Necromancy: The Beginning

by DX-1118 C

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Adventure, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 6310

Necromancy is a forbidden art used to bring loved ones back from death. Now, it is a dangerous weapon used to kill and bring the deceased back to serve a certain porpoise. Now, Spike must weild that power.

Necromancy is a forbidden art used to bring loved ones back from death. Now, it is a dangerous weapon used to kill and bring the deceased back to serve a certain purpose. Now, Spike must use this power after learning of a wandering spirit that follows him.

Can be found on FanFiction.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-05-21 21:39:50 UTC

Prologue

Magic is key.

-Random Black Guy Who is Likely Insane.

For the world, magic is the single most important thing that could possibly exist. The sun would remain stationary in a single point in the sky, and burn the world to ash. The moon would do the exact same thing, but freeze the world over.

Magic has always existed, and it would always exist. It has become a permanent and irreplaceable part of nature, and nothing could change it. Individuals who could shape magic to their own wills have always used it for the betterment of the world. The world is literally shaped by magic, and magic dwells at it's core.

There are, however, individuals who would use the magic to condemn others. They would oppress or use magic to take from others. These individuals are always stopped, but this fact changes nothing. There are always others who are dealt a bad card in life. They are weak, abused, or see the world as 'inefficient', or 'cruel'. They seek power to change what they see, even if it means harming those they fight for. Does this make these people wrong?

They truly fight for peace, and even die trying to uphold this dream. Are they evil for it?

That would depend on the way that you view it.

One town, Ponyville, has seen the workings of these 'evil' beings, and personally felt their magic. This town, while fending off great evils in the past, has to overcome the oddest and most random things you could think of. Most individuals would pack up their belongings, and high-tail it out of there. These individuals however, are protected. These individuals are safe.

But what happens when their personal bubble of safety is penetrated?

It was nighttime in Ponyville. Most of the town's population would be in their beds at this particular night. The cold, whispering air seemed ghostly and the emptiness complimented this feature. Every vendor stand was closed up, and lightly boarded. The normal colors of the day were faded and barely illuminated. What few lamps that were active made the place look like an impressionist's art, showing how... miserable the night is. These impressionists are gravely wrong.

The night exists as a way to tell your body- and by extension, the world- to calm down, and rest. Over centuries, ponies have developed various activities to keep themselves entertained; be it the natural coitus or businesses that are only open at night. These were initially designed to 'brighten' up the night a little bit. There really was never any reason to do such things. No, in the opinion of the local baby dragon, the night is cherish-able on its own.

The small fire-breather enjoys the night. It's his own little island of freedom and solitude. He always uses this time to rest his mind and muscles. Tonight's night however, was very different. Something possessed the small, purple creature to come outside and walk around. 'There's nopony out here' he assured himself. 'It's a really cold night'

But why was he outside, then?

Chapter One

Spike had been wandering for two hours, before he felt something. It wasn't like a sense of smell or hearing, but it was like something came behind him and mentally shoved him. The cold air and the chills were unsettling enough, but the shove downright screamed at him to run away. There was nopony, or any other creature for the matter, anywhere near him. He was completely alone. That made things twenty percent worse than it actually is. Sure, the night is his favorite time of day, but night is also notorious for hiding extremely dangerous creatures right in plain sight. The beauty of art could hide the most vile creatures. Even if there was nothing there, he sharpened his senses anyway.

Spike immediately decided it was best to stick to the rooftops. Most of the houses and buildings were close together, and the elevation would give him a clearer view of the dark landscape. After clearing a building, he felt safer on his little mountain of pink. He really couldn't see anything of interest from up high as well. He could feel something was here for him, but he just couldn't see it. There was nopony around; too cold outside, and the quiet doesn't usually mean others are around. He seriously doubted that who or what he was looking for, would be easy to find. He just wanted to turn around so he could be well rested for the next day. He always hated it when he sleeps too late, because then it's always harder to wake up in the morning. No matter how much his mind protested, a stronger portion of it urged him to continue forwards.

So forward it is.

As he begun to walk, he felt the same mental shove that he had received earlier. This one was stronger and more... Concentrated? Jumping around, Spike saw there was, once again, nopony there. He didn't know whether or not to just actually go home or walk in the direction he was facing. He pondered for a moment until he decided it was best to go in the direction he was originally planning to walk. He turned around and began to walk .He was positive he was doing the correct thing until he was hit again, hard.

