For the Ones we Love

Chapters

The Dragon
The Recovery
The Party
The Vision
The Brother
The Betrayal
The Insanity
The Request
The Storm
The Secret
The Island
The Hatchery
The Ex
The Reveal
The Proposal
The Performance
The WAR
The Pain
The Showdown
The Plan
The Child
The Sacrifice
The Wedding
The Epilogue
The Foal
The Training
The Amulet
Da Dragon (gizoogle.net'd, bonus, non-canon, and not a related chapter to the rest of the story) Read at your own risk!

The Dragon

The fate of our world rests with the
A dragon that’s strong, and yet not mean

Don't feel like reading this chapter? Have it read for you by the amazing Phantom Brony

It was another sunny day in Ponyville, as it always seems to be. Birds were chirping as everypony was getting ready for another fantastic day. The sun rays peeked through the windows of a tree house, the Ponyville library, as the light penetrating the eyes of a sleeping unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle slowly turned in her sleep, trying to avoid Celestia’s shining rays. But it was no use, she was already awake. Twilight slowly lifted herself up from her bed, letting out a loud yawn. Her deep purple mane was frayed and disheveled in a classic bedhead mess. Her face was groggy and bags drooped under her eyes. She had stayed up late that night studying again; she really needed to stop doing that.

She slowly crawled out of her bed. It was colder this morning, so she dragged her blanket with her, wrapping it around her shivering body. Twilight approached her mirror and sat down as she levitated a brush through her messy hair. Staring at her reflection, she noticed how tired she actually looked. Bags under her eyes, unwanted facial hair, acne! All sorts of blemishes that she could live without.

As soon as she was done brushing her hair, she placed the brush back down on the table and began to focus on her reflection. Her horn began to glow with a strong purple aura as her face was illuminated with a similar colour. A moment later, there was a flash of white light and Twilight closed her eyes. When she re-opened her eyes, her face was completely clear of all pimples and hair. Her bags were gone as well.

“Picture perfect!” she said to herself cheerfully. She got up from her mirror and headed downstairs. She was surprised at how large the mess was. Books laid scattered around the floor, a pile of scrolls rested in the corner and a tipped over ink vial was still dripping a jet black liquid onto the floor.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. She clearly must have gotten out of hand with her research last night.

“I guess I better wake him up,” she sighed, heading towards the basement door. A few years ago, her companion had made the case to get his own room, being too old to sleep by her bedside or something. It took a bit of adjusting, but she learned to sleep without him by her side.

She knocked on the door. “Come on, get up!” She knocked harder. There was a loud groan from the other side of the door. “I’m coming in, so you better be decent in there!” she called as she opened the door.

She was greeted by the foul stench of goat cheese pizza and stale cupcakes. She looked around to see what use to be her basement. Empty pizza and ‘Joe Donuts’ boxes littered the floor. Stale cupcake wrappers laid on every surface and empty bottles flooded the room. The walls, which use to hold wall to wall of books, now hung an assortment of pin-up mares. At the back of the room was a large mess of hay and blankets, a small trail of smoke emitting from the pile.

“Wake up Spike!” she called to the pile. There was a shift in the blankets. Slowly, a large purple claw rose from the blankets. It gave a little wave to twilight before sinking back into the blankets. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she sighed, her horn glowing again as she shot a bolt of purple lightening straight at the pile.

A large purple and green dragon erupted from the bed of hay. “AHHHH! DAMNIT!” he cried as he clenched his bottom, a small black singe marking him. “What’d you do that for?”

“Why do you think?” Twilight muttered. “It’s time to get up.”

Spike began to whine. “Aww, c’mon Twilight, you know I need my sleep.” He grumbled.

“Nooooo,” she began. “Baby dragons need their sleep, and last time I checked, you weren’t a baby anymore.”

It was true. Over the last couple of years, Spike had grown to quite a size. He was still in his late teens, but Spike was still taller than any pony in Ponyville. He was almost as tall as Princess Luna herself. Spike let out a thunderous belch, a strong stream of smelly green fire blasted from his mouth. From the ashes, a letter formed.

Twilight quickly snatched the letter from the air and opened it up. “What’s this? I’m not expecting a letter from the princess today.”

Spike quickly snatched the letter back. “It’s mine!” he said quickly.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. “Why do I keep you around again?”

Spike gave a dopey smile. “Because you looooooove me,” the dragon said sarcastically.

Twilight let out a little chuckle. “Don’t remind me. Now come on, we have a lot of work to do,” she said before heading out.

When she closed the door behind her, Spike turned his attention to the letter. Carefully, he opened it up, and read:

Dear Spike

I know how terribly busy Twilight can make you, but it would be ever so nice if you make some time for us today! I just got another order from Sapphire Shores and I need Ponyville’s number one assistant to help me look for gems! I sure hope you can find the time!

Don’t keep a lady waiting… XOXO

Rarity

Spike quickly jumped out of his bed; of course he would help Rarity! He quickly ran to his mirror to make sure he was decent. He really had grown a lot: broad shoulder, extended snout, sharper teeth and claws, and more muscles than he knew what to do with. “Well, aren’t you a sexy dragon?” he said to himself as he basked in the glory of his reflection, flexing his muscles.

“Spike!” Twilight called from beyond his room. “Will you hurry up?” Spike stopped posing in the mirror and headed out of the room and straight to the front door.

“Sorry Twilight, I’ve got things I need to do!” called the dragon as he left the house. “Later!”

“SPIKE!!!” she hollered at him. But it was too late; the door had already slammed behind the dragon. Twilight let out a groan. “Ugh, teenagers….”

*****

Spike squinted to shade his eyes form the overwhelming light of the autumn sun. He started heading down towards the Carousel Boutique. It was usually a short walk, but today he decided to take the scenic route into Ponyville Square. After all, he did run out on breakfast.

It was still fairly early, but the town square was in full bloom, with ponies out and about shopping for food and flowers and other things that would tickle their fancy. The dragon walked into the street. Many young of the young mares whistled and waved back at Spike, and he gladly, not to mention sensually, waved back. He knew that he was considered a bit of a catch in the female community. A catch a few of them were lucky to snag. He was particularly fond of his relationship with Colgate, but after their little falling out, he decided to just enjoy single life for a while.

“Hey Spike!” called a pale green unicorn. She was sitting at a small café next to a cream coated pony with a puffy blue mane and a pink streak running through it. “Over here!” she called out again.

Spike walked over to the two. “Hey Lyra, Bon-Bon.”

“So where are you off to today?” asked Lyra. “We haven’t seen you around town recently.”

“Yeah Spike, what gives?” said Bon-Bon, slouching down on the table, twirling her bouncy hair with her hoof.

Spike scratched the back of his head. “I’ve been busy,” he said casually. “Twilight has really been working my ass recently at the libr-“

“Or maybe someone else has been working it,” Bon-Bon giggled.

“Yeah, we’ve seen you over at the Misses house a lot recently,” said Lyra, giving Spike a sleazy look. “Tell me, does she use the horn?”

Spike jerked back in shock. “What are you two talking about?”

Lyra rolled her eyes and smiled. “You know exactly what we’re talking about.”

“We’re talking about R to the A to the R to the I to the T to the Y!” sang Bon-Bon. “What’s that spell?”

“Spike’s marefriend!” finished Lyra. The two of them laughed uproariously at their little song. Spike didn’t think it was so funny.

“Hey waitress!” he called out to a nearby pony dressed in the formal attire, hoping to change the subject. “We're ready to order now!”

The waitress walked casually over to their table. “What can I get you ponies…” She looked awkwardly at Spike. “…and dragon?” Flipping open her little order book, she readied her pencil in her mouth.

The three of them quickly gave her their orders before she walked away. Lyra immediately returned focus to Spike.

“So, how is the little misses recently?”

“She’s not my misses,” Spike said, trying to hide his playful smile. “We're just friends.”

“Yeah, friends with benefits!” cooed Bon-Bon. Lyra laughed again.

Spike sighed “Nice one Bon-Bon,” he said sarcastically. “Hey, isn’t that what you two are?”

“Were,” corrected Lyra, scootching closer to Bon-Bon, who slid closer to Lyra. “Until that fateful day…” She gently took her mare’s hoof.

“When we knew we were meant to be together,” sighed Bon-Bon, gazing into her lover’s brilliant amber eyes.

“Together forever,” Lyra said as the two of them nuzzled. Spike face-palmed and dragged it down his face.

“I think I just lost my appetite,” groaned Spike, staring at the two ponies. Lyra broke off from the nuzzle, giving Spike a dirty look. “I still can’t believe you two escalated so quickly.”

“Well, what do you expect?” stated Bon-Bon, still not breaking away from Lyra’s face. “Ninety percent of Ponyville is female!” Spike looked around. She was right, there did seem to be a large gender gap. “I’m surprise there aren’t more fillyfoolers in town.”

Their food finally came, two dandelion sandwiches and a large slice of chocolate fudge cake. They thanked their waitress as she left to tend to more hungry customers. Spike looked down at his slice of cake and greedily licked his lips. In an instant, the entire cake had been shoved into his mouth, thick brown icing splattering all over his face.

“That’s so gross,” cringed Lyra, wiping off some chocolate that landed off her face.

“Umm Lyra, you still got a little on your nose,” said Bon-Bon.

Lyra stopped eating, she stuck her tongue out, trying to reach her nose. “Id eei et it?” she asked with her tongue still sticking out.

Bon-Bon gave a little smirk. “Here,” she said in a sultry voice. “Allow me.” Bon-Bon stuck out her own tongue and slowly dragged it slowly across her marefriend’s face, making sure that her tongue ended up in Lyra’s mouth.

Spike just sat there, awkwardly looking at his two friends making out with each other. “Yeahhhhh,” he said nervously. “I’m just going to leave.” He dug in some loose scales in his coat, grabbing a few bits that he hid in there and throwing them on the counter. “That should cover my cake.” He got up from the table, the two ponies still in romantic embrace. They were getting more and more intense as they began feeling each other up, letting out small moans of pleasure. “Later,” he said, quickly walked away.

As the dragon walked away, the two kissing ponies fell from their seats, still going strong with their passion. The waitress looked over to the green and cream couple and sighed.

“Not again.”

*****

Spike continued down towards the Carousel Boutique, constantly being harassed by old mares he once dated and new ones that wanted a to take a shot at the well grown dragon. He was able to ditch the crazies as he finally reached his destination: a large, light pink and purple building that was sort of the shape of a giant wedding cake.

Spike approached the large purple doors of the shop and gave it a thunderous knock.

“Coooooooommmmmmmiiiiiiinnnnnngggggggg!!” a familiar voice sang. The sounds of hoofsteps approaching the door. Slowly, it swung open. “There you are Spike! I see you got my letter!”

Rarity looked just as amazing as she always had. Her perfectly groomed white coat was as fine as snow. Her mane always a beautiful shade of dark purple that hung from her head so gracefully. And that face, that beautiful, beautiful face. A face that looked like it was carved by angels, so beautiful that we could get lost in her enchanting gem like eyes…

“Spikey? Are you all right?” she asked him. Spike shook away from his trance, unaware that he was smiling stupidly.

“I’m fine.”

She smiled. “Fantastic, oh and I’m so grateful you were able to come help me on such short notice,” she said as she headed back into the shop.

“Anything for you Rarity,” he said dreamily, staring at her flank, her perfectly shaped flank…

“Oh I was just exhilarated when I got the word from Sapphire!” She went on talking about the famous singer, and all the ideas that she had for dresses. Spike just stared at her, dumbstruck by her beauty.

“Uh-huh…” He mumbled, not really paying attention.

“….. And I have just the finest idea for a ruby red dress with the gemstones lining around the skirt.” She gave a little laugh. “But listen to me, rambling as you wait so patiently.” She started to head upstairs. “If you will excuse me, I need to get my bag.” She looked back at Spike. “Don’t worry, I’ll just be a minute.”

“Take your time,” Spike said, watching her head up the stairs. He couldn’t help but feel his heart melt as she swayed up the staircase.

With time, his little crush had evolved into something so much more. As he got older he was able to experience feelings in a new way. He still was a child at heart, and that’s what most mares loved about him. He moved over to one of Rarity’s several mirrors, checking himself out. He had no idea why he’d fallen so in love with his own reflection. Maybe it was his increase in height, maybe it was his newfound muscles that engorged his body, maybe it was the way that his spines and scales were shiny and slick, like his body was covered in purple and green gemstones. “My, you are a sexy dragon,” he whispered to himself.

“You sure are,” giggled Rarity, slouched over the railing of the stairs. Spike face quickly turned red.

“Rarity!” he gasped. “I didn’t see you there!” He tried to act casually but he ended up tripping on his tail. “Oomph!” he grunted as he fell to the ground.

Rarity tried to muffle her laughter as she watched the dragon pick himself up. “Oh, Spike…” She shook her head slowly. “You are looking fine today. In fact, you’ve never actually told me how you stay so…” She examined the dragon’s body. “Toned…”

Spike smiled at her complement, but quickly lost it as he tried to explain himself. “Remember my birthday? About ten years ago? When I got really big and destroyed half of Ponyville?”

Rarity’s eyes grew quickly. Of course she remembered that day. It was the day Spike had tried to confess his love for her. She had always regretted not doing the same. But, as time passed and Spike grew older, he started to date other mares and she quickly tried to ignore her feelings, even though they kept on growing. She had tried to date other colts and stallions over the years, but they were never able to be quite like him. She particularly remembered one time when she caught one of her ex coltfriends cheating on her. She remembered how upset she was, and how when Spike had found out, he rushed over to find her in such a broken state. Spike had tried to comfort her, but when she explained the situation to him, it took everything she had to stop him from going out to find this colt and show him his newfound strength.

“Yes, I do,” she simply said.

“Well, after that incident, I went to see Zecora,” Spike said, stretching out his arms in the process. “She said once I reach my full height, my greed would just continue to grow. She told me that if I didn’t want another episode like that, I’d have to try and keep busy. You know, lifting books, cleaning up the library,” he looked at Rarity, “gem hunting with you. Things like that.”

“Wow,” Rarity was shocked. “I had no idea.”

She felt bad for not knowing all the hard work it took Spike to just live in Ponyville. Suppressing his own primal instincts, just so he could be near the ones he loved. It was so sweet and selfless of him. And here she was exploiting him to find some gems.

“Don’t worry about it Rarity,” Spike reassured her. “If being a bit tired means I can still be around you, then it’s worth it.”

Rarity turned her head away from Spike, trying to hide her face so he couldn’t see her blush. Her heart was saying to act now, but it was being smothered by her thoughts. She did a quick flip of her hair as she ignored her feelings.

“Well, we should make our way out,” she said as calmly and rationally as possible. “After all, it’s such a nice day, and I would hate to have to waste it inside.”

“Then let’s go, my lady,” he smirked as held the door open for Rarity. “After you.”

“Well, aren’t we a fine gentlecolt today.” She smiled as she walked pass the door.

Spike turned to close the door. Despite his rather active love life, his thoughts always came back to Rarity. He knew exactly why he loved her, but he knew that as much as he wanted to tell her, he was always afraid she would say no. That was why he would always just stand by her side, always there to comfort her and take comfort whenever he was near her. Spike frowned as these thoughts came to mind as he closed the door but quickly dispatched it when he faced Rarity.

“Spike, are you okay?”

“Yeah, couldn’t be better,” he lied. He sometimes did whenever Rarity asked him about how felt, mostly to prevent Rarity from worrying about him.

*****

As Spike and Rarity walked across town towards the rocks where most of the jewels were found, they spent time sharing old stories with each other.

“Well, she was a dragon, and a beautiful one at that, with bronze shiny scales that glimmered in the sunset and eyes like the finest rubies,” said Spike, re-telling the tale of one of his ex-lovers. “And, this one time, we sat on top of this cliff and our tails wrapped around each other and then we…” Spike turned to Rarity, the look in her face as she bit her lip told him she was getting uncomfortable. “…Oh, sorry.”

“Oh, it’s quite all right,” she said quickly. “We do after all trust one another to share these sorts of things.” Spike’s face grew redder and redder as Rarity continued to speak. “Besides, you’re a dragon, and she’s a dragon. It’s only natural.”

“No, no, no, no, no Rarity, we didn’t do anything besides kiss.”

Rarity was relieved to hear this, but didn’t dare express it. “Well, then why did you break up with her?” she asked.

Spike grew nervous. He had seen that Rarity was bothered, and he had lived with Twilight long enough to know when to be careful when he spoke to an angry mare.

“Well she was pretty…” He thought about what he was going to say, choosing every word carefully. “…. But there were a few things she wasn’t.”

“What?”

“She wasn’t generous…” Rarity tried to hold back her delight as Spike kept talking. “…Or kind or even half the lady you are.” Her heart nearly exploded. “So yeah, she was pretty. But she was also just a terrible dragon.”

Rarity smiled as the two kept walking towards their favorite hunting spot. She marveled at how Spike thought of her, even when he was with other mares, or females of his own kind. He still thought she was perfect; she was special.

*****

The hours went by as the two of them spent the entire day jewel hunting.

“Spike, if you could get this boulder off the ground, there is a big gem deposit under it,” she asked, her glowing horn pointing to a large bolder in the middle of the sandy field.

“Sure thing, then we're done here?”

Rarity gave him a nod as the dragon grabbed the giant rock. He took a deep breath as lifted the bolder with ease, revealing a large deposit of colourful gemstones. Rarity gazed dreamily at the dragon, the way he lifted the bolder with ease was breathtaking.

“Magnificent,” she said, ogling his frame.

“Yeah, they sure are some nice gems!” the dragon said, oblivious to what the unicorn was really talking about.

“Yes…the gems,” she grinned nervously. She went to the gems, levitating only the finest ones into her saddle bag. “There we go, that should be enough.”

Spike dropped the bolder with a thud. “Okay then, I guess we should get going.” The two of them started to head off, back towards the town. “Hey, do you think I could get some red gems, there my fav-” He stopped mid-sentence. Rarity stood behind him, her happy smile quickly changing to a frown. The tall purple dragon began looking to the tree lines, sniffing the air around him. “Rarity, did you hear that?”

“Hear what, dear?” she asked.

“That rustle, I heard something in the bushes…”

Rarity just rolled her eyes. “It’s probably just a bunny rabbit. Really Spike, you can be so paranoid sometimes.”

The ground erupted beneath them, bits of dirt and rocks were flung into the air, raining down upon the dragon and unicorn. Rarity hid behind the massive Spike, the debris bouncing harmlessly off his thick hide. From the cloud of dust, three familiar silhouettes emerged.

The Diamond Dogs.

“Well, well, well.” The diamond dog’s voice was rusty, like a claw dragging down a chalkboard. “If it isn’t the whiny pony,” he looked to the dragon, “and her little helper.”

The larger dog snorted. “Not little any more, but still just as weak as a baby!” he chuckled.

“Rarity, stay back,” Spike whispered behind him, an angry trail of smoke emitting from his nostrils. He turned to the dogs. “What do you mutts want?”

The dogs burst into random laughter, only increasing the rage within the dragon. Rarity slowly began to back away from him. She knew his battle stance all too well, his back arched forward, his teeth gritted, muscles flexed and claws gleaming. He was a sight to behold and few would dare challenge the dragon in this state, but his opponents were slow to learn this.

“Spike darling, please do be careful. You know I hate to see you fight because of me,” Rarity begged the dragon.

Spike turned his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a reassuring wink. “Have they even come close to you since last time they tried this?”

Rarity didn’t reply, she just stood behind Spike as the three dogs stopped laughing.

“Give us the pony!” they demanded.

“Don’t you guys ever learn?” replied the dragon. “It’s the same story every time. You try to kidnap Rarity, we have a big fight, and you all run away with your singed tails between your legs.”

“We want that unicorn,” demanded their leader.

“Yeah!” said the smaller dog. “We even have earplugs! So she can whine all she wants!”

Rarity gave a little tut. “I did not whine! I complained! THHHHIIIIIISSSSSS IIIIISSSS WHH-!”

“ENOUGH!” shouted the lead dog. He revealed a shiny little piece of silver. It was a dog whistle. The diamond dog blew into the whistle, giving a high pitch ring. From the forest around them, at least two dozen more dogs emerged, all howling and barking like the rabid animals they were. Slowly, they formed a perimeter around their prey. “Try to stop us now dragon!” the dog gloated.

Spike could see that they were out manned. There had to be at least thirty of them, and they were closing in fast. “Rarity, I want you to get out of here as soon as you get the chance.”

Rarity shook her head. “No Spike! I won’t leave…”

Spike took off, sprinting towards a group of dogs with breakneck speed, shoulder checking into the first dog with a bone breaking impact. The two dogs beside him took this opportunity to try and get the jump on the large dragon. Spike had anticipated this, and met the two dogs with a powerful swipe from his claws.

More dogs were drawn to the dragon behemoth. One tried to jump on his back but Spike was quick to turn around and punch him right in the face. A dog trying to sneak around to flank Spike from the side met a similar fate, being hurtled into the air by the dragon’s uppercut. Spike was managing to hold his own, slashing, punching, throwing dogs into one another and slamming them on the ground. He took a deep breath and let out a huge green fireball into a group of diamond dogs. The cowardly curs desperately scurried away from the green flames, leaving a large gap for Rarity to escape through.

Here’s my chance, thought Rarity as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her, jumping gracefully over the green embers of Spike’s extinguished fireball. “I’ll go get help!” shouted Rarity as she headed towards town.

But she did not get far.

“Well, hello there pony,” the diamond dog said, blocking the white mare’s path. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“To go get help?” she asked innocently.

Spike could see from the crowd of dogs that Rarity was in trouble. He let out a roar as he tried to escape from the pile of mutts upon him. He grabbed two dogs by the necks and slammed their heads against each other. “Rarity!” he called, desperately trying to reach the mare.

He was so preoccupied with the dogs, he didn’t see the big one come around from behind, and he was carrying a really big stick. It took three strikes to the face of the dragon before Spike finally went down. The large dog laughed, happy with his victory as he dropped the now shattered stick. The remaining dogs quickly jumped on the downed dragon.

“Rarity! Run!” he called out, trying to wiggle out of the Diamond Dogs grasp, but to no avail.

Rarity was still frozen in fear as she heard her friend tell her to run. She quickly snapped out of it. She hated to have to leave him in such a state, but she knew that she had to and Spike would be fine. She hoped.

“You’re coming with us, pony!” the dog screamed as he lunged towards Rarity, claws extended. Rarity shrieked as she gave a quick kick straight to his gemstones. The dog clutched the throbbing pain between his legs as he cried in agony.

“You don’t touch a lady like that!” she barked at the diamond dog.

The dog slowly got up from the ground. “You really shouldn’t have done that.” His voice was a few octave higher. “Now you’re gonna get it!” He quickly snatched the pony by the neck, lifting her off her hooves.

“P-put me down you, you brute!” she gasped, struggling for air.

“Shut it!” he shouted, glaring at the pony.

“Make me!”

The dog smiled. “Gladly,” he said, right before striking her in the face. Rarity’s left eye quickly began to swell, a small trickle of blood pouring from her ear. “You like that?” he asked devilishly, striking her again, her once beautiful white face now covered with red and purple bumps. The dog snickered as he threw the defeated pony to the ground.

Rarity looked up at Spike. It was taking six dogs to hold him down, even though he looked like he was hit by a train. His body was covered with blood and bruises, his face was disfigured, his snout all bent in a jagged pattern, wooden splinters in his cheek and blood dripping from his nose. “Spike…please… Help me…”

“Rarity…”

The leader walked up to Spike’s defeated visage, a big toothy grin on his ugly face. “Well, well, well, it looks like the big bad dragon is out for the count!” The other dogs laughed, egging him on.

“Go…go to Tartarus…” the dragon muttered.

Howls of laughter came from the dogs as their leader flexed his claws. “What was that?” he asked, taking one of his long and jagged claws and placing it over Spike’s right eyebrow. “I couldn’t quite hear that.”

He slowly and painfully jabbed the nail into the dragons skin. Spike tried his best not to show any pain.

“Make him squeal!” shouted one of the dogs, the rest of the pack agreeing with more hellish howling. The lead dog smiled, looking at the dreary eyes of the dragon.

“Well, dragon? You gonna squeal for us?” he asked Spike. The drake said nothing. “Well then…” He twisted his nail around in Spike’s wound, right before slashing down across his eye.

The dragon grunted in pain as blood poured over his eye.

“This won’t do it,” sighed the lead dog. He turned to Rarity, she was being held by the large diamond dog. “Maybe his marefriend can help us.” He grew another devilish grin on his face.

“Not…my marefriend…”

“Oh,” said the diamond leader, a terrible idea forming in his mind. “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind…” He took a hold of Rarity, slamming her face into the ground. “You see…” he said as he looked back at Spike, “here’s what we’re going to do. First we’ll have some fun with your little pony.” Spike’s heartbeat began to increase. “And then were going to kill you.” Spike gritted his pointy teeth. “Then, she’s going to work till she finds us all the diamonds in Equestria.” Spike was growling. “But don’t worry, she’ll have plenty of breaks.” He looked at his pack. “We have needs after all!”

The pack of horny dogs whistled and cackled at that remark, echoing in the darkness that was approaching. The clouds had blocked out the sun, and soon it was raining heavily.

“What do you say, boys?” the lead dog shouted. “I’ve never had wet mare before!” He walked behind Rarity and grabbed her flank. She tried her best to resist, but she was just too weak to fight back. She started to cry, looking at Spike for help. The dragon looked like he was crying as well. No, not crying.

Laughing.

“What’s so funny?” asked the leader.

Spike small little chuckle grew and grew into a maniacal laughter. Every dog was staring at him with a strange look. “It’s funny…’cause I know something you don’t…”

“And what’s that?” the dog asked smugly.

The dragon looked up, the blood from his eye drenched across the right side of his face. “Simple,” he began, “I have wings.”

The four dogs holding down Spike’s back were flung into the air, landing unconsciously on the ground. On Spike’s back were two large purple wings, and he had become very good at folding them so they blended into his back. Sometimes, it didn’t even look like they were even there. With the weight of the dogs off his back, he was easily able to crush the skulls of the remaining two dogs in his massive claws.

The large dog charged at Spike. Apparently, he had found another stick. Spike mustered up what little fire was burning in his belly and erupted it in the dog’s face. The large dog screamed as he was burned alive, falling to his knees as he tried to pat out the green flames.

The leader of the Diamond Dogs was all alone. He dropped Rarity, and started to run away. He wasn’t nearly as fast as the flying dragon. Spike grabbed the dog by the neck and flew high up into the air.

The dog desperately tried to claw free. “Mercy! Mercy!” he cried weakly.

“Mercy?” the solemn dragon asked. “Did you show us mercy!” His grip tightened. “DID YOU SHOW HER ANY MERCY!”

“I’m…I’m sorry” he coughed. “Please…”

“NO MERCY!” the dragon screamed as he flew higher into the air. Once he reached a high altitude, he closed his wings and the two began hurtling towards the ground.

As they fell, the dog was finally able to wiggle down enough to bite the hand of the dragon. Spike winced in pain as he let go of the dogs neck. Spike opened his wings to slow his fall, but the dog grabbed his leg.

“I’ll kill you!” the dog screamed as he swung across the dragon’s soft underbelly.

Blood exploded from the dragon’s stomach as Spike gave a thunderous roar. He looked down at the evil grin of the diamond dog, Spike’s blood drenched across his face.

Back on the ground, Rarity was huddled in the mud, letting out little sniffles over what almost happened to her, and what had happened to Spike already. Slowly she noticed new thick drops of liquid falling on her face. She looked up to see it was not rain, but dark crimson blood. She quickly scurried away from the blood rain. Where was it coming from? She thought. She found out soon enough as a large lifeless body fell from the sky and landed in the mud with a messy splat. Slowly, Rarity peeked at what it was. It was the headless body of a diamond dog. Spike descended from the sky and landed next to Rarity.

“Spike!” she screamed as she went to hug the dragon. “It was horrible! T-T-They tried to r-r-r-r” She couldn’t say that last word. She was in full tears as she clung to her dragon.

“It’s okay Rarity…” he said, the sadness in his eyes was clear as he rested his neck on her shoulder. His eyes started to grow heavy. “I’m sorry…”

She looked at the dragon, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Spiky, you have nothing to be sorry about!” She felt his weight getting heavier. “Spike?” The dragon collapsed on the ground, blood still pouring out of his stomach. “Spike!” she screamed at the fading dragon. “Spike get up!” she demanded while crying. “Get up damn it!” She held the dragon’s face close to hers, his big green eyes still shining in the rain. He gave her a weak smile.

“I’m sorry…”

Rarity’s tried to hold her tears back, causing her to hyperventilate. “What?” she asked quietly. “What are you sorry about?” She waited for his answer.

Spike coughed up a little blood, the world was getting darker around him, yet Rarity was as bright as ever. Her face was covered with blood, her left eye had swollen over and she had cuts all over her cheek. She was still beautiful to him. “I’m sorry…I …never told…you…” his words were getting heavier as he spoke. It was harder to breath. “How I……” He couldn’t finish the sentence before everything went black.

The Recovery

A broken bone heals in a day,
A broken heart, is there to stay

Spike eyes slowly peeked open. His sight was fuzzy and shaky but he could still make out the tiny splashes the rain made in the puddles. He glanced around him, the trees seemed to move around him. No, he was moving, but how? He couldn’t feel his legs as they dragged slowly through the mud.

“This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening,” an upset voice said beside him.

Spike mustered up what little energy he had left. “Rare?…” he whispered.

Rarity had one of Spike’s massive arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her horn was glowing a powerful blue, trying to support the heavy dragon. She gasped. “Spiky! It’s okay, I’m getting you to the hospital. Everything will be just ACK-“

Rarity dropped Spike as they both fell into the mud. The dragon was just too heavy for her to carry by herself. Spike rolled to his side to get a look at Rarity. Almost every inch of her cloud white coat was soaked in either mud or blood. Her one eye was completely swollen shut and a deep purple, and her beautiful violet mane was glued to her face and neck with rainwater and mud. The mare kneeled by the fallen dragon, tears rolling down her mud-stained cheeks. She dug her face in Spike’s chest, ignoring the blood gushing out of it. “I’m so sorry Spike,” she said between teary breaths. “I just can’t do it…” she cried. “I’m just not strong enough.”

Spike rose his shaky claw and slowly stroked Rarity’s mane. Even in the rain and the mud, her hair was as soft as silk. If he was going to die, he was at least going to die next to the one he loved.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Spike…” she whimpered.

“I see Rainbow,” he groaned.

“You see a rainbow?” she asked, still staring at the dying dragon.

Spike’s head started to feel light. “Not a rainbow,” he said weakly, staring to fade again. “Rainbow,” he said, before blacking out again.

“Rainbow?” asked Rarity, trying to get an answer out of the unconscious Spike when she finally realized. “Rainbow.” She looked up to the sky. Sure enough, there was the cyan pegasus laying lazily on a cloud. “RAAAAAAAAINBOW!!!” she screamed.

The rainbow maned pegasus rolled in her slumber, cursing under her breath. “Trying to sleep here!” she called, unaware of her friend’s predicament.

“RAINBOW, SPIKE IS HURT!” the frustrated unicorn yelled.

Rainbow shot up from the cloud. “What?” She looked down on the bleeding dragon and the filthy mare. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god.” She panicked, quickly flying to the ground. “We got to get him to the hospital!” She grabbed Spike’s left arm and wrapped it around her neck, Rarity doing the same with the right. The two ponies ran towards the hospital, praying that they weren’t too late.

*****

The doors of the hospital burst open as the two ponies dragged the dragon inside. From there on, everything moved in a blur. The nurses and doctors quickly got Spike on a stretcher and ran him to the critical injuries ward. Rarity followed, never leaving his side. Twilight was alerted almost immediately afterwards and she teleported there instantaneously, tears rolling down her cheek.

Word spread quickly across the town, alerting all of Spike’s friends and anyone else he cared about. Soon, everypony in Ponyville knew what Spike had done, and that he saved Rarity's life.

*****

It had been five days since the incident. Spike had slipped into a coma and had yet to awake from it. Every day, the situation looked more and more dire.

“He’s been like this for five days now!” screamed Twilight at the nurse. “You’re a doctor! Fix him!”

“Please Miss Sparkle,” said Nurse Redheart in a calm, controlled voice. “I need you to calm down. We are doing everything that we can but he has sustained multiple injuries.”

They turned their attention to Spike. He was hooked up to many different types of medical machines with flashing lights and I.V. tubes. The dragon had a large bandage wrapped around his stomach area where he was cut by the Diamond Dog. His right claw was wrapped up where the leader had bit him. His face had healed up quite nicely, except for a deep red scar that ran down his right eye.

Redheart look back at Twilight. “You see Miss Sparkle, he’s lucky to even be alive. It was easy to treat the broken ribs, the internal bleeding, and the torn ligaments. But the dog that attacked him struck his underbelly, the Achilles’ heel of dragons.” She looked over her notes again. “Based on the amount of blood on the white mare and his low pulse, he must have lost over half his blood. If he was a pony, these injuries would have killed him.

Twilight was crying again, she was still angry and only getting madder at the lack of answers. “So? I don’t care! Just help him!”

“Miss Sparkle, please calm down.” The nurses calmness was strangely eerie. “We have done all we could, we even called in dragon experts from the university. But by Spike’s age, most dragons have begun to hoard and few are willing to volunteer for medical experiments.” She looked at the teary purple unicorn and sighed. “I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but we just can’t treat him anymore. His body could have a negative reaction to the treatment. We just have to hope his own body can recover.”

Twilight started to calm down. She knew she wasn’t mad at the doctor, but rather the fact that Spike was like this. “Thank you,” she said as the nurse left the room. Twilight looked over to the hospital bed, and the mare leaning over it.

Rarity was beside Spike, her eyes full of sadness and regret. She had not once left the dragons side, not for food, not for sleep, not even to bathe as she was still covered in dried mud and blood. She could hear every word as she lay next to Spike waiting for him to wake up.

“It’s all my fault,” she moaned as she cried once again shedding tears for the dragon she loved.

She looked at the scar over his right eye. It reminded her of all the pain she had caused him even though it was unintentional. But like his scar, this could never be undone.

She brushed her hoof over the good side of his face. “I should have told you I love you and now it’s too late.” Rarity wiped away her tears as Twilight walked up beside her.

Twilight tried to keep clam as she spoke to Rarity. “How is he, Rarity?” she asked.

The white mare looked terrible. Her white coat was covered in a mess of dark red and brown, her purple mane and tail had dried to her body and had dirt and branches still stuck in it. Her face was the worst. Though her eye had healed up, her mascara had run down her face from all of her crying, and her eyes were strained and bloodshot from five days without sleep.

“I don’t know, he’s just been asleep for so long,” she said.

Twilight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m worried too.” A tear started to form in her eye. “We just have to hope that he can pull through.” She took a look around. “Hey, where’s Rainbow? I thought she was visiting again today.”

“The doctors had to remove her again. She destroyed another hospital room.” She gave a little sniffle. “Truly un-lady like.”

Twilight smiled. At least Rarity wasn’t morning as bad. “So they locked her up?”

The door burst open, a cyan blue pony dashing in the room. “Was locked up,” she said, walking in up to Twilight and Rarity.

“They let you out?” asked Twilight, puzzled because the pegasus still looked quite angry.

“Yeah, they gave me a copy of the newest Daring Do to help calm me down,” she said, letting a large brown book fall from her wing. She looked at Spike. “Those damn dogs were lucky I wasn’t there. I would have shown them a thing or two!” She looked over at Rarity who was still cuddling the sleeping dragon. “She’s still here?” she whispered to Twilight.

Twilight nodded in response. “She hasn’t left since we brought him here.” She put a friendly hoof on her shoulder. “I’m still thankful that you were close by to help, Rarity.”

Rarity just stood there, head on the edge of Spike’s bed, crying as quietly as she could. “It’s all my fault…” she whimpered.

“What? No it’s not,” said Rainbow Dash.

Rarity lifted and turned her head towards the ponies. Her eyes were bloodshot, the redness of her retina merging with the blueness of her iris. “How is it not my fault?! I’m the one who dragged him diamond hunting! I’m the one who he tried to protect! I’m the one who could never show him the love he deserved!”

“Rarity, calm down.”

“DON’T TELL ME TO BE CALM, TWILIGHT!!” she yelled, slamming her hoof down on Spike’s stomach wound.

Spike’s eyes slowly peeked open. His head was pounding and his body felt week. How long was he out? Where was he? Was that Rarity?

“I don’t know why he does it? He’s just has to be such a...such a beast around me!” cried Rarity. What was that? She thought he was a beast? “If it wasn’t for me, none of this would have happen!” Was it his fault all this danger followed him? “Sometimes I think we should have just let him grow up and be a dragon!” she screamed, running out the door of the room, Twilight and Rainbow quickly following her.

He was alone.

His heart began to sink. He just heard what he prayed he’d never hear. Rarity thought he was a monster. He groaned a little, barely audible at all as the depression washed over him, falling back into his sleep. Outside the room, Twilight and Rainbow were trying to comfort the upset Rarity.

“Rarity? Are you okay?” asked Twilight.

“I haven’t eaten or slept in five days, and I’m realizing that the only one I will ever love might die, and I just wished I never had met him. NO, I’M NOT ALL RIGHT!” she screamed, her angry bloodshot eyes filling with salty tears. “I just want my Spike back…” she collapsed on the ground.

The two ponies looked at the mare. “Is she all right?” asked Rainbow.

They heard the soft purr of breathing being emitted from the bloody pony. “She's okay, just sleeping,” smiled Twilight. She magically lifted the sleeping pony, and reopened the room’s door, placing the sleeping mare next to the sleeping dragon. Almost instinctively, Rarity rolled over to her side, sliding a hoof across Spike’s muscular chest as she snuggled close to her dragon.

The doors opened up again, as a familiar orange pony entered the room. “Howdy y’all,” she said sincerely. “How’s tha big guy doin?”

“Don’t know. But at least Rarity’s sleeping” sighed Twilight.

“Well, that’s good I reckon,” she said reaching in her saddle bag. “Ah know that there doctor food is rather nasty, so I brought you one of Granny Smith’s world famous apple pies!” she said pulling out a large, warm pie out of her bag.

“Thank you AJ, I’m sure they’ll love it when they wake up,” said Twilight. “Hey, where’s Fluttershy and Pinkie?”

“Oh, they went to Zecora’s. Said something about getting some sort of natural painkiller or something.” Applejack looked at the two in the bed. “Poor things,” she sighed. She heard Twilight give a little sniffle. “Hey there sugar cube, he’ll be all right. That dragon got a lot of fight in him.” She leaned in closer to Twilight. “Hey Twi, does Rarity know that she’s still covered in blood?”

“Applejack, I don’t think she cares right now. She hasn’t even been home since we got here. She’s been having me check up on Sweetie Belle, and she’s even staying at the library with me.”

Slowly, Spike’s eyes started to open again. He wanted to keep them close, never to awaken again. He heard more voices. Most of them were faded but he was able to make out who was I the room. He took a big breath and he felt a new weight on his chest, a hoof. He glanced over to see, of all ponies, Rarity. She was cuddled up next to him, fast asleep. Even though he now knew that she didn’t love him the way he did, it was still nice to be this close to her. As Spike tried to sit up, he heard the waves of gasps of ponies as everypony rushed over to his side.

Twilight was hysterical with her happiness, lunging right on top of the dragon and giving him a loving hug. “SPIKE! OH THANK CELESTIA YOU’RE OKAY!” she cried into the dragon’s neck.

“Nice to see you too, Twilight,” the dragon said weakly. “Umm, could you maybe get off me, you’re kinda leaning on my stomach.”

“Oops, sorry!” she said, quickly getting off of Spike.

Spike looked around him, seeing all his close friends around him. It gave him a good warm feeling inside to know that so many ponies cared about him, even if the one he truly cared for didn’t. Twilight decided to get him caught up with what happened during the five days he was out. How he almost died, how Rarity and Rainbow carried him all the way to the hospital, how he was in a coma for five days and how Rarity never left his side. That last one made him think. Why would Rarity stay by his side the whole time? He quickly abandoned this thought. She probably just felt bad or something. “So RD saved my life, guess I owe you one.”

“Don’t sweat it Spike, just doing what anypony would do!” Rainbow said proudly.

The door opened as the white nurse pony entered the room. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over, and we need to run some more tests.” The ponies obeyed the nurse, walking out of the room. She noticed the white mare and the now awake dragon. “Oh Spike, nice to see you’re awake but your friend will have to leave.”

“She’s asleep nurse.” He stroked her mane again. “Can’t you just let her stay?”

The doctor sighed. “I guess, the tests aren’t that extreme. I just need to take a blood sample.”

Spike gave a little chuckle. “That’s it? Just a blood test?”

“Yes.”

“And here I was hoping for a sponge bath,” the dragon said, giving the nurse a wicked grin.

“Who do you think cleaned you up?” she responded, returning the same wicked smile.

Nurse Redheart proceeded with the blood test, taking a large needle and carefully injecting it in one of his loose scales on his arms. “That should do it. I’ll be back in a bit. If the blood is clean, you can leave today,” she said as she headed out the door.

Almost an instant later, a pink flash of pinkness zoomed in the room. “Hey Spike! Wow you’re awake! That’s so cool,! Hey sorry we didn’t visit earlier, we just had to go and grab a potion from Zecora and then we had a rhyming contest which she won cause she rhymes all the time and then we came back but Fluttershy got scared and I had to sing a song but I wasn’t sure what it was about. Anyhooves are ya feeling better? Are ya? Are ya? Are ya?” the energetic pink pony shot at him with the barrage of words.

“Nice to see you too Pinkie,” sighed Spike.

“Sugar cube take a breath, yer gonna turn white again,” said Applejack as she, Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy entered the room.

“Ooooooo but I’m just so happy that Spike’s awake now!” she beamed.

Fluttershy in her soft and timid voice finally spoke. “Oh, I’m so happy for him.”

“Me too!” bounced the party pony. “Anyhoof, I gotta go!”

“What?” asked the now annoyed Rainbow. “You just got here and now your leaving?”

“Well duh, I need to plan Spike’s getting better party!” she sang, hopping out the door. “See ya!”

“I guess we should all head back home,” said Applejack. “Got a lot of work to do today.”

Soon, everypony was saying their goodbyes and leaving the room. Nurse Redheart walked by Fluttershy as she left the room. “Spike, I have good news. The blood samples we took show no sign of contamination, and since you’re awake again, you can leave whenever you like.”

“Thanks,” he said, slowly getting up from the bed, being extra careful to not disturb Rarity.

“Just try not to overwork yourself,” the nurse said.

The dragon smiled. “Hey, if I get hurt again, I just get an excuse for another sponge bath,” he laughed. Nurse Redheart couldn’t help but blush as she left the room again.

Spike got up and out of the bed. There was still a large pain in his stomach, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He looked at the sleeping beauty laying on the bed. He felt a rush in his gut, overpowered by the sick emotions of sadness and depression. “Rarity, I love you. And I wish you could feel the same for me.”

He picked up the mare in his arms, cradling her like a newborn foal. She was light as a feather and just as beautiful and it sickened him that he could never have her. He quietly walked out of the hospital. It was very late. The sun had gone down and Luna had already risen the moon. Rarity opened her eyes slightly as she felt her body move, as if she was floating. She looked up to see Spike’s masculine face looking forward. Her heart warmed up as she was held by her one, true love. She smiled as she let her exhausted body fall back to sleep, comforted by Spike’s warm body and his steady heartbeat, a heartbeat that belonged to her.

*****

As Spike entered the Boutique, he noticed how little had changed since he last saw it. The fragrance of the mare still clung to the room, a smell Spike had deeply come to admire as he visited Rarity. Spike could not help but notice another smell. It was a stronger, fresher one.

“What’s that smell?” he though as he sniffed the air, the smell was coming from upstairs. He slowly made his way up the stairs with his precious cargo. He suddenly felt his foot slip as he almost lost his balance. He quickly extended his tail to push up on the floor and regained his balance. He looked down to see a perfume bottle lying on the stairs.

“Opal,” he muttered. That cat was always playing with things that didn’t belong to her. He ignored it as he continued up the stairs.

As Spike entered Rarity’s room he gave a quick look around. He noticed all the cloth rolls and strings of fabric and jewels hanging all over the place. “Organized chaos is still chaos,” he chuckled as he went over to Rarity’s bed. He slowly placed the mare down and was carefully not to wake her.

Spike took a seat beside the sleeping pony as his heart began to torment him with feelings of regret. Regret at what he told himself about Rarity, regret about what he heard her say. He felt his eyes grow watery, something that hadn’t occurred since he was young. He turned to face her. She looked so beautiful sleeping on the bed.

“Rarity, I would do so much for you…” He tried his best to push back his tears, he never wanted to cry. “… I would do so much for you if only I could tell you how I feel. Why does it even matter if I love you, you don’t feel the same way?” He looked over to one of Rarity’s mirror to see his reflection. For once, he didn’t see the handsome and attractive Spike he always saw in the mirror. He saw what he really was….

A dragon. A monster.

“You think that I’m just a beast, and you’re right. I’m not a pony and I can never be the stallion you deserve. You have your dream colt that I can never be.” It was getting harder to fight off the tears. “I should just leave you alone, go grow up and just be a dragon. But I can’t. I guess I’m just too selfish, too greedy... You’re so beautiful, the thought of ever leaving you...a life without you just seems unbearable.”

He couldn’t help himself. Shiny tears rolled down his face as he clenched his eyes shut. The few tears that squeezed through his eyes fell down his face and he caught them in his hands. Slowly, the tears began to harden, the liquid freezing in his hands.

“Dragon Tears, the rarest of all gems,” he muttered to himself, he looked at his crystalized tears. Rarity had always wanted some of these, but dragons weren’t known to cry often. “I’d give you these and my heart as well. But all you want is friendship, just friendship.” He stopped crying. “I guess I can do that. If it means you’ll be happy, then I’ll gladly suffer.”

He wiped up the last of his crystal tears as he finished his little speech. He rose from the bed and took one last look at Rarity. She was still covered in blood and her hair was a mess, yet she still looked like an angel to him. He leaned in on the mare and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Her coat was soft like clouds and he never wanted to pull away, but he did. With a heavy heart, Spike slowly closed the door to Rarity’s room. He started his slow descent down the stairs, his soul damaged and his mind weary. Suddenly, he heard a rattle in the kitchen. He quickly extended his claws in case of trouble. He slowly approached the door. There was definitely somepony in the room. He took a deep breath and charged into the room.

“Hey Spike,” Sweetie Belle said, looking at the shock look on Spike’s face. “Nice to see you’re feeling better.”

“Sweetie Belle?” the bedazzled dragon asked, looking at his love’s little sister. She had grown a lot in the last ten years, much like Spike had. Her body had come in nicely and her mane had grown out, resembling Rarity’s but shorter and curlier.

“Hello to you too,” she said sarcastically, taking another bite out of her levitating apple.

“What are you doing here? Twilight said you were staying with her,” he said.

“I was, but I come back home to feed the cat and escape Twilight. You know she had me do all your chores when you were out?” she told him.

Spike couldn’t help but smile, thinking of the young unicorn performing his long lists of chores while tolerating Twilight’s controlling personality. “Yeah, she can be quite a handful,” said Spike. Sweetie Belle walked behind him and hopped on a chair to be on eye level with the massive dragon. As she walked pass him, he couldn’t help up sniff a strong scent of perfume on her.

Sweetie Belle noticed the dragon sniffing the air. “It was Opal, she spilled the perfume.”

“I see,” Spike said. “So how’s school treating you?”

She shrugged. “Can’t complain, it’s hard work but I’m really making a lot of progress in my music class.” She started to get excited. “And, I heard that Sapphire Shores is looking for back-up singers, so I really hope I get the part!”

“Don’t worry about it. I was there when you got your cutie mark. You’ll be fine,” he said, pointing at her flank, a large music note surrounded by a big silver star imprinted on it. “Well, I should probably get going. If Twilight finds out I left the hospital without telling her, she’ll kill me.”

Spike started to head out the door. He was just about out when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around to see Sweetie looking right at him, her face dead serious.

“She loves you back you know,” she said.

“What?” he asked in shock.

“Rarity, she loves you Spike,” she repeated.

His heart stopped, contemplating what sort of sick game Sweetie was playing on him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied.

“No Spike, it’s true. She never left your side, not even for a second when you were in the hospital. And, you should have seen her whenever she got ready for you to come over. She said it was to be ladylike, but I knew she was lying. She never freaked out like that for anyone but you, even when she had a date to get ready for!”

Spike looked in Sweetie Belle’s eyes. “Sweetie, look at me and tell me what you see.”

“I see the dragon my sister lo-“

“EXACTLY,” Spike interrupted. “I’m a dragon! A big, evil, ruthless killer that has no right to be with someone like Rarity.”

“You have every right to be with her!” screamed Sweetie back at him. “She loves you Spike. She was just too scared to ask you and you were always out with other ponies or dragons! Get that through your thick skull!”

“I’M A DRAGON!!” he yelled. “AND I HEARD HER CALL ME A BEAST! SHE WISHED I LEFT A LONG TIME AGO!! AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH PROOF FOR YOU THEN JUST GO TO HELL!” The dragon pushed away from Sweetie Belle, left the house, and took off, disappearing in the night sky.

Sweetie turned around and headed upstairs. “Fine Spike, believe what you want,” she grunted. She headed to her room next to Rarity’s, but stopped when she heard a quiet sobbing. She slowly peeked into the room. “Rarity?”

Rarity was sitting up on her bed, she was crying in her hooves. “Sweetie…” she cried, a guilty look on her face.

“How much did you hear?” Sweetie asked.

“When the yelling started.”

“I see. Did you really say those things about Spike?” she asked.

Rarity tried to speak, but her voice started to break up. She jumped and hugged her sister. “I screwed up, Sweetie Belle! I said some things I shouldn’t have and he must have heard them!”

“Hey, hey…” Sweetie hummed, trying to comfort her.

“I should have told him how I felt!” she cried.

“Yeah, even Big Mac didn’t take this long to tell Cheerilee,” Sweetie said.

“I just feel so horrible! Poor Spike, his heart must be tormenting him!” Rarity cried.

Sweetie pulled her sister away from her. “It’s not too late. Pinkie is throwing Spike a party for his recovery, and it should be ready when he gets there.”

A new light lit in Rarity, her eyes filled with life instead of dread. “Of course! Come on Sweetie Belle, let’s go!”

Rarity was about to leave the room when Sweetie tugged her arm. “Umm, maybe you might want to clean up first.”

Rarity looked down at herself. She had completely forgotten that she was still filthy. “Oh, yes of course. First a bath, THEN we go get Spike and I tell him how I truly feel!!”

The Party

I think of you in my dreams
Hoping that we’re meant to be

Spike soared through the air, his stomach burning and his heart in shambles. The fight he just had with Sweetie Belle was still fresh in his mind. He could not believe what she had just told him, and he didn’t. He heard what Rarity said with his own ears. How she thought he was a beast, and how she wished that he had left a long time ago. He flew to the Ponyville Park, a place he liked to go when he was upset. He perched himself on the large thick branch of an oak tree. As he sat down, he took a look at the view. The night was in full bloom, all the stars dotting the sky like little diamonds on a dark violet veil. He looked at Luna’s moon, bright and round in the sky. So alone she must have been. A thousand years in exile with no pony to comfort her, no friends, no love. It reminded him of his situation.

“It’s all true,” he said out loud. “I’m just a big scary monster, a villain in a filly’s tale.” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. “She knew I had a crush on her! She knew ever since my birthday! And she just uses me to find gems!” He felt the fire burn in his belly, begging to explode. “What kind of mare plays with someone’s emotions like that?!” he yelled, steam blowing out of his nose. He gave a loud roar as his mouth burst into green fire, a stream of molten fire was flung into the air.

When the burning in his gut was gone he stopped and looked at the flames. He always loved his fire, the colour and strength behind it made him feel better and sometimes he saw patterns in the flames. He looked closely at the jade coloured fire and was stunned. Before the flame flickered out, he could have sworn the flames were in the shape of a heart.

His heart started to ache. “Who am I kidding? I love her.”

He took a deep breath. Why did he love somepony who could never love him back? Spike slid from the tree and fell to the ground. A pain spiked in his stomach but he ignored it. It was nothing compared to the pain in his broken heart. Slowly, he began his journey home. Normally, it would take him thirty minutes or less to get to the library, but he wasn’t focusing on going home, just on walking in the night. Spike heard the steady beat of music calling in the distance as he was walking. Confused, he started to follow the noise. It led back to the tree house. All the lights were on and there was the strong aroma of cake in the air. Another Pinkie party, he thought to himself as he smiled. He could really use some cheering up right now, and what better way to get happy than at a party? He slowly opened the door to the library, only to be met with an explosion of confetti.

“SURPRISE!!” screamed several ponies, followed by joyful cheering.

Pinkie quickly approached him, dragging him in the house. “Hi Spike! I’m so glad you could make it to your party!” she cheered, an odd statement considering he lived here. “I threw this party just for you cause you’re a hero and everypony in town wanted to come and celebrate and I was all like --GAK!! She was suddenly gagged by a hoof full of cake that Twilight shoved in her face.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave Spike a hug. “I’m glad your back and feeling better” she said. She was tearing up, but Spike knew they were tears of joy.

Spike smiled, nuzzling the unicorn. “It’s good to be back,” he stated.

“Now come on Twi!” said Applejack, shouting over the crowd. “Let the dragon go, he can’t enjoy the party with y’all holding him tighter than a wet hog on weaseling day!”

“Sorry,” Twilight said as she let go of the dragon with a red face. “It’s just that I missed you so much, Spike.”

“It’s okay Twilight. I missed you too,” he said, scrunching up Twilights mane before heading into the party.

Pinkie had really gone all out on this party. Ponies were dancing and mingling to the steady beat of party music, and a group of ponies were at the makeshift bar taking, from what he could tell, body shots. Everypony seemed to be having a good time. Every pony. He walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of hard cider, before walking to one of the tables Pinkie had set up.

He hadn’t even opened his drink when an all too familiar voice whispered in his ear. “Guess whoooooooooooo?”

“Hello Lyra. I assume Bon-Bon is somewhere nearby?” he asked the green unicorn.

“You know it!” her cream coloured companion said. The two took seats next to the dragon. “So how was the hospital?”

“Not so bad. There was this hot nurse there that gave me a sponge bath,” he grinned.

“Ooooooo, kinky!” cooed Lyra. “You do it with her?” she asked.

“I highly doubt it, Lye” said Bon-Bon. “He wouldn’t want to hurt the misses,” she giggled.

“Don’t,” snapped the dragon. “I’m not in the mood.”

Bon-Bon saw how serious the dragon looked, and quickly tried to change the subject. “So…do you have any scars?” she asked.

“Yeah! Come on show us!” begged Lyra.

The dragon sighed. “I have this one on my eye,” he said pointing to his face.

“Whoa…” gasped Lyra. “That’s so cool! You look like a badass now!”

“And I didn’t before?” he joked. “And I also have this massive one on my stomach as you probably noticed.”

“Can we see it?” asked Bon-Bon.

Spike shook his head. “Not allowed to take the bandage off. It still might be healing.”

“Well, that sucks,” groaned Lyra. “Any more?”

“Well, I got this one on my hand. Damn dog bit me,” he growled, the memory still fresh in his mind.

“So tell us, what exactly happened?” asked Lyra. “Pinkie tried to explain it, but she’s not the most reliable source of information.”

“Well, there we were. I was flying in the air, the freaking dog had just slashed my stomach open and was clinging to my foot.” The two ponies gasped as they listened to the tale. “My blood was pouring down on his face, but I could still make out that sick, evil smile. So I grabbed him from my foot and started to strangle him.” His tone was getting darker, the ponies were completely engulfed in his tale. “I could feel the life leaving his body, but he kept on laughing. He was dying and he was laughing. Then he said something that put me over the edge…”

“What?” the cream coloured pony asked, fear in her voice.

“He said, and I’ll never forget this, …I got inside of her.”

The Lyra and Bon-Bon were dead silent. The dragon’s face was stripped of all emotion as he stared at the two ponies.

“I don’t know if he was telling the truth, or just trying to piss me off, but I just lost it,” Spike said.

Lyra gulped the giant lump in her throat. “What did you do?”

“Simple,” he said grimly. “I tore his frickin head off.”

“W-W-What? How?” stuttered Bon-Bon.

“It was easy,” he said, raising his unopened bottle. “Like flicking off a bottle cap,” he said as flicked his finger up, the tin bottle caps launching off the bottle with ease.

It spun in the air before landing on the table with an eerie little clang. Spike lifted up the bottle to his lips as his quickly emptied the contents of the bottle into his mouth. He dropped the bottle on the ground and looked at his friends. There was a look of shock frozen to their face.

“I’m going to get some air,” he told them. He didn’t know if they heard him or not. To be honest, he didn’t care. He slowly pushed through the crowd of ponies and headed upstairs to the balcony.

The air was still cool and the sky was still clear as Spike headed out on the balcony. He leaned on the balcony and looked out on the town he called home. He ran his claw down his face he thought of what he just told Lyra and Bon-Bon. He would have to apologize to them. They didn’t do anything to deserve that. He was so consumed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the purple mare coming from behind him.

“Spike, is everything okay?” she asked him, walking up next to him.

“Of course, never better,” he lied.

“Spike, you know you can’t lie to me,” she told him. “No matter how hard you try.” Spike smiled at Twilight’s comment. “Come on Spike, you can tell me anything, you know that.”

Spike sighed. “All right Twilight, I’ll tell you,” he said, as he explained what happened at Rarity’s.

*****

“Will you hurry up? You’ve been in there for over an hour!” Sweetie Belle screamed at her sister through the door of the bathroom. “The party already started!”

Rarity had just walked out of the bath, all the blood and grim that was stuck to her coat had vanished, her hair was steamy and hung down in an almost seductive matter. “I’m almost done, I just need to decide if I’m going to wear my hair up or down.”

“Oh my Celestia! Who gives a buck what your hair looks like?” Sweetie yelled from beyond the door.

Rarity gasped. “Sweetie Belle! A lady never goes out in public with her hair out of place!”

“ARGH!” groaned Sweetie, clearly irritated by her sister and her obsession with her hair. “Fine. If you don’t hurry up, I’m just going to go to the party myself!” She got an idea. “Think of the reactions everypony will have if they find out your late for the party. It’d be very un-lady like of you!”

Rarity’s mind quickly snapped back to reality, as she quickly shook her mane, as it magically fell to her normal style. “Coming, I’m coming!” she said as she ran out the door. “Come on Sweetie, hurry up, we can’t be tardy!”

Sweetie Belle face-hoofed on that last comment as she followed her sister out of the Boutique.

*****

Twilight listened to every word that Spike had to say, and she could not help but feel bad for him, he was after all, like a little brother to her. “Spike, if you feel that way about her, you should go tell her that.”

“Because….” He tried to say, but there was nothing but depression in his voice and he feared he would cry again, and if there was one pony he didn’t want to cry in front of, it was Twilight. “Look at me Twilight. Rarity always wanted a prince, she deserves a prince. I’m just a dragon, a monster in filly tales. She just thinks of me as a mobile pincushion and a stupid little crush.”

“That’s not true Spike” Twilight said, as she slowly stroked the dragons arm. “You’re more to her than a pincushion, you’re her friend.”

That was not what the dragon wanted to hear. “That’s part of the problem, I’ve always loved her and I’m stuck in the friend zone. She always wanted her perfect stallion, and that’s not me,” he sighed looking towards the mountains where the large castle-like city of Canterlot was located. “Maybe I can reintroduce her to Prince Blueblood. I heard he wasn’t a jerk anymore.”

Twilight felt a wave of compassion wash over her for her dragon. She quickly moved over to hug the big dragon, the warmth of his body warmed up her heart. “You’re a great guy Spike, and you can’t let anypony tell you otherwise.” She looked up into his emerald eyes, right before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I love you Spike,” she said.

“I know you do,” he said, giving the unicorn a tender kiss on her forehead. She broke away from the dragon, smiling, and headed to the door. “Headed back inside Twi?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m going to go get some more cake.” She looked back in the house. “Besides, I should probably give you two some privacy.”

Spike scrunched his scarred eye with confusion. “Two?”

Twilight smiled as a white mare walked to the door, her mane a deep purple and the blue eyes he fell in love with.

Twilight gave Rarity a hug before leaving. “Please be careful with him, he means so much to me and I don’t want to see him get hurt again.”

“Don’t worry darling,” the white unicorn reassured her. “Never again,” she said, and with that Twilight left down stairs, closing the door magically behind her.

Spike was sure he was going to have a heart attack. His stomach rose and he felt weak around the legs. Some of it may have been a result of his injuries, but he couldn’t help but feel this way as Rarity slowly made her way over to Spike. Spike tried to keep his voice as calm as possible, but he knew that he couldn’t. “So how long have you been here?” he asked.

“Long enough to know that Blueblood is still a jerk,” she responded, inching closer to Spike.

“And how do you know that?” asked the dragon.

“Darling, I make trips to Canterlot all the time. It’s where I find new styles for my Gala dresses,” she told him, as if it were obvious. “I tried to talk to him once and he still hasn’t the slightest idea how to treat a lady.”

“Oh,” he said, trying to hide his smile. “I’m sorry you had to put up with him again.”

“Don’t be,” she smiled. “He’s a jackass.”

The two laughed a little as they stared out at Luna’s beautiful night. The moon light seemed to make Rarity’s diamond white coat shine even more than usual, as her whole body was like a perfect gem. The two stood there in the night, not saying anything.

“So is that how you really feel about me?” Rarity asked, breaking the silence.

This was it. Spike knew this was his chance to finally tell her how he truly felt. His heart told him to let it all out, to tell her the truth, but for some reason he couldn’t. He just froze up. Spike knew full well that the silence was going on for much too long and he needed an answer for her. He started to breath heavily, trying to calm his nerve.

“Spike? Are you all right?” asked Rarity, concerned for her dragon.

He stopped breathing, and quickly shook his nerve away. He summoned whatever courage that laid in his bowels for an answer. He knew exactly what to tell her.

“Rarity, I have always loved you. But you always wanted a gentle colt and that’s not me. It’s like you said. I’m just a beast around you,” he said in a dreary voice.

“Spike…no…” she started to say, before getting cut off by Spike.

“Rarity, all I ever want is for you to be happy, and you won’t be happy with a monster like me. I just want what’s best for you.”

Rarity’s eyes were watery. “You’re not a monster, Spike!”

“That’s what I heard you say, back in the hospital, when you were yelling at Twilight. You told her that she should have let me go and hoard gold like all the other dragons, instead of keeping me.”

“I was tired, and I was hungry Spike,” she said, streams of tears pouring down her face. “I didn’t leave your side for a second. I didn’t mean anything I said, I even broke down outside the room, taking everything back! I would never try to hurt you Spike….”

“Rarity,” he began. “You are the most beautiful, generous, loving pony in all Equestria. No pony even comes close to you. You’re an Element of Harmony, for Luna’s sakes! I’m just the janitor for an OCD unicorn who’s fallen asleep and drooled on half the books in the library,” Spike took in a final breath. “I understand if you don’t want to talk to me anymore.”

Rarity felt a rush of sadness crawl up her body. She had not realized how much she had hurt her dragon. It pained her to see Spike like this. The dragon she had to grow to love was in pain for her. He had done so much for her and treated her like a princess, and even though she caused him so much distress, all he wanted was for her to be happy. She had been so selfish over these years. Some Element of Generosity she turned out to be.

Rarity’s tears just got larger and shinier, so Spike wiped her tears away. “Please don’t cry. I hate it when you cry,” he said, flicking another salty tear off her face.

Rarity’s heart was warmed by his words. She turned around and stood up on her hind legs to try and match Spike’s height. She looked into his caring, beautiful green eyes and said something that she should have said a long time ago.

“Spike…I’m sorry I've hurt you so much. Everything I said at the hospital meant nothing, and I assumed your crush on me was just a cute little phase. After your birthday, I found out I had feelings for you. But you were young and I thought we’d just grow out of it. As you got older, you became more caring and sensitive than any colt or stallion in this town. You were always there for me, even when my so called ‘gentlecolts’ weren’t.”

There was a pause; she was really going to say it. “Spike…I fell in love with you. And I couldn’t bring myself to confess my feelings to you. I’m so sorry for all this, all your pain, your depression. It’s all my fault!”

Rarity finished with tears pouring down her cheek. Spike smiled back at her, wiping her tears away with a gentle and loving stroke of his claw. “Rarity, I will always love you. It doesn’t matter who you choose to be with, I’ll always be there for you.”

Rarity continued to cry, only this time into Spike’s chest as she embraced him. Spike welcomed this, slowly stroking his claw down her mane. They stayed like this for several minutes, and eventually Rarity’s crying began to die down. She slowly pushed herself away from Spike, but still remained close to her dragon. She knew who she would choose, she knew it all along. With nothing but love in her voice, she finally confessed what she should have done so many years ago.

“I choose you, Spike.”

“What?”

“I said I choose you.”

Spike heart may have just exploded right there. He wasn’t sure he just heard Rarity correctly; it was so unbelievable he had to make sure. “Are…are you sure?” he gulped.

