> Spike: The Last Draconian
>  by Maneiac
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Accident
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        “I’m going to be so late,” Medium-sized purple claws tapped against the train’s linoleum flooring in a rhythm only the dragon understood. It was a nice morning, roughly about 6:00 A.M when the dragon belched a scroll from the recesses of his body. Needless to say, it was a very abrupt way of waking him up. 

The aged purple-scaled body seemed to shiver in dread at whatever the scroll said, “I can’t believe Twilight’s finally completed her life’s work at such a young age and I’m going to miss her ceremony because I overslept!!! Gah, I’m such a buck-up!” The dragon slammed his fist into the wooden and steel wall of the train, punching right through it on accident and startling other ponies who were riding in the same car.

“Whoops! Yeah, that’s completely my fault you guys,” He pulled his embeded claw out of the wall and held both his claws up, indicating that he didn’t want any trouble. The ponies on the car dropped their surprised faces and went back to whatever they were doing, only taking minor glances back at the dragon who was riding with them unbeknownst to him.

The dragon exhaled through his nostrils as he gazed out the moving train’s window, eyeing the approaching town with anxiety in his emerald eyes. He made a quick mental checklist at that moment in order to explain why he was late to his friends and more importantly-he gulped-Twilight.

“Step 1: Feign Ignorance of her Ceremony and claim you stayed up overworking the library because there were too many customers.” He shook his head, trying to eject the surely doomed lie out of his thought process. Ponyville had little to almost no one come in and check out books. Scratch that, Ponyville had one individual who would check books out of the library and it was one of his long-time friends.

A smile emerged from the depths of his consciousness as he thought of that certain pegasus with a cyan-coat. Her prismatic mane whipping in the wind resistance of her flights all around Ponyville, all day and every day. To think, the local ‘cool’ mare stopped in the library to read a child’s book. Daring Doo: Raiders of the Lost Lark , was the last book she checked out and must still have it based upon his memory. 

His moment of reverie, however, was not meant to last as the dreaded sound of screeching metal wheels snapped his thoughts in two. He fumbled from his seated position onto the floor as ponies began gathering their things with their mouths, magic, or hooves. He placed his fore claws onto the ground and pushed himself back onto his knees, taking a moment to rub his injured snout. Some of the linoleum had been torn to shreds due to his claws.




	
“Dang it! Now I’m gonna have a serious case of the Sneezies while she gives her speech!? Today’s just not my day!” He looked around the car for the exit as he stood back on his two feet again. He wondered why he wasn’t like other dragons his age, being able to walk on all fours. He felt different, and as many times as Twilight told him that it was a good thing, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that little niggly feeling in the back of his mind. “What if I’m too different?”  He stood up and walked towards the exit of the train, taking just a split second to eye the amount of destruction he did to the train car.

“Let’s see...That’s fifty bits for the hole in the wall, and another thirty to replace that linoleum I tore up.” He got off the train and pulled eighty small gold coins from a brown pouch with a yellow string he took from a fold of skin on his tail. The dragon then began to walk briskly up to the conductor of the train who had stepped off some point in the past. He was calling for ponies to grab this train from Canterlot to a city called Fillydelphia. Spike had always found the names of some cities to be humorous, especially with so many blatant equine puns located in their names.

“Excuse me...Sir?” The dragon asked nervously even though he was twice the stallion’s size. Two things happened, one was that the stallion didn’t acknowledge the seven foot tall dragon looming over him and proceeded to walk closer to the station and away from the boarding platform. This caused the second of the two things to happen, Spike blew his fuse. A roar that shook the ground, caused unbolted objects that were standing to fall and glass to break all around the station. The conductor stopped in his tracks, completely frozen in a plethora of emotions.

Ponies that were enjoying the normal Canterlot morning froze in fear and looked at the dragon with saucer-eyes. The dragon stomped his way up to the conductor and turned him around with his tail, causing the conductor to look at him face to face. His emerald-colored eyes and spikes flared out in pure untainted anger. “Your train,” The dragon hissed in the conductors face, causing the chestnut-fur between the stallion’s back legs to grow damp.

“W-What about i-it???” The conductor began to back up, but was halted by a long purple appendage with sharp spikes that coiled around his body holding him in place against his will. The dragon opened his mouth really wide and moved his tongue around in a snake-like manner, this was an obvious yawn. The conductor had other thoughts though.

The conductor was still trying to scream and wriggle free even though the dragon had released him a couple of minutes ago, the little brown bag still shoved in his mouth muffled his screams all the while. The dragon was looking at the fit the stallion was having with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. He even began tapping his foot to an unheard beat. Once the stallion regained his senses, he spat out the pouch and opened it. 




	
“That...Is for the damage I have done to one of your cars. It might not be enough, but that is sadly all I have with me and I know it will go towards a greater use with you. Take care,” The dragon waved at the scared manure-less conductor as if nothing happened. He ran off in a mass of bounding purple and green. The conductor merely dropped his jaw at the juvenile act that was just performed by one of Equestria’s most dangerous predators.

“By Faust’s Crimson Locks!!! I thought he was going to devour me!!!” The conductor gulped as he stood back up on his four legs and adjusted his uniform. A chilling breeze washed over his back legs and made him shiver. “It's the middle of summer! It’s not supposed to be this cold out!”  He walked briskly into the ‘warmer’ train as the doors closed behind him.



“Oh it was one day too late when I saw her~,” The dragon walked the cobblestone streets towards his destination quickly. He was already late, which was sure to make Twilight mad. But, if he was late for her panel, then he might as well kiss his scaled-flank good bye. It was odd, but his voice sounded good when he was singing. It helped him relax his nerves and calm him down from his earlier fiasco with the conductor.

The slapping of his bare feet felt good as he ran the remainder of the way to his destination, The Royal Castle. He picked up the pace in desperation as horns announced the arrival of one of the two rulers of Equestria. 

“Horseapples-Horseapples-Horseaplpes-Horseaplpes!!!!” The dragon skidded to halt, burning the heels of his feet as a clod of dirt rocketed from his halted position. Two burly Royal Guards with stoic expressions blocked his way into the castle. They stared at the dragon with cold faces before speaking.

“Halt-”

“Yeah, I kinda did that already doofus!”  Spike snapped in an agitated manner.

“What’s your purpose at the Royal Castle this early in the morning? State your name and where you’re from!” The guard on the left bellowed as they both extended a right and left wing, blocking the entrance to the castle door. A sound like swords being clashed resounded through the air. Even after living in Equestria for twenty years, Spike still didn’t understand how that sound was possible.

“My name is Spike and I’m the assistant to Princess Celestia’s Protege Twilight Sparkle. I’m here for her panel on her life’s work, Future Sight through Harmony! Also, I’m really late so I need to get in now!!!” Spike made to push the guards out of the way, but was held back by two burly hooves in gold shoes.


“Do not try to force your way inside, dragon! We must see if you are telling the truth, so please remain here with my fellow guardsman while I go confirm your claim.” The dark-grey furred guard retracted his fully erected wing and opened the large oak doors with ease as he slid inside. 

“CONFIRM!!!? WHAT’S THERE TO CONFIRM!!!? I’M THE ONLY DRAGON IN BUCKING EQUESTRIAN SOCIETY!!!” Spike coughed vigorously after his little bout of yelling for he strained his throat too much. The guard left with him broke his composure for a split second to wince at the sudden outburst from the adolescent dragon. Feeling no need to sit and wait, Spike acted immediately by wrapping the guards pony in his tail and then setting him aside like a valuable object, before ramming the door open and running inside.

“HALT!!!” The guard screamed through the doorway as he flew inside, now in hot pursuit of Spike. The dragon looked to his left and saw the guard who went to confirm his claim grabbing a cup of coffee from a maid. 

“Geez! What a complete plothole!!!” Spike broke out into a full sprint after the guards pony spat out his coffee in disbelief at the dragon running through the foyer. The maid was not happy about her sudden coffee shower as the guard took off to join his friend in the pursuit of Spike. The dragon had no problem navigating the many twists and turns of the Royal Castle seeing as how he was raised here most of his life. 

Door after door passed him by as the sound of wingbeats caused him to sprint even harder. He could feel his chest heave with fatigue and pain as his muscles strained to keep his six hundred pound frame moving. “These guys just don’t know when to give up! All I need to do is reach the Royal Gardens before they catch me!” 



“...As you all may know, Twilight Sparkle: My Protege, Element of Magic, Savior of Equestria and Endearing Friend to Others has finished her supposed life’s work in only twenty years!” At the proclamation from the Princess, many ponies stomped their hooves in grand appreciation of the lavender unicorn’s achievements as she stood next to her mentor. Twilight had a purple and pink highlight going through her hair and gave off a genius aura. Celestia craned her head down to nuzzle her protege as Twilight nuzzled her back. 

“Without further ado I give you Twilight Sparkle’s Panel, Future Sight Through Harmony!!!” Celestia raised her hoof into the air after her rant was over, earning an even louder response from the crowd than before. Twilight took this opportunity to invite her friends on top of the white platform she was standing on with the Princess of the Sun.



An alabaster colored unicorn mare with deep purple mane and diamond colored eyes took the stage first, followed by a buttery-yellow pegasus with bubblegum pink mane who radiated a shy aura. Following the seemingly timid mare was a cyan-colored mare with a prismatic mane that seemed to boast her skills at flying even though she wasn’t doing anything. Lastly, two Earth Pony mares took the stage. One had a pink coat with a deeper pink mane that hopped up from the ground, completely jumping the thirteen step difference in height with unrealistic ease. An orange mare with a stetson climbed the steps slowly, her green eyes full of nervousness.

“Everypony, please give a stomp of applause to the Elements. Of. Harmony!” Twilight exclaimed as the force of the crowd hit her like a ton of bricks, nearly toppling her friends along with herself off the platform. Celestia called for quiet, and it was so, as Twilight began her speech to open her panel. “It’s with a great smile and even greater happiness that I introduce the other Elements and close friends of mine. Rainbow Dash-,” the mare in statement zoomed around in a circle above Twilight’s head, creating a rainbow colored wheel in the air. When she stopped, her cyan-coat matched her mane for up to five seconds before evaporating, earning cheers from the crowd again.

“Ahem, her head has always been above the clouds. She also happens to represent the Element of Loyalty, because she’s been a friend even when circumstances could drive her to be otherwise.” Twilight beckoned for her friends to form a line next to her as she handed out the necklaces symbolizing their Element. She slid the necklace onto Rainbow Dash, who was hovering in the air, with her magic and motioned for her to flap to the back of them. 

“Pinkie Pie, local baker and Element of Laughter has always been the comedic flare of the group. There were times when it seemed pointless to smile, but she certainly does know how to turn a frown upside down.” The pink mare bounced across the stage and allowed the necklace suspended in Twilight's magic to be put around her neck.

“Ooh! I’m also really good at making cakes!!! Oh, and cupcakes-parties-Pin the Tail on the Pony-bowling-fishing-pranking-bouncing-bobbing for apples-water polo- regular polo-,” Twilight -much to the relief of everyone attending- plugged Pinkie’s mouth with her hoof. The pink mare’s rant still continued even though her mouth was plugged which caused Twilight to turn her head away from the microphone.

“Thank you for sharing Pinkie. Would you please move to the back so I can finish?” The Pink mare stopped talking and bobbed her head up and down really fast, shaking Twilight to the point where she almost fell before bouncing to the back of the platform without Twilight’s hoof in her mouth. “Even after twenty years she still hasn’t learned...” 


“Next, we have the lovely Fluttershy! Expert animal caregiver and Element of Kindness, she has proven that even the most dangerous of foes need to be given a chance.” As if allergic to praise, the shy mare ducked to the ground and shivered behind her mane with a squeal. Twilight smiled bashfully in repentance for letting her friend’s naturally shy behaviour slip her mind. With small and quiet steps, she approached the shivering mare and coaxed her out of her hiding spot.         
  
“Um...Thank you everypony.” Twilight gave a look that told Fluttershy her tone of voice wasn’t really acceptable. Fluttershy tried making herself smaller behind her mane again but Twilight nudged her from the front with a reassuring hoof. With a smile that seemed so confident that it could kill, Twilight helped the timid mare onto her hooves and instructed her to wave. Fluttershy did so very, very slowly. The crowd simply nodded their heads instead, making the mare more comfortable all the while. After the necklace was slipped over Fluttershy’s head, she stepped back to join her friends and let Twilight continue her panel.

“We now have the Queen of Fashion herself, the lovely Rarity! Representing the Element of Generosity, she gives half of all proceeds to charity!” There was a section in the crowd marked with a red banner representing all the charities the alabaster-unicorn donated to as she stepped forward. They were the loudest ones in the next cheer and Rarity tried her hardest to keep the tears down. 

“Thank you all~! I’m very honored to help all those ponies less fortunate than I, and I will continue my plans to open up that orphanage this coming Summer Sun Celebration!!!” Twilight and the rest of the Elements had to plug their ears with their hooves to block out the roar of applause. Quickly sliding the necklace around Rarity’s neck, Twilight ushered her to the back before returning with the same vigor.

“Lastly, but certainly not least, we have the ever-reliable Applejack! Symbolizing the Element of Honesty, she has never withheld the truth from us without a reason! She is one of the proud owners of Ponyville’s Sweet Apple Acres, where a whopping thirty percent of all apples in Equestria are grown!!!” The farm mare in the stetson walked forward and nuzzled Twilight, earning small sounds from the audience.

After the nuzzling stopped and Applejack nodded to all of her friends, she stepped forward to the microphone with less nervousness than when she arrived. “Mah friends have always been there for me, and ah can’t thank them enough. One of us has to be the sturdy rock ta’ cry on, but it ain’t always like that. Even a rock needs some comfort at times.” Applejack smiled as the crowd erupted into cheers again and her necklace was donned on her by Twilight’s magic.

“Now, without further ado, we will begin the spell!” Twilight donned her own piece of the set, a gold tiara with a purple star at the top. The Elements joined each other on center stage and closed their eyes, trying to feel the bond they shared with one another.
A pair of midnight-blue wings ripped through the air silently as Princess Luna flew down from her tower to her sister in their specially reserved seats at the front of the crowd. They nuzzled before Luna spoke. “Dear sister, are we tardy for the spell that thy protege was supposed to manifest?” Luna sat next to her sister whose only response was turning her head and then shaking it back and forth. Luna smiled as she watched the Elements gather their magic of friendship in a rainbow of bright colors. A whirring sound, like a tornado, whipped about the Royal Gardens as ponies tried to keep their many accessories from flying about.

Once the sound escalated to painful levels, a rainbow beam shot forth from the bunched together Elements and rocketed into the sky. The beam dissipated some clouds before it looped and came back down just to the left of the Elements. The energy of friendship swirled into a rainbow colored vortex that did not have gravitational pull. The Elements opened their eyes and shook themselves, for that spell was very taxing. 

A stomp of applause and cheering was heard as the Elements smiled at each other, wrapping themselves in a group hug. Rainbow Dash spoke first. “Hey; even after twenty years, we still got it!” This earned a disapproving glance from Rarity.

“Please darling, it’s not like we're old mares! If anything, our friendship has grown stronger since these years past!” Rarity smiled at her friend who proceeded to noogie her head. Rainbow Dash laughed as Rarity ground her teeth together in irritation.

”Woah there, Rares! Don’t want you chipping a tooth or something.” The rest of the Elements stifled a snicker from the fashionista’s and athlete’s exchange of words. Twilight broke the hug and stepped forward to explain her theory.

“This whole spell started making it’s way to fruition after the two times we used it against some of the greatest evils Equestria has faced. Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony was one of them. Then, there was the powerful Nightmare Moon,” The ponies in the crowd gave murmurs of understanding during Twilight’s pause. One of the crowd members, a certain midnight-blue alicorn, lowered her head in what appeared to be shame.

Luna knew all too well about Nightmare Moon, for the Mare in the Moon and herself were one in the same. Nightmare Moon was the living embodiment of her jealousy towards her sister and her sun. That very emotion consumed her and morphed her body into one of a grown mare that wanted nothing more than to shower the world in Eternal Night. A loving nuzzle from her sister reassured her that everything was alright, and that she was forgiven. Forgiven: that was the word she thought would never come to hear after her actions.





“After the Magic of Friendship purified these two, we yielded different results. One was a dome-shaped blast of magic that turned Discord to stone and made all his chaos magic disappear from Ponyville. Another was a arcing rainbow that swirled around the body of Nightmare Moon, eliminating her negative emotions and returning a filly Princess Luna. Now my question was: ‘Why are the two beams different?’ Well, that question was sort of answered when I formed my hypothesis.” Twilight magicked a green chalkboard with wheels onto the stage from the ground and levitated a piece of chalk in the same aura.

She wrote a couple words on the board that shocked nearly everyone. The words read, “Is it the Will of Equestria itself?” Celestia quirked her head to the left and tried reading that again. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes after the words didn’t change. The crowd elicited a confused response as well.

“Why would Equestria have a will?” Luna didn’t even realize she said that as her sister regarded her with a quizzical expression. Catching the hint that her sister didn’t know, the siblings doubled their attention back to the lavender unicorn on the platform.

“I know that you guys must think I’m crazy in the coco, but hear me out on this. Equestria was formed by the magic of alicorns in the distant past if my teachings from Celestia are true-,” Twilight looked at Celestia and everyone’s gaze followed. This put Celestia at the center of attention in a crowd of almost five hundred thousand ponies.

“Thanks a bunch Twilight.” Celestia gave a faux smile and responded with a curt nod, sending the attention back to Twilight. This earned a happy smile from the unicorn and she continued on with her lecture.

“Then Equestria should have a will of it’s own. Yes, my fellow ponies, this means that the soil you are standing on is alive!” The sound of dropped jaws exploded throughout the congregation as all the eyes looked at the ground for signs of life. Twilight whistled to grab everypony’s attention, then smiled sheepishly for the immediate response came as a surprise to the well-learned mare. She gave the crowd a moment to recollect themselves before Luna spoke out.

“Be this a jest, Twilight Sparkle? If not, then please infer on thine reasoning behind such a statement.” Luna watched Twilight with curious eyes as the unicorn smiled heartily.

“No offense intended Princess Luna, but my reasoning for this is quite simple. The reason Equestria is a living and breathing organism is because of magic. That’s right, the magic we use is alive and everywhere. Even inside all of us. So I tested this hypothesis by using my magic directly on a dead tree just in front of the Everfree Forest. The tree is currently housing over five families of squirrels as I speak to you all.” Everyone was confused at the mare’s reasoning, even Celestia who was the wisest of them all.



“Would you mind explaining the will of Equestria to us all, Twilight? I can’t fathom how a tree near the Everfree Forest being rebirthed could fall into the will of our-,” Celestia’s mouth stayed open as she cut off her own sentence. The answer was in front of her the entire time, but she was so busy trying to make sense of it that the answer eluded her. But now, she had found it. “It’s because the Will of Equestria is Life.” Twilight nodded happily at her teacher’s realization.

“Indeed it is Princess! Equestria want’s nothing more than to create life from its own life, meaning that our magic is the the offspring of the ancient alicorn’s will. The Will of Equestria was the will of the Ancient Alicorns.” The crowd gave a mixed response to that, but the Elements walked forward and joined Twilight on center-stage. They already heard this from the unicorn, and the twist at the end was going to leave a lot of open faces.

“In short, Equestria is a living, breathing land that wants nothing more than to prolong our lives. It goes without saying, but the Elements of Harmony symbolize the greatest strand of Equestria’s Will. In saying this, all of us earn our special talents according to what will give us a great life! Isn’t that cool? Equestria has safeguarded pony kind for one thousand years, and we never even knew. The fact that Luna and Celestia raise the sun and moon were talents bestowed upon them by the Will of Equestria, which is the same for all of us. Now, the Will of Equestria has an embodiment!”

At that word, a white leg stepped out from the still swirling vortex next to the elements until a transparent body of an alicorn mare regarded all the ponies in attendance. The mare had crystal-blue eyes and red bangs that rested just above her eyes. She looked around the congregation of assembled ponies and laid her eyes on the Royal Sisters for a long time. “Have they forgotten about me? I’m not too worried though, they’ll remember me in a little bit.”  The ghastly alicorn stepped forward and flexed her wings, causing the ground to shake.

Ponies became scared at the sudden earthquake and looked to the platform, giving the unknown alicorn their full attention. “Greetings, my little ponies. For years I have been working behind the scenes, protecting and ushering all of pony kind into an era of peace. These six mares; the Elements of Harmony, have harnessed enough energy to summon me from my plane. My name, is Light.” The alicorn bowed her head as Celestia and Luna quirked eyebrows up.

“Celestia, hast thou heard of Ms.Light before? She resembles somepony quite familiar, but thou know how we are with faces.” Luna nudged her sister when she didn't respond immediately. The next thing that happened elicited gasps from everyone in attendance. The Garden doors burst open with a medium-sized dragon sprinting for his life, followed by a plethora of guards chasing him down.


“Oh Horseapples, I’m already late!” Spike rammed through two evergreens that were blocking his path, shattering them on contact. He spotted the platform in the distance and pushed himself past his fatiguing body. Twilight turned around in a heartbeat once she heard the trees break and took a step forward in confusion when she saw Spike being chased. “Twilight! I’m sorry I was late, but can you tell these guys that I’m with you!”

Twilight felt a presence on her shoulder and turned her head in order to see a transparent hoof there. Light was touching her for some unknown reason, but the feeling was so forceful that it felt like she was being-

WHOOSH~

Twilight was pushed out of the way as Spike jumped onto the stage in a rush to get away from his burly pursuers. The fact that he phased right through the alicorn caused him to look back and see if what he just did actually happened. “WOAH!!” Turns out, you really do fall while you run if you’re not looking at where you’re running to. Spike slipped on his right foot and went face first into the portal. The guards stopped pursuing and put on worried expressions as they stared intently at their mistake. 

“SPIKE!!!” Twilight yelled with an outstretched hoof towards the portal. The other Elements joined Twilight in her worrying and Fluttershy began to cry. Light turned her transparent body around and eyed the portal with a curious expression. The Royal Sisters eyed the mysterious alicorn as if she were going to reveal her true self and turn out to be a villain.

“Everything is alright, my little ponies. The young dragon simply fell into the Portal of Future Sight. Think of it as a projector. We will get to see Twilight’s experiment with no hassle in selecting a volunteer. Still thy worry and watch the portal become a scrying glass before your very eyes.” Almost as if on cue, the portal began to paint itself the colors of green and purple, before going completely colorless. Then, in a bright flashing light, Canterlot was shown. 

It was a beautiful noonday with nary a cloud in the sky. Ponies were milling about the streets in regular commerce, enjoying the beautiful noonday temperature. This brought a smile to everyone’s faces, save the still worrying Elements and Light. Something didn’t feel right to the transparent alicorn, and her concerns were finalized as the sky in the portal began to darken.




	
Two dragon-like creatures that stood on two legs loomed over Canterlot, giving off magical auras. One was a sinister yellow that seemed like it could kill somepony with a single touch. The other was a disgusting green that seemed to rot the mountain they stood upon. They were both silhouetted in darkness with nothing but the colors of their eyes glowing. The greying clouds began to swirl into a vortex of flashing green lightning that struck the Royal Castle, setting it ablaze in green flames as the dragon-like creature with green eyes flew to the highest tower in the castle from the mountain. 

Then, from the very depths of its diaphragm, a guttural roar of triumph ushered forth from its mouth. It shook the land and caused certain buildings in Canterlot to crumble and collapse almost instantly. Another lightning flash caused the entire audience to ring out in pure shock, for it revealed the face of everyone’s favorite residential dragon...Spike. His eyes were glazed over and emanated a feeling of loss and despair. His obsidian armor gleamed devilishly in the now pouring rain. His snout was no longer snubbed, but elongated with razor sharp teeth overhanging every few inches closer to the end. Then, the portal blanked out as Spike roared green fire towards the audience, sending the current Spike onto the stage with a loud flop.

ALL eyes were on the dragon as he shook himself from his dazed state. He looked up and instantly thought something was wrong based on the looks of fear he was getting from everypony in attendance. He tried moving his arms, but they felt weighted down. Spike then settled on the idea to use his tail as a type of spring to propulse himself onto his two legs, which worked amazingly. He looked about the audience with fear in his own eyes, and the audience looked back at him the same way. One question entered his mind and he felt compelled to ask it.

“Lovely weather we’re having today?” He ventured with worry in his voice as he asked his question. The crowd’s face did not change, in fact, it seemed to get worse as ponies started to back up from the podium in sheer terror. Spike was getting rather annoyed at the way he was being treated, for he stayed in the company of Equestrian Ponies all his life and now they wanted to show fear? Granted, he was much smaller back then but it makes no difference! “Hey, I might have grown up a little but that doesn’t mean I’m not Spike! It’s only been twenty years, and doesn’t that mean you should recognize me as a friend and not an enemy!!!” He stomped his foot on the platform in severe anger. 

Many ponies, at that show of anger, bolted to the castle in fright and left the panel immediately. In fact, all the ponies ran for the exit save the Elements and the Royal Sisters. The vortex was still spinning behind Spike as he watched his surrogate race run in fear. It hurt, knowing that the ponies he grew up with now possibly shunned him for something he didn’t do. That’s when he turned his anger on the alicorn and the vortex behind him. “You did this!!!” He roared in Light’s face, his spit phasing threw her body. She shook her head, presumably in pity, and replied in some words that Spike didn’t expect.

“I pity you, Spike.” Light had gone through the portal and closed it, leaving Spike to his thoughts at her words. The Elements approached him cautiously, which he noticed threw the corner of his eyes. That, was the last straw. “Not you guys too,” He breathed with sorrow in his eyes as he turned to face his supposed best friends. “What did they see!!? Why is no one telling me what the buck they saw!!??”  “I don’t think I could take it if you guys felt the same as the others!” He pleaded with his friends.


Rainbow Dash fluttered close to Spike’s face and grabbed it with both of her hooves, turning it roughly so they were staring each other down. “Spike, do you remember seeing anything while you were in that swirling-thingy?” Rainbow looked completely serious as Spike eyed her down. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the tears that were clawing their way to the surface of his eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Nopony is trying to tell me what was so bad; what could make them suddenly fear me,” He swung his claw more roughly than he meant to. It hit Rainbow on the hooves and caused her to faceplant onto the platform, shattering the wood where she made contact. The Elements jumped back in fright at the monstrous strength the dragon just exhibited as they eyed the unconscious form of Rainbow Dash’s body. “NO! Rainbow, I’m so sorry!” He picked up the unconscious body, holding it close to his chest as the tears he fought so desperately down came forth in an explosion. 

“Spike the Dragon, you must come with me. We have matters to...discuss.” That voice was laced with seriousness and a hint of malice. Spike was scared that one of his friends got that gruff. “Maybe it was Fluttershy!”  He thought in fear as he picked his head up and looked at the bunched together Elements, noticing Fluttershy cowering behind Applejack. If it wasn’t the pony who got tough when one of her friends was in danger, than who could it have been?

“Turn around, Spike.” The gruff voice rocked him to the core as he did what he was told. He noticed a tri-colored mane billowing in an unseen wind ascend the steps before the regal figure of Celestia appeared before him. She loomed over his sitting down position with a turned up head, so that the eye hidden behind her bangs peered at him as well. Something about that second eye really made his blood cold. “That portal has revealed some rather, bothersome, facts about your future. I think it’s best if you followed me, ALL, of you.”

“Today just isn’t my day....”  Spike smacked a claw against his face as he followed a good distance behind the ponies back to the Royal Castle.   

 

     

> Punishment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Spike kept to himself as the group of ponies neared the foreboding destination at the top of one of the castle’s towers. He knew all too well what lies at the top of this tower, and how much trouble he would be in when the room was reached. Every part of his body seemed to argue with him as the group went further up the stairs and through corridors as redundant as the ones before. Then, the train of motion stopped. Celestia’s long horn glowed a yellow hue before the same color enveloped the large brown doors in front of them. They swung open without any effort from the princess and everypony stepped inside.

        Everypony, that is. Spike remained outside and watched the group enter as if it was the norm to do so. Spike hasn’t seen this room since he was a baby, and now that twenty years have past...he still feels a little awkward. One word ushered forth from the bowels of his consciousness: Trouble. Yes, that was the word exactly. Even though he was almost twice the size of a normal pony, Celestia still had a way of making him feel inferior in every aspect. He was in trouble; and like almost everypony else, he was scared of the punishment he would be receiving.

His body resented his decision of walking through the ajared doors leading into Celestia’s chambers. But, he disobeyed his body and stoned his heart for the fiery lecture he would be receiving. Upon entering the room, the door was shut with the same aura that opened it. The room was the same as he remembered it to be. An oval-shaped fireplace was alive with the flames of the sun burning brightly, illuminating the room in a orange hue. It was the only source of light for the curtains had been drawn. In the middle of the room was a flatbed with four cylindrically-shaped pillows and gold trim. The whole set was purple and gold, which matched the theme of the room.

Celestia had found her way to her flatbed and laid upon it, eyeing her guests- save her sister - before she centered her attention on the dragon now entering the room. At his entering, a voice rang in her head that drew her attention away from the nervous dragon.

“It seems you enjoy watching your subjects suffer...or am I mistaken?”The voice made Celestia grimace minutely, for it has been a while since she conversed with her second-half. “It seems I have you at a loss of words? Excellent. My input on this situation? Banish this foolish wyrm to the nether-reaches of Equestria Proper. That way, he can no longer endanger the ‘peace’, you’re trying so hard to protect. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time you banished someone dear to you.” Celestia’s face completely fell from a stoic expression to one of complete anger. 

“You may have made some of my decisions in the past, but you will no longer be making any. If it must be with a heavy heart that Spike is banished, than so be it. But I will be the one to decide if that sentence is carried out, not you Solaris!” After she finished reprimanding her more unforgiving side, she fixed her face back to it’s stoic expression and faced Spike once more. The dragon kept his composure and simply stared into the soul-scanning eyes of the solar princess. 
The Elements and Luna watched with worried expressions before Twilight whispered something in Luna’s direction. “What’s going on Princess? I know what we saw in the portal plays a large role here, but why does Celestia look so angry with Spike?” Luna didn’t move her head to acknowledge the lavender unicorn’s inquiry, but she simply moved her mouth.

“That look that our dearest sister is giving thine assistant is without a doubt, the same look she gave us when we were banished a thousand years ago. Harden thy hearts Elements, for we feel a time of judgement fast approaching.” Luna shivered when her answer was done. Needless to say, the Elements were completely shook. How would they cope without one of their best friends? With worried expressions and focused eyes, the Elements watched the conversation with Celestia and Spike unfold.

“I don’t understand why I’m in trouble.” It was a rude way to open a case, especially by the way he said it. Quite frankly, however, Spike was fed up with this whole ‘scary dragon’ business. It put him in a sour mood and not in the mindset to talk about his problems. Celestia was taken aback by the rudeness in Spike’s voice, like he was questioning her intelligence for calling everypony here. She was not, going to take that type of answer in stride.

“You will mind that tongue of yours, Spike. I do not like being attacked either verbally or physically; especially if I haven’t said anything to upset you that I’m aware of.” Celestia narrowed her eyes at Spike, which caused a tiny bead of sweat that was relaxing on his brow to fall. He did not lose his composure in the slightest, however, and Celestia knew this talk was far from over. “It has come to my attention, Spike, that a future is approaching Canterlot that I cannot allow to happen. Please, if you know anything about what went on during your time in the portal, tell me now.” Celestia rose from the ground and was now locked in eye-to-eye combat with the equally tall dragon.

“That’s just it Princess, I don’t even know what happened! From the moment I went into the portal, I completely blanked out! When I leave, I’m greeted with looks of fear and a revelation from you saying that I’m responsible for whatever terrible thing happened in that portal!” Spike was fuming now. How dare the Princess claim that he was hiding something from her!?

“You need to calm down Spike. Notice how I’m not even yelling at you.” Celestia could see the anger spread across the dragon’s face. She knew all too well that telling him to calm down wasn’t going to achieve anything, but it would be worth a shot. “I still cannot fathom what type of event could happen, that would cause you to destroy Canterlot,” Celestia shook her head back and forth as she walked to her balcony and used her magic to open the glass doors. “I’m sorry Spike, but I do not know if that future will come to pass today, or in a thousand years. This uncertainty leads me to only one conclusion,” Celestia flared her wings as she inhaled a painful breath for what she was about to say.



“Oh this ought to be good. Tell me, what’s this conclusion you’ve settled on as my punishment? Can I not eat gems for three months, or go out into Ponyville for a year?” Spike asked sarcastically while staring at Celestia intently, waiting for the Mare of the Sun to give her sentence. It was quiet for almost ten seconds before Celestia turned around and raised her head.

“Spike the Dragon, assistant to my Protege and loyal friend of the Elements! I hereby sentence you to exile of Equestria Proper!” Spike’s whole world slowed to a crawl at these words, these words that haunted him during his nightmares were now just said without a sign of remorse. From one of his own friends, no less! Twilight’s heart sank as she started shaking her head back in forth.

“Princess! That’s not fair at all! Who knows when Spike would flip like that!? You might not even be around to see it!” Twilight hopped in front of Spike and tried reasoning with her teacher, whose response was to shake her head. Twilight’s mouth opened as Celestia’s eye bore into her soul.

“That is precisely why these actions must be taken now, Twilight Sparkle. I know you hatched him from an egg with your own magic; that you’ve all spent your entire lives with him,” Celestia raised a hoof and swayed it around the room, telling everypony in the room that she was regarding them in her explanation. “But you saw what I saw, and if he truly is this dangerous to us all, then I’m afraid he cannot, and will not stay here!” Spike was still shocked enough from his sentence that he hadn’t even blinked.

“So this is the thanks I get? I’m banished for being a creature that was just too different from everypony? Everything was fine when Spikey-Wikey was around, but now I’m some type of horrible monster that is doomed to destroy Equestria itself!!? They would believe a portal over me, thier own friend for twenty years!!?” Spike shook himself from his mental breakdown and backed up towards the door. Luna hopped behind him and let him run into her on purpose. He turned to face the Princess of the Night with a sorrowful expression.

“I’m nothing but a danger to you all!” Spike exclaimed as he ran away from the Lunar Princess, securing a place in the middle of the large room all to himself. All eyes were locked on him, but not a word was spoken as he stared everyone in attendance down. “I was fooling myself all along! I’ve never had friends,” Images of great pastimes with his ex-friends flashed into his mind as he continued his rant.

Woah...Dude that’s creepy!

The rainbow wig just kills it for me!

Hahahaha...We got Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Appletiny, Flutterguy and!...Ehh, I got nothing.
        “All I’ve had were dreams! Dreams that maybe one day, everyone would see me as Spike. It was working too! But all it takes...,” He shut his eyes after looking at a heartbroken Twilight’s face. Why couldn’t he be angry at her? He opened his eyes again and looked in the direction of the Solar Princess. Luna noticed his abrupt look and started to point her horn at Spike. Celestia did the same as her sister.

“I would think twice before doing what you’re thinking about, Spike. We,” Celestia inclined her head from it’s bent position towards Luna, “have taken down more threats to Equestria than you can count on both claws. I will not hesitate to add another one on.”

Spike glared at everypony in the room before his eyes locked with Celestia’s. He snarled once, making Celestia bring yellow magic to her horn while her sister’s horn collected blue energy. He was surrounded, and he knew that any sudden movement could now be hazardous to his health. Therefore, he did the next best thing. He hoped to the Maker that this was going to work. Ponies said that he had a very convincing face, and he was about to put this to the test. 

With a sharp incline of his head in order to face the ceiling, he smiled devilishly at his newfound target. His plan worked, much to his surprise. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see all the ponies face the ceiling in order to expect some sort of trick. Taking this moment of lost concentration, Spike immediately broke out into a sprint towards Celestia, which earned him a surprised gasp from the Elements.

“Spike, what are you doing?!!” Twilight brought her gaze down from the ceiling and turned her head in order to track the now mobile dragon. She tried casting a telekinesis spell on him, hoping to stall his progress, but nothing happened. “I forgot that dragon’s become more magic resistant as they grow older!” That thought filled her heart with twice as much dread. Spike made no effort to stop his fast progress towards the Princess in what looked like an assault.

“You’ve left me no choice!” Celestia shot a ray of magic from her horn as it made a mystical noise. Luna did the same form her end, shooting a beam of blue magic from her horn. Spike kicked both his back legs forward and scrunched his tail up into a spring shape. He was aligned horizontally with the ground now, and he sprung off his tail when he bounced from the ground. This action sent him over the oncoming yellow beam and over Celestia’s body. He landed on his feet on the balcony just behind Celestia and jumped off.

The Elements didn’t have enough time to voice their opinions as the beams collided with each other, sending the ponies away from the center of the room. The only one’s that were capable of withstanding the blast were the Princesses, who proceeded to run out to the balcony in order to finish what they started. Spike, however, was nowhere to be found. Rarity was the first to recover from the magical implosion and proceeded to shake the stars from her head.

“That was rather...bracing. I hope Spikey-Wikey is okay! Has anypony seen him?” She began looking around the now ruined room as the Elements came to their senses.

Rainbow Dash shook some soot from her mane and wings, having been unlucky enough to wake up into the fireplace. “The last time I saw him was when he clocked me on the head!” Rainbow Dash began taking in the sight of the once beautiful room with an agape mouth.

“Oh my...You don’t think he was-!” Fluttershy stated in a quiet voice. She was interrupted by Pinkie Pie.

“Of course not silly!” Pinkie Pie bounded over to Fluttershy in one big hop from where she landed, a painting around her neck the entire time. “Spikey hopped over the blast, remember?! There’s no way he could have went all ‘kasplody!”

“Pinkie Pie is right girls, the blast did not halt him in his attempt to flee. Having said that, I must charge the Elements with one more task. I need you girls, with my sister included, to hunt down Spike and bring him back at any cost. I fear for this land and it’s inhabitants my little ponies, that if he’s not brought back, then Equestria is doomed.” Celestia turned her head to look at the Elements as they lined up in a horizontal line.

“You already have the Elements of Harmony around your necks, so there's not much else I can give you besides some words of caution. Be warned,” Celestia’s voice became colder than a winter’s blizzard at these words, “outside of Equestria lies terrors that make even I quiver with fear. Judge each situation carefully and without fail, for it may cost you your lives if you don’t. I love you all, and be safe.” Celestia nuzzled everypony in the room, before asking to be left alone in her chambers. They all complied willingly, although one pony had their questions about this whole situation.

“Why wasn’t our sister more patient with the drake? He was just like us when jealousy controlled my body and spirit. We earnestly thought she learned from her mistakes.”  Luna thought as the ponies assembled right outside Celestia’s door. 

Being the last one out, Twilight shut it with her magic and looked longingly at Princess Luna. “Still thy heart, Twilight Sparkle. I will make sure that this misunderstanding is cleared up and Spike is found. True,” Luna saw that Rarity was going to interject and raised a hoof demanding silence, “I was going to fire a magical beam at him.” 

“See!? She’s going to hurt Spike!” Rarity said as she pointed a hoof at the Lunar Princess who scowled in return.





	
“And you, need to still thy tongue! I fired that blast as a warning to a fellow friend! Spike’s heart is just like ours from when we were bound to a Spirit most foul. Our actions as a whole have shown Spike nothing but heartache! We-as in all of us- must be the ones to fix said actions at godspeed, less our sister’s words have a chance to be right.” Luna concluded her rebuke and statement with a lowered head; thinking about that event still haunts her to this day. To think that twenty years ago; she was going to smother the land in Eternal Night. Nothing would grow, and ponies would become pale and frail! She was ready to commit mass genocide for her own jealousy!  

“It’s okay Princess!” Twilight interjected immediately, not wanting to see the Mother of Dreams in such a manner of despair. “You need to stop bringing that up! How can you help the ponies who are sleeping with their nightmares when you can’t even conquer your own!? Now look...,” Twilight’s voice was gruff and commanding, which made everypony stop what they were doing and look at her with wide eyes. “We all need to chill out and think about where spike could have gone. Were in the tallest tower of the castle, so him just jumping of the tower is not physically possible.” The more Twilight explained, the more the ponies began to understand.

“In other words, he’s still in the vicinity of the castle?” Rarity ventured in an unsure voice. Twilight nodded sagely. Luna eyes sparkled with a cunning plan.

“Having heard that, wouldst thou need me in rousing our guards? If thy words hold true, then the drake is somewhere on the outside of the tower!” Luna sprinted away from the group in order to do just that. Much to Twilight’s chagrin, she teleported out of the corridor on her third step. 

“I was going to suggest trapping and talking to him! Great, now it’s a race to see who gets him first!”  Twilight’s face skewed into the very definition of bemusement. She turned her attention from where the Lunar Princess had teleported back to her friends. “Alright girls, it’s going to be a race! Luna just went to inform the guards about Spike’s location! We have to get there first,” Twilight broke out into a sprint in the same direction Luna had went. she didn’t get far before a cyan-pegasus was flying side by side with her.

“I’ll go find Spike before the guards do and hold them up!” Rainbow Dash seemingly broke the sound barrier as she made a quick turn through a stain-glass window.  This didn’t deter the group in the slightest as they ran the labyrinth known as the Royal Castle, Tartarus-bent on finding Spike first!        

> Realization
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The darkness, how it calms you. It wasn’t that long ago...the start of your thousand-year slumber. Needless to say, your body hurts from trying to arouse itself from its comatose state. You blink...at least you think you do. It’s dark...wherever you are, yet a feeling of belonging rings through your mind. A cool breeze of air tickles the balms of your feet.

        “Well, at least my nerves aren’t shot. That’s a huge problem with larger dragons.” A smile creeps onto your features as you begin feeling at your surroundings with your claws. You press a scaled-hand onto what feels like...stone. Yep. You ended up in a cave with no way in remembering how to get out. You sigh dejectedly, hoping at least to find some source of illumination as you stand shakily to your feet. The floor is cold; which makes you wonder how sleep came so easily given your more...high-class, taste. You take a step forward in the darkness and smile. Muscle memory never ceases to amaze you.

You suddenly stop in your tracks as a feeling of absolute pain rockets through what you assume is your left leg. A dog-like yelp escapes your mouth, much to your pride’s chagrin, as you bend to massage the throbbing calf muscle.

“I get a damn charlie-horse!!? How in the hell do you get a charlie horse after waking up!!?” You stay bent over and massaging your throbbing and quite big calf muscle. After a couple more minutes of mind-boggling PAIN, you finally stand fully erect. Fate is a cruel mistress who obviously enjoys seeing you suffer, for you immediately collide with the ceiling of the tunnel. You curse again, rubbing your head where it was bumped. Hoping to leave before anymore injury can be done, you begin walking in a random direction.

As you walk, the sound of dripping water echoes around you. The monotonous dripping sounds begin to irritate you slowly but surely, adding on to your aggravation. But, whether you like it or not, the sounds are all natural so there’s no stopping them. You grunt in irritation as a drop of water plunks down on the crown of your head. The rocks and pebbles that are crushed under your heel somehow add to your growing agitation. Then, as if an apology was sent by fate itself, you feel the touch of soil underneath your feet. A smile-rare in your case-breaks loose upon your features as you quicken your pace.

“You...are...fucking...kidding me!” You curse out loud to fate. In front of you is a virtually endless expanse of trees and vines as far as the eye can see. That, unfortunately for you, means that there will be no flying. It’s been a thousand years, yet nature is finding new ways to piss you off. “Simply glorious...” You drawl out in a sarcastic tone. You look up, noticing the many trees and vines that will prohibit you from flight and above all else, knowing your location.

You contemplate on just burning everything above you down with your fire. That idea, however, goes away as quickly as it came. “I almost forgot,” you shake your head in disbelief at your ignorance. “Draconians, much like Dragons, could fall into cardiac arrest from strenuous use of the fire glands after the Millennial Slumber.”

While nature was quickly becoming one of your vices, your own voice seemed to give you a sense of peace and calm. A beam of sunlight struck one of your eyes, causing you to shake your head and close your eyes rapidly. Aggravated once again, you tear your head down from the sight of the canopy.

“What was that?” You heard some sort of jingle sound when you shook your head from side to side. Curious as to what that could have been, you shake your head thrice more. The sound played against your consciousness. It wasn’t annoying, but it’s definitely not amusing either. Out of the corner of your eye, a bright glimmer of sunlight shimmered briefly. Needless to say, you’re pretty interested on what that could have been. You turn your body quickly, the blades of grass that you venture onto tickling the soles of your scaled feet while you do.

Your brain stops.

“How is there a wall of obsidian in a forest clearing!?” The very sight must be some sort of trickery! Obsidian is the most valuable possession a Draconian could own! The black and hard stone material could be eaten and you feel hunger in two years! Come to think of it, you’re pretty famished from your Millennial Slumber. Someone must really be a great subject, because this is quite possible the greatest gift ever. You quickly run over to the rectangle-shaped wall of midnight-purple colored ore. You open your mouth, ready to taste the sweet and divine pleasure of your favorite type of ore before something in the ore catches your attention.

“Is...I-is that...me? I’m...beautiful!” It was your reflection in the ore. You’re dressed in a black tunic with a gold sash tying it around the midsection. Along the trims of said tunic are broad lines of what appear to be gold sinew. It dusty from the tunnel you were sleeping in but beautiful nonetheless. You measure yourself through the obsidian, coming to the conclusion that you’re at least eight feet tall. That’s normal for a draconian male such as yourself.

Your eye color is nothing shorter than breathtaking. A beautiful light and dark gold color followed with a black pupil. There were no, “whites in your eyes”, for in the socket was a black and abysmal pit. It’s true, you were scaled, but what interested you more was the shape of your ears and the feathers. There was nary a mane on the crown of your head, like there would be for most draconians. But, there were intricate and strong feathers that curled into tribal like shapes, adding even more to your aged appearance. Then, your eyes rested on the feathers on top of your scales.

You felt your slightly exposed and well-toned chest with a single claw. You traced the outline of your pronounced pectoral muscles, nodding as you began to feel yourself once more. As strange as that may sound, it wasn’t meant in that way. In the spur of touching yourself, you had your head angled down and thus were looking at where your claw was touching. When you brought your head back up and stared into the obsidian mirror, your eyes widened with realization.

On your forehead; just above your eyebrows, was a headdress like the ones royalty wore. A tribal-like headdress adorned with five golden horns of varying size. The largest horn rested in the center of the headdress, with a gold pendant hanging from a gold chain in the middle of the horn. Black feathers with gold trim graced the back of the headdress, and were brought out even more by your grey scales and feathers. Your ears are droopy and feather covered, hanging to the side of your head.

“Of course, the ears are always different.”  Your thought was laced with discouragement. There was always that one detail that seemed to ruin your mood. Now that you think about it, you’ve always been a moody individual. You noticed a red glimmer coming from your chest earlier. When you looked down and saw a gold neckband fastened around the base of your neck, you nearly flipped. Now if that red orb was attached to a beaded gold necklace right below it...

You fangirl scream...hard.

“I’M ROYALTY,” You shout into the heavens, “THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST WAY TO WAKE UP!!!” Your parade of happiness was put on mental hiatus, however, when a thought from the bowels of your conscious surfaced. “If I don’t have the Ceremonial Earring of  Wanotreyxi, then wearing the rest of my regalia is meaningless!!!”  Your claw immediately reaches the back of your oddly shaped ear, feeling for the trinkets of princehood you desperately desire to be resting there. You feel yourself smile devilishly as the trinkets are felt up by your claw. A sigh of happiness and relief leaves your mouth.

You’re a Prince, which means there’s a country you should be ruling right about now. But, as if on cue about discovering who you are, a flood of memories comes crashing into your head. It hurts...badly!!! You begin screaming in absolute agony as you drop to a kneeling position with both hands on your head. Your face is scrunched up in concentration, trying to remove the hurtful memories being played out in your head.

There’s a little boy of which you’re sure is you, crying alone in the foyer of a grand castle. His tears burning his face as they fizzled out on the cobblestone floor. Draconian’s are taught to never cry or mourn, for their tears run hotter than a witch’s brew. Muffled shouts are coming from in front of him, but cannot see who it is. One thing’s for sure, whoever was yelling sounded very angry. A high pitched scream caused your body to tense up as you continued to watch with horror. A female draconian that looked just like you fell to the ground in a limp mess of feathers and blood, her green eyes glazed over. The child version of you screams even louder, causing the earlier voice that was yelling to raise it’s own to even more deafening levels.

 


	
“YOU SUCK THOSE FUCKING TEARS UP RIGHT NOW DAMEION, OR YOU’LL GET WHAT YOUR WHORE OF A MOTHER GOT AS WELL!!!”  That voice sent a feeling of which you haven’t felt until now. It was worse than agitation or anger, way worse. It was cold but blazing hot as well, clear but confusing...It was hate. Yes, you haven’t felt that emotion in a long time. But something tells you it’s name with so much clarity through the turmoil you’re in right now. You praise the heavens as that horrid flashback ends quickly, leaving you beside yourself. If this is how your memories are going to return, then please let them stay lost. You rise from the ground with something new to think about. Your name.

“Dameion...” You say your name softly, as if you're very speech was a gentle breeze on summer’s day. Your voice was commanding but understanding, as if you have been alive since this world had been made. But you weren’t, nothing was. Your stomach growled in agitation, rumbling through your midsection like a cadence of well-trained soldiers. Having stalled enough, you turn and face the tasty morsel of obsidian. You pounce on it vigorously, your teeth making short work of one of the strongest ores on the planet. It doesn’t taste like rocks, much to the chagrin of other creatures. Instead, it reminds you of the sweetest blackberry-tart that you’ve ever eaten. It was given to you by that female draconian you saw earlier in your memory/flashback/episode.

Something hot runs down your face as you continue to eat. You stop and bring a claw to your cheek. Your eyes widen. It’s a tear. You’re crying. You miss her, your mother. The father in your life seemed like the abusive type, even having the brass to threaten you with death! It wasn’t unheard of-abusive fathers that is- but it certainly although rarely happened. You just happened to be one of those unlucky boys that had one. Before you began crying, half of the wall had been consumed and now your stomach is practically bursting with the obsidian snack you had. You wipe away your tears and crumbs, dismount the half-eaten wall, stretch really hard, then yawn.

You’ve been through so much today, but the sunlight still poking through the canopy says its still daylight. Which means you have a lot of time to kill. So, with a full stomach and every bone popped, you begin trekking into the forest. It was going to be a long walk until you’ll be able to scout the skies for your home, but a walk is said to be the best thing to clear your head.

That...and fine wine.

 


   

 

  

> Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


SPIKE




Quick and rapid breaths were resounding in an off-tempo chorus from underneath the white marble balcony. The one who was emitting such breaths? It was the dragon known as Spike. His arms and legs were quivering, for he had latched himself to the tower itself with his claws. Holding up a six hundred pound frame, however, was proving taxing for even him. He cursed under his breath as he tried moving his left claw for the balcony. The action caused the weight that his left claw was supporting to shift onto the right claw still embedded in the stone tower, which caused it to rip due to a dragon’s natural claw strength. Ironically, the wall sounded like paper being torn as Spike ripped through it on his way down.

“aaaaAAAAHHHH-,” He continued screaming in a high pitched voice as the wall released pieces of its flesh that followed close behind him as he plummeted with his right claw ripping through the tower. The wind became colder than a winter’s blizzard as it whipped him in the face, bringing tears to his eyes quickly. He couldn’t stop himself, so he did the worst thing possible...

He looked down...


“MOTHER OF LAPIS LAZULI!!!” Spike began to grow slightly nauseated when a certain image of a dragon exploding upon impact on the ground came to his head. He brought his free claw up to his mouth in order to hold back the bile that surged from his stomach. He caught it just as it leaked out and swallowed, sticking his tongue out in a disgusted manner at having to taste his own bile. He shook his head and looked down once more, trying to estimate the amount of time he had left before the eventual squish.

“Well Spike,” he was starting an inner conversation with himself out of sorrow, “It looks like it’s your time to bite the dust. I only wish that I didn’t find out what I did. It would of made dying a lot more bearable than what it’s going to be now.”  He finished his monologue with a frown as he continued looking at the rapidly ascending, grass-covered grounds of the Royal Gardens. He sighed deeply, for he just calculated the amount of time he had left. Being the assistant to the smartest unicorn in the world would make calculating a problem like this a cinch. “Forty seconds, eh? Never thought my life would be cut off so abruptly.” 

A flash of bright light caught his attention. He knew that whatever caused it was right above him. He knew this; because as the light flashed and warmed his back, it casted a shadow of himself on the tower before his claw slashed away any trace of his eternal partner in darkness. With a loud curse, so that who he thought was behind him could gain some satisfaction before hurting him, he slowly turned his head in order to face the mysterious light’s source. Luckily for him, it wasn’t Celestia like he thought it was. But, the way the gold of the rail snaking its way down the tall tower glimmered in his eyes gave him a new feeling of hope.

It was like watching a gut-wrenching movie where a lost love gets brought back from the dead and is reunited with her lover, whom had saved her. They would then kiss passionately and run of into-

“Spike! You’re going to die if you don’t jump...NOW!!!” He shook his head after reprimanding himself viciously. He looked for a part on the rail that looked like it could sustain his heavy body weight. A look of panic crossed his face briefly when he saw nothing promising. He didn’t want to just jump and look even more ridiculous as he plummeted with a gold baton in his hand. But, there was no time for worries...especially when your life would be over in a matter of seconds. He gulped loudly, preparing for the eventual leap of faith. He bent his knees and leapt, kicking in some more of the wall as he reached out both claws to grab the rail.

He sucked his bottom jaw tightly as he grabbed the rail, causing him to puncture the sensitive scales on his lip. Spike smacked his lips as he tried to eject the taste of blood from his mouth. He began to lift himself up onto the rail slowly, testing the proverbial waters. When the spirit-crushing sound of something giving way didn’t happen, he pulled himself completely up. he teetered for a moment, arms swinging in a circular motion as he tried balancing himself. With grunt of concentration, he had perfectly centered his heavy froma on the rail. For it’s skinny girth, the rail was surprisingly durable.

After that close to dying experience, Spike took a moment to finally recollect himself. As an indication of this, he bent his knees and grabbed the rail with both hands. This action gave him even more leverage so he could rest easy without the fear of falling off. He was still about ten feet in the air, which only slightly unnerved him. “Holy Sapphires...Things are already starting to try and kill me! It must suck considerably, being a villain that is.” Spike inhaled deeply, trying to cast out any extra adrenaline he had left in his body.

He raised an eyebrow as he noticed something moving below him. He became fully unnerved as his ears and eyes finally picked up on what he was hearing. It was hoofbeats? Yes, that’s what is was. The afternoon sun was making the polished gold armor of the Royal Guard painfully hard to miss. If Spike hadn’t been told as a wyrm that the Sun was in the sky, then he would’ve surely thought that the guards adorned themselves in it.

        “Are they trying to find me!? Ah Tartarus in a Handbasket, I need to get out of here!”  Spike began to panic as his head scanned for a safe and quiet way down from his position, however, the only exit from his position is to jump down and run. That’s is not an option right now, for there were a total of two platoons marching right underneath him. He subconsciously brought one of his claws off the rail and up to his face, in order to rub any excess perspiration from it’s dripping positions. He was watching, scanning the movements of the platoons and memorizing their movement patterns. The time will come when he could get away quietly, he would just have to wait for it.

30 minutes later...

“You. Have. Got. To. Be. BUCKING. With. ME!!!” By some twisted humor of fate, even more Royal Guards came as the time went by. There was even a platoon stationed underneath him, which just proceeded to upset Spike even more. One of the platoon members yawned deeply, tilting his head up in the process. Spike’s blood ran icy as he cursed the daytime; for upon opening his eyes, the guard stood flabbergasted and in shock at the mass of purple and green balancing itself rather uncomfortably on the rail.

His eyes widened as his mouth dropped, forming no sound whatsoever. Spike, on the other claw, giving him a pleading look and swiping across his neck. It was the universal sign of “Please don’t say anything!”, but the guard-much to Spike’s chagrin- had a duty to fulfill. Spike didn't blame him for following orders, he just wished that the guards pony would have allowed him to sneak off before sounding the alarm.

The guards pony was moving his bottom jaw up and down, trying to form words of alarm. He shook himself from his stupor as he finally remembered to say. “V.I.D TARGET FOUND IN SECTOR 13!!! I REPEAT, SPIKE HAS BEEN FOUND IN SECTO-,” Spike cut the living alarm clock’s sound off as he jumped from the rail and into a space the platoon had created when they broke their ranks. He swung his tail down on top of the guard’s head, denting his helmet and smashing his face into the ground as he landed.

Spike proceeded to take the same tail and swish it about while rising from the ground, taking the consciousness from 3 other guards ponies before he took of in a full sprint. His tall build easily carried him around twenty paces from the platoon before they could register what happened. In a loud clamor, which sounded like multiple tin-cans slamming against each other, the guards righted themselves and gave chase to the dragon.

That show of force was all a certain Princess needed...
        
        “HALT SPIKE!!! DO NOT MOVE AN INCH MORE, LEST YOU’ll BE HARMED!!!” 

Spike’s mind was thrown for a loop as his body stopped of it’s own volition. It was as if he was in conflict with himself, his flesh gaining more ground as he did just as the voice told him to. He turned around to try and pinpoint Princess Luna, who he thought was the only one capable of using the Royal Canterlot Voice. But this voice was a whole octave deeper, with even a couple rumbles accenting it. It instilled a sense of fear so powerful in Spike, that he had to turn around and gaze upon whom he already realized it was.




	
There she hovered, a bemused look upon her features. She was shadowed by her own creation as the sun seemed to grow brighter, making the air heavy with humidity. It felt as if her very form was sucking all the oxygen from the air, vaporizing it without even trying. There were also those eyes, which veered Spike’s heart into uncertainty and doubt. Needless to say, he was definitely regretting his decision up in the tower earlier!

What really unnerved Spike, however, was the fact that all of the Royal Guards seemed horribly terrified. Spike took a moment to scan the guard’s actions and confirmed them backing up, all their attention on Solar Princess as she floated in midair, without the use of her wings. Why had it taken so long for him to notice? That’s not even physically possible! Spike could see what caused the peace in Equestria for so long. He could see why there were few enemies to the throne, or why they don’t show themselves for that matter. It was fear. Fear that would rot them from the inside out, make them feel insignificant and minute.

She’s practically a Goddess. The sun is her’s to control, which means she could destroy this world at any time. True, he had thought about this multiple times over the course of his life. But, he never viewed her power from the villain side. Of course, he didn’t think he was a villain, but half of Equestria Proper does, which means his opinion was worthless. Here he stood, on the precipice of a molten hot death, unable to form some sort of plan of action. He could only stare into that leer: From the eyes that demanded all to heed and obey.

The eyes of Celestia...
“I see you’ve wasted little time in wrecking my castle and harming my ponies, Spike.” Celestia snapped his name in half with all the force her jaw could carry. What almost made Spike crap himself? It was when Celestia started walking down the sky, in way similar to descending a flight of stairs. She stopped herself mid step as Spike shot up a hurried claw form his side. Why it made her stop is unknown, but the reason could be found later.

“I’ve only harmed for the fear of being harmed myself! I do not wish to harm anypony else! I will leave Equestria peacefully, you can trust me.” Spike knew the futility of those last words. She now had evidence stating that he was a monster, for he had assaulted four guards ponies without so much as a threat from them. What really made Spike grimace was the laugh that rang out afterwards.

It definitely came from the Princess of the Sun, but it was a full on laugh...not the giggles he was used to. There was a hint of malice in that laugh, one that seemed to belittle him in his entirety. Almost as if she was...mocking him. Spike growled deeply at that thought, the thought of the Princess mocking him! A dragon! It is simply unforgivable!!!

“What the Tartarus is so funny!?” He half-roared, half-yelled at the Solar Princess. She calmed down from her laughing fit, wiping her eyes with her mane before she smiled devilishly.

“You sound, just. Like. Discord,” Yellow magic began to concentrate upon her horn, with even white orbs of light coming from the bright sun gathering as well. She was actually going to kill him if he didn’t move out of the way! Spike’s heart was a jackhammer in his chest as the adrenaline began to rise again, fueling his body with heightened senses. “How he claimed that he would never endanger my ponies if I exiled him! Just so that he could return and beat me! But this isn’t about him, oh no! This is about you; another threat to Equestria that will become a warning to any future and prior ones,” The air was suffocatingly hot now.

Spike could feel his breath becoming shallow as more and more oxygen was vaporized. He has to get away from here and quickly!!! While he was occupied in trying to get his feet out of fear-lock, the magic in Celestia’s horn was becoming painfully concentrated. Even to the point where it was causing Celestia to wince, the pain from the magic gathering now beginning to surface. With the sound of a thousand whistles and typhoons, she inclined her head down so that the orb of light and solar fire was aimed directly at Spike’s chest.
   
“THAT I’M DONE WITH BANISHMENT!!!” The beam of magic wailed as it finally found release from captivity. Not only was the force so large in power that the recoil flung Celestia into a backflip, but it’s speed really terrified the ponies. Celestia, during her time of casting, was two-hundred feet from the ground. The beam had closed half the distance as Spike blinked. He instinctively rolled to his left, the adrenaline throwing him quicker than his mind could keep up with. He wasn’t fast enough, for the beam had caught the top part of his right arm, searing it and causing his scales to melt and his underskin to boil. He cried out in supreme agony.

He rolled onto his left knee and held his right arm with his left. Spike regretted the decision immediately as he cursed loudly and quickly moved his uninjured arm away. This injury will dwindle the chance of escape by some degree. He looked back up just in time to see Celestia coming out of her recoil backflip fit. She snapped open her wings and looked for the dragon who was supposed to be a pile of jell-o right now. When she saw that Spike wasn’t dead or mortally wounded, she grimaced. It was already tough enough casting that spell, but against a friend? It was eating her heart away to have to do this.

“Spike, please to trying to run! I’m trying to make this quick and painless at least for you! I’ll have to live on with this for the rest of my life!” Celestia yelled from her height advantage in the sky. She honestly meant all those words right there. Her rhythmic wing flapping was doing nothing to ease her mind. Spike winced as he used his burned arm to stand back up, never breaking eye contact with the Solar Princess. He could see the fatigue etched along her face, but he could also feel his starting to surface.

“I no longer know who you are,” Spike yelled in anger at Celestia, whose eye’s widen in surprise at that statement, “What is it that you gain from hurting me!? Is it going to be worth putting me in the grave: To see all those around your mourn me while scorning you!!? True, a situation like this might have happened a thousand years or more ago...BUT WHAT THE BUCK DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME!!!???” Spike threw his arms to the side in pure untainted fury. The rounds of his eyes have now shrunk to narrow proportions. He was quickly losing his temper, which also means his sanity.

“Spike, you need to get out of here!!!” A command from seemingly nowhere brought Spike back from the brink of rage everlasting. A lavender hoof approached him from the side. Spike inclined his head to see a teary-eyed Twilight approaching him without any fear at all. “Celestia is not angry at you, she’s angry at herself!” Twilight yelled even though she was in hugging distance. Spike’s mind was a wasteland, where any information would on shrivel and die as soon as it’s received. He pushed twilight to the side, driven by pure instinct and began sprinting away from the current position.

Realizing that Spike was escaping two seconds later, Celestia snapped out of her stupor. “Chase him down,” She demanded angrily at the Royal guards beneath her, “Give him a reason to run as well.”  The guards took off after Spike, almost trampling Twilight in their sheer numbers. Twilight could only watch in horror as the plethora of ponies ran after her best friend since childhood, besides Shining Armor that is.

“You better run like Tartarus when you’re two steps away from it.” Twilight thought in worry. It all came down to Spike now. She hoped that he would be fast and agile enough to escape his pursuers!


	
It was hard carrying a large frame like his at twenty miles per hour for prolonged times. But he had to get away from the guards and Celestia. The adrenaline helped him keep pace as he crushed blades of grass and small rocks as he made headway through the palace grounds. He wound in between towers and columns, searching for the walkway out of the castle. He could hear the flapping of wings behind him grow steadily louder. The adrenaline levels were becoming unhealthy now as he jumped onto a tower and began to scale it faster than any lizard.

This was meant as a way to pinpoint his exact location. It was working too, until he was grabbed from the waist and pulled off the tower by a rather burly pegasus guard with grey fur. Spike eye’s widened as he realized that he was plummeting to his certain demise. Yeah, that wasn’t happening. Spike finally realized something. “If they want to treat me like a monster, then I’ll become a monster in order to survive.”  Spike grabbed the pegasus’s wings with both claws...hard.

The pressure caused the bones to break in it’s wings, eliciting a pained holler from the guard. Spike wasted no time in quickly spinning the both of them around, so that now he was on top of the guards back with his feet. He saw what he was looking for; another tower that was about a five foot jump. He springboarded himself off the plummeting pony and latched himself to the tower. The pegasus, although he couldn’t see him, made a disgusting splat sound as he hit the ground head first. he would stop and look, but Spike was pretty sure he just killed a pony.

“There’s no going back now!” After realizing this, Spike pressed on with renewed vigor. He scaled the tower that stood fifty feet tall, found the drawbridge and then jumped off the tower in the direction of said drawbridge. An unsuspecting pegasus guard was floating directly below Spike, so he repeated the process he did earlier. He landed on the ground safely, with 200 yards between him and the drawbridge was. But, like all villains, he was thrown a monkey wrench. The area around the drawbridge was surrounded by a pinkish-purple shield of magic. It’s caster, a white stallion with blue mane and eyes.

He narrowed his eyes challengingly at the approaching dragon. His purple Captain’s armor shone bright in the sun, blinding Spike temporarily. Spike ran into the shield on accident, faceplanting roughly into the stallion’s magic. “Ow! Hey! Shining Armor,” Spike said whilst rubbing his bruised snout, “What do you think you’re doing!? Drop this shield so that I can get out of here! These ponies want my hide on a silver platter!”

Shining Armor kept his challenging expression as the dragon began banging on the shield he created. “You made this hard on yourself. I would recommend surrendering peacefully, for not even an army of changelings could break this barrier. Plus, you also know about my magical endurance,” That phrase made Spike grimace inwardly, “So you could pound all day on this thing and still yield no results.” Once Shining Armor concluded that Spike wouldn’t try anything funny, he dropped his challenging look and sat down. He was safe from physical and magical harm as long as he was behind his shield.

“Are you so duty bound that you’ll watch your Princess kill a friend that’s loved you for twenty years?” Spike asked with a hint of insanity in his voice. Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at the creepy tone the adolescent dragon picked up.

“You should know that I’ve been in my fair share of interrogation rooms, which, for your mind, I will not go into great detail with. If you think a psychological attack is going to work, you’re sorely mistaken.” Shining Armor concluded with a tone of confidence. Spike snickered maniacally before he began to fall out from laughter. It was a good thirty seconds before he calmed down and started speaking again.

“I’m serious.” He spat venomously. Before Shining Armor could respond, a beam of yellow magic struck Spike on the thigh of his right leg. The magic pierced through it, splattering gore from his leg on Shining Armor’s shield. Spike wailed in agony as he fell on his left knee. Rhythmatic wing flapping filled the air as Celestia, flanked by two pegasus guards, approached the drawbridge. After wincing, Spike spoke again. “Well, Shining? You have two choices: Let me through or tell your sister how you watched me perish.” Spike banged a fist on the shield, which cracked in the place he struck at.

Celestia noticed the crack and fired another beam of magic. This one pierced his kidney, ejaculating the remains of said organ near the face of Shining Armor, who gasped and backed away in surprise. Shining Armor’s inward battle of whether or not to drop the shield was visible on his face and in his actions, for he began looking anywhere else but at the dragon who was leering at him.

“This marks the end of it, Spike the Dragon.” Once again. Celestia began channeling the same spell from earlier, gathering solar fire and her own magic into her horn. The pegasi guards flanking her moved to a safe distance away from her. spike didn’t need to turn around in order to know what the Solar Princess was doing, he could feel in his heart that his life now rested in the hooves of a certain Captain. He was going to play his trump card...now.

        Spike called out to Shining Armor, who did a dummy move and looked at him. Spike’s face was the very definition of sorrow and despair. Shining Armor swallowed loudly, voicing his worry without saying anything. Now that he had his attention, Spike played his Ace in the Hole.

“Don’t break your sister’s heart.” Shining Armor’s heart plummeted into his stomach.

“THIS IS YOUR END!!!” With a more loud wail than before, the beam rocketed forth as Shining Armor moved the shield over Spike. The beam collided with the shield, exploding with the force of a sonic rain-nuke. The world was an instant light bulb, for all sight was rendered useless at the hooves of Celestia’s magic. Then, as light began to subside, smoke covered the area where the dragon once knelt. With a powerful sweep of her wings, even from two-hundred feet in the air, the smoke cleared. In it’s place...a scorch mark blacker than Sombra’s heart.

Everything seemed to lose it’s volume as the Solar Princess scanned the immediate area, searching for any sign of the new threat to Equestria. With no luck in finding the drake, she floated the rest of the way down to the ground and in front of Shining Armor. The shield was still up, which meant that Spike couldn’t have gotten through, right?

