him?
He rubbed his eyes and groaned, before hearing footsteps, shooting up, his tail whipping around to and fro. He grasped his shirt and slung it over his shoulder, grasping his towel and winding it up. He walked to the wall, pressing against it, straining his ears a bit.
Whispers.
He grew curious. It didn't seem like they were next to him, yet he heard them as clear as day. Whispers of young and old, men and women, none he recognized, yet all seemed familiar, as if he had known these voices his whole life. He slowly went around the corner, only for a splitting headache to erupt in his skull, making him gasp. He clutched his head and groaned, falling to his knees, before flashes of pictures zipped through his mind, as fast as light.
The branches of an ancient tree.
A little girl and her puppy, playing in the grass.
Flowers swaying in the breeze.
A distant camp fire, people playing music and whistling to a warm, soft tune.
Spike gripped his head and gave a strangled groan, more and more flashes entering his vision, before he glanced up. A dark blob entered his vision, though he had no strength to back away. He only clenched his fist and gave out a grunt of pain, the splitting headache slowly subsiding as his vision cleared. The strange blob knelt down, before pressing its long, thick finger against Spikes forehead.
"Вы не одиноки."
Spike blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of the voice he was hearing. He recognized the tone the dark shape was speaking to him, making Spike grunt in confusion and pain, relief flooding through his system.
"T...Twilight?"
"Держись, маленький дракон."
Spike awoke with a start, panting loudly, blinking in confusion. His hair was still wet and the mirror was foggy, he must have been so overworked he fell asleep. He stretched a bit, his back popping loudly, before sitting up and throwing his shirt on, not caring about how wet his hair was at the moment. He threw his towel over his shoulder, walking out of the doors, seeing Meteor carving something into the wood.
Hearing the door open, Meteor stood up and chuckled, "What'd you do, fall asleep in there?" She teased, making Spike snort out.
"Dunno how you can train like this."
"Years of practice, kiddo. Come on, we gotta get some food in you, you must be starving."
At that sentence, Spikes stomach rumbled, making him blush and give a shy smile. Meteor felt a small, motherly urge to scoop him up and smooch that cute face. She quickly shook it off, feeling slightly unnerved by said thoughts, before putting the hunk of wood away, smiling at the young dragon blood, finally speaking, "C'mon."
As they walked away, neither noticed the shape on the roof, watching them. Another shape took form next to it, much larger, the larger form squeezing the smaller ones shoulder. The little one looked up at it, before looking back down, finally speaking, "Вы уверены, что мы поступили правильно?"
"Мы должны идти. Он найдет путь, как только будет готов." The big one mumbled out, before disappearing from sight. The little one watched the duo for a moment, before turning around, phasing from sight as well.
Five years since the world had turned to ash, snow and glass. Five years since everyone was confined underground. Five years since Spike had last seen anyone he once knew. Five years, and yet to everyone underground, it felt like an eternity, far too unbearable in the small space they had shared. Hearths Warming had gone and past, birthdays, funerals for those old enough or those who had died of sickness, parties and celebrations, and a day to remember the fallen, which happened to be the anniversary of when the world had been plunged into ash and snow.
Spike, now eighteen years of age, was no longer the small, chubby child when he first arrived, as he had been hit hard by dragon puberty. Now standing at five feet and eleven inches, Spike himself would look no older than sixteen years old despite his height gain, and would keep this appearance for a century or two, if Mayor Mares books were to be believed. His fangs had grown as well, his senses expanded and, thanks to the training under the guards, he had become a muscled fighter, ready to defend his home.
Definitely nowhere near Bulk in terms of muscle, but Spike himself had slimmed out and had muscles hidden by his general appearance. Spikes tail had once been chubby and short, and now it had become long and serpentine, the spade appearing sharper and spines becoming larger and rounder. After he has hit thirteen years out, he had found out that his wings could retract into his body to help with mobility. The process was painful, but thankfully said action was fast and healed rather quickly. He would only use his wings in emergencies, as his wings were more powerful, but slower, than a skybloods.
That being said, Spike was still treated like a kid by Mayor Mare, whose mane had grown out. Over the years, her manes roots had turned back to pink and her white hair was nothing more than a few flicks. She had gotten a few wrinkles around her eyes and slightly a bit chubbier (though, all it did was add to her already beautiful looks), though did not change much.
Silver and the other guards had changed. Silver himself had gotten a few more scars from his fights with the Mutts and Bugs, and was used to venturing to the outside and getting more supplies with his team, and has shaved his beard, showing off the four long claw marks he had gained from the first encounter with the Mutts. His armor also had teeth of multiple creatures on it, and his helmet had marks of fallen allies and friends during the excursions.
Steel had gotten wicked scars on his arms and sides from a particularly bad mission, though he only said that chicks dig scars when Spike brought it up. He has also grown a beard which matched his hair, though he complained his mask got too hot with it. Apparently, Nurse Redheart had mentioned she liked it, so he kept the beard is an attempt to woo her.
Storm has cut her lengthening hair and now used an improved version of the crossbow, too attached to the weapon to upgrade to the new stuff, and her armor had been repaired and retrofitted to fit her bulkier frame. She had also gotten more muscled over time, and would often teach kids how to fly when their teacher was unavailable. They may have been underground, but they still found uses for their wings.
Meteor had grown her hair out and tied it into a bun, and would use a new wrist gauntlet with her blades attached. Seems she got sick of having to constantly lose her knives to stupid actions and getting them replaced. Her clothes also had more packs put on to carry more medical supplies out in the field. She was no doctor, but she could stitch someone up in a pinch, and had trained to help the injured in the field after Big Macs near death scare.
Big Mac had quit the team and was back to farming, Applebloom herself only learning self defense before joining her brother back in the farms. Bulk and Thunderlane had been more permanent and would often help the team out, though they both had voiced their concerns over Spikes rather harsh training. The guards had seen others join their ranks and, luckily, had been rather successful in their defense of the Caverns.
Unfortunately, today would be the first part of a very long journey for them.
Spike rotated his body, smashing his fist into the punching bag, punching it again and again, adjusting his body to put more force into the strikes. The punching bag bounced a bit with the punches, Spikes eyes glazing over as he struck it over and over. His mind was distracted, though that didn't stop his strikes, making the punching bags metal clink loudly.
Twilights face flashed through his mind, her laugh and smile, some joke long forgotten making her do those dorky giggles of hers. Her wings rustling as she read her book, scribbling some answers down as he struggled to stay awake on her lap. Her warm, loving hugs whenever she was excited about something or her cuddles whenever he had a nightmare. Her scared face when they ran from monsters or her disappointed look when he did something wrong
Spikes pupils turned into slits, a nictating membrane sliding over them and protecting his eyes from his sweat. The bag shook as he kept striking, stopping to deliver a swift, but devastating kick, then continuing with his strikes. His ears were deaf to the rather sickening sounding punches and kicks, if the punching bag could talk, it would be begging for him to stop.
Rarity flashed through his mind, her beautiful smile once bringing him such love and joy, bow bringing nothing but an empty longing. Her cute giggles, her critical eyes when looking over a dress, the noises she made when she saw a gem. Spike had long since realized that his crush would never go anywhere, but that never stopped him from appreciating her beauty, even now.
His eyes hardened, the bag would probably be set on fire with the glare Spike gave it, had it now been for the sweat it was covered in.
Rainbow Dash, her rainbow speeding past him during his chores, sometimes even a prank that scared him out of his skin...scales? Both, he supposed. Her smirk, how he hated and missed that smirk, or the genuine care she showed when one of them was hurt. Her flexing and showing off her muscles to a younger, more impressionable Spike, or telling him stories of her great heroics or dreams. Sometimes, they would sit under a tree and talk about life, or she would drag him along from some adventure, or he would have to deal with her fearless acts. Celestia, how he misses that rainbow haired adrenaline junkie.
More strikes. Hit after hit after hit. The chains connecting it to the hook groan and strain.
Applejack, the ever dependable, beautiful Applejack. Her strength was something he strived for, her honesty even more so. He would remember helping her with the apple season, how she saved his life and he saved hers from the Timberwolves, and how she would let him wear her hat after a hard days work. He always felt special when she did that.
A chain gave a clicking sound, but Spike only punched harder and harder.
Pinkie Pie. That woman was always ready for a party, and had even brought Spike out of the dumps after the greed growth incident. Her smile was infectious, her laughter was like music to his ear, and she always gave him special gem desserts. What he wouldn't do to watch her bounce through these Caverns.
A louder groan.
Fluttershy, such a calm, sweet soul. When she first met him in Ponyville, she had wanted to know everything about him. She was the first person to truly show interest into his thoughts and feelings, and would often cuddle him or help him through issues whenever Twilight wasn't available. He would never admit it but he may have had a small crush on her for a bit, and although it was not as big as Rarity's, it was still there. He soft giggles and smiles, she would stand up for her friends, even if she was scared to do it, and cared about every animal she could.
Each name pounded into Spikes brain, at the same speed as his fists, fast and hard. His fists smashed into the punching bag again and again, cold fury filling his veins, before he suddenly slammed his fist into it.
The punching bag decided it had enough, the chains breaking as it flew backwards. His hand had also split open the bag, sand exploding out and spilling out, almost looking like blood as it flew backwards. It skidded across the ground for a few moments, before finally resting, still spilling sand from the hole Spike had punched. Spike pulled his fist back and looked at it, seeing claws instead of his fingers and scales running up to his elbow.
Spike took a deep breath, letting his claws slowly shift back into his hand, the scales started to shift back to his skin, Spike giving out a long breath after, flexing his hand a bit when it finally changed back. Spike wiped the sweat off of his face, pulling his shirt off and stretching. That is when he heard a wolf whistle behind gim, making Spike rolls his eyes, then turn around, spotting Storm in the doorway.
Storm gave him an impressed look, though something else was there. Something he couldn't pinpoint, though he decided to let that go, hearing Storm walk in. "Morning, ma'am."
"Spike, I already told you, when it is just us, you can call me by my name."
"Sorry, Storm. So, off to the supply run?"
"Nah." Storm leant in the doorway, giving him a soft look, "Bossman wants to know if you are good to go for an outing."
Spike looked at the punching back, before walking over and grabbing another, putting it on his shoulder and setting it up. He grabbed the destroyed one and tossed it into a pile of destroyed equipment in the corner, rotating his shoulder a bit. "What's the mission?"
"Don't know. Silver said it was big though."
"Alright, I'll shower and meet you guys there." Spike made a move to leave the room, only for Storm to grab his arm and squeeze it.
"You sure you're good?" Storm asked, her eyes scanning him for any faults.
Spike could lie to her, tell her he was fine. He could just look her straight in the eyes, let the lie slip from his mouth and she wouldn't push it. He could go about his day, thinking about that lie, wondering why he did and feel guilty about it.
He wasn't that type of person.
"No, I'm not." Spike admitted, before grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze, continuing, "I keep thinking about the girls. My friends. And...I just need something to distract me."
Storm squeezed his hand and gave him a soft smile, "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here, and so is the rest of the team." She let go of Spike as he walked away, before sighing softly and following the young lad, sparing a glance towards the pile of broken training material.
Steel yawned loudly, before rubbing his eyes a bit, trying to keep himself awake whilst they waited for the briefing. Amongst them were a few women and men, magicbloods, skybloods and earthbloods all together in this room. Usually there would be three times as many, but some were guarding food while others were working normal jobs or resting from their shifts. Steel looked around, before stretching a bit, rubbing his cheek a bit, brushing his hands through his beard.
Spike walked in with Storm, Steel smiling and waving them over, the duo pushing past people to stand next to the Skyblood. "Hey Storm, Spike. You heard about the new toys the lab cooked up?"
"You'd think they'd slow down after that...what was it called?"
"Force detonator." Spike mumbled out, making Steel snicker. "Blew my clothes off in front of everyone."
"Yeah, and planted you into the wall." Storm snickered, Spike only rolling his eyes in reply. "I still remember helping you pull shrapnel out of your hair."
"Yeah, chest was bruised for a week." Spike spoke, giving a grimace at the memory.