Whap!

He spun back around. "Ow, what the heck was that for!" he quietly shouted in the direction. Now, he was absolutely positive that he was supposed to go in that direction.

His first steps were timorous. His legs shook with fear, and he was increasingly unsure about his decision. When you are persuaded to walk in a direction by an invisible force that is most definitely not your psyche, you tend to avoid going in that direction. The only reason Spike was following the unnamed invisible force was because he didn't know if it could cause permanent mental, or excruciating physical damage to him if he resisted. It didn't seem very aggressive, but it did seem annoyed. He wasn't sure if this was a trick or a treat, although he wished it was the latter.

It took him forever to reach the end of the roof. Peering over the side, he saw one of the few benches that sat right next to one of the street lamps. He briefly wondered why there were only four benches next to lamps, but the incredibly persistent invisible force began to poke and prod at his brain once again. He tried to ignore them until it struck a nerve.

Literally.

Spike's leg moved on it's own and he tumbled down the house. It was roughly a two story drop straight to the head. Thick scales or not, he was going to get hurt in a not-so-good way. Flailing his body like a dying fish did not make things better. In fact, they made his chances of hitting something important more likely. Luckily for him, he did not the the ground, but he landed on a familiar surface. An equine's back.

Unfortunately for the equine, Spike was digging his claws into said equine's back. The equine grunted in a distinctly stalllion-like voice. Spike didn't notice the blood until there was a large enough pool of it around his claws. The thick, warm liquid stood out against the cold air.

The stallion didn't seem to care that he was losing blood, but Spike was a bit terrified of blood. He believed it was his suppressed hunter extinct slowly becoming more and more present, and developing into a fear to keep itself repressed. Needless to say, he was pretty scared right now.

"Excuse me, dragon... Could you please retract your claws from my back?"

Spike had not been listening, for his mind was pondering like, ten outcomes for this situation. All of which gets him thrown out of the city by cocky aristocrats and douchy politicians.

"...Are you okay?" Although that question was rather ironic, considering that he was the one with claws two inches into his back, the stallion was generally concerned about the erratic silence that has befallen him. Lizard claws shouldn't be in stallion backs. Rules of society number 2546.4. "Damn it, child! Get off of my back!"

Spike then removed his claws from the stallion's back, got on the ground, and fell to his knees. "Forgive me!" The stallion then looked at spike for an uncomfortably long amount of time. His deep green eyes scanned the drake's body a number of times. Spike just assumed this was the stallion's first time seeing a dragon in person, and spike was likely not what he was expecting to see. This wouldn't be the first time a situation like this has happened (although in the past, Spike didn't space out and find his claws in anypony's back). This was however- and by a stroke of luck- one of the quietest confrontations that Spike had ever had with a curious pony. Thankfully, this one doesn't feel the need to scream or attack Spike, even if he was technically assaulted.

But the red color in his eyes were unsettling. Every few moments or so, the stallion would look around as if he was being watched. The possibility that this guy was a possible foal-napper, was as terrifying as jumping into the sun.

And then he touched Spike's head.

If Spike had been complaining about how the ghostly touches messing with his mind earlier, his complaints were withheld. It was as if every ghost within twenty miles had come over and poked his body at various points. They were all different, but they all had no power over the physical plain. All the touches, like the first one, were completely mentally induced. All he knew, was he had found who the ghost wanted him to find.

"Young dragon, it would appear that the spirits have drawn us together."

Chapter Two

       "Interesting, this one seems to really like you."

Spike had never been more terrified about mere words as much as these words terrified him. He had just been told he had a little ghost pony just hanging around him, and it was being hunted by a creature known as a soul eater, which was described as a small, transparent creature that could range from being a canine, avian, or feline creature. These creatures were extremely dangerous, and hard to see. Spike had been taken to the stallion's house so he could communicate with the spirit. Although normally Spike would call this stallion crazy, what he says does makes sense, and explains the poking and prodding Spike felt earlier.