Rarity closed the small gap between her and Spike as she stretched her front hooves around the dragons long scaly neck. Her face was just a few inches away from his. She batted her eyes and gave him a sexy little grin. “Will this answer your question?” she cooed, as she closed the gap, placing a kiss on his lips.

Spike knew his heart exploded that time. A rush of passion took over his body, his claws gently dragging down Rarity’s back and stopping on her hips. This was it, he was finally kissing Rarity! All of his wildest fantasies couldn’t lay a claw on the real thing. He pressed his body closer to hers, her coat was as soft as clouds and he wanted this feeling to last forever. Twilight had been watching from the window. She didn’t like spying on ponies, but she just had to make sure everything went okay.

“He’s finally happy,” she sighed happily, as a few tears of joy sprang from her eyes. As she turned around to head down stairs, the rest of the gang was looking for the guest of honor.

“Oh… Hello Twilight,” said Fluttershy in her usual timid tone. “We need Spike down stairs. Pinkie Pie has a ca-“

“I have the world’s greatest super most terrific cake for him and its sooooooooooo good!” burst Pinkie Pie. “I made it just for him and it even has his face drawn on the cake and I made it out of diamonds and it was hard but the Cakes helped me and their --AACCK!” gagged Pinkie as Rainbow shoved a cupcake in her mouth.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “What Pinkie’s trying to say is that we can’t have a hero party without the hero. Where is the big lizard anyways?” she asked. Twilight started to blush at the question. “You okay sugar cube? You’re turning redder than a sun burnt apple.”

Twilight started looking around nervously. “Umm, well he stepped outside for a second, said he needed to get some fresh air. That’s all I swear!” she lied.

“Right,” said Rainbow bluntly. “You’re such a bad lair Twi, we all know he’s outside with Rarity. We’re the ones who told her where he was. We just want to know what’s taking so long.”

“Well, for your information, they’re a little busy at the moment. They’ll come out when they are good and ready,” said Twilight, steering the ponies away from the lover’s door. “I suggest we head back down stairs and let them join us when they are finished.”

Rainbow’s face went blank, wondering what she meant. It took a few seconds but soon her eyes went wide, realizing what she meant. “Oh,” she groaned, flying down the stairs. The rest of the ponies just laughed as they followed her down.

Twilight stood at the top of the stairs, she looked back and smiled before following the rest of the ponies down to the party.

The two lovers parted from their kiss, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Rarity’s gleamed as Luna’s moon reflected in them, the stars nothing in comparison. They looked at each other for what seemed like forever.

Rarity was the first one to speak. Breaking the silence with her gentle, love struck voice. “Green certainly is a nice colour.”

Spike grinned. “You think?” he said in his playful tone, checking out his body.

“Of course darling, you made me realizes that,” she smiled, nuzzling Spike.

Slowly, the nuzzle evolved into another kiss. This one was more passionate, as the two locked themselves in another embrace, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. Spike felt a little push on his mouth, something wet. He gladly parted his lips as she stuck her sweet tasting tongue into his mouth. Soon, he had his snakelike tongue in her mouth. She let out a moan of pleasure as the kiss became more and more passionate. The two were so busy, they didn’t even notice the rain that started to pour down on them. Seconds later, Rarity slowly pushed him to the ground. Spike let himself fall to the balcony floor as the rain poured down on his body. As soon as he hit the ground, he felt a jolt of pain in his stomach and shot back up. Rarity looked concerned but was put to ease as Spike gave her a playful grin. Rarity slid herself on to Spike’s wet body. The rain was really starting to come down and it soaked the two. Rarity’s hair started to uncurl from the rain water, somehow becoming even more beautiful. She looked up to the rainy sky.

“Most beautiful night ever,” Rarity said, looking up to the sky.

Spike smiled. “Most beautiful pony ever.”

Rarity turned her head back to her dragon. He had that heart melting smile that she loved. She dove back into his mouth as the rain showered her back.

“I love you Rarity,” Spike said between kisses.

“I love you too, Spike.”

The Vision

The sun rises up, the day renewed
But with it, another trouble brews

The sun rose over Ponyville, and Spike rose with it. He squinted his eyes against the bright light of Celestia’s orb. He laid there in its radiance, basking in the warmth for a while. It was such a beautiful day, the perfect follow up for last night’s event.

Spike rolled over to look at his side. Rarity had fallen asleep, cuddled up next to him. Their tails were wrapped together and her hoof was stretched across his chest. He smiled at his unicorn; she was so beautiful in the morning light. Her hair was still wet from last night’s… steamy shower, the soft, violet locks fanned out over her shoulder and eyes.

Spike felt the grumble in his stomach. He hadn’t eaten at all yesterday and that bottle of cider hardly counted as a meal. He carefully shifted Rarity’s hoof off his chest and slowly sat up. His body was stiff and aching; falling asleep on the hard balcony wasn’t helping his injuries. He cracked his back as he stood, then looked at his love. She was bewitching as she lay on the ground, her snow white coat shimmering in the breeze. He smiled softly as the musical tones of her quiet snores resonated in his ears. How did he ever get so lucky? He bent down and placed a small kiss on the sleeping mare’s cheek.

“I will always be there for you Rarity. I promise,” he whispered.

“I know you will.”

Spike was startled as the white mare turned over and stared at him with sleepy eyes.

“You call that a kiss?” she smiled, grabbing his neck and pulling him in for another kiss.

His lips were warm and gritty, but she didn’t care. She loved her dragon. Their lips parted as Rarity curled back up on the floor, quickly succumbing to slumber once more. After the past six nights, her body insisted she needed her beauty sleep.

Spike walked into the house and headed down the stairs. He was not prepared for the scene that awaited him at the bottom. It looked like a manticore had been unleashed in the library. Furniture was broken, food was smeared everywhere, and ponies were passed out all around.

“Oh, I am NOT cleaning this up” he thought as he looked at the disaster. Spike slowly stepped over Berry Punch; she had passed out in what looked like an empty punchbowl. “That pony sure does love her punch.” Over by a desk, a dark purple unicorn was buried under a pile of books. Spike brushed away a couple of them and revealed Twilight. She had fallen asleep on top of her favorite books, sleeping in a puddle of her own drool.

The dragon sighed. “Only you, Twilight. Only you” he said, ruffling up the unicorn’s mane as he made his way around her.

He heard a loud snoring from above him. Rainbow had somehow gotten herself stuck on the ceiling, as she was laying on it as if she was sleeping on the ground. He decided to ignore it for now and would figure out how she got up there later. His stomach rumbled again and he decided to see if there was any food left. To his luck, there was still an enormous cake that had remained largely untouched.

He walked over to the giant cake, eying it hungrily. It was about the size of a pony it was so big. Getting a better look at it, he could see the face of a dragon made with amethyst and emerald crystals. Spike smiled as he recognized the handsome dragon. He took a scoop of the delicious cake and shoved it in his mouth. Had Rarity or Twilight seen him eat like this, he would never hear the end of it. He reached in the cake for another scoop when he felt something odd. It was something furry and soft. Curious, the dragon started to dig deeper into the cake, finally revealing a round, pink flank adorned with three party balloons.

“Pinkie?” he asked, turning the cake around. The party pony’s head stuck out the back of the cake, her mane and face completely covered in frosting.

How she gotten into a cake and fallen asleep, he hadn’t the slightest clue. Of course it was pointless to try and figure out the pink mare.

He headed into the kitchen and saw that it wasn’t spared the disasters of last night. There were empty bottles scattered across the floor, along with more ponies. Big Mac had passed out with his head in the open fridge, and his sisters were snoring under the table, Applebloom asleep on top of Applejack. He looked down on the ground to see a grey pegasus with her head stuck in a brown paper bag. He bent down and pulled the bag off.

“Derpy?” he asked as he pulled the bag off.

“Hey Spike!” she said rather loudly.

She fluttered back to her feet, covered in blue and red stains and smelling of berries.

“That was a great party!” she hollered.

“Keep it down will ya?” he asked, looking at all the still sleeping ponies, “So what happened here?”

“Oh, it was so cool!” she said. “There was so many muffins and I think I ate about thirty and then I went into the kitchen and there were these cool paper bags so I put one on my head but it slipped over my face and then it got really dark so I fell asleep and then when you took it off my head it was bright again and so I woke up!” she explained as her eyes drifted around her head.

“Okay?” said the dragon, a little confused about what the mail pony just said.

“Yeah!” she said proudly, looking at the time on the clock, “Oh dear! I have to get to work! Later Spike and happy birthday!”

She flew through the window, shattering it on her way out.

“It’s not my birthday…” the dragon tried to say, but the mail mare was long gone.

He gave a small laugh as he headed back into the library. It really was a gigantic mess. He decided that he might as well start cleaning, since Twilight would probably make him do it anyway. He headed to the closet to grab the broom and dust pan, but had to doge two ponies tumbling from inside. Lyra got up first, rubbing her head from the fall.

“Oww… My head…” she moaned.

Bon-Bon rolled beside her, smiling at the two from below.

“Morning Spike, where’d you go off to last night?” she asked.

Spike smiled at his two friends.

“I told you, I needed to get some fresh air.”

“I bet that’s not all you got,” Lyra said with a grin as she helped Bon-Bon up from the ground, “We saw Rarity follow you up the stairs.”

“That’s all you saw?” asked the dragon.

“Yep,” said Bon-Bon. “Wait…Did something happen between you two?”

“Well...”

“O… M… Celestia!” gasped Bon-Bon. “Something did happen between you two!”

Lyra gave a devilish grin.

“Congratulations Spike!” she shouted as both mares presented him a big hug. “You finally got laid! I’m so proud of you!”

“Ha, Ha,” mocked Spike. “Is that sarcasm I hear?”

“Well duh,” snickered Lyra. “Have you ever expected anything less from us?”

“Point taken” said Spike.

“So tell us Spike,” began Bon-Bon, “how is she in the sack?”

“Well actually we-”

“Ooo I bet she’s a screamer!” said Lyra.

“We didn’t-”

“Lyra, she can’t be a screamer or we would have heard it,” Bon-Bon argued.

“Guys we didn’t-”

“How do you know that?” asked Lyra. “She’s so uptight all the times.”

“We didn’t-”

Bon-Bon rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t matter. All I’m saying is that if it was me and her, I’d make her scream!” she said devilishly.

“Really?” Lyra asked. “You and Rarity?”

“What can I say?” Bon-Bon said, grinning at her mare. “I have a thing for unicorns.”

Lyra retuned her mare’s simper with a nasty grin.

“Yeah you do,” she said, whipping Bon-Bon’s flank with her silver tail.

The cream colored pony stared into her lover’s eyes.

“Eager aren’t we? What, last night in the closet wasn’t enough for you?”

“W-wait,” stuttered the dragon. “What were you doing in the closet?”

They ignored him.

“You know how I get in the morning, Bon-Bon,” said Lyra, nuzzling her pony.

“Guys what were you doing in the closet?” asked the dragon again, his tone growing more worried.

“Maybe we need to do something about that, Lye-Lye,” cooed the earth pony as she slowly started to kiss her lover.

“Guys!” snapped the dragon. “What did you do in the closet!”

“Oh, you know,” said Bon-Bon. “Just a seven minutes of heaven.”

“More like seven hours of heaven.” Lyra laughed.

Spike cringed as a look of disgust washed over his face.

“Great, now I have to clean the closet.”

“Hey!” said Lyra defensively. “We didn’t make THAT big of a mess.”

“And lighten up, it was a party after all,” sighed Bon-Bon. “Besides, you did it on the balcony.”

“We didn’t do it on the balcony!” shouted Spike.

There was a moment of silence.

“Oh...” Lyra finally said.

“Yeah,” said Spike. “Anyway, since you two are awake, you can help me clean this place up.”

“Hey, look at the time!” said Bon-Bon, checking an invisible watch on her leg. “We gotta go!” she said nudging Lyra to the door.

“Oh yeah…” said Lyra, getting the idea. “We’re busy…making out!” she said, jumping on her marefriend.

“See ya Spike!” Bon-Bon said between the kisses Lyra was bombarding her with.

Spike rolled his eyes as the two scrambled out the door. He looked at the closet, and with cautious in his heart, he slowly walked inside. Spike was not expecting to see what he found.

“Fluttershy?” he asked.

The timid yellow pegasus was hidden in the back of the closet behind the brooms and the vacuum. Her eyes were wide and bloodshot. A look of total terror stuck to her face. Her entire body was shaking.

“What were you…” he started, stopping as a sudden realization hit him. “They didn’t know you were in the closet, did they?”

Fluttershy quickly shook her head.

“Th-th-th-the things th-th-they did…” she muttered, dry tears rolling down her blood cracked eyes. “I-I-I’ve never seen a horn used that w-w-way before” she mumbled before finally passing out, landing face first on the ground with a thud.

“Poor thing” thought Spike, as he lifted her unconscious body form off the ground and headed to his room.

Thankfully, it had been spared the chaos of the party. He carefully placed the distressed mare on his bed and tucked her in. Fluttershy turned in her sleep and snored softly. Just as Spike was about to leave, he felt a rumbling in his belly. It crawled up his throat and burst out his throat and out his mouth in a puff of green fire and smoke. The scroll landed softly in his hand. He checked the stamp crest, a look of surprise creeping onto his face.

“A message from the Princess?” he thought “But Twilight wasn’t expecting a letter….” He slowly opened to the letter. “To Spike?”

He scratched his head as he read the letter.

Dear Spike,

I apologize for mailing this on such short notice, but it is of the utmost importance that you come to Canterlot immediately. I am well aware of your injuries, so I have sent my private chariot for you and should be arriving there shortly. I hope that you arrive with haste.

Also, it very important that we do not alert Twilight and the others of this message or bring them with you to Canterlot. They will be alerted of the situation when we feel the time is right.
With ever urgency,

Princess Celestia.

“What’s this all about?” wondered Spike, as he folded the letter and placed it on his desk.

Suddenly he heard a loud knock at the door.

“I wonder who that could be” he said sarcastically.

He stepped over sleeping mares and colts as he approached the front door of the library. It opened to reveal two large unicorn stallions, both adorned in royal Canterlot armor.

“Spike the dragon, I presume?” the first guard asked.

“Know any other domestic dragons?” joked Spike.

“It’s him, Curb Hoof,” the other guard said to his partner.

Ignoring his partner, Curb Hoof turned back to Spike.

“Spike the dragon, you are here by ordered, by the royal sisters of Canterlot, to report to the castle immediately.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got the letter,” groaned the dragon. “But could somepony please tell me what’s going on?”

“That’s classified information” Curb Hoof said curtly.

“Well, then I guess I’m not going anywhere” said Spike, staring into the guard’s cold eyes.

“Easy there, Curb Hoof,” said a mysterious, yet familiar voice. “I think you’re overwhelming the guy.”

“Wait, you sound familiar…” Spike said as he peeked over the two giant ponies.

“Well, I hope so…” the voice said.

The two giant guard ponies stepped aside, revealing smaller, yet still quite tall white unicorn. His blue eyes were filled with care, sharply contrasted by the bright red military suit that was embellished with a silver buckle and a familiar purple star.

“…You do work for my sister.”

“Shining Armor?” Spike said, baffled at his sudden appearance the baffled Spike.

“Yes,” said Shining Armor, his tone growing less cheery. “And I hope that me being here shows you how dire the situation is and why you need to come with us right now.”

“Look Shiny,” Spike said, scratching the back of his head, “As great as it is seeing you again and all, I just can’t go to Canterlot. My friends need me,” he looked up to the balcony. “Rarity needs me.”

“I understand that you care for your friends, Spike,” replied Armor, his tone only getting more serious, “but we need you to come. We have to start your training immediately.”

“Training?” wondered the dragon. “Train for what? I’m not leaving unless somepony tells me what the hell is going on!”

“The captain does not need to answer to a civilian!” shouted Curb Hoof. “You’re coming with us! Even if I have to drag your beaten ass all the way back to the castle!”

No sooner had Curb Hoof finished his sentence, Spike had grabbed him by the throat and pinned his back to the door frame.

“I’d like to see you try” threatened the dragon.

“That’s enough!” yelled the other guard turning around as he bucked Spike right in his stomach.

Spike fell back, groaning in pain as he released Curb hoof from his leathery grip.

“You okay Curb Hoof?” he asked.

“I’m fine Duster,” he grumbled as he picked himself up from the ground. “He just caught me by surprise is all.”

“I see” said Duster.

He looked at Spike. “I’m sorry I had to do that, but you left me little choice.”

“Forget it,” groaned Spike, his stomach killing him from the kick. “Call it a dragon’s rage.”

Shining Armor stepped forward. “If there will be no more interruptions,” he began, “We should be leaving soon.”

“Fine,” muttered Spike as he picked himself up. “Let me just get a few things”

“Hurry,” said Duster.

The dragon ignored him as he approached his room. Fluttershy was still fast asleep in his bed, muttering something about a broom handle not being used for that. He shivered as he thought of what those two might have done to freak her out so badly. He grabbed his bag that he used for gem collecting with Rarity and stuffed some random items in. Rarity…. How could he just up and leave her after saying he would always be there for her? Of course fate would separate them when they were finally together. There had to be something he could do. But what?

Fluttershy snorted in her sleep as Spike had an idea. He quickly ran to his desk, grabbing up a quill and a piece of paper. He quickly scribbled a few sentences on the paper and wrapped it up in a tube. He looked around the room, sticking the message into Fluttershy’s open mouth.

There was a knock.

“Hurry up in there” a hushed voice called.

Spike quickly grabbed his bag and opened his door. Curb Hoof was standing in the way, his amber eyes focused on the dragon. Spike tried to get pass him, but the stubborn pony stood there in his way. Curb Hoof leaned to Spike’s ear.

“If you ever touch me again, I will bucking gut you like a pig,” he whispered.

“You know,” Spike hissed back, “I’ve always wondered what pony tasted like.”

The two stared daggers into each other’s eyes, refusing to back down.

“You two already to go?” asked Duster from the door.

“Yeah,” said Spike, forcing his way past the stubborn pony.

As Spike was heading out the door to the flying chariot that awaited them, Rarity was the only thing that was on his mind. She was so enchanting to him, a perfect gem he finally obtained, and he had to let go.

“I’m sorry Rarity,” he whispered to himself, looking back at the tree house with sorrow.

The letter he wrote would hopefully help his friends comprehend everything. He knew that Twilight would understand; it was Rarity that had him worried. Spike had finally confessed his love for her, and she to him. Now he was being whisked away for Celestia knows what.

He looked out the window as they ascended into the air.

“The world better be ending” he muttered, having no idea how right he was.

*****

It was a short trip to Canterlot, and the second that Spike landed on the ground he was quickly escorted into the Royal Palace.

“Spike, hurry. Your presence is required in the Hall of Elements,” said Shining Armor as they exited the chariot. “Please follow us and we will escort you to the Princesses.”

The party of war walked with haste across the courtyard to the castle. Spike noticed the large number of ponies in military armor that were gathering there for drills.

“That’s a lot of guard ponies,” said Spike.

“They’re mostly new recruits,” said Duster from his side. “The Princesses have called all the royal forces and have even ordered one mare or stallion from every family in Canterlot to join the royal army.”

“Damn” Spike said in awe. Whatever the situation was, it didn’t look good. What could be so important that they had to draft ponies for the military? Passing the training ponies, the group headed into the castle. Standing with the halls were the two Princesses. Celestia, tall and white, and her sister Luna a dark nighttime blue.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Shining Armor said as he and the two other guards bowed in respect.

Spike quickly took a knee as well, but felt a sharp pain in his wounded area.

“Rise, Spike,” said Princess Celestia.

Her normally happy voice was serious and blunt. She looked to the others

“Thank you, Captain Armor. You are dismissed.”

Shining nodded as he, Duster, and Curb Hoof left the hall. Celestia looked to the dragon.

“Please follow us Spike, we have much to talk about.”

The two alicorns started down the hall, Spike following close behind. They soon entered a long room with many stained glass windows that created stories, telling the history of Equestria.

“You see Spike,” Celestia started, “A threat has been made against Canterlot and all of Equestria.”

“You mean like the changeling attack?” asked Spike.

Luna shook her head.

“We fear it will be worse than that,” she said, walking up to a potted plant beside the only blank window in the entire room. “As you know, we have always ruled Equestria with peace and tolerance, expecting the same from our neighboring countries.”

“And our legacy can be seen on these very walls” said Celestia, looking around the room.

Spike did the same. He noticed many of the window paintings were dedicated to the Princesses and the major events that had happen to Equestria over the years. There were stained glass paintings of Discord, Nightmare Moon, and of course, his friends. He also noticed that there wasn’t a single one with his picture in it, which annoyed him slightly, but Luna began talking.

“My sister and I have been receiving visions of darkness in the future, and that only a lone dragon, a champion among the ponies would be able to stop it,” she said, staring at Spike.

“We believe that you are our savior, Spike.”

Spike couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing; he was the last hope for ponykind?

“T-that’s impossible,” stuttered Spike. “I’m just an assistant, not a warrior.”

Celestia gave a grim smile.

“I think a group of certain dogs would say otherwise,” she said.

“How did she find out about that?” he wondered. “Well…It was still only a vision. Maybe it’s nothing?” he said.

“That is the reason you are here” said Luna. “We wish to debunk our visions.”

Luna twisted the pot. It began to shake as it sunk into the wall behind it. Soon, the all walls around the room began to shift and move around them until a new hallway was revealed.

“Follow us” said Celestia as she and her sister walked down the dark passageway.

Spike obeyed and followed them. The hall was dark and dusty, as if nopony had been down there in years. After what seemed like an eternity of walking in the dark through spider webs, they approached a large metal door with the symbol of the sun and moon carved in the metal. The rulers approached the door and their horns began to glow. A beam of light shot out of each of their horns, penetrating the door. There was the sound of something unlocking and gear shifting. Then, the large metal door creaked open. As they entered the room, Spike saw a lone box sitting on a table. Celestia approached the box and stood by its side, her sister following suit.

“Spike, this is why we’ve brought you here. I need you to touch the box,” said Celestia.

Spike was dumbstruck.

“What?” said the dragon, not believing what he was hearing. “You dragged me all the way from Ponyville, from Rarity, whom I’ve FINALLY gotten into a relationship with, just to touch a box?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

The dragon sighed, looking blankly at the strange little box. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

“Alright then, let’s get this over with,” he said as he walked up to and touched the dark little box.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of white light that erupted from the box. He was overtaken by the light, screaming and writhing as radiant beams danced around the room. The light seemed to crawl up his body and into his mouth. Soon, his eyes were glowing with the same coloured light. He looked up at the two princesses.

“P-P-P-P-PLEASE HELP ME!” he screamed, as the two stood unmoving, observing his every move.

“We cannot interfere Spike!” shouted Celestia, trying to be heard above the purple dragon’s agony. “You must do this on your own!”

Spike felt his entire body burning, as if he were on fire. He started to cough, a strange glowing liquid coming up as his vision went dark, and he soon collapsed into the ground. The princesses looked at the unconscious dragon.

“Is he okay sister?” asked Luna.

“He will be,” answered Celestia. “We just have to hope he can pull through.”

Luna looked to her hooves. “I still wish we could help him” she said.

“I hope he can help us,” said Celestia. “So much is riding on this dragon, and yet I fear even he’ll be no match for this evil.”

“So what do we do now?” asked Luna.

“Call the guards and have them take him to one of the bedrooms,” her sister said. “After this, he deserves a good explanation.”

“Very well,” said Luna, looking back at the dragon. “Sister look!” she gasped, pointing at Spike’s neck.

A blinding string of white energy formed around the dragon’s neck, wrapping around his gullet. Soon the light died down into a sparkling golden chain around his neck. At the base of the chain, a purple and green heart shaped diamond glimmered with a faint glow.

“So, it’s just as I feared,” said Celestia, a sense of urgency in her voice. “Sister, shouldn’t you be getting the guards.”

Luna bit her lower lip.

“Do I have to? He’s so adorable when he’s asleep.”

“LUNA.”

“Oh, lighten up sister,” she giggled as she walked away. “It’s the end of the world. Have a sense of humor.”

Celestia rolled her eyes as she followed her out of the cave, leaving the dragon lying on the ground.

*****

Spike awoke standing in a strange and shadowy room. He looked around the darkness, trying to feel his way through the black haze.

“Hello?” he called out. “Princess Luna? Celestia?”

There was no answer. He walked blindly into the darkness, going deeper into the shadows. The gloom around him seemed to shift around him like fog, cluttering his mind. What he wouldn’t give for a torch.

“Wait a second…” He said, face palming himself.

He was a dragon, a dragon that could breathe fire. He took a deep breath and spat out a small green orb of gooey flames into his hand.

“Dragon spit: it ain’t pleasant, but it burns,” he said, chuckling to himself.

With his new torch he made his way through the darkness. He continued walking aimlessly in the murk, when suddenly a demonic laugh broke the silence. Spike turned in every direction, trying to find the source of the noise. It seems to be coming from every direction. It gave another sinister chuckle, the laugh was getting closer. Spike felt a shiver crawl down his spine as the laughter grew louder and louder.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” the dragon screamed as he spun around, lashing his arms around as he tried to hit the source of the laughter.

The voice seemed to acknowledge him, heckling the dragon further. The shadows around Spike were beginning to get thicker as they seemed to take on a form. From the black clouds, a large alicorn appeared to emerge from the haze. His coat and horn were the same colour as the black fog; his red, snakelike eyes seemed to float in the shadows as they approached the dragon. A razor white smile cut through the haze as the alicorn finally made himself visible to the dragon.

“So...” the alicorn said, his voice was deep and playful, like a condescending older brother. “You’re the dragon that’s going to save Equestria?”

He face-hoofed and started to laugh again.

“My, they must be getting desperate! I mean look at you! You’re still a hatchling!”

The dragon gritted his fangs; he hated being called a baby or anything like it. The alicorn was still laughing.

“Oh no, mighty dragon!” the alicorn said sarcastically, dropping to his knees, assuming a false begging position. “I’ve been a bad pony! And I deserve to be punished!”

He fell back laughing, hitting the shadowy ground and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

“What the…” said Spike, looking where the alicorn was.

He had completely vanished.

“Looking for someone?” said the alicorn as he leaned up on Spike’s shoulder.

The dragon jumped up in surprise as the alicorn flipped in the air, landing in front of him.

“Who are you?!” Spike demanded, readying his hand of flaming dragon spit.

“Hmm...I had a name once,” said the alicorn, scratching in his chin with his hoof, “back when I was all goody-two shoes and butterfly farts.”

“Something is wrong with you,” Spike said bluntly.

“Why, thank you for noticing!” the alicorn said cheerfully. “But you know, three thousand years of imprisonment can do that to you!”

He spun around, disappearing again. He reappeared floating above Spike. He spun as the sinister specter disappeared again, only to jump as the alicorn appeared again, floating above his shoulders.

“But I’m getting ahead of myself,” he said, turning upside down as he stared into Spike’s eyes.

“So tell me Spike, do you think you can stop me?”

“What do y-. Wait, how do you know my name?” asked the dragon.

“Oh, I know a lot about you. I know when you were born, that you live with a borderline sociopathic pony, that just last night you finally made it with your squeeze…” He stretched out that last part.

“Rarity!” screamed the dragon.

“Ahh yes, fair Rarity,” he cooed. “I have to hand it to you, you do know how to pick a fine piece of ass.”

“Don’t you ever call her that!” snapped Spike.

He wound up his arm as he hurled the green fire glob at the alicorn, who exploded in green flames.

“Really?” said the alicorn from behind him. “You thought that would work?” he laughed at him, his cackle high pitched and crazy. “Now back to your little buck buddy…”

“I swear to Celestia!” snarled the dragon.

“Let me think, does she look anything like this?” he asked, shadow forming at his side. Soon, they formed the shape of a small unicorn, and Rarity fell from the shadows.

“Rarity!!” cried Spike as he ran to her side, trying to help her up. “Are you okay?”

Much to his stung surprise, she slapped away his claw.

“Get those grimy little lizard claws away from me!”

She scurried away from the astonished dragon and ran to the dark alicorn.

“Rarity? What’s wrong?” the dragon asked.

“What’s wrong Spikey?” the alicorn asked him humorously. “Relationship troubles?”

He grabbed Rarity’s face and stuck his slithering, dark tongue in her mouth. Spike fell to his knees as he watched the two. He listened to her moan with pleasure and ecstasy, begging him for more, to do more. He dropped down to all four, his heart shattered as he watched his love grope another pony.

“Why…”

“Why?” asked Rarity, breaking away from the alicorn’s mouth. “Did you really think I could love you? That anypony could love you?”

She laughed.

“You’re a monster, you dumb dragon! I would never love such a foul creature!”

She gave the dragon an evil glance and sinister smile. A tear rolled down Spike’s scarred eye.

“This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real!” the dragon begged.

The alicorn walked up to Spike and gently lifted his head up.

“Trust me,” he said, his smile growing more and more foul, showing off his sharp white teeth,

“It will be.”

His horn began to grow red, and he reared onto his hind legs. He raised his right hoof as a shadowy red aura in the shape of a claw flickered around it.

“Ta ta, dragon,” he snickered, as he slashed at the defeated Spike.

Spike winced at what he thought would be his end, surprising when he looked up and saw a white shield surround him. The alicorn jumped back as his red claw withered away. All humor from his face was gone.

“Well,” said the alicorn bluntly. “I may have underestimated you. I didn’t realize you stole my old necklace.”

“Necklace?” Spike asked.

He looked down and saw a golden chain with a green and purple gem on the base of the necklace around his neck. The alicorn sighed.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to meet in real life before I kill you,” he said. “So since you’ll be living, be a lamb and deliver a message to your lovely princesses, will you?”

He didn’t wait for Spike to respond.

“Tell them that I’m coming for a visit next month,” he said, smiling at the stunned dragon. “And tell them I’m bringing friends.”

“What?” blurted Spike.

“Till next time Spike!” the alicorn waved at him as he slowly drifted back into the shadows and into the pitch blackness.

*****

Spike woke up with a scream. He was lying in a large silk sheeted bed in a marble bedroom.

Standing over him were the two concerned-looking princesses.

“Spike, your awake. That’s a good sign,” said Celestia.

Spike was still panting from the experience.

“What the hell was that?!” demanded the dragon.

“It was a Pandora box, an ancient device that can foresee and communicate with evil. We don’t like to use it, as it can have nasty side effects,” said Luna.

“So you made me use it?!” screamed Spike. “Seriously, what the hell?!”

“We’re sorry, but we needed you to see it. You needed to see what we’re up against,” said Luna, lowering her head. “I hope you can forgive us.”

“Regardless” said Celestia, steering the subject back to Spike. “What did you see Spike?”

The dragon scratched his head. He saw the terrible things in his mind once more; the shadowy fog, the black alicorn and his prophecy, and Rarity. The betrayal of his sweet Rarity...

His neck felt heavy. He looked down and saw the necklace that had saved his life.

“What is this?” he asked the princesses.

“It’s an ancient artifact,” said Celestia. “We don’t have time for this! Tell us what you saw!”

“I…I saw a shadowy land, full of darkness and fog,” Spike explained to them. “I was walking around, and then a large black alicorn appeared from the shadows.”

“By the sun,” gasped Celestia.

The mighty, white alicorn almost seemed terrified.

“Luna, it’s Conquest.”

“Who’s Conquest?” asked Spike.

“Did he say anything!” yelled Celestia, the stress in her voice and on her face was clear as day.

“Spike, did he give you a message?!”

The dragon gulped the lump down in his throat.

“He said he’ll be...visiting in a month…and that he’ll be bringing friends.”

“No…” moaned Celestia. “No, no, NO, NO NO! NO!”

She screamed, thrashing wildly as she bucked a giant hole in the wall.

“What’s wrong with her?” Spike asked Luna.

“Conquest, or Curator as he was once known...” she started to drift off.

“Luna, who is he?”

She finally took a shallow breath.

“Spike…… Conquest is our brother.”

The Brother

Why am I evil? It simple you see
I harbour a hate for every pony

Spike’s eyes widen, unable to comprehend the news he had just been given.

“That pony was your brother?”

Luna nodded. “Something like that. But it is unimportant. What is important is that you know how big a threat Dark Conquest is.”

“I don’t understand….” began Spike, “Was he always like this? He said something about once being ‘goody two shoes and butterfly farts’.”

Luna couldn’t help but smile a little. “At least his humor never changed. But to answer your question: No, he wasn’t always like this. Our brother use to be a caring and compassionate pony, and a great solider. But he became corrupted, lost all faith in his own kind and tried to destroy all life as we know it.”

“But you stopped him?” Spike said, holding false hope that the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed.

“Yes,” Luna finally said, “but we were unable to purge him of his evil. So we imprisoned him.”

“Why not just kill him and be done with it?” the dragon asked grimly. “That’s what I would have done.”

“You ask me to kill my own brother!?” raged Luna. “He was family! Would you kill your family?!”

“Never knew my family,” said the dragon bluntly. “I was just an egg when Twilight hatched me.”

“Then what about Twilight?” asked Luna. “Would you kill her?”

The dragon’s heart turned to stone at the thought. A life without any of his friends, Particularly Rarity and Twilight, would be a pointless in his eyes.

“No,” he finally said.

The dark princess gave a little sound of disapproval. “It is pointless to argue about this. Conquest lives and that’s all that matters at this moment.”

There was a moment of silence. Spike had to accept that he was wrapped up in this. This Conquest who wanted to kill all the ponies, maybe even all life in the world, was now his problem. He felt the heat boil in his gut. Anything on this planet that threatened Rarity would meet the full extent of his wrath.

“So let’s go,” he said.

Luna gave him a quirky little look. “What?”

“I said, ‘let’s go’,” Spike repeated, as he attempted to lift himself out of the bed, A sharp pain in his side kept him down.

“You’re still injured Spike,” Luna said. “And even if you weren’t, Conquest would kill you in seconds.”

“Thanks for the pep talk coach,” mumbled Spike.

“I’m serious Spike,” said Luna, “he’s the most dangerous being I have ever seen, and it took all our combined power to imprison him in the center of the earth. Even there, he still has influence.”

“What do you mean ‘influence’?” asked Spike.

Luna was about to answer when Celestia, who had just started to calm down after destroying half the room, turned her attention to the dragon.

“It means he’s building an army,” she said bluntly. “A few days ago, we received word that the Griffins and the Minotaurs were defecting.”

“Defecting?”

“They’re gathering their forces deep within the Fire Rocks, next to the Wasteland.”

Luna gasped. “You mean the Wasteland? The same Wasteland that we banished-“

“Correct,” interrupted Celestia. “The same place where we banished Queen Chrysalis.”

Spike gulped. “That’s not good, is it?”

Celestia sighed. “No, she still carries a grudge against the ponies and will most surely join Conquest.”

The dragon collapsed down on the bed. Things were really looking bad for Equestria if an army was forming to destroy it. “Well, what do we do now?”

Luna raised one of her eyebrows up. “Well, ‘we’ assemble the royal army and any allied nation willing to help us in our hour of need, ‘you’ need to get some rest. You start training in the morning.”

“Oh right, the training,” groaned Spike. “Well, how hard can it be?”

Luna smiled and gave him a little wink. “You’ll see soon enough.”

The two princesses left the room, leaving the dragon to sleep. As he turned in his slumber, he dreamed of Rarity. It hadn’t been a day and he already could not stand to be apart from her. He thought about what he was getting into. A war with an alicorn? He feared for his life. Was this Conquest really that powerful? He had seen him in that shadowy world, a crazy pony with a hatred for all life. For Rarity, he would do this. He’d give his life for her.

“I love you Rarity, and I’ll do anything to protect you,” he whispered to himself, as he slowly drifted to sleep.

*****

Spike awoke from the knocking at the door.

“Go away,” he mumbled as he turned in his sleep, covering his head with the blankets.

The door slowly creaked open as he heard the sound of hoof-steps approaching.

“I said, leave me alone!” he growled, getting up from the covers. “What part of that is so hard to understand?”

“Is that anyways to treat your love, Spike?”

The dragon gasped. “Rarity?”

Sure enough, there was standing his beautiful cloud white mare. She was perfect down to the last microscopic detail. Her hair was messy in the most enchanting way and she wore a beautifully slimming black night dress.
The dragon was in shock. “Rarity, what are you doing here?”

“You think that I would just let you come here all on your own?” she asked, jumping on the bed and on top of the dragon.

“Besides,” she continued. “I thought we could continue where we left off last night.” She gave a sultry look at her dragon as she slowly leaned in for a kiss.

Spike kissed her back. It felt so wonderful to be close to her again. Her silky smooth hair, her snow soft fur, her sweet tasting lips; it was all perfect, just like her.

“I love you,” the dragon moaned between kisses.

“Really? Because I don’t love you” she moaned back.

Spike’s heart skipped a beat.

“What did you say?” he asked, praying he had misheard her.

The mare leaned back from the dragon, her smile growing toothy and sinister.

“Why would I ever love you Spike,” she giggled, “when it’s so much simpler to use you.” She closed her eyes as she started to laugh hysterically.

The mare’s laughter grew louder and louder, and deeper and deeper. She opened her eyes. They were no longer the sapphire blue he had fallen in love with, but rather a crimson red that he feared. Her smile grew bigger, too big for her face, her skin starting to crack as if it were made of clay. The cracks on her face spread wider, a black fluid leaking from her eyes and mouth as she continued to laugh like a mad mare.

Rarity’s head exploded in to a dusty cloud of dirt and smoke. Spike could still hear laughing, but it wasn’t the same as before. It was haunting and playful. When the dust finally cleared, a new dark head sat on top of Rarity’s body.

“You kissed a colt….. And you liked it!” Conquest sang playfully, amused at the terrified expression on Spike’s face. “Did you like the taste of my cherry chap stick?”

“Conquest?” muttered the dragon.

“The one and only,” he said smugly. “I thought I’d just drop by and spread a little misery on the crap stain that is your existence.”

“What’s wrong with you?” growled the dragon as he crawled out of his bed.

“Oh Spike, Spike, Spike,” he chuckled, the rest of his body turning back to its normal black coat, “there are so many things wrong with me.”

“So what are you doing here?” asked Spike. "I thought you weren’t coming for another month?”

The alicorn snorted at the remark. “Oh, I’m not really here. I’m just swimming around that teeny little brain of yours. It’s a wonderful side-effect to the Pandora box.”

Spike remembered that box, that evil little box. “So that’s why the princesses don’t use it,” he groaned.

“Selfish really,” said Conquest as he levitated a piece of Rarity’s head, crumbling it with his magic. “My sisters claim to be all loving, and that I’m some sort of psychopath. They’re half right,” he turned to Spike. “I am a psycho, a terrible pony who likes to do terrible things to all the terrible ponies in this terrible world.”

“That’s what they told me” snarled Spike. “That you went crazy and tried to kill everything.”

Conquest giggled like a filly. “Yeah, they would just tell you that, wouldn’t they?”

“What do you mean?”

A wide grin came on Conquest’s face. “Would you like to hear the real story? With every dirty little detail?” he asked the dragon.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Do I have a choice?”

“Not really,” joked the dark alicorn, settling upside down on the ceiling. “I guess we could start when I was young, back when I was known as Curator…”

*****

4984 B.C. (Before Celestia)

The skies were clear over the Everfree Forest, as the dim blue sky of day showed itself. It was always the same, dark blue skies in the morning and pitch black darkness at night. The sunless day peered all over the new land and into a very large and shanty house in the middle of the woods.

A dark blue pegasus slowly opened his dreary eyes, letting out a loud yawn to shake away his morning grogginess. He turned over to see his wife, a purple unicorn with a similar coloured mane. He gave her a little nudge with his hoof.
“Hey,” he whispered. “You awake?” He continued to poke her. Slowly, the mare turned over, staring daggers at her husband.

“I am now,” she said. She looked rather annoyed at being so rudely waken. She looked out the window, seeing that it was still a dark blue outside. “Would you like to explain why you woke me up so early?”

“What?” he asked innocently. “Can’t a pony just wake up the most beautiful mare in Equestria without all these hostilities?”

The unicorn gave him a sleepy smile. “You’re terrible,” she said, giving him a long nuzzle. She slowly climbed on top of him, giving him quick little kisses all across his face. “You know how I get in the morning.”

“Exactly” the pegasus grinned, returning the kisses from his wife. “How do you expect me to resist a little early morning fun?”

“Like this,” she answered, quickly rolling off her husband and out of the bed. She started to walk to the door, making sure that she took extra big struts as she walked. “Sky? Aren’t you coming?”

Night Sky snickered. “I might be.”

“You’re so gross sometimes,” Solar Rise said. “It’s like I married a child.”

Night Sky fluttered out of bed, landing next to his wife. “I thought that was what you loved about me?”

She didn’t answer; she just smiled at him as they headed down the stairs of the cabin. In the little wooden kitchen of the house, there were already three ponies sitting down at a large round table. A large brown earth pony chewed on strings of hay, a white pegasus fiddled with her light green mane, and a white earth mare with a hay yellow mane was cooking something that smelt absolutely scrumptious.

The brown pony looked up from his plate. “Morning Sky, Solar Rise,” he said, still chewing on a straw of hay.

“Good morning, Quickdraw,” chimed Solar Rise, taking a seat next to him.

Night Sky walked up to the table, taking an apple from a plate and biting into it.

“How is everypony this morning?” he asked between chews.

“Just fine, brother,” the green haired pegasus said. “Although, I wish I could get rid of this knot in my hair.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” her brother said.

Solar Rise looked out the window, the sun’s pale light trying desperately to shine through the thick grey clouds.
“Hey, is Curator up yet?”

Quickdraw looked at the pegasus. “Don’t think so, haven’t seen him yet.”

They heard the sounds of hoofs creaking on the floor boards. Night sky looked to the ceiling.
“Sounds like he’s awake.”

A young alicorn made his way down from the stairs. His dark red mane was riddled with bed head, and his white fur was fizzy and stuck up on its end.

He gave out a long, obnoxious yawn.

“Morning pop, mum.”

“Curator, you’ve got to stop staying up so late,” his mother said. “What do you even do so late at night anyway?”

Curator tried to gulp his shame.

“Just you know….stuff.”

Solar Rise folded her hooves.

“Stuff?” she asked.

“Yeah, stuff,” he responded.

“What kind of stuff?”

“You know, just stuff,” Curator said getting frustrated. “Can we just drop it please?”

“Why do you want to drop it, son?” asked his father, taking interest in the subject.

Curator looked at Quickdraw for support. “Uncle Q, little help here?” he begged.

He shook his head. “I’m staying out of this,” he said, still chewing on his hay.

“Son, I want you to be honest with us,” Solar Rise told her son. “Are you exploring your body?”

“WHAT?”

“Because it is completely natural to be curious,” she said. “When I was young I use to-“

“Leaving!” screamed Curator, as he bolted out the door. “I’ll see you later!”

He slammed the door behind him.

“My parents are so weird.”

“Aren’t they?” a voice chimed.

Curator looked to the forest to see a tall white mare walk out, her colourful hair wrapped up in a long ponytail. She smiled playfully at the white stallion.

“Good morning, Celestia,” said Curator. “No Luna?”

Celestia shook her head. “She’s waiting for us in town.”

“Alight then, let’s go,” he said as the two headed into the woods and towards town.

*****

Spike scratched his head. “Was that thing with your mother really necessary?”

“Of course not,” replied Conquest, as he floated down from the ceiling and landing beside Spike. “But, I find it’s nice and disturbing none the less.”

“And the princess had a ponytail?” Spike asked.

Conquest let out a depressive sigh. “Yes, it was quite adorable,” he grumbled.

“So when are we going to get to the part where you go crazy?”

“Patience, dragon,” smiled the alicorn. “This is a long trip down the rabbit hole.”

“So you just met up with Celestia, then what?” the dragon asked curiously.

“That, my scaly friend, is when I met her,” he sighed, “and my life changed forever……”

*****

Curator and Celestia walked down the dusty path, admiring the scenery. Even though it was a cloudy day, the forest still looked beautiful. The spring flowers were coming in nicely, and the crisp green leaves of the trees were starting to grow back as well.

“It sure is a lovely day today,” said Celestia, as she bent down to smell a budding rose, taking in its fragrance.”

“I guess it is…” sighed Curator, looking at a squirrel scurry up a tree and onto a tree branch. The furry critter began cracking the nut on the branch, until he got through its thick shell. He happily grabbed the nutty treat and stuffed it in his mouth. The squirrel was about to swallow when there was a rattle in the trees, the squirrel looking curiously at it. Another squirrel jumped through the leaves and landed next to the other. This second squirrel seemed more perky and curvy, probably a female. She seemed to look at the squirrels puffed up cheek as she held her stomach. The male squirrel stared back at her. Feeling compassionate, he spat out the nut, stretching out his hands, offering it to her. She greedily took it, and was about to swallow the whole thing, but she stopped, looking at the kindness in the male squirrel eyes. She lowered the nut from her mouth and slammed in on the branch, splitting it in two. She handed the male squirrel one of the halves and they ate together. When they were finished their meals, both squirrels took off together in the trees. Curator watched the two squirrels run through the trees together and sighed again.

“Something wrong, brother?” questioned Celestia, concerned for her sibling.

“Do you believe in love, Tia?” asked Curator, looking towards his sister.

“As much as anypony I guess,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason…I just feel so lonely sometimes,” he sadly said. “Those squirrels in that tree, did you see that? They had just met by chance, and with a small act of kindness, they run off together.”

“Well, you have me,” said Celestia, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “And Luna, so you’re not alone.”

Curator smiled. “Thanks Tia, but I looking for something more than friendship.”

Celestia was about to say something, but a scream cut through the forest.

Curator turned towards the scream. “What was that?”

“Somepony screaming!” said Celestia, running towards the noise, Curator following closely behind.

There was another cry for help. It was getting louder and louder with every step they took. The two burst through the bushes and into the clearing. A pink unicorn was surrounded by a pack of wood looking animals. Timber Wolves. There must have been about five of the wolves. They snarled like dogs as they surrounded their prey. The pink unicorn gave a third high pitch scream.

“Somepony, help me please!” she called out, her body shaking with fear.

“Celestia, I’m going to create a distraction. You get her out of there,” Curator said with urgency.

Celestia nodded as she unfolded her wings and took off in the air. Curator turned his attention back to the wolves; they were starting to close in on the pony. They snarled and howled as one leapt at the pink mare. She flinched, excepting the claws of the beast to tear into her body. She opened her eyes to see the timber wolf floating in the air, surrounded by a yellow aura. Curator concentrated as he flung the wolf into the air, and deep into the forest.

“Hey! Over here, you overgrown twigs!” he taunted, the wolves turning in his direction, growling at him.

The four remaining wolves charged at him. Curator grinned arrogantly as he prepared another spell. This time, he aimed for ground ahead of the sprinting attackers. Giant pillars of earth erupted from the ground beneath the wolves, two of the beasts were catapulted into the air and crashed back to the ground, unconscious. The other two managed to swiftly dodge the earth spikes and continued their charge towards the alicorn. Curator took to the air, flying swiftly towards the timber wolves. The first wolf tried to jump on the pony, but Curator quickly rolled in the air and bucked the wolf with his back hooves, large chips of wood breaking off the wolf’s face. That left only one. The beast howled as he stared down the alicorn, gritting his teeth, growling in an attempt to phase his prey.

Curator lifted an eyebrow, staring humorously at the wolf. He flicked his head back slightly, signalling for the final wolf to try his luck at him. It did not hesitate. The wolf made a last ditch effort to slaughter the pony. It did not make it far. Celestia landed full force from the air and onto the animal with a sickening crunch. Curator could hear the wolf’s back snapping and its face breaking from the thunderous stomp of his sister.

“And ponies say I’m useless,” Celestia said, pressing her hoof down on the wolves cracked head.

“I had it under control, you know,” Curator said slyly.

“I know,” giggled Celestia, stepping off the whimpering timber wolf, “but I can’t let you have all the fun.”

Curator just rolled his eyes. “Did you at least get that mare to safety?” he asked.

“She sure did,” an angelic voice answered from behind him.

Before him stood the most beautiful unicorn Curator had ever had the pleasure to lay his eyes on. She had a straight dark pink mane that complemented her entrancing violet eyes. She had a pink fur coat that reminded him of cotton candy. Curator was about to say something, but the ecstatic mare pounced on the male alicorn, her face mere inches from his.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” she expressed happily, bouncing up and down on the alicorn. “I was just picking some wild berries and daisies for lunch when all of a sudden those terrible creatures emerged from the forest! I ran as fast as I could but they surrounded me. I thought I was a dead mare!” she looked down at Curator. “But then you came to my rescue. You’re like a guardian angel!”

She pulled up the alicorn and gave him a huge hug, which he gladly accepted.

“Hey it’s no problem Miss…..”

The unicorn gasped. “Oh I’m sorry, where are my manners? My name is Sweet Symphony.”

“Sweet Symphony…” sang Curator.

It was such a beautiful name, a name he wanted to say over and over again. A name that the pegasus could write songs about. Songs describing its unparalleled beauty, and her beauty as well. To feel this mare filled him with such warm feelings, he could sense the emptiness that once troubled him quickly disappear. He smiled as he just took in the moment.

Celestia smiled slyly at the two. “Well, well, well.”

“What?” Curator asked, breaking the embrace with the unicorn.

“We need to get going,” reminded Celestia. “Luna’s still waiting for us.”

“Oh right,” he said, turning to Symphony. “Sorry Miss Symphony, but we need to get to town.”

She smiled at him. “Please sir, call me Symphony” she cooed, batting her eyelashes.

“Okay,” he grinned back, “but only if you call me Curator.”

“Well, Curator,” Symphony said, “I was heading back to town anyway, so do mind if I tag along?” She dragged her hoof softly down his chest. “I’m sure a big strong pony like could protect me if those nasty wolves come back.”

“Of course!” Curator blurted out, he quickly covered his mouth. “I mean, sure. That’d be nice.”

“Wonderful!” she chimed. She started to walk towards town, making extra sure to sway her hips as she walked.

Celestia looked at her dumbstruck brother, trying to stifle her laughter. “Well, you seem happy.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked, his head still in dreamland.

“Oh nothing….” She cleverly said. “Just that you have a massive wing-boner.”

“Wha-?” Curator looked at his back.

Sure enough, both of his white wings were sprung up and fully erect. He blushed as he quickly folded them back to his side as he followed Symphony and Celestia into town.

*****

“Wow,” was all Spike could say, staring at Dark Conquest.

The stallion in the story he was telling was the exact opposite to the one standing before him. Curator sounded like a loving, caring, goofy, and good hearted pony. Conquest was terrible, sick minded, and just wreaked of evil.

“Are you sure you were ever this pony?”

“Sickening, isn’t it?” he cackled, “How naïve I use to be, believing in such foalish things like compassion, love, and other ponies well-being.”

Spike was still confused. “What about Sweet Symphony? Whatever happened to her?”

“Oh, she plays a very important part in this play,” Conquest said. He got up from and started to float casually in the air, lying back as if he was laying on a couch. “For she is everything, the darkness in the light, the sand in the glass. She was my everything. Emphasis on was.”

“You’re just saying pointless things now,” commented the dragon.

“A meaningless word is a word still said, even if its meaning flies over your head,” rhymed the shadowy pony.

The dragon just stared at the floating alicorn.

“You see Spike,” Conquest continued, “we all are capable of great things. Terrible things, but great.”

“What does that mean?” asked the confused dragon.

“It means nothing,” he replied.

“Then it was pointless to say!” Spike growled, getting very annoyed at the alicorn.

“EXACTLY!” shouted Conquest, as he twirled his hoof in the air, a shadowy martini appearing in his hoof.

“What. Are. You. Saying?” scowled the dragon.

“It’s a meaningless point, cause the point has no meaning” he sighed, taking a sip of his ink coloured drink. “You think that the things we do are meaningful, but they are rather pointless. A needle has a point, and scissors have two, but a meaning will never have a point, it’s true.”

“You’ve got to be joking,” moaned Spike.

Conquest jumped down from the air, and playfully locked the dragon in a headlock.

“Words have no meaning and are not to be trusted. In fact, this will be the only truth you will ever hear,” he said as he noggie the dragon. “Haven’t you been paying attention to what I’ve said?”

Spike shook him off and popped his head free. “All I’ve been hearing is the rant of a mad colt.”

“Good,” he said, looking out the window. He could see the moon beginning to set, which meant the sun would soon rise. “Well, it’s getting early, which means it’s getting late.” He started to walk across the room, his horn glowing a blood red. Soon a red and black door appeared. “I have to go, but first, would you like to know what happened to the squirrels?”

Spike was afraid to ask. Conquest answered anyway.

“I found out that they lived happily ever after, and had lots of little squirrelly babies.”

“Oh,” said Spike.

“Yeah…” he said, his cheeks started to puff up, and started to make gagging sounds. He spat out two bone white squirrel skeletons. “… And then I ate them” he said with an enthusiastic smile.

Spike looked at the slimy skeletons. He wasn’t sure what disgusted him more, the fact that he ate two innocent creatures, or that he actually ate a squirrel.

“You’re sick.”

“You think that’s bad? You should have seen what I did to their children,” he said with a sickening grin.

The dragon couldn’t pull his eyes away from the bones on the floor.

“Monster…” he whispered.

“Let’s just say that the kids begged me to eat them by the time I was done,” Conquest gave a little chuckle, remembering that fond memory.

“Leave,” the dragon said bluntly, with suffocated rage. “Leave and never come back!”

“Tsk, tsk Spike,” the alicorn clicked. “I will leave, but I will come back.” He gave Spike another one of his bizarrely large smile, his dagger-like teeth covered with fresh blood. “These talks are too much fun to pass up!” he coughed up another bone, a squirrel’s foot. “Besides, I still have to finish my story.” He headed into the magical door. “Till the next night dragon!” he screamed as he disappeared through the door.

There was a flash of light and then a fade to black.

*****

Spike woke up in the large bed, his head ringing and his stomach aching. What had happened last night, was it a dream? More like a nightmare. The psychotic pony had rambled him to insanity. The things he said about words being pointless and lies made him think. He had misheard Rarity at the hospital, which was good. However, the princesses hadn’t been fully truthful to him.

But what he did to those squirrels. Even he didn’t eat other creatures; he’d eaten fish to help his body grow when he was young, but he would never eat red meat.

“How could a pony; vegetarian by nature, devour two squirrels?”

“I don’t know Spike?” said a haunting voice.“How could he eat us?”

Spike looked to the ground and almost screamed.

Two squirrel skeletons laid on the floor in a puddle of drool.

The Betrayal

The heart wants….
What the heart wants

Luna brought herself closer to Spike as she kissed the dragon, her midnight blue lips against his.

As Luna continued to frisk the dragon, there was only one thought was going through Spike’s head as Luna kissed him: This is wrong! This is wrong! This is so bucking wrong!

The stunned dragon felt something push up against his lips. “Is-is that her tongue? She’s trying to stick her tongue in my mouth! No, nononononononononono!

He tried to resist, but the princess managed to wiggle her tongue into his mouth. Her sweet tasting tongue sent a wave of guilty pleasure through his body.

The princess parted herself from the dragon; her breath was heavy as she looked erotically at him. “You don’t have to be so nervous, Spike” she said, as she pecked her way down the dragon’s next.

Sweat was dripping down him as the princess continued to make her advances. It took every ounce of strength he had not to lose control and break down into uncontrollable spasms. “Well umm, this is great Luna but-” he began, before being cut off by the princess’s hoof.

“Isn’t it?” she chimed, as she positioned herself over the dragon, sitting softly on his chest, staring down at him with those beautiful, dark blue eyes. “You know Spike, most ponies would do anything to be in the position that you’re in.”

“I’d do anything to get out of this!” he thought. “Well, that’s great and I feel umm….” He tried to think of what to say, “Honored that you would let me…court you?” he asked, as he tried to slip away from the horny Luna.

She put her hooves on her on his shoulders, pinning him to the bed as her starry mane brushed across his face. “Oh Spike, you’re going to do a lot more than court me tonight,” she said as she pressed herself down on the dragon.

Spike’s heart skipped a beat, as all his senses went into overdrive. His skin became extremely sensitive, the slightest touch from the princess sending shocks through his entire body. It did not help when Luna began to gently rub his chest, eliciting a tickling sensation. It took everything he had to not squirm uncontrollably.

The princess giggled at the panicking dragon. “You’re so weird sometimes, you know that?” she asked.
Spike just shook his head; he could hear his heart beating.

“So….” She said, as she slid herself into the position, grinding herself as she sat on top of his thighs. “Are you ready?” she had a devilishly seductive grin on her face as she let a single drop of drool drop down on the dragon’s face.

“What is wrong with this pony!?” thought Spike. “Actually Princess-”

“Please, just call me Luna” she interrupted. Spike could feel her warm breath beating down on his face as she spoke.

“Luna….. It’s just that I’ve had a really long day and I’m really tired so I was just going to call it and get some sleep!” he quickly blurted out.

She just laughed at him. “You’re so cute when you’re nervous….” She said, as she began to lower her head to his chest. “Maybe I should relieve you of your tension….”

“Oh that’s not good. What am I going to do? Just say no to her. ARE YOU CRAZY?! You don’t say no to a princess! Well, you can’t cheat on Rarity! You don’t think I know that? Oh great, now I’m talking to myself. I’m slowly becoming as insane as Conquest!” He watched in horror as Luna’s had made its way down his body.

Spike swallowed his pride, as he did something he never liked doing, but it seemed like the only way he’d get out of this situation. “Umm, prince- Luna, I have an idea.”

She stopped in her tracks, just inches above Spike’s thighs. “Yes?” she hummed.

“Well…I was thinking that maybe….. We could make things a bit a bit more interesting” he proposed nervously.

“And how would we do that, my sexy little dragon?” the princess purred.

“Umm…” he mumbled. He had only hoped to buy time, but he needed to think of something, some sort of distraction. His eyes darted around the room, looking for something he could use. A telescope? No, that’s stupid. A Book? Something told him she wasn’t in the mood to read. Her dresser? A dresser had clothes….. That could work!

“Maybe you could dress up?” he asked hopefully.

“Dress up?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah…That witch costume you wore last year on Nightmare night was pretty hot. You could try that,” he gulped.

Luna’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Oooo Spike, that’s a great idea!”

She got up and headed to her dresser, opening it up and levitating a skimpy looking witch costume. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yes!” shouted the dragon, amazed that his plan was working. “Now go into the bathroom and we’ll make a big entrance.”

“You got it, be right back,” she said as she took the costume and headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

The second she closed the door, Spike bolted up and ran to the window.

“I’m sorry princess, but I just can’t cheat on Rarity!” he thought as he opened the window and jumped out and flew back into the night.

*****

It had been ten days since Spike had left for Canterlot, and everypony was getting worried.

Twilight paced frantically around the library, flipping through her many books. “It’s been ten days, Applejack. Ten days and not a single letter!” the frustrated pony said, putting a book back on the shelf.

Applejack was sitting on the floor eating an apple while Twilight ran up and down the room putting away books. “Now calm down Twilight, there’s no need to get all worked up. We all miss the big dragon,” she said. “Some more than others.”

They both looked towards Spike’s bedroom. Rarity had decided to lock herself up in his room while he was away. The two ponies could still hear the faint sobbing of the white mare, crying over the loss of her dragon.

“I reckon one of us should go check-up her,” Applejack said, looking at Twilight.

The unicorn shook her head. “Don’t look at me. Last time I went in there, I almost didn’t come back out!”

The cowpony just rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll go,” she said as she started to trot towards the bed room. She slowly opened the door and entered.

The snow white mare laid on Spike’s bed sniffling as she looked up to see who was entering. “Who’s there?” she asked, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

“Hey sugar cube,” Applejack said as she approached the pony. Rarity looked terrible. Her mane and tail were messy from lying in bed all day, her mascara was ruined from her constant crying, and one of her extended eyelashes was stuck to her cheek. “How ya holding up?”

“Oh Applejack!” she cried as she rolled over on the bed, facing the ceiling. “How does the summer lily stand up against the coldness of winter? How does the glacier hold when faced with an undying heat? How does the-”

“I get it sugar cube,” Applejack interrupted. “Y’all are sad, I get it,” she mumbled.

“Oh I’m sorry!” Rarity cried angrily, “I wasn’t aware that your coltfriend was whisked away in some sort of confrontation just moments after you finally proclaimed your undying love for him! Forgive me for not being so sensitive!”

“Whoa there, Nelly!” She said defensively. “I didn’t mean it like that! All I’m saying is that you’ve been cooped up in this here room for days.”

Rarity broke down into tears. “I’m sorry Applejack! It’s just that everything reminds me of Spike!”

Applejack groaned. “Well, of course! Y’all are in Spike’s room after all.”

“But, it’s the only way to feel close to him!” she moaned, as she pulled one of Spike’s pillows close to her and embraced it. “All I have is this pillow that smells like him.” She pressed the pillow close to her as she inhaled its scent.

“Umm…” Applejack’s voice trailed off as she slowly walked out of the room, leaving the Rarity to make out with Spike’s pillow.

Applejack carefully closed the door and turned around. Twilight was waiting for her.

“Well, how is she?” the purple mare asked.

The cowpony sighed as she shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s worse than I thought.”

“Really?” asked Twilight. “How bad?”

“She’s making out with Spike’s pillow,” she said bluntly.

“Oh,” said the surprised unicorn.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it,” said Twilight as she headed to the door and opening it, revealing a grey pegasus.

“Hey Twilight!” Derpy yelled, her eyes slowly drifting around her head. “I have your mail!” she said as she dug her face into her saddlebag, grabbing a mouthful of letters and handing it to Twilight.

“Thank you Derpy,” Twilight said as the mail mare happily flew away to continue the rest of her delivery.

Twilight started to sift through the mail. “Let’s see here…bill, bill, ad, magazine,” she gasped as she dropped all but one letter. “Spike sent me a letter!”

“He did?” asked Applejack as she peeked over Twilight’s shoulder, who was ripping open the letter. “Well let’s hear what’s he has to say!”

Twilight nodded in agreement as she unfolded the letter, and after clearing up her throat, she began to read.

Dear Twilight,

I’m sorry that it took so long to write back to you. I have to write and send these in secret, as you’re not supposed to know what’s going on. I don’t want you to worry about me, but they are making me train with the royal army. It’s actually not that bad and I’m learning a lot. I was able to complete both the basic and advance training within a week. At the moment, I’m studying on foreign fighting styles. Did you know that a zebra’s war shield is just as deadly as their spears? Anyway, this letter is getting long, and I need to get back to training. Just know that I love and miss all of you, especially Rarity, so please tell her that.

Will write back soon if I can,

Spike

“He’s training in the army now?” gasped Twilight as she finished the letter. “Why is he training for battle? You don’t think something’s wrong? Do you, Applejack?”

“I can’t lie ta ya Twi,” she said solemnly. “I can’t imagine a situation where this isn’t something wrong.”

“That’s not good,” she groaned, looking at the door to Spike’s room. “Should we tell Rarity?”

Applejack shook her head. “I reckon that wouldn’t be wise. She ain’t exactly in a stable mind set, and I rather not find out how she reacts to her ‘lover’ getting drafted into the military.”

“I guess your right,” Twilight said as she collapsed on to the floor. “Poor Spike, I can’t even imagine what he must be going through…”

*****

Spike walked into the grand dining hall. It had been modified into a cafeteria for the many new troops that flooded into Equestria every day. Pegasus, unicorns, and earth ponies were packed into the room, the sound of chewing, slurping, and talking echoed through the halls. The conversations between the ponies were just common ones about war and which mare or stallion they would do. He mostly ignored it as he tried to find Duster. His bright pink and messy mane stood out from the rest of the ponies and was easy to find. He started to head into his friend’s direction, but was stopped when he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“Hello Spike,” the sweet voice said to the dragon.

He turned around in shock none other than Princess Celestia.

“Afternoon Princess,” Spike said, “is there anything I can do for you?”

“There is, actually,” she said. “Would you come and eat with me and my sister, we have much to talk to you about.”

“Oh, umm…” he tried to tell her no, but the princess wouldn’t hear of it. She pushed him towards the large table at the end of the hall. There sat a couple of unfamiliar ponies, along with Princess Luna, who smiled sinisterly at him.

He hadn’t exactly told anypony about what had happened ten nights ago between him and Luna, and thankfully she didn’t seem to be mad at him. However, she seemed more eager than ever to get him now, and it had been becoming difficult to avoid her around the castle.

“Please take a seat Spike,” Celestia said, as the dragon looked around for an open seat. Unfortunately the only seat that was free was right next to Luna.

“You can sit next to me Spike,” she said, patting the chair next to her. With a weak smile, the dragon slowly took a seat next to the night princess.

“You see Spike,” said Celestia as she took a seat at the head of the table, “My sister and I would like to know a few things about Cura- Conquest” she said, correcting herself to call her brother by his new name.

“What?” asked the dragon. “How do you know that I still see him?”

“We’re just concerned that he might be getting into your head,” Celestia told him. “He may be insane, but his words still seem to carry an influence.”

“Well princess, I can assure you-” he stopped midsentence, he felt something rubbing against his leg. He looked down to see that Luna had started to rub her leg against his. He took a quick glance at the mare next to him. Luna was looking at her sister, but she still couldn’t help break out in a small smile. One of her eyes darted down, peeking under the table. She slowly lifted her hoof and began rubbing his thigh, the dragon bit down on his tongue to not squeal from the sensitive sensation.