"That was just a small explosion too. Imagine what a full power one could do." Steel mumbled out, only for him to stand at attention, the others in the room following suit as Silver entered.
Silver took a look at the faces around him, before speaking, "At ease." The group sat back down, those who had to room to sit would lean against the wall at watch Silver intently. "Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?" Someone raised their hand, to which Silver nodded to them, "Yes, Bright Light?"
The bulky woman, having bright red hair and a long scar across her face gave a playful smile, then pointed out, "I'm Bright Flare. She-" He pointed a few rows away to a woman with pure white hair and a tattoo of a flashlight on her arm. Spike himself never really understood the appeal of tattoos if cutie marks existed, but who was he to judge how others wished to look. "-is Bright Light, sir." Silver gave a deadpan look, staring intently at her. "Sir, is this an actual mission, or just another bug hunt?"
Silver adjusted his straps a bit, before responding, "Nope. This is big. Any other questions?" When no one asked any further questions, he nodded to himself and finally started, "Well, as of fourteen hundred hours yesterday, we fixed up the old radio system in Ponyville. Unfortunately, we lost two members to Mutts and the Bat, Bridge Keeper and Winter Gust. A moment of silence for them."
They all bowed their heads, Steel taking his helmet off and pressing it to his chest, Spikes long tail slowly curled around and he gripped it, his eyes soft. Storm held her head low and gave a soft grimace at the news, everyone sharing their sadness at such news. It was sad when someone passed sway to disease or age, but in this savage world, it wasn't uncommon to be mauled or eaten by things that crawled in the tunnels or flew above.
Silver cleared his throat after a few moments passed, catching everyones attention, before continuing, "Their sacrifice was not in vain, thankfully, as we have now set up a communications hub, and, we found out an unintended side effect; there are other survivors out there." The room erupted into murmurs, Spikes eyes widening as he squeezed his chair, unintentionally crushing the metal in his grip.
Other survivors?! Why didn't anyone tell him? Did Twilight try to contact him? Why has it been so long since anyone tried this? So many questions, they swirled in Spikes mind like a maelstrom, making him dizzy. Storm must have noticed, because she took his hand and squeezed it, calming his frazzled and distracted mind. He looked at her, before smiling and squeezing her hand back, before letting go.
She still held onto his hand for a few more seconds before letting go, watching Silver raise his hand up. It took a few seconds for the murmuring to calm, but Silver just stood up and sighed a bit. "So, we got good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
"Good news!" Yelled someone from the back, making the group murmur in agreement.
"Good news is, the groups we came in contact with are only a few miles around us, and they talk about further tunnels with more survivors. Bad news is-" He took a step towards the map of the surrounding valley, with marks on it, pointing a finger at their location, before continuing, "We have to fight our way through the mutts and bugs in the tunnel, and whatever else is down here. We also have to get through caved in tunnels, transportation hubs that are being occupied by some sort of violent faction, and we may have to go above ground to travel to a few of these groups."
"Whole lotta cons, not many pros." Steel admitted, making Spike look confused at him. A few too many of the others agreed with him, making Spike huff in anger.
"What?! I cannot believe what I am hearing!" Spike practically growled out, the sight of his fangs making a few people back away from him. "People need help - no, need OUR help, and you lot are giving up already?!" Spike stoof up and gave the map a point, "If my friends were here, they wouldn't even THINK of those cons before rushing over to help! They would just do it!"
"Thank you, Spike." Silver spoke, although his tone was that of being upset of being interrupted, he did agree with the young dragonblood. Spike, hearing that, blushed and sat back down, not noticing the looks from a few of the guards his way. "As I was about to say, I'll need some volunteers to come with me. We'll set you up with some new gear the lab has made for this very occasion. Who's going with me?"
Spikes hand shot up immediately, Silver giving a smile at the sight, before Storm and, reluctantly, Steels hands rose. A few others rose, including Bright Flare and Bright Light, a young man by the name of Star Gazer and an older woman by the name of Stone Striker. Silver smirked, before adjusting his bags a bit.
"Okay, those who did not volunteer, you will wait here until we clear the area. In about three hours from mission start, you will head in and secure the first station we clear, and you will set up a forward operating base. Bring plenty of water and rations. No telling how well this op will go, so be prepared for anything. Operation starts in an hour, so be ready by then." Silver stood up, then spoke, "Dismissed."
Most of the crowd separated to get ready, Spike broke away from Steel and Storm, walking over to Silver. Silver smiled at the young lad and grabbed his shoulder. "Spike! Knew you'd be the first to volunteer!" His smile slowly turned into an expecting look, "So, you wanted to ask me something?"
"The girls, did they-"
"No, they didn't." Silver admitted, sitting back a bit and rubbing his cheek, before resting against his palm, other hand resting on his hip as he watched the young dragonblood. "No help signals, no messages from the Crystal Empire, nothing. We haven't even gotten the automated message that is supposed to play after the attack, and that should have lasted ten more years with the energy supply Shining gave it."
"Tartarus..." Spike leaned back and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Silvers eyes softened, before he grasped Spikes shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly.
"Don't worry kid, we'll find 'em." Silver said, making Spike nod, before pulling his hand away. "Alright, we'll get your gear. And tell Mayor Mare about you volunteering, so she doesn't worry about you."
Steel watched them both walk off, before leaning down and asking, "Do you think Spike knows Silver and Marw are a thing?"
Storm chuckled, then said, "You kidding me? Spike was the one who told the Mayor to date Silver." Steel shot her a questioning look, making her blink confusingly at him, stating, "What? Spike talks and I listen. Kid has a lot of heart and too much stress for someone his age."
Spike watched the man run around, giving Silver a glance, which Silver only shook his head to. Silver cleared his throat, making the man stop, before lifting his helmet up, flashing the two a toothy grin. "Oh! Spike! Silver! You are just in time, just in time!" He looked down at his watch, before frowning a bit. "Well, uh, a few seconds late, but close enough, yes."
"Spike, I believe you have met Time Turner."
"Yes, we have met. Right before he blew me into a wall."
Time Turner, a tanned man with blue eyes and long brown hair, smiled at the young dragonblood, "Well, to be fair, I did tell you it was on a timer."
"Yeah. You didn't tell me how long the timer was!"
Silver said nothing, however did narrow his eyes. Both of them immediately stopped, before Silver finally cleared his throat, "I'm sure the ladies didn't mind the show, Spike." Silver teased, before looking at Time Turner, ignoring the look Spike gave him. "So, you got some new toys for us, Time?"
"Toys?" Time looked confused for a moment, before snapping his fingers and ducking under the counter. He stood back up, holding a mask and helmet, giving it to Silver, the sigil of a spear carved into the side of it, Time speaking, "I got the modifications you asked for, plus a few of my own. Flashlight attachment on the helmet, helmets is reinforced, mask is definitely more durable with a stronger glass, and I added an attachment to the top, in case you need binoculars or something on your helmet so you can just flip it down."
Silver whistled and inspected the helmet and mask, humming a bit in thought. "Feels a bit heavy. Anything we can do about that?"
Time scratched the side of his head with a screwdriver, humming in thought, before replying, "Maybe, but I'll need more time and you have places to be, so nothing I can do about it right now." Time then gave a proud puff of his chest, speaking, "I also made an adjustable spear for you, based off the original you...uh...lost. Should be in with the new weapons Blaze Powder helped me make."
"New weapons?" Spike asked, worry filling his voice, though Time only grinned in reply. "Okay, so, why'd you need me here?"
"You?" Time Turner gave Spike a quizzical look. "Why'd I need you here?"
"That's what I asked."
"I don't remember."
"What?! You had this whole-"
Silver raised hid hand, stopping Spike, before turning to the metal worker, tapping the helmet in silent communication. Time stared at the helmet for a few moments, before his face lit up, dashing into the back. Spike raised an eyebrow at his antics, before Silver put a helmet on his head and attached his mask to his chest, pushing Spike a bit.
"Come on, Spike, while he gets your stuff ready." Silver walked with Spike, walking over to another part of the building. On this part, there were spears, knives, swords, crossbows and a woman, covered in scars, her left eye being covered in an eye patch with a long scar across her cheek trailing up towards her eyebrow. Her skin was dotted with scars, with four long ones across her bicep, and her cutie mark was a spark with some black powder under it. "Blaze."
"Sir. Who's the cutie?" She asked, giving Spike a flirty wink. Blink? Wink?
"Spike, he's coming with me on the mission. Careful with that though, basically part of the Apple Family and Mayor Mares family."
"Kid gets around, eh? Well, girls do outnumber the boys, four to one."
"Blaze."
"Just teasing ya." The magicblood giggled, only to walk over, lifting some strange, heavy objects in her hands. She set them down in front of the duo, giving a proud smile. "These are my babies. Hope you don't mind single moms-"
"Blaze."
"Right, right." Blaze waved Silver off, smiling at Spikes blush, before looking down with her one good eye. "So, these I call Boomers."
"Boomers?" Spike asked, making the womans eye twinkle as she looked up at him.
"Yup. Top notch stuff. These are stronger than crossbows, spit out metal, shoot fire, and come in different shapes and sizes." She spread them out, Spikes and Silver staring at the assortment. It appeared to be a boomstick with exposed shells in a rotating clip, some strange one handed weapon with a long nose, and a type of bulky crossbow with a strange attachment at the bottom, a long barrel, and a heavy stock. She lifted the shotgun and smiled, "This is my Boomstick! Fires seven of these...lets call them shells, loaded with metal pellets. Can't shoot far, but definitely insanely damaging up close. Takes a bit to reload though, so use it sparingly."
Spike stared at the thing, before looking at the shells, lifting one up and giving it a curious sniff. He put it back down and hummed, "Smells familiar."
"Yeah, used the same powder we use in fireworks, just turns it...well, deadly." Blaze admitted, before using her magic to lift the strange one handed weapon to herself, sliding a strange thing out of it to show brass casings inside. "This is the Snapper. Fires as fast as you can pull the trigger, easy to conceal, reloads fast. It isn't as powerful, but it is far more accurate at longer distances than the Boomstick. In a pinch, it'll do."
Silver hummed, before nodding, slowly scanning over the weapons. "I see. Boomstick is great for tight tunnels, Snapper is all around weapon, what about this last one?"
"Ah, this beauty -" Blaze set the snapper down and picked up the long weapon, unloading it to show off the ammunition, before loading it back in. "- is called the Sweeper. Has three modes, single fire, trio, and fully automatic. Fully automatic can full sweep a room and still have some rounds to spare, hence the name. It is great at long range and medium range, has an attachment for a scope and has a attachment at the barrel to allow one to put a bayonet on it." At Spikes and Silvers confused look, she snapped her fingers a few times to try and remember, only to point down at the barrel, finally saying, "You can put a knife on it for up close and personal stuff." Silver hummed a bit, before looking at each weapon, weighing them and inspecting them. He nodded to Blaze, who pulled out schematics of more weapons on front of them. "This is just the beginning, of course, there will be flaws that I can iron out in later designs, but those designs are still in the beginning stages." She then leant down and pulled the small spear out, handing it to Silver, who gave a grin at the sight. "Should be easier to carry around and use, just be careful with it. These things aren't cheap to make."
"Noted."
"How do we use these?" Spike asked, making Blaze smile at him, making Spike lean back a bit.
"I like a man who gets to the point. You know how to fire a crossbow, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Same basic principle. Hold on tight though, the big girls pack quite a punch, so you gotta hold it steady and make sure to adjust." She then smiled flirtatiously at Spike, making the young dragonblood lean back again and blush. "You can come back at any time ya like in case there's something you wanna discuss about my...girls."
Silver rolled his eyes, before whistling a bit, catching Blazes attention. "Once you finish making the batch, let the other guards know."
"Yessir, don't you worry. Pretty soon, your buddies will be punching above their weight class."
Silver nodded, before Time Turner called them back, Spike pulling the Snapper, Boomstick and Sweeper from the scarred woman and trying to ignore her look as he strapped on the holsters for the weapons. He put everything in its right place, then she handed Silver a piece of paper. "If you run outta rounds, these are the ingredients to make more. Shouldn't be too hard."