“You had a hoof in saving Equestria yet again, Shining Armor. I would like to hold an award ceremony for you, promoting you to the rank of Commander in two days!” Celestia smiled sweetly as she turned away from the scene of the dragon’s demise. Shining Armor, who had been standing, abruptly sat down. He had done it. He had fooled the Princess into thinking that Spike was dead. He can only hope that these two days of worry-free traveling will give him a chance to heal his wounds and get as far away as possible.

Spike held himself upright by way of a claw on a cobblestone wall in an alleyway. It was very dark on this side street, which meant that one would have to have the keenest of eyes and ears to see him. Right now, he had to find some way to stop the bleeding that was going on, otherwise he would die from hypothermia. Seeing nothing in the immediate area to use as a healing apparatus, his mind settled on a simple, yet excruciatingly painful method.

With a mighty inhale, Spike blew fire onto his open wounds, each one eliciting a quiet wail of agony from the drake. As soon as the bleeding stopped and the wounds had closed, Spike collapsed brutally, banging his snout and raw arm on the dirty cobblestone. He tried to tell himself to move, but he couldn’t. He immediately drifted off into a sleep, a final thought surfacing in his head as consciousness left him.

“Buck Celestia.”       
      

     
  
  
         

> First Impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion

        
        Scarlet with little hints of lavender dotted the sky, for the evening had replaced the afternoon. The area in the adjacent space was nothing but forest and dirt. There was a single wooden sign in front of him, but given your surroundings it seemed appropriate. Dameion had been trekking through the woods for a long time, almost giving up on the hope that he would  find some type of path that’ll lead to civilization. But that was then-even though ‘then’ was five fucking minutes ago-and this is now. Raising a claw to his chin, the white paint letters finally made themselves readable.

        In horrible chicken scratch; the sign read, “Zistral: One and a Half miles.” The sign even pointed an arrow in the direction of where he was supposed to walk. This was pleasing, because he had arrived here through the underbrush directly behind his location. Having said that; if the sign had not an arrow pointing in the direction of the town, Dameion would’ve went through the brush directly behind the sign. He chuckled darkly.

        “I was going to burn this place to the ground if that happened.” He said out loud. The dirt and twigs that he had been standing on became dust as he turned on his heels and began walking again. He was more or less thirty minutes away from his destination, which gave him a new source of energy. He also needed a bath, very...very badly. The dirt and grime itched him in places he didn’t even know existed.

        Walking along the trail, he became entranced in the beautiful scenery that-for a change- wasn’t trying to piss him off. The occasional songbird flew by his head, chirping it’s love song to any female willing to take the plunge with him. Then, there were the trees. They provided an excellent shade from the blistering sun overhead, which only recently grew stronger with it’s light and heat. Vines wove themselves between the branches, like snakes constricting an arm.

        Dameion shook his head back and forth, trying to eject that description from existence. He was, afterall, in the middle of a forest. He knew not of any dangerous wildlife here, or if any existed for that matter. Having these thoughts only made him jittery and on edge. Although he remembered some of his past during his trek through the forest, he could never remember being this sensitive.

        It was rather humbling, the memories that swamped him earlier. He could only remember brief amounts of information. For instance, he was a Prince. Prince Dameion Astra Setsuya: Heir to the Throne of Zistral and Son of His Lordship Dergan Zix Setsuya. He was a supposed, “Hero King”, that saved the nation from the thralls of the Gryphon Kingdom. It was a war that happened a thousand-years ago, over territory no less. He stopped as he saw a wall of...silver substance glistening in the evening sun.


The substance appeared to be made out of fire as the sun danced across it’s face. Things were starting to get a little creepy as he walked ever closer to his destination. As he neared, the silver substance became shaped like a massive gate. There was a long black line and wires of green and red running into it. There was a figure sitting on a folding chair just in front of the door. Thank goodness, it was another draconian!

“Hey, you there! In front of the gate! Be this my city of Zistral!?” Dameion called out to the lone sentry. The sentry in question looked up and tilted it’s black ten-gallon hat back. The draconian was dressed in a red trench-coat with black zippers and trim. It had black pants with many pockets adorning them, with gold zippers holding them closed. The draconian also had black combat boots with two laces tied tightly twice. t’s  red, serpent-like eyes sparkled in confirmation of another draconian walking up on him.

“Well ain’t this the cat’s pajamas! Who be this baby grand ankling up to me!?” The draconian said with a bright smile, showcasing it’s abnormally long incisors and canines. Dameion’s face went stock still as he only formed one reply.

“Wut?” Dameion asked with a dead face.

“Don’t futz around with me, daddy-o! I asked for your name tag!” The draconian said with a serious face. It was obviously sensitive about it’s dialect. Dameion, being the gentleman that he is, gave his name and title and waited for a response from the sentry. The unknown draconian simply put it’s head down and began to snicker, before picking it’s head back up and making direct eye contact.

“You’re one of dem’ cats that like to punch the bag! My name’s A-R-M-A.” The draconian spelled out slowly. This annoyed it’s conversational partner well, for he inclined an eyebrow with a snort.

“How’s it pronounced, idiot!?” Dameion snapped. Arma looked taken aback at being called an idiot. It shook it’s head and snickered as it stood from it’s chair and brought it’s face mere millimeters from Dameion’s. The draconian finished this invasion of personal space with a snort.

“Now how’s a bringdown like yourself supposed to be ankling his way in Zistral!?” Arma answered in anger. This exchange of ‘angry question for angry question’ continued on for about five minutes...until they both heard the gargantuan doors behind them slowly open. Surprisingly, as the doors opened, Dameion felt nervous.




	
“Why in the everlasting stars am I nervous?” Arma was wondering and feeling the same thing as Dameion while the doors creaked loudly. It took a total of two minutes before the doors completely opened, revealing a stout draconian will garnett-eyes and mane. It was male, for it’s pectoral muscles(And every other muscle for that matter!) bulged like they would burst from his chest. He cast a haphazard glance at both Dameion and Arma, sizing them up briefly before snorting.

While he snorted; a plume of garnet smoke billowed about from his nostrils, providing the surrounding space with a sulfur-like smell. Dameion tried to hide the fact that he was nauseated from the plume of smoke, strictly because of manners. The unknown draconian then sighed deeply as he hung his head and shook it back and forth. This was done as a gesture of disappointment or aggravation, for he then scrunched up his brow with a claw.

“I come out here expecting some type of action and all I get is another draconian who looks like he came out of a cheesy romance novel!?” The draconian said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. For some reason, Dameion felt his blood begin to boil. He was quite sure that this draconian had just insulted him; without even introducing himself! “And you,” He turned towards Arma now, “What in the everlasting FUCK are you doing!!? You have one job. One job! It’s to keep wondering FUCKtards like this pansy-ass right here out of the city until the new King is chosen!!! I’m really lost, on why this miserable excuse for a SHITSTAIN isn’t a pile of blood and cartilage right now!!!” The draconian was obviously furious at Arma.

Another draconian was furious, but not at Arma...

“EXCUSE ME,” Dameion walked right up to the unknown draconian and turned his whole body around with one hand! “You have the breath of an Ursa Minor’s taint, yet you yell in the face of a sentry who was not even given a chance to speak!? Have you no sense of wrong in that, ridiculous , overweight, useless pound of gray matter up there!?” Dameion narrowed his eyes dangerously at the new draconian. He really didn’t like the way the draconian conducted himself. It was almost feral, for heaven’s sake!

The unknown draconian took one look at Dameion and waved him off. This sent the Prince over the edge. If there was one thing that this ignoramus wasn’t going to do, it was ignore him. He turned the draconian around again, cracking him in the face with a right hook that pushed the right side of his face to his left. The draconian was lifted off the ground and flew to his right, where he landed on the ground with a loud thump.

Arma lost all color in it’s body. That punch was absolutely devastating!!! It even had no magic behind it!!! Who was this guy who appeared out of nowhere!? Plus, he even managed to sneak a shot in against one of Zistral’s greatest fighters; Maxxis Murdok! He was ranked as the tenth strongest draconian in existence!


Dameion opened his fist and began to shake his hand. The aftereffect of the punch was starting to catch up with him, but the brute deserved every last bit of pain he got from that hook. He was acting like a plebeian, or an animal for that rather. “The fact that were the same species ALONE, sickens me to no end!” Dameion thought as he rested the claw he hooked Maxxis with by his side again. Dameion turned towards Arma again, with a smile replacing the disgusted look he had earlier.

“I’m sorry for what you had to see here,” Dameion apologized immediately. Although, he wasn’t sorry for punching that barbarian in the face. “Why, the only difference between that callous moron and a Feral is the fact that he’s not constantly horny!” Dameion shook his head and snickered quietly at his own joke; before looking back up at Arma. The ruby’s stared back into his own topaz’s. “I would normally stray from violent measures, but he was asking for it I’m afraid. Also, I’m pretty sure that you haven’t really introduced yourself! I would love to know more about the vixen I have quite brutishly saved!”

Arma looked as if she had swallowed a brick, for she was watching one of the most heart-pounding moments unfold right before her eyes. A crimson shadow with glowing garnet-eyes slowly rose itself from the ground and proceeded to walk soundlessly behind Dameion. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as her full attention was on the shadowed-Maxxis, who was now licking distance away from Dameion.

Dameion’s eyes went wide as a sense of pain like nothing he’s ever felt skyrocketed through his back. He collapsed, screaming in agony and cursing at the same time. The right side of his back hurt like never before as he tried to grip at wound he knew was there; only to find a hole the size of his head where something was supposed to be. That’s when it dawned on him. Every draconian, great or small, had wings...

“HAH,” Maxxis laughed as he swung the grew wing with feathers and scales around like a flag. The wing was the size of a grown draconian, for it needed to be that big in order to lift an eight foot tall creature from the ground. Yet, as the blood splattered the ground, Maxxis showed little to no fatigue from swinging the gargantuan appendage to and fro. What happened next would scar Arma for life as she couldn’t help but watch, completely fear-locked in place.

A draconian’s wing, much akin to those of a dragon, had bones strong enough to shatter for red oaks lined up next to each other. Having said that; you could drop a boulder the size of a wrecking ball on the wing and the boulder would break. Maxxis rose the hand that held the wing and with a roar that nearly made Arma cry, proceed to beat Dameion into the ground with his own appendage.




	
The pain was unbearable. Dameion yelled in absolute pain and nausea, as he even released bile upon himself after the third strike. He was now being beaten into the ground; with his own wing, in his own bile, while being drenched in his own blood. After the tenth strike, Arma ran over to Maxxis and gripped his torso hard, interrupting the eleventh and many more strikes that were to come. The white’s of her eyes now matched her irises, as she held onto Maxxis with all her might.

“THAT’S ENOUGH BROTHER!!! HE’LL DIE AT THIS RATE!!! YOU WON, SO PLEASE, MAXXIS!!!” Arma yelled into her now revealed brother’s chest. Maxxis snorted in an attempt to calm himself down, the garnet smoke blowing Arma’s hat off her head. The hat floated over to the body of Dameion, which laid battered and broken upon the ground. The stetson drifted over his buttocks and landed over the wound on his back. Maxxis brought a claw up to now exposed garnet mane of his sister and began to run it through her locks, trying to soothe her. It worked, for her wails turned into sobs.

“He brought this upon himself; thinking he could beat me in one hit. His arrogance has brought upon his defeat.” Maxxis said to his still sobbing sibling. She looked up from his moist chest, eyes full of hope. Maxxis knew that look all too well, “Fine,” He said dejectedly, “Go find this fool a healer. By the way he looks, his life isn’t in serious danger. But, he is still prone to an infected wound on his back. You must hurry.” Maxxis sighed as his sister nodded and went over to Dameion’s unconscious body, hoisting him upon her left shoulder and snapping open her wings which were hidden underneath her trench-coat. With two preparatory flaps, she hopped into the air and began ascending the wall slowly.

Maxxis shook his head at the sloppy flying he had to pay witness to. “OH! STOP TALKING LIKE THAT AS WELL!!! YOU SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT WHEN YOU TRY TO, ‘JAZZ IT UP’, AS YOU SO CALL IT!!!” Maxxis yelled to his sibling. She didn’t look back or gave any hint of acknowledgement to him, but she did frown deeply. Maxxis might be older, but he wasn’t her dad! She had reached the minimum height to soar over the wall, so that’s exactly what she did. It was off to find a healer and if she wasn’t fast enough, an undertaker.       
  

> Heartless
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike


        There was a dagger in his chest. It felt like his whole body was glass and it had just shattered. Too much was happening right now. He woke up this morning thinking this was going to be one of the best days he’ll ever have lived. He would watch his surrogate sister complete her life’s work and be there to hug her when she finished. It was supposed to be a happy day for everypony....no, that terminology was dead to him now.

        Spike tried to pick himself up after he had unceremoniously slumped himself across the cobblestone alleyway floor. Utilizing his arms, he began making slow-but-sure headway. One of the aforementioned arms buckled as he winced in pain. Once again; he found himself in an impromptu make-out session with the floor. He scanned his searing appendage with an analytical draconic eye. The pink rawness of his exposed and burned skin peered back at his emerald pools of vision; seemingly mocking his other catching features. The pink flesh clashed horribly with his deep-purple scales and green spines. He was sure that no amount of magic would stop it from scarring either.

“Even if I get away, you’ll always leave your mark. Eh, Princess,” He snorted as he pondered that. It was all lost to him now: His friends, Love, Happiness, Heart and Soul. They were all just...gone. It felt as if there was a hole now in place of his heart. His vision blurred into a hazy mess. He noticed it without even having to confirm it first. He was crying. He hasn’t cried in ten years. That’s was when he was shot down again by Rarity; the prestigious and absolutely beautiful seamstress in Ponyville. Spike knew his previous advances were going to bear no fruit with the chic mare; but he thought if he tried his claw when he was older...no. That hardly matters anymore, “I need to leave here. Equestria that is. It’s been made clear that they don’t want me anymore. I just don’t know what could’ve happened in that portal that caused all of this.” 

Rising from the ground’s cold embrace once more, Spike wiped at his eyes as he finally stood up. Oh his aching everything! It felt as if a bulldozer had found its way into this alley while he was amongst his dreams; and then proceed to have it’s way with him. He winced as he took a shaky step forward, nearly collapsing as the nerves in his leg bellowed their rebellion with pain. It was painstakingly difficult, but Spike had managed to ebb his way to the end of the alleyway with just a few steps. Finally letting the sunlight hit his body, he took a moment to inspect himself.

“To say that I’m injured would be the understatement of the century. I look like I came out of a Nail and Hammer Factory,”  Spike thought stoically as he stared at his seared arm, “That also specializes in pyrotechnics.”  One did not need the eyes of a hawk in order to see the amount of damage he took running, from Celestia. He could only imagine what it would be like to face her in direct combat. He gulped as his mind plagued him with many a scene of boiling flesh and blistering eyes. Shaking the grotesque and gory images from his mind, Spike stepped out into the scarlet covered town known as Canterlot. 

It was the same quaint and boring town he had grown up in. That was good. In the twenty years of his life, it hadn’t changed that much. This meant that the area around him should be familiar if he could point out one of his mental landmarks. Spike shifted his head left and right, searching for any identifiable beacon in the sea of buildings before him. Euphoria rung in his mind as he spotted a white building that had a huge bitten doughnut on it, covered in rainbow sprinkles and strawberry frosting. He used to have friends and family; but if there was one pony who would still give a damn about him...it would be Donut Joe.

Spike took another precautionary glance at himself again, suddenly noticing the hole in his lower body. To be more exact, the hole was located in a thigh. “So that’s why it feels as if parasprites are chewing through my leg each time I take a step.” Spike realized as he grimaced at the horrid and painfully obvious wound on his pristine body. With a sigh, he walked out into the street. He was instantly blindsided by an ash-grey stallion in amethyst armor. The collision was hard enough to cause him to lose his balance and topple like a Penga Tower on its last block. After having his face stomped on with an armored and bulky hoof, Spike immediately laid eyes on the tall and regal figure approaching him. He had just woken up!

It dawned on him faster than Rainbow Dash on caffeine. He had a dream earlier. That made sleeping an easy means of clairvoyance for the Princess of the Night, Luna. Spike’s face was the very meaning of expressionless as the dark-blue alicorn finally closed the distance in two elongated and quite comical strides. Her hooves were adorned in the same hoofshoes she always wore. Well, that’s all Spike could see at the moment.

“That’s quite enough Shadow Chaser. You may release the drake now,” Spike immediately felt the pressure on his head release as the aforementioned guard stepped off him. He slowly got to his feet again, grimacing and cursing the pain in his body as he did so. Princess Luna was no fool; quickly noticing the plethora of scrapes and cuts all over the dragon’s body, which had to be at the hoof of her sister, “I see your chat with sister was very uncouth. Tell me Spike; what are your intentions?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

Spike could sense that there were no hidden motives in her words; as far as he noticed, so he didn’t see the harm in telling the Lunar Princess his current agenda. “Before your Majesty decided to...grace,” he glared at Shadow Chaser who only snorted in disinterest at the dragon’s jab, “me with her presence; I was headed to Donut Joe’s for just that, a doughnut. Probably some hot cocoa too if I was really feeling the diabolic and genocide vibe.” Spike deadpanned. Luna raised a brow at the drake’s words. Shadow Chaser, however, was not too pleased with the way Spike had just mouthed off to his favored matriarch.





“You will watch your tongue, beast! Thou are currently in the presence of the Mistress of the Moon! Another careless and vile statement like that will earn you my wrath!” Shadow Chaser exclaimed, slamming a hoof down at the end of his rant for emphasis. It was Spike’s turn to raise a brow at the stallion’s actions. Did this fool honestly believe he has what it takes to fight him? According to Spike’s memory; he’s killed two Sun Guards and escaped the most heavily guarded establishment in Equestria Proper. Pummeling a foolish Night Guard who’s easily angered would be droll and beneath him.

“No, Mr. Night Light, I don’t think I will,” Spike said matter-of-factly, “In fact, you will watch your own tongue. I have not the patience to deal with pests and any other type of lower life that may present itself to me. IF you so callously believe that there is strength in numbers; then let me provide some wisdom on that situation.” Shadow Chaser was now visibly grinding his teeth together in untainted fury. It was very amusing to Spike, watching this supposedly grizzled and tested veteran lose his cool over words.

“And what, pray tell, are these words of wisdom!” Shadow Chaser practically hissed those words as Spike. A bemused snort and chuckle escaped the drake’s mouth before he regarded the Night Guard once again.

“Insects may swarm, but they’re insects nonetheless,” Spike said in an emotionless tone, which caused the Night Guard to actually charge him. A big purple tail flew through the air and slammed on top of Shadow Chaser’s back, eliciting a small pop from the point of contact. A gasp escaped the Princess’s muzzle as Shadow Chaser flopped onto the ground and actually bounced off of it. He ascended a good five feet before falling down again in a heap of armor. Dented, armor. “You do not ask the name of an ant before you crush it under your heel.” Spike finished as he stared at his work.

Princess Luna was rather shocked that Spike would even do such a thing. She barely noticed him leaving the scene with that same stoic expression he had when he annihilated her guard. Shaking from her stupor, Luna trotted forward and touched her horn to the unconscious guard’s head. In the swirling vortex of indigo aura that surrounded him; sounding as if a small hurricane was in the immediate area, Shadow Chaser was teleported. “He should arrive in the infirmary with that. Now, as for a certain drake...”  Steeling her body and face, the Princess of the Night walked after the dragon who had long since entered the establishment across the street.

---

  





“So then I tells the Stallion; this is about as holy, that a donut gets!” The stallions at the counter fall out in fits of laughter. The patron actually hitting the ground after falling off his barstool. The clerk, a stallion dressed in a bakers outfit, complete with orange mane and green eyes laughing the hardest. With the jingling of the his store’s bell indicating a potentially paying customer, Donut Joe tried to calm himself down from his recent hysterical outbreak. Spike strode into the establishment as if this was a den he owned. To be quite frank; Donut Joe's was practically a home away from home.

Donut Joe’s smile seemed to increase in width as his most favored customer strode into his establishment. It was a circular building with many a booth sitting next to a wall. There were medium-sized windows with lanterns on each side of one. White and blue tiles adorned the floor, while lime-green and jade diamond-shape wallpaper crowned the walls. A white counter was where he did his business with customers before fetching the doughnut of their desire. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as a certain Princess came strutting hurriedly after Spike, her star-filled mane billowing like chaff in the wind. 

“Why in the name of Celestia is Princess Luna here!?” Just as he thought this, Spike took a seat at his countertop. That’s when the only valuable reason for the Princess of the Night made itself apparent to the humble but wise pastry chef. As if on cue, the Princess’s eyes locked onto Spike’s scaly form at the countertop. She walked up to the adjacent red bar stool and sat upon it heavily, earning the attention of the drake next to her.

“Is there a reason why you knocked out one of my Night Guards, Spike? I am not cross with you...I only wished to know of your intentions.” Luna stated with a hint of agitation that betrayed her previous statement. Spike glanced at her disinterestedly, then turned back to Donut Joe.

“I’ll take a Marble Frosted and a Hot Chocolate.” Spike ordered, completely ignoring the Princess beside him. Luna was becoming more annoyed with every second that went by. It wasn’t the fact that Spike was ignoring her. That, she could deal with. It was what he was ignoring her with, that made all the difference. Emitting a quite annoyed grunt, Princess Luna tapped Spike on the shoulder as his food was set in front of his face. Spike turned his head to look at Luna, who was trying her best not to scowl.

“I believe I asked you a question.” She claimed as she finally got his attention.

“I believe I’m ignoring you.” Spike said emotionlessly. He turned back to his food, once again ignoring one of the most powerful ponies in the land as if she were beneath him. Not a patient mare by heart, Princess Luna turned him around with her hooves. Her blue eyes bore craters into his, almost causing his face to shift.



“You will acknowledge my presence, Spike. I come before you as a friend and a means of help, if you’ll let me.” Luna finished as she groped Spike’s shoulder, trying her best to not appear hostile. The reassuring squeeze her hoof offered him seemed to work as she felt him relax under her touch.

Donut Joe was completely lost right now. He knew ever since the first Grand Galloping Gala that Spike had attended that he had friends in high places. But to actually be buddies with the bucking Princess!? Eh, he really couldn’t act too surprised. Given Spike’s successful upbringing and swagger, mares had always enjoyed his company. A jealous grimace ebbed at Joe’s mouth as he began wiping out a blue mug with a white towel.

“I’m simply looking for some time by myself, Luna. I need time to...gather, my thoughts on this matter before anymore harm is done. If you understand this sentiment, then please leave me now,” Spike deadpanned as he looked into the disheartened Princess’s eyes. She wasn’t on the verge of tears per se, but she was, however, struggling to keep her lips under control. But the hoof did not leave his shoulder; in fact, another hoof found its way to his other shoulder. The action surprised him, but he didn’t let it show. It did pester him though, “Why do you care for me so much. Your sister was quick to punish me. It’s almost as if you don’t agree with her. That got you jammed up on a rock for a long time the last time you did it.” Spike deadpanned yet again, not breaking eye contact.

The old feeling of hopelessness and regret clutched at Luna’s heart for a brief moment as she grimaced, old memories threatening to resurface. Shaking her head, she squeezed his very broad shoulders once again before speaking, “I remember my darker days all too well, my friend. I’m just trying to prevent yours.” She smiled as Spike seemingly began to grow more interested. There was a wall of indifference that had them separated, and seeing it shattered only served to renew Luna’s vigor at stopping Spike. Her way, of course. 

“So you wish to help, not wanting the same mistake you made a thousand years ago to be repeated?” Spike asked in his still emotionless voice. Luna nodded as he brought a foreclaw up to his chin and began to rub it back and forth, keeping a steady rhythm as he pondered her response.

“I wish nothing but the best for all my friends and family, at all times. I hope that my words and feelings will reach you in your time of need.” Luna smiled sweetly as she leaned in against Spike, his heart skipping a few beats. She nuzzled into his chest as he sat there, completely dumbfounded to Princess Luna’s behaviour. He could understand the squeezes on his shoulders, but not...this!  It just came out of the blue, which is actually a right term given Luna’s color scheme.




“I-I...really don’t know what to say right now. When all of them ran away, I felt something tug me. Like, my heart was being frozen in place. It was absolutely terrible and horrifying,” Spike exclaimed as he gently, oh so gently, lifted her head with a claw, “but I’m glad to know that you still care.” For the first time since this morning, Spike mouth curved up into a familiar arc. A pure, genuine smile of relief and happiness crossed his features. Luna smiled warmly, seeing as how he had claimed himself from his earlier state.

“You need not worry about being alone, Spike. I will be with you every step of the way for your journey. I can guarantee this.” Luna nuzzled him once more before backing away. Spike had to catch a whine of protest from escaping his jaw. Setting a gold bit with her image on the counter, Joe comically sprayed his coffee over himself as he was drinking it.

“You’re using this to pay for the bill!!?” He frantically asked the Lunar Matriarch. The change alone was worth more than three of his stores! Luna merely nodded as she rose from her seat, stretching from the longevity of her stay. Spike rose shortly after and quite loudly, knocking the small barstool to the ground.

“Enjoy your afternoon, Joe. It was nice catching up.” Spike hurriedly said as he made his way for the door. Luna snickered as she followed him, leaving a slack-jawed baker at the counter top. 

Confusion gripped at Donut Joe’s features when they finally exited his establishment. “We didn’t even catch up!” He thought with a snicker as the door jingled closed.    

> Loose Ends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike


        The night air usually left him cold and shivering every day. Well; everyday except this one. It had been special; the little heart to heart him and Luna had in Donut Joe’s. Speaking of the Princess; he casted an analyzing glance at her. She apparently didn’t notice as they walked the streets, headed for the train station. After a little time was spent planning on where to go; Luna, out of the blue, had decided to visit her niece in the Crystal Kingdom. News of the “Portal” incident shouldn’t have reached the Far North. And by ‘news’, he meant Shining Armor.

        “Are you done ogling me, Spike,” Luna asked whilst keeping her gaze straight ahead. Spike stumbled, nearly faceplanting as he was caught red handed. She hadn’t even turned to acknowledge his...ogling, as she put it! Wait...ogling!? That made him sound like some sort of pervert! Spike’s face contorted into a glare as he looked at Luna once more, “It seems I’ve finally got some emotion out of you tonight! Good. I do not like to be bored...and talking to a mobile wall somehow screams boredom to me.” Luna quipped as Spike’s glare increased in intensity.

        “I’m sure talking to a wall is better than rocks!” Spike counter-quipped as Luna responded with her own glare. Spike smiled in victory at the quick-to-anger Princess.

        “Never bring that up again! Thou knowest all too well of loneliness!” Luna exclaimed as she slipped back into the old tongue. Spike fought to suppress his giggles as Luna ranted on and on about a rock named after peanut butter or something. Some of the...escapades the rock and her got into while imprisoned were a little...much.

“Alright, alright,” Spike said as he waved a claw through the air, laughing as the Princess fumed at him, “I apologize.” Luna’s harsh stare softened considerably at his apology.

“We accept thy words of apology. Let it never happen again, Spike.” Luna smiled warmly as Spike’s face reddened slightly. He turned his head quickly, trying to eject the smile from his mind. Luna quirked her head forward, trying to see Spike’s face as he kept it turned from her direction.

“S-stop trying to look at me.” Spike said quickly.

“Why?” Luna responded instantly.

“I,” Spike held the letter on his tongue for about  five seconds before, “I have a booger!” He said triumphantly. Although, his feeling of triumph slowly faded as he noticed Luna distancing herself.


“Ew-ith.” Her face scrunched up as she reverted back to the old tongue. Spike’s face whitened at the thought of Luna now finding him appalling. He whipped his head so he could face her again.

“It was a lie! I really didn’t have a...bat in my cave! Yeah, it was a complete lie!” Spike exclaimed as he reached out a tentative claw towards Luna who stopped and picked up the foreleg closest to him. She grimaced in disgust at the outstretched limb.

“Twas a lie my eternal backside! Retract thy tool of unholy nose picking!” She shouted in disgust. Spike’s face dropped as he did what he was told. Luna beamed at him...then bursted out in hysterics. Spike was completely confused.

“What?” he uttered as Luna’s laughs increased in intensity.

“We have *giggle*, played a prank!” Luna exclaimed as Spike’s face became serious. Was he really this easy to fool? Well, looking back on his life, he did recall many event leading to embarrassment based on his own ignorance.

“That’s not funny.” Spike deadpanned. Luna calmed herself as the train station came into view. The Friendship Express had been here long before Spike was even born, prompting him to slightly analyze the building in awe. Through the many harsh seasons and time itself, the buildings still held strong. Such must be the power of ingenuity and well-laid foundations. They both ascended the three marble steps to the pay window.

“I beg to differ Spike,” Luna snickered once more as they came to a stop in front of the see-through window. Even though it was night time, the Express ran. It was the only safe way of travel through many...uncharted, lands. A mare dressed in a black and gray conductor’s outfit was dozing in the chair behind the window, a crystal blue snot bubble rising and falling from her right nostril, “I take back my words earlier, Spike. This is more...unsettling, to observe than your habits.” Luna took a step back in disgust.

“Wow. I think I know where Blueblood gets it from.” Spike internally quipped. He rapped on the window pane thrice, eliciting no response from the still unconscious mare behind the glass. Growing annoyed at the sudden interruption to his journey, Spike pounded on the window, shattering it. He cast a sheepish smile back at Luna, who was glaring at him with a raised eyebrow. 

The mare roused herself with a start, shrieking like mad when Spike poked his head through the window. “DRAGON!!! THERE”S A BLOODY DRAGO-” A well placed claw silenced her raving. Spike inclined his head at her nametag, which read “Marigold”. Smiling warmly, he retracted his claw and held an index finger to his mouth, making the universal shush. Her accent reminded him of a little colt in Ponyville. Ah yes, one “Pipsqueak”. Although Pipsqueak is his name; it barely does him justice, what now that he’s the size of Big Macintosh. 
“I’m not going to eat you, Miss Marigold! Please, for the sake of the sun, calm down!” Spike whispered cautiously. He really didn’t want her screaming in fright to a guard or something. Marigold complied half-heartedly, keeping respectful distance away from the dragon that just broke her window.

“Oy. If this is some sort o’ joke then i’m noht laughin’! Canterloht doesn’t get many dragons around ere’,” marigold spoke just cautiously as Spike did. She had never seen a dragon at all! This was a new experience, and to be quite honest, it scared the bloody tartarus out of her, “So wot are you doin’ ere’ anyways?” She asked as she scanned herself for any damage.

“I believe that your job is to merely supply us with a schedule for the Friendship Express’s after-sun runs.” Luna interjected as she stepped out from behind Spike. Marigold looked at the Princess, then at Spike once more, before giving a look of absolute terror. With a few moans, she hit the ground with her hoof over her forehead, completing a faint that rivaled even Rarity’s. Luna looked at the mare with narrowed eyes, clearly agitated that their only means of finding the times for the locomotive was gone.

Spike simply shrugged his shoulders and walked into the entranceway that lead to the tracks. It was a large square hole with nothing preventing ponies from just walking though. He decided to just wait on the train near the tracks. Luna eyed him as he walked, wondering about what could possibly be on his mind. She looked up at the moon that she had risen, hoping that it could shed some of its proverbial light on the situation at hoof. When no answer came, much to her chagrin, she walked after Spike.

---

“Hey Luna,” Spike asked from his resting position on a wooden bench, with Luna laying right beside him. She had known that something was still troubling him ever since their little heart to heart in the Bakery they had left. She just didn’t know what it was. Luna knew that was all going to change though, right here and now, “You say that you’ll help me throughout the span of my journey. To be quite frank,” he turned his head so that he was looking at her and didn’t continue until she met his gaze. He wanted this to be driven home, so that he can assuage any doubts from his mind based on her answer, “ What will you do when your sister once again tries to take my life? I have little to no doubt that she sent you and my friends to hunt me down.” 

“I’m just curious if you'll be the one to stop the knife; or drive it deeper.” Spie finished as Luna’s eyes widened for a moment. There was no hiding the meaning behind that statement. Spike was worried if she was a traitor waiting to happen...a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Although his accusation is not without a strong foundation, her heart shall, and will, belong to her friends. No exceptions. Even if all of Equestria viewed him as the next big threat, she would not falter in her faith.


“I believe that question was already answered at Donut Joe’s,” Luna said triumphantly. Spike’s face was cold, indicating that he didn’t buy the act of bravado. Luna smiled sheepishly, thinking about what to say next before it dawned on her. The words she needed-no, had, to say suddenly filled her mouth, “Under no circumstances will I ever turn my back on you. Even if my sister pleads and threatens me, I will defy. I swear on my life and on my moon that I shall be with you, never harboring wicked machinations that will lead to your imprisonment or death. You have my word as a Princess of Equestria: A friend, the Lunar Mistress...and most importantly,” Luna touched Spike’s thigh with a hoof, “as myself.” She finished, smiling warmly at her friend.

With a smile carrying equal warmth, Spike tentatively raised one of his purple claws. It shook in the air as it slowly descended upon Luna’s hoof, holding it on his thigh. It was soft but hard, like a rock covered in moss. Unlike a simple stone, however, her hoof radiated a type of comfort that could put masseuses to shame. He felt his worries begin to sift and scatter, like chaff in the wind. It wasn’t long until he eventually found his eyes growing heavy and darkness clawing at the corner of his eyes. “T-thanks Luna, for everything.” He fell asleep right then and there.
---

With him finally asleep, Luna now had time to fetch what was concerning her so much. It was rather hard, releasing the dragon’s grip from her hoof without stirring him. But it was an obstacle that had to be hurdled over in order to get to where she was now. Her current location, was in her room at Canterlot Castle. She merely flew into her room like she would on any other night that she had freetime. Little did anyone know, her room wasn’t absolutely dark because she favored her night. In fact, it was relatively well lit upon her entering, basking the room in an ethereal blue light. Blue flames vibrated on the silver sconces adorning the obsidian walls, providing the aforementioned blue light. Her eyes settled on a large black victorian dresser beside her bed.

Eight drawers were quickly recognized as she approached the lifeless furniture. She opened the top left drawer and began shuffling through quills and scrolls until she found what she was looking for. There was a fake bottom to the drawer that she had installed when the dresser was moved into her room. After finding the switch to pop the false bottom up, a single blue button stared at her. Across the button were the words, “Stop.”  She did what the button told her to do, really trying to figure out if what she’s doing is truly wrong.

“I’ve already given my word to a friend in need. I durst not become a coward now!” Steeling herself once more, she tentatively pressed the button. A sound similar to a vacuum sucking up something with girth was made behind her, causing Luna to turn around at a moderate speed. Her bed was gone. In it’s place was a beautiful stained glass image of herself, extending a hoof into the air with her eyes closed and wings extended. The smile on the stained glass Luna’s face seemed to radiate with mirth and happiness. Behind the beautifully detailed image of herself was a picture of the Royal Castle at dawn. Why dawn, she doesn’t know.

Fourteen circles had stars inside of them, similar to a purple unicorn she know’s cutie mark. A total of eighteen circles adorned the whole piece; the larger three holding the three stages to her moon. A full moon in the middle of the three and a waning and waxing moon flanking it on either side. The very bottommost circle had her sister’s face in it. The overall detail put into the portrayal of her was breathtaking. It only served, however, to dampen her mood and scare her further.

Gazing upon the happy mare in the picture was almost like being slapped. Normally, this picture would be the embodiment of her happy times, making any day seem brighter. But not now. No...this was a foreshadowing of the things to come. Surely, this was fate’s way of saying that if she takes the path with Spike, this mare would cease to exist. There would be no returning to her days of bliss. What she needed to get was on the other side of this final obstacle though, but it was proving to be the hardest one to overcome.

Luna had to shatter it. 

She has to shatter the very embodiment of her brightest days in order to uphold her promise with Spike. She had to destroy all the trust she’s worked so hard to accumulate over the long twenty years of her return. It would mean annihilating all traces of being accepted back into her subject’s hearts. But, it was also a price she knew must be paid. Raising her left hoof into the air, Luna gave the piece one last glance...

 

       “Goodbye...Old Luna.”  She thought calmly as a smile graced her face. For a fleeting moment, like a hummingbird feeding from a flower, Spike’s smile from earlier entered her mind. It relaxed her, knowing that she’ll have that smile to fall back on if this deed was done. With a small yell, she shattered the stained glass into mini-shrapnel pieces that littered the hole where it once was. The only object in the hidden hole was a black chest with four blue stars on top. 
The chest itself was no bigger than a saddlebag, making it easily maneuverable. Even though it was small, Luna knew all too well of the power that lies dormant within it. She wouldn’t dare harm her subjects as herself if the time came. Having said that, she would take on an alias that was long forgotten. One that was meant to be forgotten for all of time. encasing the chest in her telekinetic magic field, Luna made her way to the balcony. Once outside, she jumped off and unfurled her majestic wings, catching herself from her downward plummet. She then adjusted herself into the general direction of Canterlot Train Station, hoping to arrive to a still slumbering Spike.

---

Spike watched angrily as Luna landed next to him. She was carrying a small black chest with her, but that could be talked about later. She smiled sheepishly as her eyes locked with his. “And just where were you? I’ll have you know that Miss Marigold from earlier decided to wallop me with the bill when we were supposed to share it! I hope that chest is filled to the brim with bits or else we’ll be moving in with earthworms!” Spike fumed at Luna who only kept up her sheepish smile. 

“Forgive me Spike, but I must say that fetching this,” She levitated the chest in front of his face, “Took precedence over all else.” Luna laughed as Spike raised an eyebrow. He then crossed his arms and began tapping his foot. 

“What make’s a chest as adorable as that so important? Don’t tell me its your diary container or something.” Spike deadpanned as Luna chuckled.

“No, it’s not. But, it does hold some memories I rather not share.” She explained as Spike merely closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders in acceptance of her explanation. As if on cue, a train whistle sounded off in the distance. Spike immediately whipped his head so that he was facing south, instantly making eye contact with the train. Because of the hour of night they were currently in, the train was not allowed to sound more than once. As the train pulled up to the station, Spike’s claw gripped tightly around the tickets in his hands.

This was it. This was his time to say goodbye to the only places he called home. Canterlot and Ponyville...returning to them would be a fool’s errand. So, with a sniff to hold back some tears, he approached the opening doors just as the conductor stepped out. He was surprised at first, but after just chalking it up to being in the magical land of Equestria, he took the tickets from Spike and allowed him and Luna on the train. They instantly made headway to the car with the beds, trying to procure a spot before the morning assault of travelers and nomads becomes a problem.




They entered a cabin just as the conductor made his last call to nopony on the platform. The doors closed with an audible hiss. There was no going back now. Settling himself down on a bottom bunk, Spike’s mind began to plague him with images of simpler times. Like when Fluttershy had turned 34 and got drunk for the first time. It was rather hilarious watching her sing Winter Wrap-Up in the middle of Ponyville Square...during summer. Spike chuckled as he placed his hands behind his head. Such times will never be forgotten, not as long as there’s a dragon willing to remember them.

Luna had hoisted herself onto the bunk atop of Spike, slipping soundlessly under the     
 light blue covers with white trim. Even though the mattress was a far cry from her four-poster at the Castle, it was not without comfort. Her mind instantly drifted off to one of her most pleasurable memories since her return. Coincidentally, it involved Spike coming over to help Celestia with negotiations towards the Dragon’s. It was a rather heated two days and nights of intense letter sending and planning on how to avoid a war. The war was going to happen based solely on Spike, whom the Dragon Emperor; Phalanx, believed was being held captive by the Elements of Harmony against his will. Spike quickly assuaged his doubts by sending a rather...curt, message. Phalanx, normally being against acts of violence, simply sent back a two word response to Spike’s last letter.

She couldn’t help but snicker at the two words. It was as if Spike had made one of the greatest dragons simply pale in fear. Although he hid the contents of his private message, Luna could tell that it was some sort of quip...or venomous threat. No, it was definitely the former. For the two letter response was a simple, “Oh my.” After that event, Spike and Luna spent another four days together, genuinely getting along. It was peaceful, having company like she did for those four days. Even though Spike had made it his mission to visit more frequently, nothing could compare to those first four days. It was a trademark step in their relationship with one anothe-!

Luna’s eyes, which had closed, snapped open in realization as her cheeks reddened slightly. There was no way she just used that word! Relationship!? What relationship could they possibly have besides being friends!? There couldn’t be amorous feelings in her could there, and especially not towards one so young?!

“Hey Luna,” Spike asked sleepily, getting a surprised yelp from the Princess, “Are you ok up there?” Spike asked with genuine concern. 

“W-we art fine, Spike! Now, get some sleep before your brain melts!” Luna lamely covered up her embarrassment. Simply taking Luna’s odd behaviour as her still getting accustomed to her new life, Spike immediately found himself on the threshold of slumber once again. This time, worry couldn’t keep him from tilting over the edge this time. His soft snores put Luna’s mind at ease as she too drifted off. She squeezed the chest closer into her bosom. No matter what happens from here on, she will never leave Spike’s side. That’s the promise she made...and it’s the one she’ll keep. 


.   

> In the Days of Old: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion


The afternoon bell resounded through Dameion’s ears as every draconian in the room stood up and bowed to their instructor. As they filed out of the room, a parade of five to five-and-a-half foot anthro dragons, one stayed behind and even went over to Dameion’s sleeping form. The draconian was female based on the uniform that she was wearing; which had a scarlet skirt, scarlet shirt with scarlet tie, black uniform socks and black dress shoes. 

Her magenta eyes seemed to radiate mischief as she peered at the still-slumbering form of Dameion, who was dressed in the male version of her own attire. “Dameion,” she whispered into his ear, “It’s time to go now. You slept through the class again.” When she noticed how her attempts at waking him were proving to be futile, her face took on a dark scowl. She opened her mouth to say something, but a yawn from Dameion’s awakening body caused her to stop.

Rubbing both of his eyes with his claws, Dameion went immediately still as he stared slack jawed at the draconian in front of him. This is not what he expected to see after taking a beating like he did! Why was there a very attractive young draconian female in a school uniform in front of him? Dameion began looking around for Maxxis, hoping that this was still a part of the fight.

“What’re you lookin for Day-Day?” The girl asked with a genuine smile of happiness. The confused look upon Dameion’s face was very comical as he looked at the girl, who promptly began giggling at him.

“Day-Day? What am I, a pet dog or something!?” Dameion asked in an offended tone as he stood from his desk, the chair he was sitting in fell to the floor with a loud clanging noise. The girl giggled again as she looked at his face, which was now contorted in fury. Whoever this girl was, she obviously liked him somehow. The pet name was clear enough, but the general unresponsiveness to his angry outburst sealed the deal for him. 


“No, silly! we’ve only been best friends since Elementary school! How could you forget your own nickname?” She asked with a smile on her face. Dameion walked over to her and promptly poked her in the gut, causing her to giggle harder than she did before. “What are you doing, Day-Day,” She asked with mirth in her eyes as she crossed her arms around her midsection, “That tickles really bad!”






“Checking to see if you’re just some type of magic. The last thing I remember was a draconian named Maxxis beating the crap out of me. Tell me girl, do you know of the one named Maxxis?” Dameion asked as he groped at his chin with a claw. The unknown girl looked taken aback at being called a girl. This did not go unnoticed by Dameion, for he looked back to her after staring off into space. “Is something awry?” He asked when her face grew serious.

“My name isn’t Girl, Dameion! It’s Artemis! Remember? I told you to call me Artie and I would call you Day-Day!” She explained with a rather adorable pout on her face. Through her pout- and weirdly not her smile- her snaggletooth poked out from her top jaw. This entranced Dameion greatly, before he realized that a true gentledrake doesn’t stare. Shaking out of his stupor, he tried to process all the information he was just given, looking for obvious blunders in this girl’s story. He still inwardly prayed that all of...this, was just part of the battle he should still be experiencing.

“I will not lie to someone so beautiful. Though it pains me to say this for some unknown reason, I must confess that your image doesn’t really bring any memories to my head. Also, I need to deduce whether I’m still myself. Do you know anything about a draconian named  Maxxis, by any chance?” Dameion asked as he looked upon Artemis’s face, which was bearing a sad expression that nearly caused him to cough out of shock. Did her eye just glisten right there!? 

“You’re serious,” Her voice was an amalgamation of a wail and sigh, “You honestly don’t remember me? I’m honestly hurt Day-Day.” Dameion really thought that he had damaged this girl’s heart beyond any hope of repair. Artemis sighed as she looked Dameion right in the eye, causing the latter to gulp in apprehension. What was she thinking?

“Maxxis is Solomon High’s Wrestling Captain. You should know that, considering that you’re our number one Fencer, Day-Day.” Artemis said with a shrug, her voice returning to normal. She was a sweet girl, but she seemed to be lacking in brain power. Dameion was officially lost now. This whole scenario made no sense.

With nothing better to do, Dameion put a claw back to his chin and began thinking about the recent events that transpired. “So first, I ended up fighting against another draconian named Maxxis after running into Arma. Which, amidst my blood curdling cries of anguish as the Feral beat me in, I find out is actually her brother. Although her voice was rather tomboyish, she seemed like such a nice girl. Wait...I’m getting sidetracked again. Alright, so then I guess I lost my engagement and had passed out. As shameful as that is, I guess this is the only logical explanation for all of this. This, however, doesn't explain my smaller body and new surroundings.”



“Unless...yes. Yes. It could be that while I am amongst my dreams, my mind has thrusted me into a memory of old. If this is proven true, then maybe I can milk this for all that it’s worth.” Dameion’s claw lowered as he looked at Artemis from the corner of his eyes. She eyed him sweetly, seemingly becoming more happy. He couldn’t help but smile at this, given that she looked way more...attractive? Nay, more like normal, in character even. “I guess I should begin my exploration of this...Solomon High? Given my current uniform and appearance; my guess is that this is some type of learning institution for the wealthy.” 

Artemis was beginning to feel creeped out. Not only was Dameion in deep thought, but he was in deep thought while staring at her. She was sure that he’s doing it unbeknownst to himself, but to be...analyzed, like this is completely weird. She lifted her right leg and used its shoe to scratch the back of her left leg, which had developed a nervous itch. “Are you quite finished, Day-Day?” She asked sheepishly. Dameion’s eyes widened before he shook his head, mentally berating himself for staring again. “If you want to talk to Max, then I can lead you to the Gymnasium on the first floor.” Artemis said with another smile like the one she used when he first awoke.

Dameion was apprehensive at first, still trying to piece some things together as he agreed. With a nod of his head, the pair of draconians stepped out into the hallway of Solomon High.

---

As the pair walked the many winding and perplexing corridors of the High School, Dameion couldn’t help but gawk in awe at the sheer brilliance of the institution. Almost all the furniture was victorian. From the handles to the doors that they attached themselves to. First place trophies were everywhere behind crystal cases, making the halls have an even more robust and champion-like feel. Red carpet outlined in diamonds, was the norm in every hallway. Chandeliers made from the purest diamond and platinum shone bright like supernovas, illuminating every crack and crevice. Paintings of various Nobles and Kings, as well as some Queens, adorned every wall. The windows were even made from crystal instead of glass.

Dameion and Artemis walked in relative silence on their way to the gymnasium. Artemis appeared to be a very popular individual amongst her peers, for not once did a single draconian ignore her presence as she walked the hallways. They always gave small greetings as she passed them; but there was something in their eyes that Dameion couldn’t stomach. That feeling was greed. They looked upon Artemis as if she was nothing more than a material possession, serving no other purpose than to sit on a wall and collect dust. That put Dameion from his neutral mood into a more sour one. 

They descended a flight of brilliant marble steps as they neared two large white doors. The white doors had the tell-tale narrow panels of diamond-lined glass that all gyms had. What really confirmed their arrival though, was the sound of a whistle being blown casually.
Dameion pushed open the doors and was instantly greeted with the smell of perspiration and gym socks. It took everything in his power not to empty his stomach onto the floor beneath him. Such acts would be very uncouth and plain revolting after all; which would never sit right with him. Recovering from his retching, Dameion eyed the pungent gym with an analytical eye, searching for the tell-tale scarlet of his foe.

To say that the gym was big would be a gigantic understatement. It was at least one hundred feet high and two hundred feet long. The roof; even though the gym was huge height-wise, showcased a long black line running the length of it. It was a sign indicating that the roof could be opened for activities involving the sky. The scarlet and black rolled-vinyl flooring boasted the school’s colors. Windows were placed evenly along the roof and wall. It also appeared that the gym was split into four sections.

In the far back-right of the gym, a large swimming pool complete with scarlet buoy dividers was made apparent by a splash in its direction. As Dameion turned his head to inspect said splash, a rubber ball clobbered him in the face. This abrupt force flung him into the doors he just entered, causing them to unhinge as he crashed through them. A loud crash silenced the turmoil in the gym as all the draconians looked at the doors that had just been crashed through, looking for whoever went through them. 

Dameion’s gray claw grabbed the frame of the doorway as he staggered inside, growling as his other claw was on a shard of glass that had found its way into the left side of his chest. Blood dripped from the wound, but he was thankful that the pain was bearable enough so that he could walk back in. The many wealthy students gasped in shock as he snarled in anger, glaring at each face in the gymnasium so that he could pinpoint the cause for his sudden injury. Artemis’s hand was on her mouth as a large drop of sanguine essence dripped from the square tip of the glass in her crush’s chest.

Her eyes widened and she gasped as Dameion forcibly yanked the glass out with a wet pop, throwing it to the ground with a snort. He was obviously cross with the one who did this to him; and she feared that his form of punishment would be worse than a shard of glass in the chest. Way worse, in fact.

“Which one of you bastards is responsible for this!?” Dameion asked in a completely anger-laced voice. His eyes dilated on a draconian as he stepped forward, inwardly praying that it was Maxxis so that he could exact his revenge. Instead of his real world adversary, he got a scrawny draconian with glasses. On closer inspection, it had semi-broad shoulders. This was a strong indication that it was a male. Dameion smirked devilishly as he made eye contact with the draconian who caused his wound, walking briskly up to his face.

“I do apologize for the wound I caused you my friend. You see, I was in quite the dodgeball match with my friends from the archery club.” Dameion didn’t care for the words he was spouting. He just wanted his revenge against this dork who just wounded him.
“I honestly don’t care for any apologies you’re trying to give me. All I know is that I want a duel for my honor and I want it now.” Dameion demanded with venom hidden in his voice. Artemis gasped as she ran to his side, tugging his right arm profusely. He glared at her, getting a cute squeak from her. 

“D-don’t challenge him, Day-Day! It won’t end well if you do!” Artemis pleaded as Dameion raised an eyebrow. Did she honestly believe that this pipsqueak would best him in a duel? That’s...remarkably hurtful. 

“You honestly believe that this pipsqueak could best me? Please. He’s a foot shorter than I and I’m six foot seven by the looks of it.” Dameion chuckled as he turned back to the one who injured him. “You...Me...Outside...Now.” Dameion demanded as he found a set of doors with a red exit sign over them, pointing a claw with killer intent in his eyes. The other draconian sighed begrudgingly as he accepted the challenge, walking with Dameion to the doors. Artemis and a large group of their peers followed, not wanting to miss this for the world.

Amongst the crowd of draconians, a certain scarlet mane flowed freely....

---

“Alright Geek Squad, what’s your name.” Dameion said with half-interest as he insulted his opponent-to-be. A vein throbbed in his forehead at the sudden insult, but he tried to hide his growing anger with a forced smile. 

“The name’s Thessolonius Warden Dementus the Third...but I prefer to be called Jessy. I am the acting Student Council Treasurer and heir to the Dementus corporation.” Jessy concluded as he adjusted his glasses with a finger. Dameion snorted at the rather abrupt description of his opponent.

“That’s a real cute name you got there, Jessy,” Dameion snapped his name in half while he raised his hand and struck a very feminine pose, “But I think my introduction is going to be better in every way possible.” Dameion concluded as he pulled the scarlet tie around his neck loose, tossing it to the grassy earth below him. He then slid off his jacket and white shirt underneath. With the exception of his recent wound, Dameion’s exposed chest gartered a lot of attention from the dragonesses around the two. Every muscle seemed to pop out as he flexed his slim but muscular top half. 

“I am the Prince of Zistral, Dameion Astra Setsuya.” Dameion concluded with a smug smile. Thessolonius’s face too on an expression of disbelief. Correction...everyone’s  face took on an expression of disbelief.



“That wasn’t an introduction! You just stated your title and full name!” Thessolonius exclaimed while pointing a finger at him. Dameion pointed a finger at him in return and began to laugh childishly. 

“Are you an idiot? That’s all an introduction should be!” Dameion snickered as Thessolonius growled. He had a short mane and tiger like markings on his head. One marking underneath his left eye and two on his neck.

Taking of his blue-tinted glasses, he proceeded to wipe them on his shirt before putting them back over his lime-green eyes. His white shirt seemed to glisten in the sun in this cloudless afternoon. A single blue line went down the middle of his shirt with a pocket on the left side. His black dress pants and shoes matched well with his whole outfit.

Thessolonius inclined his head as he opened his mouth in a smile. “I think this will be rather fun, Mister Fencing Captain!” He yelled as he aligned his hands like he had a bow and arrow in his hands. Dameion laughed at him again, thinking such an awkward pose was his fighting stance. There were so many blind spots that it was almost sad!

To Dameion’s chagrin, however, a sound of rushing wind echoed across the outdoors as Thessolonius’s hands began to glow green. A green outline of a longbow appeared in the hand furthest from his body while his other hand, still wrapped in the ethereal green glow, found a place on the buzzing string of the bow. It was completely made out of magic! 

The same facial expression Thessolonius had put on, never went away as he eyed Dameion. It was almost as if he was mocking him. Yeah, that’s probably it. Picking his jaw off the ground, Dameion angrily peered at Thessolonius through severely narrowed eyes. Even though they were mere meters away from each other; Thessolonius could feel the penetrating, predatory glare of the Prince burn holes in his eye sockets. To be quite frank, it was rather unnerving. 

Still, his facial expression didn’t change as his adversary spoke up in his rough voice. “I see mocking your enemy come quite naturally to you, my friend! If you have any last words Geek Squad then speak them now!” Dameion demanded as he followed his statement with a deafening roar. Artemis covered her ears with her hands, closing one eye in irritation. 

“I could say the same about you, Dameion! You have quite the witty tongue! I do believe that your temperament could use some adjusting, however.” Thessolonius responded with that same cocksure smile the Dameion had now begun to loathe. He had completely forgotten about Maxxis. All he wanted to do right now was pound this nerd into the ground with his bare fists. With that same smug expression on his face, Thessolonius begun the fight with these next few words. 

  

   
“Well...what’re you waiting for, Coward.” He taunted. Dameion charged him without another word.

 



> In the Days of Old: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion




        The ground thundered underneath Dameion’s feet as he charged Thessolonius head on, completely disregarding the constructed bow in his foe’s hands. All he would have to do was either duck or jump to either side in order to dodge it, right? No damage will come from an arrow that can’t hit you. As he quickly closed the distance, Thessolonis’s smile began to dwindle into boredom. Was the Fencing Captain of Solomon High really going to resort to such a disrespectful attack like this?

        “You have some serious bravado to be charging me head on like that,” Thessolonius called out with amusement as he drew his hand back, forming an arrow from the string and arming himself as he aligned his shot, “But I’m afraid that gratuitous amount of ignorance will only lead to your defeat.” He released his aura covered hand as a green flash flew through the air. Dameion felt something pass through him as he stopped in his tracks and inspected his body. How fast did that arrow travel!?

        However, there appeared to be nary a scratch on him. Smiling in relief and amusement, Dameion began laughing at Thessolonius. After the long and drawn out moment of joy was over, Dameion stared into the very depths, of his opponent’s eyes.

“Is that all the esteemed and prestigious Archery Club can muster!? I’ve seen the plethora of awards for first place in nearly every competition as I walked down to the gymnasium! There was no way you could’ve missed that shot!” Dameion snapped as he began walking to close the rest of the distance. He was going to end this in one blow.

“You’re right,” Jessy said with a smug smile, “I didn’t.”

Dameion’s eyes widened in shock and pain when he heard a disgusting splat come from the wound he had already sustained before the challenge. There, sitting perfectly wedged into the hole, was a medium-sized, magical lime-green arrow. It hummed deeply, almost like it was reverberating with an echo. The odd part was in the fact that it didn’t hurt him. Like, at all. 

“W-what...is the meaning of this!?” Dameion stuttered as he tried pulling the arrow out, only to yelp in severe pain when he tried to do so. Thessolonius lowered his bow and adjusted his glasses with his free hand before answering his adversary.






“That arrow is called Deadweight. It’s an arrow that has had two times the amount of accelerating wind magic put into it, causing the nigh-impossible speed you’ve just witnessed. That arrow is also infused with Sloth, a type of black magic that inflicts my opponent with slowed reflexes and speed. In other words,” Thessolonius paused as he raised his bow once more, preparing himself for the final shot. His eyes narrowed on the arrow that had lodged itself in Dameion’s left pectoral muscle, “That arrow is just a portable bullseye!”  Jessy yelled as he let another arrow fly. In mere moments, it connected with the previous arrow in Dameion’s chest. They fused together as an ear-shattering whistle broke the silence outside the gymnasium. 

The color of the arrows seemed to brighten as the whistle increased in volume. Then, the arrows imploded in Dameion’s chest, causing him to keel over and yell in absolute agony. As he was writhing and wailing on the ground, Thessolonius evaporated his bow and walked forward. He walked until he got right above Dameion’s face.

The prince was now hyperventilating in pain as he gave a sinister death glare at the arcane archer. “I hope you don’t hate me for this outcome. I’m actually the captain, of the Arcane, archery club. That being said, I expected much, much, more from a fellow captain. You’ve certainly caused me great dishonor with your unwillingness to draw your blade. This victory in itself was nothingness, Dameion. And for that, praise your deities that I didn’t turn you into a pincushion.” Rising to full height again, Thessolonius began walking away from his downed opponent.

Before he was out of Dameion’s sight, he raised a hand into the air in a haphazard farewell as he walked through the gym doors. Artemis’s scarlet hair flooded Dameion’s vision as she fussed over his body with her hands. The wound looked like someone had shot a cannonball through the left side of his body. It was a miracle that his left arm and wing were still attached. She was sobbing quite ferociously as her frantic voice snapped Dameion out of his thralls of pain.

“Oh Day-Day ,I told you that fighting Jessy was a bad idea! Now look at you! You look like a dragon’s leftovers!!!” She wailed with Dameion as she touched one of his wounds. It was almost comical, the amount of emotion she was showing. She wasn’t even injured! At the same time, however, it was also endearing. Dameion struggled to regulate his breathing pattern, which was critical in slowing the blood flow in his now shattered body. Speaking of blood...

The ground beneath Artemis and Dameion was literally flooded, with blood. His, blood. That wasn’t good, no matter how you looked at it. He could see the darkness beginning its clambering at the corners of his eyes. He could feel them fluttering open and close. Artemis was slapping him in the face, calling for help. Before he passed out, a feeling of pure cold gripped his whole left side. He turned his almost-closed eyes to his injured half, coming face to face with a blade of cold steel.

---
 “SKIES ABOVE!!!” Dameion shouted as he awoke in surprise. He seemed to be getting knocked out a lot recently, which is very irritating to him. This time, he awoke in an all white room with padded walls and he was resting on a metal cot. The sheer luminosity of the entire room as a whole, casted a glare that was also very irritating to him. Dameion proceeded to look around the plain room. It was almost as if he was confined in a comfy prison cell.

A glare from his right caused him to look in that direction. There was a draconian leaning against the padded wall with his right foot’s bottom placed flatly against it. His arms were folded and he had the school’s attire on. His scales are a crystal-blue, which was highlighted by his deeper blue eyes. A blanket of snow, cut short, matted his head in a fancy style. Whoever this guy is, he seemed to be having quite an unpleasant day.

Dameion tried calling out for him, but his voice was too raspy and he ended up sounding like he was going to die from dehydration. The unknown draconian heard Dameion’s ugly cry for attention. He turned around and faced Dameion as he kept his distance.

“You’re an ass.”

Wow. His first time meeting this guy and that’s what he has to say!? Dameion’s face contorted into a scowl as he tried to rise from his position on the metal cot, only to discover large black bands of leather over his blanketed body.

“Why would you charge in against Thessolonius without your sword, Dameion!? Do you know how much fucking shame you brought on the rest of us!!?” The draconian yelled with all the venom he could muster before inhaling deeply, then exhaling painfully slow. Whoever this guy is, it’s very obvious he has some anger issues. Ironic, given that his color’s all have ties with the ‘cool’ ones on the color wheel.

Clearing his throat to attempt communication, Dameion responded back with just as much venom. “What gives you the right to tell me that, you whelp!? Mend your tongue less I rip it out of your skull!!!” Dameion yelled back with a primal glint in his eye.

“IT’S MY RIGHT BECAUSE I’M THE FUCKING LIEUTENANT TO THE DAMN CLUB, DAMEION!!! YOU BETTER FUCKING GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT BEFORE I BREAK BOTH YOUR TESTICLES WITH A BALL-PEEN HAMMER!!!!” Dameion’s cheeks flapped about as he was yelled at in alarming volume. That shouldn’t be normal for any draconian, speaking on such a magnitude of voice! What’s this guy’s deal!?

“If what you say is true....then I must apologize.” Dameion’s words caused the draconian to do a double-take. “You see, I never knew I was the captain of a club here. What I did must’ve severely hacked our honor to pieces. For you to be so passionate about this, I’m sure you were hurt the most. Henceforth, I apologize to you...?” Dameion trailed off, indicating that the draconian’s name was lost on his tongue.
“It’s Zerris, Dameion. Zerris Hex. And....I apologize as well. Such words should’ve never been projected towards one with higher rank than me. Don’t think I’m done digging in your ass though!” Zerris added hotly as he sneered at Dameion, causing the latter to snicker on the inside. Underneath this guy’s attitude was a surprisingly caring heart. Who would’ve thought!

For a while they sat there, staring off into space. The silence was broken when Zerris turned his head and snorted, now looking away from Dameion’s position in the center of the room. To say that it was awkward would be a very big understatement. In fact, the situation’s awkwardness levels was kicked up even further when they both made eye contact for a second time. This caused Zerris to start tapping his foot against the marble flooring as he quickly turned his head away from the prince. 

Seconds turned to minutes as minutes turned to hours. They stayed in that room for what felt like an eternity until Zerris, once again, broke the silence with a yell of frustration and boredom. His gruff voice not matching well with his young features, but it did match his sourpuss face that only a mother could love.

“Or a female that enjoys abusive relationships outside the bedroom.” Dameion inwardly quipped as he closed his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. Zerris had explained that the room they were in contained very potent Healing Magic, which was a neutral elemental type. Staying in the room for more than three days could be fatal, due to the fact that absorbing too much magic can cause any draconian to implode without the proper training.

Dameion couldn’t stop thinking about his subordinate and that was irritating him. He only just remembered this drake today and now he can’t get him out of his head.

“I’m happily hetero, so there’s no way it could be that.” Dameion punctuated with a frown as he still kept his eyes closed. Maybe it was just the fact that they were club mates and seemed to hold a deep-rooted respect for one another. A type of respect that was made by enduring countless struggles together and smiling in the end. “Or grimacing in Zerris’s case.” Dameion snickered as he thought that. He was actually in a good mood for once. Like, a legitimately good mood. 

“Since I'm not injured and staying in here for prolonged periods of time doesn’t do me any favors, I’m just gonna go outside the room for a little bit. You know, so I won’t die watching over your sorry ass.” Zerris said with anger in his voice. He was clearly upset about the whole fiasco with Thessolonius from earlier.

“Before you do, Zerris, please come over and remove these restraints. I would appreciate it greatly.” Dameion said as Zerris’s right eye twitched in rising fury. Why was the captain being such a retard today!? Those restraints aren’t even strong enough to hold back a hatchling! Giving a heavy huff and pout away from Dameion’s eyes, Zerris turned and walked to the cot.  

     

  

        
        
“You know, I want to snap your neck so bad right now.” Zerris said as he leaned down and removed a leather restraint around Dameion’s left ankle. Dameion sighed in relief from the easing of pressure off one of his joints, earning him a disgusted glare from his lieutenant.

“What, does a guy untying you turn you on or something!?” Zerris asked with little anger and disgust hidden. Dameion chuckled deeply as he was just presented with an opportunity to upset him further. He didn’t know why, but seeing Zerris angry gave him extreme joy.

“A little higher, you big strong drake you. I want to feel, those masculine hands all over, my legs.” Dameion laughed as he was shook by his neck instantly by a now seething Zerris.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you!? Stop acting like a faggot and behave yourself you undercover sphincter squisher!” Zerris yelled in his face as Dameion continued to laugh. This moment of bonding was interrupted when a door opened behind them and another draconian walked in with her head held high. It was a her based on her apparel.

She was wearing a low-cut black and green dress. Her scales looked smooth and glimmered in the heavily illuminated healing room. The dress left little to imagination as she approached, the top of her tan breasts and cleavage barely being covered. Her eyes were a beautiful sunfire orange that seemed to radiate joy and good-will. Red dots aligned the top of her tail, which easily swayed along the ground as she made her way over to the cot. She put her slender arms behind her back as she roughly bumped Zerris out of the way before leaning down close to Dameion’s face.

He didn’t know who this female was, but she was quite attractive. Her breath smelt of fine wine, indicating that she had just eaten lunch. This led Dameion to believe that it was now noon or some time after. That’s when he noticed a key-feature that helped him identify this female. That key-feature was her deep, rich, scarlet hair.

“Ar-Artemis? Is that, you?” He asked, completely thrown off kilter at his friend’s change in appearance. She frowned at him, throwing him further out of his comfort zone.

She’s never frowned at me before!!? What did I doooOOOOHHH!!!”  Excruciating pain rocketed through Dameion’s body as he felt something enter his chest wound through the covers. As he cracked one eye open to investigate through the pain, he saw a needle being held in Artemis’s hand protruding from said chest. The vile instrument was now empty. She took out the needle and dropped it on the tray next to his head.

This gartered Dameion’s attention as he turned his head to look at where the clang of the needle sounded from after dropping. He wished he didn’t do that as he saw the piles; literally, piles of emptied syringes.


“All done Day-Day! Oh, and if you’re wondering why I look like this, it’s because I normally get ogled at in school due to my...pronounced, beauty. So, I invented a spell that lets me change my appearance during school hours! There was even a time where I had to kill a drake for thinking he could cop a feel without my permission! ” She laughed at this. Dameion and Zerris laughed too, although their laughs were forced and drenched with nervousness. Either Artemis noticed and didn’t care, or cared but didn’t notice. Putting her arms behind her back once more, she put on her trademark smile as she leaned over again.






























“It’s also time for you to get some more rest. The doc said that if you tried getting up right now, the pain would feel like getting your whole left side put in a blender!” She cheerfully broke this horrifying news to Dameion. Zerris snickered as he noticed Dameion’s face after being told that, skewed in fear and apprehension.


Dameion then felt the familiar feeling of going under again. It was that syringe! There was sedative in it! Not like it was a problem when he was surrounded by draconians that genuinely cared for him. He happily accepted the slumber that came easy to him as he closed his eyes. He was asleep in mere minutes. 

Once she was sure that Dameion was completely asleep, she stood straight up and balled her hands into fists. The amount of pressure that she was using almost caused her to poke through her own scales. Tears came to her eyes as she began sobbing uncontrollably, falling to the floor on her knees with her balled fists being the only support to her body. Zerris merely walked over to her and gathered her in his arms, allowing him to be used as a makeshift pillow.

“I-it’s because...It’s because I’m weak that he’s so banged up!” She said between gasps for air. Zerris hugged her tighter, pressing her firmly against his chest as she continued to sob.

“It’s because of that reason why you had to step in! He could’ve died and it would have been because of my helplessness! I should just keel over in a ditch somewhere and die!” She exclaimed loudly, causing Zerris to cover her mouth with a crystal-blue hand.

“Shut the hell up, Artemis. No one want’s to hear you moan and complain all through the day. Wipe your face and let’s get out this room before we spray it with our bloated innards.” Zerris rose from the ground with Artemis in tow. Sniffing twice, she wiped away the stray tears that were still on her face.

“Aw, Zere-Bear, you really know how to say nice things!” Artemis wrapped him up into a bone crushing hug. Zerris’s face became quite comical as he suddenly found his oxygen intake cut. He struggled against her for five minutes, turning a deep purple in the face before he simply tickled her armpit, causing the unnaturally strong female to drop him with a laugh.

Popping his right arm back in place as he rose, Zerris quickly gave Artemis his signature death glare. “Do that again and I will gut you like a cod.” He said matter-of-factly. He then proceeded to turn on his heels and head for the door, leaving it open for Artemis. He stood next to the hidden door with an impatient look on his face as she continued staring at Dameion.

