Part 1 of Training

Next day, Spike had been finally able to curl up asleep. He had done push-ups, run laps and squashes, all of which he would get yelled at from Rainbow Dash for being so pathetic. He had been very relieved when he finally got his rest.

He woke up with a startle however when he heard this slam in front of him. He looked up and saw it was Rainbow Dash.

“Up and going, maggot!””

“What time is it?” asked Spike as he rubbed his eye. He saw that the sun only started to rise.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been good at telling the time. Now attention!” The baby dragon then sprang up, limbs straight, chin up and eyes opened. The pegasus then continued. “We began this boot camp for one day and the way it’s been going, I can tell it’s not going to be enough. I need more training of my own to perfect the Sonic Rain Boom and you need to start learning to fight on your own. So here’s what we’re going to do, I’m going to leave you out here for roughly a week.”

“Roughly a week?”

“I told you, I’m not good at time!”

“Okay! But you’re going to leave me, out here for a week?”

“That’s right. You’re going to have to learn how to feed yourself, protect yourself and most importantly survive by yourself.”

“What you want me to do that all alone?”

“Come on, you’re a dragon.”

“A baby dragon!”

“Same thing, but look, I’m not arguing! I’m telling you that you’re going to survive out here in a whole week and you better survive or else!”

“Or else what? If I don’t survive, what can you possible do to me then?”

“You don’t want to find out. But as if it matters, we’re trying to make you unlock your potential or at least make you strong for the upcoming unicorn battle, so that you can help save everyone.”

“Oh, why do you have to keep point that out?”

“I’m done wasting time talking to you.” Rainbow Dash then opened up her wings and started to take off. As her wings flapped, they started to build up a strong air current that blew Spike off his feet and piles of dust at him. “Before I forget to mention, there are other dragons out here that don’t take friendly to unfamiliar dragons, so I’d be careful. Any ways, see you in a week time, depending if you live.”

“No, Rainbow Dash! Wait! What was that about the other dragons?”

*

Later, all on his own, Spike wandered through the open land, with his arms around his tummy and his head down. “Just great, I’m cold, bored and hungry. All I’ve been doing is just walking aimlessly. I wish Rainbow Dash gave me a few tips and some food before she just up and left.”

The baby dragon continued to wander until he found a huge cave before him. It didn’t look that friendly and he read a lot of nursery books where the big bad monster was always inside. However peered over his shoulder behind him, he saw the sun already about to sink back down. It was then he decided he should go inside.

He had found a broken branch and used his dragon breath to light it and was then able to look about inside. It was a wide tunnel, enough to fit a train through. Whatever had made it had to be huge. Though on the bright side, there was no noise, smell or anything so it had to be abandoned.

Building up a small camp fire, Spike rested nearby it to keep warm and went to sleep.

*

Waking up again by the sound of his stomach, Spike had sleep bags in his eyes and wobbled his head. He was so tired, but he was so hungry to get to sleep. Up on his feet, he needed something.

Taingn out a torch from the fireplace, Spike continued on the move again. Problem was that he had no idea where he was going. He aimed to go outside, but wasn’t sure if he was. He tripped.

He thought it was a rock, Spike was about to get up and move again, but it brought up the reflection of his flames? Looking closer, he realised it was a gem.

“Food!” cried Spike. He snatched the item and quickly gobbled it up. His stomach growled afterwards as it demanded more. Looking around, Spike found another and another. Following a trail of gems, he continued to snack on them until a wide reflection caught the fire light and sent out a blazing reflection. Spike practically melted when he saw before him a vast mountain of gems.

Unable to think with his stomach in control, Spike threw himself at the pile and started to scarf on all of them. He ignored the low brim sound, thinking it was stomach. However, he didn’t ignore the cloud of smoke that brushed over him.

Slowly looked up with shrunk pupils, Spike nearly choked on the gem he was ate, as he saw before him, a massive dragon that towered over him and didn’t look too pleased. Stood up, he spat out a chewed gem and held it out.

“Um, hallo... sorry I was eating on your food... I didn’t know it was yours and...”

The dragon roared out and Spike scattered.

Fully awake now, he roughly knew which way to go, but didn’t have his torch. It wasn’t too much of a problem, when the dragon breathed fire from behind him that almost singed his tail.

He managed to make it outside the cave where we then able to follow the moonlight. The bigger dragon kept up behind him relentlessly and tried to move in closer. It then crashed into rows of trees that then hindered it.