Silver and Spike walked over, Time setting a helmet and mask down, making Spike gasp. On the helmet was the design of a cartoonish, though fierce, dragon with wings and a western style body, neck, head and tail. Its wings were outstretched in flight, and its jaws had flames spewing out of them. On the mask, the glass was bulkier, and the filters seemed to be attached. Spike opened his mouth, though no words came out.
"I missed a few of your birthdays in Ponyville and in the Caverns, so, I thought that, once you officially joined the guards, I could make a gift." Time Turner explained, before wiping the helmet a bit. "Mask has these attachments, made to mimic filters. You don't have to breathe the same air we do, but you definitely need to protect yourself out there, so, I made this. It will also stop people from thinking it is safe to breathe out there, when only dragonbloods can."
Spike twirled it over and smiled, before looking back up at Time Turner, finally croaking out with misty eyes, "Thank you."
"If Twilight asks, I did not make this." Time Turner said, before giving Spike a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"Yeah, she'll freak when she finds out."
Mayor Mare squeezed Spike in one last hug, giving a soft noise as she lifted him up for half a second. "I remember when you were small enough that I could carry you around."
Spike rolled his eyes, then gave a fanged grin, "Acting like I'll never make it back."
"I know you will." She kissed Spikes cheek, making him blush a bit. Applebloom and Big Mac snickered behind her, making her shoot them a glare that made them shut up. "Cuz the rest of these people know I'll do worse than the Bat if they come back without you."
Spike hugged her tighter, before letting go, resting his forehead against hers. "I'll make it back. If I don't, I'll probably haunt Silver forever as a ghost."
At the mention of his name, Silver walked over and gave a chuckle, "You'll have to get in line, kid, got too many ghosts on me already." He leant down and kissed Mayor Mare on the lips, keeping the kiss for a moment, making Spike walk over to Applebloom and Big Macintosh, the man giving a smile as he grabbed Spikes forearm, Spike grabbing his, both giving each other a squeeze.
"Ya better come back. Can't back outta being an Apple, even if ya die."
"Like I would do that. Celestia knows Applejack would tan my hide if I died before she learned the news."
"Spoken like a true Apple." Big Mac said, before letting go of Spikes arm.
Applebloom hugged Spike and lifted him up, making the dragon give a gasp, petting Appleblooms back even as she made his back pop from her hug. "If ya see Applejack out there, tell her she is in a whole mess of trouble!"
Spike chuckled, before patting her back, saying, "I'll let her know. Now...can you put me down?" Applebloom chuckled as she put Spike down, before smiling up at him. "You keep Big Mac outta trouble. And give Winona plenty of treats, poor girl doesn't get enough."
Meteor walked over, Storm and Steel adjusting their weapons and armor a bit. Meteor saluted, before standing at attention, seeing Silver, "Sir, you wanted to see me?"
"At ease. Well, since we are heading out right now, I want you divide up shifts for everyone and protect the Caverns. Make sure to see Time Turner and Blaze Powder about an hour after we leave, they should have your gear up and running by then." Silver then looked up, then gave a soft smirk. "And make sure Mayor Mare doesn't make a groove in the ground when she paces."
The Mayor smacked Silvers arm, making him chuckle, before he finally stretched a bit, adjusting in his clothes and armor, nodding to the others, "We're moving out in five! Get ready!"
Steel nodded, before putting his helmet on, a carving of a wing with blades for feathers being carved on it, whilst Storm put her helmet on, a storm cloud with wings being carved into it. Spike adjusted his watch, before nodding to Silver, who put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, catching their attention.
"Open the gate!" Silver walked over, the door groaning open as dirt and dust fell around it, skeletons of Mutts and old bodies of Bugs littered the hall, some of the group giving disgusted looks. "Alright kiddos! We got a job to do and we aren't paid hourly. Move out!"
They moved into the halls, drawing their weapons and aiming down the tunnel, Spike adjusting his helmet before following. Silver turned and made a motion with his hand, the doors starting to close behind them. Spike and Storm shared a glance, before the group started to move forward into the darkness, Spike sparing a glance at the doors, seeing a glance of Mayor Mare, giving him a soft, loving smile before the door closed behind them.
Silver had a simple system in this sort of situation. Everyone would check in occasionally with their lights with a sudden flash. They had done this a hundred times when the power went out in the Caverns or something went wrong in a new tunnel they set up. Though the constant blizzard above had helped them along with communicating silently through missions, so they couldn't alert the Mutts or the Bat, and in this moment, it served them well.
Silver stopped for a moment, peering back at the group. They had been walking for two hours now, and he could tell some of the group were lagging behind. He pressed his back against a corner, slowly peering around it, before looking back at Steel, who knelt behind him, aiming the other direction, though Steel silently handed him a chemlight.
Spike knelt down next to Storm, slowly aiming around, Storm taking the moment to adjust and roll her shoulder to stop the ache that developed a bit ago. Silver cracked the chemlight, shaking it a bit to let it glow, before tossing it around the corner. Hearing nothing, he slowly peeked around, seeing the chemlight glow down the stone hallway. Nothing jumped at it, nothing screamed at him, nothing but a rat, skittering across the rocky floor before disappearing into a hole in the wall.
"Clear." Silver spoke, before adjusting a bit, looking back at the group. "Okay, we're taking five here, then we continue on. Adjust your gear, Stone and Star, I can tell you two are uncomfortable."
The two sat down and started adjusting their gear, Spike taking a moment to take a small swig if his water. He offered it to Steel, who took it and gave a small nod, waterfalling for a moment, before handing it back. Storm took this moment to quietly peek around the corner and hummed softly, before adjusting her weapon a bit and turning around to look at Silver.
"Sir, the end of the hallway opens up. I don't like it, something could be waiting there. Maybe you should throw a light spell when we move up, just in case?"
Silver looked down the hallway, but said nothing, just adjusting his weapon a bit. She was right, he got a bad feeling about the end of the hallway. Spike stood up and looked down the hallway, his pupils turning into slits as he looked down the stone area. "What do you think, kid?" Silver asked Spike, kneeling down with him as he tried to peer past the chemlight.
"She's right. I can't see anything, but it smells weird." Spike mumbled out, peering into the darkness. He then turned to Silver and mumbled out, "I have a feeling in my gut."
"I do too, kid."
Steel turned to Star, adjusting his weapon a bit, then asked, "Got any gum?"
Star blinked, before adjusting his weapon and giving the man an incredulous look, asking, "Gum? Right now? That's what you're thinking about?"
Stone chuckled at Steel, before turning back around and aiming down the tunnel they came from. Steel then spoke, "Helps keep your mind off of things. Get too into it, your brain starts playing tricks on you."
Bright Light adjusted one of her bags, Bright Flare silently aiming down the direction they came from with Stone. Light handed Star some gum, before saying, "Helps me calm down. Never leave home without some in my pocket." Star smiled and took it, popping the strip into his mouth and chewing, letting the minty flavor flow over his mouth.
"Bright Flare." Silver whispered out, the woman perking up and bit and slowly half walking half kneeling towards Silver, giving him a questioning look. "You see that chemlight up there?"
"Yeah?"
"Okay, you and I are gonna throw a light spell into the room beyond it. Then, you, Spike, Steel and I are going to rush into the room and take out any possible threats. I want Storm, Light, Star, and Stone to wait until we give the all clear, copy?"
"Copy. I'll let the others know." Bright Flare scooted back, whispering to the others, making them nod. She walked back, then nodded to Silver, who adjusted his weapon.
"Everyone ready?" Silver asked, making everyone nod. He closed his eyes, his hand glowing a bright silver, whilst Flares started glowing a bright red, both of them chucking their spells down the hallway. Waiting a second, they suddenly rushed around the corner, Spike pulling his snapper out whilst Silver, in the front, had his boomstick out. Flare and Steel had their sweepers out and were behind the two, eyes adjusting to the bright lights they had thrown.
They burst into the room, aiming around, eyes searching everywhere, floors, corners, even the ceiling, weapons scanning in an arc in front of them. Silvers hardened eyes scanned the room, before he whistled, the others entering the room and aiming around. Silver looked around, before looking at the wall, patting Spikes shoulder and pointing, the young lad looking over, then walking to a wall. He pressed against the metal panel for a moment, before opening it, attaching his charger to it and pressing the trigger a few times.
The lights flickered on, humming a bit, Spike shielding his eyes a bit from the light as the others quietly looked around. No holes in the walls or ceiling, some bones but nothing to suggest a creatures den or nest, and definitely no signs of recent habitation.
"Clear."
"Clear."
"Clear, sir."
Several large, metal doors surrounded them, Spike having finally adjusted to the light, looked around and wiped away the dust with his glove, wiping away a sign, reading it for a moment. Silver himself pressed his hand against the door, before knocking on it, kneeling down and inspecting the door. He nodded to himself, before standing back up, finally speaking, "Bright Light, cast a light on that panel and see if you can get these doors open."
The woman hurried over, flicking her fingers to cast a light. She flicked the switches a few times, then pressed a few buttons. The lights flickered to life, gently humming in the room, Bright Light nodding to the others before adjusting her weapon a bit and shouldering it. "You guys seeing this?"
"Looks like a train station." Star mumbled out, wiping away the dust that had gathered on a nearby plaque. "Sir, we got a map here."
Silver walked over to look, Steel walking over to Spike and bumping the lads shoulder. "So, while we wait for the Cap, mind filling me in with the ol' love life?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Come on, man. I know you had a crush on that one Element of Harmony, tell me how it went!" Steel mumbled out, smacking the young mans shoulder, giving a sly smile, though frowned when he saw Spikes pained face.
"She and I...she's a good friend."
"Ouch...that bad, huh?" Steel took a sharp inhale through his teeth, then hummed softly. "What about that one girl you always hang around with? The Apple family girl?"
"Applejack?"
"No, the one with the bow."
"Applebloom?"
"Yeah, she seems your type."
"Nah." Spike mumbled out, scratching his cheek and staring at the massive metal doors in front of the group. "She's more like a sister to me. Besides, pretty sure Big Mac would kill me if I touched Applebloom."
"Fair enough, kid."
"Spike, c'mere." Silver called out, drawing the attention of the dragonblood. Spike stood up, Steel adjusting his gear as he watched the young lad go. Storm walked over and gave Steel a look, which he returned. Spike stood next to Silver, who motioned to the map, and said, "Look at this."
Spike squinted a bit as he looked over the map. Sewer lines, mapped cave systems, railways and stations dotted across the map. However, that wasn't what Silver was looking at. Spike followed his line of sight until he saw some strange symbols on the map, making him wipe the dust away and hum in thought.
"Looks like markers for something, but I can't make out what for..." Spike mumbled out, before looking back at Silver. "Seems like some sort of warning, but it is the direction we are heading, and it doesn't look like there is a better way around."
Silver nodded a bit, before turning to the others and waving a hand. "Everyone get ready, we may be heading into a whole heap of trouble, and I'd rather not be unprepared!" Silver barked out, making the others nod and adjust their gear, before Silver looked back at the map, humming in thought, brushing the map again and trying to make out the symbols.
One symbol was of a skull of some kind, one he didn't recognize. He was a guard, not a doctor or animal expert, however, he felt like it was familiar. He adjusted his weapon and wiped away the dust, seeing some more of those markings across the map, before standing up and adjusting his weapon again.
"Open the door."
They walked down the tracks, twirling this way and that, their lights painting the walls and floors as they walked. Spikes eyes went this way and that, occasionally glancing upwards to make sure nothing could jump them from above. He hated the Bugs. Spikes slowly twirled around and aimed back the way they came, his eyes staring into the darkness.
Movement?
He glared for a moment, readying his sweeper in his hands, though no other movement came. He slowly lowered his weapon and kept walking, though a feeling of being watched washed over him, making him flash his light towards Stone. Stone nodded and adjusted, twirling around for a moment, before turning back and nodding to him.
Something was following them. She saw movement too.
Spike walked up, before giving Steel a shoulder bump, making the man look at Spike. Spike gave a soft jerk of his head, making Steel nod, tapping Silver three times. Silver didn't even turn, he just kept going, though his left hand raised a bit and he gave a strange motion with his left hand that they knew by heart. He knew they were being followed, he was looking for a defensive position at the moment.