As the duo (or trio) entered the stallion(now known as Corvo)'s shop, Spike saw there were just paintings and carvings in the rental shop. Nothing really looks like the equipment that you would think would belong to a psychic, but the wares looked appealing. There were extremely detailed pictures of ponies having good times, landscapes, and even the castle of Canterlot. It was a really impressive collection of artwork. The prices weren't even that large, even considering the quality of the pictures. This was just art, not that huge profit stuff you would see in an expensive art store. This was just art.

Spike found himself staring a the art, completely unaware of his surroundings.

"Ah, here we go!" Corvo said.

He pulled out a small vial containing a red dust. It was in an odd container that seemed to be in the shape of tons of bubbles spiraling around each other. It flickered a faint blue light every few seconds. It bought a humming vibration into the air. Due to the surroundings being dark the whole time, Spike was unable to see Corvo's features the entire time. Even Spike's dragon eyes could detect a faint outline, but no real features. The blue light showed a short, silver mane with a black highlight going down one side. His hair was also straight and even. Nothing else was seen, not even his eye color.

The vial had a undecipherable magnetization to it. Spike couldn't help but be drawn to it, as if it was willing him closer. Corvo draped a small piece of cloth over it. "You like it, eh?" Corvo began, "Well that makes sense, considering you're a small drake. This flask is made out of soul gems; an enticing treat for dragons of all ages. It's like the sweetest candy and even if you haven't ever heard of it, a dragon will be drawn to it like moths to a flame." Spike began to reach towards where the vial was hidden. Corvo moved his claw away with a gentle sway of the hoof. "It also seems that it will continue to attract younger minds even if it isn't within seeing range."

"Excuse me, Mister Mist, could you tell me exactly how this will help me with that spirit eater-thing? I don't really feel safe with it trying to stalk me. I don't even feel safe knowing there's a spirit thing following me around! What's going to happen if-" Corvo interrupted Spike by patting the top of his head. Spike looked directly into where he supposed Corvo's eyes were, but he couldn't see anything due to him being so close. "Could you turn a light on or something?" Spike could almost feel the confused blinks Corvo was likely to be doing at this moment.

"Oh, my apologies! I have not noticed a thing. Here, let me just turn on the lights, sorry again." A clinking sound was heard, and suddenly a number of candles flickered to life. The few paintings from the front, only visible from outside light, were suddenly seen in a new perspective. In fact, tons of paintings and artifacts could be seen around the entire shop! For a a small rental building, it was extremely impressive.

Corvo's features were able to be seen. He had grey fur and a silver tail. His cutie mark was a spiral green mist, and his eyes were a deep blue. His cloak seemed to disappear once the light came on, as if it were made of shadows. He was also an earth pony.

Spike seemed to remember that the zebra, Zecora could also use a type of magic, but from what he seen came from a type of potion. Corvo had a vial of magic powder, so logic says he either had a fire mechanism that traveled through the wall by oil, or there was a flicker potion or something around. Spike was never good at understanding potions. He hasn't the slightest idea as to what they are for, and neither does Twilight, although she does know the basic functions. For all Spike knows, potions could turn you invincible. Spike just decided to only pay attention to what needs attention, and leave the questions for later.

"Okay." Corvo said. He took several steps around the room, gathering multiple vials. When he grabbed seven, he placed spike on his back, which was still bloody, and took him to a table that was hidden under a white cloth. "Sit here while I get one more thing." He went to a back room and disappeared. Once again, Spike's mind was allowed to wander. He thought of the spirit that was hovering somewhere in the room, likely watching him. It creeped him out, and he began to hysterically look around the room as he thought about it. All the worst outcomes from all the movies and books he has read about the supernatural immediately flashed into his mind, further increasing anxiety in the infantile dragon.

Corvo came back into the room, a smile on his face. "I found the powder. With this, you wold be able too see strong spirits that just float around. You might be able to hear them. Now, I don't know what these bottles do to dragons, considering I've never tried to blow  this in their faces, but... Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe it could tear your body apart. No worries!" Maybe this guy was cool. He obviously knows his potions better than Spike does, but he did say he didn't know what they would do to Spike's body. Sure, it might tingle or make ponies want to punch him in the face for inspiration, but-

"Did you just say that thing would kill me?!" Spike was suddenly completely fine with having a ghost around him. Ghosts are nice. Ghosts wont hurt him. Ghosts defiantly wont tear him apart. "Um..." Spike began to feel warm. "I don't want to-"

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that I don't have my shredding potion with me!" Corvo assured him. "It's blue, and these vials are all green, silver, or red. It's perfectly safe."