While the bigger dragon struggled, Spike ran around spiral cliff and quickly begun to climb. He could hear the heavy stamps of feet close in, but gave it his all; he managed to scramble his way up over the top. He looked in disbelief that he had travelled up dozens of metres.

“How did I get up here?” He saw the bigger dragon crash its way through the forest. “Either way, I don’t think I want down.” His stomach then continued to grumble menacingly. “Oh come on, I ate like twenty or thirty gems back there and I’m still hungry. Well I can maybe get some sleep with a partial empty- huh?” He then noticed a dozen apples and bananas dropped on the surface next to him. “Wow, what’s fruit doing all the way up here? Oh well, I shouldn’t really care! Food!”

He then started too much on them ravishingly. He quickly started to pause though as he could remember a similar time he was hungry. Looking back when him and Twilight were on an adventure together. It wasn’t anything exciting, just them on a hike up the mountain to explore. While they were up, he had eaten all the gem rations to fast. When he regretted it and was really hungry, he finally agreed to eat the fruit, Twilight offered, it was the first time he had tasted anything vegetarian; nowhere as good as gems, but he was able to eat them.

He stared at the apple he had half munched on and turned to its unbitten surface, he was able to remember how Twilight loved these.

“I-I don’t know what I can do to stop the unicorn attack or unlock this potential Rainbow Dash keeps talking about. But I promise to do my best, from now on I’m going to try and take this boot camp of Rainbow Dash’s more seriously, I’ll do all I can to get stronger and surpass her expectations, I promise,” said Spike to the apple. He wobbled however as he started to quickly lose his strength. “I guess though I should prepare myself for tomorrow.”

Watching over him in the sky was Rainbow Dash. That’ll be the last time I help the little twerp, she thought, ah well, seems something’s given him some backbone. But as if it matters, I’ll have to start training myself as well, I have to get better because after this, it’s back to my take over the world plan.

*

Two days onwards, those at Fluttershy’s place worked hard through their training. They woke up early, trained all day. They swapped and shared methods on how to get better. They worked together in spars and contests, all in a hurry for the unicorn attack.

Right now, Applejack and Big Macintosh sparred, they traded punches and kicks and worked hard to dodge and outmanoeuvre. Rarity bucked against the trees, each strike in an effort to break them down with one kick and each time well succeeding. Pinkie Pie did sit ups, she made silly woo noises as she went up and down through them. Snip however had found out about Fluttershy’s food stash and got distracted.

“Okay, this is getting a bit mighty ridiculous,” said Applejack. She dodged an incoming buck from her brother and bucked him and sent large pony crashing through trees. “We came up here for some special training from Fluttershy, the same Twilight got, but so far we’ve done squat all. We’ve just been doing stuff we could’ve been doing back on the ground.”

“Not really, we didn’t get together back on the ground to have this month long slumber party,” said Pinkie Pie doing her sit ups. “And work together for this long.”

“I’ll admit you have a point, but Fluttershy could’ve just saved us the trouble of climbing up here and sent us somewhere more convenient.”

“But climbing up here wasn’t easy, it was a lot of hard work,” said Rarity. “Plus now we have a private residence to do our training and up in high altitude, which makes training more challenging.”

“Do you really think this is how, Twilight got stronger? Just climbed a big tree over the clouds and continuously horsed around in high altitude?” Applejack noticed that Angel had come over and now drummed his right foot against the floor and glared at them. “Hey, Angel, you know the training that Fluttershy gave to Twilight, how about showing us?” The rabbit continued to just glare at her. “Come on, I’ll give you a carrot in return.” The rabbit’s glare dropped to a surprise. “I’ll give you two carrots, how about that… How does five sound?” There was no response from the rabbit. But soon as Applejack was about to frown, the rabbit grabbed one of her front hooves and shook it. He then turned around and hopped away.

“Now we’re talking,” said Applejack. “Let’s go guys!”

“Okay!” Pinke Pie bouncing behind her.

“And here I thought Fluttershy was being honest, when she said she taught Twilight nothing,” said Rarity behind them.

“Eyyup.” Big Macintosh followed, with Snip close behind.

*

They were now in a dark room, where a large pendulum device swung back and forth over this red circle platform that glowed.

“What the heck is this place?” asked Applejack.

“Whatever it is, it has an odd taste in design,” responded Rarity.

The bunny continued to hop onto the platform. He turned to the ponies again and started to wave his arms towards him and then point below him.