They kept walking, the feeling of being watched stopped right as they found a slight cave in on the right. They took cover behind the rubble, twirling their weapons around and shining their lights around behind them.
Nothing.
Spike scooted a bit, before turning around and whistling, Silver and Stone twirling around, both firing a shot from their sweeper into the darkness. A screech was heard, before they fired again into the beast, making it fall silent, the group waiting a moment for anymore movement. When nothing came, Bright Light shot a ball of blue light from her hands down the hall, Silver and Star slowly moving forwards, the men both aiming at the silent beast.
Silver poked it with his weapon, though when no movement was made, he waved the others over. Spike walked over, aiming down the hallway, before looking down at the beast, crinkling his nose in disgust as he got a whiff of the creature. Stone and Stare turned the creature over, giving disgusted looks at the sight of it.
This beast had once been a mole, from Spikes best guess, as its claws were perfect for digging and its nose seemed to share similarities with the star nosed mole. Its jaws were filled with sharp teeth, paws were turned into malformed hands and claws, and it has no eyes to speak of, just black fur on its face. It was covered in scars, which made Silver grip his weapon tighter, before standing up, staring into the darkness, his eyes hardening.
"Damn, this thing stinks."
"At least it isn't trying to rip our face off."
"Celestia above, look at how ugly it is. Almost as ugly as your mom, Bright Light."
"Shut the fuck up, Bright Flare."
"Storm, what do you think this thing is?"
"Silver, what should we-"
A screech shut the group up, making them twirl around, seeing the claws of another of the Moles reach into the light, the creature sniffing and giving a loud wheezing sound, before turning to them. It screeched into the air, three more Moles clambering over the rocks in the tunnel, one of them hissing and gripping onto a rock, easily slicing into it with its claws. Silver stood up, then wordlessly lifted his weapon up, the others mimicking him.
It has taken exactly three seconds for that whole plan they had to fall apart. These mole creatures, ugly as they were, had incredible speed and strength. Stone had grasped one of the beasts and was currently stabbing the monster, making it scream in anger and pain. Bright Light and Bright Flare were firing at the beasts as they rushed forwards, spent shell casings falling to the ground as the fanned out in front of them, Star Gazer was shooting into a creature currently scrambling towards him.
Steel and Silver were both firing into the beasts, Silver taking a knife out and slamming it into the creatures skull, making it go limp, kicking the body away and using his Snapper to fire into the crowd of beasts. Storm shot into a creature, before taking her empty magazine out. She grabbed a fresh one, a beast scrambling towards her, smashing the magazine into the beasts face, making it stumble backwards. She slid her mag in, pulled back the bolt to load a bullet in, then started firing into the beast, killing it.
Spike gave a growl as he saw the Moles approach him. Had he less control, he probably would have clawed through the beasts. Thankfully, those years spent training meant he was better than that. He took his Boomstick out, then fired a shell. Burning hot metal smashed through the first beast. He fired shell after shell at the beasts, making them fall with chunks shot out of them.
The beast on top of Star raised its claws to strike, before being killed, an loud bang echoing out with each shot, the body falling on top of Star. Spike kicked the body off, firing two more times into the beast, before helping Star Gazer up, the man wiping his chest and mask off, trying to get rid of some blood, nodding to Spike. "Appreciate it."
"You'd do the same for me."
Silver kicked another beast off, looking back at Spike, yelling out over the gunfire. Thank goodness their helmets had hearing protection. "Kid! We need to roast these bastards so we can keep going."
Spike nodded, before taking a slow breath in, tearing his mask off. The others stood behind Spike, the beasts rushing forwards to try and kill them, claws outstretched towards Spike. Spike closed his eyes, feeling the liquids sloshing inside of himself, mixing and readying themselves to be brought out in an raging inferno. Spikes eyes opened, his pupils turning into slits, then opened his jaws.
The first Mole was turned into ash as green flames billowed over him. The second and third were not so lucky, bursting into flames, screaming in agony before dying in the green flames. Spike walked forward, his flames outstretched, burning more and more of the beasts, their fur bursting into flames. Those unlucky enough to survive the flames screamed as they ran around, in pure agony, flames and cracked skin, sizzling loudly as they burned.
Soon enough, the Mole creatures backed away, sniffing the dead on the ground. The creatures seemed to stare at Spike, though had no eyes to speak of, and backed away. Spikes flames died out, making him snarl a bit, flashing his fangs. He stomped forward once, the Moles screaming and scrambling as they ran off, a few of them dragging the dead into the darkness, hissing at the group. Spike hissed at them, before turning to the others, pulling his mask on taking the moment to reload his weaponry, the others doing the same.
"Good work, kid." Silver finally spoke, patting Spikes shoulder. Spike only smiles and scratched the back of his neck in response. "Alright team, we're moving forward, anyone need a breather?" He looked around, seeing shakes of the head from everyone, then smiled, jerking his head the direction they were heading. "Alright kids, let's go."
The group walked quietly through the tunnel, passing through an old, dusty checkpoint. Spike looked over and grimaced as he saw skeletons of humanoids and beasts alike. He knelt down at the gate and saw someone holding a smaller skeleton in its arms, making him sigh a bit, Silver grabbing his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze, Spike grasped his hand and squeezed it, before both letting go and standing up.
"Alright people, listen up!" Silver barked, catching everyones attention, pointing at the gate and continuing, "On the other side of this gate, according to the map, is a cavern and some old mine shafts. We'll take the bridge across the cavern, as it is the safest way across. I want masks ready, we have no clue what's on the other side and I'd rather not have you guys choking on the air!"
They all nodded, pulling on their masks, Spike giving his a glance. He looked back up at Silver, who nodded to him, Spike twirling the mask around and putting it on his face. He adjusted the mask, then gave Silver a thumbs up, making him nod. He opened a panel on the wall and started cranking the level inside, the door opening with an ear piercing shriek of metal on metal.
The door finally opened to a few bridges across a cavern, Spikes anxiety grew tenfold as he looked around, shouldering his weapon and letting loose a rumble from his throat. Steel aimed around, Silver quietly walking forward, aiming his flashlight to and fro, before nodding towards the bridges.
Said bridges had seen better days, as one barely looked walkable, falling apart, the other was a railway, meant for carts and trains that looked walkable if one kept their balance. There were a few skeletons on the bridge, holding hammers and pickaxes, likely makeshift weapons against something. One of the skeletons was crushed completely at the end, both of its arms were ripped off and gone.
Spike grimaced, then looked at Silver, giving a muffled, "I don't like this place."
"Yeah, I got a bad feeling too." Steel mumbled out, before turning around, seeing movement in the dark. "Can't turn around, more of those things back there. We'll be overwhelmed."
"Why aren't they attacking?" Star Gazer mumbled out, making Silver glare forward. "They should be rushing us right now."
"They're waiting." Silver spoke, before walking towards the bridge. Spike grasped his arm, making Silver look back at him.
"How about you let me go first? I can barbecue anything that is waiting for us, at least give you guys time to prepare before you join me."
Silver made a motion to argue, however Star Gazer and Bright Light both walked forward, adjusting their gear. "Don't worry sir, we'll test it with him." Star Gazer spoke, making Bright Light nod and adjust her sweeper.
Silver sighed, then looked at the young man. True, his appearance was barely that of a teenager, but Spike was far tougher than many people Silver knew. That included Steel. That thought made Silver smile behind his mask, though all he did was grasp Spikes shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.
Spike nodded, the silent message understood, then adjusted his boomstick, walking.onto the bridge, hearing it creak under his weight, though it made no movements after, making Spike wave over Star and Light. He started walking across the boards, stopping when one of the boards made a loud creak, aiming around.
"Come on, kid." Star Gazer mumbled out, gentle sneaking around Spike. "Taking too long."
"Cuz we have no clue what's on the other side. My eye haven't adjusted yet." Spike hissed out, Bright Light tapping his shoulder and pointing to the side wall as they walked. Spike followed her finger and saw a hole, almost perfectly blended in from the beginning of the bridge, but now they were half way through. "Star Gazer, come back!"
"No, you hurry up."
Silver watched them from the other side of the bridge, seeing Spike and Bright Light make motions towards the wall, making Silver turn to Steel. "Something's wrong. We're moving onto that railway to cover them."
Steel didn't even answer, shouldering his weapon and walking on the boards of the rail, Silver following, both Rock Striker and Bright Flare bringing up the rear, aiming around with their sweepers. Something wasn't right, Silver could feel it in the air, aiming his sweeper ahead of them, Steel slowly pulling back the hammer of his snapper to check the round count, before crouching a bit whilst they walked, ready to fire at anything that came their way.
"No, Star!" Bright hissed out, pointing at the wall again, warning, "There's a big ass hole in the wall!"
"I don't wanna hear about your big asshole."
"You fucking dumba-"
A boom echoed out, rocks falling from the ceiling as they looked up. As they looked up, the bridge rattled as something heavy landed on it, drawing their attention. Star Gazer turned, looking straight at the chest of some beast. He peered up, pulling his weapon up before a swipe bisected him. He spat blood put of his mask, before another swipe sent his body careening into the wall, splattering against it. His body split into two from the claw swipe, both halves falling into the abyss, organs and blood trailing after him.
Spike was frozen in horror, his pupils shrinking into slits as he watched Star Gazers lifeless corpse plunge into the darkness. He looked back up, fury bubbling from his heart, burning hotter than his flame. Beneath that fury was fear, and who could blame that primordial part of his brain?
In front of him was a hulking mass of muscle, claws sharp, and skin scarred. Its massive arms were covered in claw marks and sharp objects, likely from past meals. Its face had two, soulless white eyes, nearly blind, lips curled back in a fanged snarl, fur black and its tail slumped off the bridge. The most striking feature, however, was the massive horn that sprouted from its head, the base covered in tumors and cancerous growths, no doubt painful for the beast.
It gave a deep, throaty roar and raised its arms up, slamming them into the ground, rattling and shaking the bridge. Spike wasted no time, firing a shell from his boomstick, the spent casing flying outwards, smoking hot and falling into the abyss below, pellets smashing into the creatures bloated belly.
The beast roared in pain and fury, another shell being fired, blood flying out of the beasts arm. Flare started firing her sweeper into the beast, watching it walk backwards, losing balance. Steel and Silver fired into the creature, though Light and Stone had no clear shots, having to twirl around and watch the direction they came from.
The beast roared angrily as rounds peppered into it, blood spilling out of it. It stumbled a bit, before suddenly standing up on two legs and slamming its massive fists into the bridge, rattling it. Too late, it realized that this was a mistake, the bridge shifting under them. The fight paused, Spike looking down to see a rope had suddenly come undone, slivering past them, the beast howling in fury as it raised its fists to smash down onto Spike and Flare before the fall could do them all in.
Silver held a hand out fruitlessly, the bridge giving a loud, wooden groan as it collapsed, sending the trio into the depths, time slowing for both Silver and Spike, Spikes hand outstretched in a failed attempt to grab anything, his weapon falling beside him, his eyes filled with fear as he stared into Silvers.
Spikes whole body ached, his eyes heavy and his clothes damp. His ribs were definitely bruised, arms were pretty scraped up, and his tail was coiled around a rock, thankfully uninjured. Spikes hand stretched out a bit, before he clenched it into a weak fist, squeezing his own hand, feeling dried blood on his palm, before he used it to grasp onto a cool, damp rock. He squeezed the rock, his hand easily crushing it within his grasp, before he gave a grunt, trying to gain control of the sick feeling in his stomach.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Pain was good, pain meant Spike was still alive. He sure wished the ringing in his ears would go away faster, and that he didn't feel like he was breathing though a plugged hole, but he was alive. A miracle, to be sure, though he knew Star wasn't as lucky.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Spike finally opened his eyes, blinking a few times, his vision blurry and unfocused. He blinked a few more times, his vision slowly coming back to normal, before realizing the glass to his mask had a crack across his face plate.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
What was that annoying sound?