"I-I-I'm not so sure about this." Spike began to shiver. He was almost certain that his life would be over if he spent any more time with this stallion. He seemed cool but now he's just... Insane. And not the good kind. "Look mister, I would appreciate it if you didn't spray your crazy death mist to-" Corvo poured some powder from one of the vials into one hoof, and blew it into Spike's face. He inhaled it, and began to cough and hack. His body seemed to tingle, and everything was bright. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"

Chapter 3

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

WHAP

"OW!"

"Good, now that you're done screaming, we can get to business."

Spike's vision started to dim down, and things seemed pretty normal. The room was lit, Corvo was sitting beside him, and the mare in the corner was sitting there like she always was. Everything seemed fine. "Curvo, I-"

"Corvo." he corrected.

"Oh, sorry. Corvo, I don't see anything different. Besides blinding light, nothing really happened. I can see just fine." He looked around the room once more, and suddenly it dawned on him. He hopped onto his feet and pointed a clawed finger at Corvo. "You drugged me and took a kidney or something!" The things swimming through this creature's mind are fascinating.

"No, I didn't steal one of your kidneys. Honestly, your kidney wouldn't work for any creature other than a dragon, and yours is much too small to be used on a dragon of the age where it would need a new kidney. You should really think before you accuse me of things. Now," Corvo stood up and walked towards the door, "do you see anything that you didn't see before?" Spike looked around the room. Of course, all of the windows were open! Of course! Also it isn't as cold as it is outside, despite having no protection from the outside elements.

"Oh, so you made me immune to cold because too much would kill me?" Spike asked. It seemed logical, as potions could do that. Probably.

“No, check again.”

Spike looked around the room, once again. This time, he noticed two things. For one, the room seemed twenty percent brighter, even with the light having not previously changing before or after he began screaming. Maybe the powder he inhaled increased vision?

Maybe that mare in the corner could help with-

Oh crap.

Spike’s body began to shiver. A dark realization became apparent. Everything made such sense, and the mare in the room made things clear. He felt nauseated, and the world began to spin. The mare in front of him began to look less and less like a sexy mare, and more like a bloodthirsty creature hell-bent on sucking his soul. Now, he could understand the potion.

He could see ghosts.

He was half expecting there to be holes in the floor, likely made from iron pellets pushed at insane speeds, that would look and smell suspiciously like sweat. But lizards don’t sweat. He looked up and saw Corvo just looking at him with a faint grin on his face. He knew that Spike could see it, and he chose to let him find out on his own, rather than say so. Well, at least now Spike could safely say that Corvo was not out of his mind. “Wha?… She?… The ghost?… What?”

“And now you know that I was not lying to you.” Corvo took a few steps towards Spike, who began to shrink under his indecipherable gaze. “I need you to come with me into the everfree forest to kill a creature, dragon.” Spike opened his mouth to protest, to explain that killing a creature goes against everything he was raised to believe. He grew up with ponies, and he knows that killing is like a taboo to them. He quickly shut his mouth to continue to listen. “As you know, this creature is very weak compared to it’s brothers, and it will pose no threat to you as it is now.” He stepped aside to reveal the spirit mare. “But if it was to consume this young mare, things would not be over for you so easily. Don’t think for a moment that that creature would just leave. Supernatural creatures grow stronger with each and every soul they consume. It would have no trouble killing you, should it consume Ariel.”

The mare, Ariel, shifted her gaze from outside the window to Corvo. Her features were indistinguishable, but the fear on her face was seen. Spike suddenly felt sorry for her. She looked very young, easily around his age not counting the time she spent dead. A silver mane drifted over her crystalline eyes, and her face was hidden like Fluttershy would normally do. “I need your-no- she needs your help to find and end this creature. She obviously chose you for a reason, and it would be a waste to not find out why. I will only ask you this once-” Corvo began to cough into his hoof, and he almost lost his balance for a moment. He looked into his hoof for a moment before pulling out a cloth and wiping it. “Would you help her?”