“I think he wants us to stand there,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Um, that’s fine. You guys alright about me just staying here in case Fluttershy comes back or something,” Snip said while he shivered at the sight of the thing.

“That’s fine, any other of you criers want out?” questioned Applejack.

“Nope,” Her brother followed his sister onto the thing.

“I’m in!” Pinkie Pie jumped behind.

“Well I am curious to see what this thing is.” Rarity took her place into the platform.

Angel hoped off the device and stood beside Snip. He then waved to them in a bye-bye fashion and all four of them started to fade.

“In second though, I don’t think this was a fashionable idea,” said Rarity.

“Wow, look, I can see through myself- and you!” laughed Pinkie Pie.

“Alright, you can do this Applejack,” she told herself.

“Eyyup.”

All four were then completely gone.

*

All four reappeared what was shockingly a wrecked city. It looked like it had once been a peaceful community on the open fields, surrounded by inspiring mountains and peaceful forest, but it was just a barren land now, with shattered rocks around it and without any kind of life. The sky itself was dark and shone with blood red.

“Where are we?” asked Rarity. “Have we been sent somewhere?”

“I don’t know, but I reckon we should take a look around,” said Applejack.

The group then journeyed through the ruins. Each building was near collapse, erected statues had now been torn and they caught glimpses of pony skulls. Pinkie Pie ran up to a former-store window.

“I don’t know about you guys, but this place could do with a bit more life.”

“We didn’t come here to visit Pinkie Pie. This place should be where Twilight trained, got to be. Just got to figure out what we’re suppose to do,” said Applejack.

“Perhaps we’re already training,” said Pinkie Pie to observe the shore.

“Pinkie, that’s a bit ridiculous.”

Before Pinkie Pie responded, she noticed this reflective shine in the dark, followed by this sinister chuckle that spooked her. Pinkie Pie reared back and rushed after the others. “Wait for me guys!”

“I wish I knew what happened here? Was there a war or something?” questioned Rarity.

There was a bone crunching sound. The ponies stopped and looked around hastily.

“I think there’s somebody here,” whispered Applejack.

“My girl, you are dead on right.”

They saw relaxed on a torn down fountain, two ponies, both yellow with red and white hair smooth hair. They wore solid harnesses that were coloured with blue and white stripes and with black trims. They had on their foreheads. horns.

“They have horns like, Twilight,” said Applejack uncomfortably.

“And they have armour like Dawnshade,” added Pinkie pie.

“Well of if both Twilight,” responded one of the red and yellow ponies.

“And Dawnshade,” said the other one.

“Are unicorns.”

“Then of course they do.” The two spoke finishing each other’s sentences.

“We’re unicorns as well after all.”

“I’m Flam,” said the one with the moustache.

“And I’m Flim.”

“Hold on, are you the two unicorns coming to our place to find the Orbs of harmony?” questioned Applejack.

“Orbs of what?”

“I don’t know are we?”

“Of course not brother.”

“Then what are they talking about, because we’ve already invaded a continent and destroyed it.”

“These guys talk funny,” giggled Pinkie Pie.

“Talk funny do we?”

“Won’t think so, when we do the unicorn welcome.”

“Is that because it’s funnier?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“No, because it’ll make you afraid of the way we talk.”

“Actually you’re wrong brother.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they’ll be dead once we’ve done the unicorn welcome.”

“Oh yes, thank you for correcting me brother.”

“Well- bring it on!” shouted Applejack half-hearted.

“If you say so.”

Just then, Flam had appeared behind Big Macintosh. “Always sporting to go for the big ones first.” And bucked him.

Big Macintosh flung over the street, where Flim slammed down on him. The Earth pony crashed into the ground, the impact caused the surface to crack and break.

The two unicorns chuckled at their display.

“These guys are fast,” gasped Pinkie Pie.

“I’ll teach you to do that to my big brother!” yelled Applejack. She charged furiously at Flam.

“Why look at this, Flim, the little girl’s standing up for her big brother.” The unicorn levitated over Applejack and slammed down on her with all four hooves. “Don’t get that very often do you?”

“You ruffians!” shouted Rarity. A beam of concentrated energy fired out from her forehead at Flim. But the unicorn vanished and reappeared beside her.

“Actually you do, Flam. Little sisters like to show they can stand up for themselves.” He side kicked Rarity’s face and knocked her back.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you, brother.” The unicorn used the magic of his horn grab Pinkie, who attempted to charge at Flim. She was then flip her up into the air. “Little sisters prefer their older brothers to stick up for them because they want to be lady like.”