Princess Celestia looked at the shuddering dragon. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You seem to be twitching.”

“I’m fine!” squeaked the dragon; Luna’s hoof had just grazed in between his legs. He shot up from the table. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom!”

The dragon got up from the table and ran out of the dining hall. The bathrooms were just around the corner. He quickly jumped into one of the stall in the colt’s room and sat on the toilet.

“What the hell was that?” he thought. The princess seemed to be extra frisky today, more so than a few days ago, when she slapped his ass when passing her in the hall.

From the stall, he heard the door of the bathroom open. His heart beating heavily as the clopping sounds of hooves made its way closer to his stall. He lifted his legs to try to hide in his stall.

Luna peeked her head above Spike’s stall, a large sensual smile on her face. “Hey there handsome,” she said, “I got your message.”

The dragon looked confused. “What message?”

Luna gave a little chuckle, before magically unlocking the stall door. “You know, ‘Excuse me, I have to use the restroom,’ that’s what you said,” she looked around the bathroom. “Not exactly what I had pictured for our first time, but I’m not picky.”

“WHAT?!” yelled the dragon in his mind.

The princess kicked the stall door behind her and turned the lock. She then pressed her hooves against Spike, pinning him to the wall. “It’s pretty dirty in here,” she said, as she pressed herself against Spike. “And it’s about to get dirtier,” she moaned as she closed the gap between their lips.

Spike’s eyes shot open as he tried to find a way out of the stall, but it there was very little room for him to make an escape. He thought about just throwing her off and busting through the doors, but that would cause a bit too much collateral damage.

Luna pushed away from him. “Why are you always to quiet?” she asked, that sexy, evil grin forming on her face. “Maybe I need to make you scream,” she started to lower herself slowly.

“Crap, crap, crap, crap!” the dragon thought, he wasn’t going to be able to talk his way out of this one. He needed a miracle to save him.

Luckily, his miracle had a full bladder. The door of the bathroom burst open as the unknown pony ran to the urinal, and began to relieve himself.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me!” hissed the night mare, as the two listened to the trickle of fluids leaving the pony. Eventually the sound stopped and the pony left the bathroom. So much for his miracle. “Now then, where were we?” the sultry princess asked, as she nibbled on Spike’s lip, sending shivers through his body.

The door of the bathroom opened again, and this time a voice called out. “Spike? You in here? It’s Duster, everything alright buddy?”

“Thank Celestia!” “Yeah, I’m in here Duster” the dragon called out. Luna looked at him with shock.

The guard pony walked up to the stall and knocked on the door. “You sure you okay in there?”

“He’s fine!” yelled the princess, quickly covering up her mouth from her sudden outburst.

Duster peeked through the door slit of the stall door. “Wait…Is that the Princess!?”

She kicked down the door of the stall, knocking the pony back. Luna walked out, looking absolutely furious. She glared at the fallen pony. “You don’t tell a soul about me and Spike or else!” she yelled, “My sister sends ponies to the moon; I send them to the sun! Do you understand me!?”

“Y-y-y-yes princess,” stuttered the frighten pony, as Luna stormed out of the bathroom in a fit of rage, slamming the door behind her.

Duster looked over to the dragon, who was awkwardly walking out of the stall. The pony got a big stupid smile on his face.

“What?” asked the dragon.

Duster got up and raised his hoof, “You and the Princess? …Nice!”

“Not exactly,” muttered the dragon.

“What do you mean?” asked the pink maned guard. “I’d do anything to be with her.”

“And I’d do anything to get out of it,” mumbled the dragon.

“Really?” blabbered the guard. “Don’t take this the wrong way…But are you crazy?! We’re talking about Princess Luna here!”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m in love with a different pony,” he sighed, thoughts of Rarity popping up in head. He feared how she would react if she ever found out about this. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, was he? They hadn’t done anything more than kiss, and it was never his idea. But the more he thought about it, the dirtier he felt.

“Well, then why don’t you just tell her you’re not interested. I’ll take your place,” Duster joked.

“And get sent to the sun?” reminded the dragon. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” smiled the pony. “Come on, lunch is almost over and I would actually like to eat something.”

Spike nodded in agreement as the two headed out and back into the mess hall.

*****

Later that night, Spike headed into his room and locked the door. After what had happened during lunch, he wanted to take every precaution. He jumped into his bed and got comfortable, cause he knew that the second he closed his eyes…

*****

…He would awaken in the darkness of the shadowlands. He had grown use the darkness, and made his way down the same trek to find Conquest, and to see what fresh hell he had planned for tonight. He found the shadowy alicorn sitting by a window that only showed more darkness. Conquest glanced at the dragon and turned back to the window. He gave a heavy and slightly loving sigh.

“I dreamt of Maris again Spike,” he said in a poetic voice. “It was the first time we made love…do remember Spike?”

“Do I remember the first time you made love? No.” responded the dragon.

“I remember it so clearly Spike: the star studded night, the crisp green grass, the way you lowered me on the ground, nipping at my ear, telling me that you were all mine,” he sighed.

“Excuse me?” the dragon asked. “Did you say that I did all this?”

Conquest gave a toothy grin. “Of course, you silly dragon! The way you took me was a moment of pure emotional bliss! Shame of you for not remembering!”

“Sorry for not remembering having sex with you,” he said bluntly, growing tired of this stupid joke.

He sighed. “Sing me our song.”

“I’m sorry, what?” asked Spike, confused at the alicorn’s request.

“You know…I’ll take you to the candy shop, I let you lick my lollipop, go ahead Spike don’t you stop! Keep on going ‘til you hit the bucking spot!” he sang as he quickly poofed next to Spike, his face dangerously close to the dragon’s. “Oh kiss me, you fool!”

Before the dragon could interject, the alicorn locked his lips with the dragon. Spike face flushed red, startled by what Conquest had just done. After fifteen seconds of the dark pony trying to stick his tongue in the dragon’s mouth, he finally parted.

Conquest smirked, his shadowy tongue hanging from his mouth, dripping heavily with dark saliva. “What? No tongue?” he joked.

Spike fell to the ground, gagging and wiping his mouth clean, trying to get any trace of the stallion of his mouth.

“Well, well, well,” a voice called from behind him. He looked behind him to see…Conquest? But, Conquest was right in front of him. “What’s this I see? A dragon trying to make out with me?”

“W-w-what?” stuttered the dragon, looking at both ponies, sure enough, there were two Conquest before him.

The Conquest that had kissed him raised him from the ground and smiled at him. “Now, now Spike,” he said, his voice suddenly very feminine, he fluttered his eyes, they slowly turned from blood red to plasma green as he walked up to his double.

“Confused?” asked the red eyed Conquest.

“A little,” muttered the dragon, still wiping his tongue clean.

“Good,” said green eyed Conquest, as he turned to his other self. The two stared deep into each other’s eyes as they started to kiss, slipping their tongues into the other’s mouth in a mixture of shadowy drool and bliss.

Spike clenched his eyes shut. “This is so wrong!” he complained.

“Hey!” giggled the green eyed Conquest. “It’s not gay if it’s with yourself.”

“It’s basicly masturbation,” commented the red eyed Conquest, resuming the kiss with himself.

Spike clutched his eyes even tighter. “Call it whatever you want, I don’t want to look at it.”

Red eyed Conquest sighed. “I think we’ve had our fun dear,” he said to his green eye counterpart.

He smiled, as his body burst into bright green flames, engulfing his entire body. When the flames cleared, the decayed Queen of the changelings stood by Conquest side.

Chrysalis smiled as she whipped her turquoise hair out her face. “Well, it was sure fun while it lasted,” she giggled, looking at the shocked dragon. “You know, you’re a great kisser Spike.”

“B-but you were? How did- what?” stuttered the dragon.

“I’m a changeling Spike, that’s what we do,” said the queen. “You’re not very bright, are you?”

“No, he isn’t,” sighed the alicorn, twisting and turning Chrysalis as the two danced around the dragon. “I’d say he was dumb as a rock, but I fear he may have the brain of an ant.”

“I’m an ant?” asked the dragon, wondering if he should be insulted.

“Yes,” said the alicorn, dipping the queen as they danced. “You see, a rock cannot think, but an ant can’t think for itself. Much like you, my scaly friend,” the two continued to dance, swaying in circular motion as they seemed to levitate from the ground and higher into the darkness. “An ant is a slave, a peon, always following the commands of their betters, from their rulers, their masters…Their marefriends,” the dragon frowned as the two just laughed at him. “Now Spike, how many times did she let you put yourself in danger for her. How many times did you clean her shop, or run an errand for this so called element of generosity?”

The words echoed through Spike’s head, but he quickly shook it off. “I like being helpful, something that’s lost with you two.”

“Ants are a nuisance, not helpful,” chimed Conquest. “Silly filly thinks too much of himself. That’s why I’d prefer to think like a rock: not at all.”

“Why?”

“Because thinking is boring and no fun at all!” cheered the alicorn. “I may be criminally insane and homicidal, but that’s the price I pay for happiness! And I will happily pay for it every time. Because unlike you Spike, I already know what it’s like to think, to serve a higher power, to serve the bigger ant in a colony,” he chuckled. “Looking back at it, I should have slit my own throat for being such an ant. But, then I was blessed, my ant-like brain was squashed by the rock, and I was free.” He sighed, and he raised his head with a sick sense of pride. “Free to do anything I wanted: go anywhere, eat anything…kill anypony I wanted. Believe me when I say I killed a lot, ironically a few with rocks. And a few with ants,” he grinned grimily at that last part, as if he was reliving that terribly delightful memory.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” said Spike. “You’re crazy!”

Conquest slowly shook his head as he snickered. “Someday you’ll understand what I mean dragon. Someday I’ll squish your ant with my large and mighty rock.”

“I don’t underst-”

“STORY TIME!” shouted the alicorn, dropping Chrysalis as he flung his hooves in the air with excitement. “Due to time constraints, what with the war and all, I’m going to skip ahead a few years, so to catch you up Spike: I went steady with Symphony, we grew up a little bit, we found the elements of harmony under the couch, I invented chocolate, Discord came, He turned me into a sofa and my sister turned him into a statue, which I later whizzed on, and then I fought in the dragon liberation wars. Which brings us to my return home…”

*****

It was late in the evening when Curator’s shipped sailed in, and it docked up next to harbour where many ponies stood waiting for its arrival. A ramp was lowered to onto the docks, followed by a herd of guard ponies, all happy to see their love ones again. Among these tired but cheerful ponies was Curator, adorned in his royal onyx coloured armour.

He got off the ship and looked around. It warmed his heart to see all the happy couples reunited after years of terrible war and battle. But there was a dark lining to this happiness. For every happy couple he saw, for every reunited family, there was a mare waiting for a stallion that would never come home. It filled his heart with grief as he had to go to each new widow and inform them of their love ones passing. One by one, he watched wives, mothers and children sob and cry as he told them their husbands, sons, or daddies weren’t coming home, that they had lost their lives in the fight for freedom. He watched as the ponies started to leave, either in happiness, or in sorrow. As the docks started to empty, he noticed that there seemed to be no here to greet him. Celestia and Luna knew he was coming today, but where could th- ZAPP.

His flank burned with an electrifying sensation as he jumped up in an undignified shriek of pain. He turned around to see his two sisters, Luna lying on top of a dark storm cloud. She jumped off her cloud and tackled her brother, hugging him tightly around his neck.

“Curator! Oh thank goodness you’re alive,” she cried, tears rolling down her eyes. “I was so worried of you! Don’t ever leave me again!”

“Good to see you too,” moaned Curator, quickly running out of breath.

Celestia just smiled at the two on the ground. “It’s good to have you back, brother. I assume everything went well?”

“It’s war sister,” he said the armoured alicorn, pulling himself up from the ground, Luna still having a hold around his neck. “It never goes well.”

“But did we win, is all I’m wondering,” she asked again.

Curator sighed. “We managed to drive the dragons to the badlands, and I was able to re-work a truce between us, much better than that one our old teacher put together. May we bless his soul.”

There was a moment of silence, before Celestia finally asked: “So how many did we lose?” she asked quietly.

Curator lowered his head and Luna finally let go of him. “Too many,” he sighed. “Do you know the heart breaking feeling of telling a mare that her husband won’t be coming home? The soul crushing sound of foals crying over the loss of their father? I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the misery of other ponies.”

“That’s so sad brother,” Luna said, wiping some of her tears away. “But, you’re such a great pony. You saved millions of lives!”

Curator smiled at his little sister. “Thanks Luna,” he said, smiling at the little filly, who smiled right back at him. “Anyway, so how’s Symphony? I’d thought she’d be waiting for me here?”

Luna’s smile faded. “Oh she had a recital last night, so she might be at her house. Why do you ask? I thought you’d spend time with us!” she whimpered.

“And I will!” chuckled the stallion, scrunching up is sister’s starry mane. “But, I have something really important to do first.”

“What could be more important than us?” grumbled Luna.

“This,” he said, as he reached his head into his saddlebag. “I wanted to surprise you guys but I can’t hold it in anymore!” he said, as pulled his head out of the bag. In his mouth was a large shining gold ring, with many jewels in the shape of a blooming flower as the rock. “I’m going to ask her to marry me!” he cried happily.

“OHMYGOSH!” squealed Celestia, a wide grim on her face as she hugged her brother. “I’m so happy for you two!”

“Thank sis,” he said, patting her on the back before parting with her. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I have a mare to propose to!” he said, as he started to trot into town.

He happily walked around the town. It had changed so much in only a short few years. The castle had been finished, the roads had been paved for easier walking, and he had heard that new diverse colonies were springing up everywhere. He truly lived in a great time. He looked back at the ring. When he was in the trenches of war, he realised that life was too short to not spend the time with the ones you love, and he loved Sweet Symphony. Within a few moments, they would be engaged.

He approached her house. It was a normal cottage, just like every other house in town, but once they were engaged she would definitely live with him in the castle. He knocked on the door, his heart racing with anticipation.

The door of her house slowly opened, the sleepy pink mare yawned as she rubbed her eyes. “Who’s knocking at this unholy hour?” she moaned.

“Hey sweetie,” Curator said.

Her heart stopped at the sound at his voice. She opened her eyes and gasped. “Curator?!” she squeaked. “Is that really you?!”

He smiled. “The one and only.”

“I-I-I wasn’t expecting you!” she stuttered, still shocked by his appearance.

“Well, I just got in a little while ago,” he said, “But there’s something really important I need to ask you,” he said, getting ready to pull out the ring.

“Listen honey,” she said, shifting in her spot, “I’m so happy you’re back but can it wait till morning? I’m really tired.”

“It’s really important,” Curator said. “And I think I need to do it now.”

“Curator please!” she begged, “Can we do this in the morning! Go home and I’ll meet you at the castle first thing.”

“Okay?” said the alicorn, confused by the way she was acting. “Can’t I just stay here with you; I’m exhausted, and just want to crawl up next to you tonight.”

“NO!” she screamed, quickly blushing as she realised how loud she was. “It’s not a good time.”

There was the sound of a door opening coming from behind Symphony. “Hey babe, is everything all right?” a voice called from behind her. “I heard you scream.”

“Who was that?” asked the alicorn.

A large green stallion walked through the bedroom door. He seemed to be tired, tired but eager. “Come back to bed, Symphony. I got a new instrument for you to try,” he noticed Curator. “Who’s that guy?”

“I was going to ask you the same question…” Said the alicorn, his voice stripped of all emotion.

“I’m her coltfriend,” the green pony said.

“That’s impossible!” barked Curator, “I’m her colt-” It hit him like a brick wall. He turned to Symphony, who was beginning to break into tears. “You cheated on me?”

“Curator…” she started, her words were broken up by her sniffles as she tried to holed back her tears. “I-I thought you were dead! You said the war would only be a year! I waited every day at the docks for you that year! And when you didn’t show up, I still waited. Years later, I was still waiting for you! But you never came back! I thought you were killed! I thought some dragon had killed you!” she was crying full blown tears by now. “I moved on, Curator…I’m sorry, but I’m with Three Tack now.”

The world was still for Curator, he could feel his heartbeat slow down as each word spoken from Symphony struck him like a spear to the chest. He had waited so long to propose to her, it was the only thing that kept him going when he was fighting the dragons. The thought that there was somepony to return home to, a pony that loved him back, was the only reason to fight. He fought to keep her safe, to keep their future children safe, and their children, and their children after them. He felt a tear roll down his face. He lifted the ring from his bag. Beautiful, just like her. He threw it to the ground, wanting nothing to do with it anymore. He didn’t want to be around anyone, so he ran off. Away from the apologetic mare and her new lover, away from this stupid town, and away from the ponies, and into the Everfree forest.

The Insanity

“Ah the fun of being insane, it’s hard to really appreciate such things when you’re still sane. Sanity is boring after all….. It’s just too predictable for my taste.”

~Path_of_cloud

“Oh you poor, poor pony,” wept Chrysalis as she kissed her coltfriend on the cheek, “she sounds like such a dreadful little pony.”

“She was,” moaned Conquest in an overdramatic fashion, as if this was a performance “The way she rejected me! The way she used me! Oh it was horrible!” he whined, fainting into the queen’s hooves. “I feel faint, my love….”

Spike couldn’t think of anything to say. For the first time, Conquest had actually made sense. What Symphony had done to him was terrible and uncalled for. He would hate it if Rarity were to do something like that, and he knew he would never do anything like that. “What happened next?” asked the dragon. It felt weird to encourage the pony that talked nonsense to continue talking.

Conquest lifted an eyebrow. “Interested, are we?” he giggled. “Well, my story is almost done, but I assure you…It has a killer ending.”

*****

Curator ran through the forest of the Everfree, a trail of tears falling from his eyes. How could she do this to him? He loved her! He loved her with all his heart and she just chewed it up and spat it on the ground. The alicorn jumped into the air and flew onto a nearby tree branch. He sat there as he let his pity pour out of his body. All that he had ever done for her, all she had ever done for him. Was it all in vain? Was it all for nothing?

“It’s not fair!” he screamed, his voice echoing in the darkness, falling on the deaf ears of the forest. “I did everything for her! I loved her…I was going to marry her!” He let more tears roll down his face, it was getting hard to breath from his sniffling. How he wished he could just turn it all off, to never have to feel again.

“Never feel again,” a voice echoed in his head. “That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?”

Curator stopped crying. Was somepony talking in his head? “Hello?” he called.

The shadowy voice chuckled in his mind. “So you can hear me at last, eh pony?” the voice repeated.

“Hear what?” asked Curator, looking around for whoever was talking. “Who is this? Show yourself!” he demanded.

“Very well,” said the voice inside of him. “But first, can you open your mouth?”

“What?” asked the alicorn, no sooner did he ask, he felt his mouth forced open. He tried to close his mouth but some unknown force was keeping it open. A slow trickle of black smoke was emitted from his mouth. He watched in terror as the smoke started to take on a form, the head of a stallion. A stallion that looked exactly like him.

“Ahhhhh,” sighed the shadow, as he cracked his neck side to side. “You know it is very cramped in that head of yours,” he said.

“Who are you!?” demanded Curator, regaining control of his mouth.

“Silly little filly,” snickered the shadow. “Don’t you recognize me? I’m you!”

“What?”

“I’m you,” he repeated. “A different part of you, and I’m here to help you.”

“Help me? How?” the red maned alicorn questioned.

“You’re weak,” he hissed, “but I can change that. I can make you stronger, make you powerful. I can help you turn it all off, just like you want. I am here to give you the greatest of all gifts.”

“What’s that?”

The shadow smiled. “Ignorance, my pony, sweet blissful ignorance.”

“How will that help me” asked Curator.

“Try to imagine,” the shadow pony began, “never feeling bad about anything you did, to just laugh it off or simply not care. All the pain that the mare caused you to simply vanish in thin air. Now doesn’t that sound nice?”

Curator thought of what his dark double had to say. To never care again, to never know pain or heartbreak. It seemed like a good deal right about now. “What do you want for this gift?” he asked.

“Nothing really,” smiled the shadowy head. “Just accept me, embrace the idea of complete and total insanity, and I’ll make everything go away.”

He sat there in the darkness of the forest, considering the very tempting offer of the pony. He was angry, sad, and confused. And he wanted to never feel this again.

“I…” he paused, unsure of what he was getting himself into “I accept the insanity,” he whispered.

The sides of the shadow’s face perked up upon hearing those words. Slowly he began to drift around the white alicorn, spinning faster and faster, all while cackling an evil and psychotic laugh. Curator was thinking this was a bad idea but then he felt something, he felt…Nothing.

All the negative emotions he was harbouring before had vanished. He felt calm as he hopped of the tree. There was a new sense of life in body, and a new thought in his mind. He gave a quirky smile as he quickly ran back towards town.

*****

He could feel his heart lift as he entered town, seeing a green pony walking into an alley. He guessed that Three Tack had gotten kicked out. He was going to go straight to Symphony’s, but he could make a little detour. He followed Three Tack into the ally way, the shadows of the ally hiding everything from any watching pony that would pass by.

“Hey!” Curator called cheerfully from behind the stallion, who turned around in shock.

“Oh crap,” he muttered. “Look, she’s with me now, okay? She thought that you were dead, and she moved on. That’s what anypony would have done.”

“Oh yes….” said Curator, as he advanced slowly towards the stallion. “She did make a mistake, thinking that I was dead.” He started to smile, flashing his pearly whites at the green pony. “But she won’t make that mistake with you….”

“What do you mean?” the scared pony asked, as he backed up against a wall. He turned around to see that he was trapped, and that the only exit was blocked by the now sinister looking Curator.

“Simple,” he said, lunging towards the pony, he grabbed him by the neck with his hooves and pressed his back against the wall. “She’ll know that your dead.” He started to levitate his sword out of his holster, the silver blade shining in the moonlight as Three Tack tried to wiggle free from the alicorn’s grasp, but to no avail. “I’m in a great mood right now, so I’ll give you a choice: do you want your death to be quick and painless, or slow and horrible?”

Curator but his ear up to the suffocating pony, hearing nothing but gagging and gargling.

“Slow and horrible you say? Good choice,” he said as he readied his sword. With one last sigh, he plunged the blade deep with the pony’s stomach.

Three Tack groaned with terrible pain, unable to scream as the blade was pulled out of his stomach, only to be stabbed back in. Blood splattered across Curator’s white body, the splatter of blood resembling his fiery mane.

“Does it hurt, Tack?” he asked looking into the pony’s lifeless eyes, continuing to stab him. “Do you know the pain you caused me? The giant crap you took on my life?” He pulled the bloody blade out of the dead pony, his body falling down in a puddle of his own crimson fluid. “Consider yourself lucky.”

He walked away from the body and looked around. Nopony had seen him, which was good. He didn’t need that right now. He looked back at the body, to the pony he had just killed. There was a warm feeling inside of him. Was that happiness? He had killed an innocent pony and he felt happy? No, he had killed the bastard who was sleeping with his mare, and he could feel good about that.

As he continued towards Symphony’s house, he noticed his reflection in a shallow puddle. His entire form was covered in blood, almost none of his white coat could be seen. But what was really strange was that his eyes had turn from an autumn yellow to a hellish red.

He saw his reflection smile back at him, even though he didn’t smile. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” the puddle asked.

“It…it does, doesn’t it?” he replied. It was true, he felt great, as if killing the innocent could bring back his.

“Good,” the reflection said, “now let’s go. But first, let me get that blood off you.

*****

“That was the first time I ever killed an innocent pony, though you could hardly call him innocent,” Conquest sighed as he laid on a shadowy cloud, Queen Chrysalis curled up in hooves. “But it was exhilarating to say the least.” He looked down at the dragon. “There’s something about taking a pony’s life, too stare into his teary eyes as you rob him of the greatest gift of all. The power you feel…” he smiled, “it’s intoxicating.”

“You’re crazy,” muttered the dragon.

“You know, you sound like a broken record sometimes, it’s always ‘you’re crazy’ or ‘what’s wrong with you’ or ‘killing ponies is wrong Conquest’,” he said. “You really need to vary your vocabulary.”

“Whatever,” Spike moaned.

“Whatever,” mocked Conquest. “Anyhoof, where was I? Ah yes…Symphony.”

*****

Curator walked up to the front door of Symphony’s house. His coat had been clean of all traces of blood, and he was looking better than ever in his dark armour. He was becoming a real dark knight, and he loved it. He knocked on the door as he waited for it to be answered. He was shaking with giddy anticipation when the door slowly opened.

“Curator?” she moaned. “Please, I’m sorry for what happened, but can we at least wait until morning?”

“That’s not why I’m here,” said the armoured pony. “I want to show you something, and it needs to be right now, tonight. Can you at least give me this? Then you’ll never be bothered by me again.”

The sleepy mare sighed as she levitated a coat from the coat rack. “Fine, Curator. What is it you want to show me?”

The white smiled as he turned around. “This way, my dear,” he said as the two started to head out of town and towards the Everfree forest. Symphony stopped as they approached the edges of the woods.

“Wait, we’re heading into the Everfree at night?” she asked. “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Don’t worry darling,” he reassured her, “I’ll protect you.”

She gave a small smile as she walked up close to Curator, feeling the warmth of his body against his. The two walked in the forest in silence, only the sounds of the gentle breeze blowing through the trees and sleeping animals with their dreams. Eventually, they passed the tree line and into an open meadow.

Curator looked at the pink mare. “Do you know where this is?” he asked, as he slowly opened his wings.

Symphony looked around, she did remember this place. “This is the pace where we first met, isn’t it?”

“That is correct,” Curator, he started to walk up to a tree. “This spot is special to me…It’s where we met, where we played…Where we had our first kiss,” he lingered a breath at the next thought. “It’s where we made love for the first time.”

“I remember,” she said, her face was turning red as tears formed at her eyes. “We had a lot of good times here,” Her words started to drift off as she bowed her head in shame. “I’m so sorry that all of this happened to you.”

“That’s okay,” the alicorn said cheerfully. “You’d be surprised how fast I can get over something.” He span around on his hind legs and offered Symphony a hoof. “Care to dance?” he asked.

She looked at the surprisingly happy pony, and took his hoof in hers. Curator pulled her in and wrapped his hoof around her waist, as they circled around in the moonlight in a slow dance.

“It’s such a beautiful night? Isn’t it?” he asked as he twirled her around.

“Are you trying to win me back?” she grinned, as she wrapped her hooves around the alicorn’s neck.

“Not at all, my dear,” he said, spinning her around faster and faster, the two were so light on their feet. Curator’s horn began to glow, a yellowish aura engulfing Symphony’s back hoofs, as the two started to dance in the sky. Higher and higher they went, Curator gently flapping his wings to stay afloat. “I just wanted to dance with you one last time.”

“Who says that this has to be the last time?” she cooed. “Three Tack isn’t a very good dancer.”

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question,” Curator said, their dancing starting to slow down, until they were standing in the air in the shadow of the moon.

“And why’s that?” she asked, her face slowly leaning in towards his.

“Because I hear it’s hard to dance with broken legs,” he chuckled.

“What?”

His horn stopped glowing, the magic that had kept Symphony from falling disappeared. She shrieked as she fell through the air landing with a hard thud on the groaned. Another loud shrieked echoed through the forest. Curator smiled as he slowly lowered down from the air. He had made sure that they were at a height that would cripple her, but not kill her. He didn’t want her dead. Yet.

“Oopsy!” he laughed, staring at the fallen pony. Her front legs were all bent out of shape, sticking out in directions they shouldn’t. Her face was bruised and cut, and her one eye was swelling up quickly. Tears were leaking out of her face as she cried in broken sniffles. “Looks like I blundered a bit in our dance!”

“W-w-why?” moaned Symphony as she struggled to lift of her head.

“Silly filly,” he giggled, “I wouldn’t be talking so loud if I were you! You might alert some unwelcome guest!”

There was a rustle in the bushes. Right on time. The deadly yellow eyes cut through the shadows of the forest as three barked covered wolves growled and crawled out of the bushes.

“Oh dear,” Curator said sarcastically. “A pack of Timber wolves attacking a helpless pony, this all seems so familiar. Like we’ve done this before…” He stared at Symphony, the insanity was clear in his derange eyes and his sick smile.

“Curator…. Please…. Don’t do this.” She begged weakly, but received no sympathy from the alicorn. “Help me.”

“Now why would I do that?” he asked himself. “Why would I help the heartless bitch who left me for some green tool, whom I’ve already killed tonight, by the way.”

“W-what?” she whimpered, the timber wolves slowly making their way towards the downed prey.

“Stabbed him five times, but you shouldn’t be worrying about him,” he told her, “you should be worried about them.” He took off into the air, only to land in a nearby tree to watch the show. “Who’s going to save you this time!?” he yelled, laughing manically.

The wolves crept forward. Symphony could see the hunger in their eyes as they flashed their fangs and snarled at her. She tried to lift herself, but her broken legs couldn’t support her and she collapsed in a fit of pain. Symphony tried to crawl away from the wolves, backing up to a tree. She watched in horror in as the three wolves cornered her. She could feel their cold breath against on her face.

“Oh please no! No! No! Nooooo! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

*****

“I watched as the wolves tore her apart, ripped her limb from limb in a gory orgy of violence and red,” the dark alicorn said. “It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, perfect as she screamed her…last symphony.” He chuckled at his little joke.

Spike just stood there, jaw-dropped and shocked. “You know, for a second, just a second, when you told me what Symphony did to you, I felt a little sorry for you. It was something I could relate to, something I would never wish on me or anyone else,” he said, the anger growing in his voice. “But any sort of pony that would feed somepony to wolves and watch is beyond redemption, and is not worth my pity!”

Conquest just rolled his eyes uncaringly at the dragon’s comment. “Oh, no Chrysalis. We have a badass over here,” he said bluntly.

She laughed, snuggling up to Conquest. “Oh dear! We are all doomed!”

“Yes Chrysalis…They all are,” said Conquest looking at Spike. “The story is almost over Spike. We have but one chapter left…and we’ll see if you survive the night first.

That peaked Spike’s interest. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” giggled Conquest, “I decided to throw you a little party!”

“A party?” asked the dragon.

“A party!” Conquest said gleefully. “So you better wake up! I’d do it soon before they go ahead and start without you!” he laughed. Conquest and Chrysalis seemed to fade slowly into the shadows, as if they themselves were becoming a part of the clouds. Spike noticed that it was getting darker all around him, as he was calmly consumed by the shadows.

*****

He woke up with his head ringing, something that was not uncommon when waking up from that hell.

He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry, but he looked around and knew something wasn’t quite right.

“This isn’t my room…” moaned the groggy dragon. He looked around, all the furniture had been replaced with dark rocks, and the walls of marble were now black stone. He was definitely not in his room anymore.

“Spike! You’re awake!” a deep voice bellowed. Spike tried to get up but he realized that his hands and ankles were all chained to the stone table he was laying on.

“Who are you?” demanded the dragon, struggling to break away from his chains.

From the shadows and behind the rocks, a hooded figure emerged. It was in the shape of a pony, probably an earth pony. Soon more and more hooded ponies came out of hiding. Until there were about a dozen revealed.

“Who are we, dragon?” one of the voice asked, this one much higher and probably female. “We are the ones free from thoughts, free from leaders, free from compassion, love, and toleration! We are the ones who are blessed with ignorance!”

“WE ARE THE CONQUERED!!” everypony yelled in unison.

“Oh lord,” moaned Spike.

One of the ponies walked up to his side. Under his hood was a featureless mask with a crudely drawn smiley face on it. “Are you scared?” he hummed, dragging his hoof across his face. “Because the glorious Conquest has sentenced you to death, dragon.”

“FOR THE GLORIOUS CONQUEST!” they all shouted.

“You’re telling me that you guys actually worship that crazy bastard?” the dragon yelled, still trying to loosen his bonds.

Another one of the hooded ponies walked up to his side, her mask was the same as smiley face, but instead she had the phrase ‘death to tyrants!’ written on it over and over again. “You fear what you don’t understand, you stupid dragon!” she yelled striking him on the face. “Can we kill him now?”

“Patience,” said smiley face. “All in good time, but the glorious one has certain instructions that need to be fulfilled before the sentence is carried out.”

“Very well,” she said, looking at the dragon in what Spike could only assume was disgust. “Begin the preparation!” she yelled at the others, who began to form a circle around the dragon. She looked back at the dragon. “Spike the dragon, our lord of insanity and darkness has tried to help you. He has taken pity on you in hope that you would see the darkness in every pony’s heart.”

“FOR HE IS SELFLESS, AND WE ARE SELFISH,” they all chanted.

“He had bestowed his sagely advice to you, in an attempt to help you see the world as it truly is: a world full of fakes, of artificial kindness and generosity.”

“ALL PONIES ARE FAKES, NOTHING BUT DISGRACE.”

“And he had even given you the greatest honour of all: an audience with his gloriousness.”

“TO LOOK AT THE FACE OF THE DARK ONE IS TO LOOK AT THE FACE OF GOD!”

“Despite all these gifts, you have spit in the face of our lord, and forsaken the ignorance!”

“AND NOW YOU MUST PAY THE PRICE WITH YOUR LIFE.”

Smiley Face walked away from the circle to approach Spike. “Before you die dragon, you will know the feel of betrayal,” he said. He slowly began to loosen his mask, he could see the shades of brown in his coat, the glint of his autumn eyes, his pearly white smile, and his messy pink hair. “Duster?”

“Surprised, dragon?” his ex-friend asked. “You shouldn’t be. After all, the glorious one did tell you not to be so trusting.”

“But why?” asked the dragon, still trying to loosen the bondage

“It should be obvious,” chuckled the pink maned pony. “I was betrayed, forsaken by the one I thought I loved. But in my moment of need, the glorious one took away my pain, and in exchange, all I have to do is give him my undying loyalty.”

Spike squirmed in his chains. “You worship that freak of nature?” he yelled at the pony. “He wants to kill everypony! What do you think we’ll happen if he takes over? You think if you serve him you’ll be spared his wrath? He’ll just kill you!”

“We know that, dragon,” Duster said smugly. “When Dark Conquest takes over, we will be executed, but we will be free from pain, free from misery and heartbreak! And we’ll be reborn as alicorns, the one great race!”

“Seriously?!” the stunned dragon barked. “You actually think you’ll be reborn as alicorns?”

“It is pointless to try and enlighten you Spike,” Duster said. “It’ll all be over for you in a moment.”

The circle of hooded ponies slowly closed in on him. One pony, a pegasus with a mask that had bloodstains for eyes, jumped on top of him. From beneath his cloak, he pulled out a jagged silver knife. He raised it above his head, readying himself for the killing blow.

“Does the dragon have anything to say before we slit its throat?” Duster asked.

“Yeah,” Spike said, a smile slowly formed on his face as he looked up at the bloody-eyed pony. “You should have chained up my mouth.”

Green flames exploded from the drake’s mouth. The pony on top of him launched up and off in a screaming ball of burnt flesh. Every other pony shielded their eyes from the sudden flash of emerald light. The silver knife that would have been his doom lay by his left claw. He quickly snatched up the knife and started to tinker with the lock.

The cult ponies were quick to recover from the light. “Kill him! Kill the dragon!” one of them shouted, each one drawing out knives or other sharp objects as they advanced on him.

Spike breathed more fire, swinging his neck around, encircling himself in a ring of jade flames. The cultists were forced back, except a few unlucky ones that were caught in the blaze. He had bought himself some time, hopefully they wouldn’t have any-

“Water!” screamed a female pony. “Get water on those flames, you idiots!”

A few unicorns’ horns started to glow, a stream on water gushing out as they slowly doused the flames. Spike was running out of time. He could feel the blade getting deeper in the lock, it was almost picked, and he just needed a few more seconds…..

“GET HIM!!” somepony screamed, jumping through the embers of the flames. She levitated her knife as she lunged onto the dragon.

Click. His left claw was free! He swung it around and grabbed the pony by the mask, slamming it against the edge of the stone table. As the pony crumpled to the floor, he grabbed the chain with his free hand and yanked it out of the stone. He sat up; the fire barrier was getting thinner. He slashed at his ankle chains, cutting through them like damp paper.

The cultists had put out the fire, and they began their relentless attack on the dragon, leaping at him from all sides. Spike took a deep breath and unleashed more fiery hell. The green flames engulfed a small section of ponies, who were immediately incinerated into dark ash. Two ponies were able to jump and land on his back, stabbing and slashing desperately at him, only to have their blades bounce harmlessly off the dragon’s thick hide. A quick ejection of his wings and the two went flying off into the rocky walls.

Spike turned around, smashing a pegasus that had tried to dive bomb him. The masked pony went hurtling into the ground, blood dripping out from where the dragon’s claws had gouged him. Three unicorns-one of which was Duster-stood behind him, their horns beginning to glow. Spike turned to face them and readied his breath, his lips leaking with smoke and hot embers. The unicorns blasted him with a combination of their magic, the arcane missiles easily cutting through the green fire and scalding the dragon’s mouth. He fell back gagging from the magic that had went down his throat. The unicorns on either side of Duster charged at the downed dragon, their horns glowing with energy as daggers materialized around them, all pointing towards Spike.

Spike struggled to get up. His mouth felt wet and his stomach funny. The spell must have gone down his throat and extinguished the flames in his belly, because when he tried to blast the oncoming ponies with flames, nothing but a few black smoke clouds came out. He managed to quickly pull his wings around his body, acting like a shield against the ponies magical daggers, which shattered when they tried to penetrate the film of his wings. Spike opened up his wings after the attack and grabbed each unicorns by the throat and smashed their thick skulls together, incapacitating both.

Duster was the only pony left standing, everyone else was either unconscious or a pile of burnt cinders. The pink haired pony started at the dragon with a smug look. The dragon, panting heavily, flexed his claws and spread his wings, his white fangs gritted as he took off towards the pony. Just when Spike was about to finish him off, Duster disappeared in a flash and the dragon collided with the wall behind him.

He rubbed his head as he turned around. Duster was sitting on the other side of the room, smiling at the dragon, egging him on for another attack. Spike took off, charging at him with a war cry, both claws at the ready. Duster’s horn began to glow again as a dart of energy was unleashed. But, he wasn’t aiming at the dragon. He was aiming at the ceiling. There was a small explosion as a large boulder was loosened from the ceiling and fell on top of Spike. The dragon instinctively caught it, grunting a little under the weight of it.

This left him vulnerable. With both his hands preoccupied, Spike had no way of defending himself from Duster’s knife. The pony’s blade dug deep into the dragon’s weak underbelly. He dropped to one knee, the new wound crippling him. The weight of the rock seemed to increase every second as blood started to slowly pour out of the stab wound. Duster laughed manically like the crazy colt he was as he readied his knife again.

A white blast of magic hit the cultist on the side of the head. Duster was knocked sideways as Spike looked to see who it was. A large white unicorn, adorned in golden guard armour, stood panting by a newly formed hole in the wall.

“Curb Hoof?” muttered the dragon.

Curb Hoof didn’t respond, Duster had quickly recovered from the blast to his head and was conjuring up one of his own. The two unicorns blasted each other with their own spells, meeting in a stalemate as their spells collided with one another. Spike took the opportunity to muster whatever strength he had left and flung the bolder at Duster with all his might. The brown and pink pony saw the bolder and quickly blasted it to rubble, but was hit by Curb Hoof’s spell as well.

When the dust had cleared, Duster laid on the ground, barely conscious. Spike was the first to get to him, pulling him up by the neck and pinning him to the wall.

“You’re going to pay for this!” the dragon shouted, Duster just kept on smiling as blood dripped from his bleeding mouth.

“I think not, dragon…” he said weakly. He seemed to be fidgeting with something in his mouth. He snapped off one of his teeth and quickly swallowed it. “You cannot win dragon…” His mouth was starting to foam up with bubbly saliva. “He will kill you…he’ll kill all of you…” His eyes started to roll to the back of his head. “For the glorious…Conquest…” his body went limp as the last of his life left his body.

Spike carefully took a whiff from the dead pony’s mouth. “Wisproot” he mumbled. “Kill ya in ten seconds flat.” He brought his attention to Curb Hoof. “How did you know where I was?”

Curb Hoof walked up next to Spike, looking at the dead body. “I’ve been suspicious of Duster ever since he joined the forces, always sneaking around at night. Then I saw him leave your room with a bunch of strange hoods. I followed you guys into the old diamond mines under the city, and the rest…well,” he looked around the room. “You know.”

Spike examined the room. There were charred and dead bodies everywhere. He hadn’t seen a mess like this since the Diamond Dog incident.

“Ohhh…” a voice groaned. The dragon and the pony reared their heads towards the noise. One of the cultists moaned and turned a little as she regained consciousness.

Curb Hoof ran over to the downed cultist, it was the mare with the ‘death to tyrants’ mask. He ripped it off, revealing a sky blue pegasus with a navy blue mane.

“What are you doing?” asked the dragon.

“I’m removing her wisp tooth,” he said. “These freaks are trained to commit suicide to avoid interrogation,” he said. “We need information on these guys, and as much as I would have liked to have had Duster, she’ll have to do,” he pulled out a tooth. “But we can’t have her popping her tooth on the trip back.” He hoisted the mare on his back and started to head out the hole in the wall. He glanced back at Spike. “You coming, iguana?”

Spike smiled. Curb Hoof may be an ass, a tight ass, a hard ass, and a jackass, but he was still all right. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

They walked down and up the tunnels that Curb Hoof had used to find Spike. It was a long and silent walk until Spike finally took a deep breath and sighed.

“Thanks,” he quickly said.

“For what?” muttered the pony.

“You know…for saving me,” the dragon said.

Curb Hoof rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was there to take down Duster and nothing else,” he said. “The fact that I saved you was just good timing.”

“Sure. Whatever jackass,” the dragon sighed as they continued to walk. There was something strange about this pony, some sort of weird hatred towards him. Whatever, he was bleeding and tired and didn’t really care if he didn’t. Not his problem he’s an ass.

They headed to the surface. It was daylight. They entered the castle and Curb Hoof took the cultist for interrogation. Spike was rushed to medical to patch up his wound. It wasn’t bad as he had thought, not nearly as bad as the one the dog had given him, but he still was put in the infirmary. He was told by the nurses to get some rest, but sleep would mean him, and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. So he just stared up at the white ceiling of his room.

White, it was such a beautiful colour. Pure and majestic, it was the light, the shade of everything good. It reminded him of her, of his Rarity. It had been over two weeks since he had last seen her, had seen that beautiful and perfect face that he fell in love with. Two weeks since he had the pleasure to become lost in the beauty of her enchanting blue eyes. Two weeks since he felt the taste of those sweet lips against his.

Then it hit him. He had almost died, again. Only this time, he wouldn’t have been able to tell her that he loved her. He would have died without ever seeing her again.

“No,” he moaned, he crawled out of the bed and headed to the door. When he opened it, Princess Celestia was the last pony he expected to see.

“Oh hello Spike,” she said. “Feeling better?”

“I’m leaving,” the dragon said bluntly.

“Oh?” the princess mused. “Where do you plan to go?”

“Back to Ponyville,” he replied. “I have to see her again.”

“See who?”

“Rarity.”

“Ah yes,” Celestia said. “I heard about you two. To be honest, I can’t say I agree with a relationship between pony and dragon, but I learned it’s best to not mess with the love of others.”

“Then you’ll understand why I’m leaving,” he said, trying to push by the white princess.

“I can’t let you do that,” she said. “You’re too important to leave. Not now.”

“With all due respect, your majesty,” he began, “I’m going to see Rarity, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

The princess frowned at the harsh tone Spike had used, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. “Then it’s a good thing I caught you before you left.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean…I think it’s about time we assembled the Elements of Harmony.

The Request

Though your heart may glitter with marvellous gold,
When touched, it’s still, icy and cold

Rarity was still at Twilight’s house. She had finally been able to drag herself out of Spike’s room, and after drawing a face on his pillow, she even admitted she may have been a bit overdramatic. But, the two still missed him. They were the two closest mares in his life.

They were cleaning up the library. Twilight protested Rarity’s offer for help, but the white mare insisted that she owed her for her hospitality. She had tried going back to the Boutique, but she became depressed when she was alone. Sweetie Belle did still live there, but she was always out with friends or at school. So Rarity sought comfort in being with the only other mare that missed Spike as much as her.

A tear dropped from Rarity’s eye. “I miss him…” she moaned, levitating a book onto its shelf. “How long has it been, Twilight?”

She sighed. “Over two weeks. Sixteen days to be exact,” she tried to suppress her own tears. “I’ve never been away from him for this long! Even when he went to Canterlot on official business, he would only be gone for a week!”

Rarity sniffled. “This must be so hard for you, darling!” she ran over and hugged the lavender unicorn, breaking to a fit of tears. “You’ve known him all his life!”

“What about you?” she cried back, digging her teary face into the white mare’s shoulder. “You love him! You two were happy and then they just took him away!”

“Oh Twilight! What could they possibly be doing with him?”

Before Twilight could answer, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it Rarity,” said the bookish unicorn, slowly unwrapping herself from her friend and opening the door.

A flurry of letters exploded in the mare’s face as Derpy stared at Twilight with her crooked yellow eyes. “Here’s your mail Twilight!” she shouted, before taking off in the air to her next delivery.

Twilight looked at the mail mare as she flew away. She shook her head carelessly as she picked up all the letters with her magic and neatly piled them up on a nearby desk. Rarity looked curiously at the stack of letters.

“Is there anything from Spike?” she asked hopefully.

Twilight looked at the pile. Sure enough, a letter from the dragon was sitting right on top. “Umm, nope!” she said, quickly trying to hide the letter behind her back, in fear of Rarity having a breakdown.

The white mare frowned at her. “Twilight darling, you are simply a terrible liar, I can see right through you. Now show me the letter, dear.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t want to see you get upset.”

“Now Twilight, I may have been a little…let’s say ‘overdramatic’ these last two weeks. But I have calmed down since then and can take whatever that letter has to say! I just need to know how my Spike is doing!”

Twilight sighed, she knew she was beat. She slowly levitated the letter to Rarity, who took it and quickly opened it up. She cleared her throat as she read the letter out loud.

Dear Twilight,

Sorry my letter last time was so sloppy, but I’m probably not even supposed to be sending these. My training has been officially completed; I am now a member of the Celestial Guards! Also, speaking of Celestial, I have good news! The princess is sending for all of you in three days! I’ll finally be able to see you all again! But try and act surprised when they get here.

Can’t wait to see you all again!

Spike,

P.S. Twilight, could you give this letter to Rarity? This next part is for her eyes only…..

Rarity smirked a little, as she continued to read the rest of the letter in silence.

Rarity, ever since I was whisked away to Canterlot, there has not been a moment that goes by that I don’t think about you. I wish I could be with you right now, to hold you, to feel your lips against mine. I long for you touch, my love. Ever since that night on the balcony, I vowed that night on the balcony that I would never leave you, and it pains me that my promise was broken so quickly. You must know that it was never my intention. I never wanted to hurt you.

Also, you must know that it is because I love you, that I need to see you again. My life has been threatened, and I feared not that I would die, but that I would die without ever seeing you again. I must see you again, Rarity. I love and miss you so very much.

Forever yours

Your Spikey Wickey

She finished reading the letter with a tear drop in her eye. She quickly wiped it away and resumed a face of emotionless dignity. She quietly headed towards the door.

“Rarity, where are you going?” asked Twilight.

Rarity looked back at twilight and gave a little smile. “Why, home to pack of course! Didn’t you hear the letter? They’ll be sending for us in three days, and that’s not nearly enough time to pack for a trip to Canterlot.”

“Umm… Okay?”

Rarity scratched her chin in thought. “Three days really isn’t enough time. Tell me Twilight, what does one pack when going into battle?”

The violet mare just stared blankly at her friend. “I don’t know. Armour, I guess?”

“Hmm,” she pondered. “I suppose, but armour would make my fur all frizzy. Maybe I’ll just pack a nice sweater…” She realized that she was rambling. “Well, regardless, I will see you in three days Twilight, and thank you again for the hospitality. You are a true friend.”

Twilight smiled. “No problem, I’ll tell the others to get ready.” She closed the door behind Rarity and headed upstairs to begin packing for the upcoming trip.

*****

The past three days seemed to take forever. Spike woke up early with the morning sun. Spike could hardly sleep, which in itself was a gift because he wouldn’t have to deal with Conquest. The green and purple dragon leapt out of bed and hopped into the shower. Today was going to be perfect. He let the hot water soak him. It was a great feeling as he thought about finally being reunited with all his friends. It would be nice to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack and Pinkie Pie would definitely want to throw him a party. Hopefully, Fluttershy had recovered from the little incident. Twilight would probably squeeze the life out of him, but it will be nice to see her. Of course, there was no doubt that it was Rarity that he would be happiest to see. He wondered how she would react. Would she be overjoyed with happiness and jump into his strong arms as they would passionately kiss in the light of the sunset? He could only imagine.

He got out of the shower and shook the water off. As he left the bathroom, he noticed a tall dark mare sitting casually on the edge of his bed.

Luna played with her hair as she glanced towards the dragon. “Did you have a nice shower?” she asked.

“Oh crap,” he thought. “Hello Luna” he said nervously, slowly inching himself towards the door.

She giggled at the dragon. “Relax Spike, it’s early in the morning. I am not in the mood right now anyway.”

“Oh,” said the relieved dragon, “that’s good.”

“That’s good?” repeated the princess, wondering what he meant. “What do you mean by ‘that’s good’?”

“NOTHING!” quipped the dragon quickly. “Is there a reason you’re here?”

Her concerned face quickly turned into a smile. “Well, as you know, your friends are coming in tonight and therefore have been assigned rooms to sleep in.”

“Really?” asked Spike.

“Yes, and I have made special arrangement to have Rarity to be bedded in this room.”

Spike’s face lit up like the sun. “Really!” he shouted excitedly, his wings springing open at the very thought of him and Rarity being alone in his room.

“Yes, which means you’ll be moving rooms!” she cheered.

Something in Spike’s mind shattered like a pane of glass. “Really?”

“Yep, you’ll be moved to a different room!” she said.

Spike gulped, “And where am I being moved to exactly?” he asked carefully.

“Well, since all the guest rooms are filled up, and I simply refuse for you to sleep in the barracks with the guards, I have seen no other option than to have you sleep in my room!”

Spike’s eyes contracted, as the words ‘my room’ echoed over and ever in his head. “U-u-umm are y-you sure?” he stuttered.

The princess got up and walked passed Spike, brushing his face with her starry tail as she headed to the door. “Don’t worry Spike,” she whispered, “there’s plenty of room in my bed.” She winked before disappearing down the hall. “Oh! And before I forget, Curb Hoof wants to see you in the dungeon!” she called out.

Spike quickly walked down the opposite hallway from Luna. This was terrible! He had completely forgotten that Luna had decided to have this strange obsession with him all of a sudden. What was up with that anyway? He’d admit that though the princess had…desirable features, his heart belonged to Rarity. Rarity! She couldn’t find out about this affair, even though they hadn’t done anything except kiss, which she always forced on him!

This was a lot of crap that he couldn’t deal with right know as he headed into the dank passage that lead to the castle dungeon. It smelt like mold and stale water, and every wall was covered in grit or slime. He continued his descent. He heard the sounds of screaming. Some were cries for help, claiming false innocent, while others just laughed manically, cursing and shrieking gibberish.

He turned the corner and walked down the hallway, cells on both sides. Different coloured ponies were locked up in the cages, along with a few zebras, two griffons, and even a creepy looking minotaur. At the end of the hall was a familiar looking guard.

“Morning Curb Hoof,” said Spike. The pony just stared at him, not returning the good morning. “Well, how’s our friend?”

“We know her name is Iris, and she used to be an eye doctor before she was ‘conquered’,” he grumbled.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah, her name is Iris, and she used to be an eye doctor before she was ‘conquered’,” Curb Hoof mimicked. “She keeps saying that over and over again. I wonder why he makes them kill themselves? She ain’t talking.”

The dragon sighed. “Conquest doesn’t care about them talking, he just likes to watch ponies die.”

“Well, you would know,” smirked the guard pony. “Anyways, she keeps saying she wants to talk to you, won’t shut up about it.”

Spike knew where this was going. “So you want me to-”

“Shut her up, yes.”

Spike sighed as he pulled open the steel door of the prison cell. In the back corner was a blue pegasus wearing a tattered brown robe. She looked up and gave Spike a toothy smile. A few of her teeth were missing, and both her eyes were bruised. She also had several cuts on her face that had only started to scab over.

“Dragon!” she cried happily. “So happy to see you formally!”

“Nice to meet you too… Iris, was it?” asked Spike.

She quickly nodded her head. “That’s right! Iris, I use to be an eye doctor!”

“So I’ve heard,” grunted the dragon in annoyance.

“But then I was enlightened!” she said. “I was ‘conquered’ if you will! I quit my job and joined something bigger than myself!”

“Good for you…”

“He was such a big help in my life, I had just found out that my husband, after three long years of faithful marriage, decided that he didn’t love me anymore and wanted a divorce!” she yelled, her smile getting wider and her words ending with childish giggles. “I was in distraught! I still loved him, but he didn’t! So he left me! He left me and my child all alone to be with some little hussy!”

The purple drake paused. “…I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Oh don’t be!” she giggled. “It was the greatest thing that could have happened! Because that night, when I was crying in my room, he came for me…”

“He? As in Conquest?” asked the dragon.

“The glorious one himself!” she cried, clapping her hoofs with excitement. “He descended to my mind and offered to take the pain away! Who wouldn’t want that, right? So he did! In mere moments, I felt nothing! The heartbreak, the sadness, all gone!”

“Okay…”

“With my heart empty of compassion, I did what I couldn’t do before! When my ex-husband came to me to deliver the final divorce forms, I stabbed him sixty-nine times with a corkscrew!” she laughed, slamming her hoof against the wall, gasping for air as she continued to cackle. “Then came the fun part! I found out where his little whore lived and I confronted her!”

“I’m assuming that went well,” moaned Spike, rubbing his temples in frustration. “What did you do to her?”

“Sanded her pretty little face off, is what I did! Then threw her in a swamp and let the gators have at her!”

Spike paused from rubbing his head, “That seems like a very…let’s say ‘creative’ way to kill someone.”

“Well, that’s what he does dragon!” she screamed, “He puts thoughts into your head, suggestions of things that you’d never act upon. He controls the way you think…” Her voice was getting quiet, the smile that had been on her face the whole time slowly faded. “He makes you do things you’d never do…”

It was dead quiet. “Like what?” asked the concerned dragon.

He heard her sniffle, quick little hyperventilation’s to keep her tears back. “He made me…he made me do…”

“He made you do what?”

She looked up, tears were swelling up around her eyes. “He made me kill my baby….”

There was a deadly silence as she continued.

“I-I wrapped him up in a towel, and placed him in the bathtub… I made sure I plugged the drain, and I turned on the water… I gave him a kiss before leaving the bathroom and locking the door… He was such a good little foal, never cried once…” She tried to force a smile but she couldn’t and burst into tears, crying as only a mother who lost her child could cry.

“Why did you do that?!” raged the dragon, grabbing the mare by the throat.

“I didn’t want to, dragon!” she yelled. “That’s what he does! He makes you think it’s your idea at the beginning, and you even enjoy it! But then he tells you to kill someone really close to you, one that you have no desire to harm. That’s when he takes over. You think I wanted to kill my son?!”

“I think you wanted to take the easy way out!” retaliated the drake.

“You’re so stupid!” she snared. “If you let him in your head, he’ll never leave! It happened to me, it happened to all of us!”
“Then why are you telling me this?” ordered the dragon.

She stopped crying. She closed one of her eyes, the left side of her face forcing itself up in a sadistic smile, while the other side stayed in distress. “Because I am letting her,” a deep voice said.

“What?”

She opened her eye, it was blood red, just like Conquest. “Iris my dear, did you really think that I’d let go of one of my little playthings like that?” the corrupted side of her face asked.

“I’m sorry my lord!” the other side begged. “I was weak! Please forgive me!”

“Now, now Iris, it’s okay, I forgive you,” the evil side of her face said.

“You do?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course! I’m not a monster. I mean I have to kill you, but I will always forgive you before I kill you!” he laughed.

“Wh- NO PLEASE MASTER!” cried the blue pegasus, tears slowly rolling down her one non-red eye. “I can do better, I can be better! I don’t feel regret! I loved killing my son!” she said, forcing a laugh.

The red eye rolled in its socket before staring at the dragon. “This is why I despise ponies Spike, they’re spineless, selfish cowards, willing to do or say anything to survive,” he sighed. “Life will be so much better when they’re all dead.”

The red eye slowly returned to normal, Iris’s mouth slowly starting to relax. She looked at the dragon, she was panting for breath. “Oh god!” she screamed, grabbing her hair with her hooves. “Please!” she cried, her hooves sliding down her head, stopping on both sides of skull. “HELP MEEEEEEE!” She forced her head around, a sickening crack echoed through the cell as her body fell to the ground.

Spike stared at the dead mare. She had broken her own neck, or rather Conquest made her. He walked out of the cell, heavy hearted from what he had just witnessed.

Curb Hoof was waiting for him on the other side of the steel door. “So what happened? Did you find out anything interesting?” he asked.

“Yeah” said the dragon. “I found out they’re not bad ponies…they just had bad things happen to them.”

Curb Hoof furrowed his brow at the drake. “I have no idea what’s that supposed to mean,” he said.

Spike walked by him in silent. “Is there anything else?” he asked.

The guard pony nodded. “Yeah, they want you in the Den for fitting.”

“The Den?” the dragon asked bluntly. “Why do they call it that?”

“Cause it’s hotter than dragon’s piss down there,” joked Curb Hoof.

Spike scowled at the joke. “You don’t know the first things about dragons, do you?”

“I know they’re overgrown pests,” snorted the guard. “It’s down the grey hallway, the one that keeps going down.

Spike didn’t acknowledge him any further. He just followed the direction that Curb Hoof had pointed out.

*****

There was a knock on the Carousel Boutique’s door. Rarity was still in her bed, turning in her sleep as she ignored the knocking.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Rarity took a pillow and pressed it on her ear. “Who could be knocking at such an early hour?” she mumbled.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNCOK! “Hello?” a voice called out. “Rarity? Wake up! It’s Twilight!”

The white mare’s eyes shot open. Today was the day the princess would send out for them and bring them to Canterlot. She quickly scrambled out of her massive bed, levitating the large pile of suitcases she had packed after the letter had arrived and headed to the door. She kicked it open and ran past her friend, dragging her bags behind her. “Oh, good morning Twilight!” she said, stopping to turn around and look at her friend.

“Good morning to you too,” she mumbled. One of Rarity’s suitcases had slammed her in the head as she was leaving the Boutique.

“So where are they?” Rarity asked, looking around. “I don’t see them anywhere?”

“Who?” wondered Twilight. “Oh, the guards are waiting at library, I came to get you,” she said, looking at the mountain of bags that her friend had packed. “I’m guessing you’re ready to go?”

“Of course dear, a lady is always prepared,” she hummed as the two continued towards the library.

It wasn’t long before they reached the tree house. Parked right outside were two sparkling white carriages, with a pair of large white pegesi hooked up to each. All their friends were already accounted for, except for one…

“Where’s Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Rainbow Dash, I thought I asked you to so to her cottage to get her.”

“I did,” the rainbow maned pony said defensively “But when I got there, she wasn’t home.”

Applejack scratched her chin. “Now that I think about it, I say I haven’t seen her at all recently.”

“Where do you think she could have gone?” asked Twilight.

Just then, a green, walking bush started to make its way around the corner. A familiar yellow mare’s head poked out. “D-did they f-f-follow me?” Fluttershy asked nervously, her head darting in every direction, looking for any threat.

“Who, sugar cube?”

“Lyra and Bon-bon!” she squeaked. “They’ve been following me for the past three weeks! I don’t know why, but I don’t want to go back in the closet!”

“Go back in the what?” questioned Pinkie. There was laughter coming from around the corner. Fluttershy gasped as she ducked back in her bush just as the green unicorn and her cream coloured companion came into vision.

Lyra spoke first. “Hey girls, what’s up?”

“Have you seen Fluttershy?” asked Bon-bon.

The mane six looked around. Not wanting to blow their friend’s cover, all shook their heads.

“Oh, okay!” said Lyra. “Hey, is Spike home? We have something to show him.”

“Umm,” began Twilight. “Spike’s been away in Canterlot…”

“What?” stammered Bon-bon. “For like what? A few hours?”

“No…like three weeks,” said Twilight.

“Wow,” Bon-bon said, looking towards Lyra. “We really lost track of time.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Well, if you see Spike, tell him we said hi.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Will do,” she giggled, as the two ponies left.

Rarity tapped her hoof on the ground with irritation. “Well, if you are all done, I would like to see my Spikey again.”

“Chillax Rarity,” said Rainbow, “we’re coming.”

*****

Spike walked into ‘The Den.' As it turned out, it was actually the castle armoury forge room. All around were piles of metal, stacks of spears and swords, heaps of armour, and waterfalls of lava. It had to be as hot as a volcano down here.

“Hello?” he called out. He heard the clanging of a hammer pounding on metal as he looked towards a shadowy figure. The figure stopped pounding his hammer and glanced in his direction. He was too far away for Spike to see him, but he was big. Bigger than any pony he’d seen before.

“Hello there,” he said, his voice was low and grumbly, and sounded aged. “They’d said you’d be coming today.”
“Hi there,” said the dragon, “I’m Spike, and you are…”

The creature chuckled. “Forgive me, I don’t get many visitors down here” he said. “Ponies don’t like this level of heat, but we’re not ponies are we?”

Spike looked confused, “I’m sorry, we’re not ponies?”

The figure stepped out of the shadows. He was about eight feet tall, a few feet taller than Spike. His outer scales were the colour of weathered rubies, while his stomach and neck were yellowish gold. He had many scars on his long, crimson snout, showing off his many yellow teeth. One eye had a small metal plate welded to it, and his good eye was shining like a golden medallion. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen another dragon,” he smiled, offering a hand to the purple dragon.

“You mean--all this time—there was--?!” stammered Spike, unable to get his thoughts together.

The red drake chuckled. “I’ve been down here for almost five hundred years making armor and weapons for her majesty. Oh, and the name is Varnal-koknot a la Forgo.”

The dragon shook his head. “I’m sorry what?”

The strange named dragon smiled as he rolled his eye. “Just call me Forge,” he said as he turned around, picking up a large sheet of metal and examining it. “So, you need a set of armour?”

“I do?” asked the violet drake.

“That’s why I called you down here,” Forge said. “You’re going to be fighting Curator or Conquest or whatever that dragon killer is calling himself now.”

“You know about Conquest?”

“Know him!” snorted Forge. “I fought him! About a thousand years ago, when he broke out the first time.”

Spike’s heart skipped a beat. “He’s escaped before?!”

“Three times actually,” Forge said. “First time was about a thousand years ago, then again four hundred years ago, and most recently less than a century.”

“I can’t believe it!” shouted Spike, his voice echoing through the blazing forge. “This isn’t the first time this has happened?!”

“Nope,” said the red dragon, placing the metal on Spike’s chest, bending the edges around his shoulders with his incredible strength. “But try not to think about it too much, and hold still! I have less than a week to make you some armor, and I haven’t made a set for a dragon in over…well ever.”

“Really?” asked Spike, as the dragon smith placed thick bands of steel around his purple wrists.

“I told you, not many visitors, and I’ve made the pony’s armor so many times, I could do it in my sleep,” Forge said, turning around to get more metal.

“What happened?” Spike asked, trying to steer the conversation back to Conquest.

“With Conquest?” Forge asked, reaching into a pull of lava with his bare claw. “I defeated him.”

“YOU DEFEATED CONQUEST?!”

“Barely,” groaned the red dragon, still digging in the pool of lava. “But the bastard tore my damn wings off.” He showed Spike his back and sure enough, there were two little stubs were his wings should have been. “He also ripped out my eye.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t kill him?” asked the purple drake.

Forge shook his head, finally pulling out a plate of steel. “Not as much as I would have wanted, but the princesses zapped him back into his little prison.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know,” admitted Forge. “But they should have done something better, otherwise it just keeps happening.”

“Didn’t you say this happened three times?” asked Spike.

“Yeah, and every time, it’s taken a dragon to put him back,” smiled Forge, slamming his hammer into the plate of metal. “You see Spike, if there is anything this Conquest guy is even the slightest bit afraid of, it’s dragons.”

“Why a dragon?” questioned Spike.

“Strongest things on the planet,” replied Forge. “Also, there’s the prophecy.”

“What Prophecy?”

“Did they tell you anything?” asked the forging dragon. Spike shook his head sheepishly. “Well, the princesses believe that Conquest is going to destroy all life as we know it, right? And according to them, the only thing that can stop him is a dragon. Well, that’s what they thought I was. Guess they were wrong.”

“But you defeated him,” said Spike.

“Yes but I didn’t stop him,” said Forge. “And neither could the other two. But hey, fourth time’s the charm, right?”

Spike couldn’t help but smile, “I guess” he said. “So…how did they find you? Were you raised by a pony too?”

Forge sighed. “Nah, I was born and raised in Volcanna, the city in the volcano, and capital of the dragons. You’ve never been?” he asked.

“Farthest I’ve ever gone is Burntwood,” said Spike.

“I see. Well, as I was growing up,” started Forge as he continued to pound at the sheet of steel, “I always had this desire to create things, while other dragons only wanted to destroy. The elders found out about this and banished me for creating the tools of demons.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dragons think that tools make them weak, that using them means you can’t survive with what you got. They thought I was weak, so they banished me and I traveled to Equestria.”