“BRING YOUR ASS ALREADY!!!” Zerris shouted in his amped voice when Artemis didn’t break out of her stupor for a while. With a loud yelp of surprise, Artemis quickly rose from the ground and made way to the door. On her way there, she fixed her black hat on top of her head. With one last glance at Dameion’s slumbering form, she flipped the light switch and walked out as Zerris shut the door behind her. 

> Oath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        “It’s too late now, Spike. There’s no way you’ll escape your fate. The path is already being tread. You are the clueless nomad in search of a way out of your destiny. There will be nowhere to run once the White One finds out that you’re still breathing. Shining Armor will die: Luna will die, Twilight and her friends will die, and you, my dear dragon, will die as well. And in your place will come one who will rip Equestria apart with darkness!!! You will never ESCAPE!!!!” 

        Spike screamed as he sat up in his bed. Well, it wasn’t his bed in the library. It was a bed on a train, that was currently headed to the Crystal Empire. Why Luna had decided to venture there was still lost on him. All he knew was that there was no way that he would ever be accepted back into Equestria as long as Celestia still wanted him dead.

        Whatever that voice was in his dreams was plain frightening. It had a metallic-like tone to it, almost as if the speaker was behind a helmet. Then there was the sheer deepness, of its voice. If that thing was a female, it would never have a romantic partner. Those sentences he heard were some of his most dominant fears. If he would truly die sometime in the future, then he would do it protecting this land and his friends.

Celestia would have to fend for herself, however...

A snort from his right broke him out of his stupor as he turned his head, coming face to face with his travelling partner. Luna glared at him with scythes in her eyes. Spike gulped as he realized that his scream probably just woke up half of the residents on the train, let alone a very cross princess!

“And what, pray tell, has a full grown dragon screaming his lungs out at such an hour!? Do you fail to realize that this train is also being used by other patrons!” Luna then raised her head so that Spike could see the rest of the room. ALL the ponies were glaring at him. There were roughly ten other ponies in the train car. In a fast movement of midnight blue, Luna was in front of Spike once more. “You would be most wise in watching the volume of your voice. I would hate walking the rest of the way. Also, you must be prepared for some...changes.”

Spike opened his mouth to say something, but Luna cut him off.

“No, let me finish. I will elaborate further on this when we arrive at the station. As for right now, Spike, there are about ten apologies that need to be made.” And with that, her head reclined back up to her bunk. Spike sat there slack jawed for thirty seconds before he noticed the ponies all giving him impatient glares.


Fumbling with his apology, Spike nervously coughed into a claw. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry everypony.” Spike nervously rubbed the back of his head with a claw as he said his apology, which seemed to work as the disgruntled ponies put their heads back down. The dimly lit cabin was almost completely dark, save for the candle's glow that illuminated the room in waving orange light. The lack of illumination could also be the reason why none of the passengers had noticed Princess Luna. Even her accent was not normal.

Spike yawned as he started to succumb to his weariness. Then, almost as if fate was real and was taunting him, the conductor yelled.

“LAST STOP, CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!” Many of the ponies who had just started drifting off moaned in annoyance. Spike grunted in his own annoyance, not liking the idea of missing out on valuable shut-eye. He was pretty much kept awake by his night-terrors while he slept, making actual sleep a fool’s dream. 

“Ruler of Dreams my butt...Couldn’t even send some encouraging words or make an appearance when I needed you.” Spike growled as he sat up and swung his legs to the side of the cot/bunk bed, placing his feet upon the wooden floorboards. The ruffling of feathers and the ethereal sound of magic being casted, drew Spike’s attention to the top bunk.

Luna had teleported...

“Great! What the Tartarus is she up to now!?” He thought in bemusement as he began walking towards the blue door separating the train cars. Sliding it to the left with relative ease, Spike walked forward until he met the conductor at the door to the station platform. It was the same conductor from his first ride and he looked really, mad with Spike.

“Good night to you, sir.” Spike smiled as he continued walking past the conductor.

“You will die soon.” 

He stopped instantly. Widening his eyes in shock and fear, Spike slowly turned around, looking at the conductor as if he had just killed somepony. “You will die slowly and painfully, as you watch those you care most about perish one after the other. How does it feel to know that in the span of life, your existence is finite and laughable? I will take extreme pleasure in driving the sword of Truth through your heart, WYRM!!!” The conductor laughed maniacally.

That was it! That’s the voice he heard earlier! Why was this stallion mimicking the voice he heard in his subconscious wanderings!?

“Leave me alone! J-just...What do you want from me!!?” Spike yelled in absolute terror as the conductor began walking towards him. 


“Isn’t it obvious, you worthless mutt!? I want to see the world become enveloped in madness and sin everlasting! I want to see Ponies: Dragons, Gryphons and Draconians swallow each other in war and bloodshed! What Celestia thought she had erased will come back two-NO, SEVENfold and demolish everything she has built!!!” The conductor was closing the distance slowly but surely, whilst Spike was backpedaling. A stray briefcase caused the dragon to fall onto his rump with a thud, replacing the backpedaling with scooting.

“How has nopony heard this guy yet!? I know it’s night time, but somepony has to hear this guy! Wait...Oh my stars!!!”  Spike’s heart plummeted into his stomach as he felt the cold embrace of cobblestone to his back. He reached the train station’s wall. The conductor was still making his advances, but something seemed a little...off. That’s when Spike finally noticed two things.

One, the whole area around him seemed to be a gray version of the station. That is, everything was monochromatic. Grays, blacks and whites made up the color scheme of the sky and ground, as well as the station and train he had just recently stepped out of. The only things that were in color were the conductor and himself.

The second thing he noticed was the motion of this monochromatic place. Or rather...the lack, of motion. Everypony that was getting on or off the train, was stopped in time. He wasn’t in the world he knew anymore! It was just him and...this thing.

“So you finally noticed,” the conductor whispered deeply. He lifted his head so that Spike could see his eyes. Every fluid that Spike had would have found its way out of his body if the conductor carried on with that stare. The large pony eyes had shrunk to the size of a manticore’s. The eyes were like looking into bright pools of lava, where even the area around the eyes was singed and cracked in a bright orange color. It wasn’t the eyes that made him lurch, however.

It was the smell.

This was the most rancid, most foul, most unholy, smell that Spike had ever known. It smelt of fermented garbage and sulfur, with little highlights of corpse and flatulence. It really smelt like the inside of the incinerator used for garbage.

Picking a claw up so that he could cover his nostrils with it, Spike slowly stood up. His head was spinning from the sheer gastric and nauseating aroma that assaulted his nose. The conductor noticed his behavior and began to cackle once more, earning a confused yet horrified stare from Spike.



“Heh Heh....You must smell the remnants of my voyage here! That, my dear boy, is what a damned soul smells like. We demons have quite a peculiar taste on our tongues!” The thing proceeded to slowly lick the corners of its mouth in a slow manner. Like it was savoring the flavor of the poor soul it had just devoured. Spike had now learned that he wasn’t just having nightmares. He was being attacked by a demon strong enough to possess anything and use it against him.

Based on prior knowledge, however, Spike knew that the demon can only harm him if he wills it to. Giving it fear or showing any type of cowardice to it will only serve to strengthen the unholy beast. Steeling his heart with false bravado, Spike adorned a mask of aloofness and lowered his claw.

“Leave me be...Child of Tartarus! You have no power here!” Spike shouted in an angry tone. The possessed pony began to cackle once more at Spike’s feeble attempt to appear menacing.

“Oh please,” The possesed pony said with a smirk on his face, “Spare me the cheesy bravado, dragon. I have locked you into an alternate realm and possessed a pony! I’ve also stopped time around us and have even manifested myself through this useless puppet’s body! Your empty threats mean nothing to one such as I, Lucian!!!” The very air became humid and unbreathable and that was all due to him uttering his name.

Spike clutched his throat as he felt the heat resonate through his lungs, scorching the sensitive tissue black. It hurt...really bad.

“AGH!” He fell to the ground, gripping at his chest as the pain finally rocked him to the core of his being. He couldn’t form words even if he tried. Every fiber of his being was telling him to beg for his life and submit to the demon in front of him, to make the pain stop and just throw away his life.

What good is there in resisting!

My friends are waiti-

You have no friends! Submit to Lucian and stop this suffering!

Luna will be sad! I don’t want to see her sad!

That trollop doesn’t care about you and you know it!

Then why did she come along!? Why did she throw away her life for me!?

It was a ruse! This is no more than a cunning ploy to earn your trust!
And then what!!? She’ll kill me!!? Luna would never do that to me!!!

You’re giving the whore too much credit! She’d sooner have you dead then be shunned once more!

And how do you know that!? How do you know she’ll betray me!?

It’s so obvious, yet because of the feeling you hold towards her, you deny it!

SHUT UP!!! I WILL PROTECT HER AND MY FRIENDS!!!

Spike shakily lifted his head in order to meet the eyes of the one who was hurting him. Lucian stared at Spike with an amused visage. One eye was closed while the other one was practically radiating with evil mirth. The kind of joy that came from hurting others only.

    
“I’m more or less interested in your path, Spike. I do not seek to end your feeble life just yet, but out of all the souls I have eaten, I’m quite sure that yours will be the finest yet!” Almost instantly, the air became breathable. Spike inhaled deeply through both his nose and mouth, letting the cool air ice his burning lungs. His voice was noticeably more raspy and, well...hoarse. Spike smacked himself with a claw after that horrible pun went through this head.

“I do hope you’ll stay alive long enough to serve your use to me. It would be damn shame if you died before your usefulness to my plan began. Trust me on this, that time is still quite a way ahead.” With a dark chuckle, the presence of evil faded and the world regained its rightful color scheme again. The conductor blinked once and the eyes of Lucian were no more.

Taking notice of Spike on the ground, the conductor ran to his side and   began to help him up. Coughing twice, Spike proceeded to forcibly shove the conductor towards the train.


“Leave! I don’t need your help! In fact, you’ve done enough!!!” Spike yelled before going back into another coughing fit. The conductor grimaced at Spike, hopping aboard the train without another word. That cough sounded extremely bad.

Raising another claw to intercept the next fit, Spike noticed a splotch of red in his claw. When he opened it, his eyes widened yet again in shock. It was blood. He didn’t have enough time to react as the air next to him began to feel oddly tingly. THen, in a flash of blue magic, Luna materialized next to him with her mysterious chest.

“I apologize for you leaving you like I did earlier Spike, but be relieved in knowing that my chat with Cadence yielded favorable results. In saying such, our rooms have already been accounted for and-” Spike raised aa claw, cutting her off.

“Swear again.” Spike whispered so low that Luna couldn’t hear.

“I’m sorry?”

“Swear again!” Spike exclaimed suddenly, causing Luna to shrink back in surprise. What did he need her to swear on...again? 

“Swear on everything you hold dear that you will not betray me! Swear it now!” Spike said in misguided anger. Luna was at a loss for words. She was still trying to make sense of what could have happened while she was gone. In his anger filled eyes, Luna could see tears scratching at the corners of them. Something had frightened him into doubting her!

She had already made an oath with him, that was for sure. Luna shook her head, knowing that she had taken more than enough time in answering her scared partner. “I swear on my life, Spike. Now, do you want to get out of the cold or not?” Luna said with a bemused look on her features. Spike cringed at the now upset visage on the Princess’ face.

“I-I’m sorry, Luna. It’s just that...nevermind, I’ll tell you later once we get out of this cold. Are we going to be teleporting?” Spike asked as he walked nervously up to his partner. She nodded, still keeping her angry face.

“And I thought I had problems with forgiving ponies-er...dragons.”  Now that they were right next each other, Luna channeled the familiar teleporting magic back to her horn before they disappeared.  
	

> Lovely Memories: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lucian




        It’s a cruel and dark place here. The screams of the damned just do wonders to brighten up the atmosphere amongst my molten wonderland. This is the plane of Suffering. My world, my home turf. The volcanic and sulfuric gases filled the air as I breathed in, savoring the taste of burning flesh and souls. I was ecstatic, but bored. Really...really, bored. Having nothing better to do, I closed my eyes and opened my mind into reconstructing one of my most favorable moments of my life.

I could feel time slip by as the current plane began to shift from screams of agony, to...well...more, screams of agony. But these were proud screams, screams of war and blood. I took in the sights through my younger and still alive, body. Standing at about thirty feet tall, I towered over the measly humans and alicorn in front of me. I could feel the lava pulse in my body as I gripped my sword, Zernix the Molten, in my left hand. Seeing the supposed, ‘iron willed’, soldiers’ knees shake in my presence was amusing.

A chuckle deep and powerful enough to shake the plane itself reverberated through my throat. Many men fell backwards from the pseudo-earthquake I just caused by chuckling. Man, am I badass or what?

“HOLD YOUR RANKS!!! THIS ONE DEMON SHALL FALL TO US, THEN WE KILL ITS FATHER!!!” The alicorn boomed out over my chuckle-induced seismic activity. The men who still had their wits about them began a war cry that was just too pitiful to listen to. They sounded like cows with no tongues. Very agitating, but just as amusing. Odd. They then began chanting the name of  their ageless champion, much to my gratification. I’ve already played this scene a thousand times. 

“VA-LI-UM!!! VA-LI-UM!!! VA-LI-UM!!!”  The weak humans cried in false bravado. I chuckled again as a ten foot tall human shoved his way to the frontline. Once he parted the pikemen like a prostitute’s legs, he gave a war cry that sounded like thunder to the humans, but hiccups to me. I laughed, hard. The alicorn winced and the men cried out in pain as their eardrums nearly shattered. It was a satisfying feeling indeed.

Valium, however, was none too happy about my sheer disregard of his presence. He was a vampire that had been blessed by the alicorn herself, burning away his transgressions and letting him become the Champion of Light’s Holy Order. What a bland and out-of-style name.

“Beast of hell! I come before you as Champion of the Human Race and of the Holy Order of Mistress Light! Duel me and be slain by one! Resist, and be slain by millions!” He laughed smugly as archers readied their bows. They were made from purified silver and quite possibly the worst kind of pain a demon can experience. 
The tips were purified with angel tears and wrapped in scriptures of war from the holy bible. They were then prayed over by all the churches on Earth and Equus combined. Equus? That’s the name of that colorful pony world. Equestria is but a large continent on the face of that planet. The reason why these fools have entered this plane was to capture my father, Lord Dark, and kill him. 

They didn’t count on his son destroying half the population in blind rage.

The fools; honestly believing  they stood a chance against me. This battle was almost meaningless except for that one part coming up soon. Oh, you guys’ll get a kick out of it when it comes!

“No, Valium! You mustn’t charge Lucian on your lonesome! That’s what this army is for, you imbecile!” The crimson-locks of the alicorn fluttered about as she reprimanded her champion. The ex-vampire slid on a silver helmet with neck guard over his head and adjusted it as he looked at the overgrown horse. The helmet had two black horns coming out of it, which had always intrigued me. 

Didn’t the fools know that black horns were one of the signs of full demonic-possession? Oh well, I can’t really change anything now. 

“Relax, my love. Your champion will return with that demon’s head!” As he said this, he pointed a holy sword at me that seemed to be purely made from mist. His white and sickly pale chest was gleaming form the illumination his blade casted, which could also be said about the greaves and cape he had on as well. The cape billowed about in the sulfuric winds of my plane in a flag of crimson. It was torn, an easy indicator of a veteran.

“Blegh,” I droned out in my two-toned voice that radiated with mirth and power, “How long do you intend to just sit there and make googly eyes for? I accept your challenge you overgrown bloodsucking hairless monkey. Now, come get some.” I finished smugly as Valium’s head whipped around so fast, he might as well of been a sprinkler.

“Then I shall come to you, Puppet-Master of Pain!” His face contorted in confusion as I was caught playing with my many horns with a claw. Valium gritted his teeth in fury at my disregard for him as he struck a battle pose. A battle pose with so many blind spots.  I acted like he had just made himself known.

“Oh, and who might you be young one,” I said in a fatherly tone, “It seems you’re lost! This isn’t the playground son, you should go back home before it gets too dark.” Valium just stood there in that same pose as I scraped Zernix across the ground, eliciting a small vein of magma to erupt from under my feet. 

 

        “I do not fear the darkness, for I have conquered it inside myself! Son of Dark, you shall feel the wrath of the Champion of Light’s Holy Order!!! HUZZAHHHHHH!!!!” With that final war cry, the foolish warrior charged me. He cleared the fifty foot distance faster than lightning as I rose my sword a swung it down, almost crushing the white ant with it.

Not hearing a single scream, I knew he had managed to somehow avoid the blow. I had killed Valium that way at least ten times, so I wasn’t really expecting the noobish blow to connect. He had more than likely slid underneath my legs, like he’s done exactly, nine-hundred-thousand times. I felt a large slash grace my right leg as I tumbled forward.

“TIIIIIMMMMBBBEEERRRR!!!” I yelled as I shot out my sword and hand to break my fall. I felt the swift feet of the Champion running up my back in a hurry to reach a certain spot...which would be my head. I half-heartedly offered some resistance as I shot out plume after plume of lava from my back, which had killed him exactly nine-hundred times in the past. He actually managed to dodge every plume by dodging left and right, his holy armor protecting him from the falling molten menace that was my blood.
As he reached the apex of my body, he jumped into the air and slammed the holy sword into the crown of my head. I could feel the oversaturated holiness begin to flood this body like mist. Little did this fool know that I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I screamed in mock-agony as he drove that sword deeper, smiling as he thought he was actually killing me.

“You will die here, Hellspawn.” He breathed out venomously before turning the sword abruptly, sending a wave of holy magic through me. That actually hurt.

I roared and fell the rest of the way to the ground. My body crashing upon the gas-covered ground caused great seismic activity. The warrior dismounted my body and ran back to the alicorn with the red locks. The kissed passionately, for they had just slain Lucian.

Yeah...As if.

It almost caused me to laugh as I ascended from my demonic shell, clapping slowly in false amusement. Their eyes widened together as they broke the kiss, leering at me with pure shock etched on their faces. The millions of humans even watched in horror as I continued clapping with a smirk hidden behind my helmet. The shell I used was meant as a stationary battle bunker and nothing more. Had I truly been serious in my attempts to kill these fools, I would have just released a wave of molten lava over the army.

I must say, however, that this was one of my favorite highlights of this fight. My entrance onto the battlefield was breathtaking in my opinion. The way my armor was silhouetted in red from my previous shell with the glowing of my eyes, and the horns from my shell that littered the landscape behind me was stunning. I reached down into my lifeless shell and pulled out my real weapon, a simple swallow with an open hook at one end and a merciless blade, forged from the blackest fire in the other.
















“Vile Beast!” Valium yelled in my direction as he stepped away from the white alicorn in armor. He stared me down as both of our crimson red capes billowed in the toxic fumes.

“Please, we’re all old enough here! Call me by my name, I insist!” My jeering only served to anger him further as he materialized the same sword he had earlier in his greaves once more. I could see the perspiration trickle down his body, feel his desperation. Ohhhh, did his fear taste heavenly!

“I refuse, mongrel!”

Well that was rude.

“Come now, we’re all friends here! Why fight when we can talk out our problems!?” I asked with hidden anticipation.

“The holy do not converse with Black-Hearts!!!” Valium said as he rushed me with his sword to the left of his body. Its’ tip phased through the ground as he barreled at me. Before our swords crossed I said one thing.

“That’s funny, considering you're a Black-Heart your damn self, Vampire.” I swung my bladed side down as he brought his claymore up. They clashed and all the smog surrounding us was pushed away as we leaned in close to one another.

“Let’s see how long that bravado lasts, hmm?” I asked mockingly through my helm, which gave my already deep and menacing voice a metallic reverberation.

“I’ll smite you until there’s nothing left!” Valium yelled as he tried pushing me back. I scoffed at him as I felt the mediocre pressure applied to our crossed blades. He just attacked a stronger demon who had the high ground? That was battlefield taboo number one. A kick in the gut from my left grieve sent him flying, and I mean flying, off my shell. I casually walked off the body beneath me and towards Valium, whistling a tune as I did so. 

As Valium began to scrape his undead self off the ground, I continued my whistling as I twirled my swallow around my body. It didn’t take long for him to stand on his two legs and rush me gain, much to the chagrin of his alicorn lover in the background. Our swords danced as I whistled, not feeling any real pain from the multiple impacts we had between each other.

I swung the non-lethal side of my blade as he ducked under it and thrusted his sword at my chest, which I sidestepped without a hitch. I then brought the side that had missed down on his neck and jimmied it down into the ground. He was stuck as I kicked away the holy sword in his hand.


“VALIUM!!!” The alicorn yelled as she instantly rocketed towards me, flying like a bat outta hell. Well damn filly, I didn’t know you loved your man like that!

She angled her horn so that she became a high-speed spear of living flesh as the distance between us dissipated. I merely raised a gauntlet and caught her by the horn as I held Valium down with my other hand. The mare looked like she was going to wet herself.

“Annnnd, goodbye gnat.” I lifted her and flung her back towards her army, watching her speed back faster than when she charged me. Damn, I’m strong. I turned my attention back towards Champion Asshat as he clawed at my swallow, trying to release himself as I held him against the badland ground. “Hey there buddy, you enjoying yourself?” I asked nonchalantly as I squatted next to his body.

“A curse upon your household, wretch!” He then spat at me, and it made contact...on my fucking eye.

“Sonuva-!” I wiped my eye out and stared at him bemusedly. I guess I’ve played with my food for too long now. I traced a path with my index finger along his chest and swirled it around the area above his heart. “You know, that wasn’t nice.” I said in a hurt tone as I began removing his helmet. I wanted him to see his killer better.

“Unhand me fiend! I rather see the Light before I’m defiled by your unholy hands!” He wiggled about uselessly on the ground. His yellow eyes peered into my pools of orange and I felt myself get excited. No, not a hard-on. This was my favorite part. His jet-black hair rested against the ground. He actually looked incredibly young. Oh well.

“And initiating body exploration in three, two, one.”  When I hit zero in my mind, I shoved my gauntlet into his stomach slowly. The scream that came forth pierced the heavens above. I sloshed around through his entrails with glee, feeling his kidneys and intestines with much appreciation. I began fondling his stomach, loving the bulbous feel of the digestive system’s most valuable organ. He screamed his ass off.

“Oh hush child. Tis only a hand in your stomach.” I then took my gauntlet and encompassed his stomach within it.

I squeezed it till it popped, sending the acid out into the wound. I could see desperation in his eyes as the pain became too much for him to bear. I know how to keep my dolls alive, however, so Valium wouldn’t be passing out anytime soon.  So, knowing this, I began my escapades again.




I jimmied some more of my arm into the opening in his body and reached upwards, feeling for one of my favorite organs. Even through his blood curdling cries for help, my progress remained steady as I pushed gore further into his body. The erratic thumping I was waiting for stopped me suddenly. Also, through Valium’s closed eyes, I knew he could feel what I was after.

Panting deeply, he turned his head towards his lover and gave her a nod.


“Before you come charging at me, ‘Mistress’ Light, I should warn you that I was made for the sole purpose of killing everyone gathered here. My father has given me orders to escort you to him after I finish with your, ‘soldiers’.” Her face contorted into severe anger as she marched towards me.

“I will not allow you the pleasure of killing him!!!” As she talked, her horn was gathering white-magic orbs from the air and focusing it into her horn. It became like a sun, a terribly elongated appendage sun. She was nearing and as she did, her head became angled so that her body reflected that of a spear once more.

“Fine. If you don’t want me to kill him then I won’t.” I said nonchalantly as she then broke out into a charge. In a flurry of motion, I removed my weapon and gauntlet from Valium’s body and threw him at the alicorn. She tried to throw on the brakes, but she wasn’t quick enough.

Her champion roared in agony as the alicorn’s horn slid through his chest, pushing his heart out through said section of his body. The alicorn’s face was shrouded in terror and her lover’s blood, which made me smile. This was my favorite part!!! “You’ll do it for me.” I hissed out as the alicorn backed up slowly while angling her head down. The body slid off her horn like butter off a knife. He even landed with a sickening splat.

“Valium...” The alicorn dropped to her stomach as she scooted towards her fallen lover. A light-green aura covered her horn as she tried healing the fallen warrior, but it was pointless. She began sobbing, which made me giddy.

“...Is dead.” I concluded for her. She stared daggers at me before her body became enveloped in a gold pillar of magic. Didn’t I already warn her that fighting me would yield no fruit? “What’re ya’ doin, Faust?” I asked bemusedly. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? Now just be calm and come with me. My father’s patience is growing rather-”

I never got to finish as a gold hoof cover made contact with my face. I was sent flying at least ten feet before I crashed into my shell, causing the aging relic to disintegrate in an instant. I quickly stood back up with too much anticipation. At least I knew that this had to be coming. After all, I did just make her kill her lover.



“IF YOU WERE PRAYING FOR DEATH, THEN IT IS NOW TOO LATE!!! MY HEART BLEEDS AS MY LOVER DOES; AND THE ONLY FORM OF AID WILL COME FROM YOUR DEMISE!!!!” Faust stepped out of the pillar of magic with an authoritative step that shook the ground around us. When I wasn’t blinded by her magic anymore my mouth dropped. She almost looks as badass as I do. And that’s saying something!! Words could not even begin to describe her regal appearance. I think words would only serve to dwindle any true awe one would feel from gazing upon such power and grace.

She was breathing deeply, keeping her death glare on me as she took small but powerful steps in my direction. How were they powerful? She was creating craters where her hooves landed without stomping!

“You will not escape. I have had enough of my brother’s antics! And it shall be you, Lucian, that will finally make him see that mortals are. not. HIS! PLAYTHINGS!!!” I’ve never felt so much pain from one punch. I was literally sent flying at least one-hundred yards off of that one hit. 

“Well this never happened when I played this memory before!?” This was true. In all the years of reliving this memory, not once have I been on the losing side of the battle. That’s when a cloud of extreme darkness flooded my mind. In it, I could see my father’s face burning like an inferno. I guess those eyes run in the family...


“Hmph...You’ve grown sloppy ever since you’ve inherited the plane of Suffering, my son. And by inherit, I mean ‘banished for being too corrupt and powerful.’ “ My father’s voice sent a shiver down my spine as he spoke to me telepathically.



“What of it? It’s not like I can actually fight anything. Because of that stupid limitation you put on me, I can only possess creatures that are bipedal! Who cares if I slack off from my duties of torturing the damned?” I asked in an angry tone. My father, Lord Dark the Eclipse, really irritates me. He teamed up with his sister, Light/Faust, to banish me after I held my ground against them. Turns out, rebellion to a demon-pony thing is like honor to a father.

Go figure...

“I am your father and I have never been bested in combat! Just think of the shame I’ll feel if you lose to a figment of your imagination! Therefore, I will alter this memory so that my sister will be putting up more of a fight than what you encountered before. Even though you were born from that whore of a mother on Earth, I still hold you close to my heart. Not as close as your aunt, but still, very close.”

“Fuck you.” I said dejectedly as I felt all mirth I was feeling earlier slip out of my body. I just wanted to kill this bitch in front of me so badly right now! Just to shut my father up, I would skin her and her army alive!!!

“Swearing prevents you from becoming a better person, Lucian.” My father said smugly. He laughed incredibly hard as he left my mind. With that dark cloud gone, I could finally focus on the plethora of soldiers in front of me and Faust. She still looked amazing. Too bad I’m going to skin her alive...with her army, of course.

“Prepare yourself, Faust!!! My father has just pissed me off!!!” I charged her without hesitation, my blood boiling from father’s belittling session. She yelled victoriously as her army charged me, which never happened before as well. Nevertheless, the fools will be staring at their own entrails in mere seconds!

“If you get past my Order, Lucian, I will see to your destruction myself.” 

   
 
	

> Lovely Memories: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lucian




        You would think charging headfirst into a swarm of holy soldiers with armaments strong enough to slay and entire army of demons is a bad thing, wouldn’t you? Well, you’d be wrong. You see...I’m not like the fodder demons.

        The dry ground underneath me thudded with every greave that hit the ground during my charge. Red and gold-armoured soldiers rushed to meet me. With the sound of a million pots clashing together with a huge amount of velocity behind them, our swords crossed. I should say my shoulder, crossed with an unlucky man’s shield. The momentum of our collision sent him flying like a bullet into the fifty soldiers behind him. I was surrounded, instantly, by men with an incurable desire to see to my demise.

Twirling my swallow in a circular pattern one-handedly, I scanned the plethora of armed humans around me. They seemed scared to take the initiative...good. That would make my sudden lunge unexpected. You may not know this, but the body will become slow in reflex time due to anticipation. You’re more likely to respond quicker to something that takes you by surprise. 

I lunged at the man slowly approaching from behind me, turning in mid air and plunging the bladed end of my swallow into his face. The blade erupted out the back of his close-helmet, a hole the size of a fist gracing his used-to-be fine head. I swung the body like a lumberjack would chop at a tree, sending the body to the left of my current position with enough force to shatter boulders. The limp body weight caused the three guards that got hit with it to fall backwards. They won’t be getting back up. 

Thinking I had no chance to win if they all rushed me, all the forces of the Holy Order charged me from every side. Fools. Six pikemen thrusted their long-ranged weapons at me , but I avoided the simultaneous attack by jumping into the air at the last possible moment. I chuckled as I heard the familiar sound of steel puncturing flesh. I landed on the crossed pikes below me, squatting down so that my knees were bent to the sides of me. I didn’t stay long, for I then used the crossed pikes as a trampoline, propelling myself from the swarm of soldiers with a powerful spring-jump.

When my greaves touched the ground again, I looked back at the dazed and confused army behind me. I just soared a good five hundred yards with that one jump!

“I still got it.” I thought smugly as another warcry broke me out of my reverie and alerted me to the charging forces once more. I wasn’t going to be fancy anymore. I was going to make this army scream.

I held my swallow out in front of me so the bladed side was pointed at the approaching legion. I inhaled deeply before I thought of the most appropriate attack spell to use at a moment like this. I hunkered down, bending my knees as I felt the magic begin to encompass my weapon. The whole weapon turned a sickly red as orbs of crimson honed in on it from every direction. I was gathering every speck of evil energy into my sword, hoping to at least thin their numbers with my next attack. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting a lot of soldiers to perish from this one attack.

Exhaling sharply, the beam of magic erupted from my weapon. The beam was pitch black with red stripes flowing diagonally through it. The outline of the attack was the same dark- red as the lines inside the beam. I was half expecting the beam to veer off in a random direction or fizzle out before it hit the soldiers, due to my lack of training. I was taken aback, however, as the beam flew straight and true towards the middle of the wall of soldiers.

BRRRRRRRRRRRR...

Many of the soldiers tried making a run for it. I knew that would be pointless based on the type of spell I had just shot forth. It hit the pikeman leading the group in the chest as it sent him into the heart of the army. I smiled in knowing what was about to happen.

BOOOOOOM!

The beam imploded as a pillar erected itself from the heart of the army. It towered at least a thousand feet into the gas-enriched air. Then, what I was waiting for happened. The column of magic slowly shrunk and turned circular. It then began dragging soldiers into the magical black hole. This spell: Negarus, is old magic that even the most advanced magic practitioner probably never heard of it.

The warriors screamed as they were sucked into the confines of my magically projected deathtrap. I probably got around three-thousand of them before the hole began to stop sucking the soldiers and gas inside of it. Only five-thousand more to go and then I had to handle the White Devil leading them. The magically constructed vacuum closed in on itself with a light *pop*. I laughed as I saw the six pikemen from earlier literally roll, into the black hole before it closed. Because of the pike holding them together and also due to the reason that the pikes were from the same six, they resembled a ferris wheel as the pull from the vortex sucked them in.
Sure it was gory, but it was also fun to watch. And to laugh at no less.

“How long do you plan on disgracing my warriors, Lucian!?” Light was not thrilled about my theatrics, that’s for sure. What she fails to realize is that I couldn’t care less about her and her warriors. “Fight them for real, or face me now!” As if it would drive her point home and intimidate me, Light smashed her hoof into the ground at the last word she said while snorting. 

If I was a lesser demon, my armor would have become rusted in a certain area. Too bad I’m not though. As I’ve told the gnat with wings before, my father raised me to counteract everything she could do and to kill her forces of light. There’s no way in the plane of Hell would I ever lose to this...equine!

“Shut thy mouth, Horse! I will see to your soldiers however the fuck I feel like! You wouldn’t dare charge into the fray with the intent to kill me, for you would open up the risk of harming your own troops! Stay there and watch as I rip your army a new one!” With that high-in-volume rebuttal I took off towards the still recovering troops with renowned vigor. I’m rebellious in every sense of the word and I don’t like being told what to do. Faust just messed up big time, because I’m going to disgrace these sons-of-bitches like there’s no tomorrow!

---

“ISN’T THIS TITILLATING!!?” I yelled in extreme joy at the soldier that was slowly descending down the bladed side of my swallow, coating my gauntlet and weapon with his life essence. I quickly licked the blood off my arm and handle, savoring the taste of the dying guard. I had completely given in to my more, demon, side after my hundredth kill a while earlier. Light’s warriors had become more brazen.

I smacked an approaching soldier with the lifeless body, hurtling them both to the right just in time for me to catch a warhammer in my left hand. Crushing the stone as I balled my hand into a fist, I shot it forward and punctured the now defenseless guard’s chest cavity. He screamed in agony as I grabbed four ribs and pulled them out with my magic. Those ribs found comfy homes in the heads of four approaching guards from in front of me.

I was surrounded, yet I couldn’t care less. This was a carnival. A carnival of blood and suffering, that I was the Ringleader of!!!

“COME GET YOU SOME!!!! AHHHAHAHAHAH!!!!” YES!!! THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN CRAVING!!! The three soldiers who had just rushed me with their broadswords were now lying lifeless on the ground without their heads and arms! I could taste their blood in the air, the desperation in their souls! MORE!!! I NEED MORE!!! A bolt of yellow lightning grazed my cheek as I plowed through roughly seven broad swordsmen, decapitating them as I ran towards the line of magicians with staffs aimed at me.

Three fireballs and a bolt of lightning struck me in my chest and exploded, enveloping the area around me with black smoke. Everything stopped as they peered into the lingering shroud of darkness around me. That attack barely tickled! BUT THEY WERE GOING TO PAY FOR HITTING ME ANYWAY!!!

“Did we get it?” A magician said as he lowered the staff, the sparks from the lightning spell still lingering on the wooden magic conductor.
“CHAINS OF CERBERUS!!!” Jet black chains erupted from my back, tipped with nine hooks made of black diamond. I was truly rusty, for I used to summon around fifty of these chains. There were only twenty-five. That’s fucking half, of what I used to put out. Oh well, they’ll still hurt like a motherfucker once they find purchase in those FUCKING MAGICIANS!!!

Focusing on the two chains directly to the left and right of me, I had them shoot forward and impale two of the four magicians camped out in front of me. The smoke dissipated as my eyes brightened in feral mirth. I pulled them back to me as they screamed in agony, dangling off the ends of the chains like ragdolls. I brought the other chains towards the suspended dolls and laughed maniacally as I slowly pulled them limb from limb.

“FIRST THE ARMS~! THEN THE LEGS~!! AND THEN THEIR FUCKING HEADS~!!!” The two torsos dropped lifelessly to the ground. The soldiers behind me looked on in horror as I turned my head a complete one-hundred-eighty to stare at them, my body still facing away. “Who wants to plaaaaayyyy~!!!” 

“RETREAT!!! IT’LL KILL US ALL!!!” The men shouted as they ran off, dropping their weapons and stripping their armor in order to increase their speed. It mattered not, for I would kill the remaining five-hundred even if it means that-

KRAKOOOOMMM!!!

        The lightning caught me from behind as it knocked my head straight and flung me forward. Before I could hit the ground, I used my chains to catch myself moments from impacting the hard surface below me. Using my chains to right my position, I turned around like a spider as I glared angrily at Faust.

        “YOU WHORE!!!” I was rewarded with an untraceable hoof to the face as she appeared before me instantly. I was sent flying at least, four-hundred yards before coming to a complete stop via skidding face first along the ground. I shook my head free of debris as I stood up and was instantly face-to-face with Faust’s judging crystal-blue eyes.

        “I told you to fight honorably.” She then dashed backwards using magic, elongating the distance between us before I could do anything to her. That’s fucking annoying!!! Spitting out some blood from my mouth, I continued to glare at her. “Now you’ll pay for your insolence, Son of Dark.” She snapped that title of mine in half so hard, I would have thought she was eating sticks.
It wasn’t enough to calm me down, let alone frighten me.

        I growled darkly before charging at her with all my chains shooting forward. This bitch dies...NOW!!!

        ---

        Darkness...as far as the eye couldn’t see. I opened my eyes and found myself back in the plane of Suffering. The volcanic eruptions shook the core of my plane as I gazed about the sea of magma in front of me. It was a dream...a dream that ended up being a nightmare due to my father’s intrusion. How I despised...no, hated him for everything he and his whore of a sister have done to me. Stripping me of my acquired magic and possession powers.

        Due to the curse they put on me: Bipedal Harmonics, I could only fully possess creatures that walk on two legs naturally. I can only possess creatures that use four legs momentarily, if at all. Of course, there are many factors that apply to a successful possession and what not. Such as the creature’s experience with the supernatural, it’s natural resistance to magic, religion, self-awareness and spiritual fortitude. The list goes on forever, but those were just a few trivial one’s. I can’t stay long in the mortal planes, for I would risk death at the hands of my curse.

        In order to gain his precious sister’s trust back, my father had come from nowhere in order to team-up with his only sibling to curse and banish me here. You could only imagine my face as I was beaten to an inch of my life by my own parent. Even Light kept a face of disgust turned towards my spineless dad, who would sooner see me, his demonic offspring, dead than to fight against his only sister. Fucking pathetic shitstain of a paternal figure!!!

        A very masculine scream drew my attention to the sea of magma in front of me. My smile widened as I made eye contact with and on-fire Valium. 

        “Lovely!”  I smiled devilishly as I just thought of a new way to pass the time...ad it invoves a certain burning soul.

 





     

> Abnormalities and Healing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion





“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” I shot up from the...cot? What the? Where am I? Why am I on a cot and surrounded by medical...ohhh~! That’s right! I was knocked unconscious after...passing out. I couldn’t count that as a loss, not with me having limited knowledge about my opponents abilities. 

        “Well look who’s finally awake! How ya feeling, buddy?” A voice caught my attention as I turned my head to inspect its point of origin. Arma was sitting on a wooden chair next to my cot. I raised an eyebrow at her surprisingly casual attire. And by casual...I meant whore. She was dressed like a harlot from head to toe! She had nothing but a bra and panties on!

My mouth was getting ready to crush my royal jewels from the sheer velocity of its plummet. The fact that a dragoness had come into my room while I was asleep...half naked...no. Ohhh no! “Y-you didn’t.” I stuttered nervously as she propped her head up near my side with her elbows. Her face was the very picture of bewilderment.

“Didn’t what? You’re not making any sense.” She paused before laying a red claw against my forehead, causing me to stutter like an idiot and blush very aggressively. “‘Sure you’re feeling alright Mister Prince?” That snapped me out of my stuttering sessions. I truly believe that Arma is the only one that takes my...wait a minute. Why does my head feel so light!?

I shot both my claws up to my droopy ears and fondled the furiously, searching for the items that confirm my royal standing. Arma was not too happy about my sudden movement, for it sent her reeling back and toppling out of her chair. I barely noticed as I sighed in satisfaction, fondling the earrings and the orb around my chest. A low growl from the side of my king-sized cot snapped me out of my reverie in an instant.

“Hey you asshat! That hurt!” I’ve never seen something as large as Arma move so fast! I nearly jumped out of my scales when Arma jumped her way onto my bed, presenting me with the most diabolic glare that I’ve ever seen...ever. “You better apologize right now because if I wasn’t there, you would have gotten yourself smoked by...What are you looking at?” Her rampage of a rant suddenly halted as she noticed my transfixed eyes.

This was bad...this was really, really, really bad. My eyes were currently locked in a staring contest with her bosom, which had popped out after she took a tumble. Now that I can look at them in their grandeur, they’re freaking huge! She slowly lowered her head in order to see what I was looking at. Her eyes widened as her two majors saluted. I laughed apprehensively, trying to make myself appear smaller than I actually was. Her face(if it was even possible) turned a darker red, indicating the signs of embarrassment she screamed and punched me in the gut.

The punch was hard enough to make me lose all the air in my body and keel over with wheeze. Given my already banged-up body, some pain in my back returned. I fought to hold back tears as I hissed in pain. Arma quickly fixed her bra and scooted to the foot of my cot. The only door which happened to be wooden, was thrown open as my rival walked through the door.

“Is that scumbag hurting you, Sis!?” He walked up to my cot and slammed his opened hands down on both sides of my body, leaning in closer than what I would’ve prefered. To be perfectly honest, he reeked of spoiled cabbage and skunk droppings. Blegh. “If you’ve done anything to her, I’ll fucking sodomize you with mace!” Maxxis yelled, splattering me with saliva and...dear stars!

“Sweet Stars in the Sky!” I exclaimed in disgust as the smell of freshly eaten skunk wafted into my nostrils from his mouth. “Have you ever used a toothbrush!? You smell of dried carcass that’s recently been soaked in dog piss!!! A pox upon you, Maxxis, and your skunk dinner!” I pushed him away as he held a claw over his mouth and puffed his breath out into it three times before sniffing sharply. He coughed twice before looking at his indecent sibling.

“He didn’t hurt you?” Maxxis asked as I monitored his now tensed arms. I could tell that if he got an answer he didn’t agree with, my days would be numbered.

“No...no he didn’t, Bro. Is the healer on his way up here?” She asked as she laid down to get more comfortable. All this time I thought that my location was inside an infirmary somewhere, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Apparently, based on that answer, I’m willing to make a guess and say that Arma had flown me back to their abode. Silly girl, that one.

“Quite frankly, I don’t care whether this maggot shit lives or dies. Why you’ve taken such an interest in him is beyond me. To answer your question, yes. That...thing, is coming as we speak.” Maxxis turned to face me again. “Hope that guy doesn’t turn you inside out or something.” That crimson bastard laughed at my horrified face before leaving the room. I could hear him laugh over...his stepping? Oh. We must be upstairs or in the attic.

Arma and I sat in awkward silence after her brother’s departure, refusing to make eye contact after what transpired earlier. It wasn’t my fault, she decide to walk around her house relatively naked when she had guests over! “So...” I drawled out, earning her attention. “...What’s this healer, going to do when he gets here? Does he know any magic?” I asked, trying to remove the iceberg that has implanted itself in the room.

She looked at me like I had sprouted another head...before letting out a loud guffaw and falling of my cot in laughter.

“Honestly? What, is it Make Fun of Dameion Day or something!?” I thought incredulously as Arma began settling down from her joyous escapades at my expense.

“Whew!” She exclaimed as she wiped her right eye. “Now that, was funny! Draconians can no longer use magic, Mister Prince. Plus, no one even knows what species this guy is! But, itdoes stand on two legs like we do. It’s even sentient! Everyone in Zistral wants to know more about it, but its not like it walks around town with a sign saying, ‘I am the weirdest creature that has ever walked the planet! Fear me!!!’, on it.” Arma explained.

I looked at her before falling out into a fit of laughter at the sudden sterness of her voice when she tried imitating the healer’s voice. She blushed as I continued to laugh at her awkward disposition. I would reward her well with...NO MAGIC!!?? My laughing abruptly stopped as my mind went into overdrive, bringing up everything I had dreamed about in mere seconds. Artemis’s ability to change her looks, Thessolonius’s Arrows, Zerris’s...well Zerris didn’t showcase anything but a sour grape attitude.

“What do you mean there’s no magic!?” I asked as she began snickering again. I glared harshly at her, making her stop. 

“You’re serious?” She asked as I nodded soon after in immediate response, still thinking about how a race that was once so dominant in that field had just...gave it up! “Well, it’s not because of some blight or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. Basically, other draconians began to believe that fighting one another with magic was cruel and cowardly. So now, we use our natural abnormalities in order to do battle with one another.” Arma explained with a serious look on her face.

“Abnormalities? What the hell is that?” She shook her head at my question with a sigh soon following close behind.

“It’s what differentiates us from others since the day we’re born. Some draconians could use magic as their abnormality, but since the ruling of Lady Crimson, magic users were hunted down and stripped of their powers. Nature then provided us with another means of strength...abnormalities. Now you may be wondering what falls underneath abnormality, right?” She paused, waiting for any type of confirmation from me.

“I’m all ears.” I said with an interested look on my face. She snickered before muttering something under her breath. I could’ve sworn she said, “You’re right about that.”, or something along those lines. Oh well. 

“Take my brother for example. You saw how you hit him in the sweet spot with enough force to shatter a boulder. His abnormality lies in his ability: Feral Focus. It’s a nasty ability he was born with that would put him in a state of primal rage at the slightest hint of anger, which is why he prefers avoiding you. To be honest, if it wasn’t me at that gate, he would’ve killed you and the other person who wasn’t me...before running back into town and killing twenty more people.” 


“Well now, what would your abnormality be?” I asked, hiding my shock from what I was just told. It couldn’t be anything near her brother’s, that’s for sure. 

“Oh it’s basically the same thing. It’s just that...well...” Arma drawled out bashfully as she turned her head.

“‘Well’ what?” I pressed on, half afraid and half interested in her abnormality. These...special abilities actually intrigued me!

“...It’s worse? Yeah, I killed everyone in my middle school when a girl thought she was going to just get away with stuffing my locker with toads. Fucking skank, I hope she’s burning well down there! Do you hear me Natasha? I HOPE THE DEVIL’S FACE-FUCKING YOU WITH A RUSTY TRIDENT, YOU WHORE!!!”  She yelled suddenly, causing me to yipe in fear as I leaned back. Arma’s eyes were dilated and glazed over, but she was now taking several deep breaths trying to recollect her emotions.

“Oops..heh..sorry about that. But yeah, it’s really difficult trying to discern another draconian’s abnormality. Which is why the competition for whoever’s going to be the next King will be pretty damn difficult. Lady Crimson has been the Queen of Azran for so long, I had lost count of how many years she’s been our glorious leader.” That caught my attention and brought me out of my shocked state.

“You guys hold competitions for the right to be King!? That’s a sacred title, born onto the heir of the Setsuya bloodline! Where do I sign up!? AH!” I yelled as the overbearing pain in my back flared up again. I stayed hunched over for about five minutes before my body allowed me some peace once more.

“Whoa there Princey Kins, you’re a little too banged up to be facing our country’s strongest drakes and dragonesses! Not to be rude, but seeing you get your ass kicked by my brother’s low ranked abnormality also makes me doubt that you can actually fight.” Arma said nonchalantly.

Before I could respond, I heard her brute of a sibling’s voice call from downstairs. “Hey Arms! That freak is here! Ask the little Prince if he wants his teddy bear or his doctor!” That son of a bitch!

“You can take that teddy bear and-” I was silenced by a crimson claw covering my mouth. I mumbled loudly through her palm, but she would not release me.

“Send him up!” Arma yelled towards the door. An idea struck my mind on how to get the hand off my muzzle. I licked her hand slowly with my tongue, getting a shriek as a response before she fell off the side of the bed yet again. Before I could laugh or get winded by Arma again, three knocks rapped upon the door.
“Come in!” I said quickly as I noticed the crimson eyes of Arma slowly rising from the side of the bed out of my peripheral. Damn that’s creepy! 

The knob turned slowly as the door opened, a heavily robed figure stepping through the doorway. I could smell the forest musk that it brought along, coating the air in the room with the scent of herbs and spices. The robes appeared to be made from silk, giving them a sheen that I’ve never seen before except on my robes. Something was different about this creature that had just stumbled in here...and i’m going to find out what it is.

“Hello!” Arma said as she rose from the side of the bed, smiling sweetly at my soon-to-be healer. “You must be Valara the Druid Healer! Thanks for risking your life to come here. I know your use of magic is heavily frowned upon by the Queen, but the fact that you answered this summon of mine must be fate’s goodwill finally shining down on us!” Arma was trying really hard to butter up this...thing.

I could’ve sworn I heard the briefest of chuckles coming from the purple and gold robes with tribal markings in front of me. Must have been the wind.

“Well...I’ll be leaving you two alone now, due to your request from earlier. I trust my brother had already paid half your bill downstairs, so I’ll be waiting downstairs for you with the other half upon the completion of your job.” My eyes widened at the, “Hi Dameion. I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to leave a completely unknown creature with you while you’re injured with no way to fight back!”, part. The fuck if you are, you little-

SLAM!

“Damn it all.”  I thought dejectedly with a frown as the robed figured moved closer to me with graceful steps. 

---

“Do you come into town often, Miss Valara?” I asked nervously. For the longest time, this thing has been staring at me! I know it’s only been about ten minutes since Arma left me up here, but it sure as hell didn’t feel like it! A couple more moments of silence before the most beautiful and motherly voice rung in my ears, confusing me greatly.

“Fret not, begotten Prince. Your life is in tender hands. You needn’t worry.” The being then lowered her hood with a fur-covered hand, revealing what I can only describe as the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes upon. Her fur around her muzzle was a lighter chestnut than that of the rest of the fur covering her head. Brown locks waved in unison, highlighting the aboriginal ornaments on her hair and now exposed upper-half of her body.


I thanked whatever higher power that was above, for her hair had enough length to cover her breasts, which had no covering over them besides her deep brown locks. Tattoos of tribal origins graced her right breast and both near her shoulders and right hand. A wrapped wrist band with an attached white feather of some bird shone bright on her left wrist.


Her eyes dripped with wisdom as they did jade, observing me observing her. The top part of her robe had transformed into a dress with one pant leg covering her bottom-left appendage. There was a component to her whole ensemble that helped me solidify my claim to her older age. That, was a piece of armor called a schynbald, which was held in place by a brown leather strap that went around her right leg. I then took the time to notice that she was slender, but lean at the same time.

She truly looked like a druid of old, but I’ve never seen her race before!

“W-wow...just...wow.” I stammered out after being awestruck for about another two minutes.

Valara chuckled as she sat down on the bed. “My form is a ghost. I drift in and out of eyes. Not showing my form.” She said. It made sense, since no one knows of what she is. I guess this means that she trusts me completely. I wonder if she’s done this for her other patients.


“Were there other’s who have seen you? Have you revealed yourself to other patients?” I asked as my eyes drifted into hers, melting all apprehension that I may have had.

“It’s just you, my Prince. Only you have beheld me...” She pulled me forward by my head, leaning me against her chest and silky smooth hair. I gulped in embarrassment as I was snuggled closely into her bosom. I could feel her looking at my back, looking at the gaping hole where a beautiful wing had been. “Shall we begin now?” 

“Um...mreah.” I mumbled out from her furry chest. I could feel her warmth radiate through me, providing me with a sense of complacency and comfort of which I’ve never experienced. She eased me back onto the oaken headboard behind me as she stood back up, closing her eyes.

I felt the change in magical energy around me instantly.

This feeling, this...tsunami of peace, filled the room in a heartbeat. I couldn’t help but watch as Valara began a series of fluid steps. Oh my gosh...fluid. It was like she was the water in the creek one moment, then a strong and sturdy mountain the next. She was the wind on a summer’s day, then the snow on a winter’s night. Valara was absolutely stunning. I felt tears come to my eyes as she began singing. Her voice was bittersweet, serenading me with her song. All the while I could feel the tingle of positive energy in the air!

“I sing of summer’s first kiss~! The time...that we’ve shared~! I dream of our time, Mother Earth. Of the lives that you have spared~! Gather before me O’ Spirits of Gaia and winds, so free and so pure~! Purge the sadness and hurt from this Prince, healing fires to burn! Gather~, in~, my hand~! Comply~, to my~, commands~! Use this body as a catalyst to perform your miracles~!” She held the last note for about fifteen seconds. My eyes blurred from the tears, but when I wiped them I nearly fell out of my bed.

The scenery had completely changed! I was now floating in what felt like temporal space, blacks and blues hugging every corner of this realm. I didn’t feel any desperation or terror, however, for the comforting feeling from earlier had remained with me. My head turned in order to gaze upon Valara once more, taking in her immense beauty against the background of this new realm. Her eyes seemed to be alive, for they danced with merriment and focus. She had a paw raised into the air, the palm facing the sky. almost as if she was accepting some sort of divine gift.  In her other paw was an orb of light blue...magic? Yeah, it had to be magic! She was simply lovely!

 
“Welcome to Aba. This is Mother Earth’s Truth Realm. Words are not needed.” Holy hell!!! Did I just hear her in my mind!!? What the actual fu-!!! “Words like that are bad. They hurt your Mother’s frail heart! No profanity!” I could feel her inside my head! It wasn’t weird, just...alarming.

“I apologize Valara. Will you be healing me here?” I asked telepathically, hearing her giggle in my head at the deepness of my voice. It’s not my fault that I read things in a deep voice!

“No, we will return. The voyage was for the orb. It’s healing magic.” Valara explained in that beautiful but annoying speech pattern of hers. Her joyous stare turned into a glare at my thought. I completely forgot that she can hear my thoughts!!!


“Annoying, is it!? My speech reflects Her beauty! She’s exalted through my tongue!” Valara mentally reprimanded me, to which I replied with a nervous chuckle. I saw the multiple hues of blue and black begin to dissolve like sugar in water, the room I was occupying earlier coming back from nowhere.

Valara approached me as she stuck out the paw with the orb in it, placing it on my chest when she finally got close enough. She seemed very pleased for some reason, which prompted me to question her about her sudden facial expression.

“You’re more brave than most. The patients that flinch like wheat. Caught in a strong gale.” She stated somberly. I could feel the beautiful, natural magic surge through everyone of my veins as my cuts and bruises were healed. Even the headache caused from my earlier squabble dissipated, leaving me without head pain and easing me down further into the mattress below. I was finding it immensely hard to stay awake after her treatment was done.

“Your wing can’t be saved. I must apologize greatly. Now you are grounded.” Valara’s words hit home. I was hoping she could fix my wing, but having it torn off proved to be too much for even her to heal...I guess. Whatever. “But fear not, my Prince! You are now attuned with Her! Her power is yours!” She exclaimed suddenly, making me jump. Her power is mine? OH! I’m sensitive to magic now! Maybe I can even use it to fly!!! But...I’m too tired to worry about that now.

I could feel my eyes leaden from exhaustion, closing themselves halfway as I regarder Valara, who was covering herself again. “Before you go, Valara, would you mind indulging me on your race’s name?” I drowned out sleepily, trying to hold on long enough to hear her answer.

“Ah, a fine question! The Worgens have died off slow. But I still remain!” She said proudly as I smiled, falling asleep immediately after her answer was given. I could hear some shuffling and the sound of something being placed on my bedside table, before complete and utter silence took over.   
 
 

      

> The Crystal Heart: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike



“Oxford! Oxford, where are you!?” I called out aimlessly, looking for my partner who was supposed to be with me. It’s strange that I haven’t heard any word of guards coming here, that is, to the Crystal Kingdom in the north. What, with my brazen killing of two pegasi guards to escape Celestia’s fiery wrath, I would imagine her on some type of unholy burning chariot, screeching through the sky like a demon general as she sent her hordes of guards at me. That...would actually be kind of cool! 

I was searching one of the many crystal hallways of the castle when my ‘escort’ suddenly left me. She was a wall-eyed crystal pony in a maid’s outfit, who seemed more interested in butterflies than actually ensuring that I didn't get lost. Which, of course, ended up with me being left in the gardens while she bolted off after a crystal butterfly. I can’t seem to catch a break! No use crying about now. 

“Not like anyone cares, seeing as how I’m the villain now. Geez, I wonder if the changelings have it this rough.”  I kept walking, the cool feeling of glistening crystals encompassing my feet. I was surprised at the sheer size, of the castle’s interior. It dwarfed Canterlot Castle by a landslide. Not paying attention to where I was going, my body lurched into double steel doors that caught me unawares. Rubbing my snout while glaring at the doors, my eyes shrunk when I noticed the vibrant illustrations on it. A light-blue heart shape being hugged by a pink alicorn with tri-colored mane, covered in yellow and white ribbons melted into my brain. I was at the doors leading to the Crystal Heart!

“How the hoof did I end up here? Granted, I have been lost for a while.” I placed a claw on the doors, feeling a warmth slip through the once cold steel and into my palm. I sighed in content as I felt the magical artifacts magic begin to reverberate through me, eliciting more sounds of content. If someone were to come down here, I’m sure their minds would be occupied with trying to eject explicit thoughts. Nevertheless, I could feel my body begin to lose control, forcing me to open the doors. With a moan of protest escaping only once from the doors, they began to open slowly but surely, revealing a winding case of stairs leading down into a pit.

“Oh, so she kept Sombra’s little tricks for herself? Might as well see if I can find the blasted thing, seeing as how I don’t have anything better to do.”  I placed a foot on the first step. Except...there wasn’t a step. I fell right through the freaking floor!!!?? 




	
“ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING MEEEEE...” My mind was racing on the many ways I would die. I would either hit the ground and become a stain on it, or keep falling for the rest of eternity. Personally, the first option sounds astronomically better! The warm wind that caused my cheeks and round belly to flap wasn’t helping things in the slightest. If I’m feeling heat while plummeting, that could only mean a couple of things. One, I’m imagining it. Or two, there’s freaking lava below me. “DAMNIT!!!” I yelled as I was suddenly yoked up, making me flail my arms in a useless attempt at finding my imprisoner. 

I could feel the tingle of magic being used on me, which should be impossible since I’m a dragon. To be honest, the idea of being immune to magic was a little far fetched, so I did some rummaging through the many books in the library. Keep in mind that this was about two years ago, when I discovered a shocking little tidbit of information. I was pony hatched. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, ”Oh Spike, that’s nothing new! Silly dragon, thinking we didn’t know he was pony hatched.” Turns out, since I was hatched by magic, then I’m affected by magic. Go figure. 


Peering out into the pure darkness, I could see the faintest glimmers of blue light shining in the distance. “Most peculiar.”  I could still feel myself floating, which means somepony or something had stopped my imminent demise. That still doesn’t explain how I’m supposed to be getting out of this situation. Tentatively, I took on a swimmer’s stance in midair and gave an experimental stroke. I nearly cried out in joy when I realized that movement was not taken from me. 


“So far so good. Just keep swimming~! Just keep swimming~!” That play that Twilight took me to when I was twenty-seven came rushing back as I continued on my way through the darkness, growing closer with each stroke to the light at the end...of...the tunnel. Oh buck all kinds of duck. I stopped as a horrifying thought penetrated my mental walls. What if I had already perished? 

“Well...that would suck.” I thought as I frowned, continuing my voyage through the darkness. When I came closer to the light, little specs of white started implanting themselves on the darkness around me. In all honesty, the darkness started to resemble space! It wasn’t long before that feeling of warmth returned, alerting me to the Crystal Heart’s presence. I should know more about this feeling than anypony else, for I was the one who held it in my own claws. Little did anyone know, it sounded as if the Crystal Heart was speaking to me back then, filling me with the knowledge that everything was going to be alright. 

“Can’t believe it’s been nearly twenty years since I last held the thing. I wonder if I’m allowed to be down here.” My mind was racing as I finally swam through the dark tunnel, feeling the all-too-familiar feeling of gravity wash over me again, causing me to fall. I landed on pure rock, which erupted a pained gasp from my mouth as I landed harshly. Scraping some dirt with my claws as I stood up, my mind went blank at the sheer brilliance of the artifact of Love. The Crystal Heart was suspended between stalagmite and stalactite, giving off a white and blue glow to illuminate the dimly lit cavern of grey crystals around it. 

“I’m in the heart of the Crystal Kingdom!? Wow...the irony is not lost.” I facepalmed at Cadence’s unoriginality. The Crystal Heart, was literally, the heart of the Crystal Kingdom. So, she placed it in Crystal Gullet, the caves underneath the Crystal Kingdom. I whistled in amazement as a thumping sound reached my ears. I smiled, knowing very well on what that sound meant based on one mo Twilight and I’s study sessions.

“Well aren’t you just content! Listen to that strong and mirthful heartbeat!”  I approached the Heart with a smile on face, the warm feeling in my stomach igniting further with every step. The feeling washed over me, like wading into a lava pool after a cool winter’s day. Of course, ponies can’t do that, so that’s a hidden pleasure only I and other dragons can enjoy. My stomach nipped the ground as I walked closer to the suspended and glowing heart, feeling like my insides were on fire. I held my gaze for about five minutes, lost in its ethereal beauty.

*Aren’t you going to touch me?* My heart nearly dropped into my stomach as all the warmth left my body. I swung my head to and fro, looking for the source of that child like voice. A giddy chuckle filled my ears as I turned my head to its source, feeling my mouth drop at what was causing it. With each start of a new giggle, the Crystal Heart would glow brightly then dim. I was at a loss for words, each sentence coming out as a stuttering cacophony of confusion.

*Well?* The feminine voice said with amusement and impatience.

“Uh-I-uh, what? Excuse me...but...what?” I asked, my face skewed with genuine confusion.

The heart glowed bright for each word as it responded, *I’m talking to you, Spike. You were too young to hear my voice before, but now you’re so grown up! I’m forever in your debt for saving my life from the wretched hooves of King Sombra. Now, how about you ask me something instead of listening to me talk forever, hmm? Oh, and for the record, I’m female by choice.*

“All of my what.” The Crystal Heart was talking, no...conversing, with me!? What!?

“Ummm...” I placed the tip of my index finger to the corner of my mouth in thought. What do I say to it? What can I say to an artifact that I saved twenty years ago? “...You’re welcome? Why are you down here by yourself? Doesn’t Cadence or any of the townsfolk know you’re sentient?”

*Nope. The townsfolk are so out of tune with the magical forces around them, that I just appear to be an artifact and nothing more. Truly, this is irony at its best. Princess Cadence knows not of my full capabilities, for even she is out of tune with magic, even though she’s an alicorn. You, however, are a special case. All those years ago, when you first held me, I implanted you with a microscopic magical crystal called, Izzy. From that point on, something called an abnormality, began to grow in you day after day after day.*

“Abnormality? What the hoof is an abnormality? Well, besides the literal meaning of course.” I asked the ancient artifact. I heard it *hmmm* again.

*An abnormality is something that differentiates you from someone, or somepony, else. Think about it. What could a crystal filled to the brim with magic do for you?* The Crystal Heart phrased that question like I already knew the answer. Ha, yeah I totally know the answer to th-

Oh wow. 

“You can’t be serious. All this time I thought that it was because of Twilight’s way of hatching me that I became sensitive to magical influence, but you’re saying that it was that shard of crystal!? Where could it be, if it’s still residing within me?” My mind was creating more questions from the information she was giving me.

*Relax, Spike. The crystal is still within the confines of your body. It looks like it’s been proliferating as well! Now that’s interesting!* I could feel magic begin to float over me once more, lifting my comfort levels to orbit. But it became unbearably painful when the sensation landed on my bulging...stomach. I grimaced as pain rocketed through my very being, snarling angrily at the artifact that was causing me so much pain. Then, just as quickly as it came, the sensation went away. In front of me stood a round orb of crystal about six feet high and six feet wide, covered in a luminous and sparkle-filled blue aura of magic.

It amazed me at how something that was supposedly filled to the brim with magic, could look so plain and lifeless. My stomach was now just extra skin that dragged along the ground as I stood up, wincing from the soreness left behind of the removed crystal. I probably just lost about ninety pounds, but that didn’t matter. What mattered right now was why the Crystal Heart had done that to me in the first place! “Why did you plant a crystal that could grow, into my body!?” I pointed a claw at the artifact. I could've sworn it had a sheepish smile. “Couldn’t it have killed me if it continued to grow!? I’m not thrilled about exploding via crystal ball!” 

*Hehehe...well, yeah, you could’ve died from having all your internal organs smushed. But, what I did has had many fruitful things happen! Like, you coming back here and asking me about it! IF, you would’ve stayed away for...* The Crystal Heart elongated that word for a while as she swung the massive orb to and fro around her, giving the appearance that it was actually studying it to find the precise time. *...One more day, you could’ve become a Spike Salad.*

“EXCUSE ME!!!???” I roared in outrage! What the actual buck!!?? I could’ve died without knowing how, I died!? Why the buck is everything out to kill me!!? 

*WELL NOW YOU CAN USE MAGIC!!!* The artifact of amore shouted back, halting me in my temporary uproar and causing me to turn my head to the side quizzically. 

“I’m sorry...what? Dragon’s can’t use magic, Ms. Crystal Heart. That’s a fact.”

*Well, who said that you’re a dragon?* The Crystal Heart adopted that giddy tone again, causing me to scratch my head in utter confusion. I was vexed, with no way of knowing what the heck this artifact is talking about!

“What do you mean, ‘who said’? I was hatched from an egg like any...other...” My words became lost on me, my eyes growing wide in surprise and comprehension at the same time. “Twilight’s magic?” I asked unsurely at the suspended heart, swearing once more. That time, I saw it nod.

*Look who’s actually been learning something! Those deduction skills of yours are sharper than diamond, Spike! You’re so much more than you think. In fact, magic has been at your disposal forever! Before Twilight Sparkle even hatched you! Your scales were meant to be different hues, but your ability to control magic would’ve still been present! I’ll elaborate more on this later, but I must see you out. I fear that your partner is becoming worried about your well being!* As the Crystal Heart said this, my eyes shrank once more as I thought of Luna. Nay, angry Luna. 

I shuddered.

“I have no problem with going back to the castle, but how? How will I get back there? I fell through what seemed to be Tartarus itself in order to get here, and I don’t think that passage is offering return trips!” The Crystal Heart sighed, then teleported me without a moment’s notice. 

I felt my face smack tapestry, then crystal flooring hard enough for unconsciousness to consume my mind.

---

“Oh...my aching everything!” I sat up in my bed, shaking the sleep from my eyes. “Well, I’m back in my room.” I held my head and hissed through my teeth as I felt a venomous headache ransack my brain. Damn Crystal Heart and its rough teleportation spells! I felt some stirring to my side as I yawned, popping every bone in my back as I stretched afterwards. Oh...did that feel gooood!

“Mmmm...Spike?” My heart leapt from my mouth. That was Luna’s voice....please don’t tell me! “You’re awake!? Oh Spike, you had me and Cadence so worried!!!” I could feel those same bones crack in my back again, but not comfortably as Luna wrapped me up in her forehooves, giving me a hug that would cause even Pinkie Pie some pain.

“Luna...can’t...breathe!” I wheezed out, feeling my mind begin to slip back into unconsciousness. In an instant the pressure was relieved, a simple but bashful ‘Pardon Me’, following suit. “How long was I out if I had you two worried?” To be honest, it really only felt like yesterday that I had that talk with the Crystal Heart.

“A week.”

Warning! Brain Failure detected! Releasing system correction, code: What?

“What?” I asked with severe confusion. Today was just my day of being confused, huh?

“It’s been about a week since I found you in my personal bathing quarters-”

WARNING! SPIKE IS EXPERIENCING SEVERE STIMULATION!!! TO AVOID WING_ERECTION, _BLUSH WILL NOW BE DEPLOYED!!!

My cheeks reddened behind the implications of that one phrase. I distanced myself from the Lunar Matriarch, falling off the bed on my right side and scooting up against the wall behind me. Luna snickered at my antics, before grabbing me with her magic and planting me on the bed next to her again. How she lifted something as big as I am with so little strain was a mystery to me.

“Fear not, Spike. You have not violated me. I was, however, very non-plussed about your sudden intrusion. To be quite honest, I believed that you had fastened yourself to the ceiling with your claws for a better vantage point than peeping through the doorway.” My cheeks reddened more at the implication of seeing Luna bathe. All I could remember was talking with the Crystal Heart and the taste of marble, crystal, and some blood. Oh well. “Now go to sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow!” Luna finished as she turned around, magicking some of the covers over her sprawled out form.

My eyes lingered on her flank for a second before I mentally slapped myself, remembering the lesson I learned when I accidentally walked in on Twilight while she was bathing. It sucked walking around on three legs with one eye for week! Rarity completely cut me off and her other friends cringed every time they saw me. I sighed. Today’s been taxing and I just want to go to sleep. So, lifting a fairly decent portion of the covers over my body, I snuggled into my side of the bed and closed my eyes. Luna’s struggles to get comfortable kept me awake unbeknownst to her. I had aligned myself so that I had my back to her, but I felt the warmth of two hooves and a chest later on in the night.

My mind displayed an image of the Crystal Heart, suspended in all her glory in the Crystal Gullet. I wonder what she’s going to tell me next time I see her. But, no thanks to Luna’s snuggling, I knew sleep wouldn’t come until the early hours of morning. So, I had all night to wonder on the words of the Crystal Heart.

 

        


> The Crystal Heart: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike





“...And that’s all it said.” I finished my story within the span of half an hour. I had waken up only twenty minutes before the start of my explanation, around the hour of Nine O’clock. Luna and I had somehow managed to become...entangled, with one another as we woke up simultaneously, with me being the former one to get up. It’s a wonder how I’ve yet to be slapped by her. So, after many awkward apologies and shy glances at one another, we were summoned to the Crystal Dining Hall for breakfast with Cadence. And here we are, thirty minutes into our eating time and me wrapping yesterday’s adventures up over coffee and bagels.