Spike looked up to see the beast impaled on a large stalagmite, its blood dripping off of its massive arms and tapping onto Star Gazers masked face, blood trailing down his fallen comrades visor. Spike gave a wince, clawing into the rock wall a bit as he stood up, gripping onto his ribs with one arm and limping towards Star Gazers lifeless body. His leg was killing him, but at least it wasn't broken, as his ribs ached from a serious bruising.
"Star, come on buddy, speak to me." Spike called out, though even some small part knew the man was dead the moment he smashed into the wall. He walked over to the top half of Star Gazers body, falling down for a moment, only to crawl over to the bisected corpse, shaking to the upper half of the body.
No response came, Spikes head lowering in respect, the young lad grasping the corpses hand and squeezing it. Spike adjusted Stars body, tugging the mans necklace off, his tag being ripped off and put in Spikes pouch pocket. Spike opened Star Gazers pockets and pulled his ammo off of him, restocking himself, filling up half empty magazines. At one point, Spike would have found such practices disrespectful. However, with a few years of experience under his belt, Spike knew not to waste resources in the field, he did not know what lies ahead. Spike slowly stood up, giving a grunt as he looked around, seeing a tunnel ahead of him, adjusting his weapon as he looked all around, seeing holes in the wall.
He looked around himself, seeing no other bodies, then grasped his radio, speaking into it. "Bright Light, where are you?" Only static answered back. "Silver? Steel? You copy?" Nothing but static. He looked upwards, seeing massive holes dotted along the walls, grimacing at the sight. Light must've fallen into one of the holes and was further ahead. He adjusted his boomstick, then started loading shells into it, giving a glance towards Star Gazers body. Blood wasn't dry yet, he hadn't been knocked out long, though the moisture in the air may be keeping it from drying completely. He racked a shell by pumping the shotgun, then looked around again.
He pressed a button on his shoulder, trying his flashlight, though nothing happened. He clicked the button again, before pulling the light off of his shoulder, looking at it; absolutely smashed to bits. He shook his head, then tossed the light into a pocket, looking at Stars body, seeing his flashlight was smashed to bits as well. He shook his head, then gave a soft sigh, looking at the hole, then back at Star Gazers body.
He wanted to bury Star Gazers body, but he knew he didn't have the time. So, he offered a silent prayer, before walking off into the dark. He watched the walls as he walked, noticing deep marks along them, his eyes scanning the walls for any surprises. He spotted a flicker of light ahead, slowly putting his boomstick away to pull out a snapper, slowly unsheathing his knife and kneeling down, starting to stalk though the tunnel.
He took cover behind a rock, before slowly peeking over, seeing nothing but a lit lantern hanging on the wall. He aimed around, flipping the knife around and giving a silent huff through his mask, slowly moving forward. He aimed around the corner, seeing multiple lit lanterns down the hallway, his interest piqued as he observed the candles inside.
Recently lit.
Someone else was down here.
Silver stared into the abyss, searching for any sign of Spike or Flare. Steel sat there, stretching his wings out a bit as he looked down the hole as well, boomstick racking another shell. Bright Light and Stone firing into some beasts brave and stupid enough to rush them.
"Sir! We gotta move! Second group will be moving up and we gotta get these bastards outta their way!" Stone yelled over the gunfire, taking her knife out and slamming it into a beast dumb enough to try and jump on her. "Sir?!"
Silver said nothing, just staring into the caverns below, weapon by his side. Steel shot a beast that clambered up the side of the wall, pumping the shell out and shaking Silver, making the man move his head an inch towards Steels direction. "Come on, boss, if anyone can survive that, it's Spike. Caverns have to link up somewhere, we can make our way down and look for him after we move!"
Silver only looked back at the hole, before nodding, picking his sweeper up and pulling the slider back, loading a round into his weapon. He smashed the stock of his weapon onto some poor Moles head, before firing a few rounds into the creature, making it go limp. "I'll kill the whole lot of you fucking bastards!" Silver snarled out, slamming his gun into another beast, knocking its teeth out. He took his knife out and stabbed it into the creatures eye, not caring as blood spilled everywhere, spraying across his chest, sleeves and mask. He slammed his knife in again and again, snarling angrily as he stared onto the beasts face, giving a scream of fury and anger.
The battle had stopped around him, even the Mole beasts were watching along with Silvers squad, seeing Silver roar in fury as he slammed his knife down again and again. He suddenly started lifting the beast up, giving a furious scream as he threw the body down into the pit, before being brought to his knees, panting loudly. The Moles started to slink away, giving Silver a wide berth as they started climbing down the walls and into the various holes, Steel slowly walking forward, Silver standing up and reloading his weapon, before walking over to the gate. He grabbed the lever and tugged it down, before walking into the darkness, flashlight turning on. Steel, Rock, and Flare exchanged glances, before following him, weapons at the ready.
"Sir, do you want to-" Steel began, before Silver flashed him a glare that froze him in place faster than a cockatrice could.
"Shut the fuck up."
"Yes, sir."
Spike kept walking, his eyes scanning the row of lit lanterns. His mind wandered back to his team, sweeping his weapon back and forth, before some rocks made him pause. His tail waved to and fro as he slowly knelt down behind a rock, keeping his snapper at the ready, adjusting the handle of his knife in the other hand. He kept listening, before a voice pierced the silence, making him grimace.
He knew those voices.
"Why do we have to find food! Others in pack are better hunters!"
"Boss says we hunt, so we hunt."
Two sets of footprints started to be heard, Spike pushing into the wall, blending in with it. One creature stepped into view, makeshift metal helmet pressed firmly on the beasts head. Powerful arms, stubby legs, and covered in fur: a Diamond Dog. In its hand was some strange weapon that had a knife messily welded to the bottom. It has a heavy look, with a barrel on the front and some sort of magazine on its side, curved in look, the beast holding it much like the boomers the team held.
It seemed the dumb brutes created their own weapons that spat fire and metal. Spikes eyes narrowed at the sight of the brute. He waited for the second to pass, a skinny dog walked by, arms no doubt as impressive. "At least Spot did not live to see us turn to this, Fido."
The bigger one turned around and growled at the name, and for a second, Spike thought they would fight. The big one, Fido, huffed and turned back, "Come, Rover. We must hunt for meat."
The two trekked onwards, Spike slowly slinking out of the shadows, weapon trained on Rovers fat head from behind. Memories flooded to him of what he did to Rarity, kidnapping her, putting her in chains. He pressed his finger on the trigger, before slowly squeezing it.
One more point of pressure and that dog would die. One more inch. The hammer would smash into the bullet into that dumb beasts brains. That would be it.
However...it wouldn't be Spike.
Spike pulled his finger away and started sneaking through the tunnel again, leaving the two beasts to continue their journey. His mind was sharp, fury died in the back of his mind, and he would continue on.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes.
Thirty minutes.
An hour had passed as Spike walked, before finally seeing something. He slowly knelt down behind a rock, peering over, seeing a lone guard and metal door. He peered for a moment, before giving a disbelieving sound, stepping up and over. The guard made no motion, Spike quietly fast walking over to him, giving a soft noise. The guard snored loudly and shifted whilst leaning, Spike giving him an incredulous look.
Spike slowly opened the door, then slipped inside, holding his snapper up and aiming around. He twirled his knife around, peering around to see a shanty town of metal and rust over bubbling water.
A Dog Town.
Spike heard footsteps and quietly jumped down one of the ledges, landing into a trench and slowly walking along it, peering outwards as he knelt into the hole, watching dogs walk to and fro, minding their own business. He peered upwards until he heard barking in the distance, seeing movement at the top, near a structure carved out of the wall.
Spike remembered when some rich bastard said that to him once. He remembered wanting to bite the shit out of him when he said that. Instead, he told Twilight, who told Celestia, who promptly had the man thrown out on his ass. That was a good memory, seeing some snob face an angry Goddess and her student. He wished they were here, now, so he wouldn't have to face this alone, but seeing as he was alone, he had to improvise.
He hated improvising.
Spike watched two dogs walk by, makeshift spears in their hands. Spike slowly jumped up onto the bridge and looked around, seeing dogs going about their business nearby. Spike looked back the way he came and saw a dog walk to the door, holding a welded together boomer. Spike huffed, then slowly crept around a building, peering into the street.
Scrapped together, rusty buildings, random gems, dogs talking and going about their days. Spikes eyes traveled across multiple shacks, silently slinking between them, putting his snapper in its holster, flipping his knife around and hopping over a metal fence, moving past building after building.
He stopped when two dogs walked by, pressing himself again a shack wall, his pupils turning into slits as he watched them walk by. He was about to walk by them when he heard more voices, kneeling down and slowly moving into the shadows, his knife at the ready. Two guards passed by the barrel he hid behind, Spike quietly peering over to see them facing away from him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I saw the thing myself!"
Spikes interest piqued, making him listen in, staring at the back of the first dogs head, hearing it say, "It's a Human?"
Bright Light?
"Of course! The leader wanted to see it for herself too!" Spikes eyebrows shot up as he heard this, before kneeling back down, adjusting his mask, listening in as he watched his route ahead. "Saw it put up quite a fight too! Knocked out some of Scraps teeth."
Definitely Bright Light.
"Aha! A fighter! Perhaps she will put up some sport for the leader!"
Spikes gaze hardened as the two laughed, a door opening to Spikes left caught his attention. He looked over to cind a young Diamond Dog pup, an old teddy in its paws, staring up at Spike with wide eyes. Spike looked the little pup up and down, before slowly bringing a finger to his mask, making a shushing motion with it. The pup looked at Spike, then up to the two dogs talking, then back down at Spike, eyes wide and filled with fear.
Spike slowly opened his pocket, pulling a ration bar out and holding it to the young pup. The pups tail started wagging as he took the bar and started scarfing it down, paying Spike no mind now. Spike felt a small smile grace his face, seeing the young pups tail go haywire, waving to and fro, before Spike peered back around.
The two dogs were gone, he could move forward. He walked around the barrel, peering around, before silently walking across the road. He looked upwards, seeing the carved structure, humming softly as he saw the wall of rock.
He could fly?
He looked back at his back, then back at the structure. Too far, he'd be spotted if he took flight and his back always hurt after growing his wings out.
Perhaps he could use a back door?
He looked around the structure, shaking his head to himself, too many holes and tunnels, he couldn't possibly pick one to go through and hope for the best, it would take too much time, and time was not on his side.
Front entrance?
Nobody was that stupid. Too many guards, too far to travel, and he did not have enough ammo to take on an entire town of Diamond Dogs. Sure, he could lose control and wipe them out, but it would weigh on his conscience, and he didn't want to kill anyone.
The wall?
Spike blinked as he looked at the wall, before grinning to himself.
The wall! Of course, he could climb straight up. Plenty of cover until the last stretch, could get into a window and sneak in without harming anyone, the plan was perfect.
Wow, he really needed to stop talking to himself.
Spike pulled his gloves off, giving off a soft huff through his filter as he put them into a pack on his chest, before digging his hands into the rock. He got a good grip, then dug his next hand in, giving a fanged grin through his mask. He had not done this since he first started gem hunting with the others. Rainbow Dash and Applejack would keep an eye on him making sure the Diamond Dogs wouldn't snatch him after the fiasco with Rarity. Spike got a whiff of something he liked, then clambered up the cliffside when neither of them were paying attention.
Freaked Applejack out and Rainbow Dash was just too amazed to even scold him. Fond memories, seemed so long ago now. His grin fell, but he continued climbing, digging his hand into the rockface again and again, leaving behind foot holds for himself as he clambered upward. His tail curled around himself as he looked down, giving the shacks a wide scan.
No one had spotted him, though he noticed more commotion around the gate where he came from, making him quirk an eyebrow. He decided to speed up his climb, digging his hands into the wall, his tail whipping around behind him as he clambered up.
Silver kept walking, passing under decrepit beams and gates, seeing skeletons and cobwebs all around him. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket, flicking it on after a few tries, waving it in front of him, burning away the webs and sending a few small Bugs scattering into the walls. He kept walking, Steel stepping behind him, shooting him glances, with Stone and Flare following behind, scanning the walls behind them.