“And that’s where you met the princess?”

“Exactly,” smiled Forge. He stopped hammering the sheet and picked it up. “Been working the forge ever since, with a small break to save the world. Now hold still.” He placed the bent metal around Spike’s head. “So we’ve talked about me, now tell me about yourself. You said you’ve been to Burntwood, meet any nice dragonesses?”

Spiked laughed. “I did meet one, but things didn’t really work out.”

“I meant, did you leave any girl dragons crying for you? You know, some dragon to go back to when this is all over,” said Forge.

Images of a certain white mare flashed through Spike’s head as he blushed. “Well, actually there’s this mare…”

Forge lifted his good eyebrow. “A mare huh? Haven’t heard about a pony and a dragon together since the dark ages, and even then it was for the treaty, not love. Then they rewrote it and ponies didn’t have to do that anymore.” He turned Spike around, placing another sheet of iron on his back. “So is she pretty?” he asked.

Spike broke out in laughter at the comment. “She’s absolutely beautiful! But she’s more than that. She’s generous, caring, smart, funny, kind. She’s perfect in every way.”

“Sounds dreamy,” said the sly red dragon.

“So what about you? Do you have a special somebody?”

Forge stopped working for a moment. “I did,” he said, resuming his hammering. “But that was once upon a time.”
“Oh,” said Spike, picking up the signal that he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Anyways,” said Forge, “I think I’m done here.”

“Really?” asked Spike, looking at his body, the metal plates on him was barley hung together and looked like it would fall apart if he moved. “This is my armour?”

“Of course not!” laughed the red dragon. “Those are just the measurements; I’ll be making the actual armour out of something a lot tougher than pony steel.”

“You give pony’s bad armour?”

“No, I give them steel cause it’s the hardest stuff they can lift. Your armour is going to be heavier, but thrice as tough,” Forge said.

“Oh, okay,” said Spike as he tuned to leave. “OH WAIT!” he said, quickly turning around. “Before I leave, could I ask you to do something for me?”

“And what that might that be?” asked the forge dragon curiously.

*****

The two pegasus pulled chariots were soaring through the sky, and was approaching the courtyard of the castle with great speed.

Twilight looked idly at the castle. “No matter how many times I see it, the castle still gives me goose bumps!” she said excitedly.

Applejack nudged Rarity on the side and pointed. “Look it’s the princess and Spike!”

“Spike!” gasped Rarity, poking her head out of the window. “Where?”

“Over there by the princess, on that big empty field,” said Applejack. Sure enough, there was the tall white majestic mare, and standing by her side was the purple dragon.

Rarity tapped one of the pegasus. “Excuse me sir, but do you think you could go a little faster?” she asked.

The stallion nodded as he motioned for his companion to pick up the pace. Soon, they had almost doubled their speed. They were headed straight toward the princess and the dragon.

Spike looked at the oncoming carriages. “They look like they’re coming in a little fast,” he said.

“Don’t worry,” said Celestia. “They’ll slow down.”

The carriages continued to pick up speed as they descended.

“Princess, are you sure?” asked a worried Spike.

“Spike, they are highly trained and disciplined escorts, I think that they wou-“

“DUCK!” screamed Spike, throwing himself to the ground and dragging the princess with him, the flying carriage barely missing their heads. It parked close to the two and the ponies on board quickly unloaded themselves.

Spike rose to his knees as he saw his friends jump off and start running towards him. He began to slowly make his way towards them as well, until he was tackled by a purple blur. Twilight knocked him off his feet as she embraced her little brother.

“I missed you so much!” she cried, burying her head into his chest.

“I missed you too Twilight,” the dragon said, stroking one of his claws through her deep purple mane. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“HEY SPIKE! CATCH ME!” Pinkie screamed as she leapt into the air and cannonballed towards Spike.

“What?” he shrieked, but it was too late, the bouncing pink pony had collided with his face.

“OHHHH SPIKE!” she screamed excitedly, “We all missed you so much so how have you’ve been I heard that you were training to fight that’s soooooooooooo cool! Hey you know what that calls for? Do ya do ya do ya do ya?”

“A party?” the dragon grunted from underneath Pinkie.

“Nope, a party!” the pink mare cried happily, finally getting off of Spike’s face.

Fluttershy quietly made her way to Spike, followed by Rainbow and Applejack. “Oh....hello Spike. It’s so nice to see you again,” the timid yellow mare whispered.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow, “you have no idea how boring it is without you around. I had to start racing Scootaloo again, and she still sucks at flying!”

“And Big Mac hurt his ankle again for the millionth time,” mumbled Applejack. “Could have used you on the ranch!”
Spike smiled as he looked around his group of friends. “Trust me, I missed you all more than you missed me,” he said. “But could you maybe get off of me? Together, you’re all a little heavy.”

A little disgruntled from his ‘weight’ comment, the five mares got off Spike and let him get up. Back to his feet, he noticed that the one pony he wanted was still at the carriage, her hooves wrapped in her forelegs as she stared a stare that could freeze the hottest fire. However, Spike was still smiling.

Applejack let out a little chuckle. “You’re in trouble now, cowboy!”

“Oh dear…” whimpered Fluttershy. “You don’t think that she’s mad. Do you?”

“Of course she’s mad Shy!” laughed Rainbow Dash, “Can’t you tell by that death stare?”

“Rainbow please!” grunted Twilight. She turned to Spike. “Go to her, I’m sure she’s not that mad.”

“You sure?” asked Spike.

“Positive,” she smiled.

Spike gave Twilight a quick, loving hug before he slowly began to walk towards Rarity.

“Dead drake walking!” called Rainbow, quickly being shut up by Applejack’s hoof.

Spike kept walking towards Rarity, her stare not changing a bit as he approached, he could feel the coldness being emitted from her eyes. As he got closer, he noticed the little smirk on her face and he felt a little warmer as he closed the last few feet between them. He stared into those blue, gemlike eyes that he had missed so much and finally let out a very humble, “Hey Rarity, did ya miss me?” Rarity replied to the dragon’s kind gesture with a hoof across the face. He cringed from the surprisingly strong force behind it. “What was that for?” he asked, rubbing his sore cheek.

“That’s for leaving me without telling me where you were going!” she barked. “How dare you do such a thing! I don’t care if it was too protect me or if it was too dangerous don’t you ever-“

“Rarity,” pleaded the dragon.

“-Leave me behind again!” she continued to shout. “I won’t leave you no matter what, do you hear me Spike!”

“Rarity.”

“And another thing! Do you think that it’s funny to send Twilight letters and not me?!” she yelled.

The dragon rolled his eyes. “Screw it, I’m doing it.”

“Doing what Spike?” she asked. She was caught off guard as Spike picked her up, dipped her down, and locked her in a kiss. It had been a long time coming, the warmth of her mouth as the two lovers were finally reconnected after all this time.

Rarity quickly tried to hit the dragon’s side, still angry with him, but her body went limp as she gave in to the intoxicating kiss, her quips of anger quickly becoming moans of delight as she wrapped her hooves around the dragon’s neck.

After minutes, they parted lips, Rarity was still dazed by bliss as she stared lovingly onto the dragon’s emerald eyes. “I’m still mad at you,” she cooed.

“We can’t have that know, can we?” smirked the dragon, pressing another kiss against his mare’s lips.

They quickly parted again, Rarity’s eyes were hot and she pressed her nose up to the dragon’s snout. “I’m actually quite furious with you,” the sultry mare whispered. “We’ll have to do a lot more than kiss to make up.”

Spike flashed his teeth in a devilish grin. “What did you have in mind?”

The white mare lifted her head to his ear and whispered something that made Spike’s heart stop. Without saying anything, Spike whisked up his mare and look off flying towards the castle, leaving everypony else with the princess.

Pinkie scratched her head. “Where do you think they’re going?” she asked.

Twilight blushed a little. “Umm, I think they went to bed Pinkie.”

“Why?” wondered the party pony. “I’m throwing a party tonight and everyone is going to be invited and the princesses will be there too.” She looked up to Celestia. “Will you come Princess?”

Celestia smiled. “Of course, my little pony. My sister and I would love to come.”

Applejack looked around. “Speaking of your sister, where is she?”

“Oh Luna should be back from raising the moon right about now,” Celestia looked around. “I wonder what’s taking so long.”

*****

Luna had just finished raising the moon for that night and began her decent back to the castle, though of her finally being able to spend her long night with the one she lusted for. She noticed a flying carriage below her and decided to investigate. She landed on a large hill that overlooked the field where her sister and Spike waited for the carriage. “The elements have arrived,” she smiled as she decided to watch them from a distance. Of course Twilight was ecstatic to see him, along with Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy. She let out a small giggle as they all jumped on top off him. “He’ll be happy tonight,” she said to herself. “And happier later…” she smiled at the thoughts of what she and her love would do that night.

Then he walked over to Rarity. “I guess she missed him too” she smiled. Watching the dragon as the white mare slapped him and then began to yell at him. Luna laughed some more as she saw the little pony try to beat up the big dragon.

Then something strange happened, out of nowhere Spike just grabbed her and then he-

“YOU’RE KISSING HIM!!!” she screamed, with shock as she continued to watch the two as they kissed for a second time. “Oh, you did NOT just kiss my dragon!” she snarled, gritting her teeth in anger. Her wings sprang open as her long horn glowed. She stared at the two with absolute fury as they flew off together. As she grew angrier, large dark clouds started to manifest behind her, until the night sky was blotted by her stormy clouds of rage. “Nobody steals my drakefriend!” she yelled, lighting flashing and thunder echoing behind her.

*****

“Did y’all here that?” said Applejack, looking up towards the sky, seeing the storm clouds quickly approaching. “We better get inside, there be a storm a-brewin’.”

The Storm

It is said that insanity is the willingness to kill without remorse; I do not think that is right, I think insanity is the willingness to defend what is not there to begin with.

~SpikedPunch

“Spike, this room is gorgeous!” Rarity exclaimed as they entered their room from the balcony. She went running all around it, admiring every detail as Spike sat on the bed, waiting for her to finish her little tour of the room. “The tiles match the chandelier so well and the colour choice for these curtains are just magnificent!”

Spike smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is nice. I don’t really notice though, I’m usually too tired to care what the room looks like.”

Rarity looked at him with a pouty face. “A shame really, such wonders to go unnoticed.”

“But I was tired!” Spike said defensively.

“I hope you’re not too tired,” she thought. She ran over to the bed and hopped on top of Spike. “Spike, just out of curiosity, how tired are you right now?” the sultry unicorn asked.

“Not very. Why?” he asked.

“Because,” replied Rarity with a sedative smile. “I was hoping we could have some fun before Pinkie Pie’s party.”

Spike laid in bed, confused by Rarity’s comment. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I’ll show you,” she said, giving Spike a kiss, biting into the bottom of his thick scaly lips. She slowly made her way down Spike’s body, giving quick nips and kisses as she descended.

“So that’s what you meant.”

*****

“Hurry up Bunsen!” called a large red guard unicorn. There had been a new batch of recruits, and since they had little time for basic training, they had every recruit to be paired with an experienced guard.

“Sorry Heart Shield!” a feminine voice called, a nerdy looking purple pegasus galloped clumsily in her armor, having to stop every few feet to readjust her helmet or push back her glasses. “But they didn’t have any armour in my size.”

Heart Shield rolled his eyes. “Of all the ponies in all of Equestria, why did I have to be paired up with…this.”

“Hey!” pouted the purple mare. “I heard that! And I don’t want to be here anymore than you do.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he grumbled, looking down the hallway. “Well, at least it’ll be an easy day. We’re on patrol, all we have to do is walk up and down the hallways and make sure everything is okay.” He looked over to Bunsen who was fiddling with her square glasses. “Do you think you can handle that?” he asked sarcastically.

She frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. “Easy peasy, it’s just walking after all-WHOA!”

Bunsen had only taken two steps before tripping over the boot of her armour, landing face first on the ground. She flailed her legs and wings, trying to get back up on her hooves, but found no such luck. She looked up and smiled nervously. “A little help?” she asked.

Heart let out a depressive sigh as he levitated the pegasus back to her hooves. “This is going to be a long day….”

“Oh! Oh! OOOh!’

“Stop complaining Bunsen, it wasn’t that bad,” mumbled the large red pony.

The mare looked at him strangely. “I’m not complaining…”

“OOOOOooooooOOOH! OH Sweet Celestia!”

“Did you hear that?” Heart asked, Bunsen. She shook her head and they took off, Bunsen falling over again almost immediately. Heart Shield levitated her back up and carried her in his red aura. He galloped down the hall, searching for the cause of the noise.

“Oh, Oh, OH! Ahhhhhh!”

“That way!” said Bunsen, pointing down an adjacent hall. The two, Heart Shield that is, rushed down the hall as Bunsen tripped after him and stopped at the large brown door where the noise seemed to be coming from.

“AH, Ah Oh god! Oh! OOOOOOOOOH!!!”

“It sounds like somepony’s being tortured!” Bunsen said in a hushed voice.

Heart dropped the purple mare back on the ground. “Be quiet rookie,” he said, as he slowly turned the door knob. “I’m going to take a peek inside” he said, cracking the door a little and taking a small peek.

“Oh Goddess! Oh GoaaaAAAA!

His eyes widened as his jawed dropped. Heart quickly closed the door. They didn’t seem to notice him. He looked to his purple companion. “We need to leave now,” he quickly said.

“Oh Ye- AAAAAAAHH!”

“But there’s somepony being hurt in there!” whispered Bunsen. “And according to the R.G. handbook, section three, sub-section seven, a Royal Guard is obligated to help anypony that is in distress.”

“You actually read the handbook?” asked Heart Shield.

She closed her eyes and smiled, “Of course, doesn’t everypony?”

“No…” grunted Heart. “What did you do before you decided to join the forces?”

“I was a student at the Academy of Science,” she said proudly.

“Well, that explains a lot,” Heart muttered. “But anyways, there’s no pony in trouble in there.”

“Then what going on in there?” she asked.

“Well…” he said, trying to find a way to put it gently to her.

“Ooooo Spike, spank me harder! I’ve been a bad little mare! Haven’t I?”

“…. Yeaaaaaaaaah,” he said.

Blood rushed to Bunsen’s face, “Oh… Those were sexy sounds…” She looked to the red stallion in front of her. “Let’s leave.”

“Agreed,” nodded Heart Shield, as the two walked away. Bunsen immediately tripped over again. “Can you go two feet without falling over!” he growled.

*****

Spike and Rarity stared at the ceiling, both drenched in sweat and panting heavily after their bit of fun. Rarity had made all his dreams come true and more. The things she was able to do, the things she let him do, it was all better than he could possibly imagine.

“So that’s what pony taste like,” the dragon sighed happily.

His white lover rolled over and cuddled up under his arm. “The dragon was pretty good as well,” she purred.

“So are you still mad at me?” asked the dragon, glancing at the mare to his side.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be mad again,” she sighed, dragging a hoof across Spike’s chest.

They lay together, sighing happily. “So did you have fun?” Spike asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

Rarity frowned. “Spike! That’s a very inappropriate question to ask a lady!”

Spike flinched. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to off-” Spike’s mouth was cut off by Rarity’s hoof.

Her frown quickly melted into a smile. “Relax darling, I was just kidding!” she said, climbing on top of him and giving him a quick peck on his snout. “It was the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” chuckled Spike, rubbing his neck. “Although I had no idea you could be so rough, I think you managed to bite through my scales!”

“Oh dear,” Rarity blushed. “Well, consider it payback for my aching red flank.”

“If I remember correctly,” replied the sly dragon, “You were practically begging me to spank you harder.”

“I remember no such thing!” giggled the white mare.

No I remember you saying and I quote…” he cleared his throat and said with his best Rarity impression, “‘Ooooo Spike, spank me harder! I’ve been a bad little mare! Haven’t I?’” he said with a laugh. “And I deserve to be punished!”

Rarity smiled as she flicked him on the top of his nose. “You’re such an ass.”

“But I’m your ass, right?” smiled the dragon.

Rarity responded with a kiss. “Always.”

“Spike!” The doors of the rooms were busted open as the two embraced lovers turned to look in shock. There stood Luna, with thick watery tears rolling down her face as she looked at the two in bed. “Spike how could you!?” she cried.

“Oh crap,” mumbled Spike under his breath. “Luna what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you Spike!” she moaned. “But I never thought that you would be so shallow to…” she paused for dramatic effect, “cheat on me.”

“WHAT?!” screamed both Spike and Rarity. The white mare looked towards Spike.

“Spike…Is this true?” she asked.

The drake shook his head. “Of course not!” he said desperately, turning to Luna. “Why are you doing this?!”

“To save this young mare from your cheating ways!” shouted Luna. “I never should have believed you when you said that you’d be faithful to me forever!”

“Spike…” moaned Rarity, “why would you do this?”

“I didn’t do anything! We never did anything! We kissed but she always forc-”

“You kissed another mare!” cried the distressed unicorn. She couldn’t believe it, the only one that she ever loved was just like any other colt she had ever dated: shallow minded with only one dirty thought in their heads.

“Rarity please! I can explain” pleaded the dragon.

“Explain what?!” raged Rarity, angry tears pouring down her face. “That you just used me? That you’re just like any other colt or stallion I’ve ever dated!” she shouted, shuffling out of the bed and running out of the bedroom. “I was right, you are an ass!”

“Rarity!” called out the dragon, getting out of the bed to pursue her. However, the second that Rarity had left the room, Luna had pounced on top of the dragon, looking sexily down on him.

“So now that she’s gone, we can finally have our fun,” she said, giving the disgruntled drake a quick kiss on his nose. “I hope she at least warmed you up for the main event!”

“Why did you do that?!” yelled Spike, trying to force himself up from underneath the princess.

Luna let out a little giggle. “Well, I needed her to go away! And we’re not going to have a three way when I haven’t even been able to sleep with you yet.”

“But you lied to her!” Spike yelled. “You told her I cheated on you when we haven’t done anything!”

“Well we hope that that’ll change now,” said Luna. Her horn started to glow. Soon, a band of glowing aura wrapped around Spike’s wrist ankles and mouth, constraining him to the bed with muffled protest.

Spike glared at the dark princess, who in returned laughed at the dragons submissive state.

“Listen Spike,” she said with lustful intention, “I have been very patient with you, ignoring the fact that you fled my room so many times, that every time we’re together something happens to prevent what’s inevitable, I even gave you space when you almost died a few days ago. But I’m done waiting. I want you inside me Spike.”

“Mhne Noo Beethin Onn Rareetee!”

“You won’t cheat on Rarity?” asked the princess. “But she already left you, and she seemed really upset!”

“Eecuse yoo eeyed to err!”

“I guess I did lie to her,” she laughed. “But I’ll tell you what Spike, I’ll give you a deal: Have sex with me right now and when we’re done, I’ll tell Rarity the truth. She’ll forgive you, and I’ll finally get to be with the one I love. Everypony wins, so what do you say Spike?” She slowly undid the gag around the dragon’s mouth.

He coughed a bit, “I’m not cheating on Rarity!” he shouted. “It doesn’t matter how you try to twist it around, cheating is cheating! And I will have no part in it! Now rel-” The gag around his mouth reappeared.

Luna rolled her eyes. “Have it your way,” she smiled. “And by that, I mean my way” she sat down on Spike’s chest as she slowly slid herself closer to his face. “This is going to be fun!”

“Get off of him…” a stern voice said.

Luna looked around in surprise to see Rarity standing at the door of the room. Scowl on her face, staring daggers at the mare on top of her dragon.

Luna let out a little smirk. “Is that a threat?”

“I said, get off of HIM” Rarity repeated, her horn starting to glow with blue magic.

“Oooooooo, what are you going to do? Make me a dress?” joked the night mare.

A large blast of light blue energy collided with Luna’s face as she was blasted through the wall of the room and into the courtyard.

Spike looked at Rarity with absolute amazement, the tip of her horn was sizzling a small trail of grey smoke and she was breathing heavily, sweating with exertion. “Nopony bucks my dragon but me,” she panted, slowly walking to the bed. “Are you okay Spike?”

“eht it ang ugf ov eee!”

“Oh right. Sorry,” she said, focusing her magic to counteract the seal over Spike’s mouth. “Is that better?”

“Much better,” the dragon coughed. “You came back. Why?”

Rarity smiled. “Well, I was coming back to give yell at you some more, as I was still very upset. But when I got back, I overheard your conversation, and how Luna had lied to me and how you’d managed to stay loyal despite these advances. And when you still refused to sleep with her even if it would give us a false way out, you still refused to cheat on me. I knew right then how much you truly loved me and I wasn’t going to let anypony sleep with my dragon, not even a princess.”

Spike grinned playfully at his savior. “Well, my hero!” he said with feminine enthusiasm, bashing his eyelashes.

Rarity couldn’t help but let out a little smirk. “Does this hero get a reward for her efforts?” she said, playing along.

“That she does,” said the dragon, puckering his lips as the white mare slowly closed the gap between them.

“Oh, you two are kissing. That’s so sweet...”

The two looked up towards the hole in the wall. Luna’s head popped into view, her starry hair was fringed and soaked from the rain outside and she did not look happy.

“But, your kissing MY love!” she screamed as a blue band of magic wrapped itself around Rarity’s neck, lifting her up into the air and slamming her into a nearby wall.

“RARITY!” screamed Spike as he tried to escape from his arcane bondages, but to no avail. “Leave her alone!”

“I’m sorry my dear,” the dark princess cackled, “It’s just that love can make you do crazy things!” she said, levitating the helpless Rarity closer to her. “Tell me, is she really worth all this trouble? All this destruction?”

“She everything to me!” Spike grunted, still trying to escape his bondages.

“And what does that make me?” asked Luna.

Rarity twitched around gasping for air. “It makes you the mare that has gone out of her bloody mind!” she groaned.

“I’m sorry Rarity, but you’re not part of this conversation!” she said, forcing Rarity out a closed window, the glass shattering against her body.

“NOOOO!” yelled Spike, attempting to lurch forward, but was still constricted by the mystic cuffs.

“…Spike...” a weak voice moaned. Rarity’s limp body was still being levitated by Luna’s magic. Her body was covered with bloody cuts from the impact with the glass. She looked up towards Spike, her eyes barely conscious.

“Now that we’re alone, my love,” said Luna, smirking at the dragon. “We’ll see who you will truly love.”

“Let her go!” shouted the dragon.

The princess giggled. “Poor choice of words,” she said releasing the magic around Rarity’s neck, the white mare shrieked as she fell towards her doom.

“STOP!!” shouted Spike; the shadowy mare winced at the sound of his voice, quickly catching Rarity with her magical grasp.

“Let me do it darling,” Luna said as the madness in her voice was growing. “Let me just drop her and we can be together at last! No more little Miss Pretty Bitch to get in our way!” she laughed, her throat strained, and bloody. “It would be a quick, if moderately painful death, and then we could be together forever! Just liked I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a filly!”

“Don’t you dare drop her, Luna!” roared Spike, shaking furiously to escape.

“Or what?” she asked, “Even if you can break free from my magic, you still wouldn’t be able to reach her before she fell.”

“Then I’d die trying!” he barked.

“And why would you do that?” the princess asked.

“BECAUSE I LOVE HER!!” shouted the dragon.

“BUT I LOVE YOU!!” the dark mare screamed back. “I’ve always loved you! You’re all I can ever think about! I raise the moon every night, just hoping that you’re able to see it.” A strained tear dripped from her eye. “Why can’t you see that?!”

Spike took a deep breath, “Listen Luna, I had no idea that you had these feelings for me, and I know that it’s hard to take rejection. In the end, it’s for the best. If it means anything to you Luna…I’m sorry. But you need to bring Rarity back inside, place her gently on the ground, and we can deal with this without the violence,” he looked to the princess with a calm expression. “What do you think? Will you let her go?”

Luna looked down, stirring in her thoughts, before looking up and saying: “Sure. I’ll let her go,” she said, releasing Rarity and letting her plummet to her demise.

SPIIIIIKKKEEEEE!” Rarity screamed, falling through the air and towards the ever approaching ground.

“Rarity!” cried Spike, he pulled at his cuffs, praying that they would break, but they just wouldn’t. They stayed firmly clasped to his wrist and tail. He had to do something, he had to save Rarity. He had to save the one he loved.

There was a flash of light, followed by a faint white afterglow. Spike looked down to his chest to see that that strange necklace that had protected him in the shadowlands had appeared around his neck.

Suddenly he felt stronger, infused with some sort of untapped power within him. The bonds around his ankles and wrist felt as strong as paper. He tore through them, and pushed aside a shocked Luna to dive out the window to save his beloved. Rarity was about halfway down the tower, screaming as she flailed through the air. The dragon picked up speed, inching slowly towards the falling mare, but the ground closer.

She was fifty feet from the ground. Spike flapped his wings furiously, trying to catch up. Forty feet, he had to make it. Thirty feet, he wasn’t going to make it! Twenty feet, the necklace started to glow again. Ten feet, the world seemed to slow down around him, he stretched out his claw to catch Rarity. Five feet, just a little further…

Less than a foot to the ground, he grabbed her hoof! He pulled her into his arms, covering her head as they crashed into the ground in an explosion of dust and dirt. Luna peered down at them from the window, curiously looking at the smoke cloud that had formed on their impact.

She was shocked when the flying dragon burst through the cloud, his white mare held safely in his arms.

Both of Spike’s eyes were glowing white as he magically floated up in a magic sphere that had formed around him and Rarity. He looked down at the unicorn, “Are you okay?” he asked.

She looked up and wrapped her hooves around his neck, doing her best to hold back her tears. “My hero,” she whispered.

Spike smiled as they approached the ledge of the broken window and floated back inside. Luna was still shocked to see that they were both alive. “B-b-but that fall should have killed you!”

“It’s over Luna,” said Spike, placing down Rarity and nudging her behind him. “Just stop, please.”

“You ask me to stop loving you?” she questioned.

“Luna,” Spike grunted, glaring at the princess with his glowing white eyes. “I. Don’t. Love. You.”

“BUT I LOVE YOU CURATOR!” she cried.

“Curator?”

The dark mare glared furiously at the dragon. “And if I can’t love you, then no one can!” she screamed, blasting a bolt of lightning at Spike.

Spike flinched as the bolt connected with his face, but when he opened them up again, the lightning was being harmlessly absorbed into his skin through a small white circle.

“What?” gasped Luna. “No one can just shrug off my magic like that?! It’s impossible!”

Spike grabbed her by the horn, squeezing it until the magic was cut off. He looked into her eyes “This ends now!” he growled, rearing back his free hand and slapping her across the face.

Luna fell down to the ground, her cheek was red were Spike had hit her. She was sniffing like a little filly, wiping her nose and face. “It wasn’t you… It was never you, Curator…” She looked up to Spike and Rarity, the bedazzlement on their face was clear. “I’m so sorry for everything,” she whispered quietly. “I wasn’t in my proper mind.”

Spike crossed his arms and stared at the whimpering princess. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

The Secret

We all have our secrets
Some worse than others

“Where are they?” wondered Pinkie, bouncing around the throne room in little circles. “I need to talk to Rarity about what kind of streamer to use for the party!”

“I told you Pinkie,” said Twilight, getting dizzy from watching the pink mare. “They’re busy, but I’m sure that they’ll be here as soon as possible.”

Rainbow nudge Applejack. “I bet Spike is getting a special party right now,” the rainbow maned pony said. Applejack couldn’t help but let out a few snickers.

“A private party? Who’d want a party with only two ponies?” wondered Pinkie, unaware of the innuendo that was implied.

All the ponies laughed at her obliviousness as Princess Celestia walked into room, a disgruntle look on his face.

“Have any of you seen Luna?” the sun princess asked. “She hasn’t come back yet and I’m getting worried.”

“I reckon she’ll be fine Princess,” said Applejack. “She’ll get here when she gets here.”

Celestia smiled. “I suppose you’re right, honest Applejack,” she looked around the throne room. “So, how fares the party planning?”

“Great!” shouted Pinkie Pie, throwing up confetti. “I just need Rarity’s opinion on what kind of streamers Spike would like.”

Rainbow pointed down the hall. “Well, you can ask them now. Here they all come.”

They all looked towards the end of the hall, where a sulking Luna was following Spike and a still bleeding Rarity.

Rarity!” gasped Twilight, running over to her friend. “What happened to you?”

“Relax darling,” the white mare smiled, “it’s just a scratch. Nothing a little makeup can’t cover.”

“Ah sister, there you are,” smiled Celestia. Her look turned concerned when she saw her sister bow her head down in shame. “Is there something wrong, Luna?”

“Your sister has been trying to seduce me almost the entire time I’ve been here,” Spike glanced over at Luna, turning his head slightly. “Tell them what you told us,” he said.

Luna nodded her head. “I…I have something to tell you… All of you.” She paused and took a deep breath, “There is an evil pony coming to Canterlot. He wishes to destroy us all, and in a few days he will return to do just that.”

All the ponies gasped, as Luna continued to speak.

“This pony is an alicorn, Curator but now Conquest. He was the third alicorn that had existed in millennia. He… He was a very close friend, some could even say he was our brother, and I wish I could have called him… I could have called him…” she looked at Celestia with teary eyes. “I’m sorry Tia!” she cried, hugging her sister and crying into her shoulder. “It’s all my fault!”

“There, there sister,” Celestia whispered, patting the dark blue alicorn on the back, “it’s not your fault. It’s nopony’s fault.”

“YES IT IS!” hollered Luna, “It’s my fault he’s like this! If I wasn’t so jealous! If I didn’t love him! None of this would have happened!”

“Sister what are you talking about?” asked Celestia.

“Do you remember all those years ago? When Curator went overseas to fight in the dragon wars?”

“All too well,” the white princess moaned.

“Do you remember how he went crazy after he came home?”

“Yes, he said that Sweet Symphony had cheated on him,” she said, cringing at the memory. “If it’s anypony’s fault, it would be hers.”

“Well,” Luna said without sniffles. “She wouldn’t have cheated on him,” she paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. “She wouldn’t have cheated on him if I hadn’t told her he was dead.”

“What!?” screamed the sun princess, pulling her sister away from him. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t know this would happen!” cried Luna. “It’s just that ever since he met Symphony, he started to spend less time with us, less time with me. I had always had a crush on him, and when he started to date her officially, I became jealous,” she explained, wiping a tear from her eye. “When he went to war, I was so happy that he sent me letters, asking how things were going back here, how I was doing… How Symphony was doing. Even across the sea, he kept thinking of her. I had had it. I devised a plan, and I went to the docks where Symphony was waiting for him to come, as she did almost every day. I walked up to her, and told her that it was with the deepest regrets that we had received word that Curator had died in battle.”

There was a pause of absolute silence as nopony said anything. Luna sighed.

“If it means anything, I am sorry,” she said, bowing her head.

Celestia smiled as she lifted up her sister’s chin. “I can never be mad at you sister,” she said hugging her sister close to her.

They all stared at the two in their loving embrace. Rainbow scratched her mane.

“Well this is all good and everything,” Rainbow said, “but it doesn’t explain why Luna was trying to seduce Spike.”

“Oh I can tell you that!”

Everypony turned their head in surprise at who was talking.

“Pinkie Pie?”

“Well, not exactly…” The pink mare smiled, but not her usual happy smile. This one was dastardly and sinister, and her blue eyes slowly turned a blood red. “You can call me Conquest!”

“Your voice…” whispered Twilight, “It’s so…”

“Soothing isn’t it?” Pinkie but not actually Pinkie said. “And yet maniacal, like a madman’s lullaby.”

As every other pony was confused by the ‘new’ Pinkie, Spike frowned. “How did you possess Pinkie? I thought you could only do it with your conquered.”

Conquest in Pinkie’s body smiled. “Normally you’re right dragon, but it was so easy to take this one’s mind. She seems to have the brain activity of a bubble. However, I’m getting off topic. YOU want to know why my dear beloved little Luna has been acting so crazy.”

Applejack shook her head. “This here is all confusing, is this Pinkie were talking to or this Conquest fella? Cause it looks like Pinkie, but she sure ain’t acting like it.”

“Oh simple, simple Applejack,” sighed Conquest. “Your idiocy is only second to this mare’s,” he said pointing to himself. “But back to the question at hoof. When Spike touched the Pandora’s box, an artifact that lets you communicate with me all those weeks ago, he let a little piece of me inside of him.” He gave a little chuckle. “Now normally, all it lets me do is annoy the crap out of them, slipping into their minds whenever they fall asleep and having a little fun!”

“Get to the point!” shouted the annoyed dragon.

“So impatient for a giant lizard,” the possessed pink pony giggled. “To put it simply Spike, I decided to play a joke on my sister. I changed your appearance in her eyes.”

“How did you do that?”

“It’s easy to manipulate those who have touched the Pandora’s Box,” said Conquest.

“But, my sister never touched the Pandora’s box,” Celestia said, turning her sister. “Right Luna?”

The dark princess turned her head in shame, avoiding the look of her sister.

Conquest looked at the two princesses with devilish intentions. “You mean you didn’t tell her?” he asked, his grin getting wider and wider. “Oh, that is so very naughty of you, Luna! And I love it!” he laughed, pouncing around in his little pink body. “That must mean that you haven’t told her about Nightmare!”

Luna…” Celesta said, trying to catch a glimpse of her crying sister. “What does he mean? What about Nightmare?”

“Ooooooo let me tell, sister!” the pink pony said gleefully. “I love this story so very much!”

*****

“Luna, I’m turning in for the night,” said Celestia, as she flew next to her sister. Luna was just finishing up with her lunar duties; raising the moon and waking up the stars.

“All right, Tia,” she smiled, watching the large white alicorn fly away from her and down to Canterlot. Luna quickly pulled the moon into position for that night, where it would remain till next morning. She flew down back to her room in the tall tower, the night breeze flowing through her starry mane as the small lights fell out of her mane and dotted the sky. The princess of the night landed on the balcony and entered her dark room. With a quick surge of her magic, the room lit up. She jumped on her bed and stared at her ceiling.

She laid there in the quiet for what seemed like hours, tossing and turning to find a comfy spot that was non-existent. Sighing heavily, she turned to her nightstand. Aside from a couple of books and a clock, there was a single framed picture. She picked it up and gazed at the old photo. It was a picture of Luna and Curator back when they were younger. He had Luna is a playful headlock as they both smiled at the camera. It was her favourite picture.

The night mare wiped a tear from her eye as she stared at her love. His wild, fiery red mane, his strong, well-shaped body, the golden eyes that brought nothing but happiness to all who fell in his gaze. Even in the old photo, the colour of his eyes still had that heart-warming effect on Luna.

“I miss you so much brother,” she whispered, hugging the frame close to her chest as she looked out her window. “I wish I could have told you how I felt.”

Sleep still wouldn’t come to the princess. She kept looking at the picture in her hoof, and tried her best to imagine that her brother was here with her. Looking at her pillow, she wrapped herself around it, imagining that she was in the embrace of the crimson haired alicorn that she loved. Luna lifted the pillow up to her face, placing her wet lips on the soft fabric, lost in her own fantasies. Sometimes she could swear that she could hear his voice whisper to her.

“Luna…”

Her eyes shot open as she came back to reality. Looking around her room, she could see that her door was open slightly, and she could have sworn that she closed it.

“Luna…” the playful voice whispered in her ear, the door creaking open slightly. The princess got out of her bed to investigate. Looking at the ground, she saw a strange trail of liquid, not blood or water but more of a strange black ooze. It seemed very fresh and lead down the hall. With caution, she followed the trail.

Down the quiet halls and through the throne room, the black trail stopped at bare wall. The night mare looked carefully at the wall, and noticed a loose brick. Pressing up against it, the walls around her began to shift, folding open like a door, the wall revealed a secret dark passageway.

“Hello?” she called, her voice echoing down the shadowy hallway as she stepped into the darkness. Her horn illuminated as she descended into the blackness.

“So close Luna…” said the strangely hypnotic voice, it seemed so familiar, like she heard it before. Luna continued to walk following the call of the voice. “So very close my little love…”

“Is anypony there?” the princess called. Her questioned was answered when a crack of light cut through the darkness. Luna shielded her eyes as she walked into the light. As her eyes adjusted she saw the black oozy trail that had led her here. The black substance had been spread out all across the room, the floor, walls, and even the ceiling was completely covered with the dark muck, with only a narrow path on clean floor to walk on.

Staying on the path, Luna walked on the thin path, she soon approached a table in the middle of the room. on top of it was a small little box with a note of that said: ‘Open Me’ written hastily on it.

“Open me Luna… Set me free…”

The words echoed through Luna’s head as she carefully placed a hoof on the strange box. She felt the power that radiated from it.

“Set me free Luna… Set me free!”

The princess clenched her eyes shut as she opened the box. A burst of light engulfed the room as the dark mare was knocked back to the floor. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tall shadowy figure emerge from the box. His coat was black as night, his mane was grey as smoke, and his eyes were red as blood.

It was her brother.

“C-C-Curator?” stuttered the blue mare in disbelief. “Is that really you?”

The tall dark alicorn looked at the small mare that was his sister and flashed a smile. “Of course it’s me, who else could it be?” he asked.

She was overjoyed, after almost three thousand years; she had been reunited with her brother. “Curator! I thought you were gone forever!” she cried happily, grabbing her brother around the neck and pulling him, nuzzling his neck.

“Now, now little sister,” smiled the dark alicorn, “I know that you’re happy to see me. I’m just thrilled to see you too. We have so much to catch up on. Let’s start with how we get out of here.”

“Of course,” the night mare smiled, heading to the door. “I followed a trail of black liquid and found a secret passage that lead me to that box that you were in!” she said enthusiastically.

“How very clever of you,” grinned the alicorn, knowing full well what happened. “Shall you lead the way?”

“Of course Curator!” Luna piped, happily trotting down the hall.

Conquest stayed behind a bit, he walked around the table where the box was. Hidden in the shadows, was a shrivelled up pony, the black liquid leaking out of his eyes and mouth. He looked up at the shadowy alicorn. “Please… Master…” he croaked. “Help me…”

“For doing a job well done?” he thought, “I suppose turning your blood into ink is a rather painful way to die, and I suppose you do deserve an award.” His horn started to glow. “Will death suffice?” The shrivelled pony nodded weakly. “Then it shall be done.” He tapped the pony with his horn. Almost instantaneously, he feel to his knees, a stream of dark sludge being propelled out of his mouth, followed by a painful moan. “You should vomit your guts out within the next two minutes…or maybe it was the next two hours?” He snickered at the suffering pony. “Now that I think of it, it may take as long as two days.” The pony spewed out more shadowy liquid. “Well have fun!” he said with a smiled as he skipped happily out of the door, following his sister.

He quickly caught up to her and the two of them began to catch up on Luna’s life, how they had finally united all of Equestria, how there had been peace in all the land, and how Celestia now rose the sun, and she rose the moon.

“If you ask me sister…” Curator said, entering Luna’s room. “You got the better job.”

Luna blushed “Thank you brother. It sure is beautiful”

“But not as beautiful as you,” Curator said, taking her hooves in his. They stared at each other. Curator slowly leaned into Luna, her heart beating furiously as she did the same. The princess closed her eyes and puckered her lips, stretching her neck so she could finally feel her brother’s lips against hers.

“You know,” said Curator, quickly turning his head away from Luna’s and towards the window. “It is really a beautiful night.”

“It is,” she mumbled. “Now, you were saying I was beautiful.”

“The ponies must all love your night!” Curator explained, ignoring Luna. “Tell me, do they play in the moonlight?”

“Well…not usually. They play during the day and sleep at night,” she said.

“What?” asked Curator, in fake disbelief. “Everypony wakes up with the sun, and sleeps through your marvellous night? That doesn’t seem very fair.”

“It’s okay,” she sighed. “Ponies aren’t nocturnal, they can’t usually stay awake for too long and I’ve learned to accept it.”

“I suppose you’re right,” her brother said, the grin growing on his face. “However, what if, hypothetically…the moon weren’t to set?”

“What?” said the startled mare, “I couldn’t! Celestia said that we need to rotate the sun and moon. To do anything else could lead to disaster!”

“Is that what Celestia told you?” he asked. When Luna nodded, he rolled his eyes. “Dear sister, I thought you were better than that! What happened to the playful little filly I love?” he asked. Luna’s cheeks perked up as they turned beet red. “There she is!” said Curator playfully, pulling her close to him. “Now what are we going to do?” he asked as Luna stared into his hypnotic gaze.

“I will keep the moon raised….” She said, eyes dilated.

“And how long will it be up there?” asked Curator, his eyes glowing stronger.

“The night will last forever…” Luna drooled. “It will last forever Curator…”

“Good sweet Luna,” sighed Curator, “But please… Call me Conquest, Dark Conquest.”

“I love you, Conquest,” she said affectionately.

Conquest chuckled, “I know,” he said, thrusting his mouth into hers.

For a moment, they were in complete ecstasy. The warmth of his lips, his dark and forbidden taste, it made her cry with pleasure, running her hooves up his back and to his head, pushing it closer to his. She felt a poke at her lip and she gladly let his shadowy tongue slip in, digging deeper into her mouth, pass her lips and slithering down her throat.

Her eyes shot open as the tongue dug down her esophagus. She tried to scream but was too lost in the unimaginable pleasure. It kept going down, Curator parted their lips, his sick sadistic smile still plastered on his face as his tongue kept crawling into her mouth. He bit down with a furious chomp, severing his slimy appendage.

Luna fell to her trembling knees. She let out a pleasant shiver, a wisp of a blue shadowy haze slithering out of her mouth.

“That was amazing…”’ she cooed, lying on the ground, rolling around provocatively. “I’ve waited so long for this…”

Conquest walked over to the window, flashing his white fangs at the pearl white moon. “So have I, Luna.”

*****

“After that, I had complete control over Luna,” said Pinkie/Conquest. “That is, until my sister had you silly fillies free her with the ‘Hell-ements of Barfery’ and I lost almost all contact with my dear beloved sister,” he laughed. “But that’s the thing about me: Once you have me, I never leave. I’m kind of like herpes that way.”

Twilight shook her head. “How does an endless night help you take over Equestria?”

“Well Twilight, I’m glad you asked!” grinned Conquest, “Did you know that there is a reason we have to cycle the sun and moon?”

“To have night and day, a balance,” answered Twilight.

“I can see why you’re the smart one” joked Conquest. “And what would happen if you break that balance?”

“All chaos would break loose…”

“EXACTLY!” he/she shouted excitedly. “If the moon were to stay in the sky for more than twenty-four hours, the gravitational pull of Equestria would cause the moon to fall out of the sky!” He looked towards Spike “The biggest of rocks to crush the tiniest of ants!” he laughed. “But you stupid little urchins had to ruin my fun!”

“So you’re the cause of Nightmare Moon,” choked Applejack. “I don’t believe it.”

“You better,” the pink possessed pony smiled. “And that was just the beginning! I also freed Discord, told Chrysalis about the Canterlot wedding, any major catastrophe that has happened in the last thousand years, I have had a major hoof in!” He fell to the ground, giggling in a puddle of his own happy tears as a rooster crowed in the distance. “Well it’s been fun, but I have to plan Doomsday!” With the quick farewell chuckle, he froze up, his eyes quickly turning from red to blue.

Pinkie, the actual Pinkie, shook her head. “Wow, that was weird. For a second everything tasted like purple. Now what does purple taste like?” wondered the pink mare, sitting on her rump as she became lost in her thoughts.

Celestia looked at her sister, trying to hold back her tears. “You let him free?”

“I’m sorry Tia…”

“YOU LET HIM FREE!” screamed Celestia, causing everypony to jump. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS HE IS? HOW DIFFICULT HE IS TO CONTAIN!”

“But I love him….”

“I DON’T GIVE A FLYING BUCK! DO YOU LOVE HIM MORE THAN YOUR SUBJECTS? MORE THAN YOUR COUNTRY? MORE THAN YOUR SISTER?!”

“Princess Celestia please!” begged Rarity, “She didn’t know any better, she was in love!”

“THE HELL WITH LOVE!” snarled the princess, “Because of my sister, we are all doomed! If Conquest was unable to escape by himself, he may have never been able to escape at all!”

Spike stepped forward. “That is why I’m here, Princess. I will stop him!”

“Spike, he has an army!” the princess explained. “And we have so few ponies to fight.”

“So call everyone!” retorted the dragon. “Call the Zebras, call the Bison and the Mules! The fate of all life is at stake! And if we don’t make a stand when he comes, he will destroy everything!”

“It’s still not enough…” moaned the princess. “Even if we get their help, the prophecy said that a dragon would be our saviour, and we only have one dragon!”

A light went off in Spike’s head. It was so obvious that he felt foolish for not thinking of it before! He turned around, grabbed Rarity and quickly planted a kiss on her lips. “I’ll be back soon. I promise,” he said, heading to the window.

“Spike, what are you doing?” asked Twilight, watching the dragon open the window and jump on the ledge.

He looked back and smiled happily. “I’m going to get more dragons,” he said, taking off from the window and flying into the sunrise.

The Island

There is a line within the occurrence of utmost destruction that, once breached, renders any further desperation warranted. At this point in that hell, any tactic or move, no matter how insane, catastrophic, or ethically and morally questionable, is far more acceptable than the never-ending nightmare that perpetuates otherwise. Even if that move is to release something possibly worse.

~ICCUWAUSIMTOI

Spike soared through the air, his head racing with crazy ideas and thoughts. The one that kept coming up was how he was going to convince the entire dragon population to go to war with the ponies. Dragons and ponies didn’t have the best history, what with the thousand years of pony oppression, and then the dragon’s loss in the wars that followed. It was going to be interesting at the very least. But he had to try. The fate of Equestria rested with him. He needed to at least convince some dragons.

He approached the Sea of Ponies, the great watery basin that separated Equestria from The Badlands. This trip would take him almost a week by boat, but by air it would only take a day if he hurried. He searched the air for a wind current to ride on. Spike soared through the sky, going as fast as he possibly could. Over the still blue sea, he flew. Below him, dolphins leapt in the air and played, weaving through the water with grace. He flew down a bit, skimming his claws on the surface of the water, playing a bit with the dolphins, which quickly fled from the descending dragon.

“What are you doing, dragon?” a voice asked beside Spike.

He almost flew into the water when he saw Dark Conquest, relaxing in an inner tube, wearing sunglasses and holding a tanning mirror.

“What the hell?!” snarled Spike. “I thought you could only annoy me when I’m asleep!”

“Oh contraire, me scaly green friend,” he snickered. “I used to only be able to do that, but every day I grow stronger. In a few days, I shall be able to pierce through the shadows and be free once again.”

“So you’re going to annoy me twenty-four seven?” the dragon mumbled. “Great.”

Conquest slid deeper into his inner tube, readjusting the tanning mirror. “As fun as that sounds dragon, I fear that I have other matters to intend to. Like my performance!”

“Your performance?”

“Tell you about it later dragon,” the dark alicorn smiled. “Now, back to my former question. What are you doing Spike? I highly doubt this is a vacation.”

“It’s none of your business,” the drake grumbled, taking off.

“Hey!” yelled Conquest, grabbing the tail of the fleeing dragon. “I’m not done talking yet. Take a seat if you will.” He clapped his hooves and a red and white inner tube emerged from the water. “Go ahead, it won’t bite.”

Spike looked at the tube. It looked safe enough. He slid his tail in the hole of the tube and took a seat. “OWWW!!” cringed the dragon as he felt teeth dig into his tail, holding him to the tube.

“Oops,” giggled Conquest. “I guess it does! Oh well, happy accident. Now tell me what you’re doing.”

Spike let out a deep sigh. “If you really must know, I’m heading to the Badlands.”

Conquest’s smile grew at the mention of the country. “You mean the Badlands? Land of the dragons?” he asked. Spike nodded as Conquest splashed happily in the water. “That’s wonderful! I’ve been there before you know! I can show you all the great sights, like the Salt Flats, Needle Neck Woods, and you have to see Volcanna!”

“Yeah…”

Conquest looked at Spike. Something was up with him, and he could smell it. “Hey,” he said, pointing to a nearby island, “we should check that out.”

“I’d rather not,” Spike mumbled.

“Nonsense!” the alicorn said. “It’ll be like a little adventure!”

He put a hoof on the inner tube that Spike was sitting on and they both went up in a puff of smoke. They reformed on the edges of the island. Conquest immediately got up and looked around. The golden sands of the beach quickly turned into a thick green jungle of vines and trees.

“Just as I thought,” he said to himself, looking behind himself to the dragon. “C’mon Spike, I want to show you something!” he told him, jumping into the dense forest.

Spike rolled his eyes as he followed Conquest into the woods, pushing through the branches and the leaves. “So, is there is a reason we’re here?” he asked.

“Really Spike?” wondered Conquest. “Well…when a mommy dragon and a daddy dragon love each other very much-“

“I meant, what are we doing here on this island?” the dragon quickly spurted out.

“Oh, is that what you meant? Next time be more clear,” giggled the dark alicorn. “No, we are here because I need to say hello to a very old friend.”

Spike frowned. “You have friends?”

“Everypony has friends,” Conquest smiled, “mine are just all dead.”

“I figured.”

The two continued two walk through the thicket of the forest, scaring off stray birds as they approached a small cave that was dug in the side of a small mountain. Dark Conquest happily hopped over to the cave, taking a quick peek inside. “This is the cave!” he said, disappearing inside.

The dragon followed the energetic pony into the cave. The cave was dark and dank, and it was covered with strange markings, as if a creature had dragged its claws into the walls. They were probably marking their territory.

“Come in deeper!” Conquest called from within the shadows, his voice bouncing off the wall in a disturbing echo.

The purple drake continued his descent, the sun from the entrance getting dimmer with each step, until he was in complete darkness. He felt around with his feet, finding a large stick on the ground. He picked it up and spat on it with his dragon spit, igniting it with the slimy green fire. The cave glowed with the light of his jade coloured fire, as the dragon continued deep into the cave.

“Spike, I’d be careful if I were you…” the dark pony joked from the shadows. “I think something might still live here...”

A splash echoed through the cave. Spike flinched, turning into the direction of the sound, but it was too dark to see. He heard hoof steps behind him, so he spun around, gripping the makeshift torch like a club. Rattling of bones, again behind him, the dragon’s heart was beating furiously as he was unable to see the approaching sounds.

“BOO!” screamed a giant cow skull, appearing from the shadows. Spike instinctively smashed his flaming stick into the base of the bone, shattering it into two, revealing a smiling black pony.

“You know, if I was capable of feeling pain that would almost tickle.”

“Don’t do that,” the dragon grumbled.

The dark stallion snickered. “Enough fun, we’re here anyways!” he said, looking off into the dark cave. His long dark horn began to glow that hellish red of his, and several bright orbs started to fly around the room and floated next to the walls of the cave. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

In the crimson light of the magic lied a large bone white skeleton. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, it had to be a little over a two hundred feet long. The tail area was covered in spiky bones, and the thing’s ribcage could was a large as a carriage and attached to the spine were two skeletal looking wings. The creature’s neck was long and covered with dangerous looking spines, and the head of the beast was massive, its thick skull resting in the dirt, cracked with massive teeth.

“This is a dragon,” Spike whispered.

“Was a dragon,” Conquest corrected, looking at the dead dragon. “That was until she made the fatal mistake of trying to stand up to me.” He sighed, walking up to the dragon’s skull. “The things we do, for the ones we love…”

“What do you mean?” the purple dragon asked.

“This dragon, she was protecting her eggs,” he said levitating up one of her bony claws, revealing a little small burrow with hundreds of dried up eggshell shards.

Spike walked up to the little nest, picking up a piece of one of the eggs. The eggshell was cold, with a greenish slime dried into it. “Did they hatch?”

“Nah,” Conquest smiled, levitating the head of the dragon’s skeleton, snapping it off from the neck and placing it over his head. “I decided to smash them!”

Spike barely groaned. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” he said monotonously.

“Yes…it has seems that I have finally whittled away at your soul,” the alicorn smiled. “It is so amazing how very little you care about your mother’s death.”

His heart stopped. “…M-m-mother?”

Conquest groaned playfully, “What? You don’t recognize your own mommy?” he asked, holding the giant skull in his hooves.

The dragon fell to his knees, staring at the body of the dead dragoness. The way that she huddled around the nest, using her own body to protect them at any cost. It had all the signs of a loving mother, a mother who would give her own life to protect her babies.

“No…” moaned Spike, falling down to his hands, panting heavily to try to keep calm. “You’re lying, this is just a dead dragon you found and you’re trying to get in my head!”

“I’m already in your head, dragon,” the alicorn mused, “And when have I ever lied to you? It is seriously the only thing I’ve done right with you.”

“You’re far from perfect,” Spike snarled, digging his claws into the dirt. “And this is just a lie, a lie to get me angry!”

“Stubborn little dragon, is stubborn,” the dark pony commented, walking up to Spike and placing a hoof on his head. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll show you!” he said as his horn started to glow. Streams of magical energy began to engulf the two, and soon the world around them began to change. Slowly at first, then speeding up, until the world was a blur around them.

*****

Things had gone from bad to worse in Canterlot since Spike had left only a few short hours ago. Celestia had stormed off into her private quarters while Luna laid in a puddle of her own tears, sniffling and muttering apologies. Meanwhile, Rarity was standing by the window sill, looking off in the direction that Spike had flown.

“It’s just not fair!” the white mare cried, shutting the window and turning to her friends, who were trying to comfort Luna. “I waited years to finally admit my feelings for him, only to have my love whisked away for almost a month. Then, we finally get some alone time, he takes off again!”

“You know he didn’t mean to Rarity” said Twilight, looking up from Luna. “He just has a lot of pressure on him right now, and it doesn’t help that this Conquest guy seems to be indestructible.”

Rarity took a deep breath, letting the sigh drag out as she let the anger leave her body. “I suppose you are right darling,” she said, walking towards her friends and the distressed princess. “Though what are we going to do about this unpleasant situation?” she asked.

“Please ponies,” whimpered the night mare. “I deserve everything that had happened to me and more. What I have done to my sister, to all of Equestria, it is unforgivable.”

“It’s still kind of weird that you were in love with your brother,” Rainbow said, receiving a scowl from Applejack.

“Rainbow, keep a lid on it,” the cow pony groaned.

“No,” sniffed Luna, wiping away one of her many tears. “She is right in a sense, but Curator is not my brother.”

“Say what?” said a surprised Rainbow.

“We were all born from different parents,” the princess said. “We are brother and sisters as alicorns, but not genetically,” she explained, turning to Twilight. “It is like how you and Spike are like brother and sister, in an emotional sense, not by blood.”

“Well that’s…” thought Rainbow aloud, “Not so bad…but still…”

“RD, drop it,” Applejack said sternly.

“It’s okay Applejack,” mumbled Luna as she picked herself up from the ground, standing or her shaky legs. “What’s done is done, and I am to blame.”

The ponies sat in the silence, unsure of what to say. The way that Luna had acted was indeed foolish, and in a sense they wanted to be mad at her. Yet at the same time, they all felt bad for her. She was just another victim of love, and who hasn’t done something crazy for someone they loved?

“I forgive you,” Rarity whispered.

Luna raised her head in confusion. “Of all the ponies I have wronged, I would not expect you to forgive me, fair Rarity.”

The fashionista smiled. “And maybe I shouldn’t, but I know how it feels to be denied love. It’s terrible knowing that your special somebody is with another, and that you are powerless to do anything about it.”

“And how do you know of this?” Luna asked.

“Spike and I have been dancing around this subject for years!” she said. “We were both afraid to tell the other one how we felt. I thought he was just being gentledrake, and he thought I was just being good friend. Anyway, we ended up holding in our feelings for far too long, and when Spike almost died from those Diamond Dogs, I feared that he would die without knowing how I felt.”

The dark princess scrunched her brow, tilting her head slightly. “So you’re saying that what I did was normal?”

“No,” said the white mare, shaking her head. “What I’m trying to say is that you should have told him how you felt long ago, otherwise the fear builds up inside of you and in fearing you might lose him,” she said, placing a hoof on the princesses blue chest, “you lose yourself.”

The night princess looked to the kind mare in front of her. She started to tear up again. “Spike is lucky to have you,” she cried, wrapping her hooves around the pony. “I would take back everything if I could and I will do anything to make it up to you.”

“Anything?” wondered the fashion pony.

“Anything,” repeated the princess.

“Well...” the white unicorn smiled, looking at Luna. “I actually think there is something you can do for me, or rather, something you can do for us…”

*****

When the spinning stopped, Conquest and Spike were outside again, sitting on the beach. Spike’s head was spinning as he struggled to get up from the ground. Conquest sat on the edge of the beach, looking out into the distance.

“What did you do?” the groggy dragon asked.

“I took us into my memory,” the alicorn said quickly. “Magic is great, isn’t it? Especially when you have as much as I do.” He looked out into the distance, “There we are, right on schedule!”

“What?” Spike wondered, looking to were Conquest was pointing.

Far off, over the seas and heading towards them, were two figures, one a shadowy black, and the other a blinding white. “You’ve gotten slow sister!” the shadowy one called out, following with a little laugh, “Have you put on weight?”

“Get back here, Conquest!” the princess yelled, trying to pick up the pace as the dark alicorn flew over to the island where Spike and Conquest sat.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” asked Conquest. “I couldn’t understand you with all that cake in your mouth, fatty!” he cackled, flying over Spike and the present day Conquest before diving into the forest, Celestia hot in pursuit.

The alicorn beside Spike got up. “Shall we continue?” he asked rhetorically, heading into the forest.

“Fine.”

They followed the Sun Princess into the forest, the mare seemed completely unaware of their presence. “Where are you brother?!” she called out angrily, looking through the dense green jungle, searching for the insane alicorn.

“I AM EVERYWHERE,” a satanic voice echoed, followed by more laughter, “and yet I am nowhere. Perhaps I’m hiding in a tree…or under a rock…or maybe…” he let his voice drag as Celestia felt a twitch in her ear. “…I’m right behind you.”

Celestia’s horn glowed with golden energy. She swung around and blasted the area behind her, turning a small portion of the forest into ash. Her brother was not there.

“I was actually under the rock, dear sister,” laughed Conquest, this head popping out of the ground, the rock resting on his head.

Celestia screamed with rage, blasting at him with another bolt of magic. The rock melted on top of Conquest’s head and he disappeared in a pile of ash.

“Will you stop blasting me for two seconds?”

Celestia looked above her to see Conquest sitting on a low hanging tree branch. “You’re going back in the box, Conquest!” she shouted at him.

“I don’t think so,” mumbled the dark alicorn. “I hate that box. It’s so boring and I have nothing and nopony to play with!” He rolled around on the tree branch. “You should have imprisoned Luna with me. I’d at least have some company.”

“I would never sentence a pony to such a fate!”

“Right…” Conquest dragged on. “Because putting her on the moon was sooooo much better,” he said. “Anyways, this is all hypothetical, assuming you can actually catch me and put me back.”

“I will put you back,” the white mare snarled. “I swear on my name that you will not hurt anything ever again!”

“You know I’ve just noticed deliciously juicy your plot has gotten,” he smiled, licking his lips. “I normally like my flanks well-toned, but there has to be something said about cushion for the pushin.”

The princess cringed at the comment. “You’re sick Curator,” she groaned.

“Are you just figuring this out now?” he joked, “And I told you, it’s Conquest, Dark Conquest.”

“Whatever you are, you are not going to st-“

“DISTRACTION!” Conquest yelled, spitting a glob of black saliva into the white mare’s face. “Catch me if you can!” he called, jumping from the tree and taking off over the sea.

Celestia wiped the black goop off her face, revealing a gritted snarl and an irritated complexion. She took off into the air, disappearing in the clouds as she chased her brother. Spike looked towards the Conquest next to him. The alicorn was smiling profusely, as they watched a tree spilt into two, revealing none other than Conquest himself.

“Was that mean?” he asked himself. “To trick my sister like that?” He looked around, seeing no one to confide with. “I need a second opinion,” Conquest said, opening up his mouth and jamming his hoof in. He searched around in his gullet and finally pulled out two slimly squirrel skeletons. “Leslie, Antonio, what do think?”

“Well senor,” the male skeleton said, although it was actually Conquest speaking through his teeth with an accent. “I say you were right to ditch her, that chica be loco, homes.”

“I suppose you’re right Antonio,” sighed the dark pony, turning to the other skeleton. “What about you Leslie?”

“OOOOOOOO,” Conquest squealed in a high pitch tone, shaking the dead squirrel to make it look like it was talking. “I’m a lady! I have reproduction organs and I like glitter!”

“A typical female response” muttered Conquest in his normal voice.

Spike rolled his eyes as he watched the fully grown stallion play with the dead animals as if they were dolls. “Does this have a point?” he mumbled.

“Of course not!” the black stallion said beside him. “We had a talk about this, did we not?

“I mean how long is this going to be?”

“Well…” thought Conquest scratching his chin. “If I remember correctly, I talked with those guys for about three hours…four tops.”

Spike face palmed. “Is there any way to speed things up? I’m not sitting here for three hours listening to you play make believe with squirrel skeletons.”

The pony gave a little sigh. “Very well dragon,” he said, his horn glowing bright red as the world around them seemed to cloud up, like a water painting. There was a flash of light and they were at the entrance of the cave they had explored not too long ago. They could hear a quiet humming coming from inside the cave. “Want to say hi to your mother?” grinned Conquest.

Spike entered the cave. It was a lot brighter inside than when he went in the first time, so he was able to see all the way to the back of the cave. At the back was a large dragon, similar to Spike’s hue, but a shade or two darker. She had lime green horns sticking out of her elbows, back, and along her tail. Her eyes were an emerald green and were lazily drifting to sleep. She was curled up around a small nest that held six large dragon eggs.

“Mother?”

There was a knocking at the entrance of the cave and Spike’s mother’s eyes shot open. She grumbled a little as a dark alicorn walked in. “If you value your life pony, you will leave” she said, her voice was stern and motherly, just like Spike had always imagined.

“Hello dragoness,” the alicorn said. “How are we this evening?”

“Are you daft in the head, pony?” she growled. “I told you to leave.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” the alicorn snickered. “But don’t you want to know why I’m here?”

“No. Leave,” she muttered.

“It’s because I need a place to hang low for while,” The alicorn said, looking around the cave. “And I like this place. It’s warm, cozy and you even have some eggs for me to snack on!” He stared at the nest of eggs and eyed them with evil intention.

The mother dragon wrapped her tail around her eggs. “Touch my babies, and I will eat you, regurgitate you when my eggs hatch, and laugh as I feed you to my newborns!”

“And ponies say I’m dark,” he mumbled to himself before resuming his conversation with the dragon. “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I think you’ll want to vacate the premise immediately.”

Steam was being emitted from the dragon’s mouth. “I will tell you one more time pony!” the dragoness roared. “Leave my cave or die!”

Conquest took a few moments to weigh his options, thinking of any sort of consequence that could befall his actions. “No,” he said smugly.

The cave was engulfed in a dark violet flame as the large purple dragon unleashed her fiery inferno upon the alicorn. Conquest was blasted through out of the cave, breaking through several trees before smashing into a large rock.

“Good riddance, pony,” she mumbled, sticking her head out of the cave.

Far away, Conquest had his head stuck in a rock. The rock began to shake as it melted around him like ice. A few shakes and all the dust and molten rock was off of him and he took to the air, charging at the dragon.

“You still live?!” said the astonished dragon.

She took deep breath and spewed more purple flames at the approaching pony. Conquest was ready this time, simply weaving through the fire balls as he neared his target. The dark pony smashed the dragon’s jaw with an uppercut, causing the gigantic beast to go flying to the air. He followed up his attack with by grabbing her with his magical grip, and slamming her into the ground with a thunderous shock that shook the earth. She fell on her back, leaving her soft underbelly exposed as Conquest dived down towards her.

“NOOOO!!” screamed Spike, taking flight in an attempt to stop the alicorn from killing his mother, but passed through him. It was a memory after all, and everything that had happens had already done so.

The dark pony was mere feet from the dragoness’s stomach, when she rolled over and smashed Conquest with her long, spiky tail, where he collided into the stony wall above her cave. She got up and grabbed his stiff body in her massive claws, slamming him against the mountain and dragging his head on the hard surface. She took a look at the pony. He barely had a scratch on him! The dragoness threw him at the ground, and stomped her giant foot on top of him. She met a fair bit of resistance from the surprisingly strong alicorn, but eventually felt the satisfying squish underneath her. Lifting up her foot, she expected to see a bloody mess and a broken body, but instead the ground was clean of all blood and Conquest had vanished.

“Looking for someone?” a devilish hiss asked behind her.

Conquest appeared in a flash of shadowy smoke, summoning a shadowy hammer as he smashed it on top the dragon’s skull. The mother dragon fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented. Conquest’s hammer disappeared and he landed on the purple dragon’s thick gullet. His face was deranged and smiling, with blood dripping down from his eyes like tears.

“You should have listened to my warning, dragon,” he chuckled. “Now you’ll watch me as I eat up your precious little eggs.”

“I’ll die before you hurt my children!” roared the dragon.

Conquest smiled, his bloody eyes staring into the dragon’s. “That can be arranged.”

“CONQUEST, ENOUGH!!” cried a voice from the heavens. The dark pony glanced up to see Celestia descending from the sky. “Your reign of terror ends here!”