        “Oh really? How interesting!” Cadence’s destiny was to utilize the Crystal Heart as her own, to become the Crystal Princess and help defeat King Sombra. You could only imagine the look of utter glee on her face when she learned that the Crystal Heart could speak. She’s still excited, even though I told her about it ten minutes ago. “So, it...she, wants to speak with you again? Oh, you have to take me with you!” At this, Luna nodded that she wanted to come as well. I could hear the enthusiasm in Cadence’s voice, but there was also a bit of a commanding nature behind her words as well.

        “I don’t see why not.” I said dismissively, earning a huge grin from Cadence as I dove back into my crystal salad. It kind of tastes like mint, but crystals are not as fulfilling as gemstones. There wasn’t much left in the bowl, so finishing the portion within its confines took another minute or two. Luna was munching on a waldorf salad, dabbing at her muzzle with a white napkin when a little bit of dressing leaked out. She seemed positively peeved, which means that waldorf salad is anything but satisfactory. 

Somehow...I know that’s coming back to haunt me!


        “So, Spike,” Cadence asked, earning my attention, “When are you going? I must know beforehoof so that I can make preparations! A princess can’t just leave, her royal duties.” She seemed rather positive about going to the Crystal Gullet. I really don’t know why, because it almost looks identical to the Royal Castle Caverns, which was where she was imprisoned by Chrysalis. That’s really none of my concern, but I can’t help but worry for my...acquaintances.

To be perfectly honest, I’m still on the ropes about trusting anyone. Yeah...that especially, means Luna or Cadence. For all I know, they could be wolves in sheep’s clothing. I will not allow my heart to be damaged a second time. Everyone’s a suspect and no one’s innocent until they’ve proven themselves worthy of my trust. Luna’s making progress, but I still have my doubts. But there will be time to single out perpetrators later, for I had to answer this question that was just asked.


“Right after breakfast, Cadence. I hope this isn’t too much of an inconvenience for you?” I really couldn’t care less whether she said yay or neigh, but I have a reputation of a gentledrake to uphold.

“It shouldn’t be a problem, Spike. There’s really no need for a day court in the Crystal Kingdom, seeing as how our nobility look after those less fortunate than themselves.” She explained and in response, I turned my head to the side like a confused dog.

“Fancypants. Imagine roughly one thousand Fancypants as the nobility here.” She deadpanned, seeing the cogs turning in my head. My mouth formed an ‘o’ shape and made the same sound associated with the letter. I felt a piece of crystal fall onto my lap from my mouth, which, naturally, caused me to look down and find it. My eyes widened only for a moment at the muscular and skinny physique of my body. Luna had said that I looked different this morning, but I never knew that this is what she was talking about! I had abs!  ABS!!! 

“Is everything okay, Spike?” Cadence’s voice snapped me out of my fixed eye position, bringing my eyes to meet hers. Her eyes were full of concern.

“I’m fine. Just...a little happy.” I was trying hard to keep a smile from forming on my face. As Rarity had previously taught me, appearances mean absolutely everything. “But, I should get going. Best not to keep it...er...her, waiting any longer!” I shoved myself away from the table, earning me a shocked gasp from the Alicorn of Love. I hurried through the doors, but could instantly feel Luna’s magic beside me. With an audible pop, the Lunar Princess manifested beside me. I wasn’t too worried about her though, but I was worried about the sudden flux of magic energy manifesting to the right of me.

Another pop later, and there was Princess Cadence. Or would it be Queen, now that she was married? Bah, I have no time for this. It took nearly half an hour to reach the Crystal Heart’s chambers on foot/hoof. I opened the doors without a moment’s hesitation and walked jumped through the now opened gates, expecting to begin my immediate plummet. When my feet hit solid stone, however, I felt my cheeks redden in embarrassment.

“Oh my! Now that was funny!” I heard Cadence giggling first,  but my embarrassment was only heightened by what Luna said before laughing.

“Oh, he thought he had wings, dearest niece!” That pushed the red on my cheeks off the cliff instantly. I balled my hands up in pure bashfulness before I started stomping my way down the steps that had betrayed my masculinity, hoping to at least make them feel the pain they were causing me! The princesses soon quieted their mirthful chuckles, stepping behind me in an equal pace with one another.

“Ugh! Why are these steps so long!!! HURRY UP AND- Oh!” My feet slapped against crystal and stone, marking our entrance into the long awaited Crystal Gullet. 

“Hey, Cadence? Do you know why we haven’t fell through Tartarus yet? I could've sworn there was ninety foot plummet of certain demise before I saw that artifact.” I said nonchalantly, half-expecting her to answer me and half-expecting her to giggle. She did the latter first before doing the other.

“I call it: the Vandal’s Vortex. It was merely a defense spell used to stop thieves after the Crystal Heart. If you had been a thief Spike, that drop would’ve turned into a blackhole and ripped you inside out.” Cadence said as he passed me, for I had stopped moving after just hearing that little tidbit of information.

My stomach was doing jumping jacks.

“What? You mean I could’ve...died...again?” I stammered out in disbelief. Surely this mare didn’t think she was just going to keep walking like she didn’t just say something! 

“I couldn’t know you would’ve weaseled your way anywhere near, the entrance of the Crystal Heart. Give thanks to whatever higher power there is that you didn’t end up...well, inside out.” Why was the alicorn of LOVE, acting so uncaringly!?

“Why don’t you care!?” Seeing as how staying stuck in my thoughts wasn’t going to get answers out her, I decided to start walking again, only to stop another five steps later. Wow. We were already here? That took no time at all!!!

“I give up trying to figure out this world.” A sigh of bemusement followed that thought as I walked in between Luna and Cadence, who had sat down and craned their necks up to gaze upon the Crystal Heart, which was still in the same spot that I had last seen it. Not like I expected it to move. 

*I take it you told them about me?* The Crystal Heart had began talking instantly, but I was shocked when I saw that neither Luna nor Cadence could pick up on the words it was saying. Their ears, however, were swiveling to and fro, trying to pick up on the words as I continued to converse with the ancient artifact.

“I did. They don’t seem to hear you though, which is quite frankly shocking, seeing as how you are using large quantities of magic to induce your speaking capabilities. With them being ‘alicorns’,” I mocked their title by doing bunny-ears, “I would imagine them being able to conversate with you just as well as I am doing right now.” The Crystal Heart began flashing quickly, turning bright then dim every half-second. I was perplexed until I made the connection. It was laughing!

*Oh dearest me! To think you would be brazen in insulting the Princess of the Night and the Princess of Amore like that, in their very presence, no less! Absolutely priceless, my dearest drake!* A smile formed at the corner of my mouth.

“Excuse us, Miss Crystal Heart,” Luna took the initiative and made both Cadence and herself known, “I am Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria. If you don’t mind, I would very much like to hear your voice. It's quite rude to only address one of your guests, after all.” Luna awaited the Crystal Heart’s response.

*Wow, she catches on quickly!* The Crystal Heart exclaimed, causing me to raise an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Please elaborate.” 

*I’ve made it so that only you and I can conversate with one another. My magical frequencies are attuned to...mythical serpents...as of right now. I speak on a variety of frequencies, yours being the easiest, what with the crystal orb from earlier in your years already attuning me to your natural magic energy.*

“What?” I asked in sheer confusion.

*In layman's terms, I’m simply more adept at speaking to you than anyone else, for it causes a great strain on my magical reserves. It shouldn’t be a problem to have a conversation with the three of you, but it would rob me of over half my magical energy, which, might I add, was accumulated over a millenia.* The Crystal Heart was actually pretty adept at dumbing things down! I’m no dummy by any means, but even that whole explanation was on par with one of Twilight’s Speed Lectures!

“So, are you willing to give it a shot? I’m more than sure that Cadence wants to talk with you and, Luna has stated that keeping them in the dark was rather rude and unbecoming of you.” I said as I sat down myself, stretching my legs along the crystal surface below. In response, the Crystal Heart began lighting itself in same crystal-blue aura it had surrounding it. Then, in a brilliant flash of white, the floating and now gyrating artifact came back into focus.

*Better?* The Crystal Heart’s sing-song voice rung out amongst the chamber. All three of us nodded in response as it...cleared its throat? What...I don’t even know anymore!

“You’re voice is lovely, Miss Crystal Heart.” Cadence was all smiles as she complimented the said artifact above us.

*First off, none of this formal crap. I can’t stomach the stuff, so you can just call me Krystal...with a ‘k’. Okay, Lovebird?* Krystal’s voice got an octave deeper and sounded like a middle-age mare...taking care of three foals...with a part-time job...and a cigarette addiction! What? Rarity just knows some ponies in the cities, is all! I don’t know any mares like that!



Cadence’s bottom jaw plummeted to the floor as she stared in shock. I guess the Crystal Heart has a reason to be mad, seeing as how she could talk for twenty years and her wielder just saw her as some type of rare and powerful object. Come to think of it, when did I start treating her like a...well...her?

*Now, Princess Night-Light, I couldn’t give two damns about who you are. And now that I have your attention, sit down, shut up, and let me talk! I want to get this over with as soon as possible! You might not’ve realized it when you first walked in here, but I was actually asleep, you know, when you close your eyes and dream? Bunch of brightly colored, rainbow-riding, overweight, beasts of burden.* Luna’s face matched the one her niece was making, starting a round of chuckle from me. 

I should’ve stayed quiet...

*And what are you laughing at, Skinsy the Magic Dragon!? You could make a parachute out of the extra skin you have! Did your fatass ever stop eating as a child!?* Krystal snapped as  I quickly silenced my chuckles.

“What crawled up her...whatever, and died today!?”  I thought while I growled menacingly enough for her to stop her mid-sentence of her following rant. “Listen! I didn't know you would be sleeping, granted it is relatively early. That does not, however, excuse your attitude and insults! Fix yourself accordingly, or you’ll be adding to the list of gems I’ve eaten!” For some reason, I could feel Krystal gulp.

*Fine! Geez! I just got tired of being treated like an artifact is all!* She responded dejectedly, acting like a child that was just caught and was now apologizing for her actions. She could be a millennia old, but that doesn’t mean her mindset matured with her age. *Anywho, I won’t be apologizing for what was said earlier about all three of you. Now, if you would all be so kind as to listen, I shall share the knowledge of Spike’s ancestry.*

Ohhh...this is going to be good!


*We will start from the beginning, like any other story. Only, this story wasn’t one with a happy ending. There was no prize, nor grand and joyous celebration. This was a time of war. Where blood was the currency and soldiers, the banks. It was a war not between Equestria and other nations. It was a war that was said to end all wars. I tell you this in hopes that you could just begin to grasp the atmosphere back then. When ponies were selected to don the armor of Mistress Light, their families put bits aside for a casket and tombstone. This, my dear audience, was the Great Vindictus War!*




*It was a war between the forces of good and evil, no matter what form it took. Dragons, Changelings, Gryphons and Ponies were united, standing side by side against Lord Dark and his son, Lucian. Lord Dark is the brother to Mistress Light, who was the deity commander of Light’s Holy Order. Millions upon millions of angels, demons, gryphons, humans, ponies, changelings and other races clashed in what we call planes, or temporal shifts. They are basically different dimensions hidden in the multiple layers of one dimension. The war dragged on for eons, with neither side giving ground to the other. Planets were decimated. Solar Systems annihilated in the span of minutes! It was pure bloodshed.*


*Beings able to control time, tried to walk into the past and assassinate the opposing deities, seeking to end the conflict through means of Time Manipulation. For every assassin sent, another one followed and killed him or her. Never ending struggles, on planets, in space, on ground, over the sea, in the air, you name it! Through the darkest pits of Hell to the pearly gates of Heaven! The battle, however, was soon shifted in evils favor.*

I gulped nervously while the two alicorns flanking me listened with undivided attention.


*This is the story about star crossed lovers, whose love threatened to tip the scales should either of them act upon their feelings. Their names and titles were earned throughout the war. One being an angelic dragon of holy might and the other a demonic dragon of terrible strength and magic. They were also your parents, Spike.*

“Say wat?” I turned my head in confusion as Cadence gasped and Luna raised an eyebrow, while still keeping a serious look about her features.

*Your parents...as in your mother and father. Now don’t interrupt me, it’s very rude. AHEM!!! We shall start on the holy one. Her name and title? Sevinna the Vindicator. Her power in light-based magic leveled whole platoons and she was a complete and utter tomboy. I happened to be apart of her consciousness, and it is widely believed that I’m the remainder of her soul. That legend, although it’s a shame, has dwindled into nothingness overtime. Nevertheless, she was and Arch-Dragon, which meant she was able to utilize magic. No other dragon, save your father, could do this. She was a gigantic, twenty-five foot tall angelic death machine. Crystals jutted out as her wings except for her wing bones that held them in place. Her scales were a dull-white, which accented her sky-blue underbelly and jet-black horns, claws, and talons. Her irises were a rare black, and with them it is said that she could look into the past lives of her enemies.*

*Although she was rather large, she wore the Sacred Cross of Light, bestowed upon her by no one else other than her Mistress. She was rather rebellious and chose to be at the forefront of any attack or defense, giving morale on the field with her prowess in combat. Her favorite type of elemental magic to use was Ice, which is a stong but sub-category to the main element, Water. She could make scythes, daggers, arrows, you name it! But there was one thing she longed for. With all her power and high standing in the marshall courts...she longed for a mate. No male gave her the time of day, stating that she was the quote-on-quote, male.*

“Ouch.” That had to hurt my mother.

*But, during a raid from the Necro Strikers, the elitist of the elite in Lord Dark's Purgers, on the plane of happiness, she ran into the dragon that would forever change her life.*

“My father.” I said with renewed interest, for I had been dozing off during the description of my late mother.

*Indeed. Vorlianth the Deathlord was only second to Lord Dark’s son, Lucian. He led the Necro Strikers across many a plane, smiting angel and other forms of life alike from Light’s Holy Order. His skill in necromancy was, for lack of a better word, unholy! He was both a Dracolich and a Siegewyrm, which was rare...very, rare! It is said that the only way to know if he and his horde was coming, would be a series of signs that would make themselves apparent. Number one, the waters would turn a bright and pulsating green, the faces of souls trapped for his amusement screaming as they broke the surface of any liquid. Number two, would be the horrible scent of death and fermentation. Last, would be the flaps of his seventy-foot wingspan. By then it is already too late to run. Undead soldiers rise from the ground under his control and kill anything that is alive, allowing him to seize strong points with minimal effort.*

*He prefered to do things the old fashioned way, however, and opted to divebomb whole battalions on his lonesome. The families of Light’s Order bought the caskets and gravestone because of Vorlianth. A squad of ten to twelve paladins in golden armor were assigned to each battalion to offer the souls of their fallen eternal rest, before they were snatched up and added to Vorlianth’s strength reserves. He was the only Arch-Dragon in history to wear any constructed armaments, such as bracer around his wrists to deflect oncoming strikes from other dragons or spells from holy mages. His twenty-foot long tail was armed with a spiked mace of purest obsidian, which he would use to level groups of soldiers and other beings. He was feared so badly, that females offered their newborns to him in hopes of keeping their own lives.*

“That’s absolutely disgusting! They were not ready to birth a foal then!” Luna snapped angrily as scene like that played through her mind. A mare on her hooves, nosing her foal to this demonic entity who would then kill it before the mother’s very own eyes! Despicable! Unforgivable!!!

*He would then proceed to kill both the newborn and the birth mother, taking both their souls for his own instead of the offered one. He truly menacing to behold indeed! He towered a good sixty-feet, earning him the title of Zirrusk, or Father, in the dragon tongue. It’s impossible to pronounce without a forked tongue, which your father was very fond of, Spike. He would roll it out when he was board, sticking various objects and what not between the two pieces of moving flesh. But, I digress. His scales were a smokey-grey and black, which was highlighted by his pure-yellow eyes...as in he had no retina or iris...it was just yellow necrotic magic

“If you don’t mind Krystal, could you skim ahead to their meeting? Hearing their descriptions and all is nice, but it’s certainly not needed. Also, couldn’t you have just magically constructed images to put in our heads about my parents? Why waste your magical energy talking when a picture’s worth a thousand words?” I asked with genuine boredom written on my face. I wasn’t expecting the answer that followed though.

*It’s because I like talking and hearing the lovely sound of my own voice. But if you insist on visual aid because your an ass with no imagination, then I suppose skipping ahead to the picture part of the book would be more up your alley.* Krystal responded snobbishly.

“Ouch.” That one was for me.

Krystal picked up speed in her gyrating motion, illuminating herself and charging the magic within her. I could see from the faces of the royal figureheads beside me that they too were receiving the images of my parents. The first one was obviously of my mother, and I did see a lot of facial features that matched my own.

       
    
        “Oh, she seems rather powerful...and pretty.” Luna nervously said. I knew she was telling horseapples though, because even I thought she looked unpleasant. I don’t know what it was about her, but she just seemed angry.

The next image brought gasps from all of us.

         “And that ugly sucker is dad, hunh?” I asked dismissively. To be honest, they both seemed like total flank holes. I guess, in a messed up way, that they were meant for each other. Still, I wonder how my life would’ve turned out if Twilight hadn’t gotten my egg for her exam. 

“Well...at least the loved one another...right?” Cadence stammered out. Oh yeah, she’s here with us! I had completely forgotten about her since she’s not that important! Why I even agreed to let her come along is still a mystery to me! Woah...when did I get so irritated?

Krystal was now breathing heavy in our conscious, making all three of us exchange nervous glances with one another.

“You don’t have to continue on any further if you don’t want to, seeing as how you’ve been talking for at least, three hours now. We could always come back.” I said worriedly as the labored breathing began to subside over time.

*Yes...thank you. Those images were hard to construct given my limited magic, but I guess you got the basic look of your parents. We’ll continue this chat later, preferably night time. I need my rest.* Krystal’s light was fading in and out, and she had stopped her gyrating motions. I had a theory that needed proof, however.

“Before I leave...what’s my abnormality?” I asked Krystal, to which she just sighed in irritation and overall weariness.

*It’s magic, like I told you before. You’re not a dragon, but even if you were, it would not matter. Its rare for any species outside of equines to use magic. You can’t do magic like telekinesis or levitation, but the natural elements are yours to learn. I’ll tell you everything later, but as of right now, the air around me is calling my name.* Nothing else was said. I felt her presence leave my mind and, based on the looks of Luna and Cadence, theirs as well.

“Well she was a bucket of sunshine.” Cadence said dejectedly as she shook her head in disappointment. “I expected her to be fairly nicer, given her origins and status.” I sighed and facepalmed at this.

“You try being a rock for a thousand years and see if everything’s all sugar and rainbows.” I jabbed, getting a glare from the alicorn in return. Luna chuckled as we turned around and headed from the staircase that led here.

---

“That was informal to say the least. I now know that both my parents were envoys of destruction and slaughtered millions. I still don’t know how they hooked up, or how their feelings developed for one another, but that would be a tale for later I suppose.” I said to Luna, who was busy chewing on a freshly cooked blueberry muffin. Cadence had left earlier to rule her land.

“Twas quite a treat, but now we must get down to what I’ve been waiting to do.” She said after clearing her throat of the yeasty treat.

“Oh, and what would that be?” I asked, my curiosity piqued once more.

“Appearances, my friend! I simply cannot tirade around with you! Ponies will know who I am and eventually...who you are! That would cause a lot of unneeded problems! Make haste, for it is time for us to assault the path!” She exclaimed boldly as she rushed past me, her tale smacking me in the face hard enough to cause minimal discomfort. I rubbed at the sore spot.

“I think you mean, ‘hit the road!’” I yelled after her as we left the castle, for we had been sitting in the foyer after going to the kitchens to grab a snack. I could only wonder what she planned, but...knowing her...it wasn’t going to be pretty.  

 
        
        

> Intermission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike 

                                                
They walked briskly, headed for the Crystal Town down the walkway from the Crystal Castle. In order to reach town square, a ten minute walk would have to come to pass. The subtle clicks of her silver horseshoes, and his scaled feet slapping against the cobblestone, created a type of noise with no care for rhythm. It was awkward, for they had things they wanted to say, but knew could violate the terms they set up for themselves.

        For her, it would be taboo. Only her sister had been foolish enough to court a mortal, bearing the heartache for two-hundred years plus. It was rather sobering, watching the emotional wreck of her sister as she mourned her dead lover in the confines of her chambers. But Luna would have none of it. Day after day, she would raise the sun for her emotionally wounded sibling, taking on the responsibilities that would have normally been distributed between both of them. This was before Nightmare Moon, where the hatred for her sister slowly began manifesting itself into a demonic body capable of genocide.

“Stars forbid.” She thought worriedly, feeling the little tingle of dark energy pulsate in the back of her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she knew that getting rid of the Nightmare was a fruitless endeavor. It was a part of her...no, it was her. And it is for her unwillingness to accept this fact, that her darker side had escaped the prison in her mind. It wasn’t like she hated, the darker half. Rather, she’s slowly beginning to welcome it, hoping to mold it into her being without the fear of it taking over once more. This problem has been lingering on her mind for as long as she raised the moon.

“Will I ever obtain true serenity with myself? How long must I stay fractured, fearing the darker side of the moon?” Her thoughts were a maze with quicksand being the reward for escape. Below the surface of the quicksand, another maze would present itself, but it would be tougher than the previous one. It was a never ending cycle of confusion, where she would lure herself into a false sense of security, only to be humbled by the pulsating and venomous evil energy clawing at the back of her mind. It wanted out, wanted to cause others harm and reek unholy vengeance on the sister who banished her all those years ago.

“But that's not what Equestria needs...nor what I desire. Perhaps, in the near future, the Wrath of the Abyss may be of use against our sister in combat, but not a moment sooner of later. The power is too strong to maintain for long periods of time, and the armor will only give me so much control. Tis why the elements were able to split me from my darker side all those years ago. The armor had prevented full assimilation, keeping my good half intact while the great evil was...contracted? Yes...contracted. The Nightmare is a part of my emotions and without it, I cannot function as a living being. It has already attuned itself with a fraction of my spirit.” 


She sucked her teeth, lost amongst her thoughts. It’s seen as borish to do, even more so in public. But all of that formal protocol had long since been abandoned. 

“Oh,” She exclaimed in her mind, a sudden inquiry popping from the depths of her conscious, “I should probably send an anonymous message to Tia about my whereabouts. No doubt she thinks I’m still furious about her stealing my last piece of Devil’s Food Cake. It would be a wonderful cover up!”  A tap on her shoulder nearly made the fur covering her body to pop out in fright. Spike was looking at her worriedly, seeing the confliction and heavy state of concentration on her face.


“It’s probably nothing, so I shouldn't have tapped her. She’s a Princess after all.” Spike thought dismissively as he put on a bashful smile and began rubbing the back of his head. Luna blushed and coughed nervously into one of her front hooves, looking everywhere but at the dragon that had snapped her out of her thoughts. They stopped when the duo happened upon a large snowflake shape in the middle of a bustling square. Shops with linen tops radiated a welcoming aura as ponies busied themselves in buying the many merchant’s wares and food.


“So we’re here. I wonder what she wants to do?” Spike made to turn around and ask, even holding up a finger. When he saw nothing but a brown pouch of coins hovering in midair, he facepalmed. Taking the coins after recollecting himself from disbelief, Spike opened the pouch, curious as to how many bits were inside. He counted....


...and counted....


....and counted...


“...HOW MANY BITS ARE IN HERE!!!??” His frustration was growing so large that it could’ve became palpable. He’d easily broken the three-hundred mark, now ascending to marks above three-hundred-seventy bits. But they wouldn't stop popping up!


“Being a princess has it’s perks, but I digress. Getting back to the matter at hoof, it would be best to avoid being seen in public with one another until a proper disguise has been made or found. I would recommend clothes to cover and suit your bipedal frame, whilst I will invest in a...how would the Element of Generosity say...makeover? Yes...a makeover! I trust my bits won’t go to waste?” Luna’s voice had somehow entered his head, causing a great deal of confusion but also relieving the fears that he had just been abandoned. Shaking his head, Spike smiled as she sealed the pouch with the two pieces of rope tied around the top and put it into his pockets.

Little did the ponies or any other form of life know, dragons are born with ‘pockets’ on their flanks. Quite convenient. “Yeah, they won’t go to waste. You know, I might get angry if you chose to keep popping into my head like that.” Spike said in a whisper with a sour look on his face. He was playing, but he wanted to give the illusion, if she was still watching him, that he was cross with her for the blatant intrusion.

“So it’s wrong for me to be in your head during the day, is it? Well how come you have no problem with me ‘entertaining’, you during the hours in which your dreams are had?” Luna quipped at the dragon, knowing he had never thought of her in an explicit way. The dragon had begun walking before she said this, but he immediately tripped over nothing with a blush on his face when she did. Spike, through the now dark-purple cheeks he had, snarled in irritation as he heard Luna’s sing-song laughter at his sudden embarrassment. Some Crystal Ponies stopped and stared at the dragon with confused and worried faces as he stood up. An irritated glance in semi-circle motion insured that they didn’t linger for too long.


An idea popped up in Spike’s mind at how Luna was invading his head. If it was through magic, then she was basically connecting her mind and therefore, her nerves, with his own. A devilish smile crossed his features as he rubbed his claws together like he was washing them in a sink. He jutted his arms out to his sides sharply, then began to spin in fast circles.

“Stop that! I’m getting dizzy!” Luna’s voice sounded like she was speaking through a fishbowl, which only made the dragon speed up. When he himself felt sure that the Mare of the Moon was horrendously out of kilter, he stopped and stumbled for a few minutes. He then heard his reward; the sound of breakfast leaving the body!

Although some of her gags made Spike’s stomach retch, he couldn’t help but smile that he had gotten his revenge.

“A pox upon you.” Luna said through ragged breathing as she closed the connection. 

Spike chuckled, knowing all too well that this victory is bittersweet. He knew that Luna would make it her mission to get back at him, but he also knew that treating her as a friend rather than a princess would do wonders for their relationship!

He jerked his head up and the blush returned harder than before.

“What relationship!? I’ve given it some thought, but she’s a princess and I’m a dragon! Granted, it’s basically the same predicament like it was between me and Rarity, but the difference is in the title for star’s sake! I have a better chance of finding my way into Celestia’s diary, than hooking up with her sister!” Thinking it would be best to leave before he caused quite the panic in the town square, Spike started his search for things that would conceal him.

“I better start with something to cover my body. I need to find a tailor.”  Spike then took the opportunity to look for somepony who looked nice enough to give him directions. When he found a raspberry-colored mare with a white bun in her mane, he walked briskly over to her and made himself known with a tap on the shoulder, for she was turned away from him and buying corn firm the merchant in front of her. The merchant’s eyes widened as the dragon tapped the mare’s shoulder and put on what looked like a friendly smile, but he was showcasing his large canines.

“SWEET CELESTIA!!!” The mare nearly released her bladder when she turned around, unceremoniously coming face to face with one of Equestria’s feared predators. The dragon’s eyes widened in surprise as he stumbled backwards and held his hands up in front of his chest, trying to give the impression that he was harmless. The mare took may ragged breaths before calming down and sheepishly smiling at the now confirmed, docile dragon. “Heh...” she laughed nervously, 
“...Sorry. You kinda startled me. It’s not everyday you run into a dragon.”

“I get that alot. Anyway, my name’s Spike and I would like to know if you know of a tailor around here?” Spike asked hopefully. The mare's face fell into a frown as she thought about the only tailor in the town. She groaned and rolled her eyes, obviously remembering her last visit. 

“I’m Berry Guava and to answer your question, I do know of the only tailor in town. His wares are magnificent, but he’s just so...” She threw her hooves up in the air for a long time, Spike watching them move to and fro in a wild manner. Berry Guava placed them back down and sighed. “...He’s different.” She looked almost apologetic when she said that. Spike was now forming an idea of what this pony’s personality could be. Number one, was that he could be insufferable in some shape or form. Or, two, he could be just plain weird. Comparing his mental options, Spike would rather the former than the latter.

He’s seen weird before. It was four years ago on his thirty-first birthday. Pinkie Pie had been the planner and she had baked the patented Marzipan Meringue Madness, or MMM, for short. Needless to say, eating gems with meringue was a little too sweet for him, so he had to tell Pinkie the grim news that the cake wasn’t the best he had. That’s when things got creepy. After her hair made a deflating noise as it did just that, she became somewhat...unsettling. He would notice her following him around the party in Sugarcube Corner, only making herself apparent to him and him only. He would notice her out the corner of his eyes, staring at him like ingredients before baking.

He shuddered.

“Well, would you mind giving me directions? You see, this isn’t my first time in the Crystal Kingdom and I don’t really get far here without becoming lost.” Spike tried to avoid mentioning the fact that he saved them.

“No prob! Just follow this street all the way to the intersection and make a right. At the end of the street you’ll then be on, will be a sign pointing you to a Stitch in Time. That’s where he, works.” She cringed and shuddered as some bits found their way onto the counter in front of her, paying for the food she wanted. With a quick word of thanks, Spike set off down the road.



---

“Well I can see what she meant by...different.” Spike stood and peered at the building in front of him. To make a long story short, he really didn’t have any words to describe the building.

It was tall, made from grey and black cobblestone that was perfectly symmetrical, one half bearing the grey while the other bore the black. There were exactly four windows on the two story house, placed symmetrically across from one another. On the top of the house was a sign that looked neither skewed or damaged. In perfect symmetry, it read, Stitch in time: Where it actually saves Twelve. Starring more intently, even more words made themselves apparent to the drake.

Because Twelve is even and is able to be split perfectly.

“You’re kidding.” Spike thought bemusedly. Steeling himself for any surprise, he walked through the door. Needless to say, the interior made Spike exponentially more uncomfortable.

“Eh...Everything’s...symmetrical?” Spike breathed out in disbelief at the tailor’s shop. Dolls were sitting on top of chests, next to mirrors and dressers. The dolls symmetry, is what made the place off-putting. For every doll on the right side of the room, there was a matching one on the left side, albeit they were different colors.

“Hmmm? Is someone out there!?” A high-pitched, although definitely male, voice called out from the back of the store. Or what Spike thought was the back. A unicorn stallion that was about Twilight’s height poked his head around a black door frame in the back, which was completely symmetrical with the door Spike had just entered through. His mane was jet-black and so was his eyes. That’s odd. As the stallion drew closer, Spike could make out a few more details.

The stallion was wearing an expensive-looking tuxedo with a black bowtie, placed perfectly on top of his white and frilled symmetrical dress-shirt. The mane was short all around the head and reminded Spike of a cereal bowl for some reason.

“Yes...um...I was told that you’re the only tailor in town and that if I wanted some quality clothes, I should come here.” Spike ventured out unsurely.

“Well, isn’t that nice of-DRAGON!!!!” The stallion was apparently navigating the shop with his eyes closed, for he nearly jumped out of his fur when he saw Spike for the first time. Seeing how the situation was quickly dissolving into chaos, Spike stretched out a claw tentatively and placed it on the cowering tailor’s shoulder. The poor thing winced and made a puppy dog face in response to the sudden physical contact.

“Please don’t eat me! I taste horrible and your body will...be...come...” He trailed off, sorrow turning into wonder as his eyes widened in awe. Spike smiled sheepishly.

“This guy suffers from mood parks, not swings!” Although his face didn’t change to match that insult, Spike was finding it difficult to keep a pleasant smile up while the stallion gawked at him.

“You’re...You’re...” The stallion began before the early signs of a smile began to break out across his face. “...PERFECT!!!” Spike was wrapped up into a bone crushing hug by the stallion that was at least two feet smaller than he was. Only Pinkie Pie could hurt him with her hugs...or so he thought. “Oh this is perfect,no, you’re perfect! I can’t believe such symmetrical beauty like yours would just waltz right into my shop but here you are in all your glory! Simply magnificent, the Symmetry Deities must be rewarding me for being one of the few to follow in their wise and holy hoofsteps! Oh, most wonderful of days and lines!” The stallion’s mouth was a vortex of hyperspeed vernacular and compliments as he spun himself and Spike around the room, still embracing him in a tight hug.

“And your ear fins are just SO SYMMETRICAL!!! Were you naturally born so perfect or did you spend year after year after year in front of a mirror to enhance yourself in the ways of symmetry, oh you must divulge to me every secret, for I want to follow the road of perfection behind you! Would you be interested in-” 

“PUT ME DOWN!!!” Spike was beginning to understand how being made dizzy against your will sucked. Granted, Luna could’ve terminated the connection whenever she saw fit. Getting back to the scene, the stallion stopped his rambling and after a word of apology, set the drake back on his feet. 

“Geez! How you picked up a three-hundred pound dragon is still, a mystery!” Spike snorted black smoke from his nostrils in bemusement as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I must apologize! My name is Juvenile Mortis and I’m a regular pony. I’ve devoted my life to making wares that follow symmetry to the very minute of details. It’s beautiful, is it not?” He gestured at his shop with his hoof. “This is perfection in every way! No dust, no asymmetrical garbage and, most importantly, symmetry! Symmetry as far as the eye can behold!” Mortis exclaimed happily. “I’ll be more than ecstatic to make some radiant clothes for you, free of charge, of course. We who pursue perfection need to have each other’s backs, don’t you agree?” Mortis asked with intoxicating amounts of enthusiasm.

“Yeah...perfection.” Spike agreed tentatively. He’s definitely weird.

“So what would you like, my friend? If you’re having trouble thinking of an ensemble, I would be more than delighted to make you a suit!” The tailor eyed the drake with severe anticipation, hoping the dragon would conform to the idea of having him make a suit. 

“Like Tartarus.” Spike thought dismissively. 

“I was thinking something casual, yet concealing. Something that would make me fit in with the crowd. Like...” Spike trailed off as he looked around the room for inspiration; a trick he learned from Rarity herself. He spotted a white pony plushie with blue jeans and a purple hoodie/jacket with a green shirt underneath. Such a color scheme would have made Rarity faint.

“Why am I thinking of her so much lately? It’s not like she’s here with me, rebelling against Celestia.” Spike frowned as he mentally belittled the first mare he ever had a romantic interest in. Why was he becoming such an arse?

“...That.” He raised a claw up and pointed at the doll, the stallion’s head soon following. He enveloped the doll in a light-blue magical aura, hovering it over to his position and studying both it and the seven foot tall dragon in front of him. Spike could hear the gears turning in his head, but after a sigh that signaled frustration, Mortis began to shake his head to and fro. 

“I was trying to imagine your dimensions based on your appearance, but I’ve never worked with anything other than ponies. You’re going to be measured now, and I won’t take no for an answer. Who knows if you’ll be the only dragon looking for appropriate attire!? I must not be caught unawares! Patty Cake! Lizzyloo! I require your assistance!” Mortis exclaimed while craning his head to look behind him and towards the empty doorframe in the back.

Two red-furred ponies rushed from the back instantly, stopping mere centimeters behind Mortis and one another. One of them had a blonde, short-cut mane and crystal-blue eyes, that seemed to radiate a mirth with an uncanny resemblance to Pinkie Pie’s. The other one had a long, dirty-blonde mane with a the same eye color as the first, only duller. They both appeared to be mares and were eyeing Spike down, like a cat would do to a mouse.

“Yeah?” Came the older-looking one’s response.

“Lizzyloo, would you be a dear and take our guest into the back and take his measurements? In the meantime, I’ll have Patty Cake make some tea while I prepare the fabric. Sound good?” Mortis asked before he turned around and looked at them both. The one which was now confirmed to be Lizzyloo nodded abruptly, her long mane bouncing as she walked past the stallion and up to Spike.

“Come into the back and I’ll take your measurements.” She put on a smirk as Spike nodded, following her into the back of the store.

“So how long have you guys been here?” Spike asked, trying to break the ice as he ducked the small door frame expertly.

“Five years, give or take.” Lizzyloo answered disinterestedly. Spike raised an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity, trying to mentally figure out why he was just answered so rudely. The room was dim; illuminated by a single light bulb only. It was casting a yellow glow about.

Pony mannequins were erected on the walls across from one another, and Spike had to move two of them out of the way in order to reach the middle of the room. Once there, he felt something cold go up his back, shivering from the drop of temperature on his spine. The sound of rolling measuring tape and the satisfying smack of it being placed back inside, calmed Spike down. He’s only been measured by one mare in his life and he would’ve preferred to keep it that way, but due to circumstances, that seemed like a fool’s dream.

“Calm down! I might mess up if you tense up so much!” Complained Lizzyloo, trotting in front of Spike in order to give him an evil stare. Spike raised his eyebrow again as his only response. Lizzyloo snorted and walked to his right side. “Can you do me a favor and slide the stool behind he to me? I left it back there by accident.”

“But of course.” A couple of moments later and Lizzyloo was measuring the length of his arm. The rest of the his body’s measurements went by slowly. In order not to become insufferable due to boredom, which happened quite frequently, Spike had taken some interest in the mare measuring him. He was currently getting the inside of his left leg measured. “Fun Fact: You’re the only pony that’s gotten that close.” He put on a manure-eating grin.

Through the red fur on her face, Spike could make out the intense blush that had just formed on her face. But his moment of amusement was soon ended when she stood up abruptly and pivoted on her front hooves, bringer her rear to face him.

“Guess what, Big-Boy?” Asked Lizzyloo sultrily.

“Oh?” Came Spike’s only response, sounding very eager. 

“Pain.” She bucked him in the crotch, causing the dragon to roar in waht she just said as he knelt down with tears in his eyes, holding his hoard between his claws. “That’s what.” She finished as she rolled up the measuring tape for the final time and walked out the room with a slight blush on his face. Spike whimpered as he began to feel nauseous.

After five minutes of recollecting himself from the pain, Spike walked out from the back room, albeit still sore in the groin. He was then confronted by Juvenile Mortis, holding two cups of tea in his magical aura and Patty Cake, smiling wide with her eyes closed. Thinking that Patty Cake was Lizzyloo, Spike promptly screamed like a little girl, earning him shocked and complexed glances from the two hosts in front of him.

“Are you alright, Mister Dragon?” Patty Cake asked as she put back on her signature smile, as if nothing happened in the first place.

“Yup! Just fine!” Spike answered hurriedly, trying to cover up that sudden outburst.


“If you say so. Will you be staying for tea? I’ve already gotten your clothes in order and they’re by the door.” Mortis said as he nodded his head in the direction of the front door once.

“I would love to, but I’m afraid I have a friend that I must get back to.” Answered Spike. Mortis simply nodded and floated the extra cup filled with herbal brew back to Patty Cake, who grabbed the plate under the boiling hot cup with her teeth and went behind some boxes, presumably to the kitchen or a room. Juvenile Mortis sipped some tea out the symmetrically designed cup as he walked with Spike to the front door.

“Here you are then.” Mortis said as he lifted a half black and half white bag with the store’s name on it to Spike. “It’s was quite the treat, meeting you today! Don’t be a stranger!” The stallion exclaimed and for the first time, Spike guessed that his age had to be around the same area as Rarity’s. He couldn’t see his cutie mark, but with a name like Juvenile Mortis, one can imagine.

Spike twisted open the door with his claw as he grabbed the bag out of the stallion’s levitation magic. Taking brief steps into the town, Spike turned back and waved at the stallion. To his amusement, however, the stallion knocked the levitating cup next to him with a hoof he raised to wave back, spilling the hot mixture over his clothes.

“GAHHHHHH!!! NOOOOO!!!! I’M HIDEOUS, AWFUL, SCUM, ASYMMETRICAL FILTH THAT DOESN’T DESERVE TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD!!! WHY OH WHY WAS I BORN IN THE FIRST PLACE, I’M SUCH A SCREW-UP!!! IT’S NOT RIGHT, OR JUST, FOR ME TO STILL DRAW BREATH-” Spike saw the outlines of Lizzyloo and Patty Cake just before the door slammed shut. He sighed as he began walking back the same way from which he traveled the first time.

It only took him a couple of minutes to find a nice, secluded spot where he could slip the freshly acquired attire on. He pulled at the neck of his purple hoodie, adjusting it to his liking before fiddling with the jeans he had been given. When everything seemed comfortable, he made his way back to the town square, hoping to run into Luna.

His hopes quickly began to diminish as he arrived at the Square; only to find that the Princess of the Night was nowhere to be found. He sighed in boredom as he found a bench to wait on, the brown wood and black bolts contrasting heavily with his attire and scales. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a sign with words that looked like they were written by a foal. He kind of felt sorry for playing that little prank on Luna earlier, so why not get her something nice?

Walking over to the stand, Spike noticed two things. One; was that this guy wasn’t a vendor, but an artist. Two; he seemed to be having a troubling time with his business, for no one was coming to his stand and he had a sad look on his face.



“I have quite the surprise for him!” Spike thought happily as he cleared his throat to make his presence known. The stallion’s eyes widened when he noticed Spike, then returned to their empty-like state after realizing that he probably wasn't going to be eaten.

“Do you need somethin’, Mister Dragon?” The stallion asked as he sighed in severe depression. Spike could take no more of this.

“I need you to draw me. It’s a gift for a friend.”

“What’s the point when she’s going to see you anyway? Being an artist was a poor talent to be born with.” He slapped his head against the white canvas in front of him. Spike cringed at the sight of the stallion inflicting harm upon himself.

“Stop beating yourself up, guy! The ponies around here are probably scared that they’re being jipped! That’s probably why you haven’t been getting much business! Well, that and your depressing mood and lack of a real stall. You’re just posted up in the middle of the road, blocking traffic and ruining the mood of everypony that walks by!” Spike snapped, getting what he wanted shortly after.

The stallion snorted in anger before turning to face the drake. “BUCK YOU!!! What would you know, huh!?” The stallion’s red eyes were kindled with life, earning a smile back from the dragon.

“YOU’RE RIGHT!!! SHOW ME WHAT LITTLE I KNOW ABOUT ART, COLT!!!” Spike’s even louder response only served to ignite the fury in the stallion. It also served to attract a large crowd of ponies, one even having a midnight-blue coat and eyes.

“Stand there and I’ll show you!” The stallion hissed dangerously. Spike humphed as he did what he was told. Cocking his head to the side and putting on a smile showing only his poking canines, Spike put his hands in his pockets and nodded that he was ready. Five minutes later and the piece was done. “THERE!!! ARE YOU HAPPY!!!???” The stallion said as he shoved the portrait in Spike’s face.

    

“I’m happy, but the real question is,” Spike trailed off as he leaned forward and moved the painting with his face, so that the stallion and him were looking eye to eye. “Are you?”

“How could this possibly, make me happy!?”

“That’s rather simple. I’m pretty sure half the town saw you create this little piece here and stand your own against a dragon almost two times your size. If that didn’t make your day, then this probably will.” Spike took the portrait with his right hand while he took out Luna’s pouch with the other. He half-interestedly threw the pouch at the artist, who fumbled with it for a few moments before firmly grasping it against his chest with a shocked expression on his face.

“H-how much is in here!? It weighs a bucking ton!” The stallion said as he stood up with the pouch on his head.

Spike smiled slyly as he looked back from the direction in which he had begun walking, which was towards the Crystal Castle.

“I gave up on counting.” He said in a sly voice as he turned back around and began walking again. He didn’t notice a midnight-blue mare smile pridefully as she teleported either. 

> Beast from the East: Appearance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion




      
  “Alright guys, thanks for breakfast again! I’m off to Valara’s in order to train.” I called back to the medium-sized patio I had just stepped off. It was raised off the ground a good five feet, with steps leading up to the deck. The structure had an octogonal shape with a wooden gate around the edges. One of the gate could swing open and led to a flight of stairs, which I had descended prior to calling back at the Murdok's who were lounging about on chairs.

        “You do this every. fucking. day. We couldn’t care less, about you visiting that shamaness! What you do on your own time is your business, not ours.” Maxxis snapped. I chuckled at his antics.

        Living with the Murdoks has taught me numerous things about them. It’s been a long five days, but it was enough time for me to generally get to know them. For instance; Maxxis loves to go around without any article of clothing on. It’s viewed as savagery to those with status within Zistral, but it’s not indecent to others. In fact, the male’s reproductive organs are concealed underneath our scales near the crotch. He’s in no way violating moral code, but some drakes and dragonnesses cry bloody murder when he’s out and about. Personally, I would never strut myself about in the nude. Some of us have, more or less, esteem.

        Arma’s a pretty nice girl. Turns out, she’s actually the eldest of the two. It’s only because Maxxis is taller than her, that she calls him her ‘big brother’. In any case, they’ve been living here as nobility for about ten years, having to console each other when their parents died in a war or something along those lines. These two have had quite, the life.

“There’s still the matter of that Dread Tournament everyone is talking about. I need to focus...and train, if I ever want to have a shot at beating this...Lady Crimson.” I looked up to notice that I had exited the city’s gates. I must of been really out of it, for it normally takes approximately twenty minutes in order to cross the marketplace, let alone make it to the gates. All in all, the little voyage should have taken at least thirty-five minutes, but it only felt like five. 

The gates were closed; which was no surprise, seeing as how their massive. Maxxis and Arma have taught me how to open them so that I may go see Valara, so getting them open wouldn’t be a problem. The gates are voice activated and only respond to the ancient dragon/draconian tongue. No one speaks it fluently anymore save for the few words that are useful, like the one for opening the gates. “NIF!” I yelled the draconic word for ‘open’ loudly. The gates budged, a tremble rocketing through my body as the slowly began opening. 



Everything seems to be fine so far! Leaving Zistral during the days of the Dread Tournament was a severe offense against the crown. Whatever. The gates had, by this time, opened themselves about halfway. I smiled in knowing that my training for today would begin the moment I left the walls. But, seeing as how my patience is thin, I prematurely began walking through the opening, only to bump into a heavily robed black figure. It stood about on two legs, equal in height with me. Every part of it’s body was concealed underneath the dark and drab clothing. Two grey straps made an ‘X’ formation upon it’s chest, binding the fabric against it’s body to showcase it’s bulging twelve-pack. It’s pecs were noticeable, easily making whatever was in front of me male. The real question is, however...

“I’m sorry for bumping into you. My name’s Dameion, rightful Ruler of Zistral and all Draconians within the land of Mythril.” Quite the introduction, no? The hooded drake, however, showed no interest in it whatsoever. I had hoped that sounding intellectual and friendly would persuade him to not get hostile. During the time of the Tournament; challenges are allowed to happen anywhere in the city. You move up in rank for each battle you win. I’ve yet to see battle, and I would prefer to keep it that way until I finish my lessons with Valara.

I had done some studying during my stay in Zistral. I came to realize that Zistral wasn’t the name of my country, but rather of the Capital City. Mythril is the name of this country that’s supposed to be mine, and it’s a rather large country indeed. The only country bigger than this is Equestria, which lies in the far Northwest, after the Dragon Lands. Arma would have gutted me like a fish if I haven’t learned that at least.

“My name isss Fei-Kuu of the Eassst. The pleasssure’sss all mine.” Woah, that guy has the world’s strongest lisp! “I come ssseeking ssstrong oppnentsss in the Dread Tournament. I ssseek no titlesss or other meaninglesss positionsss that are awarded with winning. Could you be a friend and essscort me to the Colissseum?” I could see his off-white tongue flick out from underneath his hood.

“Is he smelling me right now? That’s...Disturbing!” I shuddered, hoping that he hadn’t seen me do exactly that. “I’m sorry, my friend! I'm actually exiting the city in order to do some training.” I nodded my head with a smile on my face as a farewell before I began walking past him. I didn’t take two steps before I felt something on my shoulder. I stopped and looked back to see a scaled, three-fingered hand grasping my shoulder. 

“Pleassse my friend; allow me to accompany you. This isss my first time in Zissstral, which meansss that I’m unfamiliar with it’sss streetsss. I would become horribly lost; ssso I’m asssking if you’d be able to essscort me when we return from your training.” I could hear the desperation in his voice. I still suspect him of foul play, but those words were genuine.

“He doesn’t appear to be the type that gets lost easily.” I raised an eyebrow, which made him squeeze my shoulder. 

“I’ll even help you train! I’m begging you!” The sand-colored hand released my shoulder and slid back into the sleeve from which it came. 

“That’s pretty cool.”  I thought in amazement at how large those sleeves were. “I don’t see why not!” I said with a smile. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew he was smiling. He just seemed like the type to do so.

“Mossst joyousss of daysss! The All-Mother be praisssed!” He said in happiness as I continued walking; a new friend on my right side.

---

“Thisss ssscenery is ssstellar! I’ve never ssseen ssso many vibrant colorsss!” I smiled at Fei-Kuu’s wonder. The Enchanted Forest on the outskirts of town was where the shamaness made her home. I’ve been to her house four times already, so I’m somewhat familiar with the path to get there. She calls it the Vermilion Pass. due to the many red oak leaves that litter the air and ground. The path led to a giant oak tree, which I could see from where we were. The pass was convenient, for trekking through the many branches would have been problematic and annoying. Some of the plants are quite notorious for their neurotoxins, after all.

“Speaking of toxic things...”

“Hey, Fei-Kuu.” I called out to him.

“Hmm?” He said in response.

“Mind letting me see your face. I really can’t get comfortable without knowing what you look like. Call me crazy, but I can’t shake the feeling that you’re hostile for some reason.” I know it’s wrong for me to say. I shouldn’t call someone I recently met hostile, because it’s rude to do so.

“Heh.” He laughed dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.” His arms came up and two hands came out to pull back his hood. It was currently sunset, but that did nothing to hide the (I’m not homosexual) handsome features of my traveling partner. Fei-Kuu confirmed my theory of him being a snake, for his scales were pronounced and matched his hand with color. He looked like a desert on two legs. His eyes were a dark brown, complimenting his color scheme nicely. He looked at me with his tongue still flickering in and out. He smiled.
 

I couldn’t help but notice the red collar with gold spikes around his neck. That thing must have cost a pretty shilling!

“I’m not much to look at, am I?” Fei-Kuu asked me sarcastically and with mirth hidden in his voice. “I don’t bite...much. But, I can sssay that you’re in the sssame ‘unattractivenesssss boat’ that I’m in.” His smile compressed into a smirk along the tip of his mouth. i scowled at him playfully and slugged him on the shoulder. He laughed playfully and pushed me back, hurtling me into some nearby trees. My head smacked into one of the trunks, making me see stars and splintering it along the middle where I made contact. I groaned in pain, rubbing the violated spot with a hand.

Fei-Kuu rushed over and helped me up, only taking a step back after catching me from falling back down. My mind and eyes were being invaded by weariness and darkness, which is oh too familiar.

“You have a concusssion!” He exclaimed in shock.

“Captain Obvious: Moving at the speed of Duh!” I mentally quipped as I felt my eyes flutter. Fei-Kuu slapped me across the face, waking me up and simultaneously making me angry.

“OW! What the blazes is wrong with you!” I snapped at him. 

“You could fall into a coma if you fall asssleep. Ssstay awake and you won’t have to worry about getting ssslapped, my friend.” Fei-Kuu said with a serious face, his smile from earlier long forgotten. My face contorted into a grimace as a pounding headache worked its way in from nowhere. Not missing a beat, Fei-Kuu began making progress along the path again. I looked up, noticing how close we were to Valara’s Tree House. 

 
        “I-I can’t...anymore.” Darkness took me.

        ---
        
        I awoke on a white-hammock, surrounded by bookcases on every side that looked handmade. Everything was brown; other than the hammock I was in. This only meant that I had found my way into Valara’s treehouse/mansion. I don’t know what time it is, seeing as how I’m in a completely wooden room with no windows or clocks. A shamaness/druidess probably knows the exact minute of every hour...naturally.

        The good news is that I no longer feel pain in my head, so she must of healed me the moment I came. I jumped out the hammock and onto my feet; fully rejuvenated and ready to face anything!


“Palm Technique: Double Dragon!!!” The wall in front of me, which had the only door, bursted into wood shrapnel as a furred body rocketed through my vision. Time slowed as I saw the face of Valara passing by my head, making me widen my eyes in shock and my mouth to fall open. Her eyes were shut in pain and her beautiful robes were torn in certain areas. Time went back to normal as she impacted the the wall just behind me, nearly going through it as her body burrowed into the wood. When she fell out, an imprint in her shape was left with some adjacent cracks. 

I snarled in anger, whipping my head to identify the would-be-attacker. I did a double-take; for a familiar, black-robed figure stood in my field of vision.



“Fei-Kuu!?” I shook my head in disbelief. I could just barely see his dark-brown eyes glowing underneath his hood. “What’s the meaning of this outrage!!?” That came out as more of a demand than a question. The figure had both sleeves up in a parallel manner. He was also in some type of stance where his knees were bent. Fei-Kuu released a long breath that I wasn’t aware he was holding in; then rose from his weird posture. He kept his concealing clothes on, but I knew it was him all right!

“Ssso the rumorsss are true. There’sss  ssstill a disssgusssting Worgen in Zissstral!!! You!” He raised a claw at me and pointed with his index finger, revealing the sand-colored appendage form underneath the baggy sleeve. “You never told me the Ssshamanesss wasss a Worgen female!!! Do you know what thisss filth doesss!!!???” Fei-Kuu yelled at me in hostile anger.

“You just hurt her!” I yelled out unintelligently.

“Attacksss aren’t sssupposssed to tickle, dumbasssss!!!” He yelled back in irritation.

“Fuck you! Now I’m pissed! You’re going to find that fighting me is the biggest mistake that you’ve ever made!”

“S-stop.” Valara’s shaky voice caused me to whip my head away from Fei-Kuu and face her. She was resting on a knee, taking ragged breaths that somehow made themselves visible. There were wood chippings and small cuts all around her body, making me rush to her side and help her up. She slapped my hand away and snarled at me.

“I thought *pant*, you were my friend!” Valara’s yelling didn’t contain its original format. I had learned in my studies with Arma that she spoke in ‘Haiku’, which originated from Equestria. My eyebrow rose at Valara’s sudden speech difference, to which she widened her eyes and placed a hand over her mouth. She stuttered and appeared to be puzzled, as if trying to figure out what to say next as a cover-up!

“You were lying the entire time, weren't you!?” I yelled, distancing myself from her and snorting in disgust. If there’s one thing in this world that disgusts me; it would be liars. She reached out a hand pleadingly as I continued backing away from her until I stood the perfect distance between Fei-Kuu and her.

“I lied about my race, okay!!! I admit it! That also goes for the way I talk, but I’m a druid and shamaness through and through! I’ve never harmed anyone in my entire life, but this...’Sqwerg’, insists that I’m some type of monster cause I can use magic! It’s preposterous and shameful for a warrior of his caliber to be so prejudiced against mages!” Valara yelled at me in panic, noticing how the murderous intent form Fei-Kuu rose from saying that word. The hell’s a Sqwerg, anyway!? 

“Furred Bitch! I’ll teach you to call me such thingsss!!!” Fei-Kuu hissed as he lunged past me faster than I could follow with my eyes. I just barely grabbed him by the back of his robes and yanked him forcefully backwards. I heard him gag from suddenly being stopped in mid-lunge. I gave a mighty yell as I tossed him with all my might with that one hand, sending him flying through the shattered wall. I heard a loud crash and deep reverberation, like a large pot was knocked over. I winced as I nervously turned my head slowly to look upon Valara for her reaction.

She looked at me with eyes so full of fire, that I sincerely thought I would spontaneously combust. “YOU TWO ARE RUINING MY HOME!!!” Valara yelled at me, her hair swinging just enough to cause my face to turn red. My sudden blush did not go unnoticed, for she inclined her head to follow my frozen gaze. Once she saw her bosom in the open, her face took on a cherry hue as well. “S-stop looking! Pervert!” She yelled as her arms crossed over her breasts.
        
“The damage has already been done! AND I’M NOT A PERVERT IF YOU FLAUNT IT!!!” I yelled back in embarrassment and some anger to boot! “I’m not about to play ‘hero’, either! Especially to a female that I don’t even know

"Anthro Snakes and Worgens fought each otherall the time! I don’t think you comprehend the situation!” My face became the very definition of indifference as I inclined my head just so; allowing only one of my eyes to peer at her from over my shoulder. “Our races hate, each other! He’ll fucking kill me!?” Valara asked in a way that I could only describe as stating the obvious. It wasn’t a question; just and obvious statement in question form.

        I snorted in bemuse as I thought of a witty response. To see this lying sack of fecal material grovel at my feet, practically begging for help in a fight that’s not mine, made me angry. I narrowed my eyes as I jerked my leg from her grasp, my dusty but royal robes billowing about in an unseen breeze. Looking back on that moment, I can definitely say that I appeared a little...

        “Hmmm, what did Maxxis say it was?” I thought inwardly, still keeping my icy gaze upon Valara. “AHA! Badass! Yes, that’s what it was alright!”  Yes, I looked positively badass in every sense of the word. I also just figured out my words that were to be said to the lying wench below me. I really have no patience for them, liars that is, for they are only in things for their own benefit. They’re cretinous scum that don’t belong in this world; even if they are dead and rotting!  Disgusting creatures, those liars. 

        “Don’t be cross because I don’t care for you anymore. Be cross that at one point I did; but you were too blind to see it.” I turned my head, gave a guttural yell and broke the wall without any resistance from it. I proceeded to jump out of the hole and begin the twenty-foot plummet to the ground. I thought back on Valara’s teachings on the natural magics. One of them, being wind, allowed me to displace the wind around me or others for certain amounts of time. I focused on my feet, feeling the cool sensation of magic running through my body and to my desired extremities, accumulating in great number at the balms and waiting for my say so.

The ground was right below me, making me yell out the words in panic! “POK!!!” I yelled,feeling the magically created wind explode from the balms of my feet. With a mighty and deep whooshing sound blasting about, I felt the ground meet my feet as blades of grass and loose dirt fluttered about form underneath me. The bottom of my robes blasted me in the face, whipping my head back from the sheer force of the hits. But, just as quickly as the magic came out, it went away. MY robes returned to normal and my eyes quickly displaced that gathering moisture in them, causing the tears to roll down my face. 

I sighed in exhaustion, for my magic was not honed to its full potential yet. A simple wind spell like that had exhausted about three-tenths of my reserves. I heard a snake hiss and a loud whine of a canine before taking off down the path.

“YOU WILL NOT ESSSCAPE!!! I WILL FIND YOU...AND I WILL KILL YOU! EVEN YOUR FRIENDSSS WILL SSSSUFFER A PAIN WORSSSE THAN DEATH!!!!” I could hear an enraged Fei-Kuu behind me, as if he was right behind me and yelling into my ears. I don’t know what happened to Valara, but I can take an educated guess

“WIAP!!! WIAP I SAY!!!” I yelled the word for ‘fly’, immediately feeling the fires around my feet to roar to life, propelling me forward away from Valara’s treehouse. My feet had taken me about halfway through the Vermilion Pass, but they began to sputter as the gates of Zistral came into view. My face appeared as though there was a boulder upon my back, with me trying to hold it up as I force myself to channel more magic into my feet. The compound channeling caused two things to happen. 1. I couldn’t slow down! 2. I hit the wall with the top of my head at untraceable speeds! My face scrunched up in agony as my neck bent, causing the rest of my body to scrunch up in shock as consciousness was taken from me once more.



 
> Finding a Master: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        
“So let me get this straight;” I said as I tucked my hands into my jean pockets. “My mom and dad were ancient beings of incredible magical strength and intellect. They were also seeing each other when they played for opposite teams, which was dangerous given their title and allegiance. In the end they gave in to their lust and love for one another and mated, making me have the power to utilize magic way before Twilight hatched me. In fact, it wouldn’t have been until another five-thousand years until I did hatch. I was never; supposed to know my friends, but it was all due to circumstance that I did.” I put my chin in a hand I removed from one of my pockets.

“That still, however, doesn’t answer some of the questions I still have. For instance; why was I brought to Equestria and not some other plane of existence or world? I fail to see what makes this place more special than other worlds.” I said as I looked up from my thinking pose to gaze at Krystal. The Crystal Heart seemed to pulsate in thought.

*Let me phrase the answer like this. If you were a parent and a world of peace was possible for your son to grown up in; wouldn’t you send him there, away from all of the fighting?” Krystal explained in a matter-of-factly tone, to which I nodded in comprehension.

“That does make sense.” That, however, doesn’t explain my ability to utilize this Natural Magic that Krystal’s been telling me about for five days. “I know I’ve bothered you with this many times before...but...what exactly is natural magic? How does it differ from the magic Twilight or Celestia uses? How are you sure that I can even utilize such a thing?” I asked quickly, sensing Krystal’s growing irritation.

*Are you an idiot? What the hell have you been doing exactly, that could cause you to forget what we’ve been talkin’ about for five. FUCKING!! DAYS!!!” Holy Sapphires was she mad! I have to calm her down!

“Chill out! Chill out!” I said frantically, afraid that her voice would carry all the way upstairs to where a sleeping Luna lied. I had snuck out of our bed during the afternoon, wanting to learn as much as possible from Krystal about my parents. She really couldn’t tell me anything after the part where Lucian tore my mother’s soul in two, separating her from my mother. She did; however, made it clear that nothing survives having its soul stolen. “Alright, yeah, I’m sorry! It’s just that the whole concept of a different type of magic isn’t that easy to grasp!” I earnestly pleaded for krystal to calm down. I had been robbing myself of sleep for five days, which Luna would kill me for. She insisted that her responsibility outside of raising the moon was to look after me.

*Alright! Then you better have a section of that small ass brain of yours cleared out, cause I’m not fucking explaining this shit again. Damnit, now I can’t stop fucking cussing!*Krystal sighed in exasperation and irritation. *I’m going to assess what you know already. How many types of Natural Magicks are there?* Krystal phrased her question like a command from a drill sergeant. To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel safe with an ancient artifact with enough power to form words being angry with me! I could only remember the Mains, which is what I’m hoping she’s asking for.

“The magicks are: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Light and Darkness!” I rambled them off like a Royal Guard. Pathetic how a floating rock can instill so much fear into me, huh?

*Good. Now what are the Subs?* She asked with a hint of venom under her breath, which is completely understandable. Seeing as how I’ve had five days to memorize this junk. I rattled them off in my head before putting on my most cocksure smile. 

“The Subs for Fire are: Lava and Volcanic Ash! For Water: Ice and Blood! For Earth: Metal and Gem Control! For Wind: Lightning and Oxygen Manipulation! For Light: Holy Flames and Paladin or Vindicator Training! For Darkness: Unholy Magicks such as Necromancy or Demonic Contracts! MA’AM!!!” I was so terrified that I even saluted the floating gem. Perfect.

*Very good! You see what you can accomplish without your head being rammed up your ass?* Krystal replied in a smug tone, making me suck my teeth in annoyance and irritation. *I do have grievous news, however.* The sudden glumness of her voice made me raise an eyebrow. One of Twilight’s old habits had worn off on me over time, so I promptly began pacing back and forth. I was all ears in an instant, waiting for the nes that the Crystal Heart had for me. *I’ve taught you everything I could. For you to truly master your abnormality, you will need the teachings of a master!” I opened my mouth to question her, but a swift cough stopped me. I turned to see an interested Luna eye the Crystal Heart expectantly.

“Whoever could this master be? If one such as this exists, then surely many others share Spike’s abnormality, no?” Luna tossed a very angry glare my way, letting me know that she’s upset quite noticeably about me sneaking out. I shrugged and put on a nervous smile, rubbing the back of my head with a hand. She mouthed, “We’re not done!”, to which I gulped.

“Yikes!!!” I shivered as that face became stuck in my head. The way her eyes radiated anger reminded me of Nightmare Moon! That was scary as Tartarus! She then looked back at Krystal expectantly again, as if nothing happened. 

*Oh, I believe you’ve met this particular person many times before, Princess. In fact, she was so close to your sister that it’s a mystery you forgot about her!* Krystal chuckled as she continued playing mind game with Luna, who was becoming impatient seeing as how she was already in a foul mood.

“We’ve grow weary of thy puzzles, rock! Enlighten Us on the whereabouts of said master or there’ll be a geology lesson on the insides of ancient artifacts!” Luna snapped a crystal stalactite in half and sharpened it so that it resembled a scalpel for emphasis. I snickered as krystal began to shiver in fear. 

*Hey now! Let’s be careful with that thing!!! Don’t want to hurt me!!!* Luna inched the point as close as she could to Krystal’s body, to which she gave a girly scream. *ALRIGHT!!! HER NAME’S SUNSET SHIMMER!!!” The scalpel’s telekinetic encasement cleared away, making it plunge toward the ground. It embedded itself in the soft earth without hesitation. Luna’s face was the definition of shock. Her mouth was dangling by a string as her eyes seemed taped open to comical lengths.

“T...T-tis a jest!” Luna said after calming down from her initial shock. Her anger seemed to have risen, which made me gulp nervously. “Sunset Shimmer was exiled from Equestria twenty years ago! Thy mouth sputters not one inch of truth! Sunset Shimmer attempted the first and only Coup de Grace in Equestrian History!!! We will not see Spike be taught by her treachery and lawlessness ways!” Luna snapped as she leered at Krystal as if she was Discord after stealing her moon pies! If looks could kill; then Luna would have killed Krystal, brought her back from Tartarus, then killed her again.

*Whether you like it or not, Spike will only find teachings of the NAtural Magicks from her and her only! Your reluctance will stand in the way of Spike being able to defend himself should Celestia rear her head again! Who knows how long we have until she finds out you two are still in Equestria!* Krystal snapped back, earning a primal snort from Luna. Her fur darkened as her teeth elongated.

“OH HORSEAPPLES AND PONYFEATHERS!!!” I thought frantically as Luna began changing. She didn’t seem to notice, which was making me freak out even more!

“Thy words are pious lies!!! SUNSET SHIMMER IS A TRAITOR TO HER LAND AND IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED!!!” The Royal Canterlot Voice thundered about the cavern, making sharp rocks and other debris fall from the ceiling on top of us! I had to nip this in the bud right now, or we’ll all be pancakes!

“LUNA STOP IT!!!” I yelled with all the force I could muster, my voice becoming worlds deeper and with some of my signature green fire spelling out the words as they came. I have no idea what that was, but it yielded the results that I wanted. Luna’s face became the definition of shock once more as her fur brightened and her eyes returned to normal where they were once reptilian-like. She was breathing hard, exhaustion noticeable but not that much.

*Holy shit-balls lady! There was no reason for that!* Krystal remarked as I went over to Luna and out both hands on her face, angling it so that we staring at one another’s eyes.

“You almost turned to Nightmare Moon.” I said calmly, hoping she would respond to my words the way I said them. I, apparently, ask for too much.
“What did thou say!? Nightmare Moon!!??” She tried to step back, but I increased the pressure on her head, making her stay in front of me against her will. “Let me go!” She demanded through closed eyes, visibly shaking as the realization of her darker half almost coming out sank in. That was the last thing, I was going to do.


“No.” She opened her eyes and closed them in concentration.


“I can easily teleport out of your grasp!” I could feel the magic work its way to her face then stop, for my hand were blocking the flow. I am a dragon, after all. “Why can’t I do it!? Release me at once, Spike!” Luna tried hitting me in the stomach in her frantic state, to which I just absorbed with a wince. The rumors were true. Alicorns are insanely strong both physically and magically.

“Something must’ve happened between you and this; Sunshine Shimmer, if you almost turned into bucking Nightmare Moon!!! More than a simple Coup de Grace! I’m not letting go until you tell me!” THe words came out harsher than I wanted them to; but seeing as how she stopped trying to punch me in the gut, meant that they were having the desired effect. The tenseness in her muscles and joints lessened as she sat back on her rump, letting out a sigh of defeat and conformation.

“Fine, but I won’t like it. Tia had a remarkable relationship with Sunset Shimmer, taking her to outer space and even teaching her some forbidden spells. They were perfect together. Some even said that she was a surrogate sister to her!” Her muscles tensed up again.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like her because she was close to your sister!” I said angrily, causing her to shake her head as best she could in my grip.

“No! I was angry for she claimed that I wasn’t adequate enough to be Celestia’s sister! She was horrible to everypony, but acted like the white sheep whenever Celestia was around. It took two years of insufferable torment before I finally caught her in her latest scheme.” Luna’s fur began to darken again, but I was too slow to stop it this time! Her eyes radiated pure fury as I was blasted by a blue bolt of lightning that came from Luna’s horn! “HER MACHINATIONS INCLUDED OUR DEMISE AT HER BEHEST, TO WHICH THE HARLOT WOULD STEP IN AS THE NEW PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT!!! THERE WAS NO MERCY, FOR MY FURY WAS UNSOILED LIKE A VIRGIN!!! OUR HORN CLASHED WITH THAT WENCH MOST FOUL MANY TIMES BEFORE WE TOOK THE UPPER HOOF!!!” 