Spike didn’t need to hear anything else. Whatever creature would come and eat this mare was obviously not something he would want anywhere near her. He hasn't ever really felt more entitled to do anything other than right now. His choice was clear, even in his silence. A smile appeared on Corvo’s face. “Well then-”

---LINE BREAK!!!:flutterrage:---

“So you know the plan?”

“Yes.”

“Will you mess it up?”

“I hope not.”

“Thats all I needed to know.” Corvo said, as he disappeared through the trees. Spike sighed, and looked over at Ariel. She returned his gaze, and looked mostly curious. Corvo was amusing to her, Spike could tell that much by the way she would make laughing motions. Spike did know, that she could understand, but speaking was out of the question for him. Talking with her was like talking to Owlicious, Spike could say things that she understood, but the situation cannot be reversed.

“Alright, so we just walk around and look appetizing, then?” Spike asked, not for confirmation, but for conversation. It was awkward, sure, even Ariel knew it. That didn't mean it was worthless to try. Made things feel less dreary, now that he thought about it.

Even still, his comment made Ariel less assured in the plan. As a spirit, she knew that Corvo likes to help the supernatural, and she was drawn to him. She was supposed to latch onto him, but he was… Disguising himself for some reason. She knew her pursuer was going to attack her at any time, so she found what it hated.

A dragon.

Sure, this dragon was smaller, and less fierce than the others. Sure, this dragon would deem little to no threat to the follower, but the follower knew not. The follower was too blind and stupid to even notice. One moment, he was here, and the other, he was gone. Everything worked out in the end.

That was a good plan.

“Do you know what this thing looks like?” Spike asked. Ariel wasn’t entirely sure, as she never got a good look at her pursuer. All she got was a malicious aura and a killing intent akin to a lust for power. She shook her head. “So basically we are charging into a forest with tons of unknown creatures, after a creature I probably won't be able to see, and is probably hunting us right now, and neither one of us knows what it looks like, or where it might be.” he summarized.

Ariel didn’t really think of it like that, and despite the situation, she silently giggled. “At least one of us is in a good mood.” Spike laughed as well. “Okay, so how can we communicate? I don’t really like hearing myself talk as much as ponies think I do.” Ariel reached a hoof to her chin. The she shrugged in a motion that spoke ‘I don't know’.

“Alright.” The two just walked in silence, and by walk, Spike did and Ariel floated nearby. The forest was actually uncharacteristically silent, especially for this time of night. Sure, the sun was bound to pop out any time now, but that was no real excuse. Spike guessed it was twilight, or some other time of night. Actually, Celestia wasn’t known to make the sun rise late, but it has happened before. Even for gods, waking up is a pain.

Even while not this deep in the forest, things were not right. For one, they hadn’t seen a single creature. Not even a squirrel or jackalope, or anything really. Even insects were not seen, heard, or anything else insects do to get attention. Nope, this forest was barren except for the trees. All flora, no fauna. It was quite unsettling. Sure, the natural (if you can call it that) version of the forest was always filled with sounds and dangers, but this was just plain… Wrong. Everything was off here. The lack of dangerous predators faintly seen by Spike’s night vision was evidence of that. Not even a lone timberwolf.

Apparently, Ariel felt it too, as she would scan everything around with her eyes. She seemed nervous, and that was probably the creature giving off something that only she could detect. Spike knew that he shouldn’t talk, so he gave Ariel a look, asking for confirmation in any way she could give. He looked into the shrubbery, and saw Corvo looking at him through the plants, a serious expression on the grey earth pony’s face. He mouthed the words ‘Get away’.

As Spike got ready to comply, he saw Ariel looking straight ahead, onto the path they were walking on. Spike looked, and saw nothing there. He stole another glance with Corvo, and he had his eyes closed, and he was mumbling something unheard.

Suddenly, Spike felt something as well. Something was washed over him, like there was somepony staring at him from the bushes, a dagger in his hoof, and ready to rush out and stab him. He looked around for this pony, but the only things he could see were Ariel and Corvo, and they were doing their own things. He spun around again, and saw a creature morph into existence, but then fade not a moment later. The creature had no real features, as it looked more like a blob of smoke, similar to Sombra, than anything else. The thing is, the thing didn’t feel the same.