Conquest groaned. “Not now Celestia, I’m sort of in the middle of something,” he said, looking up from the dragon to his sister.

The dragon took this opportunity to grab Conquest, squeezing him in her claw. “You should have listened to my warning, pony!” she snarled, right before shoving the shadow alicorn into her mouth and swallowing him whole with a loud chomp.

The princess was stunned, her face struck with terror. “You…What is your name?” she asked the dragon.

“Nightfire,” she mumbled. “Now, less you want to meet a similar fate, leave me and my eggs alone.”

“Nightfire, I am Princess Celestia from Equestria,” she said, “and I would personally like to thank you for stopping my brother, Conquest. If there is anything you desire, do not hesitate to ask.”

“You can leave,” she said bluntly. “I’m tired and I want to get back to my nest.”

Celestia nodded her head. “Then it shall be done, but before I leave, I must request that you spit out my brother, so I may see he is returned to his prison.”

Nightfire shook her. “That pony threatened my nest. He will burn in my stomach for the next decade, and then when my eggs hatch, they will feast on his flesh for what he tried to do. You may have what’s left of him then.”

“You don’t understand,” the princess said. “He doesn’t die, he’s incapable of being killed. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“Do you think I ca-HNGH!!” the dragoness grabbed her stomach, felling a sharp pain from within. “No…that’s impossible!”

There was a muffled laughing coming from her belly. “You should have spat me out, Nightfire. I don’t digest well.”

She felt more pain being emitted from within, her stomach becoming tight as if something was pushing against it.

“Some would say that I cause…stomach trauma.”

He burst through her stomach in a bloody explosion of blood and gore. The dragoness roared in pain as she fell backwards to the ground, blood still gushing out of the massive hole in her abdomen. Conquest stepped out of the dragon. He was covered from horn to hoof in the dragon’s blood, the only distinguishable feature being the fangs of his brilliant white smile.

Spike fell to his knees as he watched his mother bleed out. He watched her die and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He couldn’t even scream.

“Now, dear sister,” Conquest said, shaking the blood off his coat. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have an omelet to cook up.”

“No more!” Celestia yelled, jumping down from the sky and blocking the entrance to the cave. “This ends today!”

The dark alicorn rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to do this now sister,” he said, disappearing in a puff of smoke, reappearing behind her. “So let’s postpone the end.”

“Conquest!” she shouted, focusing her golden magic and blasting behind her. Conquest ducked out of the way, the magic bolt crashing into the wall.

“Please sister,” he said, his horn glowing again as a red barrier separated him from Celestia. “Let me have my fun.” He walked over to the nest and rolled one of the eggs under his hoof. “Now let’s see here…… how many eggs do you need to make a dragon omelet?” he asked himself. “Oh that’s right.”

Squish!

“One.”

Squish!

“Two.”

Squish!

“Three!”

Squish!

“Four!”

Squish!

“FIVE!”

He stood in the puddle of dragon yolk and slime, as he rolled the final egg under his hoof. “Now do I want an extra-large serving?” he wondered. The answer was obvious. “Of course I do!”
He reared up over the final egg, flashing his toothy smile. “Six.”

“DON’T BUCKING TOUCH MY CHILD!!!” Nightfire roared, charging towards the evil alicorn. The barrier was shattered as she charged at him, snatching Conquest in her teeth and scooping up the egg in her claws. Even the dark and insane couldn’t help but mutter a faint.
“Oh crap.”

“Dragon!” Celestia called, her eyes were glowing white as six orbs of colourful energy surrounded her. The Elements of Harmony. With her magic, and the power from the elements, a large white portal was opened in front of her. “Throw him in the portal Nightfire. It’s the only way to contain him!”

The dragon didn’t argue. Glaring at the alicorn stuck in her teeth, she spat him out into the portal where he grabbed on to the edge, holding on desperately.

“You think you can stop me?!” he laughed. “I feel the pull of this spell getting weaker! And yet I always grow stronger! This prison will not hold me forever Celestia!” he cackled, as he purposely let go. “You can’t stop my conquest!” he bellowed, falling into the abyss of light and disappearing as the portal shut closed, trapping the alicorn in his prison once again.

Celestia fell to her knees. It was getting harder to contain him, even with the help of the elements. She had been lucky that this dragon was here for her assistance. “Thank you again dragon,” she panted, out of breath and dripping with sweat. “Dragon?”

Nightfire was lying on the ground, the wound in her abdomen was still trickling blood. She was crying, her tears hardening as they fell down her as crystals. “He killed them…” she sniffled, her face growing pale. “He smashed them all. My eggs, my babies…My little dragons.”

The princess sincerely bowed her head in respect. “I am truly sorry for your loss.”

“They’re all gone…but this one,” she croaked, coughing up some blood as she revealed the one egg that she had saved in her claws. “But without care, it will surely die.” She coughed again, she didn’t have much time.

The princess looked at the wound. It was beyond repair, and she had lost a lot of blood already. She sighed, “I wish there was something I could do for you.”

“There is something, actually,” Nightfire said weakly. The dragoness let her head rest against the ground as she stretched out her arms, presenting the egg in her claws.

“Wait, you want me to….”

“Please princess,” the purple dragoness asked, swallowing her humility, “I would normally never trust another creature, especially a pony of all things, to raise my eggs…” Her face started to sweat. “But this is what I ask of you…Raise him to be strong and noble, to have heart.”

“Him?” asked Celestia. “You know it’s a male?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “The spots on the egg, there are an odd number of them. It will be a male.”

The white mare looked into the dying dragon’s eye, they were almost of tears tears. She slowly nodded her head. “Very well, I shall take your egg back to Canterlot, but I fear I know very little about raising dragons.”

“Just keep the egg warm,” she slowly said, “If it goes cold then…then…” She didn’t want to think about it. “Keep it safe.”

“I promise on my life,” the princess said solemnly.

Nightfire smiled a strained but caring grin. “Thank you, pony,” she said, her consciousness slipping away. “Now, let me spend my last moments with my son,” she begged.

“Of course,” the princess said, turning around and exiting the cave, passing by Spike and Conquest, unaware of their presence.

Spike walked up to his mother, who was cradling his egg. She couldn’t see him sit down next to her as they both stared at the egg. He rested his head against her cheek. Her head was bigger than his whole body and she didn’t feel Spike cuddling up next to her. Then, she did the last thing he expected, something that he had secretly wanted his whole life and never thought he’d ever hear.
His mother sang him a lullaby.

“The fire is warmest, in the wintery cold…
The flame shines the brightest, in the shadowy hole…
You are my hatchling, a gift from above…
The things that we do, for the ones we love…”

She coughed a little as she continued to sing…

“I’d brave every danger, to spare you ill fate…
I’ll look straight at death, and I’ll spit in his face
Burn every forest, uproot every hill
Threaten my child, and I go for the kill
Cause we are dragons, powerful and strong
United forever, in the words of our songs.”

Her wound had stopped bleeding; she had nothing left to bleed…

“Though one day I’ll perish, one day I’ll die
But you must be strong, no tears in your eyes
My little dragon, my gift from above…”

She brought the egg to her lips, giving it a sweet and loving kiss, whispering:

“I’d do anything, for the
Ones…
We…
Love… I love you, my little dragon…”

“I love you too, mom…”

Nightfire smiled as she closed her eyes for the last time, her last breath leaving her body and her heart beating its final beats. And she was gone. Spike wrapped his arms around his mother’s head, his tears falling to the ground by the dozens. The mother he never knew was gone, gone because of this creature hell bent on killing everything that had a pulse. She was gone because of him.

And he was loving it. “Aww, Spike misses his mommy!” he teased, walking up to the young dragon.

“Leave me alone…”

“Spike misses his mommy! Spike misses his mommy!” the alicorn sang, dancing around the dragon. “Spike misses his mommy!”

“I said shut up!” shouted the dragon, still clutching his dead mother.

“How does it feel knowing there was nothing that you could do to stop me? That there’s nothing you can do now to stop me?”

“SHUT UP YOU CRAZY BUCKING PONY!!!”

Spike leapt at the alicorn, his eyes red with rage and tears, swiping madly at the shadowy pony, but his talons only passed through him harmlessly. He tried breathing fire, but he just didn’t burn. Punching, kicking, tail swipes, nothing could phase Conquest. Nothing could get that permanent smile off his face. He fell to all four in tears, his breath shaky and his body trembling and weak. It seemed the angrier he got, the weaker he felt.

“Pathetic,” grinned Conquest, looking down at the broken dragon. “You’re all pathetic little vermin, feeling too much, caring too much. It makes me sick to my stomach.”

“I’m going to kill you…”

Conquest bent down, getting to eye level. “You sure as hell can try,” he smiled, blowing a plume of smoke into Spike’s face. “Sleep dragon,” he said, as the drake in front of him started to become woozy and collapsing on the ground.

*****

“Do you see anything useful?” a voice asked, it sounded male.

“Nah, this whole island was a bust,” said another voice. This one sounded female, and annoyed at that.

“Why did Dust Devil want to come here anyway? We never find any eggs or supplies on these islands anymore”

“Beats me, but what can you expect from a Sky Drake?” joked the female voice. “They all have their heads in the clouds.”

The other voice laughed. “Said the Cloudweaver to the Rockmouth.”

“Shut up.”

“You started it.” There was a pause, the sound of footprints getting closer. “Do you want to check out that cave?”

“Why?”

“Never know what we could find. Maybe there’s a gem deposit!” the male voice said excitedly.

“Can’t remember the last time I’ve had a gem,” the female voice said dreamily. “I guess we can check inside.”

“Great!” the male said, the sound of hoof prints getting closer. “By Gaia, it smells!” the voice gagged.

“Yeah, it’s like something died in here….”

“Hey Glimmer,” the male voice called to the female one. “Is that a dragon?”

“Yeah…” the voice called Glimmer said. “Do you think he lives here?”

“Doubt it, he looks way too young to be living on his own. He’s probably our age.”

“Mmmmmm,” Spike groaned.

“Whoa!” said Glimmer. “Bitterbite, did you here that?”

“He’s looks hurt! Grab him, we need to take him to the hatchery! Go get the others!”

“Okay.”

The voice of Glimmer got quieter, calling for help, while the other pair got closer, and Spike felt himself get lifted up.

“Easy dragon, I got you…”

*****

Spike slowly opened his eyes. He was in a well-lit cave, that was a comforting hot temperature. He looked around him and saw pools of lava everywhere, providing the light and warmth of the cave.

“Hey, he’s awake!” a voice said. Spike turned around. His vision was still blurry and he was only able to make out a brown blob, surrounded by other blobs. “You gave us quite a scare there for a second.”
“Where…where am I?”

“You’re in Volcanna,” he said, “city of dragons.”

The Hatchery

They know almost nothing about dragons, so what if what little they think they know is wrong?

~awesomespike

“Hello?” asked the brown dragon, looking at Spike strangely.

Spike stared with disbelief at the group of dragons standing before him. The brown one that was talking to him was about his height, and had features similar to his. But unlike Spike, his teeth were longer, sticking out of his lips. His claws looked a lot sharper and were flat, like shovels. The brown dragon’s skin seemed patchy and covered in dirt, like he had been crawling in mud.

“Bitterbite, I think he’s still a bit woozy,” a long bronze dragon said. She looked like a serpent, with a thin snake-like body. Her scales glimmered beautifully in the lava light, matching her long glowing orange spikes.”

Spike rubbed his eyes. “What- who are you...” His vision became clearer. “Dragons?”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” the brown dragon apologized. “The name is blitzataar bok a grantie.”

The female rolled her eyes. “Forgive my boyfriend, he’s an idiot,” she said, giving the dirt covered dragon a playful jostle. “Just call him Bitterbite. I’m Glimmer.”

“Hey,” the purple drake said, getting up and extending his claw for a shake, “Spike. So where exactly is this?” he asked, looking around the cave like room they were in.

“You’re in the Volcanna Hatchery” Glimmer said. “You know, a place where motherless eggs go.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that,” Spike admitted.

“Really?” Bitterbite wondered. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah, I just…don’t remember much about anything,” he lied. Spike had learned that telling dragons that he lived with ponies never turned out well. And who knows, maybe he would learn something about dragons if he kept playing dumb.

“Well…” smiled Bitterbite, “Allow me to re-educate you. You…” he said, pointing at Spike with one of his long sharp claws, “are an Inferna, or ‘Fire Dragon’ in layman’s terms.” He gestured towards himself. “I am a Rockmouth, or ‘Earth Dragon’. You still following me?”

“Think so. Fire, earth…” He looked to Glimmer. “And water dragon?” he asked.

“Hell no!” muttered Glimmer. “I’d kill myself if I was one of those damn bathers. Almost as bad as sea serpents. I’m a Cloudweaver Spike, and don’t ever forget it.”

“Sorry…” mumbled the purple drake. “Like I said, this is all new to me.”

Bitterbite smiled. “Relax Spike. Glimmer is just mad that her race is a bunch of cloud smoking pacifists.”

“Pacifist?”

Glimmer sighed. “Cloudweavers usually hate conflict, but I sure as hell don’t.”

“She’s my little loose cannon,” laughed Bitterbite, pulling the bronze dragoness closer to him, nuzzling her snout.

“So there are only three kinds of dragons?” asked Spike, trying to bring back the subject.

“Oh by Gaia, no,” chuckled Bitterbite, “There are hundreds of different types of dragons, but around Volcanna, you’ll mostly find Fire, Earth, Cloud, Sky, and Boulder dragons. In fact, we should introduce you to the rest of the gang.” He released his girlfriend and headed towards the exit.

Spike got up from the rocky bed that he was lying on and followed the two dragons. On the other side of the exit was a humongous room, filled with lava waterfalls, splashing into pools of magma. In the center of the room it looked like two dragons were arguing about something.

“I told you Dust Devil, I didn’t take your damn gem!” a large, pale blue dragon bellowed. He seemed massive compared to his accuser, spanning well over ten feet, in all directions. The dragon seemed to be completely symmetrical, with the exception of his short bloated tail, massive pudgy arms, tiny wings that were the size of Spike’s hand, and his small head that sat on top of his massive body.

“Well, then were the hell did it go?! I saw you eyeing it all the time, you giant puffball!” the other dragon retaliated. He was much shorter than the massive drake he was arguing with, probably shorter than Spike. This dragon scales were night black, with a pale pink underbelly. His most notable features were his snout and his wings. His snout was long, and almost spear-like, with a small pointy bulge at the tip, and his wings…. They were massive. They were pitch black and almost twice the length of his body, they couldn’t even fold into his back, and they stayed half open.

“What did you call me?!” the large round drake snarled.

“Oh I’m sorry, couldn’t hear me with all that food in your ears, wide load?” the black dragon laughed.

The two kept on with their argument as Spike, Bitterbite, and Glimmer all spectated.

“So…” Spike pondered, “friends of yours?”

“Unfortunately,” muttered Glimmer, as she approached the two arguing drakes. “What in the name of the earth-mother are you two arguing about this time?”

They both turned to the dragoness and pointed at each other.

“He ate my last gem!”

“He thinks I ate his last gem!”

Glimmer sighed. “You two are acting like whelps! It’s just one freaking gem!” she yelled.

“Hey, I’ve been growing that gem for months!” the smaller dragon said, extending his massive wings. “And then fat ass over here gobbles it up like he does with everything in this joint!”

“YOU’RE DEAD, DUST!” roared the dragon behemoth. He opened up his mouth, a long and sticky tongue shot out and wrapped around the dark drake’s neck, and pulled him into his mouth. The pale blue dragon’s mouth seemed to stretch out and engulf the first half of his body.

Bitterbite groaned, “Great, he’s trying to eat him again.”

“Again?”

Glimmer flew through the air, her body slithering like a snake as she wrapped her long body around the big dragon’s neck. “Spit him out, Lurch!”

Lurch gagged as he waved his arms in the air, his biceps too thick for him to stretch and pull the dragoness of his head. He eventually gave in to the bronze dragoness and spat out the large winged dragon.

The black drake wiped off some of the saliva on his face as he got up from the ground. “What the hell was that?” he coughed up some of the saliva that had gotten in his mouth.

“You started it, Dust Devil,” Lurch grumbled.

“I DON’T CARE WHO STARTED IT!!” shouted Glimmer, grabbing each of them by the throat and glared at both of them. “Stop acting like a pair of hatchlings and say hi to Spike!”

The two dragons looked at each other and then at Spike. Glimmer’s grip around their necks loosened as they shook her off and approached the newcomer.

“So the name is Spike huh?” asked the smaller dark dragon. He was about a foot and a half shorter than Spike, but the arch in his wings surpassed the purple drake by three feet at least. “Hi, the name is Dust Devil, and thunder butt over there is Lurch.”

The large dragon grumbled something under his breath, but let it go for now. “Nice to see you finally woke up. You were out of it for a while. Thought we would have to throw you down in the pit with Todd.”

“Who the hell is Todd?” asked Spike. “What pit?”

Bitterbite stepped in. “Spike here is suffering some sort of amnesia, and he’s not from around here,” he said. “We’ve been actually trying to reteach him the basics about dragons.”

“Really?” pondered Dust Devil, “Then allow me to educate you. I am the best dragon of them all: a Skyrin! Or a Sky dragon, if you don’t care for technical terms.” He looked over to Lurch. “Lurch over here is a Bulda… Or fat ass dragon.”

Lurch’s fist collided with Dust’s face, sending him hurting to the ground. “Boulder dragon.”

“Interesting,” said Spike, as he started to sniff around the air. “You said that you lost a gem. Was it a diamond?”

“Yeah,” mumbled Dust Devil as he picked himself up from the ground. “How did you know that?”

“Cause I can smell it,” the purple drake said, as he followed his nose to the scent of diamonds. “It’s somewhere around here,” he said, pressing his face down to the ground. “Here.”

Dust Devil looked over to Lurch. “You buried it?”

“I didn’t touch your gem!”

“Both of you, shut up!” scowled Glimmer.

Spike started to pick at the ground with his claws. “Huh, this is some tough dirt.”

“Allow me,” said Bitterbite. Spike stepped aside as the brown drake started to dig his claws into the earth, breaking it apart with ease. Those claws of his were apparently meant for digging. Within seconds, his entire body disappeared into the hole. In another few second, the sound of digging disappeared.

“Holy crap!” echoed Bitter’s voice through the hole in the ground.

“Did you find my gem?” hollered Dust Devil.

“Oh, I found much more than that!”

Suddenly, the hole in the ground erupted in a volcano of glittering gems. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and all sorts of other gleaming stones rained down on the shocked group of dragons.

Bitterbite’s popped out of the ground, a few topazes lying on his head. “Can you believe we were sitting on a gem deposit this whole time?!”

Glimmer’s eyes lit up as she picked up an amethyst crystal. “This is… Just... Wow.”

“There’s got to be about a hundred gems here!” smiled Lurch, grabbing a handful of rubies and tossing them in his massive gullet.

“Where did you learn to smell for gems?” asked Dust Devil, munching on a stick of emerald. “I didn’t know that dragons could do that.”

“Umm…..” Spike said nervously. All that time he spent with Rarity had honed his nose the very bleak scent of gemstone, but he couldn’t mention that he had any sort of connection with ponies. “….A friend of mine taught me.”

“Well, I’d like to meet this friend sometime,” grumbled Lurch as he stuffed another handful of rubies in his mouth. “Do you smell anymore gems?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t smell anything at the moment.”

Bitterbite patted Spike on the back. “Well it doesn’t matter! We have enough gems here to last us awhile.”
“Glad I could help,” chuckled the purple fire drake.

They sat in the large pile of gems. Periodically, Bitterbite went back down the whole to grab more. Each time, the gems erupted up in the air like a fountain. Soon, the five dragons were laughing and joking on top of a massive pile of sparkling rocks.

“Gaia, I have never felt so good in my life,” moaned Glimmer as she spread herself on the sea of jewels that they had acquired, Bitterbite lying right next to her.

“Yeah this is the life!” sighed Bitterbite, as he slide deeper into the treasure, looking out at the cave entrance. “Hey…”

He looked closer at the entrance; he could have sworn he could have seen something moving. “Is someone there?” he called out.

Slowly, a small pink head peeked in. It was a baby dragon, probably no older than five. She timidly walked into the room, her eyes glued to the floor, and playing with her claws.

“Hey Swirls, how’s it going?” Dust Devil asked, popping out of the pile of gems.

“Hello Dust…” She whispered, she reminded Spike of a certain yellow pegasus. “I heard a lot of noise coming from this part of the hatcher and the rest of the hatchlings asked me to investigate…” She looked up at the pile of gems. “That’s a lot of gems. Where did you find them?”

“Our new friend Spike smelled them out for us,” Lurch said through a mouthful of rubies.

Spike looked down in the little dragoness. He could see the hunger for the delicious gems sparkle in her eyes. The drake grabbed a tasty looking sapphire and slid down the pile.

“Would you like some, Swirl?”

Spike turned his head in confusion to see Glimmer holding a pile of topazes to the young pink dragon.

“Really?” Swirl’s face lit up as she took a piece of the amber stone and stuffed it in her mouth. “Thank you!”

“No problem squirt,” the long dragoness chuckled, scrunching up her head scales. “Go get the other whelps, we have plenty to go around.”

The little dragoness nodded as she quickly skipped out of the room.

“You…you shared with them?” Spike asked, not knowing that normal dragons were capable of such generosity.

“Yeah, of course,” said Bitterbite, butting into the conversation. “Is there something wrong with that?” he asked, studying Spike’s facial expression.

“No, it’s just that I thought dragons were greedy-“ he immediately covered his mouth.

“No, only the Exiled are greedy…” Bitterbite pondered. “Let me see your hands.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to check something,” he muttered, grabbing Spike’s purple claw and examining the claw. “Hmm, no X. guess you’re not Exiled.”

“What’s an Exiled?”

Dust Devil snorted. “You don’t remember what an Exiled is? You must have been hit by a mountain or something!”
“An Exiled,” Bitter started to explain, “is a dragon who fails to pass the greed, and we kick them out of Volcanna and usually out of the Badlands if it’s really bad.”

“The greed?”

“Really Spike?” chuckled Bitterbite, “Do I have to tell you where eggs come from as well? The greed is when a dragon starts to grow up, and enters the ‘greed’ stage of adolescent. When we are at this stage, our instincts become more primal, and we try to grab anything that’s not nailed to the ground. Now in the old days, we could do just that. Take and horde everything we could find, but ever since we got sent to live here, we have had to learn to suppress it. We just don’t have that much here, Spike.”

“So you exile anyone who becomes too greedy?”

“Yeah, we have very limited resources, cause in case you forgot, we live in the Badlands,” he mumbled. “We aren’t allowed in Equestria anymore, ever since those damn ponies.”

Spike gulped. “You don’t like ponies?”

“Are you kidding me?” Scowled Glimmer, “They took everything from us, Spike. No dragon likes ponies, and if it weren’t for the princesses, we’d have tried taking back the mainland long ago. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he said nervously. This wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear if he was going to try and convince the dragons to help him. But if you live for thousands of years, it can be easy to hold a grudge, and hard to forget.
Glimmer was about to say something, but they were interrupted by the sounds of several hundred footsteps.

“Hey guys, we’re back!” said a very excited Swirl.

Spike gasped at how many dragons had followed her. There were hundreds of different looking baby dragons. Fire dragons, earth dragons, sky dragons, cloud dragons, boulder dragons, and ones he didn’t recognized like two headed dragons, spiky-looking dragons, dragons with four wings, dragons that looked like birds, icy dragons, dragons with flippers, dragons with no limbs and slithered on their bellies like snakes.

“So kids,” smiled Bitterbite, picking up a jade stone, “who wants some gems?”

*****

There was a knock on the door of the royal chamber of Princess Celestia. The white mare was quietly reading a book on war tactics, a book she had hoped she would never have to read again.

“Come in,” she called out, not looking away from her book as the door slowly swung open.

“Hello Princess.”

The noble’s eye glanced in the direction of the voice, to see the white unicorn standing by the doorway.

“Rarity, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked.

“Oh, I was wondering if I could talk to you. If you are busy, I can always come back later.”

“Not at all Rarity,” smiled Celestia, levitating her book on a table. “I wanted to stop reading that terrible book anyway.”

“Oh, okay then. I was wondering if we could talk about your sister, Princess Luna.”

The sun mare’s smile quickly began to fade. “There is nothing to talk about. She betrayed me and she betrayed her country. If this wasn’t a time of war, I would have sent her back to the moon.”

“Princess, that’s terrible!” gasped Rarity. “She didn’t know what she was doing. She was in love.”

“She knew exactly what she was doing!” yelled the princess, using her magic to slam the doors shut behind Rarity. “She let herself succumb to common pony emotions, just like he did!”

“What do you mean?” asked the shocked unicorn.

“We are beings of a higher power. We have to be an example of what to live by. I have done my best to keep my stature, to forgo petty emotions, to not be corrupted.” She lowered her head to Rarity’s level. “I have lived as a symbol of justice, of law and of virtue. I have only ever loved my subjects, the only love I can afford to express.”

The purple maned unicorn thought about what the princess had said. “Are you telling me…that you have never loved another pony?”

“Rarity, I love all of my subjects, as any good princess does.”

“Not like that,” interjected Rarity. “I mean, love one other pony more than another? You’ve never been truly in love, have you darling?”

Celestia bowed her head with a sigh. “I can’t love like that, Rarity.”

“But why not?”

“Look at what love has done!” she cried, “It turned my loving brother into a monster and corrupted my sister. I can’t love. I don’t want to become like him…” She started to sniffle, shining tears rolling down her face. “I remember the night we lost him, and the first time I had to stop him…”

*****

It was the night he killed Symphony, the night that his mind slowly started to become corroded.

Curator stood in his room in the castle, staring out the window. The pegesi had planned a great rainstorm for this evening, “Fitting weather” he thought.

He kept looking at the storm outside as the door swung open. A younger Celestia walked in happily, noticing her brother standing at the window. “Curator, you’re home. You have to tell me how excited Symphony was at your proposal.”

His face was facing the window, so Celestia couldn’t see his sick smile. “She was so excited, she could have died.”

“Wonderful! So, what day are you two thinking of for the wedding?”

“Can I ask you something, sister?” the corrupted alicorn inquired.

“Of course.”

“Am I a bad pony?”

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle. “What a silly thing to say. Of course not. You are one of the greatest ponies I know.”

“What I mean is, sister,” he began, “I kill. When I was overseas, I killed many dragons. In town, I have been forced to kill bad ponies, criminals and murderers. And in the forest, I have killed many a beast that threatens one’s life. Does that make me a bad pony?”

“Of course not, why are you asking me this?”

“Look in the chest by the bed,” Curator said, his gaze still fixed on the window. “One more question sister. Do you fear me?”

Celestia frowned as she approached the chest. “No…”

“Well,” smiled Curator as his sister opened up the chest. “Now would be a good time to start.”

“OH MY-“ Celestia gagged, slamming the chest shut. She looked at her brother who was now facing her, staring at her with his mad yellow eyes. “Wa-wa-was t-t-t-that?”

“Symphony? Yes, or at least what was left of her,” he chuckled. “The timber wolves have most of her. I was just lucky I was able to retrieve most of her head.”

“W-w-w-why did you do this?”

“She cheated me, sister!” he laughed, as if it were a joke. “She was sleeping around while I was risking my life for the safety of every pony!” His voice phased back and forth from laughter to anger, “So, sister? Still think that I’m not a bad pony?”

The princess had nothing to say, she just looked, terrified, at her brother.

“No answer for that one, eh sis?” he mused. “That’s because I learned that there is no difference. When I kill, I take their life, and the only justification is that they were a bad pony. Sweet Symphony may have not killed anyone, but she betrayed me, and that’s enough for me, don’t you think?”

“NO!”

“Tsk, tsk sis. It is all the same!” he laughed. “Every thing on this planet is a sinner, and deserves to die, and I will gladly play executioner.”

“That’s not true!”

“It’s funny, really!” he laughed as he twisted to see his mark; a blue and green sphere, the world. “My cutie mark, I always thought I was meant to protect the world! But know I know it is my destiny to destroy it!” he cackled.

“Curator…”

“No sister,” the alicorn snickered. “Curator is dead. He died with Symphony.” His red mane seemed to shift, going from crimson to misty grey. “You can call me by my true name, the name that will be the bringer of doom and despair to all creatures!” His brilliant white coat slowly started to fade, peeling off his body like dead skin, revealing the dark black hide beneath it. “The name that every stallion, mare and foal will scream as there world is destroyed!” His yellow eyes turned an evil red, and glowed with insane pleasure. “You can call me CONQUEST!”

*****

“Conquest, Dark Conquest,” sighed the princess. “The moment I looked into those terrible red eyes, all I saw was hate. The hate for everything that lived, that breathed, that loved.”

“That’s terrible Princess,” sniffed Rarity, putting a hoof on the large alicorn’s side to comfort her.

“He jumped through the window, and slaughtered almost everypony in town. I was barely able to stop him,” the princess cried, resting her head on the unicorn’s shoulder. “He killed so many ponies!”

“There, there princess, everything is all right.”

“No, it’s not!” she sobbed. “I failed my citizens, we are all going to die because…”

“Because what?”

“Because I wasn’t strong enough!” Celestia cried. “I shouldn’t have blamed my sister. She is braver than I will ever be.”

“Why’s that?”

“She was brave enough to love…” sighed the alicorn. “She was brave enough to truly love another being.”

“Celestia,” the unicorn said, lifting her ruler’s head. “You can’t be afraid to love someone. I was for the longest time and I was just miserable. I almost lost the one I love.”

“But…” the princess said, biting the bottom of her lip. “I’m…I’m scared.”

“Love’s a scary thing, and yes, rejection is devastating. But is it not better to love and fail, then to not love at all?”

“I guess.”

“Then don’t be afraid to love, Princess,” smiled Rarity, “So, is there someone you’ve had your eye on?”

Celestia looked around the room, making sure that nopony was around to hear her. “Actually, there is a pony I have had my eye on. She’s just so adorable, and I can’t resist her.”

A big goofy grin formed on Rarity’s face. “Ooo, do tell Princess.”

*****

The last few dragons had left the cave. The once mountain of gems was now reduced to a few handfuls of emeralds and a couple of diamonds.

“Aww, they took all the rubies,” complained Lurch, holding one of the emeralds in his claw.

“Don’t complain, you ate half of them, lardo!” hissed Dust Devil. “I had like three rubies total. You had to of eaten about a hundred.”

“I like rubies.”

“No, really?” Dust said sarcastically.

“Will you both shut it for two seconds?!” Glimmer growled. “We have to go into the market and get more food for Baba D.”

“Who’s Baba D?” asked Spike, scratching his head as he grabbed the last few gems form off the ground.

“She’s the elder that runs the hatchery,” said Bitterbite, “We don’t actually run this place Spike, we just run errands and take care of the hundreds of whelps that live here.”

“Wow.”

“Want to come with us, Spike?” asked Lurch.

“Yeah, I kind of want to look around myself.”

Dust Devil took to the air. “Then let’s go!” he said, taking off through the cave’s exit and further into the tunnel system, the rest of the dragons following him.

They flew through the air, Spike following the dragons through the confusing paths of tunnels and caves. Bitterbite, not having any wings, said that he would meet them there before burrowing deep into the ground.

They soon approached a large cave room. It seemed dimly lit, with only the soft glow of the lava providing any light. In the center of the room was a large, snow white fire dragon. She was about fifty feet from head to tail, and her small wings were folded up on her back.

“Baba D, we’re about to hea-“

“Quiet, young ones,” she whispered as she hovered over one of the pools of lava. “A little one is hatching.”

Spike had to see this. He ran up to the pool of lava, looking down into the burning liquid. “Do you mind if I watch? I’ve never seen this before.”

Not even questioning who this new dragon was, she nodded as she reached into the lava, pulling out a red and purple striped egg.

“Come, little ones,” she said softly, the other dragons gathering around the pool, staring at the boiling hot egg. Baba D took a soft breath, her yellow flames casing the egg in fire. “It’s hatching.”

The egg started to chip as a tiny piece of the shell fell off. A tiny red eye looked through the whole that it had created. Soon, it’s legs pierced through the bottom. It managed roll on to its feet, walking clumsily in little circles and falling off Baba D’s claws and into the lava.

Spike gasped and reached in to save it, but Bitterbite, who had just emerged from the ground, grabbed his claw, shaking his head. The purple drake looked in horror as the baby dragon didn’t emerge from the lava.

“Boo!”

The newborn dragon popped out of the lava, nearly giving Spike a heart attack. Baba D picked up the newborn dragon and started to cradle it in her arms. “Her name is Peka ay bloo,” the elder dragon smiled, rocking the child to sleep.

Glimmered smiled. “So Peek-a-boo, huh. Not the worst name for an Inferna.”

“Shh, little ones, she is sleeping,” Baba D said, as the little dragon yawned, before curling up in the white arms of her elder. “Now, little ones, tell me of this new little one,” she said, gesturing to Spike.

“This is Spike, Baba D, he’s not from around here… Where are you from again?” asked Dust Devil.

“Burntwood,” he quickly said, blurting out the only dragon settlement that he knew of.

The old dragon smiled. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Spike. Word around the Hatchery is that you have a nose for gems.”

“Yeah, and no there isn’t any gems in this room,” smiled Spike.

“Oh, I don’t need Blitzataar digging holes all over my hatchery,” she chuckled. “Which reminds me, you need to fill that hole up before some dragon falls down and hurts themselves.”

“Yes Baba D,” mumbled Bitterbite, “I’ll do it as soon as I get back from the market. Did you need anything?”

“If it wouldn’t be so much trouble, could you get some more coals?”

“Of course.”

“Good, now run along, little ones,” she said, “I need to put this one to sleep.”

Spike turned around with the others as they walked out of the cave. Spike still couldn’t believe that he had just witnessed the birth of one of his species! Something he thought he would never witness and there she was, little Peek-a-boo.

“From ashes to fire, from fire brings life
In smouldering embers, to great lava’s light.”

Spike turned around, was Baba D singing?

“A gift from the flame, that hangs high above
I’m not your mother, but I give you her love.”

She was singing. The old dragon was singing the newborn a lullaby, just like his mother did for him.

“So calm down little one, don’t stay awake
For tomorrow brings on a new day of fate.”

The white dragon walked out of the room, carrying the small dragon out with her.

“Did she just sing that drag0n a lullaby?”

“Of course, every dragon gets a song sung to them at birth,” said Glimmer. “It helps newborns go to sleep, and it forms a bond between the mother and her child. But since all the dragon here have no actual mothers, Baba D sings it for us instead. It kind of makes her all of our mother.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, that seems to be a running thing with you Spike,” laughed Lurch, his incredibly tiny wings somehow able to support his massive body. “Come on, let’s get going.”

It only took a few minutes to find the way out, and when they did, Spike wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Dragons, lots and lots of dragons. He thought the horde of whelps at the hatchery was a lot. They were nothing compared to the mass of dragons he saw in the rest of Volcanna. There were dragons literally everywhere. In the sky, the ground, perched on rocks, everywhere!

“By the Goddess…”

“Yep, pretty amazing isn’t it?” chuckled Bitterbite, “Now let’s get to the coals.”

Dust Devil grabbed under Bitterbite’s arms and carried him up in the air, the rest of the dragons following. They approached a small stand that looked like it was dug into the side of the volcano the city resided in. A lime green Rockmouth looked at the group of dragons before him. “What can I get you?”

“We need about four bags of coal,” said Bitterbite.

“That’ll be eight gems,” he said, turning around and started to shovel coals into a bag.

“Lurch, we need some rubies,” said Bitterbite.

“Didn’t bring any with me,” he said nervously.

“Lurch, let’s not do this the hard way. Just spit them out and be done with.”

“I really don’t know what you are talking about Bitter, really!”

The brown dirty Rockmouth sighed. “Glimmer.”

The long bronze dragoness rammed her fist into the gut of the large round drake, who crumbled under the pain and coughing up eight slightly slimy rubies.

“Sometimes I think you like me beating you up,” giggled Glimmer, picking up the gems and handing them to the merchant in exchange for the coal.

Spike grabbed one of the bags. “So this is it? Or do we have to do any-“

“PONYLOVER?” a strangely familiar voice called out.

The purple dragon froze up immediately. “Oh no, anything but her.”

“SPIKE!”

Slowly, the drake in question turned slowly around. “Oh crap,” he muttered.

Flying down from the sky, a large bronze dragon landed in front of Spike, her short red scales falling down from over one of her blue eyes. “Never thought I’d see you again, ponylover.”

The rest of the dragons looked at Spike. “Umm, Spike, who is this chick?” asked Dust Devil.

He sighed. “This is Slitilda, my ex-girlfriend.”

The Ex

"A monster lives within us all.
And we have all released ours at some point."

-ToothlessandHiccup2

“Slitilda, what are you doing here?” asked the nervous Spike. Of all the worst things that could happen, this was the worst possible thing!

“I should ask you the same thing, Ponylover,” the bronze dragon chuckled back. “So what? They finally kicked you out?”

“Spike, what is she talking about?” asked Bitterbite, crossing his arms.

Spike looked at all the dragons looking at him, all giving him confused looks, with Slitilda loving every moment of her ex-boyfriend’s suffering.

Spike swallowed the large lump that had formed in his throat. Slitilda was going to ruin everything! Even though he had no idea how he was going to convince them to help the ponies to begin with… Still, her being here was definitely not helping. He had to figure out a way to get her away before she ruined everything. But how?

“Slitilda, could I talk to you for a second, in private?” the purple drake said, not giving the dragoness much choice as he grabbed her by the claw and pulled her away from the rest of the group and into a small quiet ally.

He pinned her to the wall. “Okay, what the hell was that?”

The female dragon smiled a wicked one. “Aww, we haven’t told your new friends we have a pony fetish?” she said condescendingly, pinching Spike’s cheek. “That’s too bad, my little Spiky Wiky.”

“Don’t call me that!” he growled. “And it’s not a fetish!”

“Beautify it all you want Spike, it’s still weird” she said, a bit of a growl in her tone. “I mean, you dumped me for a four legged grass muncher!”

“I dumped you, because you were a terrible girlfriend!” he snarled, pressing his claws harder into Slitilda.

“What are you going to do Spike?” she grunted. “Kill me? Rip my throat out and discard me behind some rock?” She gave a little laugh as she felt the pressure on her neck beginning to ease up.

“I’ve done worse,” muttered the purple dragon. “And I’m about to face worse, it’s why I’m here.”

“Face worse?” she asked, a curious smile stretching across her face. “Do tell.”

“It’s a threat to Equestria, and the whole world,” he began. “A third alicorn by the name of Conquest is coming, and he’s bringing an army to destroy the world. The ponies, dragons, everything, he plans on leaving nothing left breathing.”

“So you ran away from it all to hide back among the dragons. How very brave of you,” Slitilda said sarcastically.

“I’m not here to hide!” he said, “I’m here to get help.”

“From who, the dragons?” she asked, Spike nodded. Slitilda started to break down into a fit of uncontrollable snickers, as she her back slide down the wall in her fit. “That’s priceless! I can’t figure out if you’re really that naïve, or just plain stupid!”

“How is it stupid?”

“Because you think that they’re going to listen to some ponylover!” she laughed. “The second you ask for help to defend the ponies, you’re going to get laughed out of Volcanna. Maybe even banished.”

“I figured…” mumbled Spike. “But, what if I told you that Curator was involved?”

Slitilda’s laughter immediately stopped at the mention of the alicorn’s name. “What did you say?”

“Curator, he’s behind all of this.”

The dragoness shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible, he died thousands of years ago when he went insane or something.”

“He did. Well, he went insane anyway,” said Spike. “The princesses have had him imprisoned for thousands of years, and now he’s out to bring the end of the world. And that includes the dragons.”

“So, this Conquest guy, he’s actually Curator from the dragon wars?”

“Correct.”

“Well…” droned the bronze dragoness, “That hardly changes anything. We’ll just wait for him to attack here. If we’re lucky, he’ll kill all the ponies and we can retake Equestria!”

“What?! No, that’s not what I meant!” shouted Spike, but Slitilda quickly broke free of his hold, and pinned him against the wall.

“Then what did you expect?” she asked, her brown lips inches away from his. He could feel her hot breath pound against his face with every word. “I’ll admit you might have a bit of a case with you Spike, but with no proof, no one to back you up, they’ll laugh you out. Pin you as mad,” she smiled. “But if you were to have some other dragon to help testify for you….”

Spike didn’t like where this was going. “What do you want?” he sighed.

“Now what makes you think that I wouldn’t help you out for free?” she asked sarcastically. “It’s not like there is anything you have that I want.”

“Just tell me what you want, Slitilda,” he groaned.

“So forward, just like I remember,” she chuckled, pressing up closer to him, her bust squishing against his chest as he felt pressure in all the wrong places. “I want you, Spike.”

“Out of the question, I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Sleep with me? Your mind is so dirty Spike,” she giggled, “and I don’t feel like having eggs just yet. No, all I want is a kiss. Just a kiss.

“What?”

“Just a little taste of those sweet lips of yours, that’s all I want,” she said looking sexily into his eyes.

And Spike looked back. As much as he hated to admit it, Slitilda did have some very desirable qualities: her shapely body, those glowing red scales, and her sapphire eyes that reminded her so much of-

“Rarity.”

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t do this,” mumbled Spike, shoving the dragoness off of him. “I’ll face them alone if I have to. Maybe I get laughed at and they throw me out, but I will never do that,” he said, walking away and out of the alley.

She quickly dashed in front of him, cutting off his path. “If you love her so much, you’d do anything to save her, wouldn’t you?”

Spike scrunched his face up. “Yeah, of course.”

“So, wouldn’t not kissing me be a bad thing?” she asked. “Without the dragons to protect your precious little pony, won’t she die?”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“Then you’ll kiss me.”

“I’m not kissing you!”

“Spike!” she cooed, wrapping her arms around Spike’s waist, trapping his arms in her hold. “I’m trying to help you. By kissing me, you will be saving her.”

“By kissing you, I will be cheating her,” he retorted, but his voice was losing its edge.

“It’s just a kiss,” she said softly, her voice coursing through his body like a warm summer breeze. It was almost hypnotic, the way her body felt against his, the slow drag of her claws down his back that sent pleasurable shivers down his side. The sparkle in her eyes, like a thousand glittering stars all contained in her colourful blue irises.

“Just one kiss? To save Rarity?”

The burning temptations in her eyes were clear, her heart was thumping loudly, as was his. His eyes grew heavy, the weight of the world on them. His claws were trembling, a mixture of fear and forbidden excitement and arousal. His lips were soft, as he pressed them against the dragoness’.

She tasted just as he remembered her. Bitter like rocks and spicy like fire. It was a strange taste that only a dragon could love. And a taste that he was ashamed to admit that he missed.

They lingered a bit, the kiss lasting much longer than it should have and when they finally parted, Spike’s face was completely red.

“What’s a matter?” she cooed, stroking back his scales. “Dragon got your tongue?”

“That was…” Spike didn’t know what to think. “Just…it was just…”

“Perfect? Astounding? Sexually exhilarating?” she laughed. “I’ll take any or all.”

The drake slid down the wall. The guilt that started to build up inside of him was excruciating, tearing up his insides like a pack of rabid dogs. Not because he kissed another dragon--his ex-girlfriend in fact--but rather it was something much worse that tormented his soul.

He had enjoyed it.

He had not only betrayed Rarity, but he had taken pleasure in the act. Was it the way Slitilda had done it that made him feel so dirty, blackmailing him into it? He couldn’t put a claw on it, all he knew was that his heart was punishing him for what he had done.

“What’s the matter?” the bronze dragon asked smugly. “Enjoyed it a little too much?”

“We shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered.

“Why? Afraid that your mare will find out?” she smiled, “Or afraid that deep inside you finally realized that like it or not, you’re a dragon. Not a pony. The sooner you figure that out the better, Spike. A kiss from your pony will never be as hot as a kiss from your own kind. It’s just natural to love me more than that fluff ball back in Equestria.”

She walked out of the alley, leaving Spike alone with his thoughts.

“I am a dragon,” he groaned. “A stupid, stupid dragon that’s in love with a pony. A stupid, stupid dragon that’s in love with a pony and had just broken that pony’s trust by cheating on her. And I highly doubt that Conquest had anything to do with this one,” he muttered, remembering the Luna incident.

“What? Something I didn’t have anything to do with? That doesn’t sound like me.”

The purple drake glanced up to his side, seeing the all too familiar Conquest grinning down at him, leaning casually against the wall of the alley.

“It takes pride and effort to make your life a living hell Spike, and it pains me to see someone else beat me to the punch!”
“Go away Conquest, I’m not in the mood for this,” mumbled the dragon.

“But I am,” the alicorn said. “Now, tell me who this remarkably wonderful dragon is, I simply must get her name.”

“Her name is Slitilda, she’s a…” Spike hesitated, realizing it’d be best to keep the insane pony in the dark on this one.

“Ex-lover of yours?” Apparently he could see in the dark. “Or did you not take it that far?”

Spike sighed, “It never got more than puppy love, we never did it and we never will.”

“Is that sadness I hear in your voice?” the surprised alicorn said, a great big happy smile plastered on his face. “Are we having second thoughts about Rarity?”

“Never!” shouted the dragon. “I love her, and even if I didn’t me and Slitilda could never work together.”

“Could never work? Or didn’t want to work?” the alicorn grinned. “I smell a story. Would you care to share?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on Spike, don’t be such a buzz kill. I shared my story, now you share yours.”

“I’m not telling it to ya,” Spike grumbled.

“You don’t have to tell me, Dragon. I’m already in your mind,” snickered Conquest. “See, your mind is like a labyrinth, but I am never lost. Each time you think, it lights the path to a new memory! All I have to do is follow it.” The pony disappeared in a puff of black smoke just as Slitilda walked back into the ally.

“Hey, are you coming or what?” she asked.

Spike pulled himself up from the ground, “Yeah I’m coming,” he mumbled as he and the other dragon made their way back into the center of town, where the other gang of drakes were waiting.

“What the hell took so long?” asked Dust Devil as the two dragons approached them.

Slitilda was the first to respond. “Oh we just had a little argument about me using Spiky’s old nickname” she grinned “But we soon kissed and made up.”

Spike almost gagged at the word kiss. “Yeah, metaphorically speaking.”

“Sooooooo, your nickname is Ponylover?” wondered Bitterbite, “How’d you get that name? Irony?”

“Something like that,” he mumbled, “But it’s just a nickname, that’s it. She calls me Ponylover, I call her Crazy Psychotic bitch. The world keeps turning.”

“Watch it, PONYlover,” growled Slitilda, the subliminal message clear to not push it.

“Fine, whatever.”

Lurch looked at the two curiously. “Are you two sure your all right?”

“PERFECT!” shouted Spike, yelling right into the large dragon’s face. “So can we just drop it?”

“Whatever you say,” the symmetrical dragon said.

“Thank you,” the purple drake mumbled. “Now where do we have to go next?”

“Main Cave,” said Glimmer. “We have to pick up some captured livestock for the hatchery.”

“What’s a Main Cave?”

“It’s were the majority of the food is kept, under the watchful eyes of the Elder dragons.”

“Wait,” said Spike, “do you mean like the leaders of the dragons?”

“Well, yeah but we usually just grab the food and-“

“And would one be able to get an audience with them?” asked Spike.

“Not likely,” said Bitterbite. “They usually keep to themselves, only going out to hunt or to pass judgement on someone who broke Gaia’s law. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, just curious is all.”

The dragons left it at that as they followed Bitterbite to the Main Cave, a large cave that had an icy blue boulder dragon standing in the way.

“State your business, little ones,” he bellowed.

“We’re here for the Hatchery’s share of the livestock” said Dust Devil, flying up to eye level of the massive drake. “So let us in!”

“Watch your tongue, sky drake” the boulder dragon mumbled, “lest I devour you!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Dust Devil taunted.

The giant dragon’s tongue shot out of his mouth and towards the flying drake. Dust Devil anticipated this, swiftly dodging the sticky tongue.

“You’re too slow!” Dust teased, sticking his own tongue at the dragon, but he was unaware of the second tongue that shot out of the dragons mouth, this one latching around his ankle and dragging him into the icy blue dragon’s gullet.

Dust was swished around a bit before he was spit out, covered in a thick layer of dragon’s drool.

“Too salty to eat,” the giant drake muttered, as he waddled out of the way of the entrance. “You may enter, the cows and goats are in the back and the chickens, fish and rodents are to the left.”

“Thanks,” smiled Bitterbite as they all entered the Main Cave, Dust Devil muttering something about smelling like fish.
The cave building was gigantic, like a small city within the city. Small doors were sculpted into the walls that led to other room, each had a sign over it, saying things like “Cattle” or “Chickens” or “Squirrels” carved into the wood.

“All right everyone, listen up!” ordered Glimmer, as Lurch and Dust Devil fell into attention, Spike and Slitilda looking at them with odd. “Lurch, I need you to grab two cattle. Dust, hustle up some chickens, me and Bitter are going to see what they have for pigs.”

“What about me?” asked Spike.

Glimmer pulled out some flimsy looking pieces of paper from within her scales. “You and Slitilda can go take these to the geek.”

“The geek?”

“Glimmer, don’t be mean,” tsked Bitterbite. “She means Bookworm. He’s down the hall and to the right, next to the meeting pit.”

“Got it,” Spike said as he and Slitilda walked down the hall away from the others, heading into the room labeled ‘Library’.”

“Dragons have libraries?”

“We’re not all stupid like you,” muttered the dragoness as she started to push through the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her back.

“To give these to Bookworm…” she said, frowning her face.

“No you’re not,” scowled Spike, “we’re going to find the Elders and convince them to help Equestria.” He smiled. “We have a deal, remember?”

“How could I forget?” giggled the bronze dragoness as Spike pulled her down the hall, and to a large golden gate built into the back wall of the cavern. The words “Meeting Pit” was scratched into the gold.

“Is this the place?” Spike asked.

“Yeppers, the elders are in there, but I must say again that you are completely crazy for doing this.”

“Trust me,” Spike said as he pushed the golden gates open, and walked inside. “I personally know crazy, and I don’t have his smile.”

The doors closed behind the two dragons, slamming shut and leaving them in the dark.

Spike could hear Slitilda sigh, “This is so not worth just a kiss.”

They two of them walked deeper into the darkness, neither knew what they were supposed to be looking for. It wasn’t until they reached what seemed like the center of the room that they had any sort of inclination that there was someone or something else here.

“WHO ENTERS THE PIT?” a female voice called from the shadow.

“STATE YOUR NAMES AND YOUR BUSINESS, LITTLE ONES!” an even louder male voice boomed.

“Sp-Spike,” he managed to stutter, “and this is Slitilda. W-We wish to have an audience with the Elders.”

“REALLY?” a second male voice asked, “AND WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS SO IMPORTANT?”

“It’s about the safety of the world. An evil threat has reawaken!”

There was a thunderous laughter from the dragons in the darkness. “HE MUST BE MAD TO THINK THAT ANYTHING COULD THREATEN A DRAGON!”

This was it, the moment that he would make it or breaks it for him. He took a deep breath as he finally yelled, “It’s Curator!”

The laughter immediately stopped, hushed whispers replaced them. “Does he speak the truth?”

“Of course not, Curator’s been dead for years.”

“But, he was an alicorn.”

“That means nothing!”

“Should we at least let him speak?”

“And let him infect us with lies and fairy tales? Don’t make me laugh”

“Some humor would do you good, brother.”

“Both of you, stop it. You’re acting like whelps”

“We should at least here what he has to say.”

One of the voices grumbled, “Very well, LIGHTS!”

The entire cave lit up in a glorious yellow flame, illuminating the cavern, and revealing five towering dragons.

“By the goddess…” gasped Spike as he looked at the elders.

He thought that Baba D or his mother were big, but these dragons were the size of skyscrapers. The one on the far left was a Boulder dragon. He was a light grey, and he must have been at least three hundred feet in length, and width. Beside him was what looked like a female Skyrin. The shortest of the five, she still looked to be about two hundred fifty feet tall, and was a lime shade of green with an electric yellow underbelly. On the other side, on the far right, was a deep blue Earth dragon with pale white eyes and next to him was a red Cloud Dragon. She looked like she stretched out to be about six hundred feet in length.

But, it was the dragon in the center that really stood out; a humongous green and yellow Fire dragon. The tallest at eight hundred feet, his head stretched to the top of the ceiling, and every bit of his body seemed to pulse with unimaginable power. The large green looked down at him, sizing up the small dragon.

“Do you know who I am?” the green dragon bellowed. “I am Inferno, ruler of the dragons, Gaia’s first born son (May her soul rest in the earth) and head of this council of Elders!” he shouted, “And my time is very precious, so do not waste it.”

“Brother,” the Earth dragon said, “you’re overwhelming him. Try being a little calmer. We had a talk about this, didn’t we?”

“I will act as I please, Rockjaw,” sneered Inferno. “It is you who must learn his place.”

The Rockmouth seemed to ignore his sibling as he redirected his attention to Spike. “So tell us Spike, is it true? Has Curator really returned?”

The purple drake nodded. “He has, and he is enlisting an army in the Wastelands. We already know that he has the griffons, minotaurs, and the changelings with him, along with possibly any other race that he has been able to get his hooves on.”

“Has he made a threat against Volcanna or the Badlands?” asked the cloud dragon.

“Not that that I know of, but if history has any indicator of what he can do, we need to deal with him as soon as possible,” smiled Spike. His plan was working way better than he had imagined.

“Where is he to strike first?” the Sky dragoness asked.

“Canterlot.”

“Canterlot?!” roared Inferno. “Curator’s attacking Canterlot? Why would he attack his own kind? I thought this was a threat against Volcanna.”

“It is! But the thing that’s attacking Canterlot is Curator, but it’s also not him at the same time.”

“Speak clearly, whelp! Is it Curator or isn’t it?”

“It is Curator, but he’s been possessed or something,” Spike explained. “Look, it’s not important. What is important is that we get to Canterlot and stop him before it gets out of control!”

“Why so eager to protect the ponies, Spike?” Inferno questioned. “How exactly do you know about all this anyway?”

“Because he’s a ponylover.”

All the attention was turned to the dragon who spoke.

“He wants to protect some stupid mare that he fancies, so he thought he could trick you all into sending dragons to die for them,” said Slitilda.

Spike felt his body get hot and his bones getting shaky. He leaned up to Slitilda’s ear. “What the hell are you doing? We had a deal,” he whispered.

The dragoness gave a little giggle. “Yeah, I sort of lied. It’s just so much fun to watch you squirm.”

“Spike, is this true?” asked Rockjaw.

“Of course not!” the drake tried to explain. “You got it all wrong. He’s going to destroy everything! After he conquers Equestria he’s going to come after Badlands!”

“So you deny loving a pony?” the cloud dragon said.

“……Yes,” he gulped.

“Then prove it,” grumbled Inferno. “If you really care about our kind, you will show that dragoness beside you affection.”

“What?!”

“Yeah Spiky,” Slitilda cooed, becoming very interested in the new conversation. “Show me how much you looooove me.”

“But we’re not even together!” the purple drake said desperately.

“We don’t care. This is just to prove that you do not love one of those vile ponies.”

Spike sighed as he managed a smile, gritting his teeth to keep the fake grin up as he turned towards his ex. “Oh Slitilda, you are so very….. lovely and your….. eyes are so …… beautiful. Everything about you makes me want to…… makes me want to……”

“Yes, lover?” she asked hotly. “I’m waiting.”

The purple dragon swallowed what was left of his pride. “Makes me want to just ravage you…” he nearly gagged at that last part.

“I’m flattered,” Slitilda said, smiling at the pain the dragon was in. “Come ‘ere!” She grabbed the dragon by the neck and pressed her lips into his.

It tasted much worse than the last time, much dirtier. Where there used to be a spicy taste of fire, there was just the taste of slime. The feelings of a disturbing pleasure were replaced with a sense of hatred. This dragon had screwed him over, lied to get pleasure, and she was doing it again, and for what? Was this some sort of revenge for the break-up? Had she really taken it that badly?

He pulled away from the dragon. “No, I’m can’t do this.”

“Do what, Spiky?” cooed Slitilda.

“You don’t get to call me that!” he yelled, causing the dragoness to jump back. “There’s only one mare that gets to call me that, and you aren’t her!”

“One mare?” wondered Inferno. “So you are a ponylover?”

Spike stared up at the Elders, the look in their eyes saying everything. He had been had. The only thing he could do now was tell the truth.

“My name is Spike,” he began. “Just Spike. I don’t have a fancy dragon name because I wasn’t born in Volcanna or anywhere in the Badlands. I was hatched by the Princess Celestia, queen of the ponies after my mother, Nightfire, was killed by a mad alicorn named Conquest. I lived my entire life with a purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and work as her assistant in a library. When I was seven years old, I fell in love with a unicorn.”

He took a deep breath as he continued. “Her name was Rarity, she is the kindest, generous, most beautiful pony I have ever seen. From the moment I saw her, I knew that there would never be another creature on this planet that I would love. The others said that it was just a crush, something that would go away with time but it never did. I still loved her.”

Now came the painful memories. “A few years ago, when I was fifteen years old, Twilight thought I was old enough to fly to the Badlands and try to reconnect with my own kind. I didn’t want to go cause the last time I tried something like this the experience was less than desirable. However, Twilight can be a bit stubborn, and very insistent. I said goodbye to my friends and I could have sworn that Rarity was crying as I left. I flew to across the ocean, and landed in a small settlement called Burntwood. That’s where I met Slitilda.”

“Spike stop,” growled Slitilda.

But he didn’t. “She was the only dragon that actually would talk to me. Everyone else avoided me like I had some sort of disease. But not her, not Slitilda. She didn’t care that I had lived with ponies my whole life, she was a good caring dragon. And for a while, I thought that maybe there was something there.”

“I said stop!” she yelled, her eyes starting to get red and puffy.

“It was this one evening, during the sunset, she invited me to go and watch it on one of nearby cliffs. I decided that there wasn’t any harm in seeing the sunset, so I went with her. The sunset was beautiful and she was even more so. Her scales glittered in the glow of the sun as our tails intertwined with each other. Our bodies scooted closer together as I wrapped my arm around her. We shared are first and only kiss that night.”

Slitilda’s eyes were full of tears as he continued. “The next day I woke up next to her on that field, for a few moments, I was happy. Then she reached over to embrace me, her hands were a little too frisky as she accidently reached into a few of my loose scales that I like to keep things in, and she pulled out a picture I’ve always kept on me. It was a picture of Rarity. Things got worse as she started to ask who this was, and why I had a picture of a pony in my scales. I tried to explain but she didn’t listen. She asked me if I loved her, and I told her-“

“Yes,” the now crying dragoness whimpered. “You loved a pony over your own kind, Spike. Because apparently I wasn’t good enough for you!”

“That’s not what mea-“

“SHUT UP!” she cried. “You were so hypnotized over this furry siren, you were completely ignorant of the fact that I loved you!” Tears were pouring down her face. “I loved you and you didn’t even care!”

“That’s not true!” retorted Spike, “I did care, I’ve always cared! I wish I could love you, but I just can’t.”

“That’s right Spike,” she screeched. “You can’t love. And I hope you and all the ponies burn!” she roared as she unfolded her wings, taking flight, leaving the room in a fiery rage and a trail of tears.

It was dead quiet. Nobody said a word, until finally Rockjaw gave a cough to break the silence.

“That was a very moving story,” the earth dragon said, “but I think you got a little side-tracked. You were saying something about a threat?”

“Right,” said Spike. “Anyways, a few weeks ago, I had just finally proclaimed my love to Rarity, the pony that I love, but the next day, I got the call. I was rushed to Canterlot because a threat had been made against it. The Princesses told me about a prophecy that one of their siblings would rise to destroy the world, and the only one that could stop him is a dragon. This alicorn is none other than Curator, but he’s gone insane, possessed by what I believe is a demon named Conquest. Conquest threatens everything in existence. He doesn’t want to rule us or enslave us, he wants to kill everything!”

“And that is why you are here?” asked Inferno. “To recruit us to stop this Conquest?”

“That is correct.”

“Well Spike,” said the large green dragon, for the first time actually smiling, “I thank you for this information. If it proves to be true, when Conquest enters the Badlands, I will personally rip him to shreds.”

“Wait, when he gets the to the Badlands?” Spike asked. “You mean that you’re not going to help?”

“Why would I help?” he laughed. “I hate the ponies! This is going to kill two birds with one stone. Conquest will kill the ponies, I will kill Conquest, then I will take Equestria back to for the dragons!”

Spike was stunned. “You can’t do that!”

“I just did,” he smirked, “now leave. I have a war to wait for.”

The room went dark, leaving Spike alone in the shadowy blackness.

“Are you kidding?!” he yelled. “After all I’ve done, I get nothing?!” He stormed out, turning around to face the shadows before leaving. “He killed my mother, you bastards!”

He pushed open the golden doors, finding four familiar dragons standing outside, waiting for him.

“That was quite the speech, ponylover,” said Glimmer.

“You heard that, huh?” asked Spike, giving a little chuckle at the situation. “Bet you think that I’m some sort of freak.”

“Kinda,” admitted Lurch, “but I’ve seen worse. I mean, look at Crackle.”

“And I guess I know where you’re coming from,” said Bitterbite, putting a claw around the bronze cloudweaver’s shoulder. “I would do anything to protect Glimmer.”

“And if this Conquest guy really killed your mom, well, I know I’d want to kill him,” admitted Dust Devil.

Spike smiled. It was amazing that these dragons were so understanding to his situation. Maybe it was because like him, they were all orphans, never really knowing a mother, and truly understanding what it is to love. “I’m glad that you’re so understanding of my situation,” he sighed, “but I think it’s time for me to go home. I miss my mare, and the war’s going to be here soon.”

“Cool,” said Dust Devil. “So when do we leave?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, we’re coming with you” said Lurch. “We look after our own.”

“I’m touched,” smiled Spike, “but I can’t let you guys risk your lives for this.”

“And risking the entire species was okay?” chuckled Glimmer. “Face it Spike, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with us.”

“You really want to do this?” he asked. “It’s going to be dangerous and there’s a good chance we’ll all die.”

“We all have to die,” laughed Bitterbite. “Why not go down in screaming glory?”

The purple drake let out a breathless sigh. “All right, let’s go!”

The Reveal

“It’s not about the pain or the suffering of the ponies.
It’s all about sending them a message”

~DawnStar

“Sister, are you in here?” Luna asked as she pushed the doors open to the sun goddess’s room.

“Yes I am,” Celestia responded. She was sitting on her sofa as she read her book, placing it down as she got up. “I’m actually glad you’re here, I was going to get someone to call you.” She walked over to her sister. “We need to talk.”

The night mare sighed. “It’s about Conquest, isn’t it?” The sun mare nodded as Luna sighed again. “I know that, it’s why I’m here. I want you to know that I will do whatever is necessary to stop him! I will-“

“Luna,” said Celestia, cutting her younger sibling off. “I know what you are feeling. I know that you love him, and I will not have you do something that you do not wish to do. Besides, that is not what I want to talk about.”

“Then, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

“I wanted to tell you that it’s okay,” she said, putting a hoof on the dark mare’s shoulder. “The way I acted a few days ago, how I yelled at you, it was uncalled for. I know the power of love, Luna, and it can make fools of us all.”

The blue princess grabbed her sister in a hug. “I’m such a screw up, aren’t I?” she muttered.

“Don’t talk like that Luna, you are not a screw up. You had no idea how powerful he was, neither of us did. If anything, I screwed up.”

“Let’s just say that we both screwed up,” smiled Luna, lifting the chin of her sister.

Celestia let a little giggle slip as a tear rolled down her face. “How did I get blessed with such a forgiving sister?”

The two shared the moment, all the past anger leaving. They would need to banish this hatred if they were to ever stand a chance of defeating their brother.

“Do you think we can stop him?” asked Luna, not breaking the embrace.

“I hope so,” whispered Celestia, “I really do.”

“Do you think that we can save him?”

“Save Curator?” wondered Celestia. “I don’t know, I would again hope so, but he is so far gone sister, the last time I saw him, he was a shadow of his formal self. I fear that what’s left of Curator is gone. All that remains in that monster.”

“Then we’ll make him pay,” the night mare silently sobbed. “I’ll make him pay for killing my brother, and my love.”

“Now, sister remember,” said the sun goddess quietly, “we cannot let our need for vengeance overpower our thoughts, that’s how we got in this predicament.”

“I guess you’re right,” Luna sighed.

BA-ROOOOOOOOM!!!!

“What was that, Celestia?” asked Luna, her sister letting her go and walking outside to her balcony.

“They’re here,” she smiled.

“Who, Conquest? But he’s not supposed to get here for another two days.”

“It’s not him,” the sun goddess said. “It’s our reinforcements.”

Luna curiously walked up to the balcony next to her sister and gazed in awe at the massive sea of soldier making their way to the castle. The first platoon was composed on zebras; the exotic black and white warriors were clad in strange looking armor, similar to Canterlot guard armour, but were silver and highly decorated with feathers, bones and war paint. Each of the zebras was armed with barbed spears, and intimidating looking shields, which were designed to look like faces.

Following closely behind them were the mules and donkeys. Each of the rugged looking creatures wore a camouflage helmet, and had were pulling carts of what looked like strange machinery.

Bringing up the rear was a herd of buffalos. The biggest of the three, the bison were already clad in their war paint and feathers. The sound of their hooves could he heard from miles away.