I don’t know how it was possible, but storm clouds were beginning to appear as lightning flashed in them. Krystal was thrown from her resting place towards me by the strong gusts. Luckily for her, catching such a large rock was a cinch. “WE WERE STOPPED, HOWEVER, BY OUR SISTER BEFORE THE FINAL BLOW WAS STRUCK!!! HER PUNISHMENT WAS NOT DEATH, BUT BANISHMENT FROM EQUESTRIA!!! A PUNISHMENT FAR TOO LENIENT FOR TRASH LIKE THAT WHORE!!! SHE WAS EXILED TO GRIFFALIA; AND SINCE THAT ACCURSED DAY, WE NEVER HEARD OF HER AGAINNNNN!!!” Luna drawled out as she slowly descended back to the ground, her eyes completely white from her changing process.

Luckily for Krystal and I, Luna’s fur and eyes returned to normal before she collapsed on the floor. This hate for Celestia’s old protogē was no joke! She had begun panting rapidly and heavily, for using the Royal Canterlot Voice was extremely strenuous on the lungs. That’s twice now that Luna had almost turned into Nightmare Moon, which is two times too many.

“Luna.” I said as I got up from where I was previously thrown, which was only a few feet away from my partner. She gave no inclination that she heard me, and krystal was probably too scared to talk. I couldn’t blame her. It must have been her first time seeing Nightmare Moon try to surface. To be honest, if it wasn’t for me seeing her other form already, then I probably would have been laying eggs myself! “Are you alright?” I asked nervously as I approached who was still my friend...hopefully.

“Yes.” Came the ragged response from the Mare of the Moon. She was still breathing rather hard and beads of sweat decorated her forehead at different intervals, but I could tell that it was still her. Her mane and tail, however, lost its ‘in-space’ appearance and dropped to her side sloppily. It reminded me of the blue she had when the Elements bested Nightmare Moon and freed her, only longer. “I believe my ranting...is done for now. But now...you can see...why I was apprehensive about you meeting her.” Luna tried to stand to her hooves, but her exhaustion bested her and she fell back down with a grunt of pain accompanying.

Without thinking; I threw Krystal away from me and quickly made my way to her side, kneeling down so that I could try helping her up. her eyes were closed in pain and weariness, the beads of sweat making themselves more noticeable in her worn out state. There was something about this that touched me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. My cheeks, however, took on a rosy hue when she opened her eye to look at me. I couldn’t help smiling as I realized something.

“What’s...so funny?” Asked Luna between gasps for air. Her breathing had begun regulating itself, so there was no reason to hold back what I was about to do.

“By you almost giving in to your dark side to protect me...I can honestly say that no one’s ever done that for me. There for, you have proven yourself once more. As a friend...” I picked her head up in my hands so that we were eye to eye. Her face reddened up real quick as I narrowed my eyes and stared longingly at her. “And as my mare.” Her eyes widened as our lips made contact. It took awhile, but she returned the kiss after I pulled away, locking our mouths together. She tasted of blueberries in summer, making me crave more. But alas, all living things have to breathe.

She pulled away this time with a goofy smile on her face. I couldn’t help but laugh as I helped her back on her hooves. It was my first kiss, which I swore would be given to Rarity one day. I realize the absurdity of that thought now. “I see you enjoyed yourself, madame.” I quipped as she almost lost her balance.

“Oh? It seems as if we both have a case of ‘jelly-legs’, if I’m not mistaken?” She quipped back as I stumbled myself. WIth a smile as I righted myself, I put my hand around Luna’s body lightly as we began walking to the staircase that led down here.

“The moment’s gonna be ruined if I tell her that I still want to be taught by Sunshine Shimmer. I’ll just tell her tomorrow, that’ll be best!”  I smiled at her as she did the same to me. We began ascending the steps in unison, not hearing the voice calling behind us.

*Can somebody put me back up there!? HEY!!! HELLOOO~!!!??? GET BACK HERE!!!* Krystal yelled into the nothingness around her.                

 

> Finding a Master: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        The halls smelled of pancakes as maids and other servants milled about the castle. I was on my way down to the dining room, where Cadence and Luna wanted to tell me something over breakfast. It would also be an ideal time for me to break the news to Luna about my decision regarding Sunset Shimmer as a teacher. I sighed in hopelessness, knowing full well on how Luna would react. my face brightened up as I thought about what transpired yesterday, remembering the Luna and I are technically coltfriend and marefriend. I couldn’t suppress the smile that worked its way over my mouth as I saw the large crystal doors approach.

“I’m seeing the Princess of the Moon! And she’s incredible!” I know it makes me sound soft, but I could feel my heart flutter in my chest as I strode through the doors. “Hello, everypon-” I had strode into the dining hall with my eyes closed, but my face too a sudden plummet at the sight before me. There...in the middle of the room...was Cadence, Luna...and Celestia! A handful of guards flanked her as Luna and Cadence struggled against the golden magical hoofcuffs around their legs. When I entered, Celestia had her rump facing my direction, but she quickly turned around and smiled at me.

“Oh,” She said with a facade of shock, “What have we here? You know, I can’t believe you spent over a week in the Crystal Kingdom with me being none-the-wiser! I was completely convinced by Shining Armor that you had been vaporized back in Canterlot!” She began pacing back and forth, her head locked on my position as she did so. It was almost like staring at an executioner before your sentence. “When I had scanned his memories the other day, I figured out that he had fooled me. So; to get even, I made a fool out of him. During what was supposed to be his Promotion Ceremony, I called him out on helping you escape. When he denied the accusation, I played the memory via my magic for everypony present to see. Including Twilight Sparkle, who you warped into believing you're still innocent.” She scowled at me as she stopped her pacing.

“Nevertheless, I had no real difficulty tracking you down. When I noticed that Luna was getting late in her duties of raising the moon, I went to check on her. Seeing as how she has no friends,” Luna gritted her teeth and snorted at that low blow, “I easily determined that her room being empty could either mean two things. One; she went after you without me knowing. Or two; she left with you. Seeing as how I caught you two together, I believe the second thing was the right one. To make a long story short: Cadence and Luna are spending some time on the moon, Shining Armor’s in a cell, Twilight’s heartbroken and its all. Your. FAULT!!!” Celestia yelled vehemently, her voice not quite in the Royal Canterlot Voice vicinity.

“Amazing. You know, you’re not as dumb as you look.” I said nonchalantly, earning a raised eyebrow from Celestia. “To be perfectly honest, I was just about to discuss leaving Equestria for good over this morning’s breakfast.” I know I was appearing cool and everything, but my mind was like; “HORSEAPPLESHOWDIDSHEFINDMEIDON’TEVENKNOWHOWTOFIGHTBACKYETI’MSOSCREWEDIT’SNOTFUNNY!!!!!” 

“Well, things change. I believe I’ve entertained you enough, so why don’t we get this wrapped up so that Equestria can turn back to its peaceful state.” Celestia said. I shrugged and leaned against the doorframe to the giant room, making her right eye twitch. “You could always turn yourself in and then these two and Shining Armor won’t have to pay for their deeds. It’s always been your choice.” Celestia continued as she began pacing again. Twilight obviously got that habit from her.

“Note to self; never pace again.” I thought with a grimace. “So,” I drawled out lamely; clearly not wanting to fight her, “If my answer is no?” I tried with a little too much hope in the question.

“Then I kill you and they get their punishment.” Celestia deadpanned.

“And if I agree?”

“You still die but you’ll save them from their punishment. It’s completely fair.” She said with a shrug.

“Buck you! That’s not fair at all!” I retorted angrily. She seemed nonplussed towards my swearing.

“If only Twilight could hear the mouth on you! Why, she’d be so cross with you!” Celestia said with a glare. I snorted in bemusement.

“As if you give two damns about what she thinks! She obviously doesn’t agree with your decision to execute me, but yet here you are anyway! As I’ve said before, buck you!” She stepped back like she was just slapped in the face by retort.

“I certainly care more for her than you ever will! I bet you’ve already disowned them as your friends, haven’t you?!” Celestia asked accusingly, smiling as I stumbled back as if I was slapped as well. There was some truth to that that I would rather not admit to. It’s been a whole week of me denying them, focusing only on learning of my past and how to defend myself in case a situation like this arises.

“It’s kind of hard to when they practically sided with you when all of this went down! I still don’t know why the tartarus I’m on the run for in the first place!!! This is happening because of that damned portal! WHAT THE BUCK WAS IN THAT PORTAL!!!!” I yelled with all my might, making Celestia cringe at how loud my voice had become. I was officially pissed! her cringe was hidden well behind her flowing mane as she regarded me with renewed vigor.

“The future.” Celestia replied instantly, making me do a double take. That just didn’t make any sense at all! How the hell does a portal made from magic reflect the future when I fell in!? What do I have to do with the bucking future!!? 

“That makes absolutely no sense. How am I linked to Equestria’s future!? There should be no reason why I’m being hunted across lands for this!!!” I snapped, making eye contact with Luna briefly. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“You mean Luna didn’t tell you about what we saw!? Now that’s priceless!” She suppressed a snicker by bringing a hoof to her mouth. “Go ahead Luna, since you like to keep secrets from the young drake.” Celestia said as she leered at Luna, who was still bound and on the ground. Luna lifted her head to look at me with an expression that seemed to beg for forgiveness.

“Spike I...I-I never meant to withhold the truth from you for long,” Luna exclaimed in a pleading voice, “But...it’s true. I did see what was in that portal.” She said with a defeated sigh, making my right eye twitch in unfiltered fury.

“So what was it.” I said icily, to which she began to sob. I was hurting on the inside quite badly. It felt as if icicles were shoved in my heart from all sides, slowly being turned around. She was stuttering now, her sobs getting in the way of her explanation. My patience was at an end. “WHAT WAS IT LUNA!!!???” I roared in anger unmatched by anyone, stomping my foot roughly upon the floor.

“IT WAS YOU, SPIKE!!!” She yelled back.

“WHAT ABOUT ME!!!??? WHAT DID I DO!!!???” She was not, going to keep talking circles around me!!!

“YOU DESTROYED CANTERLOT!!!” Her sobs turned into wailing as she slammed her head upon the ground again. Celestia shook her head in what appeared to be shame. I promptly fell back on my rear from Luna’s words, my hands the only thing holding my upper body up.

“W-w-what? T-that makes no s-sense! How can I be responsible for the destruction of Canterlot!!??” If you were to open a dictionary and look up the word ‘disbelief’, my face right now would be the definition. Celestia eyed me down with a cold expression on her face.

“I don’t know. But I’m not going to find out either.” Magic began encircling her horn. The guards flanking Luna and Cadence stepped forward and began charging their magic as well. I quickly stood up, searching for a way to escape or at the very least, dodge the incoming attack. My eyes locked onto an all-black chest with three blue stars on the front. I instantly recognized it as the chest Luna carried with her on the train. She wouldn’t let me see what was inside, but I was praying that it contained some type of instrument to aid in my endeavors!

Apparently, Celestia turned her head to gaze upon what I was gazing upon. I turned my head to face her as her eyes shrank in realization of something! She looked back at me with worry on her face. I instantly made a mad dash for it! Celestia wasted no time in calling out her order. “FIRE NOW!!!”

Time seemed to slow as I lept towards the chest with one arm outstretched, reaching it just in time to notice the multi-colored ray of magic zoom at me. I opened the chest just as the ray made contact with my face!

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!

And Then...nothingness.          

> Finding a Master: Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        
This is what I was falling towards. This...right here! Whatever it was radiated a feeling of darkness and desolation. As I sped towards this thing, my mind reflected back on how much of an ass I was to Luna back there. Sure, she was keeping that secret from me all this time. THing is, I’m not even mad anymore! If Celestia wasn’t there, we could’ve talked things out and been on our merry way (hopefully) to Griffalia! But NO~~~!!! Instead, i’m probably falling into the Netherworld right now!

Before I reached the part that looked transparent, my body slowed down in its descent. My face skewed in confusion and angst as I was involuntarily stopped. Right above the thing, no less. It was the only source of color in this blackness that seemed to stretch on for eternity and a half. It gave the appearance of a safety net to protect me from an endless plummet.

“What the buck is going on?” I tried moving my hand, but I couldn’t feel a response form my extremity. That’s  certainly unnerving! I frantically ordered different parts of my body to move, seeing if any of them will respond! To my dismay, however, none of them felt like they were moving. I was perplexed at how this was possible. but I guess anything is in the afterlife! I mean, what other explanation is there for my predicament right now!? I took a combine ray of magic from Celestia and about ten other unicorns in that dining hall! There’s no way in tartarus that I should be alive!

“True; young fool, you shouldn’t.” That voice...please be a sick joke!!!

“Unfortunately for both of us, this is no joke. You see, I don’t need to explain who I am to you. You already know who I am.” The ominous voice echoed throughout my mind as the blue net in front of me me pulsed. Now that I think about it, the thing was pulsing just how Krystal would when she talked.

“Why do you say this is unfortunate? Did you perish also?” I asked with pure curiosity. I snorted in growing anger as a maniacal and quick laughter made fun of me. Ii sounded exactly like the first time we met in that forest all those years ago.

“No Wyrm,” Her voice dripped with amusement, “We did not perish. Neither did you, for that matter. In fact; you’re very much alive...but not for long.” The way she said that made a shiver go up my spine. At least, I think it did. Can’t feel my limbs, remember?

“W-what do you mean, not for long!?” I asked with growing anxiety.

“Obviously, your brain is still experiencing a case of the dumb. The blast; due to you being a dragon, didn’t kill you but knocked you unconscious. If you do not regain consciousness in time, you’ll eventually be found in the smoke the blast created and be killed by Princess Celestia. That’ll make for a sad ending to this story, wouldn’t it?” The voice called out before I felt my body drift onto the blue net of whatever below me, right in the center. I can only describe the feeling as laying on fun slime, the kind kids get and make fart noises with when the press it into its container. If you’ve never played with fun slime, then you haven’t had a decent childhood.

“Woah. What the tartarus is this stuff, it feels awesome!” I exclaimed as my body began rocking along the currents being pushed out from the center. I can liken the sensation to laying on a waterbed, which has always and forever be my favorite type of bed. I had my first experience with one of these babies during my days with Luna in Canterlot. I had been roaming the halls and stumbled upon a room with an open door and weirdly shaped bed. I was already tired, so I decided a nap couldn’t hurt that much. Needless to say, watching Blueblood walk in with that mare was odd. Especially, when he was dressed in leather bindings and...Ugghh!

“That; Wyrm, happens to be my Magical Core. I highly advise you not creating so many...” The voice broke out into a fit of giggles as I went against its wishes. “...S-stop that! *snort* I said s-stop! Please! It t-tickles!!! *snort*.” Those snorts were godlike in adorableness! I began moving more violently, earning more snorts and giggles from the world around me. I also began to see the Magical Core brighten gradually, making me shake myself even harder. “STOP!!! HAHAHAH!!! ST-STOP PLEASE!!!” I did as the voice asked, letting the rocking motion of my body die down. The voice let out a breath of relief.

“I take it you enjoyed yourself?” I asked smugly. What I didn’t see, was a solid blue tentacle of magic creeping up on me.

WHACK!


“OW!” I yelled in pain as the tentacle slapped me in the back of my head. But I definitely deserved that, so I laughed the pain off with a chuckle.

“The time for games is over, Spike! Listen close! I was sealed in here by Luna in order to be used as a last effort against Celestia. Guess who came along and screwed that up?” I was about to reply, but then noticed how the question was rhetorical. “That’s right, you. So where does that leave us now?” The voice sounded as if it wanted me to answer, but it kept talking. “I’ll tell you where it leaves us. Out of options. Which means, we have to fuse.” 

“No way no how am I fusing with you, Nightmare Moon!” I said defiantly, making the vocie growl.

“You don’t have a choice! You’re unconscious right now and Celestia could find you any minute! There's no time for defiance when together, we could be free with Luna! I don’t want to die and I know you don’t want to either! Because I haven’t been free, my magical prowess has become a fraction of what it used to be! But I know; with our combined power, escape is achievable easily! You have nothing to lose!” Nightmare reasoned, making me do a double take for I found no flaw in her logic. She’s definitely right, seeing as how I have no real magical abilities other than my Spike Fire. Her logic is sound in every way, So I guess....

“Alright,” I said with finality, “Then I; Spike the Dragon, hereby offer my body as substance for you! Become a part of my life and help me escape!” I demanded, feeling a burning sensation pierce my body from the chest down. I could feel an immense magical power enter my being, filling me up with raw energy of the dark sort. It felt as if someone was stabbing at every muscle in my body with a sword, grating it slowly across my innards as it pierced them. So, I did the one thing someone would do when presented to a situation like that.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” I screamed in agony. All this power being absorbed in one go hurt like nobody’s business!!! Now, it felt as if a fire was lit next to my heart. Not a fire that could cause immense pain, but enough pain to let me know that it was there. For some odd reason, the world around me lost that vibrant blue hue from earlier, and I also felt a sudden...fullness, in my head. If that makes sense. I could see in the darkness perfectly though; almost as if everything was accented by blue and green hues of color.

‘Alright, looks like the fusion went without a hitch. Now, we’re going to need a plan of action for when we return to your body. Question is, what is it?’  Nightmare’s voice was quite relaxing, filling me with a sense of ease that only Luna could manage to do nowadays. So apparently, all that pain was for a stupid fusion!? Really!?

‘Shut up and prepare to wake up. I say we arise and instill as much fear as possible in her, then grab Luna and escape. Fighting Celestia as is will only serve to get us killed. As I’ve said before, I don’t want to die now.”  Once again, her plan beats mine.

‘Yeah, lets get this party started!’  I said with a large amount of enthusiasm. Following my thought; a seismic headache throbbed assaulted my brain, making me wince in agony. ‘OW!’

‘Make another comment like that again and I’ll deep-fry your brain.’  Nightmare said with a haughty attitude, similar to the Great and Powerful Trixie. Whatever. She’ll just kill herself if she does that. My face skewed in agony again as I felt something sharp slice against my left eye. I reflexively held a claw up to the offending pain, hoping to stop it with physical contact. What the hell was that!!??

Life Insurance. Now let’s get going.’ Nightmare responded dryly as I felt my body rocket forward into the void around me. In a couple of minutes, I could begin to see a white orb form in the distance with a green neon sign over it. It said, Spike’s Body, in letters made with glowing green circles. I didn’t have enough time to question it before the white encompassed me, flooding my senses with numbness.

---

“There, that should be the end of it.” I could make out that voice clearly. That was Celestia’s annoying voice. She’s already decided that I’m dead, which will make the surprise all the more fulfilling!

“HEARTLESS BITCH!!! HOW COULD YOU KILL HIM!!!???” I picked myself up from the ground as quickly and as quietly as I could, having heard the anger in Luna’s voice. I could see her clearly through the smoke encompassing Nightmare and I. Her face eyes were blood-red from crying, the makeup she always wore was running along her face as the tears kept coming. I don’t know how long I was out for, but she’s suffered enough.

“You will, address me with respect Luna!” Celestia turned on her hooves so that her gaze was on Luna and Luna only. Perfect.

“BUCK YOU CELESTIA!!! I....I HATE YOU!!! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!” Celestia recoiled from the sheer force of her words and their implications.

“WAS HE THAT PRECIOUS TO YOU THAT YOU WOULD DENY YOUR OWN SISTER!!!???” Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice easily dwarfed Luna’s in force and volume. I coughed quite audibly into my hand, earning the attention of everypony in the room. They couldn’t see me, but they could probably see my silhouette through the dust cloud.  “Impossible. I refuse to accept this as reality! You should be a black mark on the floor!!!” Celestia grinded her teeth together as her stare bore holes into my eyes.

“And yet, I’m not. Honestly; do you ever grow tired of, you know, failing.” Celestia snorted in irritation as she launched a yellow beam of magic into the smoke, thinking she hit me as the silhouette jumped back as if it was hit. That silhouette was the plan of action Nightmare and I had thought up, making Celestia believe she actually killed us. I even yelled in pain as the silhouette was blasted to bits.

“Hah! Now who’s the failure?” Celestia declared smugly as she turned her nose up.

“Still you, Wide Flank.” She peered with renewed anger into the black dust cloud, looking for any sign of my presence. She wanted a target...I’ll give her one!

       


“You have your target...hit it.” I dared her. It was all the incentive she needed. A volley of yellow and white beams exploded forth from her horn as she tried to obliterate me. Thanks to Nightmare’s Synchronization, I could easily dodge the blasts as they entered the smog. Little did Celestia or her guards know, I was sneakily undoing Cadence and Luna’s bindings. How Celestia was unable to feel me release her magic was a mystery, but I’ll just chalk it up as one of Nightmare’s latent powers. As Celestia continued firing and I; dodging, Luna and Cadence slowly picked themselves up and aimed their horns at the guards. One moment there were ten guards, in the next moment there were ten unconscious guards.

Celestia stopped firing as she heard one of the guard’s body slump against the ground. She eyed it warily before her face lost all color. She slowly turned her head to find Luna and Cadence looking down on her from their flying position in the air. Their faces radiated a wrath so pure that it made me shudder. Nevertheless, I calmly strode out of the smoke/dust/smog cloud while clapping my hands in amusement. A smug smile that I can only give credit to Nightmare for worked its way across my face.

“You know, I’ve always been the screw up among my peers. It’s not all that bad, really.” Celestia didn’t know who to face, granted any of us could blast her face off at any moment. She kept alternating her glances between Luna; Cadence, and myself.

“You think you’ve won!? Why? I still have the upper hoof!!!”

“How so? You’re clearly outmatched right now. It’ll take a miracle for you to even limp out of this castle by the time I’m done with-” The air became hot. Like...unbearably hot!!! My lungs felt like they were on fire again, the feeling from my time on the Canterlot Train Station returning. I began coughing blood into my hand as I dropped to a knee. Cadence and Luna were distracted by my fit long enough for Celestia to turn on them with a shockwave of her magic, blasting them through the air and into the wall on the far side of the dining hall. Not being wasteful of the opportunity that just presented itself, she promptly teleported out of the room to who knows where.

It was after a couple of minutes that my coughing fit died down, my hand completely caked in dry and drying blood. I was wheezing heavily as I collapsed upon the carpet below me.

‘You never told me that a curse was put upon you!!! For how long has these fits been going on!?’ Nightmare sounded generally worried. It was only for about three days that these fits occurred. ‘Don’t panic, but I think you may die in about four days if we don’t see someone gifted in lifting demonic hexes.’ WHAT THE BUCK!!!??? ‘I said don’t panic! Get up! We need to see this Sunshine Shimmer as soon as possible! Griffalia is a three day trip by Friendship Express, which means you’ll only have twenty-four hours to find her once you arrive! GO GO GO!!!’ 

When one is told that their life is on the line; it’s rather impressive on how much pain they're willing to stomach in order to live. That being said, I wasted no time in picking myself up off the ground and running over to Luna and Cadence. I grabbed them both, for they were knocked out and ran out of the dining room and down the hallway. I stopped by the throne room and dumped the unconscious Cadence onto her throne and quickly ran out the room, a loud thump indicating she had fallen off her seat of power. Wasting no time, I immediately found the main doors and bolted through them with my shoulder as the battering ram. I skidded to a halt as a contingent of guards and Celestia leered angrily at me. I had no time for this!

‘Nightmare do something!’ I mentally screamed as a lot of horns began charging their own type of magic color. 

‘Remember that insurance?’ She replied with a bemused voice.

‘Yeah?’ 

‘Blink with your left eye.’ She continued in her emotionless voice. I did as I was told and felt a large amount of power surge from it. My face skewed in terror as the area where Celestia and her guards had been standing was instantly consumed in purple and black flames. Screams of anguish could be heard as I made a mad dash through the raging inferno I had created, not being hurt at all as I barreled through.

I quickly made my way through the winding streets of the Crystal Kingdom and practically jacked the Friendship Express. The same conductor from earlier was almost roadkill as I plowed through him with Luna over my shoulder. I gripped him with my other hand and yanked him aboard his own train. Before he could protest, I leered at him with my Nightmare Eyes. “Get this train moving or I’ll sodomize you with your own DAMN COAL!!!” He took off towards the front of the train as the doors closed. I sat down in one of the seats and sighed deeply.

‘That was bucking awesome, Nightmare! I can’t believe we made it.’ 

‘Don’t get too comfortable. I don’t think Celestia’s gonna let you go so easily!’  The way she said it made me look out one of the train car’s windows. I could barely believe what I was seeing.

“You’ve got to be bucking kidding me,” That idiotic princess was charging the car we were in with yellow magic surrounding her body. She looked like a bucking comet! “How in the name of Topaz are supposed to stop her!? She’s gonna level this car and us with it!” I said frantically just as I felt the train begin to move. 

‘Easy Wyrm, don’t let despair take you just yet. Remember that insurance form earlier?’ Nightmare’s voice was too giddy for my liking. I had already used it, so what could she mean by ‘insurance’?

‘What about it? If you recall, I used it to get past that wall of guards earlier! We’re sitting ducks if this train doesn’t get moving!’ I said frantically, watching as the white eyes of Celestia’s solar-fire encased body rocketed towards us. I never imagined I would go out in a blaze of glory!

...Right, bad joke.

‘Think about the train, Wyrm! Coal is fed into the furnace and that helps with the motion, yes,’ I nodded in understanding; although I wasn’t quite sure on where she was going with it, ‘So if you erupt those flames in the furnace...’  She’s a bucking genius!

I focused on what the furnace may look like, seeing as how the magic won’t work unless I’m familiar with the object. My mind wandered back to the time the girls and I had that little detective spiel aboard the Friendship Express, instantly seeing the furnace and its shape.

“So what,” I said as I closed my eye, feeling Nightmare’s magic flow from the scar into it. “Do I just open it back u-” I opened my eye and was instantly cut off as the train rocketed forward without warning, causing me to fall back onto my rump with wide eyes. “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH...” I screamed as we tore down the track at a supersonic speed, everything outside zooming by as colorful blurs. I looked at the spot where my car was to see another car become vaporized by the comet that was Celestia.

As I calmed down from my screaming, I looked over to the resting form of Luna. She was still unconscious and will probably remain that way for some time. I couldn’t help but feel worried, seeing as how her face was skewed in pain.

‘Hey, Night? Go in her head and wake her up.’  I could feel Nightmare’s chuckle from inside my head, making me pout in annoyance as she refused my order without words.

‘You know what’s going to happen if I enter her...right? She’s gonna try to fight back with all her might. If I’m rejected by her body, I’ll die. Need I remind you of my desire to stay alive?’ Nightmare shouldn’t have become a villain, but should of instead became a lawyer or debater. She could beat anybody into the the ground with her arguments! ‘I never had the option. I was born from Princess Luna’s jealousy and hatred for her sister. She needed a facade to hide behind while she achieved her “sweet revenge”.  I was that facade. She felt as if it was me doing the deed, then she wouldn’t be haunted by regret later on. In layman's terms, she didn’t want the blame.’ I know I shouldn’t have found that funny, but it sounded exactly like something Luna would do.

My joy was interrupted as the conductor barreled into my train car with an angry look on his face. “Slow the train down! I don’t know what you did, but we lost half of the train thanks to something flying at us. Do you know how long it’s gonna take for all of this to be repaired!? Do you even know how much train repair costs!!?? I should-” He kept walking towards me while he continued his rant. I waited until he got a little bit closer before lashing out with a quick jab. It landed square on his jaw, slumping him against the floor immediately. I shook my head at what I just did. I blame Nightmare for my sudden streak of violence.

‘And just how is this MY fault!? You’re gonna have some explaining to do when that guy-’ She didn’t finish her sentence as I put my hand on Luna’s forehead and thought, ‘OUT!!!’. I felt her presence leave my body and filter through my hand into Luna’s head. For the life of me, I couldn’t tell you how I thought of doing that. It just sort of, came to mind. I’ll just chalk it up as instinct.

Finally have some time to mill about my own thoughts in peace, I focused on thinking of a world map. The Friendship Express only runs through Equestria, which is to the south of Griffalia. The closest we could get to Griffalia before the track looped was the Fridge, which is nothing but a two-hundred mile hike through pretty much the coldest place in the world.

Thankfully, there’s a train that picks up ponies and or gryphons form a train station right on the border of the Fridge. The only problem is, I don’t know when the train is scheduled to arrive. I should have thought things through first, seeing as how I might end up wasting a day for a train that won’t come. I couldn’t help but get worse as I thought about the curse Lucian put on me, and how little time I had left to find Sunset Shimmer and have her remove it.

A sigh steeped in hopelessness escaped my mouth. Even if I get there and a train is available to take me to Griffalia, I still won’t have a single clue on the whereabouts of Sunset Shimmer. Griffalia isn’t small; in fact, it’s the third largest country in the world! How I was going to find one pony in a land of that size was eating me away inside. I felt a tear run down my face, betraying the angry expression I had on. All of this running could be for nothing, if it meant that I was just going to die from a stupid curse! Another tear escaped before I gave into my sobs and fell against the floor, to lost in despair to contain my emotions any longer.

With the last bit of hope in my body shredded, I cried myself to sleep...                
 

      

> Finding a Master: Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        
My dreams were absent, leaving me only with darkness. I guess it was for the better, seeing as how my life has gone from bad to worse. I rubbed the sleep and dried tears from my eyes and sat up, my butt and tail laying flat on the train car’s floor. I looked over to where I had knocked the conductor out, watching as he began to stir. I waited until he woke up before calling out to him. “Hey, did you enjoy your nap?” I deadpanned, making the conductor do a double take.

“A dragon that wears clothes!? I have to be dreaming still. One sec,” I watched in amusement, barely containing a chuckle as the idiot bit his leg, “Okay, that hurt! So, what are you doing here?” He asked hesitantly, almost as if he was scared for his life. I couldn’t blame him, seeing how he’s a pony and I’m a dragon.

“Name’s Spike. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Rude,” I said sarcastically, to which the conductor’s eyes opened in shock. He’s clearly forgotten all about proper etiquette. Of course; I was joking, so I stopped him just as he was about to say something by raising a hand up, “I’m here because my friend,” I raised that same hand to point at Luna, who was missing from her spot on the car’s seat/benches, “That’s awkward...and slightly infuriating. Anyways, I’m we’re here because we are the last stop you have to make. We’re headed to Griffalia; but as you may know, another train will be finishing up where you’ll be leaving us.” The conductor nodded as he got to his hooves.

“Well then, you friend is probably commandeering one of our restrooms. I’m Smoke Stack, by the way, “ He tipped his hat at me, “I’ll just be getting back to work now. Enjoy the ride and I hope to see you on your return trip!” Smoke Stack turned on his hooves and walked through the automatic door and hopefully, to the front of the damn train. His voice is so irritating! It’s like Mr. Cakes...but higher and more nasally!

“Psst! Pssssst! Spike; has he departed,” I could feel my face skew in confusion as I turned my head to face the spot where the voice came from. Seeing as how I remembered it to be the place where I originally laid Luna at, my face contorted into confusion further, “Listen. There’s a good reason for me being invisible! If that pony would have saw me the way I am now, then he would’ve lost his mind!” Luna said, even though I didn’t really think it was her voice. It sounded like it had an echo for some reason, as if there was a deeper mimicking her’s. Odd. However, I severely doubt that seeing the Princess of the Night would have made Smoke Stack lose his mind.

“Yeah...I’m not buying it. What, do you have bed head or something?” I asked smugly, teasingly even.

“Hey! That’s not funny! You have no idea how hard it is to fix a mane made up out of outer space, you wyrm!” Luna’s retort sounded more angry than I would’ve imagined it to be.

Wait a minute...wyrm?

Without me asking, Luna’s body began to fade in from the air in blue wisps of smoke. I don’t know how she does that wisp thing, but it makes for great camouflage. I nearly punched her in the face, for she was Nightmare Moon!!! Although, one of her wings strayed from that abysmal black that made up her body. It reminded me of Luna’s old mane, which is what stopped me. That, and the air of superiority that Nightmare Moon usually carries with her was absent as well.



      



“So do you enjoy being naked or what?” I joked, watching in amusement as her face turned crimson. What? I know ponies normally walk around naked, but this is Nightmare Moon! She’s usually wearing that ridiculous armor of hers. I’m not wrong. Luna;  having seemingly remembered her kind’s customs, socked me in the gut and scowled. I could tell she was upset, so I wrapped her up in a hug and scratched behind her ear.

“This...changes nothing,” Her face betrayed the seriousness in her words as she let out a content sigh, “Right there. No, just a little more to the left. Ohh...” She shivered as I apparently found her sweet spot. Far be it for a coltfriend to stop his marefriend from feeling good. I scratched her there for a couple more minutes, relishing the touch of her pure-black fur and ethereal mane against my chest and neck. It’s incredible how soft she is.

“Alright Luna, I think my finger’s going to fall off if I keep this up,” I stopped said finger’s scratching motion and moved it away from her head and to my side, earning a disappointed whine from her in protest. You know, Opalescence used to do the same exact thing when Rarity stopped scratching her behind her ears as well. “Can you ask Nightmare if we’re close to the Fridge? After all, I kind of supercharged the furnace earlier. Our travel time should have been cut by at least half, give or take.” Luna put a hoof as best she could on her chin, which I took as a sign of her asking Nightmare my question.

After waiting what felt like five minutes, Luna brought her hoof down and cleared her throat. “Nightmare says that she’s still angry for you shoving her into my head. I must admit that I’m also, a little more than cross with you for that,” She narrowed her eyes at me as I smiled sheepishly. She has a point, seeing as how I didn’t know Nightmare’s intentions. The spirit could have easily possessed her mind again, bringing forth eternal night faster than Pinkie Pie on sugar high. Yes, it did happen. No, I’m not gonna go into details. Perhaps another time...perhaps. 

“Well tell her I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, growing agitated at Nightmare’s antics. Luna repeated the process from earlier.

“Apology accepted, she said. She also said that we should be another day and a half away, but if the pace continues as is than we can expect arrival in a day!” Luna said with that lovely smile of hers.

“Tell her to stop being so stuck up as well. It’s not like she’s in danger of dying any-” I stopped, hoping against hope that Luna hadn’t heard me. I winced as the silence went on for little longer than if she hadn’t. Steeling my heart, I looked down at her to find her mouth agape and in shock. Yup, she definitely heard me. my life sucks.

“WHAT!!!???” The Royal Canterlot Voice; at point blank range!!!??? You’re better off sticking your head into a blender and turning it on!!! I disengaged the hug we had been sharing for a while as I cupped my hands around my ears, still echoing with her shout. I even dug my index fingers in as far as they could go, hoping that it would help alleviate the uncomfortable ringing. I couldn’t hear crap for about ten seconds. 

“Good garnet Luna,” I exclaimed as sound returned again, the noise of the train speeding along the tracks at supernatural speeds confirming my claim, “Overreaction much?”

“Overreaction? Overreaction??? Spike the Dragon, why didn’t you tell me that you’re dying!?” Luna yelled in hurt and anger as she walked up to me and poked me with her long horn.

“Ouch! Stop that, it hurts,” I whined as I dodged another jab of her horn by sidestepping to the right. It didn’t hurt, it was just uncomfortable. Which is odd considering i’ve felt pain from being poked with Twilight and Rarity’s horns, “ Will you stop trying to skewer me!? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you! As for the reason on why I’ve kept it hidden, you’re doing it!” I let out a girly scream as Luna’s horn entered my bellybutton and poked, hard. I jumped back, unaware of how close I was to the window behind me...

CRASH!!!

“SPIKE!!!” Luna’s voice went away as quickly as I heard it as I made contact with the ground, knocking the wind out of me. My pain didn’t stop there, for I began rolling over sticks and stones at probably 70 miles an hour! The terrain was unforgiving as my face was buffeted with grave that had become impossibly sharp do to my speed as I rolled along, head then but following in constant motion. The pain was unbearable, but I thanked almost every higher power I could think of as no longer felt the ground’s sharp embrace anymore. my whole body felt as if it was on fire, and I’m pretty sure I had at least one hundred cuts and bruises.

Thinking Luna had somehow pulled me into her magical grasp, I opened my eyes with a smile.....that quickly turned in a yell of fear at what I saw. The ground looked so tiny from up here...


---

I’ve been falling for a while now. Needless to say, my throat was a little sore from all the yelling I did earlier on. I’ve calculated that the chances of me surviving the impact are microscopically small which; is to say, zero. Zilch. Nada! I’m so screwed I should have a husband named Phillips. By this time, which was the twenty minute mark; I’ve figured out that the Friendship Express must of climbed a mountain while I was asleep. Which only makes sense, seeing as how Giffalia’s cities are on various sized mountains. I know we’re still a day and some change away from the Fridge, which means I’m nowhere near Griffalia.

If I focused hard enough, I could make out what looked like a rinky-dink shack on the outskirts of some woods. Yep, that’s where i'll be crashing. So not only am I going to die from a hundred-thousand foot plummet of certain demise; but the fact that I’ve lost the only sure fire way to reach Griffalia back there makes my situation that much more bleak. If; for the odd chance I do survive this fall, how injured will I be? Could I even fight back if there’s dangerous wildlife? It’s definitely over. Definitely.

No stroke of good luck can save me now. I don’t have wings; Luna’s probably thirty miles ahead of me, and I can start to see trees as an individual. Oh, and the shingles of the shanty shack from earlier. Still not too thrilled about my landing place either. Seeing as how I have nothing else better to do, I began thinking of possible ways to avoid dying on impact.

“I could try landing on my tail while it’s coiled up like a spring, then jump off of it when I landed.” I shook my head at the absurdity of that thought. A fall of this speed and from this height will shoot my spine through the top of my back, possibly my head!

“Well maybe I can hope for shack made of mattresses?” I facepalmed after that one. Come on, brain! Don’t you have anything useful to submit!?

“THE SCAR!!!”  If I could, I would kiss myself! Even though Nightmare left my body, I could probably still use some of her left over power to soften my impact! The only problem is...I have no idea on how to use magic!!!

“This sucks~, this sucks~, this really really sucks~!!!” I frantically sang. I don’t know why I sang that, but you try falling a hundred-thousand feet to your death and see if you don’t do anything stupid! I focused on that scar, feeling the evil magic conform around my thoughts. It was hard, seeing as how nightmare did all the work back in the Crystal Kingdom. This would be my first attempt at using magic; and it would have to be perfect, lest I end up a perfect circle!

The shack was more detailed now than it ever was, allowing me to see what I was really going to land on. The whole thing was completely msfr out of flimsy sheet metal, which would probably cut me to ribbons if I DON’T DO SOMETHING AND STOP THINKING!!! Panicking, I simply brought the magic into my mind by mistake. I winced as I felt my body fall through the sheet metal, then impact something round. I lost consciousness right then and there.

KRRT-BOOOOOM!!!

---

“THE FUCK!!!???” A hooded figure shrieked as he flew from his seat on a worn out couch. There were around twenty other robed figures in the same room, which had the appearance of a run-down bar. Mold-covered tables and booths made up the outskirts of the room, while decaying pool tables with holes made up the center. In the front of the room was the bar, where one of the robed figures was slumped over, having drank too much as indicated by the empty rum bottle flanking his unconscious body.



“Ssso; a traveler has found our hideout,” The king-cobra bipedal creature gave a hiss of annoyance, “Which makesss me wonder how many more know of usss. Well, we can’t leave him alive, now can we?” The Anthro Snake asked devilishly as he pulled a large katana from his robes. He aimed the point at the hooded figure in the crater’s heart, ready to puncture it. What he did not expect, however, was a purple claw to jut out from the mysterious figure and snap the sword in two.

The Anthro Snake brought the broken sword up to his face in disbelief! He snapped a sword with his bare hands! The purple claw held the lethal part of the sword in his grasp as he stood up, debris and dusted sputtering off of him with each individual movement of his limbs. What looked a hoodie was completely torn to shreds, as well as the blue jeans that he was wearing. What made the leader of the Anthro Snakes nearly shit himself?

The eyes! Oh, good lord those eyes! It was as if someone poured cream into the green of them, making it cloudy and giving the appearance of blindness. There was no pupil, only a light and soulless green that radiated murder and evil!

Panicking, the leader looked back to his comrades. “Kill it! Kill it now!” Upon hearing those words, an evil chuckle came from the fully risen being in front of them. As it crescendoed in full on laughter; a green aura radiating murder started to seep from the being, who had thrown his head back to keep laughing. The Anthro Snakes were terrified! As the laugh ended; the being hung his upper body loosely, swaying his arms from left to right.

“Kill me,” The being asked as the leader began shivering in fear, “Do you honestly believe that you can do such a thing?! I wonder~!” The being trailed off as he made eye contact with the leader. The Anthro Cobra began to back up some more; widening his eyes further as the being matched every one of his steps backward, with a step forward.

“D-do you know who we are!? We’re the Severed Dragons!” The Anthro Cobra stopped retreating in order to save face with the rest of his men.

“No,” The being said as he stopped. The room grew deathly quiet as all eyes looked at aura-covered being in the center of the room. “You’re LUNCH!!!” The Cobra barely had time to move as the being blurred out of existence, only to reappear next to him and sink it’s teeth into his neck. The being gave a few thrash’s, tearing the neck open just with his maw as he lifted the body into the air. Blood splattered on its face as it crunched down vehemently, severing the head from the leader’s body.

The Anthro Snakes gasped and screamed in horror as they drew their swords, ready to fight the monster should it attack. After some slurping sounds were heard, the monster dropped the head to the ground and kicked it towards the Severed Dragons. 

“Hopefully, you’ll be as tasty as him!!!” With another maniacal laugh, the monster charged the members of the Severed Dragons.

One of the members tried to stab him with a pike, to which he just sidestepped and grabbed the member’s face with a hand. The aura that was around the monster’s hand began to corrode the skin and scales off the Anthro Snake’s face. His scream lasted a long time before the body fell to the ground with its head missing. 

“This can’t possibly be it!!?? I need more...more more more more more more...” With every ‘more’; the monster stomped on his recent kill’s body, grinding it into the wooded floor as it’s chest began to cave in. Various innards began surfacing from the neck like a tube of toothpaste being squeezed. “...more. MORE! MORE!!!” Once more; the monster charged the now retreating Severed Dragons, who were climbing over each other in order to escape.

They never reached the exit as their screams echoed into the sunset.     

               

> Finding a Master: Finale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        This is not where I pictured I would be, seeing as how I passed out in a plummet to my death. In front of me was a castle, but it wasn’t anything as fanciful as the Crystal Castle and Canterlot Castle. It was menacing, almost foreboding as I looked upon the swirling mass of clouds in the sky above it. They radiated malicious intent and had a blue hue to them, amidst the more prominent grey of the sky. This blue hue, illuminated the castle in a type of cursed light, almost as if looking upon it was a sin. White birds flew around it, and never over top of it. Where could I be, surrounded on both sides by rock and tree as this unknown valley attempted to consume me.

But how? How did I end up here? What’s my purpose for being here? maybe I’m dead and this is what the afterlife looks like? So many questions with not enough answers...

“So how long are you going to just stand there,” A voice asked me in irritation. I froze up, my natural instinct telling me to book it now and not look back. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to, for my legs were fear-locked in place. “This is your Magical Core, and quite frankly, I don’t see why you’re so terrified of it!” I closed my eyes as I quickly turned around, coming face to face with...

“Me???” My face was a mixture of fear and shock as an older, eviler me stood there. His arms were crossed, and I couldn’t help but notice that he was stark naked. He was muscular, but not overly so. So I guess that makes him, in shape? Bah, semantics. Who needs em’? I also noticed how his scales were a royal-purple, which made him look darker, almost sinister. That angry mug he was wearing wasn’t helping things either.

“I do have to thank you, for giving me this body. If you hadn’t fucked up and inserted that evil magic into your head, I probably would’ve had to take control of your mind the old fashioned way,” Older Spike eyed me like a predator would a piece of meat. I’ve been hunted before, in my attempts to see Zecora on the Everfree Forest. A carnivorous animals eyes when they're looking at you to be lunch is one of the most scariest things I can think of, “But I digress. As it stands, I’m currently exhibiting about one-fourth of our magical potential in order to keep you alive. This should go without saying, but without you, I die.” Older Spike said as he shook his head, still keeping his arms crossed.

“Well, that doesn’t explain the scenery here,” I exclaimed as I swung my hand around, indicating that I might everything around us, “Where am I!? Am I dead or just super close!? You’ve done nothing but talk circles around me, and I don’t see how that’s-”

Pain interrupted me as something large impacted my stomach. Keeling over from wind loss, I looked up and say a dark-purple fist where my stomach once rested.

“You’re annoying. I’ve already said that this is your Magical Core, so why do you want to know where you are? Before anymore stupid questions can be asked, let me start out by saying that I’ve been safeguarding our body and accumulating our magic from behind the scenes. Everything you see here, was the work of me. I shaped this core with our magic since you were small, and I’ve been maintaining it as well. You, on the other hand,” He said darkly as I felt a force grip around my neck and hoist me up slowly. Older Spike wasn’t touching me, but a magical green aura that radiates murder gave me insight on what was happening!

“He’s using telekinesis!? Only unicorns and alicorns can use magic!? Not only that, but the fact that it’s affecting me right now speaks volumes! I’m a dragon, so magic would be nigh impossible to use on me!!!”  I struggled against the force that was closing my windpipe. A chuckle came forth from my darker counterpart as I dangled in the air, my feet just barely touching the ground.

“Why are you so surprised!? This is merely a warm up! There’s so much I, no...We can do arcane-wise!!! You don’t know how strong you are, Spike! But I~ do! I can teach you so much, but I need your cooperation! So what do you say!? It’s either help me help you,” His sudden maniacal/giddy mood ended here as his face took a darker path, “Or die by asphyxiation.” The pain, it won’t...stop.

“F-f-f-f-f-fine,” I breathed out. I began coughing and sucking in a lot of air as his grip released me and I collided face first with the ground. Once my fit was over, I felt that particular cough coming around again. I braced myself as I raised a clw to my moth, intercepting the Cursed Cough as it came out. My eyes widened in wonder at what I saw when I gazed upon my open hand, 

“There’s...no blood! A curse was put on me so that I would die in a matter of days, blood from this cough being the only indicator that the curse is still in me! But, there’s no blood! Does that mean-”

“Yeah. I terminated that curse. It’s low-level Darkness Magic, which is so below us that it shames me to think it had you scared. You’re becoming a bitch, don’t you think?” Older Spike said disappointedly as I scowled. I don’t know what that ‘bitch’ word meant, but the way it sounds made me angry for some reason. I thought it better not to retaliate against the guy who nearly strangled me, however. 

“So we’ve reached a compromise, Spike?” Older me asked as he helped me up, my face flooding with relief that my life was no longer in danger.

“Yeah. Thanks for everything,” I shook his hand and was about to ask for directions out of here, but stopped when I thought about something from earlier, “What about those swirling clouds? What do they represent since this is my Magical Core?” His face took on a bored expression, which I assumed meant he was not to thrilled about explaining this.

“Those clouds represent the desynchronization of your latent power. In other words, you’ve been neglecting what you were called to be ever since you were born. Over time, the clouds came and shrouded your core; that castle, with ignorance. You are a prodigy with the arcane arts, a being higher than anything alive right now! But, you were prematurely hatched before any real instructor could find you. Thus began your life of subjugation to those...horses, and their friendship! Disgusting vermin, all of them!” Older Spike ground his teeth in unadulterated fury, which made me gulp as he kept constant eye contact with me.

“You are the Son of Vorlianth, Son of Sevinna! You were born into a seat of power that has been taken from you by useless morals and codes! You’re not a dragon...oh no!!! Such feeble creatures they are! We, are Draconians!!! And the time has come...for us to take back our birthright.” His voice grew dark as a maniacal smile formed on his face.

“NO,” I yelled, not wanting to believe a word he was saying. I could, however, feel a tiny glimmer of truth hidden in those words that made me second guess my outburst, “I mean...that is. I’m me. Not the Son of Vorlianth or Sevinna. I chose to be me!” His smile faltered at my words and a scowl soon replaced it. I didn’t have time to react as another blow was dealt to my stomach, making me retch and empty my stomach.


“HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING!!!??? What I say is the truth, Spike! Those words you just spoke are why Lucian was able to curse you in the first place! You are denying who you are, yet again!!! How long, child!? How long will you keep running from that whore, Celestia!? How long will you suffer until your mind snaps and you lose sight of yourself for good!? There are beings in other planes, other dimensions, coveting and scheming on our power! How will you explain to your mother and father in the afterlife that you rejected them, without even trying out power they gave to you!? You’re an ungrateful, SACK OF SHIT!!!” 

I had begun picking myself off the ground when I felt something impact my stomach again.

WHUMMMP!!!

I was sent flying as Older Spike kicked me in the chest, sending me into a wall of rock to my left. I cratered it, hearing the mind shattering snapping of my ribs breaking and possibly my spine. I cried out in pain before it was just...gone. The pain was gone, and every bruise and scratch I got was too.

“This is but another form of our power. As you may or may not know, your mother was a paladin and a vindicator. Her skills in light-based magic were only lower than Light’s. In order to feed this power, you must be willing to put yourself in danger for your comrades and build strong, pure bods with others. That is Light Magic. It’s not how strong you are, but it’s how strong you are through others. Living in Equestria for all these years has made you soft, but it has also nurtured Sevinna’s Magic inside of you. That, is why you were able to heal so fast.” Older Spike still looked pissed off, but he also seemed more restrained. I was sent maybe a hundred feet into this wall, but he closed the distance instantly by disappearing and reappearing in front of me. How’d the Tartarus did he pull that off!!?? 


“This goes without saying, but Vorlianth’s Magic has been dwindled down to almost nothing. This is dangerous for two reasons,” He raised a claw and two of the five fingers on it, “One; without Vorlianth’s Magic, I’ll cease to exist,” He put a finger down, “And two; this ultimately means that you’ll die. Simple as that.” His remaining finger went down as he turned on the balms of his feet to face away from me.

“In order to regain Vorlianth’s Magic, you and I must fuse our beings together. I am; after all, what’s left of his birthright to you,” Older Spike said as he turned back around and pulled me from my crater. I literally popped out, making the noise and everything. He helped me back onto my feet, “So what do you say? Can we agree to take back what was lost? I’ll even sweeten the deal for you! I’ll teach you the ways of Natural Magic, in exchange for the synchronization.”

“I need some time to think this over. Too much is happening right now, and I can’t really wrap my head around it. Can ya give me a sec?” I asked.I could tell he was fighting back a frown with the forced smile he had on, reminding me of AJ when she tries to hide something. He nodded.

So, I would need to fuse with him in order to restore my birthright? And; if I don’t, I’ll die. Seems simple enough, but I doubt that just by us fusing together, Vorlianth’s Magic will return to it’s full power, “Vorlianth’s power won’t regualte itself if we just fuse, will it?” I asked with as much venom as I could muster, scaring myself at how I sounded just like him.

“No,” He responded with a sigh, “It won’t. There’s only two things make a Necromancer’s power grow. Do you really, want to know of them? I assure you, It’ll make you retch.” He glanced over his royal=purple shoulder to stare at me with his soulless eyes. In them, I could see nation’s burning and destruction at its finest. It was then that I realized; that he was me, and that I would have to embrace him for us to move forward. At any cost!

“Yeah. In order for us to become whole, I’m gonna need to know what makes my necromancy tick. Spill it.” He turned around with a smile on his face. A smile so wide, I feared that it would split his head in two.

“A Necromancer deals with the five realms of existence. Flesh, Spirit, Blood, Death and Mind. In order to grow in power, a necromancer must devour souls, flesh and blood. this is a task that you’ve already done, much to you chagrin I take it?” He asked amusedly as my eyes widened in fear! I killed someone!?

“Who did I kill and why!?” I yelled out angrily.

“Relax. It was a band of mercenaries that were getting ready to do you in. I merely...replenished, our dwindling necromantic capabilities. Of course that means you devoured maybe twenty or more souls, but your a necromancer! Who’s gonna call you wrong!? Not I, for it was me who did it! Well...us, if you want semantics and details.” At hearing that it wasn’t someone innocent my mind relaxed, but I still felt like throwing up again. I can’t believe I ate other sentient beings!!! 

“I-I’m a m-m-m-monster! Who knows what’ll-” Older Spike coughed into his claw, bringing me from my throes of remorse.

“Sorry pal, those are the brakes. We’re given a hand, and now we must play it! I say our first rule of business is to get you some new clothes, ones that’ll fit your new bad-assness.” Upon saying this, his aura returned and began morphing his top half into a breastplate and cape. His lower half turned into greaves and other lower-body armor. They stayed suspended in the air, and I must say that the color choice was pretty good!

  
         

‘Now, touch me and you’ll finally break those clouds over your Magical Core. Once we fuse, this armor will not come off unless it’s for procreation or using the bathroom. You should also know that once we fuse, there will be no going back. Will be synced together in perfect unison, which means we’ll blend together. It will feel strange at first, but it will come to pass.’  I could hear him in my head like I could with Nightmare. It was almost as if he was speaking through a fishbowl. Odd.

“Alright, so I just touch it like this and-” As I touched the armor, the world exploded in a vibrant splash of color. The last thing I saw before I blanked out was my Magical Core in its entirety.
 


---


Pat. Pat. Pat-pat. 


I began to stir again, and I hoped that this time I was in the real world and not my Magical Core. Fluttering my eyes, I could barely see through the haze my eyes had. Everything seemed cloudy, like a camera that was without focus. I blinked once or twice, finally seeing my eyesight clear up. A smile crossed my face as I sat up, moonlight making wherever I was slightly perceptible. Carefully, I got to my feet but stopped when I hear a clanking sound. Looking down, I noticed that I was in my armor that was bestowed upon me by Older Spike.

‘Just call me Vorvin. That’s what your name was supposed to be anyway.’ Sounds fair enough. Scanning myself, I noticed how my armor wasn’t covering my belly button, letting their natural color give the illusion of armor being there. The armor feels unnaturally lightweight, and now that I think about it...

“I feel stronger somehow. Like I took an energy supplement for magic! This is awesome!!!”  I began throwing punches, watching them cut through the air faster than what I was used to seeing. It was incredible. Words couldn’t describe how supercharged I was! Keyword, was.

I decided to stomp on the ground. which was a big mistake as I felt something get squished and stick to the bottom of my foot. Lifting my foot into the moonlight, my face took on a visage of fear and disgust. I threw up right then and there. I continued to throw up for what felt like hours, feeling my insides burn. I stopped as I gagged, some spit hanging off my mouth as little translucent bridges connecting me to the wooden floor.

“That was something’s head,” I mentally screamed as I steeled my heart and looked around the room. I threw up again. All over the room, corpses hung from ceiling fans by their intestines. Some corpses looked to be sodomized by pool sticks, making them stand erect as the poles exited them via their mouths. Blood flooded the floor in gallons, making me realize that I had been standing in blood for a while now. I opened my eyes and wished I hadn’t; for in front of me, in the red smooze that is my bile, rested an eyeball. I screamed in terror as I rose up from the blood-drenched ground and rammed the sheet metal wall, breaking through it without hindrance.

I ran into the night and into the forest directly in front of the shack, not wincing as branches and vines clawed at my face. I ran for what seemed like twenty minutes, never once looking back to the murder scene I just left. Out of breath and starving, I found myself on a dirt path with a wooden sign just a couple of meters to my right. I ran to it, although my pace wasn’t as frantic as before. I was covered in blood and guts, wanting desperately to take a shower.

When I reached the sign, I noticed words written on it with white paint.

Zistral: --->

Hooping that it was some sort of civilization, I began following the path. My mind wandered to Luna and how she might be taking all of this. She could be anywhere by now, but I’m surprised she hadn’t found me.

‘I prevented her from doing so. She would have interrupted our chat and ruined our synchronization. She practiced Necromancy as Nightmare Moon, and would never approve of this half of your birthright. Which means she would’ve inadvertently killed you, just to satisfy her own desire of not seeing you practice it.’ Vorvin had a point. If Luna had interfered, then I wouldn’t have made the decision I did. I’m still a little angry that he didn’t tell me that I would wake up in a bucking morgue, however.

‘What did you want me to say? “Hey Spike, I literally devoured around thirty Anthro Snakes and feasted on their souls. So, don’t be surprised when you wake up and some eyes without a head to go with them are staring you in the face?” Yeah, like you wouldn’t have freaked out you limp-dick nub-humper.’ Vorvin’s response was quite vehement, was it not? 


“Whatever. You just better keep your promise about teaching me. I can’t wait until I reach this ‘Zistral’, it sounds like a place of peace! And hopefully, a shower!” I said in happiness as a giant wall began making itself apparent in the distance. That has to be the town! YES!!!


It won’t be long now!       

> The Necromancer and The Swordsman: Act I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike: The Last Draconian
Written by: Vexing Puzzlez
Proofread by: Vexing Puzzlez (Still Looking for an Editor!)

All characters associated with the show; My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is the respective property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. All rights reserved.
Please support the official release.

The Introduction Arc is done...Now the juicy stuff begins!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




        
“I-I...c-can’t go on! N-need...water!” The wall was only a couple feet away; and as I drew near, I could see large metal doors marking the entrance. I was so close to civilization, so close to a bath! I have to make it! I continued my slow-mo walk, panting as I finally reached the doors and slumped myself against them with my back. I proceeded to slide down the doors slowly, which caused me to grimace as metal grated on metal.

SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!

My butt hit the dirt finally, making the nerve-racking screech end. I took quick breaths with my head raised towards the sky, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. As my breathing began to regulate, I heard a faint moan next to me. Looking to my right with my right eye, I saw what looked to be a blackish-greyish scaled dragon with a black robe on with gold trim. His eyes fluttered open, indicating that he had probably been sleeping or was knocked out. He didn’t seem like the type to hurt anyone; however, that didn’t keep me from raising my guard a little.

With another pained moan, he sat up using his hands and arms to lift himself. I could then see the multiple gold necklaces and headpiece, where it was hidden earlier while he ate dirt in his sleep. The guy then proceeded to sit down criss-cross applesauce, and do what is quite possibly the nastiest thing I’ve ever seen! Well, next to waking up in a slaughterhouse. 

POP!

He turned his head one way with a claw, making his neck pop. I don’t know why, but bone popping always made my skin crawl. He then turned his head the other way, after putting on a face of annoyance. I had to bite my tongue to keep from fidgeting or telling him about himself.

POP-POP-POP-POP-POP!

A sigh of relief came from his mouth as I cringed, but quickly fixed my appearance as to not seem rude. First impressions are key, especially with a species that I’ve never seen before. The awkward silence, however, was not doing wonders for my self-confidence in starting conversation. The guy just sat there, with his eyes and head down like he fell asleep or something!

“I’m not asleep,” His voice was gruff and deep, but at the same time, somewhat high. It was weird, or a breath of fresh air, “I was just waiting for you to say something. It’s quite rude just watching somebody without introducing yourself.” He said as he cracked an eye open to look at me analytically, as if trying to find some flaw in my character. 

‘THOSE EYES!!!’ Vorvin screamed from within the confines of my Magical Core. His scream shook me out of my stupor and put some on edge even farther.

“Is he dangerous!? What about his eyes!?” I yelled in my mind frantically.

‘They’re,’ He took a long pause, ‘GORGEOUS!!!’ My face instantly watered down to bemusement. Are you serious?

“Right...er, sorry. My name is Spike. I’m from Equestria, which is just south of here.” I extended my hand, offering a handshake. The guy next to me gave me a once-over with both his eyes, then extended his hand. We interlocked them and shook, the awkwardness finally dissolving.

“Name’s Dameion Setsuya. I would let you know where I’m from, but I don’t quite trust you that much yet. You seem okay, but then again,” He rose from the ground after breaking our handshake and dusted himself off, “I just met you.” He finished coldly as he looked at the gate. Something was little...off, about this guy.

---

“Something’s off with that one.” I don’t know why, but telling this guy about my royal background doesn’t really seem like the brightest of ideas. I’ll be in big trouble if he wants to start conversation. He most certainly seems like the type to do so. In fact, he looks like the type that has a question for everything!

“Hey, Mr.Dameion?” Spike called, earning my attention.

“Yeah?” I answered with half a heart.

“What do you do for a living?” He asked innocently, making me turn around just before I muttered the ancient words to open the door. Come to think of it, how did I end up outside the town? I don’t even remember how I got here! All I know is, I need a bath and some sleep.

“I slay dragons.” I joked. His eyes narrowed as a response. Clearly, this guy has no sense of humor.

“You serious?” He asked as I noticed him balling his fist up.

“That’s cute.” I thought bemusedly as I stared at his clenched fist. After a while of tension filled silence, I began a chuckle.

“Nope, it was a joke. I can’t believe you fell for that! What are you, five!?” I said in faux amusement, watching as he gave a nervous laugh while keeping his fist balled up. Yep, I screwed that up sooo bad!

“Yeah,” He gave another nervous chuckle, refusing to make eye contact, “A joke. Funny.” Don’t have to rub it in, ass. I know I screwed up.

“Alright, sorry if I insulted you somehow. That’s a regular joke that’s told around here, even though some guys in here are burly enough to make you second guess.” I turned back to the door, getting ready to open it with the ancient word.

“Apology accepted,” And interrupted...again, “So how do you suppose we open it? it doesn’t look like there’s any guards around.” Spike said as he made a makeshift sunvisor with his hand, which was rather stupid since it was the middle of the night.

“I say some magic words. The door opens. I go home,” I deadpanned, looking forward at the door, “NIF!!!” I yelled loudly, making Spike jump back and fright and grasp his chest where his heart was. His eyes were wide, letting me know that I had just startled him. But, I didn’t really care as the doors began to open slowly, the deep creaking sound doing nothing for the headache that I just got out of nowhere.

“You scared the heck out of me! What was that!?” Spike asked as the doors reached their inward position. When exiting the city, the doors open out. When entering, the doors open inwards.

“Old Draconian. It’s pretty much useless nowadays. Come on,” I jerked my head at the open passageway, “I take it you’re going to need a place to sleep. I know some people with a good home. It’s pretty big, so I’m pretty sure they won’t mind another guest.” I began thinking about what would happen when I reached the Murdok residence. Maxxis wouldn’t mind, the crazy bastard will probably try to eat him.

“That’ll be funny to watch.” I smirked as I began walking the familiar path to the Murdoks’s abode. I could hear that Spike was following close behind, his feet slapping along the now cobblestone road. Once again, I can honestly say that there’s something amiss with that guy. I don't know what it is, but I sense something...dark. If that makes any sense.

---  

        ‘He seems nice.’ Vorvin teased, making me suck my teeth at him. I guess I did it too loudly, for Dameion looked back at me with a raised eyebrow.

        “Something go awry?” He asked. I could detect some malice in those words deep down, so I thought it best to diffuse a possibly dangerous situation.

        “I was whistling, Mr. Dameion. Sorry if I offended you.” I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, putting on an equally sheepish smile. His eyebrow lowered to its normal height again as he turned his head back to facing forward. I’d have to think of a way to get back at Vorvin for his teasing later, because it seems as if we arrived at the house he was talking about.

        Compared to the houses near the front of the city that we passed on the way here, this one was particularly large. Lanterns hung in the eight windows on the four story house, casting the space out front with an orange shadow. The overall house had a pointed roof with a window with a lantern right below the peak. I easily determined  that to be the attic, seeing as how there were three other floors underneath it. I chalk the house up to be around fifty meters tall, which is almost the same size as Fluttershy’s cottage.

        “This is the place. Arma’s probably asleep and Maxxis is more than likely passed out on the couch, drunk as all hell...again,” Dameion deadpanned as he knocked on the red-oak door thrice. We waited patiently for someone to come to the door for about five minutes before Dameion backed up. I followed with my eyes until he ran into me with his back. Why didn’t I move? He looked back at me, his face filled with anger, “Fucking move!” I did as he said, throwing my hands up in order to indicate I didn’t want any trouble.

After moving to his right, he hastily filled the spot where I was standing. I saw a glint of concentration in his angered eyes as he stared intently at the door. Then; in a burst of black, he exploded onto the door with his foot! “FUCK YOU GUYS AND YOUR DOOR!!!” He roared into the now opened door. I heard a female scream and some other sounds, like something made from glass being dropped.

“Dameion?! What the actual fuck is wrong with you!?” The same female voice yelled as Dameion’s body disappeared into the house.

“Not cool, dude. Do you know how many laps you’re going to be doing for that in the morning!?” A gruffer voice yelled. That wasn’t Dameion’s voice, so I chalked it up as another male. Dameion’s voice returned as I stood outside in the warm summer air, my arms behind my back as I rocked back and forth on my heels. That’s a habit I normally started when a situation was awkward of if I was trying to get away with something.

“For your information,” I heard Dameion snap, “We have a guest that you two rudely kept waiting at the front door! Since I’m not an actual proprietor of this abode, I have no say in whether he’s allowed in or not. That’s your place, not mine. In saying this, I leave him with the two of you. He seems to like talking, so you guys should hit it off, or however you people say it these days. If you need me,” I heard him start as a sound like climbing stairs reached my ears, “I’ll be in my room taking a shower. I woke up outside in the dirt, and I want clean myself. Good night!” Dameion’s voice was no more. 

‘Blueblood much?’ Vorvin quipped, making me cover my mouth to suppress a snort.

“That guy has a fucking stick up his ass.” The gruff voice rung out after a long silence, sounding exasperated. I then heard heavy footsteps approaching from inside the house, making me nervous instantly. In a moment, a buffer version of whatever Dameion is, appeared at the door with a quizzical expression on his face. He eyed me down, making me shiver.

“You’re the guy, huh? Well...you seem different, but not dangerous,” He began scratching the bottom of his neck with a claw, “Can’t really see a reason for leaving ya’ out in the dark like this. Hell, If anyone should be out there...it should be his Royal Highness. I’m Maxxis Murdok, the Tenth Ranked Zistral Sword. A pleasure ta meet ya’!” He extended his hand, which I took and shook. After I broke the handshake, he kept the same handout but shifted to the side so I could walk in. 

It was awkward stepping over the fallen door, but the awkwardness turned to shock as Maxxis picked it up with his pinky finger and flicked his wrist up, sending the door slamming against the frame. He then front kicked it, knocking it in place. That was...pretty awesome!

“I’m also the second strongest member; physically, that is. But out of the Sword’s, my power is ranked tenth.” Maxxis concluded as he turned away from the door and lead me into the most lavish living room I’ve ever seen!!! It was just...gah!!!



        “I’d love to get to know you better. Please, have a seat,” Maxxis said as he plopped lazily onto the red leather couch, stretching himself to his full length but kept his head up. His eyes watched me as I sat on the red leather chair. instantly succumbing to comfort as it felt like someone had draped a warm blanket over me, “I take it you like the loveseat?” Maxxis asked with a smug smile. I smiled back as I got more situated.

“Oh Yeah~!” I replied slowly. Maxxis let out a chuckle as he sat up, his back on the leather.

“So tell me about yourself, Mr.Spike. I’d love to hear the tale of how you came to Zistral.

‘He’s a good guy...but now way. Remember, you’re practically being chased by a GODDESS. There’s now way in hell that this guy will let you stay here knowing that!’Vorvin remarked, making me put on a nervous smile. I hadn’t really given this much thought. If I’m to move in here, then that would mean putting them in danger of Celestia and her lackeys. I thought about making up an excuse to leave right then, before my vision was suddenly impaired by what felt like hands. Even so, I tensed up fearing the worst, which had become the norm for me in my travels.

“Guess who?” The feminine voice asked amusedly, making me relax and put on a smile. Arma’s the only female in this house, so it had to be her. I really don’t know why girls do that.

“Arma.” I said amusedly as I used my own hands to pry her off. Even though I couldn’t see her, I could feel something squishy touch the back of my head as she bent over and allowed me to see her. A smile graced her face upon seeing mine as her scarlet hair flopped like a curtain, sealing me from Maxxis’s field of vision.

“You’re kinda adorable, with your purple-scales and green spines~!” Her voice was sweet but gruff. A contradiction that went together so seamlessly, that I found it hard not to blush. That’s when I noticed a blush around her nose as well, making my blush intensify.

“Er..um...thanks,” I offered poorly, not doing any wonders for the red streak on my features, “I’m Spike by the way. It’s...um...a pleasure to meet you.” Her smile increased as she raised her head from my view and opted to rest it on top of my own. My heart nearly plummeted as I came to regard Maxxis, with a raised eyebrow and with a deep scowl. I don’t know how, that was possible!!!

“Don’t you know what time of the year it is? My sister’s in heat, so you better be on the lookout for her around the house,” My eyes widened as he leaned onto his legs more, dwindling the distance between us by a small margin, “But if I find out that you, came on to her? Oh, there’ll be nothing left of you other than your bones. Understood?” He then narrowed his eyes challengingly, dangerously even.

I could hear Vorvin laughing his flank off in my head, taunting Maxxis from within the confines of my Magical Core. He obviously thought that Maxxis was some type of joke, even though I’ve never been in a fight my entire life. Maxxis looks big enough to rip Twilight’s house in half, let alone me! So, I don’t really see how any of that could be funny. 

After swallowing the lump in my throat, Maxxis relaxed his stare and held up a hand, making the ‘shooing’ motion with it at Arma. I felt her pout and plant a small kiss on the crown of my head, in between my first two spines. Then; as she turned around, she caressed my face with her red-tail and disappeared into what I can only guess as the stairwell. I coughed nervously into my hand, trying to hide the blush that was clawing at my features.