The dark energy encompassing the being felt far different than the black energy surrounding Sombra, as Sombra was evil and using magic. This thing felt far different. The malicious aura was different. Like a horrific hodge-podge of hunger, lust, and… Fear? Spike didn’t really understand what the thing had to be afraid of, and when it morphed back into existence, it moved forward cautiously, then stopped and backed up. The thing stopped flickering, and the shadows looked like… A tiger?

Yes, the creature was definitely a tiger of some sorts.

It wasn’t shadows with a dark figure shaped like a tiger inside, and the creature wasn’t completely a tiger. In fact, the shadows in the entirety had the shape of a tiger with the head of a white mask with half of the paint and features gone. Where the tail was stood what looked like a grid-like patterned chain with several holes of shaped and sized, which was constantly swishing behind the creature. The mask had holes filled with what felt like void space, and what looked disturbingly like saliva dripped from the bottom of the mask. The sides of the creature had plenty of holes in it, from what looked like arrow wounds and shash marks.

Also, the creature was much bigger than Spike.

It took another step closer, staring at Spike like a fish would a wildfire. The fear it was giving off was almost intolerable, and it was also seeming to get rid of all of Spike’s oxygen. He couldn’t breathe, and he could guess that the soul eater was suffering through something similar. Spike fell over in pain, and the creature deemed him less of a threat, and moved towards Ariel, who was already gone by that point.

Angered by this, the soul eater roared silently. Spike couldn’t hear it, but he did see Corvo cover his ears. Although Spike couldn’t hear it, he could feel it. All the cautionary instincts he had flared up, and he wanted to get away from there as fast as possible. As the lion thing moved it’s soulless gaze onto Spike, Spike rolled into some nearby bushes, propped himself up, and silently climbed a tree as the thing searched the bush and the following areas.

Spike looked over to Corvo, wondering what he was doing. This whole time, Corvo was pretty much useless, and it was very pathetic. Corvo was still muttering, his eyes closed, and upon looking at it, Spike could tell something was up. During his time with Princess Celestia, he heard her muttering words while she cast spells, but these words were pretty legible, and equish. What Corvo was saying, was not equish in the slightest.

Corvo’s spells had a mystic and old air to them, like they were filled to the brim with magic, but this magic couldn’t be tamed. It was like a wild force that reluctantly consents the will of it’s master for a beneficial reason, and only for it’s own gratification, no matter how mutual it was. Spike’s gaze was trapped between the giant looking for him, and the stallion muttering verses from an unseen text, and the drake’s eyes were filled with curiosity and panic. No matter how much he would claim the opposite, Spike was always similar to Twilight, his adopted sister, in a way. She would look upon a situation and analyze it as far as she could. When she sees something of interest, she would try and find exactly what it is, what it’s purpose was, what it could do, who made it, where it came from, and other things. Spike was no different.

Seeing Corvo mutter the phrases filled Spike with curiosity, and he wondered what was so important in the speech that would let the stallion just stand by and risk both Spike and Ariel’s lives. Obviously, this wasn’t a trap or something, as Corvo didn’t just lead them to the soul eater and call for it to come back. Still, Spike had no real idea what he was doing.

 He was unable to think further on it, as the soul eater noticed Spike was in the tree, and tried clawing at the base, in an attempt to bring the thing down. Although it possessed a feline body, it seemed to be unable to use the hooked claws to climb the tree. Advantage Spike.

Luckily for Spike, Corvo stopped chanting his verses, yelled at the beast, and got it’s attention. Upon looking over, the creature didn’t seem to register Corvo, until it shook it’s head and charged at him. Spike wanted to yell out to the stallion, but the creature stopped in it’s tracks not halfway over to Corvo. Spike gasped, and fell out the tree, but landed on his feet, like a cat would.

He was dangerously close to the creature, directly facing it’s back, but the creature stood still and paralyzed by something unseen. “I got rusty.” Corvo said, while walking around the creature. “You should have listened, but no matter.” he paused and looked the tiger up and down, while he bought a hoof up and rubbed it’s side. As he did this, the thing whipped over and snapped at him, forcing him to draw his hoof back. “Fine, be that way. Ariel!”