“So they’re all here,” sighed Celestia. “I hope it is enough.”

“It must be,” said Luna, as she watched the oncoming army settle into the courtyard. The guard ponies making room for the new soldier. “For all of our sakes, they must.”

Her sister nodded in agreement as they took flight. The two alicorns floated down and landed in the middle of the courtyard to greet the new coming army. As if on cue, a zebra, a mule, and a large buffalo broke from their respective groups and walked up to the princesses.

“General Zook Hoof,” bowed Celestia. “We are so glad that you were able to send forces in our time of need. We are forever in your debt.”

“Please Princess,” said the zebra general. “When you sent word of this threat, we assembled our tribes.” He looked back to the large mass of Zebras. “The twenty-six tribes of the Zebra haven’t banded together since the dragon wars.”

“And we were honoured to have your help then, as we do now,” said Luna. “And Major Cactus Water, we trust the trip from Mulitia wasn’t too taxing. It seems that you had to drag a lot of cargo with you.”

“Not in the slightest!” smiled Cactus Water. “What we brought with us isn’t just cargo, but innovation!”

“Innovation?”

The mule nodded. “Indeed! Innovation, technology, industry! What we have here could very well change the face of Equestria, possibly even the world as we know it!”

“Really?” asked Luna. “What does it do?”

“Can’t tell you that yet Princess!” he smiled nervously. “It’s not quite finished yet, but don’t worry, we will have it operational the day after tomorrow.”

“Good, we will most definitely need it,” said Celestia. She turned to the Buffalo. “And Chief Thunderhooves, it is so good to see you again.”

“It is,” the old bison said. “Do you mind if my herd sets up in the fields on the outside of the city? I know my buffalo would prefer the space.”

“Of course,” nodded the white princess. “Wherever you feel most comfortable, and that goes to all of you. Make yourselves at home.”

The three leaders nodded as they went back to their own tribes to set up camp.

“I hope that we can do this,” muttered Luna, as she and her sister started to walk away. “I hate that we had to drag everyone into this.”

“What choice did we have?” asked Celestia. “Spike was right, we need to band together. Conquest has been doing the same.”

“I wonder how he got so many followers?” wondered the night mare.

“He may be crazy, but Curator has always had a way with words, and the fact he can control minds doesn’t help,” said her sister. “I understand that the changelings were on board but I fear that Conquest must have done something to the griffons and the minotaurs.”

“But what?”

“It is not important,” said the sun goddess. “All that matters is that we can survive the next few days, and then we can help them.”

*****

“So this is Equestria, huh?” commented Dust Devil as the group of dragons flew to the shores of the mainland. “It’s a lot greener than I imagined it.”

“I’ll admit that it’s different from the Badlands, but it’s not so bad,” said Spike.

“All these colours are giving me a headache,” mumbled Glimmer. “Why does everything have to be so green and pink and yellow?”

“You’ll get used to it,” laughed Spike.

“Besides, you’re not the one who has to be carried all the way there!” complained Bitterbite. Having no wings, Lurch was forced to carry the brown drake, much to his disapproval. “Seriously, can we land for a bit? We’ve been flying for hours!”

“I agree,” groaned Lurch, “You’re not exactly fun to carry.”

“Hey, if I could fly, I would!” shouted the earth dragon. “And having to smell you all the time is no picnic.”

“This coming from the dragon that wallows around the mud all day,” the large round dragon moaned.

“Hey, it’s in my nature to burrow and dig,” defended Bitterbite. “Just like it’s in yours to eat everything in sight.”

Lurch snarled as he dropped the dragon. For a brief moment, Bitterbite gave a very un-masculine scream as he free fell towards the ground, but Dust Devil quickly snatched him up before he could fall very far.

“What the hell that about?!” yelled the angry earth dragon.

“Oh I’m sorry,” smiled the boulder dragon. “But dropping you is in my nature.”

“I could have died!”

“WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” screeched Glimmer, “You’re going to give me a migraine!”

“Tell me about it,” muttered Dust Devil. He looked to Spike. “How much longer?”

Spike looked back at the sky drake and smiled. “Yeah, we’re here. Do you see that castle up ahead?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s Canterlot Castle,” the purple drake said, pointing to the castle on the side of the mountain. “Capital of the ponies. Now before we get there, I think I should explain a few things.”

“We’re listening,” said Glimmer.

“Well, the first thing you should be aware of is that ponies don’t see dragons all that often, so don’t be offended if you receive a less than warm welcome.”

Lurch snickered. “As long as they don’t try and eat us, I think that we’ll be okay.”

“That’s the other thing,” grunted Spike. “For the love of the goddess, don’t eat anypony. In fact, don’t eat any meat whatsoever.”

“What?!” screamed the round dragon. “What are we supposed to eat?”

“Trust me,” chuckled Spike. “We’ll find something for you to eat.”

“Anything else we need to know?” muttered Glimmer.

“Yeah, just try and remain calm and enjoy yourselves,” smiled Spike as they got really close to the castle.

“Hey, if there is one thing that I am,” grinned Dust Devil, “it’s calm.”

They finally reached the outer walls of Canterlot Castle. The ponies had reacted a lot better than he had expected, whether it was because they were with him or because of some other reason. The guards didn’t attack and they were all able to land in the courtyard safely.

“Well, so far so good,” Spike thought, “No big fumbles yet, the ponies are staying calm, and the dragons aren’t feeling provoked. Maybe I’m worrying too much.” Spike and the other dragons entered the halls, where they saw six familiar mares walking in the throne room.

“Well, if it isn’t my six lovely ladies!” laughed Spike, alerting the mares to his presence.

Of course, Rarity was the first to react. “SPIKE!” she cried lovingly as she ran towards the purple drake.

Spike smiled as his love ran towards him. Time seemed to slow down as she approached, capturing every fraction of the magical moment as the white mare jumped into his arms and locking him in a passionate kiss. The force of the kiss caused Spike to fall to the ground as they continued to make out in their loving embrace.

The unicorn finally sat up. “Don’t think that this gets you off the hook,” she smiled. “I’m still quite peeved about you leaving again. You’re going to have to really make it up to me this time.”

“Is that a challenge?” grinned the drake, sliding his claw down her back and rounding her flank.

“Ahem,” Bitterbite coughed, “Not to ruin this golden moment, but it’s not like there is anyone else here.”

“Oh my,” gasped Rarity, she hadn’t even noticed the other dragons until now. “You actually did it… You got the dragons to help us?”

“Well kind of…” shrugged Spike, “It’s really complicated. It’s not really important, although I believe introductions are in order. This is Bitterbite, Glimmer, Lurch and Dust Devil.”

“Those are weird names,” muttered Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, and what’s yours, pony?” asked the annoyed Dust Devil.

“Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all of Equestria!” she proudly boasted.

“Doubt it,” chuckled the sky drake.

“What do you mean by that?!” the rainbow maned pony snarled.

“All I’m saying is that a pony can’t be faster than a dragon,” he bragged
.
“Hey, I’ve beaten Spike in plenty of races! I’m the fastest thing in the sky!” she yelled.

“But you’ve never raced a Skyrin before,” Dust Devil chuckled. “Face it pony, you’re aerodynamically flawed.”

“I’ll make you eat those words,” she mumbled under her breath. “Why don’t you put your money where your big mouth is?”

“Bring it, grass muncher” smiled Dust. “Anytime, anywhere.”

“Right now,” she barked. “Thirty laps around Canterlot Mountain! Loser admits the other one is the fastest flier!” The rainbow pony spread her wings and took off, crashing through one of the stained glass windows.

“Hey, you cheated!” roared Dust as he followed her through the hole in the window.

“Umm, okay?” wondered Spike, turning to the remaining three dragons. “That was Rainbow Dash; she can be a bit of a hot head sometimes.”

“Didn’t notice,” smiled Glimmer, “I like her, and she seems cool for a pony.”

“Anyway,” said Spike, “This is my marefriend, Rarity.”

“Hello, it’s so nice to make your acquaintance,” the pampered mare said, raising a hoof up to shake.

“And the yellow and pink one is Fluttershy.”

“Hey there!” bellowed Lurch, extending a massive claw to the terrified pegasus.

“DON’T EAT ME!!!” she yelled, disappearing in a flash of dust and yellow feathers.

“… and there goes Fluttershy, faster than a rabbit on bath day,” sighed Applejack. “Don’t take it too personally; she’s mighty shy, especially around unfamiliar folks. Oh, I’m Applejack, by the way.”

“And I’m Pinkie Pie!” said the energetic pink pony, bouncing up and down with excitement. “Wow, I’ve never seen a dragon before! Well, actually that’s not true, I saw the great dragon migration, and I see Spike all the time, but this is the first time that I’ve seen another dragon that wasn’t Spike up close!”

“She likes talking, doesn’t she?” whispered Glimmer to Bitterbite, who gave a snicker in response.

“And I’m Twilight, nice to meet you.”

“Well now that we have everyone introduced,” Spike said, clapping his claws together, “would you like to see around the castle?”

“I guess?” shrugged Glimmer. “What do ponies do anyway?”

“Well, we make cupcakes!” pepped Pinkie. “Oh! Have you’ve ever had a cupcake before?”

“A what?” asked the foreign dragons.

“WHAT!?” the pink mare yelled. “How have you’ve never tried a cupcake before?” She zipped behind the dragons and started to push them down the hall. “Don’t worry, I’m great at making them and I’ll even show you how to make some!”

“Maybe afterwards, you could take them to the spa,” chuckled Rarity, still in the embrace of her dragon. “I’m sure that they’ll love that.”

“Yeah!” smiled Pinkie “You’ll love that! We’ll get you an oil massage and a hooficure and mud bath and and-“

“Mud baths?” Bitterbite asked excitedly. “They have those?”

“Oh yeah! And they’re great! You have to try one!”

The earth dragon turned to his girlfriend. “I think I like it here,” he grinned, as he, Lurch and Glimmer followed Pinkie and Applejack out of the hall, leaving Twilight alone with Rarity and Spike.

“I hope you don’t mind, dear,” said Rarity as she shuffled her hooves together, “but I would like some alone time with Spike, if that’s okay with you.”

The purple unicorn smiled. “Of course it is, you two love birds have a lot of catching up to do,” she said. “And speaking of catching up, I have some studying to do.” She walked out the opposite end of the hall.

Rarity quickly turned to her dragon, brushing a hoof through his green spines. “So…” she asked in a sultry voice, “where were we?”

“You were mad at me,” grinned the drake, flashing his white teeth.

“That’s right,” she cooed, giving him a playful nudge. “How on earth are you going to apologize this time?”

He hoisted up the mare, her back hooves wrapping around his ribs and her front hooves around his long neck. Spike gave her a kiss as he carried her to the door. “Don’t worry,” he said in between pecks, “I’ll think of something.”

*****

They were neck and neck, neither one of them willing to back down as Dust Devil and Rainbow Dash sped through their final few laps around Canterlot Mountain.

“You’re going down, pony!” taunted Dust as he started pulling ahead of the cyan pony. “I’ll admit you’re faster than I thought, but this race is mine!”

“We’ll see about that!” barked Rainbow back. “I haven’t even started trying yet!”

They finished their second-to-last lap. With only one lap remaining, Dust Devil was in the lead, it looked like he was going to win, though he was almost impressed with the pegasus’ speed and determination. Almost.

“It’s over, pony!” Dust yelled as he continued to slowly push ahead more as they made it halfway around the mountain.

“Yeah, it is,” the rainbow haired pony smiled as she made her move. Her feathery blue wings flapped furiously as she started flying faster and faster. She could feel the air break at the tip of her nose as she started to gain on Dust Devil. The dragon look bewildered as the pegasus started to inch ahead of him. “Time to kick it up a notch!”

“You can’t beat me, pony!” the black drake sneered, flapping as hard as he possibly could. “There is no way I’m losing to a pon-“

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

There was a colourful shockwave as Rainbow Das hit the sonic rainboom. The pegasus went skyrocketing ahead of the dragon, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. The dragon was caught in the multi-coloured explosion, and was blown out of the air. Dust Devil went hurtling down towards the castle, screaming as he crashed through one of the windows, bounced off the floor, and slamming into the wall.

The sky drake slowly peeled of the wall, leaving a large indent of his body in its place. “Oong…” he groaned, “what the hell was that?”

“That was the sonic rainboom!”

Dust Devil glanced up to see that the cyan mare was doing a victory dance over him. “Aww yeah, so who’s the fastest flyer in Equestria?” she asked staring smugly down at the dragon.

He let out a large sigh. “You are…” he mumbled.

“Damn straight!” she laughed. “And don’t you ever forget it!”

*****

“And this is the kitchen!” announced Pinkie Pie as they entered the castle’s massive kitchen. “This is where we make all sorts of delicious goodies and treats! Like cakes and muffins and pies and sweet tarts and scones and ice cream and cupcakes and doughnuts and pop tarts and fritters and funnel cakes and churros and chocolate and caramel and candy and lollipops and all cakes and muffins and pies and sweet tarts and scones and ice-“

“Pinkie!” interrupted Applejack. “Y’all started to repeat yourself.”

“Oops! Sorry but I get so excited when I talk about baking!” laughed the pink mare.

“No kidding,” muttered Lurch, “So when do we start eating?”

“First we have to mix the batter!” giggled Pinkie, as she pulled a large red mixing bowl from under the counter. “We’re going to need some milk, flour, a few eggs, and lots and lots of sugar!”

“Sugar?” asked Bitterbite. “What’s sugar?”

The pink pony laughed, “That’s funny! Everypony has tried sugar before, and it’s soooooo good!”

“We’re not ponies,” Glimmer said bluntly, “and we’ve never heard of sugar before, much less tried it.”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie gasped with disbelief. “You’re serious? Wow, then you must try some!” She ducked under the counter and pulled out a large white bag of the sweet crystals. “Here, try some!”

The three dragons stared at the white bag with curiosity. Slowly, Bitterbite bravely dipped his claw into the white powder, grabbing a pinch and sprinkling it in his mouth. His mouth puckered a bit from the overwhelming sweetness of the sugar. “Not bad, but I think I’ll stick to gems.”

The cloudweaver stared at her boyfriend “Now I have to try this.” She too dug into the bag and grabbed a handful of sugar and dumped it in her mouth. She immediately coughed it back up. “Too sweet! Too sweet!” she gagged, puffs of blue smoke emitting from her mouth. “It’s too swea- ah ah-CHOO!” a stream of blue mist blew out of her mouth as she fell backwards, landing on her back.

“Are y’all okay?” asked the concerned cowpony.

“I’ll be fine, but no offence, that stuff is way too sweet for my liking.”

“Well, I guess that just leaves me,” sighed Lurch as he took a bit of sugar in between his fingers, making sure to not take too much. He gulped as he stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucking the sugar off of it.

“So Lurch, what do you think?” asked Bitterbite.

“It’s…… it’s……” the pale blue drake tried to say. His eyes widened as his pupils expanded. Saliva started to drip down his mouth like a hungry dog as he eyed the bag of sugar. “It’s delicious.”

His tongue shot out of his mouth, wrapping around the bag and dragging it into his mouth with lightning speed, narrowly missing Pinkie’s hooves in the process. He pushed the pink mare aside as he dove head first into the cupboard that had the sugar in it.

“I guess he really likes it,” muttered Glimmer over the sounds of Lurch’s munching and slurping. “Though that dragon will eat basically anything.”

“More…..” echoed Lurch as he pulled out of the cupboard, his face covered in white powder and he had this crazy look in his eye. “More sugar…… more sugar!”

“Umm, all the sugar was in that cupboard, sugar cube,” the orange mare chuckled nervously.

“MORE SUGAR!!” roared Lurch as all three of his tongues shot out of his mouth and went into different directions. One wrapped around the fridge, another around the oven, and the third one around the terrified Applejack.

“What in tarnation?!” she yelled as Lurch pulled all three objects into his mouth. The dragon’s jaw disconnected as the oven was slowly devoured. “Somepony get me out of this thing!” she screamed.

Pinkie was frozen in fear, unable to move as Glimmer quickly slithered past the pony and drove her fist striagth into Lurch’s stomach.

“Ow!” she groaned, rubbing her injured claw. The oven had already sunk into his stomach, making it as hard as steel.

“Grab the tongue!” said Bitterbite, leaping onto the boulder dragon’s expanded head, and grabbing the tongue that bonded the earth pony. “Sorry buddy,” he said, as he bit the boulder dragon’s tongue.

“Augh!” groaned Lurch as he started to swallow the refrigerator. His grip around the pony loosened enough that she was able to slip away.

The pony panted for air as she slipped away from the dragon’s tongue. “What on earth has gotten into him?”

“I think he likes sugar a bit too much!” said Bitterbite, “Let’s get out of here; we just need to give him some time to get over it.”

“And how do y’all know that will work?”

“Because he did this the first time he tried rubies.”

“MORE SUGAR!!” roared the pale blue dragon, as he finished eating the fridge. The look in his eye showed that he was still delirious. His tongues shot out again, grabbing small appliances and food, pulling them into his mouth as he easily swallowed them. One of stray tongues shot towards the cowpony again.

“Not this time!” grunted the orange pony, ducking just in time to avoid the sticky appendage. However, while her head was able to avoid the tongue, her hat was not so lucky. “My hat!” she screamed as she watched it get whisked away from atop her head and into the mouth of the dragon.

“Leave it!” screamed Bitterbite, as he started to burrow trough the floor, ripping apart the tiles and disappearing down the hole. “It’s everybody for themselves!”

“MORE SUGAR!” moaned Lurch as he swallowed the hat and other various things in his mad search for more of the sweet powder.

“You crossed the line, cowboy,” hissed Applejack as she ran towards the frenzied dragon. “Nopony touches the bucking hat!” She leapt up into the air and into the dragon’s mouth, getting swallowed whole.

“AJ!” gasped Pinkie, who was still frozen with fear as she watched her friend get eaten. “WHYYYYY?!”

The large round dragon burped as all three of his tongues hung out of his mouth. His eyes started to return to normal as he started to stagger a bit. Suddenly, he started gag as he clenched his stomach. He let out a loud moan as he jerked around the room. He fell to his knees as the bottom of his mouth started to expand, filling up with something.

“Ooooo,” mumbled Lurch, “something ain’t sitting right in the- ACK!”

His jaw was pried open from the inside as a very slimy Applejack gasped for air. The cowpony threw her hat out of the mouth before she rolled out, panting over her near-death experience.

“I told y’all,” she moaned, rolling on the ground to pick up and placing her hat on her head. “Nopony touches the hat.”

*****

“So, are we doing another patrol again, Dragoon?” Bunsen asked. The clumsy purple pegasus had been reassigned away from Heart Shield due to him being incapable of tolerating her, but this new pony seemed nice enough, and for the past three days, the two had worked very well together.

“Yeppers!” the peppy blue unicorn said as they walked down the hallways. “We got to monitor the west wing, then make our way down to the throne room, then back again. Easy day, really!”

“Great!” smiled Bunsen, as the two started walking down the first hallway. The armoury was finally able to make a suit of armour in her size, and didn’t trip over as much. “I haven’t gone down this patrol since I was partnered with Heart Shield.”

“You never actually told me what happened with you two?” said Dragoon as they started their walk. “Do you mind if I ask?”

“He was very impatient” she groaned, pushing her glasses back on her face. “Plus there was that awkward moment…”

“Awkward moment?” the unicorn asked. “What awkward moment?”

Bunsen bit her lip as she looked away. “Nothing, forget I said anything.”

“Then why did you mention it?”

“It just sort of slipped okay!” she said, raising her voice a little. “Can we just drop it?”

“I guess,” he sighed, “I was just trying to make conversation.”

The two of them walked down the hall, the tension between the two ponies was so thick you could stick a knife in it. There had to be a way to loosen the mood, but how?

“So…” Bunsen finally said after what seemed like hours. “How does a pony get a name like Dragoon?”

The blue unicorn smiled, happy to have something to talk about. “Well actually, I was named after my great, great, great, great--you get the idea--great, great grandfather. His actual name was Thunder Clap, but after the great dragon war, he got the nickname ‘The Dragoon’ and it sort of stuck.”

“What did he do to get a name like that?” asked Bunsen, her own curiosity getting the better of her.

“Well, from what my mom use to tell me, great Gramps was just a private, and he and his platoon were supposed to cut through the needle woods of the Wasteland and flank one of their lava ponds,” began Dragoon. “It was a trap though, and they were attacked by Twistclaws, or Tornado dragons!”

“That’s terrible!”

“I know,” he agreed. “Mom said that they were these big scaly things, the top half were like a normal dragon bodies, but from the waist down they were all snake like, no legs, just a giant slithering tail. Anyways, Gramps and the platoon fought back against them, and in the end, they were victorious. But then Dragoon showed up….”

“Dragoon?”

“Dragoon, the elder of the tornado dragons. He wiped out the entire platoon, sucked them all in a tornado he conjured and flung them everywhere, but Gramps survived, and he stuck a spear right to the elders heart!”

“Oh my!”

“And that’s how Gramps got the name Dragoon, and that’s now I got mine. Interesting story, right?”

“Wouldn’t that mean you were named after the dead dragon, not your grandfather?”

“Well--but--” the unicorn tried to say but he stopped mid-sentence. “I never really thought of it that way before…”

“Fresh perspective,” giggled Bunsen as they approached the large doors of the throne room. “So we just need to check on the inside and then just head back?”

“That’s right!” said Dragoon. “Just a quick in and out.” He opened the door and walked inside, Bunsen following behind him.

“Oh, hello my little ponies,” Princess Celestia said. She was sitting on her throne, levitating a small book. “On patrol, are we?”

“P-p-princess Celestia!” Bunsen gasped, immediately bowing in the presence of the sun goddess.

“How adorable,” she giggled. “There is no need to bow, Bunsen.”

“Y-you know my name?”

“Of course,” the white alicorn smiled, “I know the names of everypony in Equestria.”

“Oh… Of course,” she said, admittedly a little disappointed.

“We’re just quickly checking in,” said Dragoon. “You know, making sure that everything is okay in here.”

“Everything is fine, Dragoon,” the princess smiled. “Thank you for checking on me.”

“‘Tis a pleasure!” said the violet pegasus a little too loudly, she quickly covered her mouth from her outburst. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Now run along, you two.”

“You heard her B, let’s go,” said the blue unicorn as he turned to the door.

“Actually,” the princess said, “could I by chance steal Bunsen for a bit?”

“O-of course, princess,” gasped Bunsen, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red as she turned to Dragoon. “What did I do wrong?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Don’t know, but this is either really good…” He walked out the door. “…Or really bad.”

The door shut behind him, leaving her alone with the princess.

“S-s-s-so, what do you need me for?” the nervous mare asked as the princess walked up for her.

“I’m just curious about one of my subjects,” the tall white mare said, lowering her head down to Bunsen’s level. “Very curious.”

“Princess?” asked Bunsen, the sun goddess getting closer to her. The sun mare placed a hoof gently on her cute little nose.

“Please,” Celestia smiled, giving her half-closed bedroom eyes, “call me Tia.”

The Proposal

I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During these fits of absolute unconsciousness, I drank - God only knows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the insanity to the drink, rather than the drink to the insanity.

~Theatre Pony 66

It was nighttime, and Spike laid awake in his bed, the beautiful mare of his dreams curled up next to him. He wanted to sleep, goddess knew that he needed it. Tomorrow would be his last day before the proverbial crap hit the preverbal fan. But he just couldn’t close his eyes; his thoughts wouldn’t let him.

“Why did I kiss her?” he thought, “I should have known that she would have pulled something like that!” The dragon sighed as he looked down at the white unicorn sleeping next to him, using his chest as a pillow. She was perfect, too good for him. How on earth was he able to get a girl like her? He was scum and she was a goddess. He didn’t deserve her…

He carefully lifted the mare’s head off his chest and too his side. The gentle rhythm of her soft snoring was soothing as he carefully got out of the bed, doing his best to not disturb Rarity as he crept towards the door.

“Mmm, Spike…..” Spike froze as the sleepy mare slowly opened her eyes. “What are you doing?” she yawned. “It’s late, come back to bed.”

“I just need to get some air,” he whispered. “Have to clear my head of a few things.”

“Well, come back soon,” she mumbled. “The bed is cold without you.”

“Will do honey,” the dragon said, leaning into the mare and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” the mare said, smiling as she closed her eyes and quickly drifting to sleep.

With the white mare asleep, the dragon silently slipped out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. He walked down the quiet halls of the castle, thinking of what he should do about his predicament.

“Should I tell her?” he thought. “That would be the right thing to do, right?”

“Do you think they’ll notice?”

There was someone else in the halls. Going a little out of character, he slowly crept to the voices and peeked around the corner, seeing a brown and bronze dragon leaning in the hallway.

“What, that Lurch ate the entire kitchen?” laughed Glimmer. “If the pink one hasn’t ratted us out yet, I’m sure someone is going to notice eventually.”

“Ah, horse crap,” the dragoness muttered. “So what should we do?”

“Well it’s quite obvious what we need to do” smiled the earth dragon. “We need to eat Pinkie Pie.”

Spike heart jumped, as he choked back a gasp. Did he say what he thought he said?

“Now Bitter, don’t say things like that,” chuckled Glimmer. “You’re going to give Spike a heart attack.”

Wait, what?

“Spike, we know you’re there,” said Bitterbite, “and no, we haven’t eaten anypony, though we can’t say the same for Lurch.”

“What?!” asked Spike as he came around the corner. “Who did he eat?”

“I think her name was Applejack, the orange one with the hat.”

“Oh goddess no!” yelped Spike.

“Relax, she crawled out,” said Bitterbite, calming the purple drake down, “It’s actually a funny story. You see Pinkie was showing us how to bake cupcakes, and we’ve never had sugar before…”

“And he had an overreaction,” finished Glimmer. “The guy has three tongues, so all taste is tripled for him.”
“So he tried to eat my friend?”

“He ate the kitchen first. Seriously, there is nothing Lurch can’t eat,” laughed Bitterbite.

“Well, as long as everyone is okay,” sighed Spike. “You guys have a room for tonight?”

“Nah, were just going to lie in the grass,” smiled the earth drake, putting a claw around the dragoness’s shoulder.

“How romantic,” grinned Spike. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Later Spike,” winked Glimmer as the two dragons left hand in hand.

“Why can’t it be that easy?” he muttered to himself, continuing down the hall. “I mean, I did what I thought was right, Rarity can’t hate me for trying to protect her, even if what I did was dirty.” He realized that he was speaking out loud, and quickly shut his mouth.“I was trying to protect her, protect her by making out with someone else.” He groaned in his mind.“This sucks, what the hell am I going to do?”

“For the last time, I didn’t cheat!”

Another arguing couple, was anyone asleep?

“That’s bull! There is no way THAT was fair by any standards!” Was that Dust Devil’s voice?

“Hey, just because I can do a sonic rainboom, that doesn’t mean you have to get all bitchy on me. Not my fault you’re being such a sore loser!” That was defiantly Rainbow. Guessing from what he heard, Rainbow won that little race, and Dust Devil was having a hard time accepting it.

“Up yours, pony!” barked the black and pink dragon.

“You wish!” Rainbow shouted back.

“Trouble in paradise?” smiled Spike as he walked to the arguing dragon and pony.

“Spike, I’m glad you’re here,” said the sky drake. “We need an outside ruling. She cheated in our race. She used some sort of the ‘sonic rainboom’ or something.”

“It’s not cheating!” frowned Rainbow. “I was just using what was at my disposal!”

“Yeah, I’m not touching this with a thirty foot pole,” muttered the dragon. “I’m sure you two lovebirds can work it out.”

“Excuse me!” both Rainbow and Dust Devil shouted in unison.

“Look, I don’t know what sort of urges you two are fighting, but I have a lot to think about without worrying about your sexual tension,” yawned Spike as he pushed passed the two of them. “I’m not saying to go and do it behind the curtains, but figure something out.” He left the two of them alone and confused.

He heard the two continue arguing behind them. “They would make such a good couple,” he said, taking a deep breath as he turned down the hall, just as the door of the throne room cracked open.

“And I haven’t seen Bunsen since then, man!” a blue unicorn said as he pushed open the door for a red unicorn, they were both adorned in golden guard armour. “I’m telling you Heart Shield, she’s a bit of a weird one. I mean you were here trainer, what is she like?”

“Well Dragoon,” the one called Heart Shield muttered, “She’s a total klutz and completely incompetent, and she’s one of those ‘smarty pant’ ponies with a ‘fancy science degree’,” the unicorn mocked sarcastically.

“Really? I thought she was actually kind of cute,” the blue pony blushed. “I was actually considering asking her out.”

“Don’t bother,” the red one said bluntly.

“Why not?”

“Just don’t,” the red unicorn.

“That wasn’t an answer,” Dragoon said. “In fact; I would say it was a threat!”

“Take it as you will, all I’m saying is that I’ve been down that road, and there ain’t a happy ending,” Heart Shield muttered.

“You asked her out?” the confused blue unicorn asked. “But it sounds like you hate her.”

“Well, she’s cute,” he said, turning his head away to the stallion couldn’t see him blush.“You know, for a nerdy klutz.”

“Yeah, there’s just something about purple mares,” Dragoon sighed dreamily.

“So don’t ask her out.”

“What?” Dragoon asked, snapping back to reality.

“Just trying to help you out,” the red pony muttered.

“Sure,” the blue pony said bluntly. “It’s not like you still have feeling for her or anything.”

“Of course not.”

The two guard ponies went in opposite direction, Dragoon to the left, and Heart Shield to the right. Spike couldn’t make it out, but he could have sworn that the tough red pony was starting to cry a little. He didn’t even see Spike as he walked right pass him.

“That was weird,” thought Spike. “Wonder who they were fighting about.” He shrugged it off, it wasn’t his place to be snooping into other ponies business, especially ponies that he didn’t know. Grunting passed it, he continued down the hall. He saw light peek out of Twilight’s room. Of course the night owl was still up, probably still studying about something. The dragon gently knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Spike, can I come in?”

“Of course!” she said, unlocking and opening the door with magic. “What’s up Spike?”

The dragon entered the room. Twilight’s room was a lot like his, a queen size bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. The only major difference was that there were stacks upon stacks of books. The purple unicorn was sitting at one of the desks, nose deep in a book.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” the dragon asked closing the door behind him.

“Of course not,” said the violet mare, closing her book. “I was just going to call it a night.”

“Then maybe I should come back later.”

“Spike, don’t be silly” Twilight said, jumping on the bed, patting the spot next to me. “I always have time for my little brother.”

The dragon’s heart warmed up at the sound of those words. He was like a little brother to the mare, maybe not so little anymore but she has always been there for him. He took a seat next to the mare on the bed, his eyes locked to the ground.

“Spike, is something wrong?” asked Twilight. “You seem upset.”

“I guess that’s why you’re a genius,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, are you?”

“More than you can possibly imagine,” the dragon sighed.

“So what’s on your mind?”

“It’s Conquest, I don’t think I can beat him.”

“But Spike, I know you can.”

“You haven’t seen him Twilight!” he growled. “You have no idea what he’s like! He’s a sociopathic monster!” He wiped away a tear that was forming around his eye. “All he does is cause pain to everything he touches, and he seems completely un-killable.”

“He can’t be that bad…”

“HE KILLED MY MOTHER!” the dragon shouted, small sparks of green fire leaving his mouth as he continued to yell. “He killed her, and all my unhatched siblings, and do you know why he did it?!” He glared at the frightened mare who said nothing. “Because he could! Everything he does is for fun, he has no desire in life except to cause a worldwide genocide, to kill everything else on the planet, and apparently, I’m the only one who can stop him!”

The purple mare looked at Spike with those big purple eyes of her. They were slowly tearing up as wrapped her arms around Spike. “I’m so sorry Spike, I had no idea he was that terrible.”

“Twilight,” said the dragon, brushing a claw down her mane, “you have no idea.”

“Is that all that is on your mind?”

“No,” admitted Spike. “It’s Rarity.”

“Did she do something?”

“It’s nothing that she did, it’s what I did,” groaned the dragon.

“What did you do?”

“I--” He took a deep breath. “I cheated on her.”

“You what!?”

“I kissed another dragon when I was in the Badlands.”

“Why would you do something like that?!” yelled Twilight.

“I was try to protect her!”

“How does locking lips with a dragon protect Rarity?” the unicorn scowled.

“It was an old ex-girlfriend, you know the one I told you about, and she tricked me. She said if I kissed her, she would help me bring the dragons to come and help us, but you can see how well that turned out.”

There was silence as the purple mare digested the stream of information. She knew that he wasn’t lying; it wasn’t in his nature to lie about something like this. But, it was also not in his nature to do something like that, even if he had good intentions.

“Have you told her yet?” she asked.

“No, and I’m not sure if I should.”

“Spike,” sighed the mare, “I know that you know the right thing to do.”

“I should tell her.”

“You should tell her, but you’re not.”

The drake scrunched his face with confuzzlement, “Excuse me?”

“All I’m saying is do you really want your last day with Rarity to be ruined over this?”

“…. No.”

“Then for now, just keep it to yourself,” the unicorn said. “Make tomorrow the best day ever for her. You both deserve it.”

The dragon cracked a smile. “You really are a genius, aren’t you?”

“I try,” she smiled back, giving him another hug. “You’re a great guy Spike, and I’m so happy to have you in my life.”

“Me too Twi, me too,” said Spike. “Hey, do you think I could sleep in here, for old times’ sake?”

“Of course,” Twilight whispered. “Let me get you a blanket.” She got off the bed and pulled the purple blanket off, placing it neatly on the ground.

“Thanks,” said the dragon, as he laid down on the ground, curling up in the blanket, almost like a cat. “Takes you back, huh?”

“I missed those days,” sighed Twilight as she curled up in the remaining sheets of the bed. “I took me almost a month to get to sleep without the sound of your snoring.”

“I don’t snore, I purr.”

“Whatever,” yawned the brainy mare. “The point is that it was heart breaking when you wanted your own room.”
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I knew that you would eventually want your own room, I just wish you could have stayed my little brother forever.”

“Hey!” chuckled Spike, “I will always be your little brother.”

“I know Spike,” the unicorn sighed, turning of the light with a brush of magic. “Goodnight Spike.”

“Goodnight Twilight, I love you.”

*****

“Has anypony seen Spike?” asked Rarity at breakfast. The pickings were slim, as Lurch ate the fridge and most of the food yesterday. So it was mostly just cold cereal and toast, not exactly a royal breakfast.

“I haven’t seen the big guy since yesterday,” Applejack said, taking a bite out of her toast. “I thought he was hanging with you.”

“I guess you could say that,” blushed the white mare. “But he went for a walk at night, said he needed some air, and I haven’t seen him since then.”

“I reckon he’ll show eventually,” said the cowpony. “Probably went out to get some real food.”

“I suppose, what exactly happened in the kitchen?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” muttered Applejack.

“Hey guys!” the energetic pink pony hopped over to the table, “Whatcha talking about?
”
“Hey Pinkie, were just trying to figure out were Spike went,” said the orange mare.

“Oh I know where he is!” she said happily, “I met saw him heading into town. He said that I was to tell Rarity to meet him in the observatory tonight at eight o’ clock sharp!”

“Why on earth couldn’t he tell me this himself?” asked Rarity.

“I don’t know” shrugged Pinkie, “But I bet it’s a surprise!”

“I see,” smiled the white unicorn, looking out the window. “What on earth are you planning Spike?”

*****

The purple drake walked down the hallway of the castle, he had to be careful not to be seen by to anypony, especially Rarity. He had already talked to Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight about his plan, and he knew Pinkie would get the message to Rarity. Everything was set, he just needed to get one more thing, and find a place to hide until later.

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t see the pony turning the corner, and collided head first with him.

“Watch where you’re going, dragon,” groaned the pony.

“Nice to see you too, Curb Hoof,” muttered the dragon. “Did you miss me?”

“Why would I miss you?”

“Nevermind,” the drake got up from the ground. The guard pony shoved passed him as he went down the hall. “Okay, what is your problem with me?”

The white unicorn stopped and turned around and glared at Spike. “I don’t like you,” he said. “I don’t like you, I don’t like your kind, and I don’t like your face. I hate dragons.” He turned around and walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

“Jackass,” mumbled Spike, as he continued down the hall in the opposite direction. He found the corridor he was looking for, the one that went down into the earth, and into ‘The Den’ where Forge was.

Pushing past the large iron door of The Den, he felt a soothing blast of heat. The lava ponds were still glowing a crimson red and golden yellow and there were racks of armour and weapons still littered everywhere. Just the way he left it.
“Is that you Spike?” the red and gold dragon head slowly rose from one of the beds of lava. He had been sleeping in the lava, apparently.

“Hey Forge, taking a nap?” wondered Spike.

“When you get to my age Spike, your body starts to betray you,” he chuckled, crawling out of the lava bath. “Never grow old, Spike.”

“C’mon, you’re only what, a thousand years old?” said Spike, “You still got a few millennia left.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m pushing five thousand?”

“What, are you sick?” asked Spike, becoming increasingly concerned for his friend.

“I’ll be okay,” Forge mumbled, brushing off what was left of the lava off his body. “Now, rumor has it that there are other dragons here now. Is that true, or are the ponies pulling my tail?”

“It’s true,” said Spike, “I flew to the Badlands to get help from the dragons.”

“Now why would you do something like that?” chuckled the red dragon. “I thought they still had a grudge against the ponies, especially Inferno.”

“I met him, and yeah they still hate us.”

“Us?” asked the forging dragon, pounding his hammer into some sheet metal. “When did we become ponies?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, but that Inferno guy, what’s his deal? The other four dragons seemed a little quiet, except for this one called Rockjaw, and Inferno seemed to disregard everything he said.”

Forge sighed, “Inferno is a proud dragon. But with it comes ignorance and intolerance. He’s still bitter over the dragon wars, most dragons can hardly believe it.”

“What exactly happened?” Spike asked. “During the dragon wars? How did the ponies win?”

“Honestly, I don’t remember,” said the red dragon. “I doubt even Inferno and the other Elders remember what happened. All they know is that they have a bone to pick with the ponies.”

“That’s very…..”

“Dragon of them,” finished Forge, laughing a bit at his own joke. “But the past is in the past, and we must focus of the present!” He went into the back of the armory, pushing past some hanging swords and battleaxes. “I know I put it here somewhere…. Ah ha! Here it is!” He pulled out a decent size rock, around the size of a baseball. “Here’s that special request you asked for a while back.”

“Thanks….” Said Spike taking the rock out of Forge’s hand. “This wasn’t what I had in mind…”

“Just crack it open like an egg when the time is right,” the wise dragon said, putting a claw on the purple drake’s shoulder. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“If you say so,” shrugged Spike, tucking the rock under his scales for later. “I guess I’ll be off.”

“Say hi to Rarity for me.”

“I will,” said Spike, taking two steps to the door, before turning around. “Wait, how did you know her name? I never told you that.”

“Oh right,” laughed Forge, face-palming his face. “You weren’t here when we had our little chat.”

“Rarity came down here?”

“Heavens no,” said the red drake, taking a seat on the edge of one of his many tubs of lava. “She met me when I was on one of my armour runs. There’s another door way in the back that leads directly into the bunkers where I collect dull blades and dented armour and replace it with new ones. When I was making my trip to the mare’s corridors, I saw a white unicorn looking around. I knew she was the mare you were talking about cause she mistaken me for you” he laughed. “She was all ‘Oh my Spikey Wikey, is that really you?!’ Kind of funny that she mistook this scarred up mug for yours,” he said, pointing to his heavily scarred, one eyed face.

“Huh,” hummed the purple drake. “What did you two talk about?”

“Nothing much, I told her a few things about dragons and what I did around the castle, she told me she was a fashion designer or something, she gave me a few pointers on design, even though I have no use for it, and I gave her pointers on forging which I know she won’t have any use for. Then we talked about you for a bit, and then I left,” sighed the red drake. “She’s a good mare Spike, don’t lose her like I did.”

“Excuse me?”

Forge’s eye widened as he quickly looked away. “Forget I said anything,” he quickly muttered.

“Forge…..” Spike asked quietly, “Did something happen to someone you loved?”

The dragon smith sighed, “Do you really want to know?” Spike shook his head. “All right, here’s the story. It was a few years after I was banished from Volcanna, and I was making my way towards Equestria. My original plan was to cut through Equestria and head north to the Crystal Mountains. But when I was cutting through the Everfree Forest, I saw the most wonderful creature.”

“What?”

“A spring dragon Spike, one of the rarest and most mysterious members of our race. They don’t live in Volcanna, and they weren’t involved in the wars, they tend to keep to themselves and have managed to hide themselves in myths and legends,” said Forge. “I had caught this particular one in the middle of her afternoon bath.”

“And how did she like that?”

“Well,” chuckled Forge, “They aren’t rare because they’re used to being seen. The second she saw me, she dove into the water. I wasn’t a strong swimmer, so going after her was a problem, but I knew that she would eventually have to come up for air, so I waited. She could hold her breath for a good long while, but not forever. She was mighty mad when she went up for air and I was still there. She started cursing at me in some sort of strange language I never heard of and then ran away.”

“So what did you do?”

“I followed her, of course,” said the red dragon matter-o-factly.

“Really?”

“Have you ever seen a spring dragon? They’re beautiful, there scales are like leaves, sticking out a bit like feathers, and they have these long slick bodies, kind of like a cloudweaver. So of course I followed her.”

“Sounds dreamy,” said the sly purple drake. “What happened when you caught up to her?

“I tried my best to explain that I had no desire to hurt her,” said Forge. “She had a relative understanding of Equestrian, and we were able to come to an understanding. I told her my name and I found out her name was Mist, beautiful name Mist. We spent the next couple of months getting to know each other, and at some point we fell in love. Love is truly a beautiful thing, is it not?”

“Depends on the kind of love.”

“Well this was true love. Or at least it was…” sighed the forge dragon. “Everything was absolutely perfect, so I should have figured something terrible was waiting around the corner, namely you know who.”

Spike groaned. “That’s when you fought Conquest, wasn’t it?”

The red drake nodded. “It took me completely by surprise. One minute I’m lying on the grass with Mist, the next minute, the ground starts shaking and a black pony bursts out of the ground, laughing manically. I was a little pissed, so I did the not so smart thing and breathed fire on him. Well, that only made him laugh more. Seriously, forget about fire with him, the guy was probably baptized in hell.”

“Noted.”

“Anyways, after that, he leapt at me. He’s fast Spike, and strong, and when you think you have him, he spits something in your face. In my case, it was a pissed off pair of skeleton squirrel zombie things. That’s how I get these.” He pointed to his face and its many scars. “It was a long and brutal fight, I thought it was all over when he got that lucky punch in and knocked my eye clean out of my skull.”

Spike cringed a little. “Ouch.”

“That’s not even the half of it, as I was getting off the ground; he thought that would be the perfect time to rip my wings out. That hurt immensely. But what really hurt was what I saw next. He had managed to grab Mist, he held her in his hoof, and started to whisper all the terrible things that he was going to do to her. Thank the goddess that Celestia showed up when she did.”

“The princess showed up? Was she able to stop Conquest?”

“With the elements yes, but not before Conquest did something absolutely terrible.”

“What?”

“He…” Forge paused. “He ripped out her heart, and ate. He just ate it right in front of me.”

“That’s...that’s terrible.”

The red dragon looked down and sighed. “After he did that I lost it. He took the one thing I loved after all. So I ripped his head off, he didn’t even fight back. He just kept laughing. Even when his head was clean off his body, he kept on laughing, kept on joking. Making fun of the situation like it was one big gag. I threw his still alive head into the portal that the princess conjured up and ran to my love’s side.”

“It was too late…. Wasn’t it?”

“It was, but I was desperate, I wanted to save her so bad!” sniffed the red drake, wiping a possible tear away from his good eye. “I would have done anything to save her, and that is exactly what I did.”

“What did you do?”

“I gave her my heart.”

“YOU WHAT?!” spat out Spike in disbelief.

“Let me show you something, Spike,” said Forge, getting up from where he was. He slowly flexed open one of his pointy claws. And with expert precision, he cut a line into his skin. A slow trail of blood spilled out as he continued to make the cut, grunting only slightly from the pain. Spike watched in awe as he finished, sticking his fingers into the new hole and pulling his scales apart. “Take a look Spike.”

The purple drake took a look through the hole in the dragon. Beyond the thick flesh and muscle was Forge’s beating heart. Spike had never seen a dragon’s heart before, so he wasn’t sure what to expect. It was fairly large, not as big as he thought, roughly the size and shape of a pear. The heart was shiny and metallic looking, almost as if it were made of gold. But there was something odd about it. The beating seemed much faster and irregular than what a normal heart would beat, and it looked like it was crudely cut up and ravaged.

“A dragon’s heart is a fascinating organ, Spike,” said Forge as he pressed the skin back together, breathing a little fire into his hand and placing it on the cut. “They can beat for five thousand years, heal almost any injury within minutes or hours, and gives us are strength and power. The heart is so powerful, it can even continue beating for hours after being torn from the body, and can even continue beating when cut in half.” He sighed, pausing for just a moment. “And that is exactly what I did. I gave her half my heart in an attempt to save her, I had hoped I was quick enough and there would be enough time for the heart to hook out and pump out all the toxins death brings, but it was all for nothing. She died in my arms a few minutes later.”

Spike didn’t know what to say. All he could do was look at the dragon in front of him slowly break down and feel nothing but pity. Pity for the broken shell of a dragon that stood before him, the dragon that literally gave his heat to save the one he loves.

“I know what you’re thinking Spike,” said Forge, putting a claw on his shoulder. “And I want you to know that I don’t regret what I did, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“But what happens when you do that, cut your heart in half?”

“Does what you would think, it slowly kills you.” He said. “The candle that burns twice as hard only lasts half as long. My body is getting on in decades, things start to hurt a bit more than they use to, I’m not as strong, nor can I heal as fast. With only half a heart Spike, I will be lucky if I reach my twenty-five hundredth birthday.”

“I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t pity me,” chuckled Forge, “But you need to promise me something. You need to promise me that you will end this Spike.” His tone grew more serious. “You have to promise me that you will stop Conquest once and for all, locking him up isn’t going to cut it anymore. He’s hurt so many ponies and broken so many hearts. Avenge them Spike, avenge them and then love your mare, marry her, spend the rest of your lives together. Promise me this, Spike.”

Spike nodded his head. “I promise.”

*****

“Spike? Spike, where are you?” called Rarity. It was later in the evening, and she had just walked into the observatory. In the middle of the room was a large telescope, and next to it a small table with a piece of paper on it. “What’s this?” she asked herself. She walked to the table, and picked up and read the note.

To my very special love,

There are so many things that we could do together, and I can think of no one better to do it with than with you, unfortunately we only have a little time left before I must go out and fight. We could go for a walk on the beach in the moonlight, or have a romantic candlelight dinner for two. Perhaps I would take you in my arms and we would soar through the skies, my love, or we could just stay in by the fire, cuddling in its warmth all night. But, there is only time to do one thing, and it is the most important one of all.

Please look into the telescope, my love.

“What could he mean?” wondered Rarity, looking at the telescope, it was pointing towards and out of the ceiling, where a skylight had been made so it was easier to stargaze. “Look in the telescope?” slowly she put an eye to the lens. “What is so import—Oh my….”

There was so little time. In the morning, Spike would have to go out to battle, and there was a chance that he wouldn’t survive. They had only one night left together. Sure, they could have gone out on a dinner date, but did they really need to waste time with such things? Flying would be nice, to be cuddled in his strong arms as they flew over the clouds, but this was better. A walk on the beach sounded romantic, but this was more so. As for cuddling by the fire…. Well, it wasn’t that late. But they were all trifles compared to what Spike had done this evening. He truly picked the best way to spend the night, and it was written in the sky….

Will you marry me?

“It took Luna all day to get the stars right.”

Rarity turned around, Spike was on one knee. “Is this really happening?”

“Rarity, from the moment I laid my eyes on you, you had been the only thing that I have been able to ever think about..."

This is happening!

“I know we wasted a lot of time jumping around our love, afraid that the other didn’t feel the same, and would jeopardize our friendship....”

I think I’m going to faint!

“But we were able to move past that and now here I am, down on one knee. I know I may not be the stallion you wanted, or a price from a fairy tale, but I love you Rarity.” He reached into his scales, pulling out the rock Forge had given him, and cracked it open. Inside was a perfectly crafted ring, meant to go around a unicorn’s horn. “So will you do me the honour of making me the happiest drake on the planet and mar—“

“YES, YES, YES! A MILLION TIMES YES!” the ecstatic white mare cheered, jumping onto the drake, knocking him back, bombarding him with kisses all ever his face. “I will marry you, Spike!” she slipped on the ring over her horn, it felt so right. “This ring is lovely, where did you get it?”

“I had Forge make it, the jewels around the edges are dragon tears, and I know how much you love them.”

“It’s absolutely beautiful, darling, and I love it,” cooed the unicorn. “This is wonderful, positively wonderful.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” sighed Spike. “It just gives me another reason to live.”

“Please don’t talk about that,” said Rarity, getting on top of the downed dragon. “Tonight, there is no war, no Conquest, no drama. It’s just you, me….. And a very special friend” she motioned to the door, as it slowly creaked open.

“Princess Luna?”

“Hello Spike,” the night princess smiled, slowly closing the door behind her.

“W-what are you doing here?”

The tall dark mare gave Spike a hot, sultry look, her eyes filled with lust. “I owe Rarity a favour, so consider this… An engagement gift.”

The Performance

If you think you think anyone is sane, then you do not know sanity yourself

~Anonymous_SoFar

“Everything is perfect,” dreamt Spike,“absolutely perfect”

“Which means something terrible is just around the corner!”

“Eh?”

“Wakey-wakey….”

“What?”

“I killed your mother and turned your brothers and sisters into eggs and bakey!”

Slowly the dragon opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a glowing red pair. Conquest was hovering over Spike, his face mere inches away from his. Spike could feel the cold breath of the alicorn as the insane pony chuckled to himself.

“I hoped you had a fun last night, dragon,” Conquest said, twirling in the air. “It will probably be your last.”

“What, are we losing faith that you can kill me?” asked the dragon, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s not a question of can or can’t,” laughed the alicorn, “but rather a question of will.”

“Excuse me?”

“I know, right?!” exclaimed Conquest. “I can hardly believe it myself, but after all this time, all the fun little chats we’ve had this past month, all the laughs (granted they were mostly mine), all the crying (mostly done by you), and, of course, all memories we have shared. It may come to a surprise to you Spike, but you’re the closet thing I’ve had to a friend in over four thousand years!”

“You’re kidding me, right?” groaned the dragon.

The dark pony shook his head. “Not at all. It’s not going to change anything, you’re all going to die, but I will miss you Spike, and I will always cherish the time we spent together,” he giggled. “It’s funny really, you can’t kill me because it’s impossible, and I can’t kill you because you’re just too much fun! Perhaps we are destined to do this forever, Spike! We need each other.”

“Trust me Conquest, this will end tomorrow.”

“Oh, trust me, Spike,” snorted the alicorn, “I know. It will be a glorious day.” He smiled as he cleared up his throat.

“This day is going to be perfect!

The kind of day of which I’ve dreamed of since I was small!

I’ll spill everypony’s guts,

Crush their bones until they’re dust,

And then claim Equestria as mine!

He laughed, looking at the dragon, “What’s a matter Spike?”

“This day is going to be perfect,

For fun I will be singing all the parts!

All my troops are at the ready,

Bloodthirsty, red and angry

“It’s a work of genius, a brilliant work of art!

He gave a little giggle before continuing….

I don’t care about the griffins

All the minotaur’s won’t survive,

Diamond Dogs? I’ll gladly watch them die!

And if you think the queen of changelings

Could have in anyway of changed me

Then you’re in for quite a big surprise!

For I hate all living thing!

They’re evil creatures, just like me!

And I think they all deserve to die!”

“So what do you think? Is it a little too much? Not enough? I was thinking with going with something a little more hip, what with all hippity hoppity rappity talkity stuff that everypony listens to, I still prefer the classics.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, it’s for my little performance, of course. I thought I told you about this?”

“Must have slipped your sanity,” mumbled Spike.

“No,” laughed Conquest, “I lost that a long time ago.”

“Is there a point to this?” sighed Spike. “Or is it once again pointless?”

“Actually, yes!” cackled Conquest. “Surprisingly, there is a point to this. I came to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?”

Conquest nodded. “Well, this will be the last time that we’re going to be able to talk without me trying to rip your throat out,” smiled the alicorn. Taking a deep breath, it almost seemed like he was tearing up. “So this is it, huh?”

“Are…. Are you crying?”

“I’m going to miss you, buddy!” cried the alicorn, hugging the surprised dragon. “And when I’m slowly ripping your spine from your screaming, broken body, I’m going to think of the first time we met. Remember that, Spike? You were so confused, and I made out with that clone of Rarity, and you got really upset.”

“I remember that,” grumbled Spike. “That was a dick move.”

“Yeah,” sniffed Conquest, wiping his nose, “I thought it was funny, too. Oh god, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry!” He giggled through his crocodile tears. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m sure,” Spike said bluntly.

“Well, then!” smiled Conquest, his face returning to the insane, dry smile that the dragon had grown accustomed too. “Since this is the last night, and I am both proud and disappointed that you haven’t taken your own life after all our wacky shenanigans, I will give you a little gift!”

“A gift?”

“Yes, a gift!” the alicorn said happily, raising a hoof. “I will give you one question! A single question and I will answer it with as much honesty as I can!”

“So you will lie to me?”

“I’ve never lied to you Spike, the truth always hurts more, and that is the fundamental of the lie, to hide the pain. As I fear and feel no pain, I have little reason to lie!” he cackled, “So, ask away. What would you like to know? The secret of life, how to solve world hunger? ‘Cause the answer to both is forty-two, I believe.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask,” said the dragon. He took a second to think about what he really wanted to ask him. He highly doubted he would tell him his plans, if he wasn’t just making this up as he went. There was no chance that Conquest would tell Spike how to defeat him, he wasn’t that crazy, was he? In the end Spike knew what to ask, it had been something that was itching him in the back of the mind for a while now. “Why?” he asked.

“Why?” wondered Conquest, scratching his chin. “Why not. Be more specific, I’m not a mind-reader,” he laughed.

“Why do all of this, why tell us that you’re coming in a month, why do this big frontal assault on Canterlot? You could have slipped in unannounced and slit all our throats in our sleep or attacked when we were off guard. So that is my question. Why?”

“A very, very stupid use of my gift,” grinned the alicorn. “But I shall answer it! It’s quite obvious when you think about it…” He moved uncomfortably close to Spike’s face, flashing that pearly white smile of dagger-like teeth, and staring at him with those burning red eyes. “What’s the point of destroying the world, if no pony knows I did it?”

“You’re really that egotistical?”

“Depends. Are you a dumbass?” he laughed. “Hint, the answer is yes!” He laughed so hard that he had to wipe a tear away from his eye. “Well, I guess I will see you on the battle field.” The world grew dark around them. “Have a pleasant sleep, for tomorrow, I rain hell on the ponies!”

There was a string of diabolical laughter as Spike was engulfed in the shadows.

*****

Far away from Canterlot and even Equestria itself, were the dreaded dead lands of the Wasteland. Hidden within the mountains, evil forces were gathering. Minotaurs, griffins, changelings, dogs, and the various ponies that had turned traitor all gathered in the valleys hidden in the rocky mountains. The minotaurs were sharpening and fixing their large weapons, and a small group struck up a conversation.

“Has anyone actually seen this Conquest guy?” one asked the other. He had a blotchy black and white coat, with four horns and a double nose ring.

The other minotaur, a black one with considerably smaller horns shook his head. “Don’t know, but I’ve been hearing things, dude, about him. Crazy things, dude.”

“Like what?”

“He’s supposed to be completely off his rocker, like bat crap insane in his freaking membrane,” said the black minotaur. “I hear that it’s all because his marefriend broke up with him or something.”

“Seriously?” asked the other minotaur. “We’re expected to lay are lives down because some stupid pony couldn’t hold onto his mare?” He dropped his axe, “Screw this, I’m leaving.”

“You can’t leave!” said the black minotaur. “What about Conquest?”

“Oh, I’m shivering,” snorted the black and white minotaur. “What’s he going to do? Kill me?”

“No, he’s not that nice,” hissed a new feminine voice.

The two minotaurs looked around to see who was talking. standing before them was the changeling queen. Chrysalis looked down on the one that was talking of deserting, her olive coloured eyes piercing through the creature’s soul.

“My love Conquest wouldn’t just kill you,” the Queen smiled. “No, for desertion, that would call for something much more painful.”

“L-l-like w-what, my queen?” stuttered the terrified beast.

“First, he would look into your eyes and do nothing, the silence of his smile with the glare of his eyes is enough to render even the hardest of souls into whimpering children,” she glared at him, memorizing him with her iris’s. “Then, he starts to mess with your insides, that’s when the real fun begins. He starts off slow, changing every, single, little drop of blood in your body into ink.” She grinned, her teeth sticking outside of her lips. “Imagine, for a brief moment, how much that would hurt? To have ink running through your veins...burning through your blood vessels. He would then escalate to bringing more brute pain, making your very bones as brittle as the weakest glass.” The queen placed a decayed hoof on the minotaur, pressing down hardly. “The pain is unimaginably horrendous as your very marrow implodes on itself. You’re left a snivelling pile of broken hopes and body, but he still hasn’t killed you, he has to drain all that ink and glass out of you after all….”

“P-p-please no more, I get it!” said the minotaur, he looked like he was going to be sick.

“Then think twice next time you wish to desert our lord,” cackled the changeling queen, as she flew away.

*****

“I heard that this guy can kill dragons.”

“I heard he can blow your head up just by looking at it.”

“I heard that he has been doing it with the Changeling Queen!”

“He’s a monster, a demon of sort that has a grudge against the ponies.”

The rabble continued as a large crowd of troops formed in the canyon of the mountains. There stood a large hastily thrown together stage, like one you would find in a theatre. On stage, a large statue of an alicorn was rolled on by a group of changelings, grunting as they finally heaved the heavy block of stone to the center of the stage.

“What on Equestria is that?” a griffin from the crowd asked.

There was a burst of green fire on the stage, the spectators watched in awe as the Queen of the Changelings walked out from the plume of flame, and to the microphone that was set up next to the statue.

“Attention every minotaur, griffin, dog, changeling, and pony!” Chrysalis screamed into the microphone, her voice screeching through the speakers. “We have all gathered here today for one reason and one reason only, to take over and destroy Equestria!” There were loud cheers from the crowd as the queen continued. “We are here because you believe in a higher power-a greater deity than the princess of the day and the mare of the night!” The crowd booed as she referred to the princesses. “Because we all know that there is only one true god, our dark lord that has blessed us all with his sweet gifts. He is the one who was there when no one else was. He is the pony that so selflessly picked us up and put us back together, but made us stronger, faster, and more powerful than we ever were before!”

“FOR THE GLORIOUS CONQUEST!” the crowd shouted with cheer.

“For the glorious Conquest!” repeated Chrysalis. “For it is he who takes away the pain, and replaces it with absolute power. True, ultimate power! Unlike that of the princess’.” Heckles from the crowd emitted from the mention of the princess. “We have been very patient, and you are all probably wondering who is this great and powerful being that we all willingly follow? Well, I have seen him, children, with my own eyes! He is a being of raw power and emotion, and the one and true ruler of the world! To very creature of every race, it is with great pride that I introduce the one, the only, lord of the insanity himself, DARK CONQUEST!”

A spotlight was turned on and pointed to the still statue. Everyone was staring at it, expecting it to move, crumble, or at least do something.

“Ahem,” coughed Chrysalis. “The all-powerful lord himself, Dark Conquest!” The statue remained still as stone. The queen covered the mic with one of her hooves. “What are you waiting for?” she whispered to the statue. “That was your cue!”

Suddenly, an insane laughter echoed through the speakers, the crowd of creatures looking around, trying to find the cause of the diabolical heckling.

“Really, Chrysalis, a statue?” the voice said lambently. “How cliché can you get? I need something a little more…. Zingy!” he cackled, “So how about……you!”

The spotlight quickly spun away from its user and focused on a lone minotaur in the crowd, staring at the ground. Everyone else backed away, giving him some space. Slowly, he raised his head, showing the crowd his glowing red eyes and sadistic smile.

“I have a dream of a dark Equestria, where the light has gone away….

I dream of a dark Equestria, when it comes it’s here to stay….

Oh to see, the pretty butterflies….

Watch them wither and fall out of the skies….

Cook foals up in a fleshy brew….

As they’re screaming: ‘What on earth did we do?’”

The minotaur twirled as he grabbed a cane and hat from out of thin air, continuing his song as he walked casually to the stage.

“Because I’ve been dreaming of a dark Equestria, raining blood till it soaks my coat red….

I’ve been dreaming of a dark Equestria, where every single pony is dead!

So if you want to see this world, my friends….

Stick with me till the very end….

Cause you’ll never forget it!

And you’ll never regret it!

When you team up with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

The red-eyed minotaur leapt up on stage, spinning around as he tipped his hat.

Oh yes I’ve been dreaming of a dark Equestria, where burning bodies are all that you see….

And yes I’ve been dreaming of a dark Equestria, let’s make it a reality!

Cause when you side with the best,

The best comes around,

And I never will rest,

Till you’re a corpse in the ground,

And if you think that I jest,

Then I will say ,‘You’re profound’,

Cause I’m the greatest, I’m the best….”

The minotaur exploded.

“BOOM! I’m Dark Conquest!”

Conquest held that last note as he happily emerged from the bloody fragments and spray of gore spanning his front hooves as he soaked in all the glory and the applause that his loyal minion cheered and gave him, as well as the blood of the minotaur.

“That’s right!” he screamed, the applause changing to an uproar. “CONQUEST IS BACK, BABY!!!” he yelled, ending it with his trademark laughter. He calmly, more quietly added, “And, this time, I ain’t going anywhere.”

The WAR

“Famine and death, a soon to be ravished world.
Tribes of dreamers and fools, rising against the dawn of insanity."

~socialdeviance

It was time.

The day had finally come, a day that everypony had dreaded and knew would eventually transpire. There would be clanging of metal, the marching of soldiers from every race in Equestria as they prepared to stare down the impending apocalypse. It would be the final showdown: good versus evil, justice versus anarchy, and love against hatred.

It would be the pure dragon versus the insane alicorn.

Spike slowly opened his eyes. Last night had been a mix of confusion, horror, and incredible pleasure. The two sleeping mares were still cuddled up against him, their hooves wrapped around his chest and arms. Last night had been perfect, it was a shamed it couldn’t last forever.

“Spike,” the white unicorn mumbled, stirring, “are you up?”

Spike sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately,” he smiled. “Last night was pretty freaking great; never knew you were that open.”

“Don’t get carried away, love” yawned Rarity. “Like Luna said, that was a gift. Don’t expect this to become a regular thing.”

“Well, as long as I have you, that’s all that matters,” cooed the dragon, giving his mare a kiss. “And besides, there’s always my birthday!”

Rarity groaned. “You’re awful, do you know that?”

“Yes, but you love me anyways,” grinned the purple drake. He rolled over on top of the white mare, feeling a tug on his arm from the sleeping princess of the night mare slowly awakening.

“Are you two up already” grumbled the princess.

“Yes, Luna, we are,” said Rarity. “I imagine you slept well?”

“Indeed,” swayed the princess. “I can see why you love him so much. After that little fun last night, I was out like a foal.”

“Just remember, he’s mine,” teased Rarity, wrapping her hooves around her dragon.

“Well,” smiled Luna, “there’s always his birthday.”

“That’s what I said!”

The white mare face-hoofed. “There’s something wrong with you two,” she groaned.

*****

“It’s time!” shouted Conquest gleefully as he gazed at his marching army from the top of a mountain overpass. Chrysalis stood by his side, watching as their troops lined into formation and headed towards Canterlot.

“You have made a wonderful force, my lord,” said the changeling queen. “The ponies don’t stand a chance. They will all fall, and you will stand triumphantly over their ashes.”

“I will, won’t I?” the dark alicorn sighed happily. “You know, I’ve forgotten how bright the sun is. Has it gotten hotter in the past eighty years?”

“I don’t think so…” wondered the changeling.

“Well, remind me to extinguish it when this is all over,” muttered Conquest.

“Of course, my lord,” said Chrysalis.

The two continued to look down at the marching army. “I’m just so giddy! I feel like a little school filly about to go to the big dance!” he laughed. “If the dance involved genocide.”

“Should we press on with the troops?” asked Chrysalis.

“Not yet. I wish to soak in this greatness for a bit longer,” said the insane pony.

“As you wish, my lord,” said the changeling. “May I watch with you?”

“If you must.”

*****

Spike walked into the armory. Most of the ponies had already geared up and left, leaving only a single stallion left in the room.

“Shining Armour?”

“Hello Spike,” said the captain of the guard. “Are you ready for today?”

“If you can get ready for something like this,” the dragon sighed. “How in Equestria do you do this?”

“I was trained to do this Spike,” replied Shining, “as were you.”

“I guess. I’m still a little scared though, scared that I won’t be able to save everyone.”

The captain of the guard sighed. “Spike, ponies are going to die, that’s just war. No matter how hard you try, you can’t save them all. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can focus on what’s important: stopping Conquest from doing whatever the hell he’s doing.”