"Sir-"
"He's alive." Silver cut him off, not even looking back at Steel. Steel stopped for a moment, looking at Silvers back, Silver stopping for a moment, not turning away from the flickering light in his hand. "I just...I know he's alive. I'll find him, even if I gotta tear the whole underground apart." Silver continued walking, making Steel stare at him.
Stone walked over to Steel, then mumbled towards him, "Spike really mean that much to him?"
"More than you know." Steel mumbled back, slowly stepping over a pile of bones, giving the head a curious look. It almost looked like a dog? He decided to continue walking, giving Stone a soft glance, "Silver said that Spike reminded him of his son."
"Didn't know Silver had a son."
"Yeah, he and his ex had a bad divorce. Caught her cheatin with his friend."
Silver froze, then looked around, his weapon at the ready, peering around every which way, before giving a low groan, "God damn it, Storm, not you too..."
Spike clambered into the window, dropping down with a soft "oomph", before quickly taking cover behind a barrel as a guard walked by, his eyes narrowing at the boomer in the creatures hands. He quietly moved when the guard did, shadowing the creatures movements, his hands gripping a bit. The dog sniffed the air, then twirled around, growling.
Nothing was there.
The dog quirked an eyebrow, before continuing on with his duties. Had he looked upwards, he would have seen Spike clawed into the wall. Spike started clawing into the wall as he followed the beast, watching it open a door. Spike dropped onto floor, shaking his hands free of the rock and dirt, then slowly opened the door and peered in. He couldn't see much, just a few dogs kneeling down in front of a figure, one he couldn't see.
Perhaps it was a throne room?
Last time he fought the diamond dogs, he thought the trio (now duo) were the leaders. Perhaps he was wrong. He quietly slipped from behind one of the dogs and slowly slinked around the room, peering out from another corner, confused.
A sort of throne room?
"Silence." A cold voice rang out, making a chill run down Spikes back. He let his claws shred into the column, before silently letting them slide back into his hands, the dogs obeying to command without question. "You have seen to the prisoner?"
The dogs nodded, before one spoke, "Yes, we have seen to her."
"Good. Go rest up. We need you all rested before we begin our plans." Her cold voice was almost comforting, but Spikes instincts told him to back away from the creature, whatever she was. The three dogs bowed, then left the room, the one he followed walking in front of her. "What do you have to report?"
"Our guard at the door caught the scent of something that slipped past. We may have an intruder." Spike felt a cool bit of air hit him, making him shiver a bit, his tail curling around him a bit.
She aat there in silence, before crossing her legs on the throne, the movement making Spike shift a bit. "I see..."
"Shall I alert the guards?"
"No...something tells me the intruder already has slipped past our defenses."
"My Queen, shouldn't we-"
"Not another word about the intruder." She ordered calmly, the Diamond Dog quickly lowering its head in obedience.
Spike took the moment to look around the room, spotting a door on the other side. He slowly backtracked away, before stopping at another column. He wouldn't be able to cross without being seen, he knew it. However, luck seemed on Spikes side for once; the dog sat up and grabbed his gun, walking out of his room, the Queen visibly sagging a bit and sighing softly as soon as the dog left the room.
Spike looked around the column to get a good look at the queen. She was covered head to toe in armor, though her arms gave away she was no Diamond Dog. He chest piece was damaged and covered in claw marks, her helmet reminded him of a knights helm, and she wore a cape that had some sort of insignia on it, which Spike couldn't recognize from this angle. He couldn't, get a fair look at her face, which was covered, however even he could see cold, calculating ice blue eyes from his position. Spike wouldn't admit it, but he quite likes how round her rump looked and how thick her thighs were, gave her an air of sexy, yet scary, dominance.
Spike looked across, seeing his path was clear, slinking over to the other side, checking on her to see if she saw him. She did not. He smiled and slowly slunk towards the door, before feeling that cold feeling hit him, making him shiver, grasping the doorknob and about to open the door.
"That's the wrong door." Spike froze, then slowly turned to see the Queen gazing at him. He let go of the handle, his tail curling up in a defensive posture as he stood there. The Queen then smiled, hidden by her helmet, then spoke, "The door you want is next to my throne. You should hurry and save your friend, before my dogs get in here and catch your scent."
Spike blinked in surprise, before glancing over to the throne, seeing another door next to it. He quirked an eyebrow at her, seeing her cross her legs, the clinking of armor making Spike grimace underneath his gas mask. He walked over to the door, then turned back, muttering a soft "Thank you." before passing through the door, weapon at the ready.
The woman licked her lips as she watched as he left the room, before relaxing on her throne. "Hopefully the pups don't hurt him...too much."
Spike walked down the stairs, that cold feeling finally stopping as he left the room, looking back at the door. "Such a strange woman...but it doesn't look like she'll taddle." He adjusted the stock of his weapon against his shoulder, slowly walking down the stone steps, the sinking feeling in his gut finally stopping as he left the Queen behind. He kept walking until he saw a guard standing in the way, giving it a hard look.
He had to take the dog out.
He suddenly jumped on the beasts back, putting it on a headlock, sending the two tumbling into another room. He squeezed the creatures throat, it giving a gargled sound as it tried to breathe. Had Spike really wanted to, he would have snapped the creatures neck instantly and ended this scuffle. However, Spike gave a muffled grunt as he held on, the creature smacking the cracked glass of his visor uselessly, Spike applying a little more pressure. Finally the dog slumped, Spike letting go of the poor beasts head and pushing him away.
Spike stood up and grabbed the poor beast, dragging it deeper into the room and hiding the body behind a barrel. "Stay." He jokingly commanded, before nodding to himself. "Good dog." He peered around the corner, seeing a hallway, slowly stepping out and walking down it, mumbling to himself, "Bright Light, you better still be breathing or I just snuck my way into a dog infested castle for no reason."
Spike had done more with less. Or so he kept telling himself this. He had no idea how he'll break Bright Light out or how he'll escape, and this is assuming Bright Light can still stand and wasn't beaten by the dogs. His anger threatened to boil over for a moment, before he heard a noise, making him hug the wall, slowly sliding his snapper out and aiming it forward. Spike peered around, aiming his Snapper around, his knife slowly twirling in his hand. He looked back the way he came, before looking back towards the open door, slowly peeking around the corner with his weapon. He walked in, giving a soft noise as he peered down the hallway, spotting more doors.
Spike slowly pulled his mask up, flicking his tongue out, tasting the air, before sniffing loudly, snorting out smoke in annoyance. The stench of dog was heavy, it was overwhelming to him, he crinkled his nose in disgust. He sniffed again, before stopping, slowly melding into the shadows of the wall, his dark outfit helping him blend into the shadows.
Just a moment later, two guard dogs walked by, chatting about this and that, strange boomers held in their hands. One stopped and sniffed the air, before getting his shoulder bumped, distracting him, making him look away. He looked back at Spikes spot, squinting, before pushing his gun into the shadows, rummaging around a bit, before pulling back his weapon and shrugging a bit.
He wandered off, his friend joining him, tails finally leaving the view. After a few moments, Spike finally appeared; hanging from the ceiling by his claws. In another universe, he may have looked like some cartoon cat after being frightened, though such a funny image was only a passing thought in Spikes young mind.
He let go of the ceiling, dropping down and crouching, his weapon at the ready. He aimed all around, before tugging his mask off and flicking his tongue out, tasting the air again. He smiled to himself as he picked up the scent of human, then pressed onwards, flicking his tongue out every so often. He peered around another corner, seeing a dog standing in front of the door, giving loud snores as he slept, Spike giving a grin. He suddenly walked forward, putting his snapper and knife away, reaching for the door. It seems the guards were lazy and slept for much of their shift, a stroke of good luck, thought Spike.
That was until he heard growling.
Spike slowly turned towards the Diamond Dog, his lips curling back in a snarl, fangs showing. Spike wasted no time, the dogs mouth opened and Spikes hand shot forward, grabbing the poor beasts mouth and shoving him through the door. The dog yelped as he smashed through, Spike quickly jumping on top of the dazed beast, raising his fist up and smashing it into the poor creatures face.
The first punch, blood shot out of the beasts mouth, its own teeth cutting its cheek. A second punch, a fang shot out of the beasts mouth. A third and some bruising would appear. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Eleventh. Sixteenth. Twentieth.
Spike raised his fist again, before stopping to see the poor creature, wheezing in pain, face heavily cut and bruised, the poor beast missing some teeth. Spike held the beast up by its shirt, then snorted a smoke filled breath out of his nostrils, dropping the beast, giving a few heavy breaths out.
A whistle caught Spikes attention, making him lift the beasts makeshift boomer and aim it at the sound, seeing some bars for the jail. He gave a confused look at the occupant inside of the cell, walking forward and seeing the woman give a flirty smile. She adjusted a bit and put her hands on the bars, chuckling a bit.
"Hey, you don't need to beat the shit out of every guy to impress me. You know that, right?"
"Storm? What are you doing here?" Spike asked, inspecting the lock for a moment as he dropped the beasts gun.
"Well, after you fell down the pit, Silver was having a freak out with some of the beasts. Next thing I knew, I was knocked out, woke up in front of some armored bitch, put the beat down on some dogs, then got thrown in here."
Spike inspected the lock, before shrugging to himself, then smashing the lock in his hand, ripping it out of the bars. He dropped it, then opened the door, looking at Storm Chaser, "What about Bright Light? You see her?"
Storm walked out, walking over to a table with her gear on it, putting on her armor, shaking her head as she put her gloves on, speaking, "No. No other prisoners from what I could tell." She looked back at the Diamond Dog on the ground, spitting on the beast before putting her mask on. "We gotta link up with the others. Got a plan, kid?"
"Well, my plan was to free Bright Light and fight our way out. Ya know, mix things up a little."
"Haha, very funny. The real plan?"
The door opened another guard walking in, holding a half eaten piece of meat in his mouth, speaking with his mouth full, "Hey, Boxer, I brought you some lunch. Hope you're hun-" he was interrupted by the sight of Spike and Storm standing over Boxer. "What the-"
Spike threw Boxers gun at the new guard, smashing it against his chest, making him lose his breath. Storm slammed her boomstick into the beasts forehead, sending it sprawling backwards, then took aim, though Spike took her barrel with his hand, shaking his head. "Always were the hero type." She growled out, making Spike smile sheepishly.
The dog was about to stand, but Spike lifted the poor beast up and headbutted the bridge of the creatures nose, making the dogs vision swim with stars. He then smashed the creatures head against the wall, knocking the beast unconscious, tossing him onto the ground. "Twilight always did have that effect me."
They turned, a howl echoing through the walls, Spike grimacing and Storm aiming down the hallway, giving Spike a cheeky smile, "Something tells me that Twilight had nothing to do with that, kid." She looked forward, seeing shadows moving down the hallway. "Friends of yours?"
Spike gave a grin, "What can I say? The people love me." He then took a deep breath, feeling a familiar warmth spread through his chest, then up his throat. He opened his jaws, boiling, glowing spit dripping out of his mouth, taking a deep breath that seemed to cool the air around them, before throwing his head forward, breathing green fire onto the ground in front of them, making Storm back up in surprise, her eyes widening at the sight of the young lad.
Spike threw his head into a circle, his flames heating up the rocks surrounding them. He finally stopped, panting, feeding his starved lungs air as the hallway around them had hot, burning rocks and green fire feeding on the few wooden things in the tunnel.
It would buy them some time.
Spike looked back, before wiping his mouth, looking back at Storm, finally saying, "Spend enough years with Twilight, you can learn a lot about what rocks are what and what hides the best gems. Eventually, you figure out what rocks are what." Spike walked over to the wall, the sound of howls getting closer, Storm backing up and aiming down the burning hallway, sparing Spike a glance. Spike moved his hands against the wall, before smiling as he pushed against the wall a bit, before digging his hands into the wall, tearing away rocks. He then kicked the wall, making it cave in, finding an opening, before glancing back at the hallway. "I would say ladies first, but...I think you want the fire breather in the front."
Storm looked back at him, before hearing the angry barks just behind the inferno. Storm could tell it wouldn't last long, so she kicked Spike in, ignoring his angry look, then clambered into the hole after him.