“Get off me!” demanded Applejack underneath Flam’s hooves.

“Oh why? It isn’t my weight is it?”

“Leave  my sister alone!” Big Macintosh struggled back up to his hooves.

“Oh look there, Flam, that one survived one of our unique combos.”

“And what more, he can stand, a big one indeed.”

“I said get off my sister!” roared Big Macintosh as loud as he could and ran at Flam.

“Let’s see if he can survive another combo attack?” asked Flam.

The two unicorns lifted their upper right hoof and fired beams of energy at Big Macintosh.

“No! Big Mac-!” screamed Applejack

The twin beams struck Big Macintosh and fully consumed him. When it cleared, there was nothing more than a long trench line in the ground and black smoke.

“How disappointing,” spoke Flim.

“Yes, I hoped the big one would be up for a little more sport.”

With grief, tears running down Applejack’s face and lips quivered. She was filled with rage. she screamed out and created an aura that forced Flam to get off her.

The unicorn leapt back next to his brother and watched amusingly.

“Look there, Flam, I believe we made the poor girl cry?”

“Indeed we have, Flim, what do we do?”

A large pile of red energy formed in front of Applejack into the shape of an apple. “Apple family speciality!” She spun around and bucked the energy and caused it to fire at the two unicorns. The unicorns allowed the blast to strike against them. It ignited into a large explosion that swept across the city and caused buildings to crumble from the impact.

Soon as it settled, Applejack’s hat had fallen off and panted, with tears piping out. “That was for you brother.”

Rarity and Pinkie Pie slowly came over to her, but they were gasped when they saw Film above her.

“Only thing we can do, Flam, put her out of her misery.”

Before Applejack could react, the unicorn had fired from his hooves a barrage of energy that showered over her.

“Applejack!” screamed Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Soon as they could see through the smoke and devastation, Applejack was gone.

“No!” yelled Pinkie Pie.

“Get a hold of yourself, Pinkie Pie. We need to make a tactical withdrawal to reorganise our strategy.”

Before they could turn and run, Flam appeared in their way.

“Don’t leave; I thought we were having fun?”

“Quick! Pinkie! Flank him on both sides!”

The two girls vanished and then reappeared at both of Flam’s flanks and tried to buck him, but the unicorn levitated over their kicks.

“Let’s finish this brother,” said Flim strolling out from the shadows.

“Yes, let’s.”

*

All four ponies had re-emerged in the Pendulum room, each of them breathless and sweaty. Soon as they figured out that they could move again, they started to press their hooves across themselves.

“We’re- we’re still alive,” said Applejack, her voice trembled.

“Sorry about that.” They all then noticed Fluttershy was in the room, next to Angel.

“Fluttershy? Wh-what was that we just experienced?” questioned Rarity.

“Your minds were brought through time to certain point that you were able to experience.”

“Our minds? But it felt like our whole bodies were there,” said Applejack.

“Eyyup,” shocked Big Mac with eyes wide open.

“The Pendulum room has that effect. It makes you feel as if you really were there.”

“Wow and Twilight actually used this thing to make herself strong?” questioned Pinkie Pie.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you show us this before?” asked Rarity.

“I was afraid it would be too intense for you. Twilight, after all would sometimes be quite stressed by the experience.”

“Fluttershy, can I ask you?” said Applejack and looked hard at Fluttershy and made her uncomfortable. “There were two unicorns in there that we were fighting.”

“Yes, I sort of know that to be honest.”

“Then again be honest, are they anything like the two unicorns that we’ll be fighting?”

Fluttershy closed her eyes. “Sorry… but no. I don’t mean to demoralise you, but the two unicorns on their way are twice as strong as the ones in there.”

Everyone who heard gasped with wide open eyes. It caused Fluttershy to stroke her front leg regrettably.

“Well ain’t that something,” spoke Applejack.

“What?” hicked Fluttershy.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited about this. Two hombres that strong and we get to be the ones to try and stop them. All we’ve got to do is get stronger and be ready for them!”

“Applejack’s right,” replied Rarity.

“You’re right, it is exciting!” shouted Pinkie Pie.

“Eeyup.”

“Fluttershy, please allow us to go again?” request Applejack.

“Alright, but you should probably rest first. You will have been under a lot of strain from your endeavour.”

“Fine, but um, where’s Snip?”

“Oh, he went off for some more food I believe.”

Angel started to shake his arms and gnaw his teeth in frustration.