“I know, Armour,” said the dragon. “Just a shame that it has to come to this.”

“No point in moping about it, Spike,” said Armour. “Now come on, we need to get you suited up. Don’t want a wandering spear or axe to take you out.”

“My armour is ready?”

“Sure is,” said Shining. “It was brought up from the Den last night. That Forge guy really knows his stuff,” the pony said. Focusing his magic, he dragged out a large set of silver looking armour. Spike gasped as he saw the set. It was like looking at a dragon made of metal. Forge had managed to create a full plate set. This armour would cover every inch of his body, leaving next to nothing fully exposed.

“This is incredible,” gasped the dragon. “Did Forge really make this?”

“He said it’s made out of Star metal. It’s about three times heavier than steel, but five times as tough. A hydra could step on you and you’d be fine,” joked Shining.

“I’ll have to test that out,” smiled Spike as he grabbed the gauntlet of the armour and placed over his claw. “It’s not that heavy really,” noticed Spike.

“Maybe not for a dragon, but for a pony, it’d crush us dead.”

“I see your point,” the dragon said, slipping into one of the boots and greaves. “So where have you’ve been positioned? Frontline, castle guard?”

“I’m actually going to be guarding the civilians down in the old quarries under the city. Me, Cadence, and couple other guards are tasked with protecting the citizens of Canterlot.”

“Guess you lucked out then,” muttered the purple drake.

“Hardly. I have to deal with the whining citizens of Canterlot crammed up in a hot, humid cave for who knows how long,” snickered Shining. “Want to trade spots?”

“I think I’ll take my chances on the field,” laughed Spike, strapping on his cuirass. “I’d probably lose my mind if I had to deal with them.”

“Well, I’ll at least be able to protect Cadence. What about Twilight and the others, are they taking shelter with us?” asked Shining Armour.

Spike shook his head. “Celestia wants them to stay with her and Luna, in case we need to use the Elements against him. I’m hoping he won’t get anywhere close to Canterlot.”

“You and me both,” sighed Armour. “I don’t think I’d be able to take on an alicorn.”

“Yeah,” agreed Spike, slipping placing his helmet on. “All I know is that after this, I’m taking a long nap.”

“Careful what you wish for,” said Shining.

*****

“My lord, we’re almost to Canterlot,” Chrysalis said. She and Conquest were flying high over the skies, looking down at his glorious army march towards the pony capital. “Our troops will be in position for the assault within the hour.”

“Excellent!” shouted Conquest, doing a few twists in the air. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I haven’t been in a war since the Dragon Wars! Oh, how I missed the smell of death in the air, the screaming and begging of your enemies as you drive a spear straight through their cranium. Those were better times, Chrysalis.”

“I’m sure they were,” mumbled the changeling queen. “So what is the plan for the assault against Canterlot, dear? Should we lure them into an ambush, or perhaps we should divide and conquer?”

“All great ideas, love,” snickered the dark alicorn. “But I have a foolproof strategy!” he said matter-o-factly.

“And what would that be, my love?” asked the Queen.

“I will order all the troops to take up all their arms, and have them all rush the castle!” smiled the dark pony. “We’ll attack the castle with a good ol’ fashion suicide run!”

“W-what?” stammered Chrysalis, “B-but that seems….”

“What?” grinned Conquest, cocking his head upside down as he floated through the air. “Does it seem….Crazy?” he laughed.

“It’s just that, well, there has to be a better approach to minimize losses on our side.”

“I know!” giggled Conquest. “But I like this plan a lot better. More things die this way!”

“You….You don’t care if they die,” Chrysalis said quietly. “Do you?”

“Oh, my dear, diluted peon…” chuckled the alicorn as he gave the queen a smug grin. “Not only do I not care if they die, I want them to die. Ponies, griffins, zebras, minotaurs…changelings. You’re all a blight on this world and you will all die because of it. Now…” His eyes started to glow. “Be a good little insect and go die down there with everyone else.”

His red hypnotic eyes were too much for the changeling queen. “Y-yes, my lord,” she said unwillingly. “I will do as I’m told…” She flew away from the laughing pony, and down to the ground with the rest of the troops.

Conquest gave a pleasant sigh. “It’s so much fun being the bad guy.”

*****

Spike, in complete armour, walked out into the courtyard. He looked at all the soldiers as they prepared for the upcoming battle. The zebras were running through some last minutes training exercises. The buffalos were sharpening their horns and marking each other with war paint, while the donkeys and mules were busy doing something behind a curtain. Whatever it was, he only hoped it was useful.

“Spike!?” called a voice. The dragon turned around to see the four dragons running up behind him.

“Is that really you?” asked Glimmer, checking out Spike’s armour. “Where can I get me one of those?”

“Sorry,” smiled Spike, “it’s one of a kind.”

“Whatever,” muttered Dust Devil. “I don’t need some metal to protect me,” he gloated. “Can’t hurt what you can’t hit!”

“Said the dragon beaten by a pony,” smiled Lurch.

“I told you she cheated!”

“Sure,” laughed Bitterbite. “I believe you.”

“You do?”

“Of course, we all know you let her win ‘cause you like her.”

“Exactl—WHAT?!” screamed Dust Devil. “I don’t like her, I hate her!”

“It’s the same thing, mate,” sighed Glimmer. “And you hate her a lot, if you know what I mean.”

“I hate all of you,” mumbled the sky drake. “And I mean hate, not like-hate.”

“Aww,” sighed Lurch, “we all hate you too, buddy.”

“Let’s just go kill things,” grumbled Dust Devil as he took off in the air. The rest of the dragons, minus Bitterbite, laughed as they followed him.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Bitterbite, crossing his arms.

“We protect the city,” said Spike. “We take our forces to the outside walls. We need to stay close so that the mules can snipe them with their—what are they called again? Crossbows?”

“Something like that,” shrugged Bitterbite. “Anyways, you were saying?”

“The mules can cover the ground and the skies, and the pegesi should control the air and keep any griffins or changelings from flying into the city. That leaves everyone else to cover the ground. I want to keep them off the wall, and if possible push them back into a retreat. I don’t want to kill any more than I have to.”

And what about Curator, or Conquest or whatever he’s calling himself now? What if we run into him?”

“You do not engage him,” said Spike, his tone very serious. “Leave him to me. I have to be the one who kills him.”

“This personal?”

“It’s why I’m here,” muttered the purple dragon. “The fact that he killed my mother has nothing to do with it.

“If you say so,” shrugged Bitterbite.

“Attention A-holes!!”

“What the hell was that?” asked Bitterbite.

“Attention all A-holes!!”

“HE’S HERE!” shouted Spike at the top of his lungs. “EVERYONE, INTO POSITION! NOW!”

All the soldiers scurried around as Spike flew up to the west wall. Looking out and over the fields that surrounded Canterlot, he could see a lone figure standing far off in the distance, waving happily at him.

It was Conquest, in the flesh.

“Spike!” shouted the dark alicorn. “It’s so nice to finally meet you face to face!” he laughed, his chuckles echoing through the area. “Well, kind of face to face. Why don’t you come over here and I give you a big hug!”

“I’d rather die,” the dragon muttered under his breath.

“I can arrange that!” shouted Conquest. “But we will deal with that later. Right now I have to announce my surprise attack!”

“Your announcing your own sur—“

“SURPRISE!” the insane alicorn yelled. It was followed by a thousand bloodthirsty scream from beyond the hills and the skies that lay behind Conquest. The army that he had spent the last thirty days assembling rushed out from their cover. Screaming minotaurs, screeching griffins, howling dogs, and buzzing changelings all charged towards the castle walls. “ATTACK!”

“Everyone in position!” ordered Spike. The dragon leapt over the wall and started to glide to the ground. He landed on the side of the mountain, the rest of the ground infantry not far behind him. In the air, the pegesi were preparing their thunderclouds, and the three flying dragons were doing their best to help or get out of the way. “I sure hope we’re ready for this…”

“We are ready, dragon,” said the zebra captain. “Give us the order, and we will send them all to hell!” The ponies and other four legged mammals cheered as they readied themselves.

“All right then!” shouted Spike as he turned around, ready to face Conquest’s horde. “This is it, ponies! We stand alone against the one called Conquest. He may be powerful, but he is just one pony, no different than you or me, and he hides behind monsters that are deranged as he is. But he is just a fear-monger, a coward that hides behind his illusions and the weak willed. United we are strong and we will fight back against his darkness!”

“FIGHT BACK THE DARKNESS!!” the troops cheered.

“Remember this day, for they will tell tales of it forever!” shouted the drake, as he lead the charge towards his adversaries. “This is day that we united against the darkness of one pony’s mind and preserved for freedom and harmony. So run with me ponies, for love, for peace!” They neared the other army.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!”

The initial clash of the two forces was brutal. Bodies gouged upon spearheads and swords, moaning and grunts as ponies fell to the ground in pain, quietly changing to inaudible whimpers and then silence. Spike’s armour did its job; a dog had tried to slash him with a dagger, but the flimsy steel bent against the dragon’s star metal. The dragon ran over the mutt, stomping his skull into the ground as he shoulder checked a minotaur that was in his way. He lashed out at the downed beast, tearing him apart with his claws. He got up, his hands covered with dark crimson blood as he lashed out in all directions, slashing away at his enemies like a tornado of death and roars, always pushing forward, and leaving a trail of death in his path.

“Keep pushing forward!” commanded the dragon as he punched a nearby dog. “We need to get them away from the walls!”

Around him, buffalos clashed heads with minotaurs, zebras slashed and stabbed dogs, ponies fought fight with spears or magic as more of their enemies fell. A griffin flew down low and scooped up a screaming unicorn and tossed him in the air, falling dead to the ground. Spike looked up to see that the pegesi were having trouble keeping the air under control. With a mighty flap of his wings, he took into the air, slicing a nearby changeling in half. A flock of griffins screeched as they saw the ascending dragon. They all dove, trying to bombard him from all sides, flexing their talons so they could try and tear him apart.

They would never get close enough. Spike let out a breath of explosive fire, engulfing the griffins in hot green flames as their crisped bodies fell down to rain on the battle below. The dragon kept at it. Any griffin stupid enough to get close to him was met with a fiery end.

“Woo-hoo!” an enthusiastic voice laughed. Dust Devil had a changeling by the throat, the insect like creature struggling for precious oxygen. With a quick pinch, the changeling was dead. “That’s five already, Lurch!”

“I’m already at seventeen!” grunted Lurch as he finished swallowing three whole griffins and half a changeling. His mouth free, his multiple tongues shot out, latching on to ankles, hooves or wings of any poor soul that had been caught. He dragged the victims, a griffin and two changelings into his massive gullet, his jaw stretching so he could fit them all in. “Now it’s twenty!”

“That’s cheating!” snarled the sky drake.

“Like how that pegasus cheated?”

“Stop bringing that up!”

“By Gaia, will you both shut up?!” roared Glimmer, soaring out of a cloud, a griffin in each hand and three changelings constricted by her long, snake like body. “If you two fought liked you argued, we would have won already!”

Dust Devil groaned with annoyance as he took off, zig-zagging from enemy to enemy and slashing, biting or scratching them as he made his way through.

“Six, seven, eight….”

“He has some issues,” grumbled Glimmer, dropping her freshly strangled victims and went searching for replacements. “By the way, I lost count at fifty!”

“Mother of Celestia….” mumbled Lurch.

“Keep focus, big guy, I need you to help on the ground level,” said Spike.

“No problem,” gloated the large drake, changing directions until he was hurtling down to the ground, Spike in pursuit. The round boulder dragon hit the earth with seismic force, crushing any soul that was unfortunate to be under him, and launching all others into the air with the shockwave. Spike followed up landing on a bystander, crushing the unlucky dog under his armoured foot.

The two went at it. Lurch’s shot out his three tongues, each wrapping around the neck of a minotaur and pulling them in. Spike on the other hand let out a cone of flames, roasting a few enemies and a low flying griffin. When the pale blue dragon’s stomach was full, he resorted to his claws, his giant hands were able to engulf a dog’s head, and when he squeezed down, dog blood squirted from in between his fingers. Spike’s fingers were bloody as well, but for a different reason. The dragon’s claws were like swords, cutting into flesh with ease as he went through his rampage.

WHAM!!

Spike fell to the ground. He was unaware that a minotaur had snuck up behind him, and said minotaur had just slammed him in the head with a large war hammer. It hadn’t hurt so much, his helmet had done its job, but he was still disoriented by how fast it was.

“Time to die, dragon!” the minotaur laughed, raising his hammer and swinging it down.

Spike quickly flipped over and grabbed the base of the hammer’s head. He felt the strain of the minotaur pushing down on it. The dragon pressed with all his might against it, slowly gaining control. With a final push, he pushed the end of the war hammer’s tip into the bare chest of his adversary. It pierced his heart and the minotaur fell to the ground, the bloody hammer sticking out of his chest.

“Almost got you there, buddy,” said Lurch as he threw away a dead dog. “Gotta watch your back.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” mumbled the armoured drake, taking Lurch’s hand and puling himself up. “Now let’s go, this isn’t over just yet.”

The boulder dragon nodded his head as he took off into the air. Spike stayed on the ground, observing his surroundings for a moment. The battle was still young, but the grounds were littered with corpses. Ponies, minotaurs, zebras, griffins, bison, it didn’t matter. They were all were dead bodies on the ground. Bloody, disfigured bodies, bodies that would never see their children or love ones again. It sickened Spike to see such unnecessary killing, death that wasn’t needed but rather orchestrated by a fiendish puppet master that stood on a hill, far away, smiling at the chaos that he had caused.

No, he couldn’t ponder it any longer. He had to keep fighting. Spike rushed towards a group of fighters, where a buffalo took an axe to the head and a dog was skewered by a zebra’s spear. The dragon lunged into the melee, gouging his claws into a mintoaur’s throat, easily ripping off its head. Spike felt something jump on his back, a pair of dogs. It would be a big mistake for them as the dragon grabbed the pair of hounds and slammed them to the ground. Still not letting go, he swung the dogs around like makeshift clubs, battering his enemies as the dogs screamed with agony and pain.

In his spinning frenzy, Spike failed to see the axe coming his way. The blade sunk into his chest and threw him into the air. The large black minotaur that had attacked him looked pleased as he reared his axe back. He observed the blade and noticed that there wasn’t a drop of blood on it.

SLUSRSH!!

The minotaur’s eyes dilated as he looked down at his chest, and the bloody dragon arm that had punched through it. Spike pulled his hand out of the crimson hole as the beast fell dead to the ground. The dragon shook a little of the blood off, wiping it off on his armour. he shouldn’t have done so, he had left himself venerable to attack.

“Kill the dragon!” the leader of a large pack of dogs shouted, as the group of twenty dogs charged towards Spike. The purple drake gathered up some fire in his belly but he was tackled by one of the running mutts, knocking him to the ground. The rabid animal started lashing at him, scratching the dragon’s breastplate. Spike quickly shrugged him off and tried to get back to his feet, but more dogs jumped on him, piling onto the drake, all biting, scratching and jabbing him. The dragon flapped his wings, trying to bat them off but they kept coming at him. “We got him now! Go for the kill, boys!”

Spike could hardly move, every inch of him was covered with dog, so he curled up in a small ball, his wings covering him in a small cocoon of dragon scales.

“What’s the matter dragon?” laughed the dogs. “Trying to hide from us? You can’t escape death!” He started to stab at the dragons wings with his sword, tearing into the film. When he pulled the blade out however, it had been warped and melted. “What in the name of—“

SHA-BOOOOOOOOOOM!

There was a fiery explosion. Spike had built up a fireball in his winged shell, letting it compress until it was ready to burst, then he released it. The resulting blast incinerated all beings in a fifty yard radius. When Spike opened his eyes, he was surrounded by the ash of his foes. It was falling down from the sky like rain or snow, a sad mimic of beauty.

A mad sense of beauty that was brought on by an even madder pony. Conquest was still admiring his handiwork form his safe perch on the hill. The coward wasn’t even brave enough to fight his own battles. He’d rather send others to the slaughter. How could someone who claimed to be so powerful and menacing hide like a foal from a bully?

“Spike!” The ground exploded next to him as a dirty dragon crawled out of the ground. “You do not want to go underground right now! Some of those dogs can dig!”

“Do you need help?” asked Spike.

Bitterbite shook his head, “Nah, but it’s a mess down there, I’m talking dead bodies everywhere!” he laughed.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” muttered Spike, looking out into the battlefield.

“Why so glum?”

“Look at it Bitterbite,” Spike pointed out to the distance, where the battle was still raging. “We’re laying down our lives for this, something that seems so unnecessary. I mean, I find it difficult to believe that this is all because Conquest had his heart broken.”

“You said he was insane,” replied Bitterbite. “And what better thing to overact to than love?”

“I know. It just doesn’t feel right, you know?”

“Try not to think about it too much,” smiled the earth dragon. “We don’t need our fearless leader going nuts on us.”

“Your leader?”

“Hell yeah Spike!” laughed Bitterbite, slapping the purple drake on the back. “You brought us here to battle, and you’re going to lead us to victory. In fact, check it out!”

The two dragons looked down the fields to see the pony army dominating the insane forces that they opposed. For every pony that fell, at least three of the opposing troops bit the dust. In the air, the pegasus were dominating the skies with the help of the dragons. It seemed that Conquest’s army was retreating, running away from the castle and into the hills in the distance.

“This is it,” said Spike, taking a deep breath. “This is my chance to take him down.” He flapped his wings open, and took to the air, soaring over the army and towards the alicorn. He seemed to be just staring at him, his grin still larger than life. Why was he so happy?

"RELEASE THE SECOND WAVE!!”

Second wave?

The whole thing was a trap. Spike hadn’t realized but they had moved far away from the walls of the castle, leaving them all exposed from all directions, and a distance that any reinforcements would take time to get there. Conquest second wave sprung from all directions. From the ground, from the hills, from the skies, there was no place safe as they were flanked.

It was horrible: ponies and zebras were torn apart, pegesi were picked from the sky and thrown down to earth, wingless or in bloody pieces, buffalos were beheaded by massive axes of laughing minotaurs and hysterical dogs.

“Bitter, get down there now!” shouted Spike, the earth drake nodding in agreement as he dove into the earth. Spike flew above the battle, slashing at a nearby griffin as he did so. He swept low over the raging battle, blanketing the field with his green fire. He was able to take out a small group of hostiles but there were just so many of them.

“General Spike!” a yellow pegasus flew up to him, gliding by his side. “We’re getting killed out there!”

“Tell me something I don’t know!” shouted the drake.

“I’m a changeling,” the yellow pegasus smiled.

“That’s gre—what?”

“DIE!!” screamed the pegasus, grabbing onto Spike’s neck and started to drag him down to earth. The dragon groaned as he flipped him over, and as they landed to the ground, it was the pegasus that took all the impact. The dead creature slowly burst into green fire, revealing a black bug like creature that was a changeling.

“By the goddess…” gasped Spike, things were about to get more complicated, the changelings had started to transform, he couldn’t tell friend to foe. All around him he saw what looked like troops turning on each other. Stallions slicing each other throats, zebra stabbing bison, and buffalos trampling everything in their paths. It was complete chaos, just as Conquest had hoped.

Spike’s heart raced as he entered the fray. He had to be much more careful, who knew if someone was a pony or a changeling. He hacked on dogs and swooping griffins that got close too him. Anyone that looked like an ally he would swat away, not knowing if it was a changeling assassin or just a confused solider. The dragon felt a tapping at his back. He turned around to see Bitterbite facing him, “Bitterbite, glad you’re here, there are Changeling—“

“Changelings, I know, everyone looks alike, and I can’t tell a friend from a foe!” he explained, punching a stallion in the face. Said stallion fell to the ground unconscious, but did not flicker into fire. “See? I just hit a guy and he was on our side!”

“Tell me about it!” replied Spike, lashing out at a griffin. “This is too much, we need to take them out now!”

“And how do you suppose we do that?” asked the earth drake as he bite into a minotaur, “Everyone looks alike!”

“We have to find Chrysalis. Maybe if the queen dies, it’ll cause the rest of them to fall!”

“Okay, sounds like a plan. What does this queen look like?”

“Tall, dark and lanky,” said the armoured drake. “With aqua blue hair and bug wings,”

“Sounds dreamy!” laughed Bitterbite. “Kind of girl I’d date.”

“What about Daisy?” asked Spike.

“I’ll always love her, don’t get me wrong, Spike!” said the brown dragon.

Spike spun around, smacking his friend in the head with the back of his claw, the earth drake falling to the ground, clutching his cheek.

“What’d you do that for?” he whined.

“I expect more from you, changeling,” growled Spike. “Especially from their queen.”

Bitterbite smiled as his eyes slowly started to glow a sickly bright green. He got up from the ground and dusted himself off. “I usually have more time to stalk my prey before I start to mimic,” he said, with a surprisingly feminine voice. “But tell me, what gave me away?”

“Bitterbite doesn’t know a Daisy. He especially isn’t in love with one either,” snarled Spike, opening his claws to the queen.

“Always a loved one with you ponies and dragons,” sighed the queen, her body bursting into flames as she took to her true form. “It’s so sad that even a creature as fearsome as a dragon is subdued by pitiful emotions.”

“The only thing here that is pitiful is you!”

“Flattered,” said Chrysalis blandly, “but that means little now. Look around you, we are winning this war, and soon all of Equestria will burn for their sins!”

“Is that what he told you?” asked Spike. “Did he promise you salvation? Power? What did Conquest promise you in exchange for all this bloodshed?”

The changeling smiled. “He promised me love, Spike. He promised me all the love I could ever feed off of, and my hive will rule with him in the new, cleansed world. A world free of ponies and their many sins against us all!”

“And you think that he will follow up with this?” asked Spike. “He’ll kill you too! He’ll kill all of you!”

“I know.”

“What?”

“I said I know Spike,” sighed the changeling. “This isn’t a war Spike, it’s a slaughter. Everyone will die Spike, don’t you see it? Conquest has already achieved victory, even if his army loses; he smiles knowing that he lead us to our death.”

“Then why still fight for him?”

“Because I need to protect my children!” she snarled, lunging at him. “And if it means you must die, then so be it!”

The queen slammed into Spike, knocking him to the ground with her on top. She started pummeling him with her decayed hooves, unable to even dent the armour. Spike struggled to get her off of him, but she was still much larger than he was and surprisingly strong. Suddenly, she started to drool on him, the changeling’s green saliva splattering on his face. He felt a weird burning sensation as the spit started to corrode his faceplate.

“The Spit burns all, dragon! Even star metal and dragon scales!” she cackled, letting more drip out of her mouth.

Spike finally managed to head butt her, part of his helmet falling off in the process. With the queen stunned, he was able to shove her off and pin her to the ground. He raised a claw into the air and slammed it down on the queen.

“Spiky, you wouldn’t hurt me, would you?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity?” wondered Spike, stopping his assault.

“Stupid dragon,” smiled the unicorn, her smile growing grimmer. The transformed Changeling smacked the drake across the face with her hoof, rolling right back on top of him. “Conquest was right; you did fall for that. NOW DIE!”

“Don’t you touch him!” shouted a strangely familiar voice.

Chrysalis was knocked off of Spike by a strange blur. It looked like it was bronze but he couldn’t tell. He slowly got up to see a dragon ripping the screaming queen to shreds. It was a female, he could tell that but it was not Glimmer. She had long flowing red spikes that looked like hair, and a snarl that he recognized all too well.

“Slitilda?”

His ex-girlfriend turned around, her face was covered in green blood and her eyes were shot to hell. None knows a fury like a dragon’s rage, the saying went. Or at least, that what it should go like, given the circumstances. The dragoness got up, still covered in the jade slime.

“What are you doing here?” asked Spike.

“Nice to see you too,” she muttered. “We came to help.”

“We came to help?”

Slitilda sighed heavily as she pointed to the skies.

“My god…..” gasped the dragon, jaw dropped at what he saw. From over the mountains that covered the sea that separated the Badlands and Equestria, an army of dragons flew. Dragons from the great races: Cloud, Boulder, Fire and Sky, all soared in the air, desceding upon the battle. The largest one, recognized as Inferno, lead the charge.

“DRAGONS!!” he shouted. “UNLEASH YOUR HELL!!!”

The mass roared in agreement, the fire dragons sweeping down low, scorching the plains with their fiery breath. The Cloudweavers weaved through the air, blowing smoke and blue clouds, hiding them. Any griffin or changeling that got lost in the cloud was never seen again. Skyrins flew and dashed around the air, hitting their foes with hypersonic speed and impact. The boulder drakes fell out of the air, their large, round, meteor like bodies leaving craters as they crashed into the ground and into their adversaries. From the ground sprung the last of the dragons. The Rockmouths erupted from the earth, lashing out with a flurry of claws and bites. Some grabbed and pulled creatures into the earth itself, suffocating them within the dirt.

“They came…they actually came to help!” Spike smiled excitedly. “I actually did it!”

“You mean we did it Spike,” said Slitilda.

“What?”

The earth started to rumble around him, and soon a sick hole opened up. From said hole, a very large Rockmouth emerged, the largest one of them all in fact, Elder Rockjaw.

“Hello little one,” the ancient dragon smiled, “are we late?”

“You came and helped the ponies…” Spike said, gazing at the Elder. “Why? I thought you hated ponies?”

“We did, and some of us still do,” admitted Rockjaw. “But when you live to be as old as I am, you sometimes have to learn to forgive. Three thousand years is a long time to hold a grudge, and is a lot of time to forgive.”

“So everything is okay between ponies and dragons?” asked Spike.

“Maybe someday,” sighed Rockjaw. “But today, let’s just say that the enemy of our enemy is our friend.” The elder smiled as he reached into the sky and grabbed a griffin that was making a beeline for him. He easily plopped it in his mouth. “Hmm, taste like beef, not chicken.” Spike stared curiously at the elder, but Rockjaw just smiled at him. “Don’t you have a world to save?”

Spike snapped back to reality. “Right!” he said, taking off into the air. This was it, the moment had finally come. He easily located Conquest; the bastard hadn’t moved an inch since thing had started. “I’ll wipe that smile off your face,” growled the dragon as he flew towards him, weaving through friendly dragons and pegesi. “I’m going to finally end you, Conquest. I’ll do this for all the ponies and other creatures that you’ve hurt!” He was nearly there, the alicorn was still not moving. “You say you’re going to destroy everything, you betrayed your sisters, went on a psychotic killing spree, and murdered my mother and siblings all because you wanted an omelet!” he roared, mere inches away from the dark pony. “Conquest, YOU ARE SO BUCKING DEAD!!”

Spike’s head collided with Conquests’, his claws digging into the pony’s temple. With the momentum built with the swing, he managed to rip the head right off. Spike was surprised at how easy it came off, and was also surprised to see no traces of blood or anything that would remeble it. in fact, the skin of the pony felt an awful lot like….

“Styrofoam?!” shouted Spike, as he pulled the fake head off his hand. “It’s freaking styrofoam?” He kicked over the body of Conquest and looked around, waiting for him to pop out of nowhere and attack him. But nothing came. Eventually Spike noticed a letter tacked onto the flank of the Conquest dummy. He picked it up and began to read it.

Dear Spike or to whoever reads this…

If this is not the dragon, then please disregard the following… Or don’t, I really could care less :D

If this is the dragon, then you have failed every expectation I had for you by living long enough to read this, unless somepony is reading this for you in which case they are going to call you a diseased ridden asshole because they just read that part out loud and I am now laughing at you.

But enough of the tomfoolery….

So how did you like my little war? It doesn’t really matter that you won or if I lost, ‘cause in the end, it served its purpose. You see, hatred is the one thing that has meaning, and it is my greatest gift and my greatest weapon. To bend the weak wills of those clouded by anger, or those blinded by revenge is as easy as stabbing a baby. A blind baby that is asleep! And what comes from this rage is my other favorite thing: death. You see, genocide is a lot like cheesecake, I find it very enjoyable and I plan to serve up a big platter tonight at the castle….

Oh did I forget to mention? This whole little ‘war’ was just a big happy distraction to keep you busy while I sneak into Canterlot and prepare the blades of insanity to slit the throats and spill the blood of everypony inside Canterlot Castle! For no one is a match for the great and powerful Trixie Dark Conquest! Oh how it will rain sweet red for years after today! Makes me giddy just thinking about it! I think that I’ll leave Rarity alive the longest, make her watch as I kill her friends and princesses…. Then when you walk in to ‘save the day’ I’ll eat her heart! So I would hurry up if I were you, they’re all dying to meet you!

Love, Dark Conquest

The Pain

"Purpose? What a silly question. Purpose. ... You see there are some people in this world. Some irredeemable lumps of flesh for whom a means does not require an end... I speak of course of myself!"

~Major-Alucard-Wesker

“Are those dragons?!” gasped Twilight as she, her friends, and the two princesses gazed out the window. They were gazing out as the dragon army descended onto the battle field. The ponies watched in awe as the large hulking beasts tore through the ranks of Conquest’s Army. For a brief moment, things looked bright, there was still hope.

“Well I’ll be damned…” gasped Luna. “Maybe we didn’t need to assemble the elements after all.”

“Better safe than sorry, sister,” commented Celestia. “Still, I think that the girl’s presence is no longer required.” She motioned to the door. “Come my little ponies, let us quickly get to the underground caves, we’ll be much safer there until this is all over.”

The other mares nodded in agreement, as they all started to head to the large doors that lead out of the throne room, and towards the safety of the mines. Only Fluttershy stayed at the window.

“Umm, girls?” the timid mare whispered.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” groaned Rainbow, “let’s get out of here before Conquest shows up or something.”

“Too late for that, dearie…” a satanic voice chuckled.

The eight mares gasped as the door swung opened. Leaning against the door frame, a tall dark alicorn was drenched in blood, his white teeth flashed as he smiled. His grey, misty mane flowed in the non-existent wind, and those eyes, the eyes that burned with the hatred towards all life, pulsing with psychotic laughter and anger that would render even the most savage monster as useless as a newborn puppy, glowed with malice. They were the eyes that the world feared, the eyes of evil, death and chaos.

They were the eyes of the apocalypse; they were the eyes of Dark Conquest.

“Well, that was fun!” he laughed as he wiped some of the blood of his body. “I haven’t gone on a rampage like that since—ah where are my manners?” He stretched a hoof towards the group of terrified ponies. “I’m Dark Conquest, incarnation of evil and you’re eventual murderer!”

“But—How did—What in the world?!” stuttered Celestia.

“Why Tia, I thought you’d be happy to see your dear old brother again…” grinned the dark alicorn. “And Luna, why don’t you give your big brother a hug?” He expanded his hooves, expecting somepony to actually embrace him.

“How did you get past the guards? How did you even get here?” asked Celestia.

“That’s actually a really funny story,” smiled Conquest. “It’s really funny story indeed. In fact, I think I’ll tell you all about it over tea.”

“Tea?”

*****

“It was all a trick! A freaking distraction!” moaned Spike in his mind as he flew at a breakneck paste towards the castle, “It’s Conquest! You should have seen this coming! He didn’t move an inch the whole time. He’s always moving, always taunting and laughing. The fact that he shut up for more than three seconds should have given him away!” He looked below him to witness the battle beneath him. The dragons had made all the difference in this battle, what little of Conquest’s forces would be vanquished within the hour, all that remained was him. “By the goddess…”

He landed in the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, or at least what was left of it. It was the very picture of hell. All across the courtyard lay dead ponies and mules. Some were torn o bits and pieces, others were drowned in puddles of their own blood. The trees in the yard have had their branches stripped of leaves and replaced with the petrified bodies of ponies. Every direction that the dragon looked he saw death, unnecessary death and destruction. It made his stomach tie up in knots.

“Dr…dragon?” a strained voice, barely audible, called out. Spike looked around, somewhere in the debris of corpses, someone was still alive.

“Hello?” called out the drake, “Is anypony still alive?”

“Over…. Over here…”

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a blue unicorn waving him over, hiding within a fallen shack.

Spike quickly rushed over to the small little sanctuary hidden within the rubble. “What’s your name, unicorn?”

“Dragoon,” the stallion said. “I was one of the ponies assigned to protect the castle. We thought he would catch a break when the dragons all came.” He sighed. “But we didn’t expect that black pony to come…”

The dragon frowned, “It was Conquest, wasn’t it?”

“Is that what he’s called?” Dragoon asked. “Well regardless, when he came, he came hard. Kicking down the gates, impaled guys on trees, turned them inside out, hell, he destroyed everything. He just stared at us and boom! An entire platoon blew up!”

“Where is he now?”

“He went into the castle. You need to stop him dragon!” the blue unicorn pleaded.

Spike nodded. “Stay here and see if anyone else survived. I have an alicorn to stop.” He left the unicorn, walking to the doors of the castle. With a heavy sigh, he pushed open the door and walked inside. He was not prepared for what was inside.

The main entrance hallway was red. Completely red, this was saying something considering the hallways were white that morning. There was no bodies, no skeletons, no life what so ever, just blood.

“By the goddess….” Gasped Spike as he walked down the hall, steeping in the shallow crimson puddles. “How on earth did he did this?”

“You don’t want to know….”

Spike turned around. Tucked around the corner, behind the massive door was a blood soaked pony. If Spike didn’t know his voice so well, Curb Hoof would have been completely unrecognizable.

“Never thought I’d be so happy to see you, iguana,” muttered the bloody pony. The stallion emerged from behind the door, there seemed to be a slight limp in his step, and he wasn’t putting much pressure on his front right hoof, but other than that he seemed fine.

“Curb Hoof, what happened?”

“Conquest happened,” he sneered. “Bastard walks in here like a big shot, and then everything goes black. I wake up and I’m covered in blood and everypony is gone…. And he’s standing over me, laughing that terrible laugh of his.” He reached down on the ground, searching around the blood. “I took a spear and drove it through his neck, but it bent around him like the spear was made of rubber.”

“I’m surprised that he didn’t kill you…”

Curb Hoof frowned. “Apparently it was all part of the plan,” he said sarcastically. “Do you know what that means? Do you know what his ‘plan’ is?”

“Yeah, kill everything,” said Spike, scratching his chin.

“We’ll he’s not doing a good job at it.”

“That’s what I mean, there were ponies outside that were alive as well. Why didn’t he kill them? He’s more than capable of doing it.”

“So you wanted him to kill me? And you wonder why I hate you.”

Spike face palmed. “That’s not what I meant. I meant that it’s doesn’t seem in Conquest’s nature to let ponies live if he can help it. It concerns me greatly.”

“What concerns me…” grunted Curb Hoof as he finally fished a spear out from the blood, “Is that that thing is heading towards the princesses, and you’re trying to figure out a psychopath.”

The dragon shook his head. “You’re right, we need to stop him. Now.” He offered a claw to the blood soaked guard. Curb Hoof sighed as he took the claw in a hoof shake. “I’m sorry if I did anything to piss you off.”

The pony sighed. “It’s not you dragon, it’s that I’ve had bad experiences with them.”

“Like what?”

“Rather not talk about, besides we don’t have time for long life stories. We have the princesses to save, after all.”

The two nodded as they walked down the hallway. It was a short walk to the end of the hall, and as they turned the corner, they saw more bodies. Stacks upon stacks of ponies impaled on racks of dark, crystallized spikes, through the masses of death, there was one pony, kneeling next to one lying in the ground.

“C’mon, B, wake up. That alicorn’s gone,” the conscious one muttered. “We need to get out of here before he comes back.”

“What happened here?” Spike asked, startling the guard.

The stallion quickly drew his spear off the ground and pointed it towards the dragon. “Stay back! I’m warning you!” he threatened. “Don’t make drive this spear through your head!”

“Heart Shield, stand down!” barked Curb Hoof, “What in blazing hell happened here?”

“Sorry, Commander Curb Hoof!” said Heart Shield, “I didn’t realize it was you.” He lowered his spear. “We were assigned to protect the main hallway towards the throne room. I was expecting to fight griffins and minotaurs, not...well…whatever that thing was.”

“What happened here?”

“Not quite sure. When the alicorn thing first attacked, he started bringing up these spikes. We had no way of defending from this kind of magic. I didn’t even know one could do something like that. I almost got hit myself, but I only got flung into the air and knocked out. By the time I woke, everypony was dead,” he looked down at the deep purple pegasus that was still unconscious. “Well, except for Bunsen. Conquest walked right up to her and she just fainted. That guy must have thought it was funny because he just started laughing and continued walking.”

“And the princesses?” asked Spike. “Are they okay?”

The red unicorn shook his head. “I don’t know, but the last thing I heard was something about a tea party….”

“That’s not good,” muttered Spike to himself. “Curb Hoof, stay here with Heart, see if you can get Bunsen out of here. There was a pony outside the gates still alive, go meet up with him and try to find anymore survivors.” He started to walk away.

“And what are you going to do?” barked Curb Hoof.

Spike turned his head around, “I’m going to save Equestria,” he said, turning around and continued to walk towards the large doors that lead to the throne room. He took a deep breath, who knows what sort of terrible trap awaited him on the other side of the door. “What the hell did he mean by a tea party?” Conquest was probably the last pony that should be throwing a tea party, of any party for that matter. Without further delayed, he pushed the doors of the throne room open.

He wasn’t prepared for what he saw.

“Hello, dragon, I’m so happy you could make it!”

A long narrow table was set up across the room. On it was a large quantity of tea kettles and ladles, along with hundreds of platters with an assortment of different party food, ranging from strangely red sandwiches to disturbing looking cookies. It was a tea party out of hell itself, and his host was sitting at the far end of the table…in a top hat, monocle, and waist coat.

“Please, take a seat!” Conquest said, point to the chair on the complete opposite side from him. The dragon, confused, took a seat, observing the rest of the table.

“Where are they?” demanded Spike.

“Where’s who?” grinned Conquest.

“The princesses and my friends!” yelled the dragon, slamming his fist on the table, the kettles and trays shaking from the vibrations.

“Oh, those ponies!” laughed Conquest, never a good sign. “There around here somewhere.”

“What did you do to them?!”

“Nothing!” said the alicorn. “Yet. We’ll see what kind of mood I’m in after tea. Speaking of which, would you care for a cup?”

“Of tea you made? I’ll pass,” grunted Spike.

“But it’s so good, dragon, better than incest!” he laughed. “But let’s not get distracted.” He poured himself a cup of the dark liquid and sipped on the cup. “So here we are dragon, after all this time, can you really believe that I’m here, sipping tea with my favorite dragon. It’s like a dream come true for me!”

“More like a nightmare,” muttered the dragon. “Where are my friends?!”

“Patience, Spike,” snickered Conquest, picking up a tray of pulsing sandwiches. “Here, have one of my special sandwiches. I made them with my secret recipe, want to know the secret?”

“I’d rather not—“

“It’s love!” he laughed. “And grounded up squirrels. I really love my squirrels!” The dark alicorn plopped one of the sandwiches into his mouth.

“Stop avoiding the question!” shouted Spike. “Where are my friends and the princesses?!”

“Oh, by the unholy name that is divinely so, you are so freaking annoying sometimes!” Conquest droned, rolling his eyes. “I swear, you make me want to give myself a lobotomy sometimes.”

“I could help you with that,” growled the drake, “right after you tell me what the hell you did with my friends!”

“Fine…” groaned Conquest, as his horn started to glow. “I’ll tell you what I did with your precious ‘friends’ as soon as you answer a very important question.”

The dragon groaned. “What?”

“What are you willing to do to defeat me?”

“What kind of question is that?” asked Spike. “I’ll do anything to stop you!”

The alicorn smiled as his eyes started to pulse with red energy. “Good.”

There was a flash of red light, as Spike quickly shut and covered his eyes. The light seemed to be almost burning him, he could feel the heat buildup in his armour, whatever this was. It was the strongest outburst of magic that he ever saw. When Spike opened his eyes, he saw that his friends had appeared, along with the princesses. They all looked like they had been hit by a runaway train, their bodies and faces were cut, bruised and gouged. Tears ran down their eyes but they could not scream, their mouths had been gagged and their bodies constrained with what looked like thorn bushels.

“There’s your friends, dragon” smiled the insane pony. “I fear I got a little bored of waiting. So I had a little fun. You know it’s been over eighty years since I last indulged in the sacred act of torture.”

Spike was left speechless. His best friends, the ones he had known his entire life, lay half dead in a pile on the ground. Rainbow’s wings were bent and disfigured, as if Conquest had taken the extra time to break every single bone in her wings. Applejack’s face had been cut up. The carving seemed more than artistic than savage slashes, as if the alicorn had used the knife to draw a moustache and monocle on her face.

Fluttershy was crying, her face looking worse than when Spike had found her in the closet. She looked absolutely petrified with fear and he could only imagine what the bastard must have shown her, or told her. Pinkie Pie wasn’t smiling, that wasn’t a good sign. Her hair and tail had reverted to its straightness, covering up half of her face and her tearing eyes. Twilight’s horn was broken, snapped off her head. All that was left of her powerful horn was a little stump. The lavender mare was unconscious, the pain of having such an important part of her being torn off must have been too much for her, or too painful.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna seemed the least hurt. Whether it was because they were alicorns or because Conquest had shown them mercy, he didn’t know, but he highly doubted his later thoughts. They were all there, all in painful misery because of Conquest, but there was one mare that was missing from the group. The white mare that he fell in love with.

“Where’s Rarity!?” yelled the dragon. “What did you do to her?!”

“I did what I do with all the pretty little faces I meet,” he cackled. In front of him, a red cocoon emerged from the ground. Inside the cocoon, there was a mare sleeping in stasis. Rarity’s body was curled up in a bloody ball as she hovered in her crimson prison.

“Rarity!” yelled the dragon, running over to the red cone that guarded his love. He placed his claws against the hard resin surface; he could feel it pulsing against his hand, like a steady heartbeat. “What happened to her?”

“Do you remember, Spike?” asked Conquest, as he took off his hat and monocle, throwing them aside. “The very first day we met?” He smiled as he brushed a hoof on the cocoon that held Rarity, looking at the dragon on the through the red rock.
“I don’t….”

“Well, let me remind you!” the alicorn gave the crimson prison a few taps. Immediately, it started to crack slowly, but the cocoon eventually shattered, the mare falling into Spike’s arms.

“Rarity!” gasped the drake, tenderly catching the mare. She seemed to be conscious, just barely though; her gentle panting and barely open eyes were proof of that. “Rarity, please say something!” he cried. “What did he do to you?!”

Her eyes started to open a bit more as she stared at the dragon. “Spike…is that you?”

“It’s me, Rarity…” smiled Spike, “It’s okay, I got you, you’re safe now.”

“I might be safe,” she smiled, as her eyes fully opened up, “but who’s going to protect you?” She placed a hoof on his chest.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m not afraid of Conquest.”

“You shouldn’t worry about him.” Her horn started to glow. “You should be worried about me.”

“What?”

A blast of concentrated energy blasted into Spike’s face. The point blank shot wasn’t strong enough to break through his helmet, but it was enough to stagger him, dropping Rarity in the process. “What was that for?” the dragon asked as he fell to the ground, landing on his rump.

“For being a traitorous little lizard!” she yelled. “Why on earth would you try and hide the fact that you’re cheating on me?! Did you think that I wouldn’t find out? That I wouldn’t care? That you can just run off and bone any dragon that you feel like?!”

“What are you talking about? I never cheated on you!” said the dragon. “I love you, Rarity!”

“Not as much as that dragon whore!” the unicorn roared, charging up another beam of magic. “If you love me so much, then why did you kiss that dragoness?!”

“The dragoness—you mean Slitilda?” asked Spike. “But I only did that to protect you!”

“LIES!!!” raged the mare, releasing her charge of magic at Spike. The dragon covered his face as he took a direct hit from the bolt, his gauntlets heating up a bit as they absorbed the magic. “All lies. Conquest told me the truth because, unlike you, he actually cares about me!”

“Conquest does not care about you!” yelled Spike. “He doesn’t care about anything but himself!”

The dark alicorn smirked, “Then why did I actually tell her the truth, dragon? Why did I be truthful to her when all you were was a cheating bastard?”

“Why didn’t you tell me this Spike?!” scowled the white mare. “I thought you loved me!”

“I was trying to protect you!”

“ENOUGH!” laughed Conquest! “I’m sure you two can settle this like civil beings.” He waved his hoof in the air, a large black scythe forming from nothing. “But if I were to give you this, Rarity, what would you do?”

“I’LL KILL HIM!!” shouted the white mare, grabbing the scythe in hoof and flinging herself at her love. Spike grabbed the blade mid-slash as his crazy lover tried to sink the long tipped blade into his chest.

“Rarity! Please stop this!” the dragon bagged as he strayed the blade away from him. “Why are you listening to him?!”
“He opened my eyes, darling!” she cackled, her eyes starting glow red. She lifted up the blade over her dead “For the glorious Conquest!” she yelled, slamming the tip of the scythe deep into his chest.

Spike cringed as he felt the tip of the scythe break his armour and dig into his skin. “No, not you. Anypony but you!” he cried, his warm tears leaked through his eyes as he witnessed the only mare that he had ever truly loved jamming the grim reapers stick into his chest, trying to kill him. “Please Rarity, you have to snap out of this, this isn’t you! This isn’t the kind of mare that you are! You’re the sweetest, kindest, most generous mare that I know! You have to fight his control!” He gently placed a claw on Rarity’s white hoof. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you what happened in the Badlands earlier, I just wanted to protect you, to make your last night special.”

“Spike…”

“It’s me, Spike,” he smiled. “That little dragon you fell in love with, and the one that fell in love with you.” He felt the scythe in his chest begin to wiggle out. “Remember last night, when we went in the observatory, and I proposed to you? You were so happy, and I was happy. We were happy together, as fiancés. I know that beautiful mare is inside there, so please come out Rarity.”

“Spike….” The mare placed a hoof softly on his face as her eyes started to flicker back to blue. “You’re a love stricken idiot,” she smiled, grabbing the dragon by the neck and throwing him over her shoulder.

“Oof!!” grunted Spike as he laid motionlessly on the ground.

“This is so much fun!” clapped the dark alicorn. “I should have brought a snack, cause this is fantastic!” He waved a hoof in the air and a bag of squirrel bones fell into his hooves. “What are you going to do?” he asked between munches. “She won’t stop until you kill her Spike, and I know you can take her.”

“I...I won’t…” moaned the dragon. “I can’t.”

“But Spike, whatever happened to ‘I will do anything to save Equestria’? If you die, so do your chances of stopping me! And are you really going to let millions, no, BILLIONS of lives suffer and die, just because you couldn’t thrust the blade into the one you love?”

“It’s not…It’s not about that Conquest…” he muttered. “It’s about love. I know that she will break your spell. She’s stronger than you, Dark Conquest. You say that you’re all powerful, but all I’ve seen is a fully grown stallion hide behind letters, armies and innocent mares.”

“What are you implying, dragon?”

“I think…” said Spike as he got up, “I think that you’re afraid of me, and afraid of love. You talk a big game when you can hide behind smoke and mirrors, but you’re nothing more than a coward Conquest! When you were in my head, I couldn’t lay a finger on you. But now that we’re in the real world, I get the pleasure of ripping you to pieces!”

It was difficult for Conquest to muffle his laughter, but he eventually went over the edge, he almost fell to the ground laughing. “I’m sorry Spike, but that was too much. I mean, did you even see what I did on my way here? You’re so stupid dragon! You may kill me with your idiocy before you can rip me apart! I am literally dying of laughter!” he cackled.

“I’m getting sick of your laughter!” he groaned. “Stop hiding behind puppets and fight me!!”

“Tell you what, dragon. Since you really want to rip me a new one, I’m going to give you a little motivation…” His eyes glowed, “Rarity, come over here for a second will you?”

“Of course master,” she said, walking towards the shadowy alicorn. She got up on her hind legs and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What do you desire?”

“Sweet Rarity,” smiled Conquest, putting a hoof around her neck. “I desire your life.”

Snap!

The Showdown

"What is darkness? I'll tell you. It is the only absolute in any existence. It is the beginning of all, and the end of all. The world comes forth from darkness, until the darkness reclaims it, and it ceases to exist once again. Life, of all kinds, is the same. We are conceived, and live in darkness. When we are born, we cry, for the light has frightened us, as it is an unnatural thing that we have never known. Light is artificial; fake. So why do we cling to it so, when in the end it brings nothing but the pain of having lost it?

~DragonOverlord2012

Spike watched in absolute horror as Rarity’s body fell to the ground, landing with a hollow thud.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH I’LL KILL YOU!!!!” roared Spike, as he dashed towards the alicorn and tackled him to the ground. “YOU KILLED HER!! YOU KILLED HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH YOU GOD DAMN MONSTER!!”

Spike extended his claws towards Conquest’s neck, the dragon’s teeth bared as he desperately tried to rip the throat out of his love’s killer. The laughing alicorn pressed back against the palms of the dragon with his hooves. “What’s the matter Spike? Did I do something wrong?” he laughed.

“I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!!”

“Why are you yelling so loud?” asked Conquest, still fending off Spike’s attack. “I’m right here, mere inches from your face, are you trying to make me deaf?”

“I’M TRYING TO MAKE YOU DIE!!” the dragon screeched, pressing harder to break through the alicorn’s guard. He eventually did, and he grasped Conquest’s neck with both claws, trying to squeeze every drop of his evil being out of him.

“A little help,” choked the dark pony in an odd sense of desperation. Spike felt a tug on the back of his neck as he was flung off of Conquest and onto the floor.

The dragon groggily looked up at who had thrown him off the insane pony. “Rarity?”

The white mare was standing back up, but it wasn’t the mare that he had fallen in love with. Her neck that had been snapped like a twig was still broken, her head had almost snapped right off, only hanging on by a couple of wooden splinters.

“You’re nothing more than a puppet!” yelled Spike as he got up. “You tricked me! That wasn’t Rarity!”

“No shit, Sherlock,” laughed Conquest.

“Where’s the real Rarity?!” demanded the dragon. “Tell me now!”

“She’s been here the whole time!” giggled the alicorn. “Right under your nose really.”

“I am sick and tired of these riddles, Conquest!” roared Spike. “Tell me where the real Rarity is! NOW!”

“Very well,” sighed Conquest, as he took a long yawn. “I’ll show you were the real Rarity is.” He continued to yawn, his mouth stretching out wider and wider. Conquest’s jaw disconnected, stretching out like taffy, until his mouth was twice its usual size. Then a white, slimed covered thing started to force its way past Conquest’s teeth. Dragging against the roof of his mouth was a mane of terribly messy purple hair, and a small horn. Her front hooves popped out and hung down from his lips.

“Spike… Is that you?” Rarity groaned.

“Rarity!” gasped Spike, turning to Conquest. “You ate her?!”

“Hey, better she gets inside me,” he gargled, still managing to talk clearly with a mare’s head in between his teeth, “than me get inside her. If you know what I mean, dragon!” He raised an eyebrow as he started to laugh hysterically.

“Spit her out!” shouted Spike.

“If you want her back so badly,” Conquest started to swallow, “come and get her.”

“SPIKE!” screamed the white mare as Conquest’s shadowy tongue wrapped around her neck and started to pull her back in. “HELP ME!!!”

“Rarity!” called Spike, but it was too late. His love disappeared behind the black lips of the insane pony. “I’m going to get you out of there!” He turned to Conquest. “I swear to Celestia that I will reach down your disgusting throat and pull her out if I have to!”

“Like I said…” snickered Conquest, turning his back to the dragon, “you want her back so bad, come and get her!” He bent down and wiggled his flank in the air. “I would hurry though, lest she comes out the other end!!”

Spike didn’t say anything. He sneered at his adversary as he rushed towards the alicorn, readying all his claws as he prepared to strike down the pony.

SLAM!!

The dragon’s head was struck by the blunt side of the scythe that the puppet Rarity had wielded.

“Did you forget about me?” the nearly headless mare cackled, her face hanging by a few strands of wood and swaying around her neck. She had a smile just like Conquest’s. “I thought you’d love me forever!” she yelled, taking another swing at the drake.

“You’re not Rarity!” he cried, catching the scythe mid-swing. “And you never will be!” He used his free hand and smashed the head of the puppet Rarity, knocking it clear off its neck. “No more tricks, no more guards, no more distractions!” yelled Spike as he charged at Conquest. “You’re mine!”

“But dragon,” smiled the alicorn. “Where’s the fun in that?” he asked, disappearing in a puff of smoke just as Spike’s claws were inches from his throat. He reappeared, slouching on Spike’s shoulder. “You must know that that isn’t going to work on me.” Spike took another swing at him, and again, Conquest vanished into a puff of smoke, this time reappearing on the other side of the room. “I’m over here. Why don’t you come and join me?”

“Stop teleporting!” roared Spike as he filled his mouth with green fire, releasing the flames in Conquest’s direction.
“That won’t work,” laughed the mad pony, as he willingly let the flames coat his body. “This must be the seventh time you’ve tried to set me of fi—’’

POW!!

“Wasn’t trying to burn you,” smirked Spike as his fist connected with the jaw of the pony, the satisfying crunch of the alicorn’s teeth music to his ears.

“You hit me!” cried the alicorn, scurrying away as he left behind a trail of dark tears. “Why would you do that? I have done nothing to deserve such treatment!” he sobbed, streams of water pouring down his face. “All I’ve ever done is betray my sisters, kill literally thousands of ponies and twice as many squirrels, start a war for no other reason than I wanted to see things die, torture Pinkie Pie, cut up Applejack, snap Rainbow’s wings, make Fluttershy cry three times, break Twilight’s horn off, eat your marefriend, and spend the last month annoying the crap out of you,” he whimpered, his crying slowly becoming slight chuckling, then to a full on laugh. “Oh, and I killed your family!”

Spike’s mouth exploded with a fiery inferno, the massive fireball hurling down towards Conquest. The demon alicorn managed to avoid it, jumping out of the way and towards Spike.

“Oh, I remember how I made her suffer,” the mad pony laughed, as he blocked a strike from the enraged drake. “How I made her watch as I cracked open every single egg, all five of your siblings!”

Spike let out another blood thirsty screech as he wrapped his arms around the alicorns shoulders and sunk his sharp teeth into the pony’s neck. “I’ll make you suffer!” he grunted through the flesh.

“Mmm, hurts so good,” sighed Conquest, “but in the end futile.” He grinned as he broke free from the dragon’s grasp. He reared back and socked Spike right in the gut, the blow hitting with the force of a runaway train. The dragon was sent flying to the opposite wall, the stone bricks cracking on impact.

“Oooooo…” groaned Spike as his body flopped to the ground. Had it not been for the thick plate of star metal and his own natural dragon scales, that blow would have been the end of him, and even then there was a giant hoof size dent in the abdomen of his armour.

“Aww, what’s the matter, Spiky wiky?” chuckled Conquest, dusting off the tip of his hoof as he stared smugly at the wounded dragon. “I thought this was going to be a long, drawn out battle where it would SEEM that I was winning, but then at the last minute I get defeated and you save Equestria and its all fluffy and happy and gay,” he stuck his tongue out. “Pity, ‘cause I was looking forward for a fight.”

“T-then…” coughed Spike as he started to pull himself up, staggering a bit as he did so, “then shut up and fight me…you pansy.”

“Still able to stand? I’m impressed Spike, and that’s not easy to do,” said the alicorn. “But do you really want to die so bad?”

“Are you kidding?” smirked the dragon, raising his claws up. “I was just getting warmed up. I haven’t even begun to start kicking your ass this side of Canterlot.”

“Oh, I’m shivering,” Conquest said sarcastically. “But you have guts, so tell you what,” he got up on his hind legs, cracking his neck a little. “Let’s have ourselves a good old fashion rumble. No magic, no insanely powerful super strength. Just you, me, and a fight to your death.”

“Fine by me,” smirked the dragon. “It’ll be great to finally wipe that smug smile off your face.”

“Trust me,” smiled the alicorn, “it’s when I stop smiling that you when should get worried.”

The two slowly advanced each other, striding in circles as one sized up the other. The dragon was stern, his steps precise and his guard up, still and strong. His gaze never broke from the monster that he faced. The alicorn swayed as he walked, his front hooves swinging casually as he stared at his opponent.

“It’s only fair to warn you, Spike, that I’m a highly trained fighter, a master of over a thousand different hoof-to-hoof fighting styles.”

“Does one of them involve never shutting up?”

“Yes.”

“Figures,” mumbled Spike.

The two kept circling each other, neither one willing to throw the first blow. The tension could be cut with a knife. Finally, they charged each other. With a screaming sprint, the two combatants attempted to strike each other.

The dragon got the first blow; his reach was greater than the alicorn’s and was able to land a right hook to the temple. Conquest went spinning to the side in a snickering fit. Spike attempted to attack again, opening his wings and clothes, lining the dark alicorn. The pony fell to the ground as the drake stomped his foot down on his neck, feeling the windpipe break and pop under its force.

“Angry, are we?” gagged the down pony. “That’s wonderful! Let it consume you…just like I did with Rarity!”

Spike drove his opposite knee into the alicorns trachea, keeping him pinned down. He grabbed his grey mane and pulled him up, the dragon’s knee cutting off Conquest’s oxygen as he listened to the alicorn suffocate.

“I told you I would kill you,” snarled Spike. “Making me angry was a big bucking mistake.”

“Anger?” croaked Conquest, his smile still unchanging. “You think that anger makes you strong?” He placed his hooves on the dragon’s wrists. “Please, you merely adopted it, Spike. I was born in it, manifested by it, molded by it.” The alicorn started to squeeze down on Spike. “You merely adopted it Spike…your anger betrays you!”

Spike was launched off of Conquest, skyrocketing to the ceiling. He hit the roof and bounced back down where the alicorn was waiting for him. Conquest smashed the dragon with a powerful blow just as Spike was about to hit the floor, sending him hurtling through a pillar. The large white column crumbled down on him, leaving him buried in the stony concrete.

“Are you all right, dragon?” laughed Conquest, walking towards the pile of rubble. “I didn’t kill you, did I?”

The pile of rocks started to shake, and a large chunk of column went flying towards Conquest, breaking on the tip of the alicorn’s horn. The pony seemed unfazed, but the dragon came roaring out from the rubble, tackling the dark alicorn down to the ground.

Spike went crazy on Conquest’s face, clawing, hitting, gouging, whatever he could do to try and wipe that stupid smile off his face.

But the dark pony never stopped smiling.

The dragon dug his claws into the alicorn’s neck. He saw the black sludge that was his blood started to leak out between his fingers. Conquest just kept laughing.

“Why. Won’t. You. Stop. Laughing!” screamed Spike, each word he spoke was punctuated by a punch to the alicorn’s face.

“It’s just so funny!” cackled Conquest. “It’s funny because everything you’ve done to me has been completely pointless! I’m not just a sack of meat you can beat and bruise until I croak!”

“Makes me feel better,” sneered Spike. “And maybe I can wipe that stupid smile of your face!”

“Silly dragon,” laughed the alicorn. “Do you really want to see me angry?”

“Be a nice change in scenery.”

“Oh, honey…” giggled Conquest, “you don’t know the half of it.”

Conquest spat out a ball of black slime, smothering Spike’s face. The dragon cringed at the foul liquid as the alicorn bucked the dragon off of him. With the dragon incapacitated, Conquest spun around, kicking Spike with a roundhouse to the jaw. The drake was knocked to the floor as he wiped the slime off his face, but he felt something solid in the goop. Something solid.

“Did I ever tell you about what I do to the children, Spike?” asked Conquest, black goo dripping from his mouth.

Spike felt the twitching in his palm. He looked down and as the dark slime began to drip away, he saw the skeleton of a baby squirrel. The tiny bones made the slightest of jerks, and Spike quickly dropped the abomination.

“What in the hell?”

“Oh yes, dragon…” grinned the alicorn, “I have eaten plenty a squirrel back in the day. It has become somewhat of a hobby for me to hunt down, kill, eat, and resurrect every squirrel that I find.”

“That’s sick!” said Spike, gritting his teeth.

“What else is new?” laughed Conquest. “Now, let’s get them all out here!”

The dark pony started to gag, more black sludge pouring out of his mouth. Within the goop, Spike could make out small bones and skeletons. The alicorn’s skin started to open up, more of the possessed skeletons crawling out of the fresh cuts. Anywhere these creatures could crawl out of, they did. In a matter of moments, Conquest had managed to amass a small army of slimy, clattering, and terribly twisted zombie squirrels.

“Don’t you love kids?” laughed the alicorn, wiping a tear away as his wounds started to stitch themselves up. “I do! Little bastards, I could just eat them up!”

His squirrel armada slowly advanced towards the dragon, clicking, moaning, and screeching as they crawled, limped, and staggered towards him. The squirrels finally jumped onto Spike. He tried to swat them off, shattering a good chunk of them with his claws, but there was just too many of them. They latched on to the drake, hissing and scratching at his armour with their little bony hands. Some started to crawl into any chinks in the armour, picking at his scales, trying to eat him from the inside.

Spike tore some off, but every time he would crush a few of the squirrel skeleton, more would just take their place. There seemed to be an infinite amount of the skeletal minions. How many of these vile creatures did Conquest eat? Eventually, he was overpowered; the sheer amount of squirrels was just too much the purple drake as he fell to his knees, the dreadful creatures crawling all over him.

“They’re all so adorable,” sighed Conquest. “What’s the matter Spike? I would have thought you would get along better with children. Granted, they’re all evil dead minion spawned from the depths of my belly but still…”

The dragon didn’t respond, he started to falter under the mass of rodents that he had succumbed to.

Conquest couldn’t help but laugh. “Overpowered by such small, pitiful creatures, you may as well of been overwhelmed by ponies. Stupid little ponies. I mean, look at them!” He motioned towards the Spike’s friends and the princesses, who were still tied up and helpless. “They’re pathetic, the whole lot of them. How you can love such vermin is beyond my comprehension.”

“They… are not…VERMIN!” bellowed the dragon, slashing the alicorn across the face. Spike expanded his wings and took to the air, the many skeletal rodents clinging on to him in dear life. He started to shake them off, rolling and clawing the little bastard off of him. Their bones rained down as Spike crushed the final squirrel in his hand. The tiny creatures squirmed around on the ground, festering together to rebuild their bodies. The dragon unleashed his jade fire down on the foul pests, incinerating them.

In slight, smug shock, the alicorn was vulnerable. The dragon took advantage of this and dive bombed him, driving straight into Conquest, slamming him to the ground.

“My precious squirrels,” deadpanned the dark pony, uncaring that his rodent battalion had been wiped out. “Where in Equestria will I find more of those? It’s not like they’re everywhere or anything.”

“Your squirrels are the last thing you should be worrying about!” snarled Spike as he slashed Conquest across the face.
“Never said I was worried!” laughed Conquest, getting struck by again by Spike. “In fact, I’m a little relieved. Now I get to eat more squirrels!”

“You’re sick!” screamed Spike.

“And you’re ugly!” grinned the alicorn, kicking the drake off of him and getting back on his hooves. “And just for that, you shall see my TRUE FORM!”

Spike quickly scrambled back to his feet and got in his battle stance as the black alicorn started to glow a bright white. Conquest slowly started to lift off the ground as he started to grow, his limbs and heads all getting sucked into his body, becoming a large ball of white energy. With another blinding flash of light, the transformation was complete. Spike uncovered his eyes to see the terrible being Conquest had shifted to.

“Now, dragon,” the transformed smiled, “face the wrath of…… BALLOON CONQUEST!”

The insane pony had inflated his body to look like a balloon, his limbs and head stretched out thin to accommodate for his new form. The new Conquest was bouncing around in the air, laughing and cackling like the deranged stallion he was.
“Do you not fear my ultimate form?” hollered the inflated pony.

“You’re just being stupid now,” mumbled the dragon.

“No, you!”

“Shut up!” growled Spike, picking up a fallen piece of rubble and chucking it at him.

Conquest easily rolled around it. “You are no match for Balloon Conquest!” he laughed. “My helium induced wrath will be the end of all the ponies!”

“I’ve had enough of this!” yelled Spike, flexing his claws, soaring up to the alicorn. “I’m going to pop you, bubble boy!”

“I’m a balloon!” giggled the round pony, floating away from the sharp claws of the dragon. “It’s a little sad how easy it is to anger you!”

“Hold still, fatty!” snarled Spike, taking another swipe at Conquest, only to miss by mere inches.

“How easy it is to toy with you, dragon!” smiled the alicorn. “To just lead you on, giving you the slightest bit of hope when in reality, I could just clap my hooves and the world would set on fire!”

“I highly doubt that,” said the dragon, missing with another swing of his hand.

“Like you’ve never exaggerated about something,” mused Conquest as he bounced into a corner.

“I got you now!” roared Spike, taking a final jab at the dark alicorn. He could feel his nails breach the skin and—

BOOOOOM!!

The instant that Conquest had popped, he exploded like a bomb, the blast flinging the drake into the opposite wall, crashing into it and leaving a dragon size hole in it.

Conquest had reformed to his normal form and was walking casually to towards the dragon. “Always end with a bang, eh Spike?”

“This…this is far from over” grumbled Spike as he pulled himself from the wall.

“Spike, it’s been over since I walked into this room. It’s been over since I escaped from that dark hellhole of a prison. It’s been over since all of this started!” he laughed. “Spike, it’s been over since I was born.”

The dragon got back to his feet. “It ain’t over until I rip out your cold, beating heart and tear it up in front of you.”