Silver stared at the door in front of them, his Sweeper on his side, giving the door a hard stare, as if trying to burn a hole through it with his eyes. Bright Flare and Steel looked at each other, Stone inspecting the walls. Flare walked over to Silver, clearing her throat and ready to speak, before Silver eyes turned to her, his eyes boring into her, making her back and walk to Steel. She shook her head as Silver turned back, Steel sighing as his wings fluttered a bit, watching their leader.
"Aha! Found it!" Stone wiped away a dust covered panel on the wall, smiling st the others. He tried opening it a few times, before stepping back and kicking the panel, denting it and breaking the lock. "Stupid piece of..." She mumbled as she opened it, then started tinkering inside. She pulled the lever, the door massive door groaning as it opened, grinding loudly as it kept going.
Silver ducked down, aiming around, his eyes scanning the room, before whistling a bit, the others ducking under and aiming around. Steel whistled impressively as he looked around; it seemed to be a railroad station...underground? Old train cars and mining carts, covered in dirt, stones and dust, a few skeletons dotted around of animals and, disturbingly, some diamond dog like skeletons.
Silver checked his wrist, checking the time, before nodding to himself. "Steel, check the cars for anything. Stone, I want you to find a way to keep that door open. Meteor will come through with some of our force soon, and I'd rather not have the door slam on her. Bright Flare, you're with me, we'll get the power on and light this place up." He barked out, Steel giving him a glance before going to the train car, climbing up and opening it.
He looked inside, seeing skeletons of different animals and strange markings on the wall, Steels eyes narrowing as he thumbed the flashlight on, aiming it around, taking a closer look at the markings his eyes scanning them for a few moments.
Writing?
It wasn't a language Steel knew, but to be fair, he had only known a few languages, linguistics are not his strong suit. He noticed drawings at the bottom, his eyes trailing down to them, leaning in a bit to observe the dark figures scratched in and their strange shapes. Nothing human, that was for sure.
The lights flickered on, making Steel lean back and smile a little, turning his flashlight off. He started walking deeper into the car, sewing random tools lying about, before walking forward, seeing a small door where the driver would usually go. Steel took a deep breath, before opening the door, his eyes flying every which way and that.
Nothing.
Not even a skeleton.
Steel gave a hum, before a hand touched his shoulder, making him scream in fright. He turned and glared at the now laughing Stone and gave her a frown, grabbing his own chest, trying to calm him heart down.
"Don't do that!"
"Sorry, I already finished my thing and came to check up on you. You looked like you expected a zombie."
"You're gonna expect my foot up your ass if you don't get outta here!" Steel snarled at her, chasing the woman down the car and out, jumping down after her.
"Status?"
Silvers voice shot through both of them, their playful energy turned to obedience, Steel and Stone both standing at attention, "Sir, I have cleared the car, no enemies inside." Steel reported, making Silver look over at the car.
"Did it look operational?"
Stone abd Bright Flare shot each other a look, Steel giving Silver a nod, "Yes, sir. Everything looked to be working order, and it looks like it is powered out of electricity and not coal, sir."
Silver nodded a bit, then sat down on a crate, adjusting his armor, finally speaking, "Then we sit here and wait."
"Sir, what about those things? What if they come here and -" Bright Flare began, only to shut down when Silver shot her a glare. Had he glared any harder, Bright Flare would have two burning holes in place of her eyes.
"I said we stay. And you will keep first watch, private Bright Flare." Silver spoke in a cold tone, making Bright Flare nod and run to the door, peering out with a weapon shouldered. "Steel, Stone, rest. You'll need the energy if the creatures attack. Until then, we wait here for Spike, Bright Light and Storm Chaser."
Spike broke through another cave wall, panting a bit as he dragged Storm out. Storm screamed in anger as she kept stabbing a Bug, smashing her knife into it again and again, crushing its armored head in, stabbing its brain with her knife, before kicking its corpse into its friends lifeless bodies, effectively blocking the way they came in.
"I...fucking hate...bugs." Storm said inbetween inhales of breath, trying to feed her starved lungs. She looked at her armor and clothes; a little damaged, but still good, Spikes appearance just barely better as he wiped his knife clean of blood. "And...small tunnels."
"Well, at least we are out of the tunnel." Spike optimistically replied, before seeing one of the legs move in the tunnel, kicking the corpse further into the tunnel. "Nothing we can do about the bugs though."
Storm grasped onto a stalagmite and lifted herself up, Spikes inner Twilight yelling at her in his head, talking about how fragile such a process was. However, seeing as Spike was trying to spot where they were, he ignored that little voice in his brain and inspected the ground, seeing prints. He knelt down and rested the butt of his gun on the ground and held on the barrel, staring at the ground. Storm stretched out, then turned, opening her mouth to say something, only to stop when Spike was inspecting the ground. She knelt down next to him, staring at the ground with him, Spikes eyes tracking up the trail, standing up and shouldering his boomstick, walking up the path. Storm silently followed, staying behind Spike, her eyes scanning the rocks around them.
As they walked, Spike kept feeling like he was being watched, the hairs on the back of his neck rising up a bit as they continued. Spike didn't stop, simply tapping Storms arm when she walked next to him, catching her attention, he then made a few movements with his hands. Storm nodded, her eyes darting to the side, slowly pulling her boomstick up, racking a shell in.
She twirled around, seeing glowing eyes in the dark, before they disappeared, her eyes searching around the darkness, her flashlight swinging to and fro.
"Spike..."
Spike stopped, his eyes widening, Storm still searching around. He slowly turned, seeing something flash in the distance ahead. "T...Twilight?"
"Spike?"
"What was that, kid?" Storm called out, her eyes searching around. "Spike?" She dared to look back, only to see Spike staring forward, his eyes glazed over. She bumped him with her boomstick, her eyes never leaving that darkness. "Come on, wake up buddy, wake up!"
Spike, however, was not there, for his mind was far from there, another place. It was almost as if he had been turned into a statue by the Elements of Harmony. A striking ache made him scream in agony, he fell to his knees, grasping his head, his gun lying on the side, Storm stepping back a bit as she watched.
"Spike?! Talk to me, buddy! Come on! Speak to me!"
Spikes mind was a jumbled mess of pictures and sounds, too jumbled together to make sense, his mind in searing, white hot pain. His eyes were wide open, though he saw nothing, and tears started dripping on the ground. He released another scream as the images became clear, closing his eyes as if the pain would stop.
A tree, branches gently waving in the wind. A flower, a butterfly resting on it. The sound of childrens laughter and an empty playground. Singing of drunken people and a warm looking tavern in the snow. He could see an apple fall off of a tree and into a barrel, and the sounds of people talking as he saw a baby carriage.
Then, anger filled Spikes mind, gritting his fangs and giving a strangled yelp as he clawed a bit into the ground.
Bombs. He could see them, no...he could feel them. They were boiling hot, then so, so cold. He could see the snow and ice cover everything...wait...a door?
Yes, a heavy, metal door. He could see it, so clear, seeing figures trapped behind it. He was, finally, let go, the image showing Twilight reaching out, magic in her hands, and a confused, fearful feeling shot through his mind, though it was not from him. No, this feeling was alien, different, not his own, yet he understood it perfectly.
"Help...us..."
Spike was finally brought out of this strange episode, his eyes finally returning to normal. He wiped the drool from his mouth, then sat up, panting a bit, confused, but alive. Sweet, pure feelings of cool washed over him in waves as he sat there, seeing Storm staring at him with pure relief at the end of his episode. Spike rubbed his head and gave a smoke filled breath, before slowly standing up, wobbling a bit.
"You okay, Spike?"
"...No...but we can't stop. We have to go."
As they stood up and walked forward, Spike spared a glance back towards the light he had seen before, then continued on, throat a bit sore from his screaming. As they turned the corner and continued on, a hand pressed against the wall, its eyes watching them, before giving a soft noise. Another joined it, resting its hand on the first ones shoulder. Both disappear in a blink, the only proof of their existence being a handprint they left behind.
Spike couldn't help but feel those words echo in his mind, breathing as he clambered upwards, using his hands to rip into the wall, breaking open the stones into hand holds. Not far behind was Storm, clearly having a tougher time, slipping a bit for a moment, grasping onto a rock to stop herself from falling. She looked back down, giving a soft snort of air before looking back up at Spike, opening her mouth, before stopping.
A perfect view at his rump.
She coughed and looked away, blushing, before suddenly slipping again, giving a gasp. She reached a hand up to try and grasp something, before Spikes tail shot down and grabbed her hand. She gave an embarrassed smile, before mumbling her thanks, Spike pulling her a bit to help her grab onto the holds.
"Almost there." Spike spoke, digging his hands in more, before clambering up again, creating a bigger hand hold for Storm. He stopped for a moment at the edge, before peeking over the edge, then looking back and nodding to Storm. He clambered over the edge, then held his hand out, Storm taking it and being helped up. Spike grasped his radio, speaking into it, "Silver Spear, do you copy?"
Static.
"Silver? Steel? Anyone copy?"
Static again.
"We're too deep." Storm spoke as she walked forward, giving a hum as she inspected the dirt, finding the tracks again. "Didn't realize Bright Light was a climber."
"Me either." Spike mumbled out through his mask, the cracks across it quite noticeable to Storm. She gave a hum as Spike walked forward, "She went this way, so we'll keep following."
They kept walking, Storms eyes darting to Spike, before coughing in her hand a bit, giving a soft look. "So, back there...wanna explain that to me?" Spike thought back to the caverns below, before looking at the wall and humming softly, running a hand along the wall, nodding to himself, seeing the carvings along the wall, Storm giving them a passing glance. "Spike?"
"Huh?" Spike looked back at Storm, seeing her stare at him in worry. "Did...did you say something?"
Storm put her hands on her hips, giving Spike a soft look, before finally saying, "Spike, you had a full blown mental breakdown or...something back there! You can't just act like nothing happened after screaming loud enough that Canterlot could hear it!"
Spike rubbed the back of his neck, before adjusting his helmet a bit, looking back at her and admitting, "I have no clue what I saw. Images, I think."
"Images?"
"Sounds. Feelings." Spike added on, before staring up at the rocky ceiling. His eyes glazed over as the images struck his mind, before he shook his head, a phantom pain emerging from the incident. "And...I heard Twilight. Saw her, too. Whatever it was that sent me that...mental image knows exactly who I am."
"It does?"
"Yeah. It also knew Twilight, she or whatever it was, it was asking for my help." Spike nodded, before waving Storm over, pointing towards the ground. "Light moved through here. And, if I remember correctly, we can link up in the caverns ahead and wait for back up." Storm looked at Spike, studying his face, before finally elbowing him, giving him a knowing look. "Or...we leave a sign at the cavern ahead when we meet Bright Light, then I will continue on ahead to try and get information on Twilight and the others."
"And what makes you think Twilight is even alive?" Storm asked, though as soon as the words left her mouth she winced at the look in Spikes eyes that flashed for a moment. "It's been five years, Spike. If they were alive, why haven't they tried contacting us? Or even go looking for us?"
Spike was silent for a moment, before he turned to her, his eyes lit with the fire of determination, and spoke, "I know they're out there. And I won't give up on them." They stood there for a moment, Spikes eyes adjusting to the darkness, his pupils turning into slits as he pulled his snapper out, walking forward, his tail waving behind him as he walked. "I know they'd do the same for me."
As he walked ahead, Storm took a moment to absorb the information, though a tingling at the back of her head told her something was watching her. She turned back, her eyes shifting in the darkness, her flashlight twirling around in the dark, lighting the way. Seeing nothing, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, before continuing after Spike, following him, not seeing the glowing eyes in the darkness return, watching them.
Silver was sitting on a crate, flicking his lighter open and close, staring off into the darkness. The loud, metallic clicking echoed in the room, weapon resting against the crate as he watched, his stare empty and blank. She perked up a bit, squinting into the darkness, before shaking her head, walking to the other side, adjusting her weapon against her shoulder. Bright Flare looked at Silver, before looking at Steel, who was currently putting bullets inside of a magazine, giving him a stare.