As he said that, Ariel peeked her head out from a tree she was hiding inside of. Upon seeing the lion thing, she jumped and went back into the tree. “Ariel, it’s safe. This thing won’t hurt you.” She didn’t budge. “I can hear that, and I don’t really like it.” he paused and waited for a reply. “Fine then.”

Corvo turned to Spike, and motioned for him to come closer. “Since Ariel is being a canem, I will ask of you to dispose of this creature, to draw her out. If you have a quarrel with this, I will not hold you to this. If you do dispose of this creature, you will be saving a lot of lives, both living and already deceased. I know this is a lot to ask for in a child of your age, but this is absolutely necessary.”

Spike shrugged. “Didn’t you say that this thing was evil?”

“Yes.”

“I have dealt with evil ponies before. One named King Sombra. He wanted to make slaves of an empire that he completely destroyed, and he also was going to kill the princesses.” he gazed over at the immobilized soul eater. “I still don’t think I can do this, even if it saves lives.”

“And why is that?” Corvo asked.

“Because I was raised under the roof of the honorable princess, and she taught me that you are never to harm anything if it can’t fight back.” Spike said. He looked at the lion thing again, and saw under it’s mask. This thing wasn’t able to be heard by him, but he could understand the message that was directed at him. ‘If you let me go, I will kill you.’

“You sure?” he asked. “Because this thing has some interesting things in mind for you when he gets out of this.”

“That is all I ask.”

“Alright, step back.” Spike complied, and Corvo tapped the ground next to the soul eater, and it stopped thrashing and touched it’s head with it’s paw. It turned on Corvo, who looked at it with a raised eyebrow. The soul eater was about to slash at him with it’s paw, but it sniffed the air, then turned on Spike.

The thing got ready to charge on him, but he was ready for it, unless it could suddenly learned how to teleport. It began it’s charge, and Ariel poked her head out of the tree to see what was going on. As the crazed monster was close enough for the fire to reach, Spike opened his mouth, and blew a fire over the creature, with the focus of teleporting it far away, or to a place where it cant hurt anyone. Perhaps Tartarus would work as a nice place, but Spike currently had no way to send it there, nor did he know where it was.

The creature jumped through the fire, mildly burned, and in no way hurt by the fire. Majorly annoyed, but no real deterring damage. It kept it’s pace, still charging, but still slightly on fire in some places. The tiger moved to slash at him, bus Spike’s scales took most of the force, and he was relatively unharmed,aside from the blunt force and a few scratches on the scales. That was something he would regret telling Twilight about. He wasn’t exactly indestructible, and luckily for him the creature didn't have very sharp claws. That mouth was the biggest danger to him. Good thing it was under a mask.

As if reading his thoughts, the creature removed it’s mask, which literally shimmered out of existence, and he saw it’s horrid face. It’s face was rotted in several places, bones visible, and half it’s jaws were just gone. Inside it’s mouth were layers upon layers of  sharp teeth. Like a shark’s mouth.

Corvo saw Spike pause, and sprung into action. He lunged at Spike’ grabbed him, flipped him onto his back, and chanted a spell, and this time Spike heard it. “Ego vocantem mortuorum, quas ab inferis ad hoc debellandum peperi tibi? Ite spiritus immundi, et pereatis in obscurum!”

The soul eater, still engulfed in Spike’s fire, stopped abruptly, and fell over to the ground, clawing at itself in pain. Spike’s green fire slowly darkened in color, until it was black. As the color darkened, the flames spread further and further along the lion’s body, and it screeched so loud that even Spike could hear it’s pain.

It began to scratch entire segments of it’s skin off, and Spike could feel something deep within his body churning as he watched the spectacle. It was deep inside him, almost as deep as his internal fire. It also felt alive, as if it were pulsing and growing inside of him. The only thoughts in his mind right there all of the same words. ‘Dont let the spirit suffer any longer than it needs to.’ Obeying, Spike climbed off Corvo’s back and blew a small fire in his claws, which morphed around that claw, and pulsed slightly. Spike reared his claw back, and jammed it through the black flames covering where it’s heart was supposed to be. After he punctured it, the spirit disappeared into smoke. “Requiescant in pace.” Corvo said as the creature