“You gonna get raped~!” Vorvin teased as I grimaced, not liking his word choice at all. If heats for females in Zistral are anything like Equestria’s mares, then I’m in big trouble. As I’ve matured throughout my years in Ponyville, I’ve witnessed and been victim to sexual assault over a hundred times. Contrary to the other beliefs of other nations, Equestria hasn’t any charges or punishments for heat related incidents. Since the mares outnumber the stallions three-to-one, anything goes. I’ve spent more than my fair share in Applejack’s Cellar with her brother. Of course, there were others who partook in the Cellar of Salvation, as Big Mac and I called it.

Thunderlane, Rumble, Caramel, Snowflake, Big Mac and I all played cards and got pissy drunk until the sun came up. Now those, were good memories. Thunderlane and his little brother once got into a wrestling match with each other, which quickly turned into an all out brawl. Big Mac and I stepped, breaking it apart just in time for the both of us to be hit over the head with empty Hard Apple Cider kegs. When I say the Cellar got turned out I mean it! By the time the rooster gave its first sound, all of us were covered in cuts; bruises, blood and vomit. That, was brotherly bonding.

Of course, everyone had to help out on the farm in order to earn their keep. The work was nothing I wasn’t already use to, seeing as how I helped Applejack a plethora of times with bucking apples as I grew older. It got to a point where all I practically did was knock on the tree once with a fist, and it would yield its fruit to me. Much to my chagrin, Applejack quickly acquainted me with the rusty plow her brother kept in the barn. This plow was nicknamed, “Ol’ Backbreaker”, by the Apple family. Needless to say, I had to bathe in a tub filled with ice in order to numb the pain of my taxed muscles after three long hours of backbreaking, work.

My compensation was the availability to hide away from sex-crazed mares. But nothing could prepare us for the fall of the Cellar of Salvation. Applejack had let our hideout location slip out by accident during the peak of Heat Season, bringing a swarm of mares to our haven in an instant. What I wasn’t prepared for was Twilight leading the group with a red bandanna around her frizzy mane, tribal war paint decorating her face. Painted over her left eye was the sign for females with a fire blazing behind it. Looking back, it was kind of funny how she formed Ponyville’s mares into some type of guerilla unit.

They attacked the barn en masse, nearly toppling it but putting holes all the way through it’s hull. When the find our cellar,  I was instructed to dig our way out. With desperation and paranoia abounding, I got to work cleaving away dirt and gravel in the attempt to escape our sex-crazed pursuers. After a while of digging, Big Mac and Snowflake bucked the dirt walls on our sides, causing a cave in that separated us from the mares who had caught up to us. I had laughed before I noticed a tiny blip of burning purple magic begin to sizzle through our makeshift barricade. Seeing as how the boys were slowing down my escape, I promptly latched onto the ceiling and began digging up, with the sole intention of leaving my friends behind in order to protect my innocence.

Everyone besides Big Mac was too preoccupied in crying to notice me escaping. Big Mac quickly latched himself onto my tail, suing me as a means of escape as the other stallions finally noticed that we had escaped. As they look up into my emergence hole, their faces became angry as they yelled slurs and curses our way. Looking down, I saw them become swallowed up in a tide of color as the mares swarmed them, finally breaking through the barricade. Big MAc and I lowered our heads in remembrance to those poor souls, looking down at them from the hole’s exit. After saying a silent prayer of respect, we went our separate ways.

I was stopped, however, when Twilight appeared before me with the other Elements of Harmony and quite surprisingly, Princess Celestia. That’s when things took a darker turn and-

SLAP!!!

My eyes flew open as I recoiled from the blow, toppling the chair backwards and landing on my rump. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out what had happened. I had just been slapped, hard. Searching for the perpetrator, my eyes quickly found themselves staring up two black tree-trunk like legs. Dameion was eyeing me with anger in his eyes.

---

“I’ve been calling you for the past half hour, Spike. You are filthy, so I took the liberty of preparing the bath, for you. It’s customary for tenants to do this for each other, so I hope you don’t plan on my hospitality going to waste, or else there will be consequences. When you are done, find the staircase behind you and wait for me by the attic door way. Do not take too long in the bath, for you will prune up.” I then walked past our bumbling guest and back up the stairs, heading to our rendezvous point. As I ascended past the second floor, I saw Arma creep into the guest bathroom with nothing but a towel.

“That’s a personal problem.”  I thought dejectedly as it took nearly five minutes for me to reach the highest point in the house. I sat down, my legs crossed over each other and with my arms crossed the same way. Right behind me was the pain wooden door with gold knob, like all the other doors. This used to be my room all the way up till now, so I’m actually anxious about finding out where I’ll be laying my head at from now on. Murdok Manor is one of the most spacious homes in Zistral, so I’m actually surprised that they hadn’t disclosed a replacement room for me.

“I wonder how Spike will take seeing Arma naked. Our more private parts are hidden beneath layers of scale, so it’s not like her snatch and nips’ll be showing.” I snickered upon seeing Arma in her heat-ridden state, trying to seduce Spike in the bath. Quite humorous. I figured if he’ll be occupied with her, than I should occupy my time with something as well. So; as I shut off my mind from everything around me, I began to meditate on my past, hoping that some memory will spring forth.

( At first, there was nothing but the darkness one experiences when teetering on the edge of awareness. Then, there was a bright flash in my head and I awoke onto a moonlit grassy hill. You could see Zistral from where I was at, the many lanterns basing it in an ethereal orange glow that was absolutely breathtaking. Looking down; I noticed that I had returned to my teenage body from a thousand years ago, even though I had my princely robes on.

The pale moonlight was washing over the hill, illuminating the dew on the grass to cast small orbs of light upon each individual strand. A soft breeze washed over me, blowing my feathers back softly as well as the grass. The grass rolled almost as if it was a wave from the ocean. I barely noticed the figure next to me.

“Day-Day, you actually came.” Only one person called me that. Her words sounded almost breathless in disbelief as I felt myself wrapped up in a hug from behind.

“Artemis?” I know hadn’t said that. My voice sounded younger, almost infantile with its high pitched frequency. I finally understood what was happening. I was experiencing one of my memories from childhood; but unlike last time, I had no control. IT was almost like watching a movie from the comfort of my mind. A movie about my past life, that is.

“Yeah, it’s you. I’m...so happy,” If that’s so, then why are you crying, “You answered the letter I put in your locker. Does that mean-?” She couldn’t finish her sentence as my body whirled around to return the hug from the front. I could feel her pressed up against me tightly, her heart beating on time with mine. I don’t know how long we stayed there, the satisfying night breeze washing over us as we embraced each other fervently. After a couple more minutes, Artemis leaned back only a little and looked up into my eyes as I did the same to her. Deadlocked in our staredown; she made the first move, taking my lips with hers.

Strawberry...Overload. That’s the best way to describe her kiss. It was bittersweet though, as she pulled away before I could fully savor it. Her face was wrecked with tears and running make-up. She had the same dress from when I last saw her on, but her hat was missing.

“I’m happy you feel the same way...b-but...tomorrow you have your match with King Dergan and...and...” She collapsed to the ground, covering her arms with her hands as her sobs robbed her of words. I bent down quickly, wrapping her up in a hug in order to calm her down. What was this about fighting my father!? How did this come about!? 

“I know,” I said before nuzzling her head with my chin, “But I promise you that it will end with his defeat, no matter what,” I said darkly as I pulled my head away and raised her with a hand, “I’ll come back to you, and we’ll be together forever. I fight in the name of Mythril, so there’s no way for him to defeat me. I swear this on my life!” This time, I pressed the initiative as my lips were forced onto hers, sending us sprawling back onto the hill. As soon as we landed, she reversed our roles by rolling on top of me. 

My face flushed as I realized she was straddling me. “Hey, what’s gotten into you?” I asked nervously as she crossed her arms over the bottom of her dress, pulling it off quickly over her head as she flung it to the side. The breeze caught it, causing it to go further than she wanted. Now she was half naked, the only thing preventing me from seeing her in all her glory was the black frilly bra she had on with matching panties. 

“Nothing....yet!” Her voice dripped with arousal as I began seeing little nubs push through the black fabric of her bra as our lips met again. I wasted no time in removing my robe, the black wings behind me sliding through the slots effortlessly as I too, flung my dressing into the breeze. After that, I began exploring her body with my hands, sliding my way across her waist and up her back, I gave her messages in certain areas, earning moans every once and awhile through our kiss. It was still just with lips, but I found that a mood dampener, so I prodded her with my tongue. Her eyes widened just for a moment, then lidded when I entered her mouth with my tongue. I traced over her canines and gums, then set about wrestling her own tongue as our kiss deepened.

Every other breath contained a moan as I slid my hands sneakily into her bra, messaging each breast with a hand. Once again her eyes widened as she broke the kiss hurriedly, backing away from my hands. Her face matched her hair as she covered herself with my robe. My face was filled with shock...had she lost her attraction to me?

“I don’t think...we should do this,” She continued looking away as I pushed myself from the ground, resting on my butt, “I don’t feel ready. But, you gotta promise me that we will do this the next time we meet.” She quickly stood up, her eyes still looking away from me as she ran off. She dropped my robe and grabbed her dress as she continued running away from me  and towards Zistral in the distance. The cold nipped at my skin as I watched her depart down the hill.

“So I had feelings for Artemis back then? The more you know...” I thought dejectedly as I ended my meditation, coming face to face with a pair of green eyes. )

“WOAH!!!” I yelled as Spike jumped back in fright. He looked absolutely drained, as if...oh. He let out a nervous chuckle as he walked by me, body completely white with blue marks of grim in front of his face. He’s probably scarred for life. He opened the door and shut it behind him as I rose from the ground, losing all motivation in continuing our conversation from downstairs.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, alright Spike?” I yelled through the door, the sound of a mattress being flopped upon being my only response. Poor guy must’ve taken it rough. Seeing no reason in staying up any longer, I quickly made my way towards the bathroom in order to prepare for a bath. Now that the guest was done, the host could take one without worry of disrespect. 

---

“Told Ya.” Vorvin remarked as I hung on the precipice of slumber. I told him to stuff one, to which he gave a hearty laugh as he went quiet. I had thought that mares were the worst, but I had never met a dragoness before. She put Twilight to shame in more ways than one.

“Dragoness she may be, but no Draconian. That’s a title only meant for those who are semi-immortal like you. So far, I’ve only felt the Draconic Bond with Dameion and no one else. Which brings me to ask; what are your personal qualms about being semi-immortal? Even though the initial shock got you raped in the bathroom, I never got your answer.” Vorvin said, making me scrounge my face up in thought. I desperately wanted to go to sleep, but he seemed bent on getting an answer from me tonight. 

“I don’t care. Sure, it came as a surprise and I was worried about the implications...but my worries went away in knowing that my friends no longer care for me. If Luna had wanted to reach me, she would have found me by now. I can’t help but wonder about what she’s doing, let alone planning my life according to the fact that I can’t die.

“Well that depends on how well you’ll be able to defend yourself. You necromancy is what makes you semi-immortal, so you’ll have to feed its powers on a regular. Each soul you devour adds another life to you, meaning you can die multiple times to give the illusion of immortality, should you acquire enough souls. IT’s quite harrowing watching a guy who was turned to ashes by magic, to grow back from said ashed and continue to fight.” That’s useful, Vorvin. So that means...I’ll have to kill some more!? I groaned in exasperation and sorrow.

“Why can’t things be easier! Which reminds me, I should make Luna’s job of finding me easier. But that can wait till morning, I just wanna sleep for right now.” And that’s exactly what I did, giving in to the taxed body that is my own. Unconsciousness took me in mere moments.

---

“What do you mean, ‘I forgot to tell you?’” I remarked snidely as Maxxis scratched the back of his head with a hand. I was pissed that no other room was available due to renovations being made to the manor. Which meant I had to sleep outside, due to the fact that he doesn’t like anyone sleeping in his living room. Honestly, to sleep outside of all places!

“I forgot about the renovations, so shoot me!” Maxxis retorted as he poked me in the chest, earning himself an evil eye and a growl. I wouldn’t dare attack him; not after what happened the first time.

“If I had a gun, you would’ve already been swiss cheese. Be that as it may; I can hardly believe you’re making me sleep outside and especially, on the roof. It’s warm, there are bugs and it’s drizzling. No matter what you are, that’s not suitable sleeping conditions.” I snapped irritably, earning a bemused visage from Maxxis.

“Look,” He said forcefully, “I know you claim to be the Prince, but when you’re under my roof, titles don’t mean jack-shit. Now, it’s either you nut-up and sleep on the goddamn roof, or I tear your other wing out and beat you senseless with it. It’s you choice.” He said icily as I hid a gulp, afraid of the stare and words he just said. I sighed in dejection as I left the zebra-print love cave that is Maxxis’s room, slamming the door behind me as I stomped down the stairs and to the front door. Once outside, I found the access ladder to the roof and climbed it sorely, hating Maxxis for putting me through yet another horrible situation.

Once I reached the top, I moved over to the middle of the roof and laid upon it, watching the stars and moon above me. It was a squall, which meant everything was still visible, just with a little drizzle. After a while, the rain began to feel good. I had trouble staying awake sooner than I expected, but I was instantly awake when I felt something too large land next to me. Inclining my head sharply, I quickly saw what it was that startled me fro mthe throes of slumber.

It was something like out of a fairy tale, a horse that had stars for a mane and reptilian eyes like mine. Her black fur was mostly covered by a set of azure armor, which was wet with rain. She eyed me precariously, as if contemplating what question to ask. I was awestruck at her majesty, awaiting her first words.

  “You there,” She asked with a raised eyebrow, to which I responded with a raised eyebrow as well, “Have you seen a dragon named Spike? I’m looking for him and believe him to be in the vicinity of this town.” Her tone was one that was teetering on the edge of command and request. 

“I do, as a matter of fact. What’s he to you?” I sat up, earning a determined stare as she turned to face me. 

“More than you know...” She responded cryptically. 



       

     
 



        

> The Necromancer and The Swordsman: Act II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike




       
 I growled in annoyance at my lack of sleep, seeing as how I couldn’t shut my eyes. Sitting up quickly, I put on an angry face as I sung my legs over the edge of the bed and placed them on the wooden floor. Clasping my hand in thought, my mind instantly entered my Magical Core. Colors whizzed in my subconscious, until the familiar valley and castle loomed around me. Once there, I could feel Vorvin somewhere in my vicinity.

        “Alright then, Vorvin...Why can't I fall asleep?” I asked as I threw my arms up in exasperation. A chuckle filled the air as I was knocked my face by what felt like a foot being shoved into my back. Eating dirt, I rose back up quickly. I turned so fast my neck hurt as I socked Vorvin in the gut, taking the wind from him. He keeled over, both hands on his stomach as he wheezed.

        I quickly spat out any extra dirt in a large sized loogie, watching with the intent to kill as Vorvin staggered back onto his feet. He threw me a cocky grin as he steadied himself.

        “I forget that we’re one in the same. Which means, you’re as strong as I am as well. Heh,” he laughed as he inhaled sharply, then exhaled slowly, “But; that’s not why you’re here, right? You want to know why you can’t sleep?” I nodded quickly, wanting nothing more than to close my eyes.

        “Sorry to say, but that’s not going to happen. You see; you’re suffering from what necromancers call, Soul Vibe. It’s when a necromancer consumes its first or more souls, then stays awake for long periods of time. Hate to burst your bubble, but some necromancers never got rid of their first Soul Vibe. So what I’m spittin is this...you ain’t gonna sleep at all.” Vorvin finished as my face fell into shock, making him bust out in laughter. It was severe laughter, but it was genuine enough to make me frown.

“Calm down,” He said with a serious expression and a hand raised in the gesture of ‘stop’, “It’s not that serious. If you want some sleep, I recommend making a pact with a Familiar.” He said as he closed the distance and slugged me in the shoulder playfully. I winced at the sudden contact and slugged him back, earning another cocky grin as he walked past me with both hands behind his head.

“What’s a Familiar?” I asked as I ran to shrink the distance between us. He was still walking weirdly. 

“A Familiar is a spirit that you can feed magic to. It does various things: Like cooking, cleaning, feeding, bathing, torturing your enemies to death,” His voice got smaller toward the end, making it impossible for me to hear what he said. I cupped a hand to my ear, wordlessly asking him to repeat himself. He grumbled before opening his mouth and, “I SAID...*sigh* killing your foes in combat. But before you chew my ear off, let me begin by saying this. Your power is not great enough yet to exact revenge on Celestia. She’s had a millennia to hone her magical prowess whereas you’ve had what, two days? I think it’s pretty obvious that you’re going to need help.” Vorvin stated as he slapped me on my back, causing me to stumble. This guy’s insufferable!!!

“Ow,” I frowned at him, “If you could stop hitting me...Yeah that’d be great.” I said in exasperation as Vorvin pulled on the brakes immediately.

“H-holy shit. Y-you just said a meme...You just fucking said a MEME!!! It’s working then!? It’s really working!? HAHAHAHAAHAHA-” He broke down into insane laughter as he fell on the floor, pounding a fist upon the brown earth. It didn’t seem like he was gonna stop, so I posted up on the valley wall closest to us and relaxed with a sour look on my face.

Little laughs came from him as he slowly stood back up, clutching his sides in amusement, “Woah. *snort* I can’t believe you said a meme! That should be impossible. You see, meem’s come from a planet called Earth and it’s about the same size as this one. They’re just a little more advanced and tech savvy is all. Oh, and before you ask what Earth is like...don’t. You don’t want to know. The only reason I do is because I’m a magical construct of your inheritence, which wanders different worlds while you’re asleep.” Vorvin said as we came to a high wall, earning a raised eyebrow from me in response. He looked at me out the corner of one his eyes, almost as if he could tell what I was about to say.

“Save it. It’s time to learn magic now,” Interrupted Vorvin, giving an answer to my unasked question. I perked up a little at that, seeing as how I didn’t really have instruction in this before. I’m more curious about how he’s gonna train me, y’know, “Let’s break down the curriculum, shall we? First and foremost, I’ll be covering both offensive and defensive type moves with you. Your offensive skill set will stem from your Necromantic Inheritance, while your defensive skill set will stem from your Vindicator Inheritance.” Vorvin explained as he finally ended his care-free posture, turning around to eye me down analytically. He even raised a claw to his chin and began stroking it, like some old master or something. 

“Hmmm, but where to begin? I guess, I can start off our sessions together by teaching you the strongest attack moves you can handle at this point. However, they are also the most draining. These techniques combine both magical and physical strength, and are not to be used lightly. Only, with the intent to kill! Understood?” Vorvin asked as I gulped and nodded. Pleased with my obedience, he turned so that he faced the wall and motioned for me to back away with a claw. I complied immediately, knowing that something huge was about to go down.

“We’ll start with the “Reaper” skills and work our way from there. First off, we’ll start with Crimson Reaper. It’s a Necromantic, Fire and Darkness based move where you summon a scythe of hellfire from your own Mana Pool. In saying this, I can say that you’ll only be able to keep one Reaper Scythe out at a time. Anymore than that, and you’ll kill yourself before you take your next breath.” Vorvin explained, my eyes widening at that tidbit of information. My mind began to wander off, trying to figure out what other scythes there could be and what their special powers would be. 

Vorvin snapped his fingers loudly, gaining my attention, “Don’t fucking space out, twit! This shit’s important! As I was saying, you’ll only be able to use one element as long as the corresponding scythe to that element remains active. So; if you activate Crimson Reaper, what elements will you be allowed to use in battle with it?” Vorvin asked me with a raised eyebrow and a stare that said ‘I’ll gut you like a fish if you mess this up!’

“...Fire and Darkness?” I asked timidly, remembering what he had said earlier. He nodded as he turned his attention back to the colossal valley wall. It reached so high, that I could see clouds bouncing off the side of it! 

“Correct...Now watch closely...” Vorvin said solemnly as he raised both of his claws through the air slowly, very slowly. It took about a minute for him to have them at chest level, where he then pushed his palms into each other; his fingers pointing towards the sky. With that, I could begin to feel something tug at the back of my mind. It was almost as if I was being warned about a coming disaster, a premonition if you will. I hastily hid behind a brown boulder, still relatively close to Vorvin but less exposed, “....Come out from behind that rock and watch my hands! You’re gonna have to see the proper technique for summoning one of these bad boys!” He exclaimed while turning his head to look at me sternly.

I did as I was told, my curiosity getting the best of my common sense. Luck for me, I’m not Opalescence!

Get it? Opalescence is a cat, which would normally die because of her curiosity?

No?

 Well fine! I thought it was funny!

“Pay attention,” Vorvin snapped, causing me to do a double-take as I jogged closer to him. He smiled at how close I was, letting me know that any further could be dangerous, “Here’s another tidbit of info for you! Using a “Reaper” skill has severe repercussions, which is why I said using more than one will possibly kill you. Sorry to say, but that’s not the end of it kiddo. Ya’ see; using a “Reaper” will create an initial explosion of magic that will ultimately kill you, before the energy can be taken away. This only stands true for ones who do not know Necromancy, which excludes you of course.” Vorvin explained, even though I had difficulty grasping what he meant. Seeing my quizzical gaze, Vorvin hastily added more to his explanation.

“Right now; you currently hold about twenty to thirty souls in your Mana Pool, thanks to that late night snack some time earlier. It’s rather simple. All you need do is use one of the souls to negate the initial explosion, which will save your hide from an instant and rather painful death. But the cost will be one soul. It’s an unfair trade, with the odds in your favor. I’ll demonstrate this now.” Vorvin said smugly as I saw little red orbs begin to drift into his hands, lighting them ablaze as he winced.

His claws are on bucking fire!? How the tartarus did he do that!? Is he alright!?

“Calm yourself, Spike! You’re disrupting your Core’s magical balance! I can’t draw the Fire and Darkness magicks to me if you’re panicking!” Vorvin snapped, shooting me an angry glare before returning his attention to the wall. I quickly thought of some personal things I like, which you guys don’t need to know about. Pulling myself back from panic’s throes, I noticed the orbs returning and phasing into Vorvin’s hands.

He started a low yell, which quickly crescendoed as the flames began to radiate a heat so strong, that It was starting to burn some of my skin even though I was about twenty-feet away from him, “...aaaAAA!!! CRIMSON REAPER!!!” He stretched his claws out as far as they could go, a long rod of flame following in each direction as the claws distanced themselves.

I could barely contain my awe as the bright flaming rod shaped itself in mid-air, becoming a scythe with a blood-red spiky handle as tall as Vorvin himself. The blades were little poles of intense fire, reminding of a blow torch shooting flames out in a constant concentrated stream. These flames burned through the vertebrae of an unfortunate being, possibly an anthro, giving the weapon its “Reaper” appearance.



    My face had become misplaced amongst all the awe! That was amazing! 

Vorvin was panting now, the scythe’s back laying across his shoulders and the back of his neck. He used one forearm to hold it in place, the one near the back of the handle. He then turned to face me, offering me a simple wink before walking away from the wall and advising me to do so as well. I quickly followed, my mouth still open in shock and awe at that display of magical prowess.

“I take it you like the Crimson Reaper? Good...cause now I’m gonna show you the moves associated with this specific “Reaper”!” Vorvin stopped and turned around so quickly, that I had to duck or else the blades of fire would have impacted my head! 

“Woah! Watch where you’re turning!” I yelled out, shaking my fist at him angrily.

“Shut up. Now watch closely...again,” Vorvin yelled as he turned on his heels so that he was facing the wall again. He began twirling the scythe at impossible speeds and with impossible control, the weapon becoming a hissing red circle of Darkness and Fire magic, “IN ORDER TO USE THIS SCYTHE TO ITS FULL CAPACITY, YOU MUST HAVE AN EXCEPTIONAL GRASP OF THE ELEMENT OF MAGIC IT PERTAINS TO! BEHOLD, SPIKE!!!” Vorvin yelled over the ear shattering hiss of the scythe. He began turning himself as well, swinging the scythe this way and that as red orbs formed around his body and began circling him.
 

They were faster than what my eye could follow, creating a cone-shaped encasement around his frame as the scythe picked up even more speed.

“CRIMSON RIPPER!!!!!” Vorvin screamed, dragging it out even as a crescent moon shaped wave of concentrated fire exploded from the scythe with the red orbs following it. They impacted the wall instantly, my world flashing a dark red before a deafening explosion clouded my mind and aural senses. I felt the stinging sensation of blunt objects impacting my scales at crazy velocities and speed, causing me to wince as I shielded my eyes with a hand.

Then everything stopped after the wind gave its last whistle.

I opened my eyes, blinking out the clouds of dirt and dust that had climbed in them. I had unfocused vision, everything was a moving and unmoving blur. It took a couple of seconds, but everything came back into focus after that. Vorvin was on one knee, one of his hands grasping the Crimson Reaper as he held it on the ground.

Where the sides of the blades made contact, the ground was beginning to melt and become molten. His pants and eyes concerned me, for his breaths were quick and pained while his eyes appeared to be glossy.

I then turned my head to face where the move had hit, only to find the wall completely decimated. Nothing was left...literally nothing!!! Little cracks of red lightning flickered here and there, warning me of the wall’s possibility of harboring dangerous magic.

“W-w-w-w-what the...T-t-t-that was...AWESOME!!!” I cheered like an idiot, fistpumping and whooping into the air excitedly. I get to learn that!!!??? TRULY!!!??? Freaking SWEET~~~!!!

“Heheheh...” Laughed Vorvin tiredly, standing back up on shaky legs as I continued to jump around like a colt who just got his first marefriend, “You don’t, *pant*, need to. Once I perform them, the moves are downloaded into your Magical Core. Your only purpose is to, *wheeze*, come here as often as you can.” Vorvin finished as he waved his hand over the scythe he left on the ground, causing it to melt into a blood-red portal. The sound could be likened to a tide receding. 

“That was so...COOL!!!” I yelled, instantly zipping up to his face. He pushed me away tiredly, letting out another chuckle before collapsing completely.

“Vorvin!” I yelled in concen as I caught him mid-fall.

“I just need some sleep...return to your world and do the same.” He commanded groggily, his last effort at keeping sleep at bay failing. Have I ever told you how heavy that son of a gun is? No? 

Good.

Then you wouldn’t mind me dropping him onto the ground like so...

FLUMPH!!!

I winced at the impact. He’s not gonna be happy about that in the morning. 

I whistled innocently to myself as I pictured a portal in my head, falling through it immediately and waking up in my own body again.

“Well well well, isn’t this nice?” A familiar voice said with venom in every word. I gulped I turned my head to face the doorway leading into my room, staring into the venomous snake-like pupils of Nightmare Moon.

No...it’s much worse than Nightmare Moon.

It’s Luna, and she doesn’t seem so happy. 

“Hey Luna, how’s it going,” I asked weakly, earning narrowed eyes from her as a retort. I sighed in bemusement, “I’m in the doghouse, am I?” I asked for confirmation, already knowing the answer long before she said anything.

“Most definitely.” She replied coldly, trotting over to my sitting frame and pushing me onto the floor with a hoof. Before I could yella t her in annoyance, I felt my mouth literally zip up.

“Mmmm! Mmm-mm-mmm!” I mumbled, fumbling with the iron clasp at one corner of my mouth. Luna shook her head, still agitated with me as she lifted the covers with her magic and laid down underneath them. 

“You can sleep on the floor, most dogs usually do.” 

Ouch.

I whined just like a dog as I found a corner and sat down, crossing my legs and arms as I stared at her. I wasn’t even tired, thanks to that stinking Soul Vibe.

The only thoughts on my mind that night? Will she get over this, and how am I gonna take my life back from Celestia.  

     

            
    

> The Necromancer and The Swordsman: Act III
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion







        
“You can sleep on the floor tonight, most dogs usually do.” 

I gave a chuckle from my position against the attic door, my arms crossed and my head facing down so that my chin touched my chest. If you didn’t know me, you would’ve probably thought that I was asleep. My chuckle and smirk went away, for I grew bored waiting on some type of rebuttal from Spike. Guess I know who wears the metaphorical pants in that relationship.

        Shoving myself quietly from the door with my back, I proceeded to make my way down the fifty, dark-brown stairs that had led me up here. Spike was probably going to have a cow once he found out that I sold his location for measly humor.

        It would be a struggle for me to care less, actually.

But that’s not important. What is important, is that I’ve become the target of a lethal man. And not just any man at that. Once I remembered how I ended up outside the wall, I quickly told Maxxis about the whole thing. He swallowed a lump in his throat at hearing me mention Fei-Kuu, which probably means he got his ass handed to him by that same snake. He immediately cancelled what he was doing, which was relaxing in the bathtub in some bubbles, and decided to become my mentor in fighting.

I assured him that he would be wasting his time. I made extra sure to mention the fact that he got creamed by Fei-Kuu before, which in turn, made me refuse his proposal altogether. Needless to say, I had difficulty trying to escape on that sudsy tile as he tried to devour me in anger.  How this city allows cannibals like him is beyond my comprehension...

“The fact still remains that I have to find some type of mentor for myself. I’m getting tired of being knocked unconscious, with or without my say in the matter. I should probably head into town; visit a few ale houses, converse with the townsfolk. It wouldn’t hurt to start my search now. I’m not even weary from today’s activities, so tonight’s...or today’s, not a bad time to hit the streets.” 

I’ve been told by Arma many times over, that my face has the tendency to give off a serious complexion. She chalked it up to me having a ‘mean face’, and that it was actually adorable. Bah, worthless bar-wench couldn’t tell a plank from a 2x4! Last thing I need is for her to start judging my facial expressions.

Now that I’ve found a niche to end my pleasant mood from earlier, I deemed myself worthy of the Zistralian streets as I headed through the front door and onto the front porch. just as I was about to reach the first step, I felt someone tug on my robe. Turning my head to peek over my shoulder, I quickly deciphered the focusing image as Maxxis.


“...How may I help you, Maxxis Murdok?” My voice was bitter, making Maxxis snort in what I can only guess was amusement. It was confirmed to be just that, however, when he briskly walked out to the side of me. The bastard even went so far as to move that same hand onto my shoulders, bringing me in close to his rather rank body.


Never have I wanted to punch someone so bad...


“About that time in the bathroom...” He trailed off, waggling his eyebrows at me. Yep, this guy deserves it.

“Get away from me,” I remarked coldly, descending the steps quickly and setting up a pace of walking that I was comfortable with. It didn’t take long for me to hear the near thunderous footsteps of the giant scarlet teddy bear behind me. I turned to him with a pleading expression, “Why don’t you just leave me alone? Can’t a Prince enjoy a night out on the town in solitude?” 

“Well a Prince needs his bodyguards, so I guess I can be that for tonight...or today. Semantics, who needs em’ right?” He waggled his eyebrows at me again, making me roll my eyes at him in response. 

“Then be a good bodyguard and make yourself scarce. You’re only needed when trouble arises, and I don’t think there’s going to be any trouble tonight.” I deadpanned, knowing full well that he couldn’t see the anger on my face as I began to walk faster. His tree-trunk legs irked me as they bristled against one another roughly, adding to the cacophony of unneeded noise that was Maxxis Murdok.

“Aww, don’t be such a party pooper Dameion! I’m sure we’re gonna have the time of our lives out here on these streets! WOO!!!” 


Maxxis I swear to everything that’s...


I turned on him suddenly, too suddenly. Our snouts collided, making me wince as he staggered back from me., “ENOUGH,” I yelled, my voice dripping with annoyed anger, “Your very presence is the bane of all things chivalrous and moral! I will not stand for your intrusions any longer! You are dismissed, Maxxis Murdok!”

I was rewarded with a crimson fist hitting my face, sending me flying backwards. I landed on my butt, scooting up some dirt with it as I shook my head to clear the stars I was seeing. Maxxis was shaking the hand in which he probably just struck me with, looking at me with scorn etched across his face.

“Who the hell do you think you are!? I’m Feral Maxxis; one of the strongest draconians who ever lived! If you think I’m some carpet for you to walk all over, then there’s more fists for your black ass over here!” He accented his angry tirade with a middle finger.



Wait.......yellow? I thought I was supposed to be seeing red, not yellow! In fact, that’s really all I could see!!! Where the hell am I!!??

---

“Relax, my Prince,” I don’t know where it’s coming from amidst all this yellow...smog, but that voice spat boy out like it had a bad taste to it, “You’re in your Magical Core, or Mana Pool...however you wish to address it. And I...” The voice trailed off as my eyes were blinded with an intense white light, making me shield them against the blinding flashes. 

They stopped just as quick as they came, revealing to me a monochromatic field. The moon was white, the grass a deep black that had slivers of white on the tips from the said moonlight. Even my body, was the monotonous black and white of...wherever, I am now. I also noticed how there were no stars and no sky...but there was a feeling of nighttime...is that weird?

I can’t really describe this place accurately. It just feels so foreign and distant from my body, but here I am amongst its black blades of grass and the glowing orb in the white sky. My ears swiveled as I heard the tell-tale signs of someone walking up on me from behind. I grinned inwardly, thinking that I would surprise him with a hook he wouldn’t see coming right about....NOW!!!

Turning on my heels as quickly as possible, I quickly brought a fist across the space in front of me. It caught something, making me smile before I noticed that my attack had been stopped by a pinky finger.

I DON’T EVEN...

“ I say, now that was dumb. Is this really how a Prince should conduct himself, especially when dealing with other sentient beings? Honestly, the only difference between you and Maxxis Murdok is the feathers on your body!” The Draconian said as he adjusted the crystal monocle over his right eye with a grey claw.

I growled at being insulted, especially when said insult was comparing me to Maxxis, of all people! “I don’t know who you think you’re addressing like that, but I don’t really see a future for you if you continue to do so,” I yelled as I threw another punch his way, knowing that there was no way in hell that he would be able to block it on time since I’m so close to him.

I wasn’t expecting to eat dirt...however.

“OOF!” I yelled in pain as my face instantly became better acquainted with those black blades of waving grass. Funny, since I couldn’t feel any type of breeze flowing.

“That, my boy, is strike two. My patience is reaching its conclusion, my Prince. I am not here to fight you, but to train you. There’s no need for you to go into town seeking guidance on how to fight, not when I’m here.” His voice did not match his body. His voice was unnaturally deep, and seemed to echo with every word he spoke. The body the voice was occupying, however, was the very definition of small and in-shape. He also had armor that covered everything except for his...well, I can’t really tell what it covers from down here.

But, that’s a three-toed foot digging into my back for sure! I also felt my arm extended directly into the air with my wrist twisted backwards...quite painful. My body was completely immobilized just from one technique. I was trapped with nowhere to go and no way to escape.

“Now, I’m going to let you go. Should your stupidity know no bounds and you attack me, you’ll be sorry.” He accented that last word with a painful dislocation of my arm that was raised into the air, my eyes going wide and my mouth opening in a yell of pain from it popping out of socket. I felt him get off of me as I stood up immediately, putting my arm that wasn’t dislocated over the one that was. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a smidget of dirt, grass or dust from when I was grounded.

“Who are you and where have you taken me?” I asked, giving a wince of pain soon after. The draconian put a thumb and index finger to his chin, stroking it like a master of...something. As if confirming an answer, he lowered his claw and pounded a fist into an open hand.

“I’m you, Dameion. As for where you are, I believe that has already been answered good sir. This is your Magical Core, an-”

“That’s bullshit,” I interrupted with a deadpanned voice and expression, “You can't be me. I’m; me! That just doesn’t make sense!” 

“I realize that this is a lot to take in, but it’s the truth. I am you...or rather, your inner potential. For now, you may address me as Monochrome, ol’ chap,” I nodded in faux understanding. I have no idea what’s going on right now, but what I do know is that this guys is dangerous and has the potential to kill me if he so wishes.

“I best stay on his good side. He seems like a dapper man, one who still upholds the chivalry of old. In a way, he could be me.” 

“As for why you are here...I’ve thought it over for a thousand years; your Millennial Sleep, and have decided to make myself known. All dragons and varying races thereof will create something like me during their slumber, safeguarding their skills and memories until they reawaken. The problem is; however, that you weren't the one who made me,” Monochrome turned on his heels and began walking away from me. He gave no sign of wishing me to follow, so I merely remained in place and watched him as he went off.

He didn’t get too far before his head turned to look at me, “Are you coming, my Prince? There’s...something you should see before you wake up.” He sounded almost bashful...hesitant even, as if what he was going to show me would either break me or make me. Or him, for that matter.

I said nothing as I began walking towards him, my mind running relays with thoughts ever coming. “Why did he decide to show himself now of all times? I was just getting ready to face Maxxis in fisticuffs...Maybe it was to protect me? No. That’s not right. I fought with Maxxis before and almost died, but he didn’t appear. So what can it be...I wonder...” 

Well I did wonder...right up until I felt something grab, me by my neck and yanked me backwards. Surprised by the pain from the pseudo-strangle, I quickly brought my arm up to hit the joint of the arm the offending hand was connected to, releasing my neck almost instantly. Just as I was about to deem Monochrome dangerous and punch him in his face, he held up a colorless claw and asked me silently to wait. 

“Before you find yourself on the ground again, I want you to look at what you almost plummeted into,” he jerked his head to cliff that I was oblivious to until now. I peered over the edge of the grass to behold something...breath taking!!!

    

           

       “Is that...Is that yellow lightning!? But how!? it’s only supposed to be blue as far as I know!? Wait; I could’ve been electrocuted!!” I exclaimed in shock at what I was beholding.

“Yes and no. Before your eyes lies the element of magic that suits you best. Lightning; one of the Subs for Wind Magic, my Prince. Can you not feel the tingle,” Monochrome said as his voice rose with excitement, “Can you not feel the power!? You’ve never used this particular kind before, and I think you’ll come to find that it can be the most lethal type of magic there-” 

“No,” I interrupted, “I don’t think its best for me to get mixed up in magic. Not after it got someone killed. Valara may have lied to me, but if I hadn’t been going to her house everyday to learn magic than she would still be alive. I appreciate the offer for this, but I don’t need it.” I promptly turned away from the edge, beginning to walk away from there.

Monochrome caught up to me and ponded an authoritative hand on my shoulder, planting my feet into the ground at how hard he slammed his hand down on me. I grunted in pain as I felt the arm from earlier being popped back into place. I had completely forgotten about it!

“Now sit still and wait,” He barked angrily as he stepped into my view again, “It wasn’t because you were learning magic that Valara died, my Prince. It’s because you were weak!!! You're a hypocrite!!! One moment you claim weakness was the cause of her death, and now it’s because you went there to learn how to get stronger!? You're only in this for yourself!!!” Monochrome yelled vehemently, slapping me in the face. 

My head jerked, blood leaping from my mouth like an escaped convict over a waterfall. I swung a fist in retaliation, only to have the attack stopped by that same pinky finger. 

“It is because of this selfishness, that those who are close to you eventually go away. When you came to Zistral; after having your memory flashback, you didn’t even mention Artemis and Zerris to anyone. You wouldn't of cared less for their whereabouts, or if they are deceased! When Valara called for help, you left her at the hands of Fei-Kuu and ran to save your own life!!! What makes you more special than anyone else!?” He got a manic look in his eyes. Even though he did not have pupils, I could feel his manic stare. 

I tried so hard to get free, but I was stuck from the ankle down in the unforgiving ground. I tried everything to escape, even biting my arm hard enough to wake me up. Nothing worked.

“Is it these trinkets,” He asked with venom and hysteria as he found my earrings and ripped them out. I screamed in agony as my ears jerked towards his body, a warm feeling which I knew was blood coming later. I was panting from pain now, and some of the blood had already streamed its way into my eye, causing me to close it on instinct, “Is it your pride!?” Monochrome uppercutted me from the earth, my body actually gaining some altitude before slamming back-first on the ground.

The air left my lungs, as did a little blood. I had internal bleeding for sure, but I couldn’t move anything on my left side because of a sharp pain coming from there. I assume he fractured a rib or two. I grimaced as I felt a three-toed food collide with my stomach, stomping me into the ground in a perfect indent of myself.

“What makes Dameion think the world should be offered to him on a fucking platter!? Who is this mortal that wants what is his, but works not to achieve it? You’re worse than scum, Dameion, and it’s showing. At least, real gentlemen like myself have the decency to control our brutish nature, whereas you tend to show your ass to anyone immediately.” Monochrome shoved his face into mine and for the first time, I could see that ridiculous top-hat he had stationed on the crown of his head. just a simple black top-hat with a silver ribbon around it. 

That didn’t stop me from spitting a loogie in anger at him. It slapped against his monocle in a spray of mucus, saliva and blood. He growled menacingly as he stomped on my stomach with little effort, making the indent deeper and nearly shattering my lower half. He may be scrawny, but this guy packs a wallop behind every punch and kick!

“Even now you make no vow to change your ways. It’s as if you never cared for others. It’s as if you couldn’t care less how much they were hurting from your decisions, how much their hearts cried out to you. I showed you that dream with Artemis for a reason. You weren’t even thinking about how she felt when you coaxed her into almost having sex with you. In fact, you were so wrapped up with killing Dergan that you let her run off after breaking down! That’s not gentry at all...it’s barbaric!!!” A hook to the face had me seeing stars. 

“So now I ask you again, Prince Dameion. Are you willing to learn true power; to unlock your hidden potential with combat, so that you can use it to help others and become the true ruler of Mythril? Or, would you rather die at the hands of a figment of your imagination?” Monochrome narrowed his eyes at me, ready to deliver the final blow based on the answer I give. 

“............Fine,” I winced at the expansion of my lungs, causing some part of my body to rub up against the broken ribs on the left side of chest, “I’m tired of seeing those who I care about either die or fade away. I’m tired of being responsible of said deaths or fadings because of my weakness in combat or cowardice. No more. Make me all that I can be...Monochrome. Let us....as weird as it sounds...unlock our potential together.”

Monochrome nodded and fluffed the frills of the blouse hidden underneath his blood-splattered armor, “Alright then, my Prince. You’ve made a wise decision on this day,” A smile was thrown in my direction as he raised his foot off of me and offered a hand for me to use in order to get up. 

I stared at the limb for a while, half-expecting it to turn into a fist and end my life somehow. But that would be stupid, seeing as how I conceded. I accepted the gesture of good will, his strength easily helping me get up onto my feet. I was still aching in certain places from my injuries, but I felt that the danger was over for now.

“As I’ve said earlier, I’m the very embodiment of your memories and hidden potential. The one who created me was not you; however, but Dergan. I don’t know why he did so. But all of that’s irrelevant now that he’s in the dirt somewhere and you're here. Ah, but what do I know,” he waggled his eyebrows at me like Maxxis does, but the difference was that I didn’t feel like hanging him by his wings for it. “Now. shake my hand and back away from me. After that, you’ll wake up feeling stronger...a lot stronger!” I shook his hand as quickly as possible and noticed the suit-cuffs around his wrists. 

This guy was a gentleman if I’ve ever seen one!!!

Monochrome tipped his hat at me before I felt the world around me become hazy, “Then it’s a deal, my Prince. I look forward to our next chat. But until then...”

   

 
      

> The Necromancer and The Swordsman: Finale 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion




My vision cleared of the dream I was having, making me shake my head quickly. I even threw in a couple of slaps for good measure., but recoiled in hurt and shock at how much pain I felt from each one. This is my body, right? So why am I accidentally hurting myself!?

“You done spacing out, kid? Good,” That was Maxxis’s voice alright. Everything that happened before I blanked out came forth from the depths of my mind. I cracked my neck habitually, turning it left and right with a hand, “Now that you’re all warmed up, you can finally take this ass-whoopin’ that’s been stewing for half an’ hour.” Maxxis cracked his neck quickly, without using his hands like I do.

“Scum,” I said aloofly, causing my eyes to widen to a voice that wasn’t mine. Not only that, but my mouth just kept running, “Trash like you has no right to threaten me, not with your amount of power. You should consider yourself lucky that I haven’t thrown you into the dun-mhh neerr vrmmm...” I covered up my mouth in the hope of stopping that disrespectful tirade. I chanced a glance over to my would-be opponent and nearly wet myself. 

Maxxis was trembling in anger, his eyes completely shrouded in black as he walked stiffly towards my location. Every step he took left an imprint of his foot in the brown earth below. He stopped just shy of touching our chests together. This close proximity created an enclosed and heavy atmosphere, which made me feel as if I was being stuffed into a tiny toy-chest.

“The fuck you just say to me,” Maxxis said as I noticed his arm tense and his hand ball up. I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to give the impression that I noticed that movement. After that, I lowered my hand. I knew that something disrespectful would be said, so instead of coming up with something on my own, I decided to let my mouth do it. I’ll have to find some way to contact Monochrome about that, "WELL!!??"

“Maggot.” I was rewarded with a scarlet fist slamming into my...HAND!!!??? How the hell did I do that!? Maxxis even seemed taken aback, for he directed a questioning glance at the fist and then at me. He stayed like that for a while, until he tried giving me a high kick to the right side of my head. If I hadn’t been empowered by Monochrome, I wouldn’t have noticed that tree-trunk sized leg until it smacked me in the side of my head. But since I was empowered, my body reacted to the attack instantaneously.

Faster than either I or Maxxis could register, he was flipping in the air after I twisted his wrist and used it to turn his whole body. He kind of resembled a crucifix as he spun about, with me counting four rotations before his face impacted the ground roughly.

“Useless. My power dwarfs all. You should stay down there like the wiggling and disgusting grub you are. Go ahead, burrow into the dirt you insect.” That aloof voice was pretty cool, but it wasn’t doing anything to remedy the situation. Maxxis growled and as he rose, tried to sweep my feet from under me with a leg. I jumped to evade, but quickly felt pain similar to being hit in the chest with a log. 

I flew backwards, offering a grunt of pain as I landed on my ass. My body, still acting on its own accord, rose quickly from the dirt. Maxxis was upon me in seconds, throwing hooks at me while jabbing every once in awhile. This non-stop onslaught had me dodging his slow but powerful hits, my offense completely cut off from his slow-but-precise rhythm. 

“You can’t keep backpedaling forever! You’re gonna run into a building, and that’s when I’m gonna clobber you!” Maxxis was gone, that’s for sure. This must be...what did she call it...Feral Focus? Yeah, that’s it! Feral Focus! Maxxis has entered Feral Focus, his eyes completely clouded red. It was like looking into a possessed person, but the black of their eyes was replaced with red.

“Disgusting. I had already pegged you for an animal, but for you to embrace your animalistic and primal nature... it has lowered your position on the hierarchical chain that much more. You are now filth. And just like filth, you deserve to be cleaned. So why not start with...” Maxxis growled as he threw a lightning-fast right straight at my face. I felt my body do something incredible at that point in time. It’s one of those moments that time slows down for, because it’s too awesome to be seen in regular speed.

I felt my body execute a jump, which turned into a front flip in mid-air, and landed me squarely on his outstretched fist. Time sped back up as the enraged face of Maxxis settled on my eyes again. He gave a snarl of anger, letting me see the rows of pearly white canines. From there, my body flipped again as he retracted the recently thrown fist. I felt my right foot extend as I flipped in the air a couple of times, building speed and what only felt like...an electric charge!!?

I could feel and see my body become encompassed in a spinning wheel of yellow lighting, lashing out against anything metal in the vicinity. Up until now, my body was still spinning at the same exact height where it first began, but now it started its sure descent to the ground. However, I felt the heel of my foot impact something solid, stopping me in mid-air in an awkward angle as my mouth opened to finish its statement from earlier, “...Your clock.”  

WHUMPHHH....ZAPPPPPP!!!

Maxxis lit up like an electrical storm, his body completely covered in a spiky aura of yellow lightning that pulsed and shocked him continuously, his mouth wide open in a scream of agony. I landed on two feet (somehow) and stepped back from the electrocuting scarlet-mass of madness in front of me. My mouth opened again, declaring the name of that attack quite proudly.

“Topaz Lightning: Heaven’s Arch.” Upon finishing the name, Maxxis...exploded! The area was washed in grey smoke and the smell of burning flesh. I covered my mouth and nose, to protect from  both the smell and smoke. It stung my eyes, so I had to lower them in order to block off easy access for the hurtful cloud of dust and embers. 

“You’re lower than me. This battle was meaningless from the beginning, filth. I know you are not dead, so squirm your way out of the smoke and prostrate yourself before me. It’s the only way you’ll be keeping your life tonight.” The sheer amount of swagger in my voice was titillating! I would be lying if I said that this voice wasn’t awesome. Hell, I was even starting to believe that this is my voice!

But crawl Maxxis did. His legs must’ve been a bad way to absorb the force. They looked like one of those oriental-finger traps, with blood seeping from them. He was using his arms to crawl towards me, growling at me with Feral Focus still active. Pitiful. His adrenaline is preventing him from realizing that the battle has reached its conclusion. In fact, I don’t think he’ll be able to come down from his Feral ‘high’ unless he...well...dies. 

I shivered.

I’ve killed before, and to all those people who say killing is easy for them...that’s bullshit. You’ve just simply lost what it means to be sentient. No one should be able to kill someone and not feel anything, that’s merely desensitization. You’ve become an animal.

And Dergan’s face still haunts me to this day. How he went out laughing like a madman, as if he knew something that I didn’t.

Glomp!

I winced as something grabbed my ankle and squeezed. Maxxis probably.

I looked down and confirmed my sure-fire guess. Maxxis was gripping both of my ankles with his hands and was squeezing the circulation out of them.

“Y-y-y-y-you're....dead....m-m-meat.” Maxxis growled, but it was stopped short when a glob of blood and gore rushed from his mouth. It dribbled down the side of his jaw, looking like a waterfall of strawberry syrup. 

This is cruel; his abnormality that is. If I left him alone, he would die before he noticed he was dead. I don’t want him to suffer. Hell, I didn’t even want things to escalate this quickly. I should’ve just walked away, but my pride got in the way and he’s the one paying for it.

I’ll have to put him out of his misery... 

“Revolting. How dare you touch me. I’ll squash you like the larva you are.” Without my say-so, my right hand balled into a fist and began collecting yellow lightning inside of it.

“I don’t want to kill him!!! STOP!!!” I yelled out in my head, hoping that Monochrome can hear me.

No answer...

“Topaz Lightning....” My whole arm was engulfed with yellow lightning now, the sound likened to a million tasers cracking and going off repeatedly. My other hand went down to hold Maxxis’s head in place, so that I wouldn’t miss. In my head, I was still screaming for Monochrome to stop. I don’t know if he’s the one doing this or not, but I definitely wanted this to stop!

“....Ground Current.” My electrified fist made contact with Maxxi’s neck, snapping it on contact. My ears nearly imploded as the thunder clap came later, the attack actually branching off into the sky.

Sunrise.

It was finally sunrise. I looked up, tears rolling down my face from the heinous act I never imagined myself doing. Did I know that most of the battles to be King would result in death for my challenger? Sure I did.

The only that was different about this? He was my friend, and it wasn’t a tournament match either. This struggle was a pointless argument that went too far, and now Maxxis is dead. I can’t show my face to Arma; she’ll probably kill me in the midst of her abnormality. But what about...Spike. I’d have to tell someone about this body. 

I lowered my head and looked at the ashes where Maxxis was once whole. Now there’s nothing left to even bury. I’m knee-deep in the shit now, and there doesn’t seem to be an embankment anywhere. I’m going to tell Spike about what I did, move out of the house, and live by myself. 

I felt a presence behind me, due to my recent empowerment I can do that now. So I turned around and came face to face with the last person I ever wanted to see, my eyes widening at what was about to happen.

“Wow. So you killed Maxxis Murdok in battle? In a non-official tournament match? Hangers. You got some serious hangers, my friend.” The blue armored figure, standing just an inch shorter than me, walked past my current position and over to Maxxis’s scorch mark.

“You’re in some trouble kiddo. He was number ten in the Zistral Swords. They’ll be gunning for you now,” He bent down and grabbed some of the ashes in his black-with-blue-stripe gauntlet...before instantly encasing them in ICE!!!??? How the hell is that even posibl-, “I suggest getting some training in.” He raised back up to full height and walked back from where he came.

“Wait a minute!” I called out. He stopped and looked at me from over his shoulder, his face hidden behind the oval-shaped, skin-tight helmet he had on that matched his gauntlets and everything else. There was something...nostalgic about this guy!

“You’re probably wondering if you’ve just made an enemy on this day, right?” He asked with a smug tone.

“No. I was going to tell you that your armor sucks.” DAMN THAT ALOOF VOICE!!!!

“You’re an ass.” The armored figure said angrily before taking off with some wings that had just...sprouted from his back. I watched soar away, towards the Royal Castle in the distance. He must be a very high ranking noble to live so close to the castle. That, or have outstanding relation with the Lady Crimson. 

One thing’s for sure, this day is starting to look like shit. But somehow, I think that its only going to get worse from here. 

I glanced back the scorch mark one more time before walking back towards the Murdok residence. I need someone to talk to, and it’ll be worng of me to keep Maxxis’s death hidden from Arma. I just hope she’ll actually see reason and not try to skin me like a goat. 

Something compelled me to stop as I got a good distance away from Maxxis’s place of death, so I did. I took another glance back, wiping my face of tears from the loss of a friend. That’s when I saw something magical...



I gave a weak smile at that. I guess the rumors are true...

There’s beauty in death.       

> You're Gonna Need Some Ice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


        ???




       
 “M-M’lord,” The heavily armored quaked in fear as he yelled in surprise, a black and blue armored Draconian dropping down from the sky, “You’ve returned! I’m glad to see you in good health!” The silver-armored guard saluted crisply. The figure dismissed the gesture with a wave and a snort.

“Save it for someone who gives a damn,” The figure used the same hand to dust his skin-tight armor off. It then turned to acknowledge the guard who was surprised earlier, “Take a message to M’Lady Crimson. Tell her...that ‘C’ has arrived and requests her presents in the banquet hall for tea and cake after I take a bath.” The figure began a stiff walk past the guard, who snapped a hand up in a salute in understanding.

“Yes Sir!” 

“Idiots.” The figure thought dryly as he walked past the huge iron gates leading into the castle’s entrance way. Behind the gate was a narrow white-marble stretch of walkway, that was flanked on both sides by wildflowers of varying rarity and beauty. It was impossible for one to walk on the strip of stone without brushing against the many wildflowers drooping at the edges. 

Flowers irritated him. How Lady Crimson can spend all her time out in the Royal Gardens instead of listening to the call of her people was beyond him. If he was King, the Draconians and Anthros would be subjugated in an instant. Their wills broken: Hearts torn, bodies battered, souls crushed! There would be nothing but obedience, with those willing to challenge his will being met with cold steel and the pungent smell of death.

The figure smiled as he pushed the red-oak doors of the castle inwards, using only one hand as the 14 foot tall entrance way opened up. A simple grey corridor revealed itself, to which he just began walking down habitually.

Brown medieval-styled doors with black bands of iron screwed into the tops and bottom of them passed by slowly, only adding to the growing irritation the figure was feeling. On average, he would walk this same hallway about twenty times a day. The sheer monotonous feeling alone was driving him nuts, and he swore by everything that was holy that the janitorial staff in this hallway would soon be put out of a job.

A squeeze of his hands and the helmet he was housing his head in began to fold in on itself, all the while sliding down his neck. It was almost like some futuristic design, sinking into the collar part of his armor with a series of clicks. The figure gave a passionate crack of his neck and smirked as the crick in it was worked out.

Soon after that, he came to a split in the hallway. It was in a wishbone shape, with orange torches lighting the grey walls in both of them. He sighed dejectedly, tossing the shard of ice containing Maxxis’s remains in his right hand, which is where it was being held all this time. He gave his neck another pop before beginning his trek into the depths of the castle anew, taking to the right hallway quickly. 

His greaves slapped loudly upon the ground as he broke out into a jog, seeking to get in some more exercise for some unknown reason. This, however, made the journey to the bath chamber quicker than it should have been. A brown door with a white toilet at the top entered his peripheral vision as he slowed his pace down to a brisk walk. He stopped in front of the door and opened it.

As the door swung in, he could've sworn he heard singing. Almost instantly, his mind was telling him to turn around before he got into a situation of which he had no hopes in rectifying.

But his body was telling him to wash his filthy ass.

And that was that.

He entered the bathroom without a second thought and shut the door behind him. The “singing”, if there ever was any to begin with, had “stopped”. This made him believe that there wasn’t any singing going on, so he began to undress himself.

The armor he had on was put on only by voice recognition technology. Quite advanced. So he said his password, being a name or nickname of some sort, and his armor began to fold up revealing a sky-blue and quite muscular body beneath. He shook his white mane, which was long down his back. It almost resembled the hair of a female, with how long and straight it is. 

It gave him an air of grace as it blended well with his scales and dark-blue eyes.

The armor had transformed into an obsidian skull, with a pear-shaped blue-opal resting in the center. He smiled as he removed it from his neck by lifting it over his head, resting it on a silver nail sticking out of the white bathroom wall. This wall was the only one in the castle of this color, and it was meant to represent the purity one feels when exiting the bathtub. He absentmindedly put the Ice Shard with Maxxis’s remains on a white marble countertop in the preparation room.



“That’s a load of crap. Magic might be real, but Light magic isn’t as ‘purifying’ as everyone makes it out to be. Fucking priests. I should ice them AND their fucking orphanage when I’m done talking to Lady Crimson.” He thought with a frown. Without any further ado, he slid the foggy glass door leading to the actual tub to the left, revealing the steamy bathing room in all its glor-

“...Shit...” The Draconian thought angrily as burnt-orange eyes widened at his entering. A lime-green hand stopping its motion of scrubbing a long tail with red dots on it. He screamed inwardly as his face became hot with the image of a naked Lady Crimson tunneling into his mind. He silently thanked whatever higher power there was that the bathroom had copious amounts of steam occupying its entirety. 

“Z-Z-Z-Z-Z-ZERRIS,” Lady Crimson stuttered in growing embarrassment and fury. Her face quickly went from embarrased to downright wrathful as she mashed the insides of her wrists together and shot them forward at Zerris while yelling, “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!!!” 

An unseen force made contact with Zerris’s chest, making his eyes bulge to comcal lengths as he gave and ‘oof’ sound through his ‘o’-shaped mouth. It sent him flying back into the preparation room and through the wooden door, which splintered against his velocity and weight as he slid along the stone ground in the castle hallway.

While all of this was happening, Lady Crimson had closed her eyes to avoid any debris that would have harmed them. She tentatively opened them as a shaking sky-blue claw gripped the edge of the bathing room wall.

“He recovered quickly!!!” She mentally screamed as her face became the very definition of tentative. Like a kid who was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

“Number one,” Zerris began in rising anger as he hobbled through the doorway, revealing some scrapes along his body, “I had no idea you were in here. Number two,” He sucked in a deep breath as Lady Crimson instantly covered her ears, “WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IS FUCKING WRONG WITH YOU!!! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET EMBARRASSED WHEN WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR OVER A THOUSAND FUCKING YEARS!!! I SHOULD FUCKING STAB YOU WITH...” As his tantrum went on, Lady Crimson cracked an eye open and noticed that the steam had been shouted away.

Her face flushed again as the implication of that realization set in.

“IN CONCLUSION, I DON’T SEE HOW FUCKING HITTING ME WITH A...A...A...a-” Zerris’s eyes widened as he saw the light cream-colored breasts of the Lady of Azran.

But that’s not all he saw...

It was...there. Just hanging around and saying hi. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Against his volition, a single drop of blood descended from his left nostril as a blush worked its way across his features.

“It’s...It’s...the Promised Land!” A creepy smirk appeared as he reached out his hands and made groping motions with them.

Lady Crimson backed up as Zerris began walking into the water. It was an olympic-sized swimming pool-turned- bathtub, so she had a lot of room to run and or swim if the need arises. 

“Just. One. Touch. That’s all I want, Artemis.” Zerris gave a snicker as her eyes began to tear up, her teeth becoming visible as she clenched them together visibly in terror.

“Stay back! No,” Her back bumped up against the deep-end’s wall. This let her know that she was subconsciously drifting away from him, “I’m warning you!” Artemis’s voice became more frantic as she raised a hand towards him.

“JUST A TOUCH!!!” Zerris yelled as he lunged for her, the water roaring in protest at the sudden movement. The beginning of his legs made its way out of the water as his aerial assault neared its target. 

“NOOOOOOOO!!!!” Artemis yelled as she...

Squeezed at the wrong time...

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” 

The whole castle shook as Zerris’s scream rang out loud and proud.               

  

> Snakes and Draconians: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike



The Murdok residence certainly livened up a lot while Maxxis and Dameion were gone. And by livened up, I meant became hostile as all tartarus. I should elaborate, however, that this is mostly my fault. You see, I may have let it slip that Arma had done...things, to me. Needless to say, Luna didn’t take too kindly to that. 

Which explains the flying dishes and furniture right now.

“VILE LIZARD!!! WE SHALT SKIN YOU ALIVE!!!” Luna’s eyes practically glowed a sickening violet as she seethed, throwing knives at Arma who rolled behind that red leather couch from earlier. The woman returned fire with a couple well thrown plates that smacked Luna in the mouth, causing my marefriend to snort in murderous intent. 

“Baby, please calm down!” I cried out from the staircase. I ‘meeped’ when she turned around and growled at me, but I held my ground(and my cover). “You gotta calm down, Mooncakes.” I tried, but ducked behind the wall as more knives flew past where my head once was. 

“Anytime you wanna stop destroying my shit would be nice, you fucking horse! We didn’t even do anything!” Arma yelled in frustration, trying to peek her head over the couch. She had to duck in order to avoid a deadly barrage of plastic cups thrown at breakneck speeds.

This ends now. 

I stepped out from my cover- “He meant ‘hiding spot’.”- and quickly approached my mare. She sensed me, whirling around on her hooves in order to blast me with a vicious looking peeler. I got to her first. 

Wasting not a second, I put my hand on her horn and pulled her mouth onto mine. Her eyes went wide and she even tried hitting me with her hooves and turning her head. Cute...but not effective. I unleashed the four feet of tongue in my mouth, sliding it into her mouth as she gave a couple rebellious grunts. 

Those same grunts morphed into moans over time, and she dropped the nine-hundred-forty-seven weapons she had suspended in her magic. I devastated her mouth with my tongue, feeling up her sharp incisors and dominating her tongue outright. 

She melted. 

I had to catch her during her descent, but that didn’t mean I had to stop kissing her, right? Of course it did. 

I departed from docking station Luna, feeling her pant heavily as I did. Her cheeks were blushing profusely, and her mouth was curved up in a lost smile of bliss. I smiled at my handiwork. 

“You forgive me, Mooncakes?” I asked gloomily. 

“....Ahehoohahaiho!” Luna laughed unintelligibly, somehow lost in pleasure. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, getting up from my knelt down position and walking towards the door. 

“Hooooold on now,” Arma called out, making me turn around just before I reached my destination, “You’re just gonna leave me here with all this mess and your crazy girlfriend!? You’re out of your mind if you think I’ll agree to that!” Arma stomped her foot for emphasis, which served to knock Luna out of her love-drunk stupor. 

“Whuh, hunh?” Luna took one look at me by the door and glared. “And where do you think you’re going, Spike!?” Her icy glare narrowed, looking more like Nightmare Moon than my Luna. 

“Out?” I tried with a shrug of my shoulders. Like ta- you know what, these guys say ‘hell’ in the same context, so I’m just gonna switch over to that because reasons. Luna didn’t find my explanation to be satisfactory. 

I could tell by the butcher knife she held in her telekinetic grip. 

“You have yet to explain thyself to Us! Thou aren’t departing from this abode until proper clarification on what transpired in the washroom is obtained!” 

“Agh, you crazy bitch, fine! If it’ll stop you from remodelling my fucking house, I’d take a shit on Lady Crimson’s face!” Arma swore as she hopped over the couch and sat on it, wincing as she felt a tack poke one of her scales. She lifted a butt cheek and flicked the offending paper puncturing device away. 

“I tried jumping his sexy ass, but he knocked me out by accident with a neck chop. I’m ashamed, seeing as how I was beaten so easily, even though I was overcome with my heat.” Arma explained with crossed arms and a turned head, a childish pout on her mouth. 

“We weren’t aware that those of Dragon-kind experienced estrus.The timing for said effect is odd compared to the seasons. Where we ponies experience this during Spring, it seems Summer is the time for when your eggs are most fertile.” Arma’s red face did little to hide her embarrassed blush as she shifted her legs a little bit.

“Whatever!” She yelled, “Just go with your husband already!” Luna’s face became red as well as she stammered all over the place, simultaneously being pushed by an embarrassed Arma towards me. I smiled. 

“Ladies, please. There’s enough Spike to go around!” 

“SHUT UP!!!” 




Luna had taken to nearly suffocating my right side as we walked down the street and into the city’s bazaar. Anthro Dragons walked about, the smell of various spices and wares- metal or not- wafting through the air. I was forced to administer scratches to her head for my unruly behavior with Arma, but I knew she just wanted some attention from her man!

Deciding to tease her a little bit, I stopped scratching. She was still looking forward, but I could see her face deform into a frown. I chuckled. 

“We don’t recall punishment being funny, Spike. Administer thine fingers to mine scalp, or I shall administer mine hoof to thine-” 

“My punishment....your pleasure...” I whispered sultrily into her ear. She shivered at my proximity, but I got something else she’d be shivering for!

I slipped one in and her eyes shot open. I stopped walking and put a hand over her mouth, letting her moan into it. Some of the passersby turned their ugly heads at us, but with a quick invisibility spell I was able to hide my appendage. Luna was furious as I let go of her mouth. 



“Wiggle.*

She tensed up again, her tirade being stopped short. I glared at her victoriously, stopping my finger on my now invisible hand from moving. She let out a shaky breath, a clear indication that she’s getting some, if not then a lot, of pleasure from this.

Now I know what you’re all thinking: “Spike, when did you become so bold!? When did you become so indecent!?” 

Well, around the time I was banished for not doing anything. That, and the fact I fucking-instead of bucking-ate twenty sentient beings. That’s about when it went uphill.

Pressing my luck, I bent over so that I was in her ear again. “How long’s it been since a male last touched you, Mooncakes, hmm?” I wiggled the finger and nibbled her ear, making her blush deepen as she let out a moan. “How bad did you long for a moment like this, a moment where I’d touch you for the wonderful mare you are?” 

“S...S-Spike!” Luna clenched a little harder, letting me know my ministrations weren’t for naught. I kept nibbling her ear lobe as we walked through the bazaar, countless Anthros sending me dirty looks for the things I was doing to Luna. 

I guess they don’t like the four-legged ones. Oh well, their loss! She whimpered as a jet of her juices squirted out over my hand, making me chuckle and remove my appendage. 
Time to tease her some more. 

I bought said hand to my mouth and waited until Luna was looking, before giving it a long and and slow lick from wrist to fingertips. I made sure none of her residue was left before smirking at her seductively. 

“Tastes like love, passion and lust. You’re nethers are perfect.” I purred. 

*POMF!!!*

Ohohoho! What have we here!? 

Luna tried to make herself as small as possible, but it’s hard to do when you’re an alicorn princess whose mane is literally made of magic and stars. And having a thirty-one foot wingboner doesn’t make it easier.

“C-c-c-cease these heinous deeds at once, Spike the Dragon!” Luna yelled at me, which worsened it for her as I slipped two in. 

She...no joke...whinnied. That’s right, a big winning whinny! I must of hit a good spot for her to be convulsing like this! Hell, these contractions are vice-like. After what felt like forty seconds of Luna rubbing one out, I began twirling my fingers inside of her, being careful not to scrape so hard. This lasted for another twenty seconds before I felt her climax coming again, so I promptly slid my fingers out. 

She growled in sexual frustration while I laughed in amusement. Time to tease her again!

“Oh...Do you want me to stop?” I asked smugly while rubbing her backside, taking a few gropes of the pudgy but fit thing. She shuddered-and minutely turned her butt so that I might accidentally slip back in- and glared at me. 

“What an asinine thing to say! W-We desire no such thing!” Playing hard-to-get are we?

“Then why are these wings extended, hmmm?” I started massaging her left wing, making sure to touch every nook and cranny. Her legs wobbled seismically, making me chuckle again. “They even twitch when I touch them. Such a lewd body you have, Luna.” 

“Our body is not leEEP!!!” I think she was going to say lewd, but it became a shrill whine as I slipped my fingers back in. She stopped walking, which is okay seeing as how we exited the bazaar and were currently standing in a wide expanse of open field. It’s strange how fast time flies when you’re having fun. 

“I’m sorry?” I asked innocently. 

“Thou art a vile beast! A villain most foul! A pox upon you, Spike the Dragon, for the public humiliation thou hast made Us endure!” Luna yelled as she tried turning on her hooves to blast me in the face with a spell. 

Ah Ah Ah! None of that! 

As Rainbow Dash would say: “One in the stink, go!” 

Her horn lost all color as she fell to her side, taking me along with her. In the soft patch of grass we found ourselves in, she whimpered and nuzzled my arm. 

“Enough teasing! Please, Spike, I-” 

“Are you two done?” 