Steel looked up, giving a surprised look when Flare stared at him. "What?" He asked, mask by his side. She elbowed him, then jerked her head towards Silver, making Steel growl out quietly, "He doesn't wanna talk, what can I do?"
Bright Flare opened her mouth to say something, only to stop when she heard a whistle. Silver got up out of his seat, stuffing the lighter in one pocket and another item in the other pocket. He stuffed twp fingers into his mouth and gave a sharp whistle back. Suddenly lights flicked on in the darkness, Stone waving something over.
Meteor walked in, wiping the blood off of her knife onto her sleeve, a few people trickling in, one of them carrying a wounded man on his shoulders. "Alright, everyone rest up and tend to the wounded." Meteor ordered out, Silver waving her over, Meteor turning to one of the men with a large backpack on, speaking to him, "Tell nase we've made it to the first checkpoint. And to tell the Mayor to stop worrying, they're fine." Meteor walked over to Silver, scanning over the ground, her eyes tracing over every member of the squad, before looking around for something, finally stopping in front of Silver. "Sir."
"Meteor." Silver spoke, motioning to a rock in front of him, Meteor taking a seat as Silver took a seat on a stone of his own. "Status?"
Meteor opened her pack and pulled out a piece of paper, motioning to a crate nearby. "Well, we came across the station, like you said. Lost a skyblood to a pack of mole things there, found him later on. Well, the parts they didn't like, at least." Silver and Steel shared a look, Stone walking over and picking the crate up, walking back over and setting it in-between the two. "Another man, earthblood, was injured by a Mutt on the way here, but he should be fine. Luckily, it missed his femoral artery, so he'll live with some medical attention." Meteor set down the map in front of them, brushing it a bit. "We got this from the station before, found it on a body. Apparently, the miners who lived in these tunnels decided to have all sorts of maps, in case a tunnel collapsed or they got lost."
"Good work, Meteor."
Meteor looked around, before looking back at Silver, adjusting her mask on her chest, finally asking, "You're missing a few. Where are the others?"
The air was sucked out of the room with that question. Stone tapped Flares arm, catching her attention, jerking her head one direction. Flare nodded and they walked away, Silver looking down, Steel rubbing the back of his neck.
"Star Gazer is dead." Steel spoke, catching Meteors attention, before continuing, "The others are missing. Fell down the hole out there. We lost radio contact with them, but we think they're still alive."
"I see..." Meteor gave Silver a look, the man staring at the map. She cleared her throat, then looked back at Steel, giving a soft whistle. Silver looked back up at her, his eyes hard, but full of pain, Meteor giving a soft smile. "Kid is tough. He made it."
Silver nodded, then looked at the map, before pointing at their spot. "Now, if I am reading this correctly...got another hour or two before we hit the group of survivors...but this cavern down here has some sort of figure right there, like a skull?"
"It's a Diamond Dog skull." Meteor said, making Silver and Steel look at her. "I recognize it, we saw a one being attacked by the Bugs on the way here. Skull looked a lot like that after a spray of acid."
"Okay, so, we got regular dogs, mutated dogs, and now Diamond Dogs. What else?"
"Well, strange thing is, this map right here says there is a tunnel in a nearby mountain that has something in it." Silver quirked an eyebrow as he looked back at the map, though Meteor continued, answering his unasked question, "I don't know what it is, but it was big enough news to mark it on the map."
The radioman, named Wave Surfer walked over. Wave Surfer had blond hair done in dreadlocks and had glasses on, with a cute little wave etched on his helmet, the same as his cutie mark. "Sirs, ma'am." He greeted them, before kneeling next to them, pushing his glasses up as they slid down his nose. "Made contact with the Caverns, reported the losses. They'll have a group run supplies to us once they get a cart ready to go."
"Thanks Wave. Anything else?"
"Mayor Mare says hi, sir."
Silver chuckled a bit, before looking at the map, his eyes tracing along the caverns below, before tapping on the map, saying, "The caves below, they connect to the Diamond Dog one...and then further ahead, they connect to the area the first group of survivors are in?"
"Yes, sir."
Silver nodded, then rubbed his cheek, brushing his hand through his beard, "Storm, Bright Light and Spike will meet us there." Silver finally spoke, catching Meteor and Steels attention.
"Sir?" Steel asked, not sure if he heard correctly, giving Meteor a glance, one she returned, just as confused.
"If I know anything about those three, it's that they will continue on with the mission. We'll meet with them there." Silver stood back up, nodding to himself. He then turned to the rest of the group, barking out orders, "I need a head count of who is fit enough to move on! Medics, help those that are too injured to move on, and I'll leave three men here to help you hold this position!"
Spike kept his weapon up, aiming down the cave they had just been through, his slitted pupils scanning to and fro, watching in the darkness. Storm gave a grunt as she slammed her shoulder against the door, before sighing a bit. She sat there for a moment, wrapping her hand around her injured shoulder, nursing it a bit as they sat there. Storm inspected the door, before looking down, seeing Bright Lights boot prints leading into it.
"She must've barricaded the door." Storm mumbled out, resting on it for a moment, Spike taking a moment to scan the cave again, before turning to Storm. He walked over next to her, pressed his ear against the door and rapped his knuckle against the door a few times, before nodding to himself. "Pretty heavy too."
"Yeah, if I knock it down, everyone and their mothers will hear it." Spike admitted, inspecting the door for a moment. He looked upwards, before quirking his head a bit, Storm looking up with him.
She turned her flashlight on and looked above the door, Spike wincing at the light entering his vision, his slitted pupils slowly turning back to the rounded ones, the dragonblood humming in thought as he watched.
It was a vent.
Unblocked.
Storm attached her flashlight to her chest and took a knee, holding her hands out. Spike nodded, then placed his boot on her hands, Storm lifting him up, with Spike grabbing onto the grate. He dug his hands into it, then pushed the grate forward, it falling into the vent as Spike lifted himself up. He peered into the vent, tugging his gloves off and digging his hands into the vents metal bottom, slowly clawing it open with loud metal groaning. Finally, he had it open enough, giving Storm a thumbs up, then moved further into the vent, his tail disappearing from Storms sight.
He poked his head in, looking all around, before slowly lowering himself downwards. He took his knife out, scanning the room once more, before looking back towards the door, seeing a shelf in front of it, along with a few tools wedged against it. Spike looked around again, before walking over to it, then kicking some of the tools, breaking them in, then digging his hands into the metal shelf. He started pulling the shelf away, a loud, metallic shriek echoing out as he tugged it away from the door.
He stopped for a moment, listening for any movement or noises, before continuing, gritting his teeth as it scraped against the ground. He finally pulled it away enough, then unlatched the door, opening it, letting Storm in. He quietly shut it, then bent the latch with his hand, locking it behind them, then grabbed a splintered pickaxe, wedging it into the doorframe, nodding to himself, before turning to Storm, saying, "We should take a break."
"No. No, I'm good."
"Storm."
"I said I'm good."
Spike walked over to her, pointing back at the door, giving her a glare, "I climbed up a cliff, fought several Diamond Dogs, and just suffered a psychic overload from something in those tunnels within the span of three hours." Spike hissed to Storm, before motioning to a crate nearby. "I am going to sit down for a bit, because I am exhausted. I suggest you do the same."
Storm felt a twinge of guilt shoot through her, she then looked down. "I didn't mean...Spike I just-"
Spike sat down, then held his hand up, giving her a soft look, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just...been a tough day. We lost...we lost Star Gazer. I saw his body, and I couldn't..." He trailed off, before wiping his eyes, feeling tears threatening to spill over. "I couldn't even bury him."
Storm dropped her weapon to her side, then walked over to Spike, kneeling down, resting her weapon on the crate and embracing him. Spike felt tears flow freely from his eyes after a moment, shutting his eyes and hugging Storm, a sob wracked his body as he gripped onto her.
"I'm so sorry, Spike..." Storm mumbled out, Spike squeezing her tight in his grip. She took his helmet off and brushed her fingers through his spikey green hair, scratching his scalp as he cried against her. "I know it hurts to lose someone. Don't worry, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." She didn't know what to really do, so she just held him there and whispered soft things to him. "Breathe in. Breathe out."
After a solid fifteen minutes of holding onto each other, six of which were filled with Spike sobbing for his fallen comrade, they finally sat in silence. Spike let go of Storm, though she held on for a few seconds longer before finally letting go. Spike wiped his eyes, before taking a swig of his water, looking at Storm. "Thank you."
"Of course, Spike."
"No Storm....I really mean it. Thank you." Storm smiled and bumped her shoulder against his, before drinking from her own canteen, the young dragon looking around, finally asking, "So, what do we do now?"
"Well, sensible thing would be to meet up with Bright Light and stay at the area, tell Silver what you know, then continue on with the plan." Storm mumbled out, before rubbing her cheek, looking towards the door at the end of the underground tool storage they were in. "However, something tells me you wanna ask around in the area about your friends, so we gotta hurry before Silver gets there."
Spike nodded, before looking at Storm, "I don't think Bright Light will like that though."
"Well, she can deal with it." Storm looked around, before shaking her head a bit and turning her flashlight on, attaching it to her helmet. She hummed a bit, asking, "What do you think this place was?"
Spikes long tongue flicked out, before adjusting his weapons on his back, trying for his flashlight again, only to remember it was broken, making him snort out some smoke. "Best guess is that it's a tool storage of some kind. Maybe for vehicles, digging equipment?"
Storm walked over to the large, metal doors and inspected them, before looking down the sides, seeing a smaller door, whistling to Spike. Spike stood up, pulling his boomstick out and walking over, adjusting his helmet onto his head and fastening it. He nodded to Storm, who nodded back, then slowly opened the door, gun at the ready, Storm slowly following with her sweeper. Spike, silently aiming around, gave a look around, before quirking an eyebrow at the tunnel ahead.
Another gate?
Spike walked forward, Storm hanging back a bit and taking aim, nestling herself again the wall, keeping herself behind cover. Spike looked around at the walls, seeing multiple spaces for him to take cover in, just in case things got dodgy, then looked back at the gate. No movement that he could see, sparing a glance backwards at Storm, who had taken aim towards the gate.
A bright light flashed on, Spike hissing through his teeth as he was temporarily blinded, using his hand to shield his eyes as he squinted. The voice that piped up behind the wall, loud enough for them to hear, "Now, y'all have exactly five seconds to turn your hide round before we get to burnin it off!"
Spike shot up in recognition, then called back, "Cherry Jubilee? Is that you?"
A few seconds of silence followed, before the light pointed away, a woman with red hair, a beauty mark under her green eyes, many (including Spike) thought said mark added to her natural beauty. She couldn't help but squint, before giving a grin, saying, "Spike! Hadn't seen hide nor hair of ya in a while! Lemme just get the boys to open up the gate!"
Spike sighed a little, then waved Storm over, the gate slowly screeching open, Storm giving Spikes shoulder an affectionate bump. "Look at you, lady killer. All you have to do is smile and they practically fall for you."
Spike took a deep breath in, then snorted out some smoke, looking back at Storm, "Do I sense a hint of jealousy?" He teased back, making Storm chuckle, holstering her sweeper.
"Long as you can keep it in your pants, we should have no issues with this little side track."
Finally, the door opened and Cherry waved them in, Storm and Spike smiling. Cherry, however, took Spike into a bone crushing hug, making him grunt in surprise, before lifting him up a bit. "Damn, look at you, boy!" Cherry set him down, then brushed his cheek with a hand, "Ya look hungry, they been feedin ya enough?" Cherry looked at the snickering Storm, then took held her hand out. Storm took it, Cherry shaking it and smiling, "Sorry 'bout that. Name's Cherry Jubilee, though my friends just stick to callin' me Cherry."
Storm smiled, shaking Cherry's hand, giving a chuckle, "My name's Storm Chaser. See you already know Spike. See one of our own recently?"
"Sure have. She's in the radio room. Tryin to contact your buds."
Spike made a motion with his hand, Cherry and Storm walking ahead of him, though he didn't immediately follow. He turned to look at the closing door and into the tunnel, his eyes scanning it for a moment, before he looked back at Cherry and Storm, following them towards the radio room.
For a second there, Spike felt like he was being watched.