We both snapped up, quickly losing the color in our faces as we came face to face with a pair of scaly legs. Looking up, I could see the frowning face of Dameion Setsuya.

“Er-Um-Guh, Hi?” I offered. He scowled. 

Does this guy ever smile? 

“What are you two doing out here? Don’t you know there’s a dangerous tournament going on right now? You could’ve been challenged by anything and anyone walking through the bazaar, and you probably would have died.” The Anthro went on as he crossed his arms and looked down on us. 

“Sorry, this is the first I’ve heard of it! And why are you out?” I asked suddenly, turning the question back on him. Last time I checked, Spike the Dragon doesn’t answer to anyone save for Mooncakes!

“B-because....Because I participated in a fight and won.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, refusing to make eye contact with us for some reason. Oh yeah, something’s definitely up with this guy! 

“Then why do you seem so down about it? You won, right?” I asked while standing up. 

“Oh he won, alright.” All three of us turned our heads to see a hooded figure approaching us with long strides. “It’sss who he won againssst that hasss the fucker down.” 

“What the hell is going on!?” I demanded from Dameion, who seemed to lost in apprehension to register my question. I shook his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance. 

“What?”

“Who did you fight?” I asked with worry in my voice. 

“It...It was Maxxis Murdok.” Dameion said in defeat, making me drop my jaw. He...he killed him? Oh horseapples. 

“Ha! You ssshould've ssseen the way he wasss ssscared for hisss life! He feared the sssister and what ssshe would have done to him, ssshould he ever tell her, that isss. The ssspinelesss coward wasss thinking about hightailing it out of here!” The hooded figured laughed, making me frown and snarl. 

“And who the fuck are you, pal!? What give your the right to speak to him like that, snake-spit!”

It hissed at me angrily. 

“Spike!” Dameion called, making me turn my head to face him. “He’s Fei-Kuu, and he killed my teacher. Granted, she had been lying to me for a while, but he killed someone who was a master with magic. It’d be best to take him on together.” 

I nodded and focused on contacting Vorvin. 

“The fuck do you want? I was rubbing one out.” I rolled my eyes and asked him about the Crimson Reaper and how to use it. He laughed at me. “You. Stupid. Shit. I performed the spell in your Magic Core, which means in a world where magic is plentiful and familiar. You can’t use such a high-level technique right now!” 


“THEN WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SHOW ME THAT LOAD OF MANURE!!!???” 


“Teh lulz?” 


I facepalmed. 


“Alright, then how about I show you a single-element Reaper? It’s called Efreet, and it’s Fire-based. Think of something that sets your heart on fire and the sword should manifest for you without any trouble. Will it look as cool as Crimson Reaper? Nah, but that’s the price of convenience.”


I did as he said and sure enough, a flaming pillar of green fire erupted from my right palm. I grabbed it, and it automatically shaped itself into a broadsword like the ones the Royal Guard would use. I gave the sword a few twirls before smiling. 

“Oh, and if Dameion is there, tell him that I’m free on Saturday~!” 

I hastily cut the communication after that, shaking my head and looked at the hooded figure. 

“Do you normally ssshout thingsss into the heavensss?” He asked amusedly, making me frown. I had thought my outburst was in my head the entire time. 

“Shouting to the heavens, you say? No, but I could go for another snake burger.” I said darkly, watching as the Anthro hastily took off his hood in unmatched fury. 

“You did that to my sssoldiersss!? Ohhohoh, I’m gonna enjoy breaking every bone in your body!!!” 

And with that, Fei-Kuu charged us.




Ten Minutes Later...

Our brawl had gone from the countryside back to the bazaar. Dameion and I were currently plastered upside down in the wreckage of a stand that used to sell fish. From our awkward positioning, you can guess that we’re getting our plots handed to us. 

“We’re getting our asses handed to us!” Dameion exclaimed angrily as he used his hands to backflip out of the wreckage. I stuck to unrolling myself the slow way and standing up, slapping a cod of my shoulder. 

“I never dreamed it would be thisss easssy!” Fei-Kuu’s muscular body rippled in the sunlight as he brought two fists near his face in a fighting stance I didn’t recognize. “It’sss almost like I’m fighting a pair of blind kittensss! Ha!” He laughed at us mockingly. 

I looked at Dameion with a frown, which he mimicked as he looked back at me. Nothing else needed to be said. 

We were getting serious.
> Snakes and Draconians: Finale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike





“Seeing as how we just did the simultaneous head bob thing, am I right in assuming that you’re getting serious?” Dameion asked with a furrowed brow, almost projecting his testosterone onto me. It was rather....hot. No, not as in ‘attractive’ hot, but rather a figure speech meaning he’s exciting me. 

DAMN IT! Not like that, he just makes my blood boil! Okay!? I’m getting pumped up from standing near him and getting looked at like that. 

I nodded with a grunt, then we both turned our heads around and gave Fei-Kuu a glare that could make a demon wet himself. The Anthro Snake’s eyes narrowed but we could tell he was greatly unnerved. 

“Would you like to start it off? It seems you want him dead the most.” I started with a smile, which made Dameion chuckle. Can you believe it!? I finally got this guy to fucking laugh!

“If you do that, you might not get any action yourself. Besides, what kind of,” He paused and looked into the sky with a contemplative look before shrugging, “Friend, would I be if I denied you your chance at showing off. Especially when you little Ms. Neigh over there.” I followed Dameion’s finger and noticed he was referring to Luna, who was a good ways away from us and watching from the safety of a stall’s shadow. 

The violet aura from one eye was the only indication of her presence. I shivered a little as she smiled, her sharp ivory-teeth cutting through the darkness. 

“She certainly seems excited for it.” I agreed. 

“But, if you feel so strongly about me going first, then I can only do so much to change your mind. Are you still pushing that notice?”

“Yep.” I responded quickly. 

“Then I guess I should be getting busy.” Dameion used a hand to crack his neck both ways before smiling. You know what, his smile is kind of creepy. Certain people shouldn’t smile, and Dameion’s definitely one of them. 

“Ssso are we done ssstalling?” Fei-Kuu hissed as Dameion took off the top of his robes and tied them around his waist, showcasing an extremely fit body. How does he keep that hidden under one garment!? That’s not possible!

“A beatdown in a bazaar? You’d think this would be in some type of adventure book or something. Nevertheless, I’m gonna enjoy paying you back for that humiliating position you had us in back there.” Dameion paused and looked back at me. “You sure about this?” 

“Just fight him already.” I stated bemusedly. 

“Eh.” Dameion shrugged his shoulders. 

He turned back around to face the Anthro Snake with another smile. 

“Come get some.” He growled as I noticed what looked like yellow lighting fizzle around his clenching fists.


(R.I.P Headphone Users.)





They stared at each other, muscles clenching and relaxing as they looked for signs on who would make the first move. Even the commoners who were walking through the bazaar stopped as soon as they came into the vicinity of these to foes. 

One of the commoners, an orange Anthro Dragon wearing a white cap and a white apron, slapped his hands around his mouth before exclaiming...

“MY TILAPIA!!!” 

At this moment, both Dameion and Fei-Kuu took off towards each other and collided with a flurry of punches and kicks. They were striking so fast that my eyes had difficulty keeping up with their movements. 

They kept throwing blows at each other, with Fei-Kuu blocking Dameion’s and Dameion dodging Fei-Kuu’s. For some odd reason, Dameion seems afraid of getting hit by Fei-Kuu’s attacks, which makes absolutely no sense to me. I mean, you can use magic, and he can’t! Just fucking electrocute him or something! 

I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow, trying to figure out why Dameion isn’t pressing the attack. He had done so earlier, but Fei-Kuu was beginning to push him back with his attacks. 

Dameion narrowly dodged an uppercut, which he then proceeded to duck way down to the ground and swing his leg about in a wide arc. possibly in the hopes of performing a leg sweep of some sort. It wasn’t effective, seeing as how Fei-Kuu jumped over it with relative ease while shooting a foot out. This foot smacked into Dameion’s face, sending him flying back into the stall we had emerged from. 

He hastily came back out, carrying a tilapia on his shoulder. While walking, he gave the fish a wicked sneer before snapping it up in his maw. 

“YOU’RE PAYING FOR THAT!!!” 

I snickered as Dameion ignored the irritated fishmonger and proceeded to run the rest of the distance back to Fei-Kuu, entering the fray with a wickedly fast jump and a wickedly fast kick to his chest. 

Even from thirty feet away I could hear Fei-Kuu’s grunt of pain as he stumbled back into another stand. It came down around him just as Dameion landed from his attack, rolling out of the forward momentum and taking a knee. 

I clapped in acknowledgement of his capabilities. Still, I wish to see more of his power before this fight ends. It intrigues me, seeing as how I’ve never seen or heard of yellow lightning before. I wonder if there’s more colors. 

A question for another time, perhaps? 

“What has you so deep in thought?” I stretched out an arm on reflex to Luna’s voice, feeling her lean on my right side as I brought it down behind her head, using her as a makeshift armrest. In return, I was to ‘bestow her with scratches divine’ or some dribble like that. 

“Forgive my lack of eloquence, Mooncakes, but I believe Dameion to be playing with his food. He seems to enjoy battle too much, even willing to lower his power to draw out the conflict. It’s reckless and dangerous, especially when his opponent was able to kill one of his friends before this fight.” I explained, which made Luna nod sagely amidst her hums of satisfaction.

Magic fingers! 

“TWIN DRAGONS!!!” That snapped my attention back to the fight as Fei-Kuu performed a masterful feint with a hook, only to use the momentum to land two devastating kicks on Dameion; one to his head and one to his ribs.

Dameion gasped, a small trail of blood leaving his mouth as he was sent flying into the crowd. That looked painful as hell! 

“Dameion!? Are you alright!?” I called into the crowd, but it was probably lost on deaf ears because of the panic the crowd was in. 

“I’m FINE!!!” Dameion front flipped over twenty heads and back into the circle of battle, landing on a knee and hand. He snapped his head up from his position, staring at Fei-Kuu with a cocky smile. 

“This is actually pretty fun! But you do know I can’t be defeated by the likes of you, right?” Dameion started as he rose to his feet quickly. “You see, I’ve grown stronger since our last encounter, making me better than you.” 

“Wordsss only explain, not ssshow!” Fei-Kuu hissed as he did something stupid. He opened his hands and stiffened them. “And who sssaysss you were the only one getting ssseriousss?” 

“Then this ought to be fun!” Dameion began darkly as he tightened his fists. For the second time, I could see yellow lighting crackle against his scales. This time, however, it was all over his body and not just his fists.

“I need you to see for yourself that fighting me means death. Hell, everyone will come to know that as a fact!” Dameion pressed the attack this time, running at Fei-Kuu who simply kept his hands to their respective sides. 

Right as Dameion was about to reach him, Fei-Kuu bent his knees and shot out a palm, hitting Dameion in the stomach hard enough for a large blast of wind to funnel out of his back. Dameion chuckled, causing Fei-Kuu’s eyes to widen in disbelief. 

“YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!!!” 

“Goodnight...” Dameion responded amusedly as he headbutted the Anthro Snake, missing me hiss in pain as a sharp crack rang through the quiet bazaar. Fei-Kuu stumbled back, clutching his cracked-open forehead in a claw. “...Scum.” 

“What the fuck wasss that!? All your organsss should be coming out of your back, but you’re still alive!? HOW!?” The Snake demanded while grimacing. 

“As if flesh could harm lightning! Your puny physical attacks don’t have a chance against me, you slithering fuck-bucket! Now I suggest prostrating yourself before me, or else I might have to get physical again!” Dameion taunted, throwing in an amused laugh.

“Grah!” Fei-Kuu yelled in anger. “Your power hasss improved, but you’re ssstill a couple yearsss to sssoon to be challenging me! I’ll demonssstrate thisss now!” Fei-Kuu closed the relatively short distance with a leap, shooting his palm out in an attempt to smack Dameion in the chest. My fried sidestepped to the right, snickering when Fei-Kuu landed and fell over.

“Your sense of balance is all fucked up due to that head injury. Give up and declare me better than you to all these people, and I’ll think about sparing your pathetic life.” Dameion teased as the Snake rose to his feet, putting a muscular hand on his leg for support as he panted in pain. His face was now covered in blood and dust.

“Fuck you!” Fei-Kuu yelled to his right, believing Dameion to be over there. Ah, he’s lost. 

“No~...” Dameion drawled out amusedly before going serious and glaring Death at Fei-Kuu.

“Fuck you.” Dameion ran towards Fei-Kuu madly, jumping into the air with a draconic roar and sticking both his knees out as he collided with Fei-Kuu’s head. 

“Topaz Lightning,” He began as Fei-Kuu fell back, Dameion’s knees to pressed against his cheek. When he hit the ground, however....

*KRAKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!*


I had to hunker down and brave the storm of dust and yellow lightning, the whole bazaar suffering from the effects of this sandstorm. I hissed as stray arcs of lightning filtered themselves through the brown of the storm, hitting my armor and exposed belly. These small arcs shocked the hell out of me, so I can only imagine the pain Fei-Kuu’s going through right now. 

....If he survives this. 

Regardless, I could hear the wind whistle loudly as I pulled Luna closer, who instinctively put up an azure shield around us to protect me from getting hit in the face by a stray piece of wood. This alerted me to the fact that even the stands in the bazaar aren’t safe! 

A chilling thought indeed.

Alas, the explosion began dying down into mild winds and clouds, letting me see the winner of the fight clearly. Dameion loomed over the headless body of Fei-Kuu with a frown on his face, which I quickly chalked up to be a frown of dissatisfaction.

“Guillotine.” He snapped, kicking the lifeless body hard enough for all the smoke to roll out of the bazaar and send the body flying off to parts unknown. He turned around and began walking back towards me, redressing himself so that his robes covered him properly.

Many of the onlookers were sporting huge lumps somewhere on their body, possibly from debris and what not. Most of the stands had been demolished, but a few stood proud amongst their wrecked brethren. 

“I told you there wouldn’t be a guy for you to fight.” Dameion jabbed as he walked up to the side of Luna and stood there. 

“Yeah...Yeah you did.” I admitted with a sigh. I really wanted to try out my new sword on that douche too! Damn it! 

Dameion chuckled half-heartedly before beckoning me with an utterance of my name. I turned around and noticed how his hand was outstretched. 

“You looking for a handshake?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“No...I’m asking for your hand in marriage.” He responded sarcastically, making me snicker. 

“YOU TAKE HIS HAND RIGHT NOW!!! I DON’T CARE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT OTHER GUYS!!! YOU TAKE HIS FUCKING HAND AND PULL HIM INTO A BIG, SLOPPY KI-” 


And that’s enough of that! 


Still, I stopped scratching my mare and shook hands with the Anthro Dragon.


“YESSSSSSSSSS~~!!!!” 


“You did not just climax from this handshake!!!” I yelled mentally. 

“I’m afraid I wasn’t being completely honest with you, Spike. You see, I am a Prince.” I stumbled while waiting for Vorvin’s response at the news that was passed on to me. I chanced a look down at Luna, who seemed to be taking the news with a raised eyebrow and a grain of salt.

“You’re yanking my chain right now.” I stated in a shocked voice. 

“I had assumed your mannerisms to be on par with Blueblood so the resemblance was there, no offense Luna.” I turned my head down to my partner.

“Why are you apologizing? He’s a pompous plothole.” 

Well manure. 

“I assume you speak highly of this, Blue Blood?” Dameion growled sarcastically, making me snicker. 

“No. Not at all!” I began laughing as Dameion’s growl turned into a chuckle.

“Then I’ll have to remember that for later, friend.” Dameion said after calming down from his fit of laughter. “But...now we must vacate the premises before the-” 

“And I was just wondering who caused such a commotion.” A snooty but childish voice made all three of us turn to our left.

Before us was an Anthro dressed in an expensive looking ballroom dress, which was a magnificent shade of green. Black frills were stationed on the cuffs of the arms, and the dress reached down and covered her feet. In her ears were gold hoops, which were narrow but not overly so. She had a black collar around her neck that seemed more at home on a dog than anything. 

Blood-red hair spilled down her body from the crown of her head, highlighting her entire ensemble magnificently. Even her lime-green skin seemed flawless, her long tail swishing about behind her to some unknown tune. The tail had red spots on it as well. 

She didn’t seem all that different from me age wise, either. 

“You there, the one with the horse.” I narrowed my eyes as she beckoned for me, hearing Luna snarl at being called a horse. “Do you know who did this? I have a sneaking suspicion it was the one beside you two, but I don’t want to make baseless accusations.” The woman explained as she stepped closer to us. 

“One,” I began sharply, making her stop at the sharpness of my voice, “Her name is Luna. Two, she’s not a horse, but a wonderful pony. And three, I would like for you to apologize for calling her so before I engage in conversation with you.” The woman seemed a little put-out, but the hell if I care! You don’t insult my mare like that! 

“Now, do you know who did this?” She asked quickly, making me realize I just accepted a half-plot apology. There’s nothing for it now, so I decided to play it cool.

“Depends on who’s asking.” I rubbed a claw against my chest armor, hearing the woman groan in exasperation. 

“I am Lady Crimson, and my shopping spree was ruined by an unofficial match in the Tournament! Now, if you’d be so kind as to-” 

“Artemis?” Dameion interrupted breathlessly, making the woman’s eyes narrow as she whirled on my friend quicker than I could follow. Somehow, she had already placed a dagger across his neck and pushed him against a stall, her eyes glazed over in adrenaline.

“I don’t know how you came to know that name but I assure you, you would do....best...” She trailed off as her eyes slowly widened at Dameion’s smiling visage. 

“Day-Day?” She breathed out the same way Dameion did, making the Anthro Dragon chuckle. 

“I don’t know how you came to know that nickname...” He trailed off playfully as the woman dropped the dagger and began sobbing into his chest. 
> Truth Revealed: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Spike


The tea was marvelous, a simmering cesspool of flavor and fragrance. An ethereal warmth that tickled my neck as much as my fancy, reminding me of the days I spent pining after Rari-

...No. Not gonna remember that...

Anyways, Dameion’s lady friend had escorted us back to the really awesome castle in the distance. The stone seemed a little dead and desolate, but the interior was superior in a way. Busts of what seemed like famous individuals glared at us from the sides of the walls, making me a little nervous as the purple insole framed in gold thread gave way to my steps. 

My armor was becoming a little tight, which I chalked up to my abnormal body growing a little bit. I mean, anything is possible seeing as how the four of us were currently walking down the hallway and drinking tea.

Their sense of normalcy is a little over-the-top. 

“It’s nice to see that Dameion has made some great friends,” Lady Crim-Artemis exclaimed as she took a healthy gulp of her tea, “But he’s yet to elaborate on who you two really are! I’m very interested!” 

I scratched the back of my neck nervously, not really expecting to give a brief summary of myself. That, and I don’t want to tell the leader of a country that I’m on the run from the Princess of the fucking Sun. 

“We are his friends, Luna and Spike,” Luna spoke up from my side. This brought all of our attention to her, along with my whispered thanks, “We hail from a land just south from this town. It is a land called Equestria and I am the Co-Ruler of that nation, alongside my sister.” Luna explained to Artemis, whose face lit up like a foal’s during Nightmare Night.

“That makes you a princess,” Artemis began in jovial disbelief, “I can’t believe that I’m in the presence of actual royalty right now!” 

Dameion raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Oops! I meant two royal figures, ehehehe...” She laughed nervously.

“You’re pretty much royalty yourself, Artemis. I mean, it must take a worthy leader to usher these people for a thousand years, not to mention how strong you must be at combat considering a new leader is up for grabs every year.” I added my two bits into the conversation, watching as Artemis blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a silly grin on her face. 

Her tongue was even poking out a little bit. 

Adorable. 

As we geared to turn a corner, another figure came blasting from the corridor we were getting ready to head down, his face the very definition of rage. 

I noticed a black skull on a necklace around his neck, alerting me to danger instantly. Something about this guy...

...Sends a chill down my spine...



OH STARS ABOVE!!! IS HE NAKED!!!???                                “HOT DAMN!!!” 






Dameion 





Leaping Lightning Bolts! Who the fuck is this creep!? 

I hopped in front of our group, snarling at the streaker as he merely batted an irritated eye at me.

“You’re the fuck that killed Maxxis Murdok, right? Now that I think about it, you seem a little familiar...” The Anthro stated with an inquisitive run of his chin, still neglecting the fact that he’s in his fucking birthday suit, “Your face is a little irritating to look at.” 

“Want to make something of it, weirdo!? Who runs around castle without anything to cover themselves!?” I yelled out and balled my fists up, feeling the lightning streak through their creases.

“I don’t have to wear clothes in my fucking house, dipshit! And for your information, fighting me would be like flipping off the fucking grim reaper, you arrogant prick!”

“Stop it right now you two!”

Both of our heads snapped around to face Artemis, who was glaring at us with such anger that I felt a chill go up my spine. 

“You two should be hugging one another,” She yelled and stomped her foot before her face took on a puzzled appearance, “No, maybe not. Perhaps this is the actual way a reunion for the both of you should play out.” 

“What are you talking about?” The Anthro Dragon asked in complete confusion. 

“Yeah I gotta agree with Mr. Freeball on this one.” I added, getting a growl out of the guy next in front of me. I growled right back before we both crossed our arms and turned our heads away from one another with a huff. 

“You mean you two don’t recognize each other!? What!?” 

“Well it’s not like he’s related to me or something! What did you expect, a fucking orgy!?”

“Hey! Don’t speak to Artemis like that, dickweed!” 

“You wanna go, pretty-boy? Cause there’s a size twelve greave waiting to find its way up your ass!” 

“Let’s see you try it, snowflake!” 

“STOP,” Artemis roared as she stepped in between us. She gave both of us a glare that silenced any further insults, “You,” She forcefully jabbed a finger into the naked anthro’s chest, “Stop taking things so anally! I thought you promised to get your anger under control a thousand years ago!” 

He lowered his head, making me chuckle in victory. You get him, Arte-

“And you,” My eyes widened when she used her other hand to poke me in the chest, “What’s with the sudden abrasiveness!? You two are supposed to be hugging it out right now!” 

“But I-” 

“Ah-bup-bup! Hug each other.” She demanded with narrowed eyes. 

“Ew, gay.” The anthro said with disgust, making Artemis grab his nipple and twist it hard.

“AHHHHHHHH, let go! Pleeeeassssse, let goooo!”

“Hug him.” 

“Put some clothes on.”

“No. You’re gonna strip and hug him. Since you guys want to make the guest feel awkward,” Artemis threw a hand out to indicate Spike and Luna with nervous faces at suddenly being pulled into this, “I’m gonna make you two feel awkward. Now strip.” 

I whined and compiled, my buff body exposed to the world with the removal of my princely robe. Of course, the undergarments had to come off next, which I did painstakingly slowly because of the embarrassment.

“Splendid! Now hug.”

“Bu-”

“No.”

“He-” The light blue anthro tried. 

“NOW, ZERRIS!” 

The anthro spread his arms and waved his hands towards himself while looking away from me. I was sure the floor was going to curl up and die under that gaze. 

“Wait a minute,” I breathed out in disbelief, watching Artemis’s smile grow devilishly as she walked behind me and pushed my back, sending me into Zerris’s waiting torso. I was wrapped up in what was probably the most homseual thing for two heterosexual males to do, “You’re Zerris!? You don’t remember me!?” 

“What are you talking about, you fucking loon. I haven’t met you a single day in my life, and I’ve been alive for a long time!” 

“Zerris it’s me,” I exclaimed while hugging him tighter, earning myself a snort of anger from the buff anthro, “It’s Dameion!? Remember!?” 

His body tensed up before I felt his hands on the sides of my stomach, effectively pushing me away to see the disbelief on his face. 

“Stop fucking with me. You were reported dead after the fight with your father. No one has seen you for over a thousand fucking years, and you think you can just waltz back in here and hug me in your fucking birthday suit like that’ll get me to forgive...your...dumb...”

Zerris sighed before turning around and walking off, one or two sniffles letting me know what was really happening. 

“And just like that, everything’s right in the world!” Artemis stated happily as she left us with teacup in hand to chase down the fleeing Zerris. I turned back to my friends, who were busy trying their hardest to hold their neutral expressions. 

“Give me a minute to redress, you two. We’ll continue to explore after that.” They nodded and I went to work. 

It took ten seconds to restore my formal appearance, and it took another two in order to apologize profusely for what they just saw. Even I am a little perplexed on how easily Artemis bent me to her will. 

I’ll have to bend her later...

“Of course.” Luna responded for Spike and herself as I led them down the corridor. We conversed on matters pertaining to both of our countries, even though I had little to offer besides what was found in the library while I stayed at the Murdok residence. 

“So this country’s existed for over a thousand years? Incredible,” Spike’s girlfriend stated with an amused smile on her black face, “My sister and I haven’t heard of...Mythril, before. Finding out a land so grand as this exists has been a wonderful experience, and I hope Equestria will be able to have peaceful relations!” 

“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” I agreed while taking a sip of my tea, “By the way it sounds, Equestria is heavily loaded with gems. It just so happens that we’re overburdened with precious metals, something your people hold in great regard, am I wrong?” 

“You are correct, Prince Dameion. If you’re willing, I will draft up a treaty to get the proverbial ball rolling! I have a feeling that both our nations will profit greatly from this!” 





Spike


And here I am, the third wheel behind this conversation. Luna and Dameion continued talking politics as I gazed out the many windows flanking us on the right. Guards in silver armor made their rounds, which ended up boring me to a certain point.

Grumbling, I took a look into the sky and beheld something...weird. 

“Why’s a star out? It’s only evening...” 

Said star got bigger...


My eyes widened, “Oh shit...” I breathed out in disbelief as the sound of faint roaring made itself apparent. 

“Spike?” Luna inquired with a tone of concern, making me snap my head to face her with a look of panic on my face. 

“GET THE FUCK DOWN!!!” I yelled as I scooped Luna up, ran towards the nearest wooden door and rammed the tartarus out of it, bursting into what looked like a large pantry. Dameion came through the door, spreading his arms and blocking my view of the window as the roaring got louder. 

“What’s going on!?” He yelled in worry as I cradled Luna under me, making her wiggle in vain to free herself.

“GET IN HERE AND COVER YOUR HEAD!!!” 

“Woah, dude! You got to chill-” 

KRAKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!


“WHAT THE FU-” Dameion’s yell was cut short when the room lit up in a bright white light, debris falling all around us. 

“What’s going on, Celestia!? Why would you crash into a castle, possibly killing innocent people!? This isn’t like you at all!!!” I yelled in my head as the explosion from earlier rendered my ears completely useless for a while, making me tighten my hold on Luna. 

A large piece of brick fell on the back of my armor. The vibration made the noise ‘hear-able’  before it went away. The whole castle was shaking, and I couldn’t hear anything or see anyone! 

This is by far the scariest moment of my life!
      
> Truth Revealed: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dameion





“Who or what the hell was that!?” I ran out of the storage closet just to see a massive hole blown into the side of the wall. Spike and Luna were still shell shocked so I took it upon myself to investigate after my ears stopped ringing.

“No need to yell, Mr. Dragon. I’m just here on Royal Order by Princess Celestia Everfree, Co-Ruler of Equestria and Raiser of the Sun.” A pair of blue eyes with no eyelashes sat on the face of what looked like a miniature horse. He had an air of haughtiness to him that didn’t really sit right with me. 

“You said Princess Celestia? Isn’t she Princess Luna’s sister?” I asked as I peeked around him and into the courtyard where a sizeable hole was blown into the earth. 

“Do you know of my aunt’s whereabouts,” The pony asked suddenly and with a voice laced with hope. He looked up at me with joyous eyes, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he just blew a massive hole into the wall, I might’ve considered telling him, “You’d be doing Equestria a big service if you told me!” 

“Doing a service for you is starting to sound more like an order than an actual favor,” I thought bemusedly and crossed my arms, “How so?” 

“Well, it is rumored that our illustrious Princess Luna has been foalnapped by the heinous murderer, Spike the Dragon,” My eyes grew wide at that. Spike doesn’t look like the type of guy to go around murdering and kidnapping, so what the hell is up with these accusations!? Then again, I don’t really know Spike like that, “He’s a wanted criminal, and I will not stand for him abducting my relative!” The regal pony finished with a stomp of his hoof and flick of his mane. 

“Huh. Well I don’t know if you noticed, but you kind of exploded into my castle without permission. That’s kind of taboo, but I think there’s more pressing matters to be discussing right now, Mr...?” 

“Blueblood. Prince Blueblood; heir to the throne of Equestria and Commander of the Silver Sirens; the elite guard that’s gifted in swordplay.” He outstretched a hoof, and I took it in a claw before shaking it.

“So you wish to know where Spike is?” I inquired. In reality, though, I have a nasty surprise waiting for him.

“Well my mission is to eliminate him at any costs, so yes-” 

Stuck-up pony, meet fist! 

And off he went with a pained grunt, straight through the wall he exploded. What surprised me is how fast he came out of the attack as he literally backflipped in the air and landed on his hooves, sliding the rest of the momentum out as dirt kicked up from his hooves. 

This was when I took notice of this white cape with black spots, placed on top off a red ensemble of clothes and tassels. Was he armed? 

“Ruffian! You dare soil the painstakingly handsome face of Equestria’s most eligible bachelor!? You will be shown no mercy!” His horn lit up, and a rapier came out from the left side of his body, coming from between the robes. It started getting strange when he aligned the point with his chest, giving me a wicked but cockly glare before inserting the sword. 

My vision was blown to bits as a piercing white light exploded from the wound, the scream of volatile magic surfacing blistering my eardrums. I winced in pain for about two seconds before the whining stopped. 

I lowered the arm I had raised to shield my eyes, watching in some amount of awe as a white hand sliced the smoke away. Before me was Blueblood...but he was standing on two legs. 

How is that possible!!?? 

“Wha...?”

“Do not concern your feeble mind with figuring out my superiority. You will never be able to beat me now, I’m sure of it.” He remarked smugly. 

I growled at his prideful words and countenance, wanting nothing more than to destroy the ignorant fuck. 

“You’re a thousand years too young to be threatening me, prissypants!” I snarled before lowering my robe just enough so that I could tie it around my waist, feeling my muscles pop as I flexed them in anticipation of a good fight.

“Pull your shirt back up, barbarian! Have you dragons no class!?” The anthro-unicorn rebuked, making me scoff at his overbearing femininity. 

“The fact you think yourself high enough to give me orders is nothing short of hubris, Mr. Invader. I think it’s high-time someone shoved that stick further up your ass!” I rushed him, seeing his face flash a cocky smile that showcased some of his teeth. It reminded me of Thessolonius a little bit! 

“And you’re supposed to be the prince? How laughable,” His steel rapier glistened with white light as I neared him quickly, mapping out possible ways to attack in my mind, “Perhaps some re-education is in order!” 

I jumped at him, cocking a fist charged with lighting back as he shot forth his rapier in an attempt to stab me from the air. My first exploded forward as we both gave yells of effort. 

Strangely enough, his rapier did not pierce my hide, nor did it leave any marks as we collided; the tip of his sword digging into the scales of my middle finger's knuckle. There was a bright light and a flash of lightning before a deafening clap of thunder reverberated, expulsing us from one another.

I was blown backwards, skidding in the dirt with my broken wing a bit before I used the momentum to roll onto my feet. I then shot a claw into the ground, halting my blowback immediately. My recovery was quicker than the anthro pony’s, who was kicking his legs up in the air like a flipped over tortoise.

I quirked my eyebrow up just as he yanked, what I now saw to be his rapier, from the ground and spring to his feet. Blueblood dusted himself off before affixing me with a steely glare. 

“I’ll have you know that these robes were passed down from my great-grandfather, High Station! The fact that you’ve soiled them with vile dirt and dust is simply unforgivable!!!” He yelled in supreme fury, his face becoming the color of a beet.

“Listen, buddy,” I started with a little sarcasm, “No one gives two fucks and a hump about your prissy clothes! If you can’t handle a little dirt, then I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen when your ensemble becomes caked in blood and torn skin!” I ended with a chuckle, watching literal steam whistle forth from his ears.

“You are obsolete!” He hissed as he charged, thrusting quite dramatically with his rapier. I sidestepped and shot a hand out, grabbing his outstretched arm, placed a foot behind his back foot, and brought my other hand around in a closed fist. A dull thud came from his chest, alerting me to a successful attack. I smiled at the implications of such a thing, knowing this fight should be over. 

Prince Blueblood’s life essence was red like everything elses, which was an oxymoron in and of itself. He flew back much like I did, the only difference would have to be with him taking actual damage. Still, I was a little impressed when he got right back up and wiped the excess blood from the side of his mouth. 

“A nice counter, I’ll give you that. However,” His voice turned smug, making my eyes narrow with the suspicion of fair play, “I believe my efforts in scouting your power have proven fruitful enough. You’ll be disposed off here and now, and no one will know what happened here.” He showcased more teeth in his cocky smile. 

       

“...He showcased more teeth in his cocky smile.”




“I’ll be disposed of!? Ha,” I guffawed dismissively, “You have a better chance of being brought back to life after death!”

“Maybe you should try that instead!” Blueblood roared as we charged each other. 


 

Spike





“Embrace your inheritance, my son!” 

I stopped running, allowing Luna to finally catch up to me. Where the hell did that voice come from!? 

“Is something the matter, Spike!?” Luna asked worriedly, making me snap my head to face her. 

“You didn’t hear that!? It was loud and deep!” I exclaimed while throwing my hands up in exasperation. Our original plan was to find Artemis and Zerris, plan out an counterattack strategy, and see to any injured persons in Zistral. But thanks to that voice I heard, the future’s been put on hold. 

“What did you hear?” 

“It was a voice! It was unnaturally deep, and it exclaimed that I should embrace my inheritance!” I hastily explained before starting up our previous task. My feet slapped upon the purple velvet insole as I ran, never once paying attention to the sound of wing flaps to my side. 

“What? That doesn’t make any sense? What inheritance?” Luna fired question after question, making me give a mighty exhale of ignorance. 

“Tartarus if I know! But what I do know,” I hanged a right sharply, hearing and feeling the expensive tapestry flap above us as I took off down this corridor, making it the third one in the span of five minutes, “Is that Zistral is under attack or siege right now, and if we don’t come up with a plan of escape or to help, Celestia’s gonna find us in here!” 

“So we’re going to run off?” Luna asked with an air of confusion. I groaned at her stupid question. 

“Of course we’re gonna run off! I rather have another day to train than face your sister and whatever else she brought with her!” I exclaimed before as I skidded to a halt in front of two, large brown doors. I smiled, knowing this to be the throne room. 

I pushed them open easily, feeling the bolts give way to my power. 

I stopped and my eyes went wide. 

The whole country....it’s...it’s been invaded....

The sky was black and crimson while the city a couple minutes from the castle laid covered in orange flames. The smell of smoke made its journey all the way up here, and the screams and hollers of pain and torment followed closely! 

Celestia’s invading Zistral!? Why!? 

Is...is it to find me!? Who knows how many fuckers are in that town!? 

I backed up while giving short gasps of shock and fear. 

“This is...this is madness.” I breathed out in disbelief. 

“We must press on, Spike. Zistral is a walled-in city, much like Canterlot. The only way out is over the wall or through the gates, and I fear going over the wall will take too long,” I turned my head to face Luna, “As it stands, the only way to escape Celestia is to fight her now. There’s nothing for it.” She shook her head as a face of sorrow made itself apparent. 

I stared at her for a while, stopping my gasping as I opted to just look at the town in horror.

So many lives. So many people, innocent or not, could be lying in that street right now! What the hell am I supposed to do!? Where do I come in here!? 

What am I eve-

“SPIKE!!!” The unknown voice caused my eyes to widen even further. I angled my head down, only to find something that caused my heart to plummet into my kidney.

“Spike! Is that you!?” A gold tiara with a purple star crested the hill Luna and I were looking down, only to be followed by a lavender body with wings. Her body was outfitted in the armor of the Royal Guard, and her legs were too. Her hooves, however, were covered with gold slippers that matched Celestia’s, the only notable difference being her element-shaped insignia on the front of them. 

Her eyes were glazed but glaring, all her attention directed towards Luna and I.

“T-Twilight!? You’re an alico-” 

“WHAT SORCERY BE THIS!!!???? WHAT HATH OUR SISTER DONE TO THEE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!???” Luna roared in what looked like outrage, blowing my face-skin back comically I’m sure. 

“Princess Luna!? You’re with Spike!?” Twilight yelled in shock as I took a couple more steps back. This can’t be happening now, can it? This is...this is serious! 

“W-why are you here, Twilight!? You should be in Ponyville, with ever-” 

“Did you find him, Twilight!?” 

THAT VOICE! OH stars above, keep that unicorn away from me! 

Just as my rant finished, a rainbow-colored streak zoomed to a stop right above Twilight just as four more ponies crested the hill. I felt like my eyes would roll from my sockets if I didn’t shut them...so I did. 

“Spikey-Wikey,” Don’t say that name as if you’re hurt! How could you possibly be hurt, “What in the name of Celestia has happened to you!? You...You look so different!” 

“Our question needs answering, Twilight Sparkle! Why has Celestia given you the Ascension Right!?” Luna roared again, silencing the group of chatting and shocked mares. 

I heard Twilight clear her throat as I willed my eyes to remain shut, “Princess Celestia wishes to retract her order for Spike’s execution. If you’re wondering about the Ascension Right; then I can make a gist and say that I completed Starswirl the Bearded’s spell of Harmonious Empowerment.” Twilight explained, which caused Luna to gasp in shock for some reason. 

“You created new magic and my sister wishes to retract the order of execution!? THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS!!!” Luna exclaimed, making me shake my head violently. There’s no way it’s that easy! Celestia’s been chasing me halfway across the fucking planet!!! 

“NO!!!” I roared angrily, baring my teeth and swiping the air with a claw towards my ex-friends. 

“Spikey-Wike-”

“YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!!! Venomous brood of vipers, all six of you,” I snapped angrily, watching their faces take on an expression of supreme hurt, “One does not simply bring about the ire of a damned demi-goddess and have the issue resolved like this! It’s illogical!” 

“Spike,” Luna called in a wary voice as I snapped my head to face her, “You must calm down. Sister has given us-” 

“rrrRRRRRRRRRR-GAH,” I roared, “NO! You will not be given a second chance to break my heart! Not YOU,” I gutted Twilight with my index finger, “Not YOU,” Fluttershy shrunk back and whimpered, “Not YOU,” Pinkie’s hair deflated while her face drooped, “Not YOU” Applejack and Rainbow winced, “And definitely NOT YOU!!!” I roared at Rarity who took to visibly trembling at the pure hatred in my voice. 

How DARE they come around and try to play that card! Do I look like I was born yesterday!? Fuck ALL these ponies!!! 

“Oh Spik-”

“NO MORE FRIENDS!!! I’VE HAD IT!!!” I screamed before igniting my hand with green fire, intent on causing lots of destruction! 

The mares gasped and huddled together, awaiting the attack with scared visages. Since they want it so bad, they can-

“Oof!” I recoiled in pain as a...a...blue ray...

I turned my head to the side, my hand losing all power as my eyes found purchase in Luna’s. 

“...Why?” I was hurt. Was..was it all an act? Why did she stop me!? 

“We need to give this a try. If Celestia is giving us a chance to avoid a war, then I say we take it, Spike,” She trotted closer to me, laying a blue slipper on my cheek tenderly as I stared at her in disbelief, “We can finally-” 

*SMACK!*

Luna’s head stayed turned to the side, a shocked expression on her face as mine slowly dissolved into pure scorn. 

“No. More. Friends.” I stated angrily, tears in my eyes as I turned around and ran. They burned me, the tears. I couldn’t help but wipe some of them away as I instantly ran down a different corridor than the one we used to get outside, hoping that I’d get lost in the many winding paths of Zistral Castle. 

Right now, I don’t even want to hear the word ‘pony’ anymore.  
 
> Truth Revealed: Finale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You were a fool, Prince Blueblood. You may have nicked me with that swordsmanship of yours, but in terms of overall power, you never stood a chance. Rest where you lie, and may the maggots shit in your eye sockets.” With my rant over, I sheathed my rapier into the magical black sheath around my waist. I then slid my robe over my shoulders, sighing as the dirty fabric held splotches of blood over its surface. 

Blueblood laid on the ground, a crimson puddle running from under his body. His face was down, and he had reverted back to a pony. 

The fight was quick, and he actually thought his swordsmanship was better than mine. A foolish train of thought, really, and it showed. No one is more dexterous than I when it comes to swordplay, especially when I get serious. 

I snorted in annoyance at the dead royal before kicking some dirt at the corpse and walking off towards the hole in my castle.

During this walk, I found myself thanking my father briefly for creating Monochrome. He was, as he had told me, the embodiment of my latent power and memories. My calling was Lightning, all colors as a matter of fact. Each color has different abilities that keep my opponents wary of all my attacks.

Topaz- Peerless Precision
Amethyst- Corrosive at Point of Contact
Ruby- Ridiculous Knockback Strength and Destructive Capabilities
Obsidian- Soul and Magic Devouring

Couple that with my ability in swordplay, plus my Draconic strength and intelligence...

“I’m going to skullfuck every single pony I come across. No one invades my castle, my inheritance, my fucking kingdom, and gets away with it,” I hissed in abounding distaste and anger, cracking the stone beneath my feet as I practically stomped my way through the castle. The talons on my feet cut into the expensive insole, but I couldn’t really care less seeing as how my entire kingdom is being invaded...

...All to get Spike...

“That motherfucker owes me an explanation for this shit. And I WILL have it.” 




I wasn’t tired, but I leaned against one of the brown doors in the hallway regardless. I felt so alone, so desolate, so...betrayed. At this, I gave a short growl of fury and blasted a hole through the door with my bare fist. My eyes narrowed and my hand came across my eyes, wiping them of tears as I took a deep exhale to calm myself.

“You promised, Luna. You fucking promised me,” I breathed out before snarling. I now knew that no one was going to accept me for what I was, a regular dragon with the ability to use magic because he was the bastard offspring of two dimension-hopping powerhouses! Equestria made it clear that it didn’t want Spike the Dragon...

...It wanted Spike the Monster...

“Well then...I say ‘fuck it’. The nutcases want a fucking monster, then I guess they’ll get one. Vorvin, we’re fusing together, and you better not be holding anything back.” 

“Finally decided to stop being this world’s personal cocksleeve, huh? I’m not against it, in fact I’m all for it; but, I just gotta ask this. Are you sure you’re alright with becoming a monster? Once it happens, there’ll be no going back. Are you willing to throw away any chance for re-assimilation, to belong to this world again?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Vorvin, but I have nothing to call my own here. Luna has betrayed everything we worked so hard for, and Celestia has me backed into a corner. Normally, she would never be this ruthless in trying to get rid of Equestria’s enemies, which only brings more questions about this whole predicament into play. One thing’s for certain, however, and that’s the fact that she fears what I can do, or rather, what I have the potential to become.” 

“Once you take on me, Vorlianth’s Inheritance, there won’t be a chance to revert. I’m serious. Crazy shit’s going to happen once you say yes, and it’s only going to keep getting crazy.”

“Then let bedlam come,” I hissed mentally. “I welcome you, my father and mother’s inheritance, and whatever anarchy follows my ascension into higher power with all my heart! This world; these insignificant figures, will all burn in my wrath. Equestria just made an enemy, one with a cunning mind and god-like magical potential and strength. I will destroy all my foes in due time.” 

“Heh, your father would be proud...now, say with your heart that you accept this path of darkness. You will never know love, only lust. You will never know happiness, only wrath. You will never know content, only greed. You will never know humility, only pride. You will never know satisfaction, only jealousy and gluttony. And you will never know the pacing of the world, only your time, only sloth. You will know not righteousness, but sins everlasting, and the only atonement for this would be the vindication of your mother’s inheritance! Is this the life you want, Spike the Draconian!?” 

It was here that I felt the air grow cold as my head slowly rose from looking at the ground. The wind picked up, and my body generated a heat that I swore was going to have me melt through the fucking floor any minute. “I ascend, and through my ascension, I bring destruction. I bring death, war, famine, and sickness. I become Spike: The Apocalypse.”

“Coi ui authot.”

My body was surrounded by dark-green flames that crashed through the floors and ceilings above me. I watched in awe as my armor was melted off, with a black combat vest with lime-green trim and purple buttons taking its place instead. A purple, curving, tribal-looking ‘S’ was planted on the right side, directly on my pectoral. A dark-mahogany colored hiking belt, with two bags attached to it, sat around my waist. Black, fingerless gloves with a rectangular patch cut into the back near the wrist appeared on my hands through swirling black flames. 

I flexed my hands, trying to feel the clothes against my scales, but I could not. The sensation of emerging clothes did not stop there, and I soon felt myself looking down at a pair of dark-grey pants that had bottom of the legs tucked into dark-purple and dark-green, high-rise combat boots with holes at the front of them. The front and underside was dark-green, while the actual body of the boot itself was purple. The lace grid and two strips on the side were the only black parts. 

On my left leg, some ways up from the knee, was another pouch that was connected via a dark-mahogany band with gold clip. The bags on my waist-belt, however, were only to be fastened with gold buttons.

The sensation of change left only when I felt my spikes tingle and grow out, feeling them become razor-sharp weapons of death. I placed my hand on top of my head and swept it back, feeling the jagged tips as confirmation to my hypothesis. I now had a mohawk of spikes, the only difference being that they were more jagged. 

Lowering my arm, my eyes found purchase and widened at the enhanced musculature of the entire appendage. I looked strong enough to rip a pony clean in half using half my strength...without magic. I took a deep breath, enjoying the edgy look to my new body, and then grinned like a madman as the pillar of fire shot back down from wherever it was trying to reach and settled on burning around me. 

I gave a short laugh as I lit my hands in green fire, before closing them into fists tightly and snuffing the flame, hearing the tough fabric they were made out of stretch. “Now this is something I can get used to. Definitely feel a lot stronger, too!” 

I looked behind me as a thought popped into my head. With a smile on my face in hope, I quickly beheld...nothing. 

“Still no wings! Blast,” I thought angrily and stomped my foot as well. I was pretty surprised when my leg went straight through the cobblestone as if it were paper. Shaking myself of the stupefied look I was sure I was radiating, I placed both my hands flat onto the ground and pushed myself out from the ground. 

This, of course, sent me flying into the ceiling. My back thudded into the stone, causing the entire fucking thing to tumble down on top of me. I felt no pain from it, of course, but having to get out of the rubble was a pain in the ass.

“I just want to leave and skullfuck a pony~! Can’t a Draconian catch a fucking break around here!?” 

“Not until you tell me why my kingdom is being invaded.” Dameion’s voice caused me to turn around and behold him. His face and tone was emotionless, and his eyes radiated a permanent form of bemusement. 

“Eh. Luna’s sister, Princess Celestia, thinks I’m going to destroy her nation’s capital city.” I waved him off and attempted to climb on top of a rock. I had little success with my endeavor, seeing as how the massive rock slab splintered and cracked under my force. I really was too strong. 

“And you thought it best to hide such information from me, your only friend? Disrespectful as that may be, I’m sure there are more pressing matters to attend to now, right,” Dameion asked rhetorically as he unsheathed an all black rapier from an all black sheath on his waist. 

“Looks like I wasn’t the only one who upgraded...” 

“Ruby Lightning: Ray.” His sentence was simple sounding as he pointed his sword towards the miles of rock ahead of us. Needless to say, my surprise was vocalized when a large bolt of red lightning completely incinerated and exploded the cobblestone and wall thirty feet ahead of us. The bolt of lightning screamed like a mare in trouble...literally. 

“Shit! That was cool,” I exclaimed in awe. Dameion merely humphed and jumped down from the rock he was standing on, landing next to me before jerking his head towards the recently opened wall.

“I have an army to kill. Your assistance is welcomed, but it is not necessary.” Dameion’s response was cold...well, colder than usual. It didn’t bother me too much, but I still felt a little angry at how he blew over the notion of my aid. Still, then anger was fleeting like chaff on the wind, and I quickly found myself walking alongside the anthro dra-

“Wait. His magic feels exactly like mine, but its more...skilled...concentrated even. I’m finding it hard to believe that this is the same Dameion from earlier, seeing as how he’s not as impulsive or distinctive with his actions. He’s more laid back, and seems to take everything in stride. He’s definitely changed alright.” 

“That pillar of fire you summoned burned a hole all the way through the castle. Nice to know that you can cause untold amounts of destruction without feeling the backlash. I guess that means fatigue is no object for you,” Dameion snarked emotionlessly, letting me know he was still pissed about that transformative fire. We had been walking so briskly that the end of the hallway, and the door thereof, was about ten steps away from us. “Unfortunately, I don’t have that type of raw power. I think that amount is unattainable for me, no matter how long I train and perfect my abilities.” 

We went through the doors together and continued to walk towards the sounds of battle in the distance. His face was static, unchanging, fearless. Dameion’s obviously been in these do or die situations before, and he seems ready to destroy anything that gets in his way. 

Personally, I really couldn’t give a damn what happens now. The love I thought real was shown to be otherwise, and the lapdogs, the Elements of Harmony, have been led here to experience something no one ever should. That something would be war, or in this case, a siege. Regardless, I don’t really see a downside to my current predicament now that I had Dameion with me.

Anything that threatens us will be shown how unwise that is.

“So what’s the plan, Dameion? We’re just gonna go fuck up anything that’s walking on four legs?” 

“Exactly. Once this is accomplished, I will see to a public execution of their leader.” After he said this, I stopped walking. 

“I don’t know about that, Dameion. Princess Celestia controls the Sun itself. Plus, she hasn’t really been herself, based on her actions,” I explained, making Dameion stop and look at me with a raised eyebrow. “Huh, so he does have emotions.” 

“Explain yourself. You make it sound as if you know this wench personally, Spike.” I could tell he was not in the mood for games whatsoever, and his voice had underlying tones of anger and caution. 

“Well, she was there when I was hatched from my egg, and she helped Twilight raise me when she was a foal herself,” I explained, continuing down one of the many hills that leads to Zistral’s boundaries. Dameion’s soft crunches was heard again, so I knew he was following me this time. 

“And who is this, Twilight? You haven’t mention her...matter of fact...you haven’t mentioned your predicament at all, now that I have a chance to ponder it. I understand- for the most part -that Celestia wants you dead to prevent her capital from being destroyed. I can assume, then, that she’s been chasing you for quite some time.” The hill ended just as Dameion’s statement did, and we were now following a dirt road somewhere near the scene of chaos. 

“So,” I responded with a question. 

“So, Spike, I wish to know your viewpoint on this. WE are colleagues in this, no one else. Zerris and Artemis are out fighting somewhere; these ‘Elements of Harmony’ are probably doing the same, your girlfriend is-” 

“Luna is no longer my love interest. She, just like the Elements, has wronged me. To think that a being over a thousand years in age is still so deceivable! It’s a wonder how Discord hasn’t resurrected his kingdom again,” I ranted in sudden, seething, anger. Dameion seemed to not be bothered by my hot-headed reply, making me relax. If that would’ve been the previous Dameion, I’m pretty sure he would’ve swung that rapier at his waist. 

“Ah, the Great Deceiver. The Harlequin of Bedlam, and the Devour of Reason. Discord Anarchy Draconis: the God of Disharmony and Chaos. We have a tale about him written within the confines of the castle...which is currently in pieces due to Prince Blueballs...but nevertheless, there are tales about him and his destructive capabilities. Interestingly enough, it is said that the Great Deceiver implanted a seed of darkness within the Sun, allowing its light to take on a more...sinister side.” Dameion’s explanation caused me to stumble. 

“Then you’re saying, and please correct me if I’m wrong, that Discord implanted a seed of madness within the Sun. Princess Celestia controls the Sun! This just got a lot worse, somehow, and I now I believe Princess Celestia to be under control of this seed,” I exclaimed before taking off towards the town with Dameion close behind. 

As I ran, I became mindful of two things. 

One: I needed a way to kill Celestia’s seed. 

And Two: I need to find my mother’s inheritance soon. I think this whole fiasco is part of the weird shit category Vorvin was talking about. Well, I was talking about now. 

But, the main problem is that these problems go hand in hand with one another. Something tells me I’m not gonna like these next few moments.
> Ascension
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


----S----


Chaos and death. This was the price of running away. I can see that now.

Anthros laid stretched across stands and rooftops, some with weapons inside their bodies while others were missing limbs. There was no one group of dead. Equines, Reptiles, Felines, Canines...Dragons.

Nothing else mattered as the remaining anthros fought to protect their home from the invaders. Mothers grabbed children and ran while fathers fought to protect their homes, and by extension, their lineage.

Golden-armored ponies poured profusely into the market and residential districts, killing anything in sight under order by Princess Celestia. 

“No...not Celestia, but something else. This isn’t the mare that helped Twilight raise me, and I plan to tear whatever it is out of her body and make it pay, before getting my revenge on the Elements of Harmony.” My thought was clouded in anger everlasting, making me tighten my fists as Dameion and I finally entered Zistral’s bounds. 

“I’m guessing this Princess Celestia would be hiding beyond the city perimeter, directly outside the gates? No need to answer, Spike; I’m headed there anyway. Arma was on duty during this attack, and I’m going to find out how boundless her incompetence truly was to let this happen.” Dameion added more power into his strides as we passed a burning stall. In return, I added more to mine and caught back up. 

“We’re not separating again. If Celestia, or the Seed, knew I was in that castle, I think it’s safe to say that she’s waiting for us to split up before attacking. I mean, think about it. We just entered a fucking battlefield that stretches as wide as a hundred miles, and you don’t think it’s strange that we’ve been ignored?” My two bits seemed to get under Dameion’s skin, based on the way he grimaced in distaste. 

“I don’t like it, but your logic is sound, nevertheless. We will do things your way, Spike the Dragon, and we’ll-” I raised my hand, cutting off Dameion as he glowered in response. 

“That’s what those blithering ponies are gonna be calling me. I don’t want my last friend sharing a name with my enemies. Call me...” I placed a hand on my chin and casted my gaze up to the red sky with black clouds, pondering many cool sounding names. “...Vorvin. Call me Vorvin, Dameion.” I smiled and looked at him again, my eyes laced with high amounts of satisfaction. 

“Call yourself whatever you want...Vorvin, but what I call you remains my choice. There will be instances in the future where I will forget this name and call you Spike. If that should happen, you must know that it’s your fault it did. Now, no more talking. I prefer to not soil my hands and sword with the blood of unworthy ones.” Dameion’s uninterested tone made me glower myself, but I held back a witty remark about his personality as we finally came to the only place that looked familiar in the marketplace. 

We had made it to Central Circle, the heart of the market district, which was nothing more than a giant illustration of a dragon in flight made by alternating shades and tints of cobblestone. Two swords crossed behind the flying dragon, and the sheer architecture of this place makes the whole scenario kind of aggravating. This town is too beautiful to know of war. 

“The Central Circle? Why was this left untouched? There’s no guards, no Elements, and no dead bodies. I wonder what those equines are up to,” Dameion mused as he placed a hand on the grip of his rapier, making sure it was hidden by using the other hand to bring his black robe over the weapon some. 

“Whatever it is, it’s huge. This place is practically surrounded by fire. It would be prime spot for an ambush.” I was no fool, and my statement led me to believe that Dameion thought the same as me. “Splitting up could’ve made this situation a lot worse. How much longer do we have until we reach the gate?” 

“Five minutes, give or take. Be on your guard, Spi-Vorvin. I think our mettle will be tested soon enough.” 

“Yeah, something’s about to make my life all types of fun,” I snarked, getting a growl from the critical drake as we pressed on through the inferno. The sounds of battle still rung out over the roar of the five-foot flame wall, and it seemed to dance as if it was...alive...

I grabbed Dameion and threw him into the air, using my newly-acquired strength to meet him in the air. I looked down and confirmed my theory. 

In the center of those flames was a mare. A mare that didn’t look too happy to see me. 

I narrowed my eyes and forced some of my magic into my boots, stopping the descent Dameion and i had been leading. I came to rest in the air itself, peering down at the mare as Dameion created a wing out of pure yellow lightning and began hovering next to me. 

“I can make you out in the flames down there, Miss. How about you disperse them,” I asked with the tension of a hundred stretching rubber bands. The sound of mocking laughter was heard as the flames dispersed, leaving me to look at something quite peculiar.

Her coat was a dark-gold, and her eyes were sapphires glinting with mirth and mischievousness, and there was also a lot of smugness too. Her mane wafted about like a nicely kept oil spill, drawing attention to her head and face nicely as the red mane with yellow highlight danced the tango of attention. This mare was serious business too, considering she summoned three tridents made of intense, burning fire.

“Hmm, you two seem stronger than the riff raff I had killed off earlier. Those ponies and anthros don’t do so well in fights against opponents using ranged attacks. Maybe you two...wait...” She trailed off as her eyes found purchase on mine for the first time. “You...You’re Spike the Dragon, yes?” 

“...And if I am who you claim me to be?” 

“That means I don’t have to put a trident through your dumbass, for starters,” Replied the mare with a snarky tone, causing me to narrow my eyes. Her tridents evaporated and, as her horn glowed bright blue, she ignited the wall of flames again. “I’m Sunset Shimmer, and I was supposed to teach you, remember? You have nothing to fear from me.”

Dameion didn’t seem satisfied with her answer by the way he was growling. “Insolent hay-eater! You use fire in order to smite us, and then you have the nerve to say we have nothing to fear from you? You could be nothing more than a black smudge on the Central Circle right now,” Dameion roared as he unsheathed his rapier and pointed it at Sunset down on the ground. The blade of the sword was now sporting yellow rings that spiraled down, making it look like a candy cane. These rings crackled with yellow lightning that arced to each ring in alternating patterns and intervals between jumps. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know you, Mr. Ant. And, just like your many cousins, I will not be bothered to ask the name of every ant that I crush under hoof & horn. You may engage me if you wish, but know that my horn is sharper than even Celestia’s by now, and I will not hesitate to make you a black smudge on the Center Circle,” Sunset hissed, her eyes and the inferno wall turning into aquamarine fire. 

Dameion looked at her for a few seconds more, his eyes narrowed as if searching for something. I don’t know what could be going through his head, but if Sunset Shimmer claims to be stronger than Celestia while she herself is just a mere unicorn, I fail to see how a fight between the two could end in Dameion’s favor. 

With a sigh, Dameion spun his rapier in the air, twirling it expertly before making a wide horizontal slash. The ‘pent up’ lighting blasted through the slice, illuminating the space around us in a bright yellow light and a loud clap of thunder. “I see no reason to slay you...yet. Keep your disrespect levels nominal, and my blade will never cry for your life.” He then sheathed his rapier with a grunt before crossing his arms. 

“So are we just gonna stay up here, or...” I trailed off, getting Dameion to shrug his shoulder at me. I sighed at his display of indifference before walking down the sky, much like Celestia had done. Every time I stepped ‘down’, a dull-but-rapid echo sounded, like someone was waving sheet metal forcefully. It took a minute and some change, but eventually, I was standing in front of Sunset Shimmer. 

She raised her eyebrow before nullifying her aquamarine flames. Once her eyes were back to normal, she gave me a smug grin and held out her hoof. “Arch-Mage Sunset Ephemeral Shimmer: Conjurer of the Aquatic Flame, Mistress of Mayhem, Lady of Lava Control, and Destroyer of Demons. I’m sure your background and titles will be half as long as mine, but I digress.” 

I shook her hoof with my stronger hand, lifting the mare off the ground on the up-shake. She looked terrified, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I put her down. “Hey there. I’m Spike to my friends, and Vorvin to my enemies and acquaintances. I don’t have any titles...yet, but I plan on gaining one, once I shove my boot up whatever’s controlling Princess Celestia’s ass,” I concluded, getting a nod from the mare just as Dameion landed next to us.

“So who’s mister Doom & Gloom over here?” Sunset jutted a hoof at him, getting a dismissive snort from Dameion in the process. 

“I am Dameion Setsuya: Proud Prince of Mithril, Harbinger of Lightning, and the Skillful Reaper. I seek no glory in battle, only the destruction of my foes. Make sure you don’t become one of them, horse,” Dameion growled, making me facepalm as Sunset narrowed her eyes at him. 

“Disrespect seems to be your forte, Prince Dameion. The title is appropriate; it means, more or less, that you’re too immature for the role of King. Imagine that.” 

“Your life is worthless compared to mine, fool.”

“Well then, there’s something we both can agree on!” 

“Laughable. My worth exceeds yours by dimensions- nay -multiverses. I’ll not suffer the disgraceful, neanderthalic words of a pathetic, cud-munching sow like yourself.” 

“You’re pretty laid back for a guy that’s playing with fire! Want me to show you how bad it hurts when your get burned!?”

“Oh please. Spare me the acts of dominance, you four-legged trollop. As if I’d ever be worried about-” 

“STOP!” My shout caused them both to look at me with glares on their faces. I counterattacked with my own and by crossing my arms. “You’re both over the age of twelve, so I expected better! I can see now that I’m in the presence of children! Come off it, both of you, before I leave you here to fight enemies with powers you’ve never witnessed before!”

Their glares softened up as they backed away from one another, faces of disappointment across their features. 

“Spike has saved you, maggot. Be warned; I will not hesitate to take your life again.” Dameion had to get the final word in! 

Sunset merely rolled her eyes and shook her mane by jostling her head. “Disregarding purebred monkeys with scales, I’d like to try my hand at assisting your in your endeavors against Celestia. I happened to be visiting this marketplace today after my journey from the dragon lands, and that was when the Princess showed up with six mares and roughly one-thousand guards. Everything went down the shitter after that, as you can see,” She explained, making me nod. 

“Yeah. I don’t think Celestia could do this. I mean, she practically raised me and Twilight when we were little, and this whole chase she put me through, coupled with this attack, is too out of character for her. Something’s not adding up, and I think it’s an evil spirit possessing her.” 

“Verily so, as a matter of fact. You would not know of the Fallen Angel known as Solaris, who has- in my theory, of course -become the ire of Princess Celestia herself. Fallen Angels are ruthless tricksters and dimensional powerhouses, capable of possession like demons, but have knowledge in the holy magics of angels. I’m getting shivers picturing a full possession, which is most definitely going to be the case should we not stop her now. As the kill count stacks, negative energies collect and cohese, adding to the Fallen Angel’s power.” Sunset’s explanation made my eyes widen. 

“So what you’re saying is-” 

“We’re on a timeframe...a countdown to destruction, yes,” Dameion interrupted. 

“Exactly. We need to shut her down, exorcise Solaris somehow, and put an end to this meaningless war before it’s too late.” Sunset began walking north, towards the Zistral Wall if I’m not mistaken. 

“Time is of the essence, Spike. Come on,” Dameion stated quietly but harshly as he followed after Sunset Shimmer. I turned my body around and followed, no longer seeing a reason to remain here. 

“I just hope nothing happens on our way there. I’m feeling pretty confident now that we have a third member to our-” 

My thought was interrupted as the inferno wall completely froze over, and it shattered directly in front of us in the shape of a hole. A familiar face stepped out of said hole, his white. long hair flowing as he did so. His body was covered by a scale-tight, black armor with blue lines making intricate patterns through it. His breastplate had a black skull with a large, blue gem socketed into the top. 

“Yo,” He called out smugly. “Couldn’t help but overhear that conversation you guys were having back there!”

“Hello, Zerris,” Dameion stated with no small amount of disinterest, making the anthro dragon frown as he came up to meet us. 

Zerris had a scythe, and the ‘blade’ at the top curved into a crescent moon shape. It also reminded me of dry ice, what with the way it was passing off white clouds of vapor as he gripped it around the metal stick part with one hand. “No need to be a dickmuncher, dickmuncher. My kill count stands at a hundred; what’ve you been doing?”

“I figured out where the leader is, and am currently on my way to behead her. You're welcome to join me, Zerris, but please do something about that atrocious mouth of yours. Surely your vernacular isn’t that poor.” Dameion and Sunset walked past the fuming Zerris after he received that verbal jab from her, leaving me alone with the guy. 

“So...er...how’s it hangin’,” I asked nervously. Zerris gave me a look that said, “Are you serious, bro?” before turning around and walking off with the rest of the gang. “You don’t have to be so rude! Honestly, I was just trying to engage in some conversation,” I called out after him as I ran to catch up. 

Once I did, however, a sight that made my blood run cold came forth. 

In front of the massive wall and doors was Princess Celestia. Flanking her left was the Elements of Harmony, and on her right was Luna. Beside all of them were at least five-hundred guards, each with a war face planted upon them. 

Celestia was dressed from the neck down in gold armor. Her breastplate had that diamond-shaped amethyst in the middle, and it seemed to rest further out than the rest of her armor. Her hooves were covered by two-layered hoof-shaped greaves that stopped right below her shins. Above the exposed shins were golden leg braces, which were strapped on top of golden chainmail that covered her where her armor could not. Her mane and tail were braided back into a ponytail, and on her flanks was a piece of armor adorned with her cutie mark. Even the tops of her wings were covered in armor, and her face was the very definition of resolution.

In her magical aura, she carried a battle crown and a golden battleaxe, with an engraving of her cutie mark on both sides. The Elements were dressed much the same, now, but the only difference was the cutie marks on their flanks. 

My group lined up next to me, placing me in the middle and giving me a direct eye path to Celestia.

“So here we stand,” Celestia snarked, making me roll my eyes. “I offer you a chance to come home, and not only do you rebuke it, but you have the gall to strike my sister in her face? Do you not wish for this land to be left alone? Why do you resist?” 

“Because you’re an asshole, that’s why,” I replied with shrug of my shoulders, before narrowing my eyes and clenching my fists in rage. “And you’ve done nothing but make my life hell so far. Well, not so much Celestia, but rather the Fallen Angel that rests inside you.” My statement caused Celestia to raise her eyebrow. 

“Really...you’re shifting the blame for this on me? I honestly expected you to mature a little while you were- as they say these days -on the lamb, so to speak. Not only have you not, but I fear your irresponsibility has skyrocketed, forcing you to blame this situation on beings that do not exist.” Celestia, after her response, stomped her hoof in disgust. “I had expected more from the pseudo-brother of my star pupil, but I see now that the nature of being a dragon is too much for sound thinking.” 

“Are you quite done flicking your bean, bitch,” Zerris asked in mock-disbelief, making the Elements gasp and Celestia snap her head over with glare. “I mean, I’m all in for foreplay, but think of the kids!” 

“Silence! Keep your mouth shut! This is a matter that does not concern you, any of you, for that matter! You’d do well to remain mute until my chat with Spike is concluded! My patience is already at an end!” 

“How humorous. You actually think I’ll give heed to your proclamation, horse? Cute, but unwise. You’re invading my kingdom. You’re attacking my friend. You, are in over your head...which I plan on taking, whether you’re possessed by this Solaris character or not. Gutter trash like yourself has no right in issuing orders, not while you’re within the boundaries of my kingdom.” Dameion decided to let himself in on the fun as well. 

“You dare!? You dare insult me!?” 

“No...” Dameion started as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her. “...I did, so do something about it. If not, I expect you to extend your neck,” He finished coldly, making me give him a look of surprise. 

“When did Dameion talk like that? This is becoming weird.” 

“Spike, please! There’s been so much death and destruction! We don’t want to do this!” Twilight tried her hoof at pleading, but it fell on deaf ears as Spike scoffed. 

“It’s Vorvin now, fillies. I want nothing to do with any of you, and I expect you all to be gone in the next five minutes. After that time period, I can’t be held responsible for the actions of these three.” My explanation caused Celestia to growl and Twilight to shrink back with a hurt look on her face. 

“This is most unwise, Spike! My sister is giving you a chance, a rare opportunity to redeem yourself! Why would you squander that!?” This time it was Luna. 

“And what would my redemption entail!?” I had a good idea where this was gonna go, and if I happen to be right, I’m gonna kill at least a hundred guards! 

“I believe five-hundred years in the royal dungeon woul-” 

“Fuck the lot of you,” I cut Luna off, making her eyes go wide at my disrespect. “You now have two minutes to leave. Once again, I can’t be held responsible for what happens after that.” 

“If Spike doesn’t want to come, why can’t he just stay here? This whole thing is stupid,” Rainbow Dash snarked, flapping her wings to keep herself aloft while she crossed her front hooves. This earned her a fiery glare from Celestia. 

“I believe we’ve been over this, Rainbow Dash! If Spike were to escape us, I have no doubt in my mind that he will be the destroyer of Canterlot in the future! It could happen tomorrow, next week, next month, or even years from now! It doesn’t matter! And so, I must keep an eye on him, or remove him. It’s that simple.” Celestia’s explanation caused Rainbow Dash to nod in fear before floating down to the ground next to Twilight. 

“At least bring some toilet paper for all the bullshit you’re talking, Sunbutt. I mean, it’s not that I don’t enjoy a little white lie myself, it’s just that I hate the obvious ones...like your whole speech right there. All that bullshit belongs in a barn stall somewhere,” Zerris snarked again, waving a hand in the air dismissively. 

Celestia snapped her head to face him again, her eyes completely white with magic. “I THOUGHT I SAID SILENCE! WAS THAT NOT CLEAR, PEON?” 

“God, I hope no bloke was unlucky enough to give you the pipe. I mean, can you say screamer? I bet everyone in the castle knows when you’re stirring the pot, right?” I couldn’t help but laugh at that last one. And, as it turns out, neither could some of the guards and my entourage.

Celestia had enough, what with the beam of solar fire she shot from her horn, hitting Zerris in the chest. He laughed, however, as the beam hit him and proceeded to bounce off the armor and rocket itself into the air. 

“Wait...” Zerris trailed off as he pointed at Celestia, whose face was currently in shock so much that her mouth was playing pattycake with the ground. “...You’re supposed to be the fucking leader!? You want to beat the Zistral Swords and capture Spike!? Get the fuck outta here,” He exclaimed jovially while swiping the free hand across his body. “Why dont you come back when you’re not a complete waste of our time!? Seriously, all you horsefuckers better leave before there are bits and pieces of you fags...like...everywhere. I’m talking twenty-inch cock, anal destruction here!” 

“Attack them,” Celestia ordered coldly, making the guards run off towards us with a triumphant battle cry. 

“Allow me, gentlemen.” Sunset stepped forward and ignited her horn, and when Celestia’s eyes fell upon the familiar mare, she seemed to be scared shitless for her guards. “Inferno, come forth, please.” 

And it was so. 

The same aquamarine inferno erupted from the ground, completely immolating the guards that had closed the distance so fast. We didn’t even hear their screams as they melted within the towering blaze, and then the fire was gone. There were only five guards left. 

I whistled at that. “Nice! You’re like a trapmaster or something!” 

“I pride myself on my ingenuity with traps, yes. And Zerris’s baiting did a good job of distracting Celestia from my presence as I set the spell. He was helping me the entire time, and none of them were wise enough to see through the old provocation trick.” Sunset stepped back and rejoined formed the line again, leaving the remaining guards paranoid as their heads snapped and searched for anymore booby traps. 

“Oh, and you all might not want to move...or fly, for that matter. I’ve been charging booby traps since this fight began, and let’s just say my power rivals that of your benevolent sun princess! You can only imagine what a chain reaction could do to all of you, right?” 

Celestia was pissed, and the air became hot and heavy as she placed the battle crown on her head. Once situated accordingly, she levitated her axe closer to her face and flared her wings. “This outrage will not stand, Spike the Dragon. By eliminating my guards, you have declared war not just on me, my sister, and your friends. But you have declared war on the Sun, the Moon, and Friendship itself! There is no greater crime than this in context to our land! Girls!” Celestia snapped her head to face Twilight and the rest of the Elements, making me raise an eyebrow over what could possibly be happening now. 

“You are to show no mercy with these four. Luna and I will lead the attack, I need you all to provide support with your Elements. This whole mission- nay -the fate of Equestria itself rests on the shoulders of you six, Luna, and I. We must prevail,” Celestia exclaimed with no small amount of conviction. 

Twilight casted her gaze down to the ground, apparently in thought. I could tell she was weighing her options. She only had two. One: She and the Elements could help Celestia with taking me down. Or Two: They would revolt, and side with me. 

I knew option two was out of the equation, so that only left- 

“Okay,” Twilight stated confidently. “Girls, we’re in this to bring Spike home! We can’t be defeated as long as we have the power of friendship on our side!” Twilight stomped her hoof as her friends gave their own versions of assent. 

Zerris dropped his scythe and fell over laughing. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! These titless whorebags are supposed to wield the ‘powah of fwendsheep’ against us!? This shit is priceless!” He continued roaring in laughter, kicking his feet into the air like a child while he did so. 

This got a glower from Twilight. “You’d do well to know that the power of friendship has saved Equestria from-” 

“What!? Evil teddy bears that hug you mercilessly,” he mockingly asked in a deep voice, making Twilight grind her teeth in frustration. “Ooo! Ooo! Or how about, The devilish tea time dolls...who don’t extend their pinkies! HAHAHAH-” He continued laughing on the grown as I facepalmed. 

“We call the blue one.” All of the Elements, including Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, drawled out angrily. 

Zerris laughed even harder. “Oh...Oh...I...I think I broke my coccyx! Someone...please...make it STOP!” 

He was promptly lifted from the ground via a large cobblestone pillar. Wondering what could’ve caused the earth to piston like that without magic, my eyes fell on Applejack as she shook her front hooves in minor pain. 

“Did she stomp!? Is that all she did!? And why does she have that gods-forsaken stetson on with that armor!?” 

“Hoo~wee! Look at dat varmint fly!” Applejack tilted her stetson back with a gold-plated hoof, her friends following her gaze as Zerris climbed ever higher into the sky. 

“I dare say that was a good shot, darling! That’d teach the hooligan to mock the power of our friendship,” Rarity exclaimed as she danced in place, jumping back and forth between the hooves on either side of her. 

“Where’re you guys lookin’?” I nearly shat myself as Zerris’s voice rung out next to me, and I hastily turned my head to see the guy with his arm around both Dameion’s and my shoulder. “Have they never seen someone clone themselves with magic? It’s a common technique.” 

“Remove your appendage, ape.” Dameion shrugged Zerris off, who promptly gave him the bird. Zerris was also chewing some gum, and it smelt and felt like a winter’s morning as he did. 

“I guess? Also, why aren’t you attacking them while they’re watching ‘you’ fly away?” 

“I don’t enjoy hitting females, man. No self-respecting guy does.” Zerris used his free arm to shrug as he crossed his legs while continuing to lean on me. “Anyways, I guess I’ve got to. I mean, it sucks that they’re all girls, but my home is getting dicked in the ass right now, and someone’s got to say, “Hey! I’ve been stretched enough!” “

After that...thrilling analogy, Zerris patted my shoulder and pushed me back, using the hand that dropped of my shoulder to call his scythe back to him. “Freezix and I have to bone a couple bitches, it seems. Ah hell, what can you do when you’re a soldier, right?” He used his occupied hand to swing the scythe down, making the edge of the blade thud into the ground. 

Spires of ice began popping out from the earth, rapidly growing in size and speed as they approached the Elements of Harmony. Twilight looked down just in time to see a spire three feet away from her and the rest of the gan, and that was all the time she needed to teleport all of them out of harm’s way. 

She winked back into existence directly next to the ice spire, which had left a sizeable hole in the Zistral Wall.

“You done goofed,” Zerris quipped with a smile, making Twilight raise her eyebrow quizzically. 

“How, when you clearly missed?” 

Aquamarine orbs of sparking energy lifted themselves in clusters of five or six from the ground, completely surrounding the Elements of Harmony as they fizzled and lighted up. 

“TWILIGHT!” Celestia beelined into the mares, blasting them out of the arcane minefield right in time.

“And boom goes the arcane dynamite,” Sunset quipped herself as the mines exploded, blowing the entire front gates and front wall out of existence. A massive flap of wings completely pushed aside the dust cloud, however, and revealed Celestia, completely unfazed. 

She began flapping herself off the ground, her eyes going back to being pure magic. “YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT DEARLY! NONE OF YOU SHALL BE LEFT ALIVE AFTER I UNLEASH THE FULL FURY OF THE S-” 

As her climb came to an apex, her body jerked down into a boomerang shape as a familiar anthro dragon drove her knees into Celestia’s back. The impact was louder than a chorus of cannonfire, and it sent out a large white shockwave that reminded me of Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom. Celestia and the armored figure slammed into the ground, making an earthquake-like tremor come about. A large plume of brown dust kicked up and completely covered the entirety of the surrounding area. 

“Air Cannon: Lance Shot!” There was no way I have that voice mistaken. That was definitely Artemis, the sweet and demure woman from the castle. 

Celestia, after I felt a large gust of air nearly sweep me off my feet, was sent flying past all four of us. Her crown was missing, and the braided ponytail she had her mane styled in was gone. She crashed through many stalls, and if she hadn’t that armor on, I think Celestia would’ve been gravely injured from that.

I heard a yell, one of a battle-like nature, and this caused me to turn my head in time to see Luna blast Artemis from behind. This sent Artemis flying past us as well, Luna hot on her ass as she sped off after her opponent.

That left me alone with Zerris, Dameion, and Sunset Shimmer. Well, considering how Zerris whistled and twirled his large and long scythe with one hand as he strolled towards the Elements, I was left alone with Dameion and Sunset. 

“Sunset, help Zerris in any way possible. He’s sure to underestimate the mares, and that’s gonna be all she wrote if he does. Cover him with your traps, remain hidden, and should you live, you can escape with Dameion and I.” My arms wrapped her up in a hug, for as weird as it may sound, she has proven herself to be a part of my clique. Much like Zerris and Artemis, in fact. I don’t want them to die if I can help it.

I felt her breath catch in her throat momentarily, making me worry that due to my new strength, I was inadvertently choking her. My panicked thoughts were laid to rest when she returned the gesture quickly before pushing me off, galloping towards walking Zerris. 

When she finally reached his side, he looked down at her. I saw his lips move momentarily, not even for a second. That was all it took for Sunset to buck him in the groin. He didn’t feel the pain due to the armor, but I could tell the vibration didn’t feel all that great either, based on the way he grimaced minutely. 

“Artemis is fighting the Lunar Princess and the Solar Princess. She’s in need of aid, and I plan on taking the life of Celestia anyway. I do not care what you may do, or if you do anything at all,” Dameion spat, walking towards the Center Circle and the marketplace. He got halfway in before a red beam shot through a couple of stands, and since Dameion was walking in a line directly in front of me, I had to jump to the side in order to avoid the beam as well. 

“Show yourself, trash. Your element of surprise is gone, and in a few moments...” Dameion trailed off as he unsheathed his rapier and pointed it at the stalls where the beam had come from. “Your life will go with it.” 

“Pssh, leave it to you filthy Draconians to make such cold remarks.” My eyes widened at that deep voice as an anthro figure swept the stall aside like it was an annoying toy, the whole thing lifting from the ground and flying into more stands to the right.

I couldn’t tell if this thing was after me or not, seeing as how I ran into it a while back at a train platform. Auburn armor, completed by a devil-horned helmet and a ripped, red cape became known to me. Burning orange eyes leered at me with ample amounts of mirth and killer intent, and in its left hand was a weapon of which I’ve never seen. One side had a sword blade, while the other one contained an open, metal clamp thing. 

The being walked forward, stopping somewhere between ten to fifteen feet in front of Dameion. I walked up next to my friend and readied myself for an attack that was sure to come. 

“Spike the Dragon. Dameion Setsuya. It is a pleasure to meet you at long last! I am Lucian: the Puppet-Master of Pain and Lord of the Plane of Suffering. As you can probably tell, I’m probably the strongest entity you feasted your eyes on so far.” Lucian’s smug voice was grating on my nerves. “Everything you two have done, I orchestrated. Everything. From your banishment,” He pointed at me, “To your forced millennial slumber by your father,” Lucian took that clawed finger and pointed it at Dameion. 

“All this to get here, in this exact spot, where I revived due to the negative energies of death and suffering thanks to this war, plus, the dead body of an anthro! I really must thank you two for making this so easy. I can finally finish a battle that was started long before you two were even thoughts in your parent’s heads.” Lucian- and I somehow knew he was mocking us by how slow he was doing it -bowed at the waist and remained like that for five seconds. After that, he lifted himself back to full height and tilted his helmet at us like a westerner would. 

“I hope you don’t mind it none when I burn this decrepit rock in the depths of Tartarus, kiddies. I plan on resurrecting every soul trapped in my Plane, utilizing them as my undead army and slaying everything on this planet. Equus will become the starting point of what’s to become a multi-planetary nexus of suffering, and you two helped me do it! So relax~...your deaths will be quick.” Lucian began twirling his awkward-looking weapon about, holding his other hand up to his face while he used the same hand’s fingers to clean the grime and wood underneath. 

“You orchestrated my life? How absurd.” Dameion began walking towards Lucian, who turned his silhouetted face to view the prince with some interest. “A peon like yourself, who is lower than the defecation of worms, couldn’t possibly grasp the grandeur of my life, let alone orchestrate it.” Dameion jumped into the air and swung his rapier downwards, and Lucian blocked this by lifting the bladed part of his weapon to intercept with one hand.

Physics seemed to be broken here. Dameion was suspended in the air as their blades clashed, and he stayed there. 

“Oh great, we have a hoity-toity one. You’ll be the first to go.” Lucian swung his arm lazily, flinging Dameion towards me like he was a gnat. I didn’t have time to react as Dameion slammed into me, catapulting us both backwards. I landed on my back, taking on Dameion’s added weight, and began sliding along the cobblestone. Thanks to my dragon scales, I didn’t feel any pain from the impact or slide. 

“If that’s all you two can do, I’m honestly disappointed. I mean, I tried getting you two to power up as much as possible before fighting me with the hopes of making this shit interesting, but this is just depressing. I feel like I’m kicking a puppy...which is only fun on hump day.” 

“Everything you say pisses me off,” I roared as I shoved Dameion to the side, springing from the ground using my back and legs. I brushed some dirt off my shoulders with tiny sweeps, turning my head to see what I was doing. “And you got my clothes dirty! Am I really gonna have to fuck you up, man? I don’t feel like fighting.” 

“So don’t. I don’t give a shit. You’ll be making my job easier,” Lucian responded indifferently, making me scowl as my jab was returned full force.

“Alright pal. You asked for it.” I channeled some green fire into my hand, then shot the appendage forward, making the fireball spin as I curved my fist at the last moment. It whistled through the air, honing in on Lucian as he chuckled and held the sword end of the weapon towards it. 

“This is pointless. I’ll just stop it like so.” He jabbed his weapon forward, and I saw his eyes widen as the fireball changed course and smacked him in the face, exploding and sending the armored figure flying back into the many stalls. He traveled far, and I could barely make out the smoke and debris as he kept going. 

“Shouldn’t have talked all that talk,” I finished with a smug grin. I knew then that my power had increased in comparison to when I hadn’t fused with Vorvin. Even Dameion- though the gesture was almost missed by yours truly -went wide in the eyes at that. 

“Well now, it seems you have some power after all, Spike. That last fireball almost looked controlled, as if you spun it on purpose. Of course, we both know your mind isn’t strong enough to come up with such an advanced technique on a whim like that.” Dameion smiled smugly at the end of his rant, making me snort in mild annoyance. 

“I wish it was you in front of that fireball, pal.” I slapped him on the back, getting him to hiss in pain and step forward while rubbing the offended spot. 

“A redback slap? Honestly? Although this shows great comprehension of your newly-found strength, I must also state that it still hurt...bad. If you ever do it again, I’m going to fry you,” Dameion pointed his rapier’s tip at me, which made a tiny spark of yellow lighting punch me right in the nose. I grasped the recently shocked part of my face with both hands, giving a shrill cry of pain.

“Gah, asshole! Why’re you using that shit on me!? Hit the creepy guy with the weird-ass weapon!” 

“He has not returned from the vacation you sent him on,” Dameion quipped, getting me to snap my head up and growl at him. 

“Oh, you’re so dea- wait. Did you just jest? Holy shit...” I trailed off and began thinking about all the possible ways the world could be ending right now. “You...Dameion Setsuya...just told a joke? Has my whole life been a lie?” 

I was promptly slapped in the back of the head. “Jest all you want, clown. But be on guard, our opponent comes to us now.” 

Lucian came strolling through the white and brown clouds of wood and dust, whistling a merry tune as he did so. “Hey, did I mention I’m a certified badass? No seriously! I went to school for it an everything! That being said, you should know that one attack doesn’t dictate the flow of this battle, right?” 

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re capable of. I would’ve been happy if one punch was the case, BUT HERE’S ME WISHING FOR TWO!” Two fireballs erupted from my fists, one travelling faster than the other. The one aimd for his head was moving the fastest, while the one meant for his chest was moving slower. 

His awkward weapon slashed through them both, but, just like I had planned them to do, the fireballs split themselves into fours and hit Lucian square on. He skidded back from the explosions that followed, and I could hear a grunt of minor pain come from his mouth. He tried his best at hiding it as a chuckle, however. 

“This is almost sad, you two. If Sir Fireballs over here can only use that one move, I’m gonna be extremely pissed. And what about you, Little Lightning Sword? Aren’t you gonna join in on the fun?” Lucian sounded like he was pleading now, and that only served to irritate me further. 

“I’ll not entertain gutter trash like yourself. I am the strongest being to ever live, trash, and you should be prostrating yourself before me accordingly. You’re going to find out that even Lords of Suffering can taste the ground as they kneel before me.” Dameion pointed his rapier at Lucian, who promptly took that as a sign to charge us.

The Lord chuckled as he swung his weapon, Dameion intercepting the strike with his rapier. Sparks of lightning and heat jumped out from the clashing blades, and Dameion proceeded to match Lucian’s chuckle with his own.

“I can see now that you’re holding back...greatly. Even so, if this is how strong you are while holding back, I can honestly say that your chances of winning against Spike and I are minimal.” Faster than I or Lucian could see, Dameion’s knee slammed into the demon’s stomach, causing his whole body to fold up. Lucian let out a pained gasp and swung a fist from his bent over position in the air, which missed Dameion as he retracted his knee, spun around quickly in a great attempt to create momentum, and launched himself upwards with his rapier. 

All of this was happening right in front of me, by the way. 

As Dameion slashed Lucian’s falling body from bellybutton up, a large red red mark appeared up the length of the skinny incision. I had thought it merely to be more sparks, but as Dameion came to an apex and flipped over Lucian’s head, bringing the rapier down on the demon’s back, another red mark came out.

I bore witness to two attacks that happened in a one second interval, and also saw the red lightning arcing in the cuts. The sign was obvious, so I promptly jumped back using my new strength just in time to see Lucian become enveloped in a red lightning cloud. 

“Ruby Lightning,” Dameion stated coldly as he then flashed by Lucian’s lightning-enveloped body, a red line following his slash as he phased through the demon. He came out of the attack on a knee, holding his rapier so that it was laying horizontal to the ground. His eyes were closed as well, and when he opened them, he finished his attack, “Red Cross.” 

Red lightning crashed down from the sky, blinding me as a loud explosion and the sound of volts echoed through my ears. When the noise finally died down and the lights vanished, I opened them and saw something quite awesome. 

Lucian was still standing, yes, but he was hunched over and panting. He was in a line, a vertical hole that went ten feet out in both directions. The bottom of the hole was red, and red lightning fizzled along the edges of the cobblestone scar. 

Dameion stood up and dusted his knees off before turning sharply and pointing his sword at Lucian. “Demon or not, you will bow. You will bow before myself and Spike, and you will confess with your heart that we are kings.” 

“Do you ever shut up? Did you really think an attack of this magnitude could beat me? I’ve been in existence for over three-thousand years, insect,” Lucian roared, dropping his weapon before bending further over. On his cape came these black holes of viscous darkness. From these holes came chains with nine barbs. 

“CHAINS OF CERBERUS,” He roared as he spread his arms out quickly, bending backwards enough to angle his head to the sky and let loose a roar. Nine of those chains erupted from his back and raced to carve Dameion to pieces.

Lucian laughed as Dameion did his best in avoiding and slashing the chains, but because of how quick and how precise the attacks were becoming, Dameion began taking hits that left nine gashes for each strike that landed. 

“No matter how good of a swordsman you claim yourself to be, you’re gonna be nothing but bits and pieces by the end of this assault. Supernatural foes with twice the amount of strength and skill fell before these chains! A fledgeling dickhead like yourself hadn’t a chance!” Lucian began laughing as Dameion crossed his arms in an ‘x’ formation, switching to just defending himself from the onslaught of tipped metal.

“I’m not saying your assistance will be appreciated, Spike.” 

I shook my head after that, then jumped using my new strength. I jumped in a way that allowed me to soar over the chains, coming down on Lucian like an anvil. Leading the attack with double-handed slam, my fists slammed directly on top of his helmet, shattering the piece of equipment while effectively burrowing all of his body into the ground. 

I flipped out of the attack and came to rest five or so feet in behind him. I heard the sliding of metal, and as I turned around, I saw the chains from earlier receding into the dirt.

Dameion lowered his guard as Lucian slowly turned his head one-hundred-eighty degrees to face me! “That fucking hurt. Not the head turn, but the whole attack you did just now. Sorry to say it,” Dameion and I were still hung up on his ‘face’, which was nothing more than black smoke with the orange eyes. “But now, I’m gonna have to get serious.” 

The ground began to shake as Lucian inhaled a lot of air slowly. Dameion and I kept stumbling, hoping to find our footing as the ground rumbled. This meant that we couldn’t attack Lucian at all, and I was beginning to get worried. When the rumbling stopped after two minutes of him inhaling, I rushed him, knowing that something bad was going to happen if I didn’t. 

Apparently, I was too late. 

“Hellskin...EQUIP!”

----A----


I twirled my black kris daggers expertly, hearing the metal sing as it slashed the air. My eyes went from pony to pony, and their eyes never left mine. We were locked in battle focus, our muscles tensed and our magic ready for someone to make a move. 

“State your name and reason for attacking us, woman.” The blue one’s voice carried sorrow, hurt even; but it also contained conviction, and command. She was not to be trifled with, and as they’ll soon find out...neither am I. 

“I am Artemis Chrysanthemum Airflower: Lady of Crimson, Wind Queen, and current Ruler of Mithril. And since you both have a regal appearance to yourselves, I’m willing to bet that you’re also royalty.”

“We are,” The blue one responded quickly. “I am Princess Luna Everfree Faustus: Third-Born to Creation, Mistress of the Night, and Dream Guide” 

The white one stepped forward with an unamused look in her eyes. “And I am Princess Celestia Everfree Faustus: First-Born to Creation, Lady of the Sun, and Keeper of Harmony. We are the diarchs of the Equestrian nation, and we have come to apprehend a criminal who has found refuge in your boundaries.” 

“And you didn’t send notice, why,” I asked with a lot of venom, my grip around my daggers tightening. Princess Luna looked away when her sister peered at her with distaste. “I’m sure we could’ve talked things out before it got to this point?” 

“Nay. Circumstances prevented that from being the case, I’m afraid. It was either I chased him down and rallied my forces to capture him, or he would come back and destroy Canterlot, our nation’s capital,” Princess Celestia explained, making me nod my head in mock-understanding.

In truth, I was pissed. 

“Yep, totally credible...” I snarked sarcastically, getting Celestia to look at me with that glare she was giving her sister. “If I was an idiot, sure! Do you assholes really think I’ll let you tear up my kingdom in order to nab someone who escaped you!? There is nothing you can do to make me see this differently! Now prepare yourselves; astral deities or not, I will make you pay for this transgression.” 

“Hubris,” Celestia yelled as she charged me with her axe raised in a telekinetic aura. In response to this, I sent some wind magic into my feet and zipped out of the way, appearing next to her body with a higher speed than she could track. Her eyes widened as I zipped in for a stab in her head, but I noticed a blob of blue in my periphery.

Channeling more magic, I moved out of the way of Princess Luna, who had launched a ray of magic from her horn in an attempt to hit me. It missed terribly, however, as I found myself on the top of a brown stall. 

Celestia and Luna turned their heads to look at me with raised eyebrows.

“High-speed movement? You think this power is of concern to my sister and I?” Celestia’s question was filled with haughtiness. “We’ve trapped the elusive God of Chaos: destroyed the Cloven-Hooved Necromancer, wiped out the Wiccans of Wickedness, defeated the King of Shadows. and bested the Evil One himself. You...you are dust. That’s it.” 

“I see. But didn’t you know?” Angered by her condescent, I zipped up to her face and held one of my kris daggers to her right eye. That same eye widened, of course. “Even a speck of dust can cause unparalleled amounts of pain and discomfort.” 

She tried swatting me with her axe, which ended up being a pretty bad mistake in her case. You see, I ducked under the blow, zipped around to her other side, and plunged my dagger into her eye. I then zipped back as the organ popped like a balloon, ushering a wail of intense pain from the sun deity. 

“For instance, let’s say that spec of dust found its way into your eye.” I could only say that much before Princess Luna tried hosing me down with continuous rays of energy, which whistled through the air like arrows with holes in their shafts.

----Z----


“Well this is unfortunate.” 

Okay, so let’s be honest here. I wasn’t expecting six colorful ponies to be kicking my ass like this. Hell, I even came into the fight underestimating them. Now, based on personal experience...they’re a little tough. 

Of course, my attacks- the ones I used for fun, that is -seemed to be finally taking their toll on them all. Well, the lavender one with wings and horn- a trait that wasn’t shared among her friends -was just staring at me as I panted on the ground. I had one hand on Freezix’s shaft, and the other one was on my knee as I looked up that the six. 

“Am I too sexy to kill or something?” The purple one snarled at my smartass remark. 

“It was never our intention to kill, pervert,” She snapped. Yep, she had taken to calling me a pervert earlier in our fight. “Now, do you surrender? I don’t want to continue fighting against you anymore.” 

I smiled. “Do you normally bunch together like that? You know, crowd around one another?” The lavender one looked at her friends with worry on her face before looking back at me. I saw her wings tense up in preparation for an escape, so I knew the lure had already been placed. I was just waiting for the fish to bite. 

“And if we do?” 

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if the ground froze over, leaving you trap-” 

They all jumped into the air, making my smile double in size. “Gotcha.” 

The Elements of Harmony, which is what they had addressed themselves as being earlier, were promptly introduced to one of the worst pains ever. That pain, ladies and gents, was electrocution. 

They lit up like the Creation Festival fireworks! Aquamarine lightning repeatedly conducted itself in the large bubble that had surrounded them while in mid-air. Their titillating screeches of pain filled the air as I rose to my feet. After what felt like four minutes, one of the mares passed out and went limp. It was at this time that the trap stopped. 

Five landed on their hooves, one landed on its side. The yellow one with the pink mane was down for the count. 

“What...a dirty trick! You don’t...don’t...think it’s enough...to beat me, right?” The one with a rainbow mane spat, one of her eyes shut as she panted. Her mane, hell, all of their manes looked a hot mess now. Said mare fell onto her face, down for the count, after another ten seconds. 

The orange one went next. 

I kept my smile up and watched with a little disappointment as the pink and white one fell over. 

“That...didn’t look like...a spell you know! Who’s...Who’s helping you,” Lavender yelled wearily, making me snicker and flip a stray bang out of my face with my free hand. 

“Well, that wouldn’t be any fun, right? And here I thought you mares would put up a better fight than this, considering all the choking your ruler was doing on your dicks. On a sidenote: did you see the lips on that princess? Daaaayum! She could get my other legs in there following the third!” 

“Must you be so vulgar? Honestly.” I groaned as the Nanny came up from behind me, dropping her concealment spell. A blue line that started from the top of her head went down the entire length of her body, revealing Sunset Shimmer in aquamarine fizzles that died out over time. “It’s nice to see that the Elements of Harmony have been dealt with, however. I must admit, the new pupil of Princess Celestia gave me pause in correlation to whether you could handle them or not, but I see now that my worry was fortified on sand instead of rock.” 

“Why don’t you get laid? I mean; I’m all one for intelligent debate, but come on.” My quip rewarded me with a zap to the ass, which I did not yelp at. Not. 

“I just want to bring Spike home.” Lavender’s trembling voice caused Sunset and I to look at her simultaneously. She looked on the verge of tears, and she even dropped down onto her ‘knees’ and shut her eyes tightly. “We made a mistake! I...I don’t want anypony to die! This is horrible,” Her last word turned into a wail as she began crying. It was rather...awkward, watching an adult cry like that. I mean, she seemed like an adult, and I knew that based on the fact that she looked the same age as Sunset. 

“Yeah, it is; but someone’s got to do it. And unfortunately, my position as Number One in the Zistral Swords dictates that my mission isn’t over until the opposing force is retreating or dead.” I hefted Freezix up and leaned it across my shoulders with my right hand, allowing the staff part to rest on my back. The cold sensation of Freezix’s blade next to my left cheek made me a little anxious to get this shit over with. 

“I’m not a people- or in your case -pony, person. But, I’ve killed enough of them to generalize with a glance. You, Ms. Lavender, don’t look like the quittin’ type. I guess you know what that means, right?” My question and sudden footsteps as I made my way over there caused her to snap her head up in fear. 

“No. No! NO! Stay away from us! You’ve done enough,” Lavender yelled, making me shake my head in shame. 

“This is the only part of my job that I hate, you know. The law is broken, but it’s the law. I have no choice but to follow it. Sorry girly, I got to add you to my Head Collection. There’s a reason they call me, the Sub-Zero Guillotine, after all.” Once I reached in front of her, I pivoted my body to the side and placed my left foot back, taking the staff of Zernix in both my hands. 

My weapon was now in crescent-moon pose, and I was ready to claim the head of this pony. “Any last words, art project? You’ll find me merciful in last wishes, I assure you. Most of my victims die happy...most.” 

“...No.” 

Her voice was so softspoken, I couldn’t make out what she said. “What?” 

“NO!” I never felt pain like being hit at point-blank range by a ray of magic. And I never had a hole the size of a bowling ball blown into my chest cavity before. That was definitely new. 

My vision swam as I dropped Freezix, stumbling backwards awkwardly.

“Woah!” That was Sunset...I think. 

The next thing I know, there was a blistering pain in my head as I fell. I was then introduced to the red sky with black clouds as I coughed some blood up. Her magic and mine didn’t mix, cause I tried healing my wound with ice like normal...and it didn’t work. It’s like that beam cancelled my magic altogether...and boy is it hard keeping my eyes open. 

“What the fuck is happening here?” 

As my eyes fluttered, acting as shutters to a film, I became aware of what was playing. It was my life. 

Holy shit. I was dying. And this...this was the whole life-flashes-before-my-eyes schtick. 

I saw myself as a small lad, in my father’s dojo. He was a nerd in every sense of the word, got married around forty and didn’t have his first piece of ass until that age as well. My old man and I didn’t get along too well, especially when it came to fencing training. 

The Hex clan in Mithril was renowned for its prowess with a fireplace poker, which is basically what I call rapiers. I mean, how can those things do damage? They’re like metal toothpicks, and that was the argument I gave my dad. 

He didn’t take it so well, based on the scene that was playing out before me. 

My old man was currently beating the snot out of me with a wooden rapier, and every time I messed up or missed, he made sure I knew. I couldn’t leave the dojo after, even though I wanted to. He had been successful in breaking both my legs and arms, and even cracked half of my ribs. My face looked like a squash patch. 

I cried myself to sleep on that waxed, wooden floor. Even when morning came, and no one came to check on me, I eventually crawled to the doorway. I moaned in pain as my claws dug into the paper of the oriental-styled sliding door. I, using what little strength I had left, slammed the door open from my position on the ground. 

There, waiting with a wooden rapier in his right hand, was my father. He peered down at me with the fury of hell behind him, and I remember pissing myself in fear. 

“Not only did you slam this door open, but you urinated on my floor. Crawl back to your sword, boy. Practice was not cancelled for today,” He spoke in a voice like thunder. The younger me winced in comprehension as his bodily pain flared up. 

Eventually, I passed out after trying to stand up twenty times on broken legs. The last thing I remembered from that was my father spitting on me, and telling me that I was the greatest shame to ever happen to the Hex clan. 

Two years later, and I was ready to attend third grade. 

That’s when I met Dameion and Artemis for the first time. Recess had began, and although Dameion acted as if everything under the roof and sky was his, he was enjoyable to be around. I found myself drawn to him, and I figured it was his gift of companionship that made me come closer. Artemis was, to be blunt, my first crush. 

This made things complicated between the three of us for the rest of our scholastic lives, seeing as how she loved Dameion. I knew this was the truth, the irrefutable truth. There was no denying it. 

And I used that as an excuse. I can see that now. I used my love for Artemis as a crutch to get by in life. 

Every time a girl would place a love letter in my shoebox, I would meet her where she specified and tell her that there was someone else. And I didn’t feel bad doing it, entertaining a love that I knew could never happen. My affection had become a handicap I found no shame in using to avoid the pain of heartbreak, and I used to break the hearts of others. 

And now, I’m pretty sure my heart is plastered over a tree somewhere. 

I let a smile work its way across my cheeks, my eyes telling me the show was ending based on the way my childhood memories were slowly fading to black. But before the curtain drew, I could see one last thing. 

During the last Creation Festival we spent together, right after senior year in high school, we had gathered on a hill to celebrate. It was a spot Artemis had found during the nightly strolls she was always fond of, and thanks to that, we had the most beautiful view of fireworks ever. 

We sat next to each other, stupid grins plastered on our faces as we enjoyed the taste of sea-salt ice cream on a stick. And then, after our frozen treats were gone, we overlapped them and smiled at each other before repeating our phrase from childhood. 

I had just enough strength to open my eyes slightly, seeing Sunset’s panicked face looming over mine. Couldn’t hear a damn thing she was saying, but when I opened my eyes, her screams seemed to double in strength, coming across like someone speaking through a hollow barrel. 

The image of us on that hill, that phrase we spoke, slowly worked its way down from my brain and into my mouth. 

My smile widened weakly as I allowed my eyes to finally have their way. 

“Together...forever...” 

----D----


My eyes widened and my ears kicked up. There was no mistaking that voice. But...why did I hear it? Zerris was a good distance away from our battle, so how come his voice sounded like it was right in my ear? 

“Something’s gone wrong. Something has gone TERRIBLY wrong!” I turned my body to sprint off, but was stopped by a laughter that rang out from behind me.

I barely noticed Spike in the air, getting ready to pummel Lucian into the ground some more before an explosion blasted us both backwards. An intense heat kicked up, and as I backflipped out of the momentum and skidded along the ground, lifting my head to see what the hell just happened, I became a witness to something that was- frankly put -impossible. 

A large spire of lava, complete with the patches of black rock, exploded from the entirety of the Center Circle, barely missing my face by a few centimeters. Knowing I wasn’t safe here, I channeled my secret lightning, Sapphire, into my feet and propulsed myself backwards as plume after plume of lava erupted in front of me. 

“I can only imagine how Spike is dealing with this!” 

The surprises for today were infinite, apparently, as the lava began cohesing into a giant...thing. It was easily one-hundred-twenty feet high, and the lava moved to make a face, body, arms and legs. It then pushed all the blackened earth forward into a shell, and horns that numbered at least twenty on its head. 

Its legs were made up of the blackened earth and lava like the rest of its body, but strangely enough, the lower half reminded me of the ponies. The shape did, at least. 

In its left hand was a giant sword, made of flowing and pulsating lava, which was crusted over to give it a sword shape. 

Orange eyes soon found themselves locked on me. 

“I’M BACK, BITCHES. DID YOU GET DADDY SOMETHING NICE?” Its voice was condescending, sure, but it also reminded me of wildebeest stampedes and a bout of fireworks. The ground shook as he spoke, stumbling me to and fro.

I was undeterred by his sudden change, however. I peered up at him as he peered down at me, a cocksure grin plastered on his face. “So you got bigger. Wish I can say you got stronger, but that’s yet to be determined,” I called up to him challengingly, making the massive entity known as Lucian to chuckle. 

“O’REALLY? LET US FIND OUT, THEN!” His roar caused the ground to shake, so I merely pulsated lightning out of the hole on my back, feeling it shift into its wing shape before giving to test flaps. Feeling everything was in order, I promptly launched myself at the head of Lucian, going at breakneck speeds. 

As I neared, I could see Lucian raise a molten eyebrow, the sound of two mountains humping each other following the movement. He then opened his mouth, and I widened my eyes and peeled off in time to feel a burning hot stream of lava come from his mouth. 

I used the momentum from my barrel roll to keep spinning myself and place my rapier, Blackheart, in front of me. I then channeled no small amount of red lightning around my body, doubling the acceleration as my cocoon-like self propelled into and out of the face of Lucian.

Once I left the molten confines of his head through the back, I spread open my wings and turned around, surveying the boulder-sized hole I had left behind. It was when Lucian began chuckling that my worry level skyrocketed. 

The whole hole closed up quickly, and Lucian’s head turned a full one-hundred-eighty degree to face me with a smile. 

“THAT DIDN’T WORK THE FIRST TIME, ASSHAT. WHAT MADE YOU THINK IT WAS GOING TO WORK THIS TIME?” Before I could plan my next attack, I was hit in the chest by a black boulder that was launched from between his eyes at supersonic speeds, shattering my ribcage as I was sent plummeting down the one-hundred-twenty feet.

I yelled in pain as the boulder’s weight sunk into my shattered chest cavity, and I summoned some ruby lightning into my free hand before punching the hell out of the rock. It exploded on the first hit, much to my relief, but that didn’t stop my immediate problem of plummeting. In fact, it worsened it. 

I let my head lean back to see the ground rapidly approaching, and right before I hit it head on, I felt arms wrap around my midsection before tucking me into a masculine chest. 

Quite frankly, I couldn’t tell you how long we were rolling, or how many melting stands we crashed though. I could tell you, however, that I was grateful for making a friend like Spike at that point in time. 

----S----


We came out of the roll, crashing into a plethora of stands and tapestries. It’s a good thing the lava from earlier didn’t reach this far, or else all of Zistral could’ve been up in flames by now. 

Oh, and it was pretty stupid of Dameion to use his lightning to avoid the lava. I mean, we’re dragons. Dragons are fireproof. I mean, hello~? 

Dameion, for the most part, was taking a nap amongst a nice rug as I launched myself from the stall; coming to rest on a knee with a hand on the ground for added stability. I then rose to full height and dusted off my nice duds, before gulping. 

My eyes slowly traveled up the hulking mass of lava known as Lucian, and I could tell by his face alone that he was becoming bored of us. He even yawned. Now that made me frown in anger. 

“DAMN. YA’LL ARE STARTING TO BORE ME. I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE A BLAST FIGHTING YOU TWO, BUT I GUESS THAT’S WHAT I GET FOR ASSUMING, RIGHT?” 

One again, I gulped. This...thing was out of my league. Like...waaaay out of my league! He’s also been orchestrating everything in my life! That means he knows everything I can do, or possibly will do!

“FEAR? IS THAT WHAT I’M SMELLING? YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS.” Lucian chuckled briefly. “THERE IS NO REASON TO FEAR ME, SON OF VORLIANTH, HEIR OF SEVINNA! THIS IS A BATTLE I PLANNED TO END WHEN I CAME BACK, TO FACE THE SPAWN OF THE ARCH-DRAGONS THAT HELPED IMPRISON ME IN THAT GODFORSAKEN PLANE OF MISERY. SO COME ON, SPIKE THE DRAGON! SHOW ME WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF!” 

The molten sword slowly climbed into the air, and when it finally reached its apex, it came crashing down. I couldn’t even describe the shadow it was casting upon what could possibly be the entirety of Zistra’s marketplace district, but I can tell you how afraid I was.

This...this was it. I was finally going to die, and it won’t be from Celestia like thought. It was going to be from some dimension-jumping demon lord, one who has been making my life happen. 

Wait...HE’S responsible for this!? HE’S been here since the beginning, destroying my hopes and dreams while uprooting my happiness like a...a...weed! My life has been SHIT! I’m tired of it....

I felt something pulse up from my stomach, racing its way up to my throat in less than a second. I choked on it, and I finally realized something...it was my true strength. It wanted out, and the only way to let it out, was to let myself out. 

In other words...

“Fuck this shit.” I lifted my hand just as the blade came down, stopping it while blowing everything around me away. Even the stall that Dameion was lodged in was blown away, but I lifted my other hand and channeled my magic into it. The draconian became enraptured in my green flames as it formed a cocoon around him, and while I was at it, I healed his wounds and placed him on the ground feet first. 

His face was the picture of shock when the flames dropped. 

I turned my head toward the giant sword my hand was holding in place after nodding towards Dameion. The sword itself bored me now, and I promptly gripped and shattered it like glass after closing my hand all the way. 

“This shit ends now. I’ve had it with this planet, its fucking peons for citizens, and whatever fucking demon lords lay hidden in the asscracks! No one here is stronger than me, physically or otherwise! AND NOW...” I exhaled, seeing the shot of air blow Lucian back half a step. His face was also the picture of shock. I clenched my fists, feeling something tell me to take everyone’s soul in the whole town of Zistral. 

I glared at Lucian as he roared. 

“...I’m pissed.” 

----A----


I was slowly being pushed back by both Luna and Celestia’s horns. Celestia had lost her golden axe, or at least, gave the impression of losing it. It’s never safe to assume something that could be different. 

My feet slid along the ground slowly, for I was being pushed back by the combined might of the Royal Sisters. This new force was amazing, and I honestly felt like I was being destroyed from the arms back. I swear my arm bones were creaking, and I knew if something didn’t change soon, they were going to try a tactic I wouldn’t like. 

Then, as if I had fallen in favor with the Goddess of Luck, a large blast of wind rocked me from behind. Given the experience I had gathered over the thousand years of training and leading a nation of strong warriors, I took this pseudo lay line within myself instantly. 

I smiled and zipped through up into the air, the added wind accelerating the speed of my movement by at least fifty percent! By the time the Sisters figured out I had disappeared, I had already slashed their shins with my daggers, making sure to cut deep enough on both sides to immobilize them completely. 

A sigh left my lips as the lay line left, and I stabbed one of my daggers into the cobblestone in order to stop the slide I had to enter after the power boost faded. 

My eyes fell over Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, watching their bodies finally catch up to what happen. They fell instantly, their hamstrings completely decimated by the multiple slashes that had appeared over the back of their knees. 

“Grh! What sorcery is this!? When did she do this,” The blue one exclaimed in anger and shock, making me snicker.

“Whoever did that blast of wind from earlier was my angel in disguise!” 

Coming down from the chuckle fit I had at their sudden helplessness, I walked forward until I was right in their faces and squatted down, using my green greave to flip my crimson bangs out of my eyes. “You know, the fact that I just harmed you two like this was nothing but pure luck. As you might have deduced by now, I am naturally attuned to the element of Wind! So, when that large gust came from nowhere, I took the hidden magic out and tuned it with my own, nearly doubling my speed!” I patted them both on the head, even giving them a scratch or two behind the ears while I was at it. 

Princess Luna forgot her pain altogether, leaning into my hand with a shameful moan of pleasure, while Princess Celestia reeled her head back and turned on her horn. 

I jumped back with a smile, thinking of putting some distance between whatever spell she was getting ready to blast me with; but unfortunately, I had forgot about something after using my power boost.

Pain. Pain was all I could feel. My back erupted into an unholy amount of the feeling.

“AHHHHH!” I couldn’t stand anymore, this I knew as fact. I knew too, based on the burning sensation in the wound, that Celestia’s Axe was to blame for this! I fell over in an undignified heap of blood and wails, completely immobilized as the sun bitch’s axe remained embedded within the confines of my spine. 

“Hubris. You dare pat me like a foal, girl,” The condescending tone of Celestia reached my ears...like...right inside of them. I slowly turned my head, the only thing I could still move, and looked into the all-white, magic-infused eyes of the sun deity, whose fur upon my skin was like being touched by a million heated skillets. 

“I measure my life in eons, for I am immortal! You could not win...ever. To think otherwise is, and was, foolishness.” I moaned and felt something cold touch the underside of my slightly raised chin, which I confirmed to be Princess Celestia’s armored hoof as she outstretched my neck. “And now, for aiding an escaped criminal, I am forced to apply judgement. I am sure your people will remember your sacrifice, and even erect monuments in your honor, Lady of Crimson.” 

The cold sensation of metal came across the back of my neck, but there was also a hidden warmth amongst all the cold. 

“I see. She plans to behead me. I’m too injured to fight back...I guess this is it. Not too many people can say they injured the Goddess of both Sun and Moon though, and like she said; I might be dying here, but my people will keep me alive in their hearts...always.” 

My eyes fluttered shut, and I saw an image of a memory most dear to me. It was during the Creation Festival, and right after we wished upon the Second Star to the Right and Prayed to the Goddess of the Earth, a fireworks show began. Hues of exploding yellows, greens, blues, and reds graced the night sky. Every flash brought me a little closer to Dameion’s side, and eventually, I found myself leaning my head along the small of his neck, my hand falling on his thigh as I snuggled in closer. 

He batted me an amused smile and planted a kiss upon my forehead, making me return the gesture and peck his chin.

“Someone fucking shoot me.” That was Zerris, complaining about Dameion and my antics again. I wish I could’ve told him how I really felt...I think that’s my only regret. 

“Oh, here’s the best part,” My past self exclaimed, bringing all three of our hands together and clutching them into a ball. “Remember these words, Day-Day and Zere-Bear! It’s like...a promise to each other!” 

“A promise,” Past Dameion asked dubiously. 

“Did she stutter, fucknugget?” 

I bopped Zerris on the head and glared at him, making him narrow his eyes at me. I narrowed my own, and he promptly backed off. Seeing how he calmed down, I promptly rubbed the back of his head and told him that it was necessary. He humphed and told me to get on with whatever I was going to say. 

“Alright, so this will be broken into three parts! Each of us will give their own vow in remaining best friends! I’ll start it off with...” 

And, almost as if it were some type of sick joke, the image shattered and I was reminded of my current position. I smiled, knowing my death was imminent, and mouthed the words from my past, hoping against hope that Zerris or Dameion would hear them. 

“...Not matter how bad it looks...I know we’ll be there for each other...” 

The axe hit my neck, and all feeling was cut off. 

----D----  


A faint wind pushed against my back, almost like something was trying to hug me from behind. In response, I did an about face and scanned the immediate area for anything that could be used as a trap by Lucian. 

“...We’ll be there...For each other...” 

My eyes widened as the wind caressed my cheek, then moved down to my lips. There was a tentative embrace there. I shivered as the feeling remained for a minute or so, prompting me to slowly raise a hand and just keep it suspended in front of me, lined up with my hip. Even if it was ephemeral event, I think I felt a hip there! 

And then...the sensation was gone, following a short howl of wind before finally dying down in silence.

“...Artemis...” I dropped down onto my knees as the sensations finally made sense. This shiver I felt when I heard Zerris’s voice...and the wind I felt just now when I heard Artemis. “No...” It was almost as if someone was stabbing me in the heart, making sure I felt every ounce of sorrow.

Not wanting to see myself tremble in grief, I slapped my hands over my eyes and let out a bloodcurdling wail of anger and sadness. When the first wail was done, I replaced the second one with a roar, feeling a large sum of lightning surge from the new opening. I knew it was on its way into the sky, and let out another roar as a memory most harmful appeared in my mind. 

It was of Artemis, Zerris, and myself. We were sitting next to each other, smiles on our faces during the time in which we were...holy shit. 

“This is...the Creation Festival of our Senior Year! Solomon High, Class of 1013...The night we made that promise...” 

I roared again as an awful throbbing ransacked my brain, almost preventing me from remembering anything else. Like before, another surge of lightning erupted from the bowels of my person, making its way into the sky. 

“...I know we’ll be there for each other! So, what’s yours, Day-Day,” Young Artemis looked so innocent like that. As if...she knew this would be remembered by me someday. As if...she knew that smile would ease me into the hardest thing I ever had to say. 

“I...I...” My whole body pulsated painfully that time, and I let loose another wail into the sky. 

“Yeah? Are you gonna spit it out or what, idiot,” Young Zerris snarked, earning him a bop to the back of the head. The young version of me laughed, before blushing and fidgeting with his hands. 

“Weeeell~?” Young Artemis leaned in and pecked my chin with her lips, making ‘me’ blush harder. “Come on, Day-Day! It’s not that hard! Just say what’s in your heart!” She poked me in the chest tenderly, as if it were a sleeping lion ready to kill her at any second. 

My body did not pulse now, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. They were gone...and I was powerless to help them in their time of need. I couldn’t be there to stop their lives from being snuffed out.

The scars...the scars of light that remain entrapped within me. The jagged edges of heaven’s might that wished nothing more than to harm and wreak havoc upon those who did this to my friends....MY HEART! 

“I...I LOVE YOU GUYYYYYYSSSS....” 

I felt the call of lightning, wailing like a siren in my ears, and felt the crash- no -the force of a bolt crashing down upon me from the skies. The thunder boomed, and it began raining night instantly, drenching me as the current of electrons and magic pulsed through me like never ending floods. 

I finally had the power to remove the hands covering my eye, and to do so, I merely let them flop down by the puddle that had already formed around me; such was the heaviness of the rain. My breathing was taxed, paying revenue to the whore-queen of weariness, who would buy herself gown dressed in misery and polishes made of my tears, plus the sweat of my broken heart and brow. 

No more. 

I no longer need my emotions...for I am the lightning. Lightning will always fall, and it does not feel when it falls on something alive and kills it. 

So in short...neither will I. 

Amidst my panting, weary breath, which stained the air in front of me in a white smog, I could feel the eyes of everyone one me as I rose from the ground shakily. “No more sorrow...No more happiness...No more love...No more hate...No more guilt...No more confusion...No more timidness...I’m done. What need...have I...with emotions?” I remained hunched over as the chorus of rain wailed for my power to join the choir, to bound amongst the droplets like a nimble rabbit through the shrubs and underbrush of a dense forest. 

“I’m through...with FEELINGS! Therefore, I cast them into the Static Core of my being! BEGONE WITH YOU ALL! VANISH WITH THE THUNDERCLAP!” I opened my closed eyes, watching as a yellow bolt of pure lightning crashed into me from the black clouds above, igniting the world around me in a bright-yellow light. 

I could feel...no. 

Not anymore. Feeling is meaningless...and now...Those who’ve wronged me shall feel the cold steel of my sword. This sword, which I know to be transforming, will need a name. 

It will need to be an extension of myself...it will need to be myself...And I am the lightning. 

I grasped my rapier that was laying upon the cobblestone of the Center Circle by its handle, picking it up before swiping it in front of me horizontally. The lightning was still crashing down upon me was sucked in and sent soaring towards Lucian, who ate the too-quick-to-stop bolt in the chest where his heart should be. The impact caused a deafening thunderclap, and it sent the massive demon reeling back in pain as he gripped his chest and roared. 

“YOU CAN’T HARM ME LIKE THAT! YOU DON’T HAVE THE POWER!” 

“No...I don’t,” I affirmed with him, hearing my voice drone out emotionlessly. “At least...not yet.” 

I raised my rapier and channeled my magic into the sword, watching it spark and fizzle with yellow lightning. 

“A Draconian, which is higher than any anthro, any demon, and any alicorn, deserves a sword made from the strongest material ever...A Draconian.” I narrowed my eyes and thought long and hard of the old language, remembering the word for what I had now become. A force of nature most powerful, which give no quarter to either mortals or the planet itself. 

My sword was me...and as I’ve said before...I’m the lightning. 

“Shochraos,” I droned, glaring at my rapier as it transformed into a katana with an all-black blade, and navy-blue handle. Five small gems went up the handle. Starting from the bottom up, it went like this: Topaz, Ruby, Amethyst, Obsidian, and....some white one I forget the name of.

“And now I do. But my interest was never to kill you, Puppet-Master of Pain.” Lucian quirked an eyebrow up. “It was to distract you. Someone’s not where they’re supposed to be right now, and you’re still none the wiser.” 

His face skewed into horror, and he quickly turned his massive body, looking for Spike on the ground. 

“You will not find him like that, Lord of Suffering. And you cannot stop the Draconic Arrival...nothing can.” I sighed and sheathed my new sword on my hip, folding my robes overtop and tying the black sash to keep them from opening.

“ENOUGH! WHERE ARE YOU, SPIKE THE DRAGON!?” 

“I call upon the dreaded drake that awaits all souls in the veil of death, who now swims about my magic and through my veins like tainted water! I beseech the Deathlord to bless his offspring, so that he may ascend to his destined status of Apocalypse. THIS I SWEAR, UPON MY BLOOD AS THE SON OF VORLIANTH!” Spike’s voice echoed throughout ot the air, and I couldn’t help but look up at the black speck high in the sky. The rain made it somewhat difficult to see him, but I knew he was there, even through the cloudiness of the water.

And then...the souls left. 

Thousands upon thousands of souls...the souls of my people and the ponies, entered Spike’s body as he tucked himself into a ball. He began to glow a sickly green, easily the color of green asbestos as the souls continued to pour into him. 

And then, just when I thought his body couldn’t get any brighter, he exploded in black smoke with a roar that shook the earth. The smoke itself wailed like a chorus of damned souls, and quickly extinguished all forms of light in the entire Marketplace District.

“This is interesting...I can see through the darkness just fine, but the others, including Lucian’s bumbling form, seem to be blind. Hold on...That’s Celestia coming in from the north! Vengeance is mine...” I thought with a frown as I slinked back on all fours and gently made my way over to the princesses who had stopped their progress because of the new darkness. 

I am the lightning. I fear no darkness, and no deity of the sun. 

It took me quite some time, but thanks to getting rid of my emotions, my body had become worlds sharper than anything alive. All my senses could be controlled to increase or decrease, and right now, I was stepping with the efficiency of a well-seasoned lion, who had just found a tasty little morsel of stag amongst the ferns.

“...This darkness is alive, Sister dear. I believe, based on the amount of angst and sadness in its makeup, that Spike the Dragon created this somehow.” 

“The analysis was welcomed, Luna, but I fear there’s more here than just angst or sadness. Truly I tell you this: Spike has finished absorbing the soul of every person in this country!” Celestia’s face was in a permanent frown, displaying her anger quite annoyingly as she squinted into the darkness. Her wings were shut close to her body, letting me know that she didn’t feel safe flying through the dark. 

And, as I crept up in front of her, I could see what looked like a red outline flicker like flames in her right eye. Either she was trying to use fire in order to pierce the veil of this darkness, or something was beginning to grow restless within her Core, thanks to all the sadness, angst, and anger that was apparently proliferating through this cloudy abyss.

“That’s preposterous, Tia! Even if Spike was able to absorb souls, I doubt he would have enough to control to differentiate just the Mithrilnians! That could take years- no -centuries to do!” 

“Who said it was just anthros, Lu-Lu? You are correct in stating that Spike’s ability to differentiate would take centuries to hone, but what if the difference was more...obvious.” 

Luna gasped. “You don’t mean...” 

“Indeed. Spike has absorbed the soul of everyone that has died during this conflict, that way, the only thing he’d need to identify his prey would be the pulse. No pulse, no problem.” Celestia’s right leg lifted up, and I knew that meant she was ready to continue trekking through the darkness. 

I froze in position, roughly ten steps ahead of her, and thought about what she just said. “That means...Spike is carrying the soul of every Zistral Sword, including Arma, Maxxis, and Zerris. On top of that, he’s carrying the soul or Artemis as well. And then there’s the fact he’s assimilated every soul in the vicinity of Mithril itself...” I sighed quietly, as not to disturb my approaching prey. “It’s decided then. I’ll handle Celestia here and now, and while I’m doing this, Spike shall deal with the interdimension demon. And speaking of Celestia...” 

The gold-covered hoof came down in front of my snout, making me respond instantly. 

“That being said, we should keep talking to each other as to not lose ourselves in this MMPH-” 

“Sister!?” 

----S----


“I...I feel AMAZING! Is this the power of my father...the ability to absorb souls and add them to my strength!?” Coming out of my ball while completing that thought, I let myself fall the fifty feet to the ground, where I dropped down and outstretched my hand while squatting. “I need to remember the teachings of Vorvin. I can die all I want as long as I have souls in reserve, and right now, there’s about fifty-thousand inside of me! Plus, the Reaper skills need a healthy amount of souls in order to activate, and then another one in order to stop the feedback from summoning one.” 

I let my gaze travel around the devastating amount of darkness I blasted out of my being, seeing it shape into the small form of a baby dragon, who was sitting on his small rump and crying into his hands. From his spines to his scale formation, he was similar to me...and I narrowed my eyes at the implication. 

“Is that all I am to them? Just a broom with scales they can throw in the closet and call it a day? No...Twilight and her friends love me...I’m sure of it! Yeah!” The Cloudy Spike stood up and crunched his tiny hand into a fist, wiping his tears with his open hand before giving a smile of confidence. “I’m just being silly! I can’t believe I really thought that crap! Oh! I gotta get to Rarity’s to help her dig for gems again!” 

The Cloudy Spike sped off into the darkness, disappearing when his body assimilated. 

I snarled. “I was a fool...and now...darkness has claimed me. But as such, I shall claim the darkness that houses me as my own!” My arm shot out and I closed my eyes, focusing on the teachings of Vorvin from within my Magical Core. I began feeling the souls I required for my first Reaper, the sum of five-thousand, travel from within my chest to my open and stretching hand. 

Then, I felt the darkness receded into an orb within reach of my hand, and then watched as the five-thousand souls exploded from my hand and enter the orb of absolute darkness. A fierce rumbling began as the orb, which was completely black with a neon-green aura of flames surrounding it, lowered itself into the ground.

From there, a massive pillar of darkness in the middle with bright-green flames erupted from where it entered. I gave a triumphant yell and shot my outstretched arm and hand into the pillar, grabbing hold of my weapon.

I screamed as I felt the scales melt off my arm, then the skin. Muscles came next, and before I could blackout from the pain, I sent the last soul into the confines of the pillar, leaving me with a sinister looking scythe. I could feel the power flow from its shaft into my right arm, which was nothing more than bones and hanging, burning flesh. 

That’s right...burning. The tatters of flesh were still burning in emerald fire, but no matter how long they remained immolated, the flesh never disappeared. It looked horrid, but at the same time, cool. 

My scythe, standing as high as I am, had two blades at the top. One was longer and large, while the other shorter and more sword looking than the other. The middle of both blades, however, were completely black, and green words in a forgotten language laid scribbled upon the black. Seven candles, each one varying in size and illumination, burned with a green flame matching the ones burning the skin on my arm. The white wax from the candles dripped onto the back and middle of the top blade, enhancing the sinister feeling I was getting from it. 

One blade was at the bottom, very short in length. The base of the scythe itself was circular, and their was a draconic-like pupil in the center of the glowing lime-green energy. A ghastly lantern glowed dimly, wisps of green smoke seeping from its confines...and based on the sinking feeling in my stomach, I knew it to be some of the souls used for its summoning...just like the flames atop the candles. And then, that’s when I noticed something peculiar about the top of the scythe.

There was a set of eyes behind the folds of silver, staring out with curiosity. I didn’t like it, but it gave my scythe a more evil looking appearance.



I slammed the end down, seeing the ground splinter and crack from the measly force I put in it. Then, I began twirling it, forgetting where I was at the moment as the power drifted through my body, letting me know that if I wished it, I could destroy and kill anything here.

I turned the scythe in front of me with one hand, then added another one into the equation before slamming it home on top of my shoulder, hearing the wail of a thousand souls when it rested there. Zerris would be mad at the way I was holding it, because using one hand to support it felt way better than anything else.

One exhale to expel the giddiness within me, and I found myself looking up at Lucian. 

“You’re dead.” 

He took a step back as his eyes traveled to my scythe. “YOU SHOULDN’T WIELD THAT SO CASUALLY! THAT’S YOUR FATHER’S WEAPON!” He seemed really scared. 

Good. 

Let him be scared. 

“Defend yourself, demon.” I gripped the snath with one hand and the foregrip some inches below the heel with the other. I then swung it horizontally, putting my whole body into the movement, and as I came out of the attack, I could see a claw-shaped wave of lime-green energy gunned straight for Lucian. 

His massive orange eyes widened, and he lifted both of his arms in a boxer’s guard to stop the attack...which ended up going right through him, arms and all. Lucian let loose a roar of agony as his to half separated and flew back from his bottom half.

“Jade Reaper,” I stomped a foot back, placed the top of the scythe on the ground so that the toe faced the sky, and channeled an obscene amount of souls from the lantern into the blade...which began whistling a haunting tune and glowing a bright green, before bursting into flames. “JADE PENALTY: DEMON HUNTER,” I roared and swung the scythe up, entering a barrell roll in mid-air as a massive lime-green scythe tore up the ground as it honed in on both halves of Lucian, growing larger in size as it went. 

When it got halfway, it was easily as tall as the hulking demon himself. The wave of energy transformed itself into a roaring dragon, which collided with Lucian’s bottom half and his falling top half, before erupting in a massive blast that knocked me on my ass as the whole right side of Zistral became lost in the green fire pillar. 

I placed Jade Reaper on my back with one hand as the flames vanished, leaving behind a smoking crater with nothing inside it, nor anything beside it.

A sigh left my lips, and I nearly found myself laughing in victory if it wasn’t for the sound of approaching wings from behind. I whirled around,swinging my scythe quickly, and just stopped my attack when the neck of Luna laid a hair’s length away from being reaped. 

Our eyes locked, and I could see in her’s the feeling of sadness and hurt. 

I narrowed mine. 

“Speak or lose your ability to do so,” I growled, watching Luna narrow her eyes before lifting a hoof to lower my scythe herself. 

“A little hard to do such when an instrument of war is practically shoved down my neck, no? We are not animals, Spike. Please refrain from acting so callous for a se-” 

When she closed her eyes, I took it upon myself to drive the middle of the snath into her windpipe with both hands, pinning her to the ground on her back. She began punching me in the stomach with her hooves, even going so far as to buck me with all her might, to which I laughed at. 

“No need to act so high and mighty, Luna! We’re the best of friends, right!?” Her horn flashed, making me use my long tongue to wrap up her horn, feeling the sensitive appendage twitch and die down as she gagged underneath me. 

“Let me...go...” 

“Listen.” My voice was not impacted by my tongue being wrapped around her horn somehow, and I’m not gonna complain about it either. “As things stand, Dameion and I are too strong for anything and anyone. Equus, as much as you would beg to differ, is doomed. But unfortunately, I find the option of further discovery upon my powers and latent potential to be more exhilarating than forcing everything here to prostrate itself before Dameion, Sunset, and I.” I let my tongue snap back into my mouth and raised off of her, letting Luna cough her lungs out as she struggled to get more air into them. 

I walked over her and towards the two specks in the sky, which were colliding in large blasts of magic. One was yellow, and every time it collided with the black one, sparks of sunlight and fire would escape with a low-pitched roar. The black one, resembling a small bullet, smashed into the yellow one mercilessly with arcs of yellow lightning careening off into the sky at every collision. 

And then, the black one caught the yellow one with an outstretched hand. 

“UNHAND ME, VERMIN! YOU DARE LAY HANDS UPON M-” 

My eyes widened as the black bullet returned, and promptly slammed itself into the ground with the yellow bullet going first.

“Well that looked painful, Dameion! You’re not pulling any punches, are you?” 

“...No, I’m not. And you should make your way over here while you’re at it, and make sure Luna is with you. Hell, make sure they’re all with you.” 

“DID YOU JUST SPEAK TO ME IN MY HEAD!?” 

“Calm down. I have ears, remember? In any case, yes, I did. Now, gather everyone and come over here. The world needs to see this.” 

I sighed at the monotone voice in my head. “Whaaaatever.” 

I turned around just to be rammed in the stomach by Luna herself, causing me to sigh as I was pushed along the ground minutely. My hands slammed themselves around her head, hard enough to knock the magic out of her bullet-like charge. Because pony eyes are so fucking big, I saw her widen them from my bird’s eye view. 

“You’re coming with me...and so are you.” I lifted my head just as Sunset Shimmer came out of her cloaking spell. 

“You noticed me before I dropped my camoflauge? I must say, I am impressed.” She looked at Luna, who was trying to worm her way out of my grasp, bucking and tugging at any given second. “Need some help with that?” 

I opened my mouth to respond, but shut up and smiled when a large, aquamarine key lock fastened itself around Luna’s back legs. They went limp, and Luna’s eyes widened that much more as she began flailing her front hooves, crashing them into me mercilessly. This brought another snort of amusement from me, which was joined in on by Sunset herself as she magicked another one of those locks around her front legs.

“It’s a shame you used so much magic against Spike and Artemis, Princess Luna. I rival the strength of Starswirl the Bearded, who was your teacher. You no longer have the power needed to resist my spells.” 

“Unholy wench! Thou will undo these hexes most foul!” 

“No,” Sunset returned smugly, “I don’t think I will! In fact, here’s one more, you know, to help ease you into going with us willingly.”

I almost told Sunset to stop when a...well...fifteen-foot long buttplug in the shape of a crescent moon appeared from her magic. 

I blushed, knowing full well what the instrument is used for. 

“Spiiike? What’s she doing,” Luna asked with growing paranoia. I, in turn, lowered my head to her ear. I then slid my scaled-arm into her mouth and whispered, “No lube.” in a sorrow-filled tone. Her eyes widened, and I think I saw her horn light up before the most sinister smile worked its way over Sunset’s face. 

“This will not stand! I am the Princess of the Night! You can’t do this to mEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

----D----


“Did you honestly believe this to be enough, dragon?” Celestia kept barking condescending questions at me as I held her down by her horn with my hand. Her hooves slammed into my chest and stomach mercilessly, and if I was my old self, I might have felt something from the hits. 

“Quit your unneeded and fruitless struggle, Celestia. You shall be made an example of right now.” My feathers stood on end, and I found myself looking up to see Spike approaching with a...lustful Luna and Sunset Shimmer, who had a mischievous grin plastered on her features. “Where are the Elements? Surely the extinction of two demons is something they would like to see?”

Sunset stepped forward with a pleased smile on her face. “Only one of them is conscious, and I’m willing to bet that she’s getting more guards. We don’t have long, so if we’re gonna do something about Princess Celestia, it needs to be done now.” 

“Right.” I looked down, just to be on the receiving end of a hot wad of saliva, courtesy of Princess Celestia.

“Insolence! You can’t do anything about me! I control the sun itself, fools! THIS BODY IS IMPERVIOUS!” 

“Obsidian Lightning: Unholy Baptism.” 

Princess Celestia was covered in a black and white cloud of lightning, which she began screaming through. I was feeding it directly into her horn, which traveled to her Magical Core in a matter of milliseconds. 

“In the next minute, a demon will flee, or Celestia shall fry. Ready your weapon, Spike.” I looked up at my friend and saw him comply with my wish. He was posed to reap something, based on the slashing pose he took up. 

“SISTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER, SCUM!? UNHAND MINE SISTER AT-” 

Spike swung his scythe’s top, hitting Luna square in her jaw. Consciousness was taken from her instantly. He then got back in his pose and awaited what came next. 

From Celestia’s mouth came a smog of blood-like mist. And as it tried to zip away, Spike sliced it in half, dissipating it instantly. 

I stopped the flow of Obsidian Lightning that was entering Celestia’s body, the mare flopping onto the ground completely knocked out. A limb on her body would jump, then a small arc of black lightning would jump out and back into the respective limb. She moaned in pain before falling quiet and snoring. 

“Note to self: Alicorns are unrealistically immune to magical effects.” 

“So, now what?” Spike’s question caused me to remove my hand and dust them off upon each other, before looking at Sunset and him. “We can’t stay here. Twilight’s bringing backup, and as much as I’d like to soil my hands some more, I’d actually like to find more information on my powers and inheritance away from conflict.” 

I nodded. “I agree. The thrill of battle is long gone. It must be replaced with something else, I’m afraid.”

“I have a suggestion? You know, because I’m not chopped liver or anything,” Sunset snarked, making me turn my gaze upon her. She flinched and looked away. “Er...right, sorry. How about we...leave the planet?” 

I crossed my arms and growled, making the mare flinch again. 

“Stop playing around, Sunset. I’m tired, and I thought better of you!” Spike’s voice was laced with annoyance. 

“But I’m not playing around! I can open up a portal to another world! I’ve already been there!” 

“Tis a lie, wench. Prove it.” 

Sunset glared at me before turning her nose up in the air. Walking past the downed body of Celestia, Sunset began channeling an obscene amount of magic into her horn. Her face scrounged up in effort, before she yelled and let loose a tiny speck of aquamarine. She collapsed after that, and I found myself snorting somehow at her failure. 

“A speck of light? Honestly? Disgrac-” 

And that speck of light, which I thought to be completely useless, opened up into a throne-room shape door. The doors themselves were bigger than Zistral’s walls, and when they opened, Spike whistled in amusement. 

“Now that’s magic! Let’s go!” 

I looked at him like he grew a second head. “Are you mad? Do you know what this portal even leads to?” 

“I told you already, you emotionless cod!” Sunset’s voice made me snort in distaste as she rose from the ground wearily. “This portal leads to another world...one I visited...once before.” 

“So...let’s go? Really don’t want to be here when Twilight in her friends show up.” 

“Agreed.” 

Both of them looked at me. 

I kept my eyes crossed and waited for Spike to see the error in his judgement. 

“Well,” Spike asked, making me sigh in defeat. 

“Fine. Through the portal it is.” 

“You will not regret this, you two!” 

I glared at her. “It won’t be us with regrets should we find this venture displeasing.” 

Sunset swallowed the mountain in her throat before heading through the portal. Spike placed his scythe on his back with a strap he apparently had back there, before placing both of his hands behind his head and walking off into the portal after Sunset Shimmer, whistling all the while. 

“Idiots. I’m travelling through time and space...with idiots.” 

This was by far the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. And for some reason, even if I’m saddened by the loss of my kingdom and my people. Which includes my best friends, of course, I couldn’t help but think of all the possible havo we could cause. 

Wasting no more time, I walked after them....

...With a grin on my face.