“Sorry muffin, but somepony already did that,” he sighed. “Sweet, Sweet Symphony… I still hear her screaming in my dreams. One of the few happy memories that I have left.”

“Fine!” yelled Spike, charging at the alicorn. “Let’s make you scream!”

He swung out at the pony, Conquest dodging easily. Spike went for a second strike, this time with his tail, but the alicorn was able to catch it, flipping the dragon. The insane pony reared up and stomped down with both hooves onto Spike’s chest, leaving more dents. He continued to stomp down on the helpless dragon, crushing more and more of the drake’s chest plate. Spike could feel his breastplate slowly turning into scrap metal, and his chest started to hurt. When Conquest was about to deliver the final stomp, the dragon grabbed him by the ankles, pulled him down, and delivered a double kick to his face.

Conquest staggered slightly, enough so give Spike a bit of breathing room. With his chest plate now dented and useless, Spike tore it off, the heavily dented metal a makeshift club in his hands. He took a swing at the alicorn, smashing him in the face. He took another swing, smacking him in the jaw, teetering from the blow. Spike finally jumped in the air, planting the plate right into Conquest’s skull. The dragon was amazed at what he saw next.

The great alicorn Conquest, insane, sadistic, warmongering sociopath of darkness, the bringer of death and pain to more ponies than could be counted, the one who had personally brought him to the gates of hell to die….

Had fallen to his knees.

Spike wasted no time; he capitalized on this golden opportunity. He threw the piece of armour at the alicorn’s temple, striking dark blood as he went down. Spike jumped on the downed pony, he could see the fresh wounds on his face, the bruises and the gashes, and the best part was…

They weren’t healing.

Spike went to town on the Conquest’s face, a month of hatred to fuel his rage. “This one is for all the ponies you’ve hurt!” he cried, slashing his face. “This one is for betraying you sisters!” Another slash across the face. “This one is for hurting my friends!” He punched in his razor sharp teeth. “This one is for my family! And for my mother!” He jabbed his thumb into his glowing red eye. “And this….” He readied his claw, “Is for Rarity!”

The drake jammed his claw down the insane pony’s throat. He listened to Conquest gag and squirm. He deserved this pain and much more, but it would do for now. He kept digging deeper and deeper, feeling around, searching for something until finally he felt it. He grabbed on tight and started to pull, it was in there deep but Spike was determined. He finally was able to get most of his arm out when he could see the slime drenched hoof. He pulled with both hands until Rarity was finally visible. The mare gasper for air as her head popped out of the mouth, her eyes stained, wet, and crying as she was slowly pulled out from the belly of the beast. She fell limp into Spike’s arms, wrapping her hooves around his shoulders as she wept.

“Shh, shh, everything’s going to be all right,” said the dragon, speaking softly as his stroke her sticky mane.

“Spike…I was so scared” she whimpered. “I thought he was going to kill you.”

“He tried,” spoke the drake. “Heaven knows he tried.”

“He…. He tried to make me turn on you….” the white mare wept. “He told me horrible things that you’ve done, how you never loved me, how you were just using me. I knew they were all lies. I know you would never hurt me.”

“Never, not in a million lifetimes,” said Spike, hugging his mare tighter. “I love you, Rarity, and nothing is going to ever stop me from protecting you, or any of our friends.”

“Oh no! Darling, what happened to the others? Are they all right?”

“They’re fine,” the drake smiled reassuringly. “They’re all a little roughed up, but hopefully nothing time won’t heal.”

“I hope you’re right,” she whispered. “I saw what he did. He said I deserved to watch since it was all my fault,” she cried. “We were all powerless against him, and I had to watch him torture them all! How he destroyed everything they held dear………he’s a monster.”

“Unforgivable,” the dragon said quietly. “But it’s okay now. Everything is done. It’s all over now, he’s been defeated.”

“You mean you…” Spike nodded his head. “I love you, Spike,” she said, turning her head as she kissed the side of his faceplate.

“I love you too, Rarity.”

“Well, isn’t that just a case of rotten peaches…”

The dragon and the mare’s flesh grew cold as they turned to the source of the voice. Dark Conquest rolled over to his side, his face still disfigured from his recent beating. He was chuckling to himself as he stared at the couple.

“You have become quite a nuisance, dragon,” the alicorn said. “All I wanted was to have a little fun before you all died. Just play a couple of games, a few jokes to lighten things up…” He got back onto his hooves, shaking a little. “But YOU have to be such a buzzkill!” he laughed again, but they seemed more heated, like they were being forced to hide back something else. “Do you want to know why I’m always smiling?”

Spike turned to Rarity. “Get everyone else out of here now!” he ordered.

“But what about you?” she asked.

“I’ll be fine,” he said quickly, “now go!”

The mare didn’t disobey; she quickly ran to the others and started to untie them.

“Well, dragon?” asked Conquest. “Do you want to know why I’m always smiling?”

“‘Cause you’re insane.”

“Wrong,” said the dark alicorn. “It is because it gives me an excuse to do what I do Spike. Truth be told, I am not insane, not by a long shot. I do insane things, and I feel no remorse after I do them, but I am not crazy. No, I just use it as an excuse to kill rape and plunder the local villages and make inappropriate jokes about it. And you know what dragon? It worked! I can do whatever the hell I feel like doing and feel nothing about it. But don’t ever mistake that I am unaware of what I am doing. My mommy told me right from wrong, I just didn’t listen to her. It’s just so much more fun to do anything you want and have the power to get away with it!”

“Then why do all of this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” smiled the pony. “It’s because I am one hundred percent, absolutely, positively, cynically, no doubt about it, for the lack of any other word: Insane.”

“But you just said—“

“What a mad stallion would say? Yes, yes I did!” he laughed, this time much more natural. “Ah, it feels good to joke again! I love it when a plan falls together like this!”

“What plan?”

“Like I’d tell you,” giggled Conquest, his horn glowing red. “I must thank you for finally taking off that dreadful armour, it was really messing up my magic.”

Spike became surrounded by the red aura, slowly lifting off the ground. He tried to struggle but it was no use, the magic was too strong. The dragon was being carried to the alicorn and he was helpless to do anything.

“Remember when I said I was toying with you?” asked Conquest. “How I said I could end this with a clap of my hoof? Well, I wasn’t exaggerating too much. I just wanted to make you feel like you had a small glimmer of hope…” Spike was placed in the hooves of the alicorn, his body paralyzed. Conquest lifted him above his head, a firm grip on his feet with one hoof, and at the base of his neck in the other. “When in all reality Spike…”

Snap!

“You never had a chance.”

The Plan

“When Darkness falls, who there to guide you out?
No one so you better start looking for a way out.”

~blm95tehe

Snap!

“You never had a chance.”

AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!

“SPIKE!!” cried Rarity.

Spike’s shrieks of pain echoed throughout the throne room and the castle as Conquest slammed the dragon down, his spinal cord snapping under the tremendous force of the alicorn and the rock hard structure of his knee. The dragon rolled down onto the floor, his back was shattered, he could feel the bones of his spine dig around the flesh of his back, spreading apart as he felt his body go numb with agony.

“My…. My back….” shuddered Spike, twitching slightly on the ground, not daring on to move in fear of the pain it will bring. He turned his neck slightly, able to see the pony that had done this to him, the pony that was staring down at him, his face slowly putting itself back together. Everything that Spike had done to him, the beatings, the cuts and gouges, the broken teeth and the eye, all was healing, repairing itself. All he had done was for naught.

“You look hurt, dragon,” chuckled the dark alicorn. “I know that you dragons are quick healers but….. Well, you can’t heal this fast.”

“Why…” croaked the drake.

“Why? Why what? Why now?” asked Conquest. “Or perhaps why did I just not killed you? Hmm, is that it, muffin?” he wondered, giving the dragon fake concern. “Like I said, I don’t think that I can kill you. Silly, is it not? You thought you’d killed me, and were happy about it! And yet I’m just such a good pony that I can’t do the same” he giggled, “Sometimes I think I’m too nice for my own good!”

“You…..” Spike could hardly speak. He felt fatigued taking over, and soon everything faded to black. “…..Bastard,” he muttered, his head falling backwards.

“Well, now…” smiled the insane stallion, turning his gaze towards the ponies. Rarity was still traumatized from what she had just witnessed, but she had managed to free Rainbow from her bonds, as the rainbow-haired mare was busy untying the rest of the captives. “What to do with you? I mean, everything has gone so according to plan, I think I deserve a little treat,” he grinned. “Who to choose, who to choose? I did enjoy the hurting pink one, but there was something about cutting up the orange that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” he paused, weighing his options. “You know what, I think I’ll do the yellow one, just cause I like hearing her cry—”

“NO!” cried Fluttershy, paralyzed in fear as the shadowy alicorn started his decent onto her, licking his lips eagerly.

WHACK!!

A large, blunt object, coming from out of nowhere, had randomly collided into Conquest’s face. Blood was drawn as the alicorn staggered down to one knee. Shaking his head and letting his vision return to him, he looked down at what had struck him in the face with great curiosity.

It was a forging hammer.

Forge was standing at the foot of the throne room doors, a determined look in his good eye. He was wearing what looked like a heavy snow parka, and had a bag of smithing supplies. “I have more where that came from,” the red dragon growled, as he reached in and pulled out another hammer.

“Oh my goddess! It’s you!” the dark pony squealed excitedly. “Forge! It’s so good to see you again! Hey, how’s that leafy dragon you had the hots for?” he laughed, playfully face hoofing himself. “Oh, that’s right, I ripped her heart out, right in front of you if I remember correctly.” He laughed some more as he made a little pouting face at the enraged drake. “Aww, still being a sour puss about that? You really need to let that go or you’ll give yourself a heart attack!”

“You were always a terrible joker, Conquest,” said Forge. “But that was just plain heartless.”

“Speaking of heartless,” smiled the alicorn. “How’s the old ticker holding up for you? Last time I heard, you cut some of it out to try and save your lady friend. How did that work out for you?” Conquest quickly dodged a thrown hammer. “Not well? That’s wonderful!” he jested. “It’s a pity, having only half your heart to work with. I can see it in your eye. I can see all the pain, the hatred, the age….. Has it only been a thousand years? I would have guessed differently. I can smell your body failing you, the shivers in your breath, the screaming of your aching muscles. Being up here is hellish for you, isn’t it?”

“I’ll admit, it’s a little cold,” grumbled Forge.

“You’re wearing a parka in the middle of summer,” deadpanned Conquest. “What on earth happened to the old dragon that defied me? Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“Are we going to do this or are we just going to jerk each other around?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” chuckled the alicorn.

Forge ran towards the insane pony, a hammer in each claw. Conquest mused at him and just stood there, waiting for him to strike.

“I’m feeling particularly generous today, so I’ll let you have the first hit!” laughed the alicorn, leaning his head towards the approaching dragon.

SLAM!!

Forge’s hammer collided with the jaw of Conquest. The dragon kept whipping his hammers into the skull of the pony, a relentless barrage of hammer blows. Conquest took it in stride, letting the red drake deal his damage, his smile never faltering throughout the whole ordeal.

Eventually Forge’s strikes started to weaken, his strikes beginning to teeter and sway. The dragon was starting to tire, he was panting heavily and sweat was dripping down his face. He tried to keep up the intensity of his attacks, but he was losing energy fast, his heart and age finally catching up with him. Conquest easily caught one of his claws when he went in for another strike.

“Getting tired?” he asked the dragon, “You were doing so well; I think that last one even tickled!”

“Not… I ain’t done yet…..” Forge panted, weakly raising his other arm and letting the hammer drop on Conquest’s face, not affecting the alicorn what-so-ever.

The dark pony sighed. “Well, this is no fun,” he said, pushing the drake to the ground, who fell limp and exhausted. “Seriously, have you really grown that pathetic in such a short time?” he asked. Forge was still breathing heavily as Conquest grabbed him by the neck, pulling him up nice and close. “Maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on you, old friend. After all, you have no wings, one eye, and half a heart! I can’t imagine what sort of hell you live through every single day. Personally, I would have killed myself if I were you.”

“You’re not me,” coughed Forge, spitting in his face, “and you never will be.”

Conquest rolled his eyes as he wiped the spit off of his cheek. “Why would I want to be a crippled old dragon?”

“Better than being a freaking psychopath!”

“Don’t knock it till you try it!” laughed the alicorn. “But you wouldn’t understand something like that. You’re a weak, pathetic, and a bore, just like you were all those years ago. You were too weak to stop me then, and too weak to stop me now. I really should just put you out of your misery.”

“Then do it!” grunted the dragon. “What are you waiting for? Kill me!”

Conquest cackled as he dropped the dragon, “Of course I will kill you. But later!” he laughed. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun…” The dark alicorn grabbed the right leg of the drake. “I so enjoy our little tradition. You know, the one where every time I defeat you….”

Rip!

“I take something.”

From the knee down, Forge’s leg was ripped off his body. The alicorn laughed as he listened to the red dragon wither and scream and roll on the ground, cupping his stumpy leg, trying to stop the bleeding.

Conquest looked at the freshly torn limb in his hoof. Giving it a little whiff, he took a big bite out of the leg, sinking his sharp teeth into the flesh. “Oh, I’m sorry, where are my manners? Do you want a bite?”

“You asshole!” cried the drake, rocking back and forth on the floor. “You son of a bitch!”

“Quit your bitching,” muttered the dark pony, as he swallowed the rest of the leg. “Limbs grow back!” He turned to the group of ponies, smiling as he whispered, “No, they don’t.”

“You’re a monster!” screamed Rarity, as the dark alicorn started walking close to her.

“Ah, my fair little Rarity,” he snickered, “So pretty, you remind me of somepony that I use to know. She was sweet, kind, caring…” He sighed. “And she was also a cheat! Maybe not like you….but you smell just like her. You have the same musk, that sick little odour that she released when I killed her. You even have the same little twinkle in your eye that she had… Brings back pleasant memories of wolves in a forest.”

Conquest brushed his hoof through Rarity’s purple mane, causing the mare to shiver.

“Tell me something?” the dark alicorn asked. “Do you fear me? Are you afraid of what I can do? What I have done and plan on doing?”

“N-n-n-n-y-y-y-yes…” she shivered, petrified from his gaze.

“You are very warm….” Conquest said. “When I ate you, you actually made me warm inside, a feeling that I’d forgotten, a feeling that I missed. So this leads me to my next question…”

SLAP!!

“How dare you!” growled the white mare as she trembled in fear. “I-I don’t care what you are but I am not going back in there! You do not treat a lady that way!”

“Well, lady” sneered Conquest, grabbing the unicorn by the hair and pulling her up. “If you weren’t such an asset to me right now, I would rip that pretty little mouth off of you so I could stuff your hoof down your throat!” He threw the mare down. “Lucky for you, you are very important.” He looked over at her friends, who were still bruised and battered, incapable of defending themselves. “However, your friends are nothing more than collateral.”

“No!” pleaded the white mare. “Don’t hurt them!”

The insane pony shrugged the white unicorn off of him. “And who’s going to stop me?” he laughed. “You?”

There was a thunderous quake as the whole room shook, the vibrations shuddering through the walls and standing pillars of the throne room. Another boom, this time closer, discarded furniture quaked, bouncing slightly off the ground. As the rumbling got closer sun was blocked out, no longer shining through the windows.

“Huh, wonder what that is?” said Conquest.

He soon found out as the giant green claw broke through the window, snatching the alicorn in his massive claw and dragging him out the window, glass shattering everywhere. The behemoth dragon was the height of the castle, his neck and head easily shadowing the structure. The beast that had grabbed the psycho glared at him with his piercing yellow eyes, snarling at him.

“You…..” Inferno grumbled, squeezing the pony in his hand. “I remember you…Curator!”

“Curator?” smiled the alicorn, “Curator’s not here at the moment, but please leave a message at the beep.”

“No….it’s you,” snarled the green dragon. “Your skin is dark, and your eyes are red, but you are still the bastard that slaughtered my clan!”

“Oh right!” chuckled Conquest. “That silly war thing that Curator was in. I’d almost forgot about it. But you’re still bitter about that?”

“It was everything to us!” roared the green drake, his grip tightening around the alicorn. “Our race was defeated by snivelling ponies! But, now no longer…” He licked his lips. “Now I avenge my race and dead: By eating the champion of the ponies!”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” cackled Conquest. “I don’t like being eaten. I’m more of the eater, rather than the eaten.”
“You will not deny me my vengeance!” shouted Inferno.

“And I won’t deny you your death.”

The giant green dragon snarled as he stuffed his prey down his throat. The dark alicorn didn’t scream like he had thought. It was if he wasn’t afraid of death, that he wasn’t afraid of him, Inferno, the greatest of Gaia’s children.

“I’ve done it!” he bellowed. “I’ve killed the pony!” he laughed. “The champion will now digest in my stomach for generations! At last, I have my revenge!”

The ponies looked in amazement through the broken window. Pinkie Pie being the first to respond. “Is-is-is he gone now? Is that big meanie gone?”

“I think so…” said Rainbow Dash. “I mean, he was eaten by a dragon. I don’t think anypony can survive that.”

“But he’s not a normal pony…”

The group of young mares turned their heads to Forge, who had dragged himself to the wall. He sat up against it as he examined his bloody stump of a leg; it was bleeding quite profusely. Sighing heavily, he covered his mouth with his left hand and breathed a little fire into it, the yellow flames dancing on his palm. With a steady breath, he lifted up his stumpy leg, and painfully clasped his burning hand to his leg. The flames burnt his flesh, boiling his blood and cauterizing the wound.

“You’ve seen him,” he grunted, trying his best to ignore the pain in his leg. “He overcame the eight of you, I assume, he took my assault like it was nothing, hell he even ripped off my leg like it was soggy toilet paper. Do you have any idea how difficult that is? Dragon bones are harder than rocks and our scales are like steel.” The dragon ripped down a nearby banner, using the fabric to bandage his wound. “I’ve seen what he can do first hand, this leg ain’t the first thing he’s taken from me,” he sighed, pulling down more of the banner until the whole thing came down. He grabbed the pole that was holding the banner up, snapping it until it was more his size and used it as a crutch to support himself. “He’s taken so much…..”

“What should we do?” shivered Fluttershy.

“What can we do?” replied Forge, limping towards the ponies. “At the moment, all we can do is get out of here.” He looked out the window at the snarky elder dragon. “And delay the inevitable.”

The rest of the group didn’t argue with the drake. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow rushed to the door as quickly as they could. Twilight, Rarity and the Princesses all focused their magic together to try and levitate Spike.

“Easy with him,” said Rarity, “his back is still very fragile.”

Twilight did her best to focus on lifting the dragon, but with her horn snapped off, the once great unicorn found it difficult to perform the simple spell. “I’m sorry,” she moped, “I can’t do it.”

“It’s all right, Twilight,” smiled Princess Celestia. “We can handle this.”

“I just feel so useless…” sobbed the lavender mare, looking up at her broken horn. “Magic was everything to me, and now it’s all gone.”

“Relax,” soothed Luna. “When this is all over we can reattach it, but right now, we must get out of here before—“

RRREAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” boomed Inferno, crying out in pain.

“Oh no.”

“We need to leave now!” shouted Forge, as he wobbled out the door, hopping on his one leg.

The colossal dragon outside the castle grabbed his stomach; he felt an immense burning inside. His throat was filling up and it was getting hard to breath. Black liquid started to leak from his eyes, his ears and nose. Inferno fell to his knees, shaking the earth as he coughed up more of the black substance. He had never felt this kind of pain before.

Turn their blood into inky black,

The enormous green drake felt his bones start to crack, crumpling inside of him. His claws started to painfully roll backward, he felt every single ounce of agony as his skeleton started to implode on itself, and he felt every ounce of it.

Glass like bones crumple and crack,

The dragon tried to scream, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was the waterfall of black blood.

Muscles screaming, heart’s on fire, the situations getting dire,

“No….” gargled Inferno. He felt pressure at the base of his neck. “I can’t be defeated…by a pony.”

With one final thought they lose their will,

The elder dragon’s head erupted in an inky explosion, the ebony blood raining down for miles, and the dark alicorn stood at the base of what was left of Inferno’s neck, his burning red eyes and bright white smile cutting through the eruption of black rain.

“That’s my favorite way to kill.”

The evil alicorn smiled as he hopped off the decapitated dragon and flew through the window, grinning at the struggling ponies.

“Well, well, well,” Conquest said. “I get eaten by a dragon and you all think that you can just get up and walk away?” He giggled as he shook off the black blood of Inferno. “But I still need the dragon. The intact purple one, not the terribly disfigured red one.”

“You’re not touching him!” growled Rainbow, standing in front of Spike.

“Are you kidding me?” cackled the alicorn, raising and shaking his hooves in fake terror. “Look out everypony, the blue one is going to stop me!” he said sarcastically, “She found my one weakness… Idiocy.” Conquest eyes started to glow. “But in all seriousness, you aren’t a part of the plan, so it doesn’t matter if you live or die.” He raised his hoof as the rainbow maned pony flinched at the oncoming blow.

“YOU DON’T LAY A HOOF ON HER!!”

Conquest raised an eyebrow before he was knocked across the room from a back blur. The dark alicorn back smashed into the stairs, bouncing up them before ricocheting into the ceiling.

Rainbow opened her eyes; she thought she was a goner. Standing in front of her was a somewhat tall dragon, black scales, pink underbelly, and oversized wings. Dust Devil had his wings currently extended to full length.
“You aren’t going to touch her!” shouted the sky drake. “Or any of them!”

“Nice to see you’re finally coming out with your feeling,” snickered Bitterbite, as he, Glimmer, Lurch, and Slitilda came down the hall. There lightheartedness would be short lived when they saw Spike’s condition. “Holy crap, what happened?”

“Spike got hurt!” cried Rarity.

“What?” worried Slitilda, rushing towards the floating and sleeping dragon. She took a knee at his side. “Who did this to my Spike?”

“Excuse me?”

The bronze fire dragon looked over her shoulder to see Rarity giving her a look, the mare’s left eye scrunched up in confusion.

“Nothing…” said Slitilda, instantly recognizing the dragon from that photo from years ago. “Who did this to him?”
“The same thing that blew the elder’s head off,” mumbled Forge. “And the same reason that we all need to get the hell out of here!”

There was loud cackling coming from the other side of the room, as Conquest peeled himself off the ceiling, falling down and landing on his feet. “Aww, I was just starting to have fun!” he laughed as he jumped towards the group. He stared at the new group of dragons. “But, I suppose I could play with these new toys for a while.”

“Bring it, pony!” taunted Dust devil, flexing his claws.

“Easy Dust,” said Glimmer. “This one seems different, kind of like there’s something wrong with him.”

“I don’t see anything wrong,” smirked Dust. “Just a soon-to-be-dead pony.”

Conquest laughed, chuckling at the cockiness of the dragon. “Oh, that’s sweet of you to say,” he leaned in very close to the dark dragon’s face, his red eyes staring into his. “But, as many will tell you, there’s something really wrong with me.”

As the rest of the dragons were locked in a staring contest with the evil alicorn, Lurch nudged Pinkie Pie in the shoulder leaning into her ear. “Get everyone out of here. We’ll deal with this guy.”

“What? No!” shook the pink party pony. “He’ll kill all of you.”

“Relax, I’ll be fine, but you need to get the rest of these guys out of here now.”

The pink mare sighed as she motioned for all the ponies to carry Spike out of the room, closing the door behind them and leaving the five able-bodied drakes and dragonesses with the psycho pony.

“Well, well, well….” droned Conquest, looking at his new adversaries. “It looks like it’s five against one. That hardly seems fair, don’t you think?” He broke out into more laughter. “If you want, I can wait while you get more dragons.”

“Pretty cocky, for a dead pony,” mused the sky drake.

“And for a dragon who claims to hate ponies, you seem pretty eager to protect them,” chuckled Conquest.

“Hey, I hate ponies!” shouted Dust Devil.

“The why did you save the blue one?”

“I was protecting Spike!” he said defensively.

“You said, ‘You don’t lay a hoof on her,’ if I remember correctly.”

“He has a point there,” said Bitterbite. “You did say her.”

“Whose side are you on?!” yelled Dust.

“Yours, but I think you need to come clear with your feelings,” suggested the earth dragon. “And say that you like that Rainbow Dash pony.”

“I. DON’T. LIKE HER!!” shouted Dust Devil at the top of his lungs. “I hate her, I wish she would die!”

“But you protected her,” smirked Glimmer, getting in on the conversation. “That’s very…pony of you,” she giggled.

“Is this really the right time to do this?” wondered Lurch, “Aren’t we supposed to fight this guy…Or something?”

“Thank you Lurch,” sighed Dust Devil.

“Dust Devil can come out with his feelings for Rainbow after all this.”

“GAIA DAMN IT!” screeched the skyrin. “What the hell, Lurch?”

“Couldn’t resist,” grinned the large bulda dragon.

“Is he always this high strung?” asked Slitilda. “Or is this something new?”

“Nah, he’s always like this,” giggled Glimmer. “He’s actually taking this quite well.”

“Screw you, Glimmer!” snarled Dust Devil. “I hate all of you!”

“Shut up, you love us!” said Bitterbite, “And you know it.”

“You’re all terrible friends,” grumbled the sky drake. “Hate you…”

There was a few moments of silence between the silence, before some dragon realized….

“Wait, what were we doing again?”

Conquest gave a couple of coughs, alerting the dragons to his presence, making sure that they all knew that he was still there. “Wow,” he said. “Just wow… I have seen my groups of dysfunctional friends and seen plenty of abuse….but you guys are HILARIOUS,” he cackled, dropping to the floor in his fits of laughter. “I mean, seriously, you guys are about to go up against the most powerful being in existence, and you’re all focused on this guy’s in closet love for ponies.”

“I don’t like Rainbow Dash!”

“Enough,” said Conquest. “The focus has been off of me for almost five minutes.” His eyes started to glow. “And we can’t have that, now can we?”

“That’s it!” shouted Dust Devil, “I’m taking this guy down!” The dragon took off flying towards the alicorn, his claws at the ready. The pony just stood there, idly watching as the drake’s teeth got closer and closer and closer until they finally collided with Conquest’s hoof. Dust Devil went hurtling in the opposite direction.

He was down, but the other dragons were not. Glimmer and Slitilda both took flight, the cloudweaver slithering towards the pony while the fire dragon took a nose dive. Conquest conjured up a strange aura boomerang , flinging it towards Slitilda. She was knocked out of the air, but Glimmer was able to make her strike. However, as the bronze cloud dragon was trying to constrict her body around the pony, she was grabbed and used as a shield to block Lurch’s multiple tongues. The large round drake’s tongues accidentally wrapped around Glimmer’s slender body and pulled her towards him.

“Now, where is that brown wingless one…” wondered Conquest.

The ground exploded from beneath the pony, Bitterbite sprung from the ground and grabbed around the neck. The brown drake viciously sunk his teeth into the alicorn, black blood spurting out. Conquest rolled his eyes as he easily bucked the rockmouth off of him, his bite wound quickly healing itself.

“Is that seriously all you’ve got?” laughed the pony. “C’mon, you’ve got to be kidding me, even my mother put up a bigger fight before I killed h—“

His sentence was cut short as he was struck across the face, and sent soaring across the room. Dust Devil, with bloody teeth, had looped around the room and head bashed Conquest. Lurch immediately shot out his tongues and latched onto the leg of the pony, and slammed him down on the ground. The large drake took advantage of this and leapt down on Conquest, crushing his ribcage with his girth. He proceeded to pound on the alicorn with his large meaty fist, each blow ripping up dark flesh and blood.

“We’ve got him now!” roared Lurch, punching the alicorn again in the face. “Get him!”

He went in for another strike, but the dark pony caught it with his hoof, and flipped the drake off of him. Conquest tried to get up, but two dirty brown claws ruptured from the floor, latching onto his arms. The alicorn snarled as he struggled to break free as Glimmer wrapped around his body, squeezing the life out of him. Dust Devil, Slitilda, and Lurch all piled onto Conquest, latching and scratching out at him. All of their claws and teeth ripped into his dark flesh, tearing at his coat and snapping his bones.

“ENOUGH!” shouted Conquest as his body exploded with dark energy. All the dragons were blasted off of the pony, their bodies smoking and crackling with the aftermath of the dark explosion. The alicorn got up from the ground as his invincible body started to regenerate. He laughed at the fallen warriors, there bodies twitching on the ground, still alive, but in great pain. “This has been a laugh and a half, but I think we’ve dragged this on long enough.” He walked over to the door, looking behind him. “Unless one of you still wishes to oppose me?”

“You…won’t…hurt him…”

Conquest looked quizzically at the bronze fire dragon, as she slowly started to get off.

“You won’t hurt my Spike…” Slitilda groaned. “I won’t let you!”

“I remember you…” smiled Conquest as he closed the door and walked over to the injured dragoness. “You’re the one who caused Spike so much trouble in the Badlands. I must admit that I was very impressed with you, hurting the dragon like that made me cry with joy.”

“I didn’t want to hurt him….” she muttered. “I just wanted him back.”

“Oh boo fricken hoo! I lost my loved ones and that’s what molded me into the even-minded stallion that you see today!” the pony laughed. “But I kid. Now, you are a very special individual, and that peaks my interest…”

“What do you mean?”

“You love the dragon,” Conquest said. “I don’t know why you do, but you do, and that love is what lead you to betray him. It was love that lead you here to protect him, it was love…” the pony grinned, “that lead you to here to kill Rarity.”

“What” gasped the shocked dragoness. “How did—“

“Your hate is a beautiful thing, but very predictable, and if that mare wasn’t an important part of my plan, I would let you proceed in slaughtering her. Though you must know that killing her would only serve to drive him farther away.”

“I-I guess I didn’t think—“

“That’s right, you didn’t think! You never think, and you just act!” laughed the alicorn. “And that’s why I love you! You let your anger for the unicorn and your love for the dragon cloud your judgement! And I find that hilarious! You really take after me, girly, and your hatred is intoxicating.”

“My hatred?”

“Tell me, Slitilda. Would you die for the dragon?”

“Would I die for him?”

“It’s a simple question, but one that I find to really bring out the true natures of a pony, or in this case dragon.”

“I-I-I don’t know,” she stuttered.

“You don’t know?” Conqeust pondered. “How very curious, and at the same time disappointing.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“What I was going to do anyways,” he smiled, his eyes glowing red. “I’m going to let you and everyone else in all of Equestria watch as I kill the dragon.”

The Child

But love is a dual sword and it can hurt as much as it can protect. Love can be the cold chains holding you down. Love can cut deep sending you into a dark abyss. It is what sends countless so far that the light they once knew is no longer a light but just a flicker in the night…

(part two of three)

“NOOOOOO!!” screamed Spike as he shot up from his bed. He looked around to see that he was laying in his bed back in Ponyville, the room still a complete disaster zone, just like he left it. The dragon massaged his aching brow, his head was killing him, and he was covered in sweat. “That was some nightmare,” he told himself as he crawled out of the bed, kicking away some of the empty cider bottles. “I’ve got to stop eating goat cheese pizza with maple syrup before bed. Goddess, my head feels like it was hit by a train. I gotta see if Twilight has a spell for this.”

He staggered around his room, almost slipping on a discarded doughnut box. How long has he been asleep? He would really have to clean his room eventually. As much as he loved the clutter and hording the garbage, his purple caretaker didn’t seem to approve. When he finally made it to the door, and turned the handle, he noticed that the latch was surprisingly cold, very strange considering the above average temperature he liked to keep his room at.

“Hey Twilight do you know any good headache… spells…”

He wasn’t in the library, at least not anymore. He was greeted to nothing but darkness. Then it all came back to him. The Diamond Dog attack, his near-death experience, how he thought Rarity hated him and how it was all just a misunderstanding that lead to the greatest night of his life, the night he expressed his true feelings for the mare he loved.Then there was the letter the next morning, the urgent summon from the princesses, and being escorted there by her royal guards as well. He remembered the box, and the shadowy world of Conquest.

“Conquest.”

His memories kept coming back as he recalled their first meeting, and the torments that he put him through, and the insufferable teasing and laughing. He recalled waking up in sweats and chills in the middle of the night, and how he was supposed to defeat him. The dragon remembered his training, and the squirrels, and the whole story with Symphony and how he fed her to wolves. There was the memory of how Luna tried to seduce him while under Conquest’s spell, and how it lead him to go back to the dragon lands, where he met his new friends, and where he had his little confrontation with Slitilda and the elders.

He remembered proposing to Rarity, and the wonderful night that followed, and the terrible day that followed that. The grizzly battle followed by the deception of the dark pony, and the battle after that. The fake puppet that enraged him, Conquest breaking his back, the escape attempt and the dark pony capturing him again, the trick he played on him that made Spike think he’d won. He remembered freeing Curator, and being happy, and things looking perfect. And he remembered that is was all a ruse, and Conquest took over Spike, and no matter how hard he had fought, he still killed Curb Hoof and Slitilda, and Rarity.

He remembered that he killed Rarity, ripped her heart out with his own claw.

The dragon fell to his knees, looking at his claws, the ones that he had used to kill his love. It wasn’t a dream, it was all too real, and now he was a slave to Conquest, just like Curator was. How would he ever be able to live with himself?

He started to cry, he didn’t try to hold back or resist, not that he could, as the streams of tears poured like waterfalls down his cheeks. He must have looked like a whelp, it was the first insult that Conquest had ever called him.

“Wait a second…” wondered Spike, as he looked around the darkness. He was crying like a child, and Conquest wasn’t teasing him about it. He wasn’t even here at all, not in his head, or as a puppet or spirit. It was not like the dark pony, and that was what scared the dragon. “Where are you?” he wiped away his last few tears, he would have to mourn later. Right now he needed to figure out where he was, so against his better judgement, Spike headed through into the darkness.

It was just like the Shadowlands of Conquest’s prison, but there was something off about it, Spike wasn’t quite sure what it was, but it was there, he could feel it.

“What the?” the drake said quizzically as he seemingly walked out of the darkness and into an overgrown forest. It was still night time so it was still fairly dark, but not impossible to see. He kept trekking into the woods. “This doesn’t make any sense; then again it is Conquest…”

Further and further he journeyed into the dense jungle of trees and bushes, he looked around to see a lack of wildlife, even nocturnal ones like owls and wolves. It was almost unnatural how lifeless these woods were.

Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child…

The odd chanting slowly whispered into Spike’s ear, there was something else in the forest, repeating the same two words. What were they, Devil Child? Who was a Devil Child? What did it mean?

The dragon was determined to figure that out. He broke out in a full sprint towards the reciting chant.

Devil Child! Devil Child! Devil Child! Devil Child!

“Devil Child…what does that mean?” wondered the purple drake, it sounded almost cultish. He could hear the voices getting louder and louder, wherever this was taking place, he was getting close, and the voices continued to chant.

DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD!

Spike pushed through the trees and the bushel of the dense forest and finally emerged into a clearing with a strange building in it. It was about the size of a house but looked very old and unkempt, the brown paint peeling and the shingles falling loose. Spike could see light coming from the house, an amber-orange glow flickering from the holes in the walls and the cracked windows. The dragon cautiously walked up to the large shack, the chanting getting louder and louder as he drew closer.

“Ia Ia Cloud fathagin!” a voice chanted from inside the house. “Ya uln n’gha n’ghtf!”

“What the what?” wondered Spike as he approached the building. He peeked through the window, but he couldn’t make out what was behind the closed curtains. “Maybe I can peek through the door if I’m careful…” He slowly pushed the door open and looked through the crack. “Still too dark…” He pushed it open a little more. “Almost there…”

Suddenly, the door flung open by itself in a blast of white light. The dragon covered his eyes from its brightness. He felt compelled to walk into it, like there was something within the light, so that’s what he did. Spike clenched his eyes shut as he charged into the light and almost immediately slammed into the wall on the other side.

The drake fell on his rump as he carefully reopened his eyes. “Ouch,” he groaned, rubbing his head. He noticed that he was inside a small barren room, and judging from the window, it was now the middle of a sunny day, probably summer. The dragon got up and got a better look around. There was a small barred window with a purple rag blind, a small pile of hay that made what looked like a bed, and a dirty looking plate that was covered in grease stains and crumbs. “Am I in a jail cell?” thought the dragon.

“And don’t you think you’ll be going outside again, you little brat!” an angry voice said from beyond the room.
“What the hell was that?” Spike asked himself.

“Dad, please I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it!” a frail young voice.

“You almost blew a colt’s face off!” the angry voice roared. “Do you have any idea what could have happened, runt?!”

“I said I was sorry!” the frail voice cried.

“What are you, a foal?” the father groaned as there was a pause. “Then stop acting like one and go to your room!”

There was more crying as the loud pitter patter of hooves started to come to the room that was in. Spike looked around in a panic, the two voices sounded very emotional and the last thing they probably needed was to find a dragon standing around in this room, but there was nowhere to hide as the door slowly opened, and Spike stood paralyzed as a small little colt walked through the door.

The male pony walked towards Spike, not even noticing that he was there. Tears were flowing down his dark amber face and peach shaded muzzle. He had a large circular scar on this forehead, and several cuts on his back and shoulder blades. The colt quietly walked past the dragon, unaware of his presence and curled up into the bed. His face was stained with tears and blood, like he had gotten into a fight, but his face was clear of cuts, save the scar on his head.

“I’m sorry…” the little guy whimpered, trying his best to push back his tears, but to no avail. Streams of his salty tears squeezed past his eyes as he dug his face to muffle his moans.

“What the hell happened to him?” thought Spike. He cleared his throat a little, “Umm, hey…”

The pony looked up and gasped, as he stared blatantly at the dragon. “Hello?”

So he could hear him. Maybe he could tell him what was going on. “I know that this is a little weird but—”

“Is somepony there?” asked the colt.

Or maybe not. “Kid, can you hear me?” The pony didn’t respond. So he was invisible to him and he couldn’t hear him. “Well so much for that plan…” he droned.

The small colt got up from his bed, small pieces of hay was stuck in his thick black mane. The colt walked right past Spike and looked to the window. “Are you there?” he whispered.

A small furry head popped up from the window, and scurried onto the ledge. It was a squirrel. The small rodent easily weaved through the bars on the window and hopped on the little colts head.

“Mr. Squirrel!” the red colt laughed excitedly. “You came back!” The small creature started to play in his mane, popping in and out, tickling the little pony. Mr. Squirrel eventually jumped out on the floor look at the colt as he started to calm down from his laughter and returning to his more fragile look. “I had a really bad day, Mr. Squirrel.”

The rodent looked at the colt quizzically.

“I…. I did something bad…” droned the colt. “Dad got really mad at me, and it wasn’t even my fault! I just got really mad at these kids at the meadow… They were picking on me, calling me a freak again…” he sighed.

Mr. Squirrel tilted his head sideways, looking concerned.

“I don’t know how it happened, Mr. Squirrel,” sighed the pony. “It just sort of happened. I asked them to stop but they just wouldn’t, and then I…” he leaned into Mr. Squirrel’s ear. “I got really angry.”

The squirrel brushed his face with his tail, before running around in a few circles.

“I was really upset, that I thought of his head blowing up and well…” gulped the colt. “It just sort of happened! But I didn’t really want to hurt him! You believe me, don’t you Mr. Squirrel?”

The rodent nodded in agreement as the small little pony scooped him up into a hug.

“Thanks for understanding,” smiled the pony, “You’re the only real friend I have…”

Spike just stared at the squirrel hugging colt. How could an earth pony blow up a ponies face just by thinking of it? There was something odd about this pony, but the dragon couldn’t put a claw on it.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Who are you talking to in there, boy?!” the voice called from beyond the door. It was the father.

“Uh oh,” gulped the colt, looking at the squirrel. He quickly threw the small creature into his hay bed, the little rodent burrowing into his bed.

Behind him, Spike could hear the creaking of the door. He turned around to see not the boy’s father, but a bright white light, the same one that had pulled him into the room. “Oh great,” muttered the drake, covering his eyes as he was consumed once again.

When he opened his eyes this time, Spike found himself standing in the middle of the forest again.

“Why does that keep happening?” the dragon asked himself. He decided to see if he could find his way back to that house in the forest, he just had to listen for the strange chanting again and he would be able to locate it. So he trekked deeper into the forest.

He walked and walked for what seemed like hours, but to no avail. He was most definitely lost.

“Where the hell is it?” Spike said, “Did they stop chanting or something? Where the heck am I?”

"Sniff….. Sniff… “Why…”

Spike turned around. He heard the quiet sobbing in the bushes, so the dragon went to investigate. “Hello?” he called out.

No response, Spike was getting the feeling that he didn’t really exist in this world, kind of like a ghost. Was he dead? No, others were dead because of him, because of Conquest. Which again made him wondered where the dark pony was hiding.

He continued to push past the trees and bushes until he found the source of the noise.

It was the same child from the room.

The little red and pink pony was just sitting there staring at a very large weeping willow, crying again. What was he doing here?

“Why…” sniffed the colt. “Why did you have to die…”

Spike walked up next to the little pony, to see what he was looking at.

“Oh dear…” said the dragon solemnly sighed as he looked at the base of the tree.

There was a little hole in the ground that had been freshly filled and a small rock on top of it. It had a message scratched into it.

R.I.P MR SQUIRREL.

“Why did you have to die, Mr. Squirrel?” sobbed the colt, his tears running down his red cheeks. “You were my best friend, why did you have to die…”

Spike couldn’t help feel bad for the kid; the death of a pet was always tragic. He remembered how upset Twilight got when Owlicious passed away, even if he had once been jealous of him, he had mourned the loss of a friend.

The ground started to rumble a bit as he was thinking of this. He grabbed a tree branch for support and looked towards the kid to see how he was doing. The pony didn’t seem to be affected by the sudden earthquake, he just rolled with the quakes.

When they finally stopped the dragon fell to the ground. “Okay, that was strange, what the hell was that about?”

The colt sighed over the grave. “I miss you, Mr. Squirrel.”

“Aww, poor little brat…”

Spike and the pony both looked around. Somehow, six stallions and mares had managed to sneak up on them. They each wore a heavy red robe, and their hood up that shadowed their faces. The middle one, probably the leader, walked up to the child.

“We’ve spent a long time looking you,” the strange pony smiled. “That little stunt with that colt in the meadow was quite remarkable.”

“W-who are you?” the scared colt asked.

“A friend,” grinned the cloaked pony. “I am the leader of a wonderful….. Let’s call it a ‘social group’ and we think that you would be a great addition.”

“I-I don’t know…” whispered the little red pony timidly. “I’m not supposed to go with strangers.”

“Well then,” said the strange pony, lifting a hoof and pulling down his hood. He had long spiky blonde hair that covered his horn and a white coat with blue eyes. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Stray Cloud, and these are my associates.”

“Hello,” the little colt said quietly.

“You don’t have to be afraid, I assure you. We are good ponies.” Stray Cloud extended a hoof out to the little colt. “We want to take you somewhere safe and warm, you must be freezing here in the middle of the forest, so why don’t you be a good little pony, and come with us.”

The small colt looked at the extended hoof of the hooded pony, shivering as a gust of wind blew by him, causing a chill to crawl up his spine.

But he backed away from Stray Cloud. “N-n-no thank you, I just want to go home now.”

The robed pony sighed, “So much for the easy way…” He turned to his associates. “Grab him!”

“Wait, no!” cried the colt as he backed up against the tree. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Then you should have come with us nicely,” laughed Stray, as his horn started to glow blue with magic. A nearby rock started to float up. “But this way works just as well.” The rock was flung at the small child, hitting him in the head. There was a small trickle of blood coming from his temple as the colt fell down unconscious. “Pick him up,” smiled Cloud, looking over the pony’s body, “I think we have found the Devil Child.”

Spike gasped. “So this was him?” the dragon said to himself. “This little colt was what those cultist were chanting about?”

The cult ponies started to levitate the limp body of the ‘Devil Child’ and placed it on the back of Cloud.

“What a beautiful night to do this,” smiled Stray, looking into the night sky. It was a full moon that night.

Spike couldn’t help but look up too, the moon seemed very bright, brighter than usual, and it seemed to be getting stronger.

“Crap…” muttered the dragon as he closed his eyes again, letting the light consume his body as he was jumped into a different time and place. When he opened his eyes he was standing in the middle of a sunny meadow. “Huh…” wondered Spike, as he felt the soft grass between his feet and toes. “This seems a little too nice.”

“Hey, where are you going, freak?!” voice called from beyond a hill. Spike could hear of ponies laughing cruelly at something, so the dragon went to investigate.

Over the hill, Spike saw a small crowd of ponies, they all seemed to be no older than eight, and they all were huddling over something, laughing at it.

“Please… Just leave me alone…”

Spike recognized that voice. The dragon slowly approached the group of ponies and looked over their heads to see the red and pink colt. The other kids were relentlessly taunting him to the point he was huddled in the fetal position on the ground.

“Stupid dumb freak!” laughed a yellow pony, kicking the familiar colt in the stomach. “What’cha gonna do about it, cry to your mommy?” The rest of the ponies laughed, as they continued to call him freak.

“Please stop!” the little colt cried as the bully kicked him in the face. The pony started to cry harder as a small river of blood leaked from his left nostril.

“Look at the baby cry!” laughed the bully, egging on the rest of the ponies in the crowd. “Crybaby freak!”

Spike watched helplessly at the terrible assault the kids gave the pony. He was helpless to try and stop it, this being a some sort of illusion or bad dream. All he could do was watch the small child get beaten up and feel bad. The pony seemed like such a nice kid, and he didn’t deserve any of this.

As the fillies and colt continued to harass the kid, the ground started to rumble again. With nothing to grab onto this time, Spike fell onto his back. Again, the kids and the world around him didn’t seem to notice this strange quake, the group of bullies still going at it like nothing had happened.

“Why does this keep happening?” muttered Spike as he gripped into the ground, trying to not fly of the surface of the earth.
“What are you doing, dragon?!”

The sky itself began to tear as two giant hooves ripped a hole in the sky as if it were paper. From the little tear a large glowing red eye peaked through, pulsing with hatred.

“How the hell did you get in here?!” Conquest roared.

“How should I know!” Spike yelled back. “You’re the crazy one!”

The dark alicorn’s eye moved away from the hole in the sky and he stuck his large ark hoof through. It extended towards Spike at an alarming rate, and the dragon was barely able to roll over to dodge the hoof.

“Get back here!” the insane pony roared, as he blindly flailed his leg around, trying to get at the dragon. “Get back here so I can kill you!”

Spike just ignored him. “What the hell is going on around here?”

"WHAAAAAA!!!!”

The dragon jerked his head around in time to see a large explosion of blood. All the little colts and fillies backed away in shock as the yellow bully’s face was blown open. His face was bloodied and cut up; you could hardly tell it was a pony.

And the red colt stood there flabbergasted. “I’m…I’m sorry!” he tried to apologize. “I didn’t mean to do that, I don’t even know how—“

“Get away from me, you freak!” cried the bully as he ran off, the rest of the ponies following suits.

“What did he do to him?” Spike wondered. He wouldn’t get to find out as the sun started to glow brighter and brighter. “Here we go again,” he groaned as he willingly let the light take over and get teleported into a new area.

He was back in the forest, but something felt strange…like there was something a little…off.

Spike had been transported right in front of a house this time. Not the cultish one that had the chanting and strange lights, but this house had a more homely feel to it.

Thoughts started to flow through the dragon’s head. He knew that there was a sort of connection between these strange memories or visions or whatever that he was seeing. The incident at the meadow was probably the reason that the little kid was sent to his room, and later that night he must have ran away to bury his squirrel, because Stray Cloud mentioned that kids face blowing off as something recent, after which he abducted the child and took him to that strange house in the forest. He also knew that for whatever reason, Conquest did not approve of his being here, and would most likely try and get the dragon if Conquest were to find him. But the real question was where was he right now?

“This cannot be…” a voice said behind him. “This could change everything…”

Spike didn’t have to look behind him, as the pony that had been talking walked right through him. It was a star-cloaked pony with lots of golden bells and a long pointed hat. Spike gasped as he recognized the pony. The dragon had never met him personally, but everyone knew of the famous look of Starswirl the Bearded.

“How could I have missed this… I was sure that I accounted for all variables…” he muttered to himself, he seemed distressed about something as he walked to the house. “What does this mean for the prophecy?”

“Prophecy?” Spike said to himself. “Does he mean…”

Knock, knock, knock!

Spike watched as the door slowly creaked open. And a shadowy looking figure opened up, he remained hidden behind the door so it was difficult to see what he looked like.

“Can I help you?” the pony behind the door said irritably.

“Sorry to disturb you,” said Starswirl, bowing his head in respect. “Do you mind if I come in?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I see,” whispered the wizard. “Then perhaps I will just tell you here, has your wife conceived a child this evening?”

“Who the hell are you?” the pony grumbled.

“Sorry, where are my manners. I am Starswirl the Bearded, and I have something dire to tell you about your child.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” growled the pony. “But we don’t take kindly to unwanted guests, especially unicorns!”

“Please sir,” begged Starswirl, “This is very important, I know that you’re son was born with a horn and wings, even though you and your wife are earth ponies.”

“How… How do you know that? What do you want!?”

“Nothing, just to deliver a warning,” sighed the old wizard. “You’re son is one of a few alicorns that have been born tonight, and that one of these children will grow up and threaten to destroy the world. Originally, I thought that there would only be three born tonight, but you son’s birth has me in a strange set of mind.”

“Ever think that your…what did you call it, ‘prophecy’ was nothing more than just hocus pocus?”

“Of course not!” gasped Starswirl. “The stars never lie; this was just a variable that I must have missed. But I can still correct! I must see your son so I can make sure that he can live long enough to—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” yelled the pony from beyond the door. “I don’t care that you are some sort of fancy ass magical unicorn that thinks he has the right to enter my home, but I will NOT let you cast your witchcraft on my son!”

“But it’s for the good of Equestria! Your son could save us all!”

“Or he could kill us all!” retorted the other pony. “But you don’t have to worry about this anyways, the second I saw my son was a little misformed, I dealt with it.”

There was a pause. “What do you mean by dealt with it?”

“We’re earth ponies, we can’t have our kind branded with some feathered, horned freak, so I dealt with the problem.”

“You didn’t,” gasped Starswirl in shock, “How could you—“

“What? Cut off his wings and horn? Look, don’t judge me. He can’t perform magic or fly, he’s just an earth pony now. So back off, grandpa.”

The door slammed shut on the wizard’s face.

“Wait!” pleaded Starswirl, banging on the door. “That’s not good! Without his horn his raw magical energy will build up inside of him. He won’t have a proper outlet to release it! The results could be disastrous!” He turned around and reared his back legs, and bucked the door open, just as a bright stream of light shot out from the door.

“Let’s do this…” sighed Spike as he walked into the light and ran into a wall on the other side.

Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child!

“Wait a second,” said Spike as he got up and looked around. “This is that cult house…” He rubbed his head to see the door right next to where he was standing, and he could hear the strange chanting coming from within its walls.

Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child!

“Yes, definitely the cult house,” mumbled Spike as he stared at the door. The last time that he had tried that, he was teleported into a little colt’s room, so he carefully grabbed the handle and pulled it open. No white light, that was good, and he stepped into the room.

The room was set up a lot like a theatre or an old church, there were rows of chairs all lined up facing the back of the room, and were a small podium was set up. The room was packed with chanting ponies, each one chanting the same two words over and over again, and at the front on the stage was a single pony with a spiky blonde mane. Behind him was a stone table with a lumpy blanket cast over it.

“Mares and Gentlecolts!” Stray Cloud called, the leader of the cult of ponies voice drowned out the songs of his patrons. “The time of peace and love is over!” The crowd grew silence. “We are about to enter an age of darkness and despair, an age where if we do not act, we will be drowned in the darkness of our own insanity! But I know a solution my good ponies, yes, for you wise and enlightened ones heeded my call and followed the Path of Cloud, the great god of the degraded mind!”

“FOLLOW THE PATH OF CLOUD FOR TRUE ENLIGHTENMENT!” everypony said.

“It is on his twisted path that we will survive! For to survive the monsters and beasts of the dark world, we will need to summon and control a greater power than our opponents! Ponies, we will conjure the powers of the Sky Devil himself!”

“THE TWISTED PATH OF CLOUD SHALL SAVE US FROM OURSELVES!”

“But how will we achieve such power? I hear you ask, my children,” the white pony smiled. That couldn’t be good. “Well, we have been searching for one who is of a pure dark soul, a perfect vessel to carry the power and form of the great Cloud!” He sighed. “Sadly, none such things exisits, but behold!” he threw off the cover on the rock. “The Devil Child!”

On the stone table lay the kid. He was stretched up across its surface and his legs were all tied up and his mouth gagged with a cloth. The poor colt was crying, scared of where he was and what was about to happen to him. He tried to scream, but this pleas were drowned by the cruel laughter of everypony around him, laughing and chuckling at his misfortune, giggling at his pain. These ponies were insane.

“Behold the Devil Child!” announced Stray Cloud. “Since we cannot summon the great god himself, he has blessed this child with his dark power, a dark power of the very Cloud himself!” He gazed over the ponies, “But we cannot expect a mere child to save us. No, my ponies…he is just a gift, and like all gifts…” his horn started to glow. “He shall be unwrapped!”

Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child, Devil Child!

“I shall take the power of the Devil Child for my own. I, who have been so blessed with a part of our master’s name, shall wield the power of the gods to fight back the darkness!” he laughed. “So sing with me brothers, laugh and cheer as we take what is ours!”

The colt was terrified as he squirmed helplessly on the table as the rest of the cult laughed and sang the two same words over and over again.

DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD! DEVIL CHILD!

“Ia Ia Cloud fathagin!” Stray Cloud chanted. “Ya uln n’gha n’ghtf!”

Every unicorn in the crowd had their magic initiated, their spells weaving together like snakes in the air, all combining into a large magical stake that hovered over the child.

“And now child…” smiled Cloud, as he took hold of the stake. “DIE!!!”

Spike flinched away from the sickening sound of cut flesh. He blocked the screams from his mind. Was this what Conquest was, a pony drunk with an insane gods power? He had killed a child for power, and that should have evoked more rage from within…

But when he turned around all he felt was sadness as the small child’s hoof hung lifelessly from the table, dead, a large hole in his chest where dark crimson blood trickled onto the stones below. Spike’s heart strained with an uncanny amount of grief and wretchedness.

“You bastards…” cried Spike as he fell to his knees. “He was just a child, he didn’t do anything wrong!” He pounded his fists into the ground. “He was just a child!”

"How unfortunate,” sighed Cloud as he poked the dead child. “I guess you weren’t the one we were looking for. A pity, really. However, I suppose we at least rid the world of another foul little pony,” he laughed.

"You…” a voice whispered in the air.

The room was dead silent, all the ponies looking around, trying to see what caused that disturbance.

“Who’s there?” asked Stray Cloud. “Show yourself!”

“Look on the table…”

Slowly, everypony looked down at the dead boy. His body was still dead, and his blood had stopped flowing, but if one was to look close enough, they would see the corners of the colt’s lips curl up into a smile.

That was when all hell broke loose. The head of a nearby cultist exploded in a burst of black ink, followed by another one next to him. It was so sudden that no pony had time to react until the third head had exploded. The entire group was sent scattering, screaming and running, trying to escape from the house though windows or the doors. All who tried to escape found it futile, their heads, bodies and limbs getting caught between closing doors and shutting windows, taking whatever got caught in between them clean off.

Eventually they were all dead, the interior of the room decorated with blood and the bodies of dead cultists, leaving all but one left alive. The scared Cloud huddling behind the stone table.

“W-w-what madness is this?” he stuttered. “What evil have I unleashed?”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“WHO ARE YOU!?” cried the white stallion, “COME OUT, I COMMAND YOU!”

The boy began to twitch, his head slowly raised as his coat started to shed off his body. “I am what you wanted me to be…” the little pony laughed, shaking the last of his red coat away, revealing a new black one. “A dark gift from your fake god…” He chuckled as he combed through his mane, the hairs turning from pitch black to a misty grey. “I have been beaten, teased, abused, tortured, kidnapped, killed and sent to my room all in one day! And by what?” He got up from the table. “Ponies! They are a blight on this world, can only cause pain and misery… I can smell something, something primal and pulsing, is that your heart? It’s beating rather fast with passion. You look scared but I sense that you are something else… Angry perhaps?”

“Please…please, have mercy,” begged Cloud, dropping to his knees. “Spare my life. I won’t do any more wrongs, I swear! I’ll be good, I swear!”

“Mercy?” the dark colt asked. “I’ve never heard of that word… It must have no meaning then.”

“It means to show compassion… Love… Forgiveness for someone’s sins!”

“More words I don’t know,” laughed the demonic pony. “Especially that last one. All your words are meaningless.” He continued to laugh. “I won’t be a stepping stool anymore, everypony deserve this!” he cackled. “They all deserve to die!”

“Why are you laughing?” asked the terrified Cloud.

“What?” laughed the colt as he jumped on top of the stallion, pinning him to the ground. “Isn’t that what a pony does when he is about to kill?”

“Only those who are insane…”

“Well then,” grinned the pony, opening his eyes, revealing the two most haunting and terrifying pair of glowing red orbs known to pony. “Then I guess I’m just crazy!” he laughed. “Crazy Dark Conquest!”

He sank his teeth into the screaming pony, blood spurting from his neck as Stray Cloud fell limp, gasping and clawing until he sank to the floor, lifeless and deceased.

“GOT YOU!!!”

Spike’s heart skipped a beat as he was suddenly jerked back from the house and into the shadows. He was flung onto the floor and looking down at him was dark pony that had tormented him.

“What the hell were you doing in there?!” demanded Conquest, stomping on the dragon’s neck.

“That was you, wasn’t it?” grunted Spike, clawing at Conquest’s hoof. “You were that child, the one that I kept seeing in those memories!”

“No…” the alicorn said sarcastically, “you think, dumbass?” He lifted his hoof off of the drake, “So congradu-freaking-lations! I’d throw you a party if I wasn’t so irritated right now.”

“You weren’t born evil…you were created by it.”

“Wrong, I was always bad. I just didn’t know it yet!” he snickered. “That night was the greatest moment in my life! It was the moment I realized what terrible creatures ponies were. I guess I always known about it, what with the bullies and my terrible father, who I’d killed later that evening, and learned that I could feed off the anger of others to make me powerful! It was a very beautiful evening, and the first night of the rest of my life.”

“It was just a bad day… One bad day that caused this.”

“One great day you mean!” laughed the dark pony. “A day where I killed everyone, and learned how great killing is and what it is to show the world true darkness and destruction for what they did to me!”

“It’s not your fault…”

Conquest’s laughter was cut short as he spun around to see the dragon standing right behind him. “Excuse me?”

Spike started to smile, not a cocky or sinister one like he would normally would, but a warm and sincere one, one he would give to one he cared about, like his friends or family, one that he would give to secretly tell someone some one that everything would be all right.

It was a forgiving smile.

“It’s not your fault, Conquest,” he said. “Everything you’ve done was out of hatred because that was all you knew. It was all that was showed to you, all that anypony gave you. Things like mercy and forgiveness are alien to you because you were never shown it, and it left you hateful and full of rage. You learned to feed on negative emotions and in order to survive, you caused that in others. Hate, envy, resentment, whatever you could to keep you powerful, and that’s okay…”

“No it’s not…” said Conquest, shaking his head.

“You had a bad upbringing, a terrible childhood, so you thought that ponies were all evil, and that is what you made them. Evil. But I know that is not what you are.” He placed a claw on the ponies shoulder, who quickly shook it off like it was the plague. “All I can see is that poor little colt that was bullied, and abused, and who loved squirrels—“

“I love to eat them,” Conquest quickly said.

“And who was kidnapped!” said the dragon, almost in tears. “Who was kidnapped at his best friend’s funeral and dragged off to be the sacrificial lamb of a cult! That’s the pony that you are Conquest, not this!” The dragon wrapped his arms around the pony in a hug. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Conquest. No pony deserved what you went through.”

“What are you doing?” gasped Conquest, trying to break free from the dragon’s grasp. “Let go of me!” The drake didn’t listen, he squeezed harder. “Spike, I’m not joking, this isn’t funny! Let go of me this instant!” He continued to struggle, shaking and grunting as his skin started to smoke. “I said let go, are you listening to me, dumbass?!” His coat burst into flames. “What is happening to me?!?!!?”

He finally kicked the dragon off as he rolled on the ground, putting out the flames.

“This is impossible. I never burn!” He looked up at the dragon. “What did you do?!”

“I did something that no one else ever did, or even thought of trying, Conquest. The one thing that no one would be crazy enough to actually try…” He leaned down to Conquest’s level. “I forgave you.”

Grrrrr….. erahhhhhh….. heahhhhhh….

“What was that?” growled Conquest to Spike, his smile still there but fake. “What was that noise!?”

Spike looked up. “Company.”

“What?”

“I might be able to forgive you…” sighed Spike as he looked beyond the shadows, “but I think those guys are still a little sore.”

Conquest rolled over on his side, looking to where the dragon had been pointing. “Oh no,” he mumbled, an alien look of fear in his eyes.

Emerging from the shadows was a pony, a dark green pegasus whose faced looked like it was hit with a battle axe. Behind him was a pair of mares who seemed to have had the sides of their faces sown together and their throats slit. Beside them was a griffon with her eyes ripped out, and another griffon whose neck was broken. Beyond them, more and more ponies, griffons, minotaurs, zebras, even creatures like dragons and hydras started to emerge, the large colossi towering over the smaller beings. Each one of them had missing limbs or holes in their bodies.

“These are all the things I’ve ever had a hoof in killing…” the dark pony whispered to himself. “I blew your head off… I drowned you…. stabbed you, burned you, threw you guys into a snake pit…” There were too many to count as the relentless legions of the dead slowly advanced on the pony, hissing and snarling at him like animals. The dark alicorn tried to get away, but the dead were coming from all around.

“You brought this on yourself, my friend…” sighed Spike, as a headless minotaur walked passed him.

“No… Get back, you filthy creatures!” snarled Conquest as he blasted a nearby mare with a noose around her neck. “Do you know who I am? GAK!”

A trio of squirrels erupted from his mouth, clawing at his lips and crawling on his face, his once faithful minions had turned on him.

“Stupid creatures!” he growled as he tried to brushed the vermin off, tripping as he fell to the ground.

More of his victims came and surrounded him, sinking there teeth, talons and claws into his body, tearing him apart as he continued to struggle. A large purple dragon with a large hole in her stomach grabbed the alicorn and pinned him to the ground. They were everywhere. He could not escape and he was powerless.

Just like his victims were.

“Conquest….” an angelic voice sang above the snarling and grunting. The dead ponies grabbed onto the legs of Conquest as his stomach started to tear open. He didn’t screamed as a pink hoof popped out of his chest cavity, he never hollered as it was followed by a skeletal hoof, both used to pull out the abomination in his stomach. He did whimper when he saw the half chewed face of the mare and the clawed and torn body. But he did not laugh as she smiled at him her lipless smile and stared at him with her eyeless eyes. “Conquest…” she repeated.

“Sweet Symphony…”

“WHO’S GOING TO SAVE YOU NOW?!” she screeched as she dove into the face of the evil alicorn, sinking her teeth in. Spike watched as more and more creatures piled onto the pony. He never heard a scream, but he heard something better.

He heard only silence.

The Sacrifice

Chapter 25: The Sacrifice
But love, True love will not let you go without hope. Love will give you the strength to break the chains and continue on. Love will help you rise from the darkness and into the light as you raise a sword in one hand and a shield in the other once more ready to fight, to protect, despite all the pain. That is True love."

~Spikethed

Spike opened his eyes and he was back in the real world. The storms were still raging, his friends were still injured, and his love was still dead.

“Please. Stop!” choked Rainbow, who had managed to end up in the grasp of the dragon. “I don’t want to die!”

“Rainbow?” gasped Spike, immediately letting go of her, the rainbow pony falling onto the ground. “What happened?”

“You went berserk!” said Rainbow, panting heavily as she picked herself off the ground. “After you…after you killed Rarity, you went crazy; we thought we had lost you to him. Curator told us all to run, that there was nothing that could be done to save you, so he had everyone else head out off of the roof. He wanted to try and stop you himself.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“I couldn’t let him do this by himself!” she grinned, spitting out a bit of blood. “I had to help, much to everyone’s dismay. I ain’t the element of loyalty cause I run away when there’s trouble.”

“So everyone is safe?” asked the dragon.

“Yeah…” she said quietly. “Everyone but me and Curator left, and he’s well…” She motioned her head towards the back of the dragon. “He did charge first, trying to get that necklace around your neck.”

Spike turned around to see Curator lying on the ground; he was covered with large deep gouges and scratches. Large chunks of skin were showing, revealing bone as the alicorn’s glassy yellow eyes shuddered. The pony struggled with every breath he took, life short for this world.

“Rainbow, get the others, he needs medical help NOW!” Spike ordered, dropping to Curator’s side. “Go!”

“Right,” nodded Rainbow, quickly dashing to the entrance from the roof and heading back inside.

“D-d-dragon?” stuttered Curator, his words frail and weak. “Is t-t-that you?”

“It’s me, Curator,” smiled Spike. “Conquest is gone, I watched him get torn apart.”

“He’s been through that before,” coughed the white alicorn. “I’ve seen it, lived through it. He’ll just pull himself back together…like he always does.”

The dragon shook his head, “Not this time… He’s gone from this world. For good.”

“How is that possible?”

“What did you see when Conquest controlled you?” asked the purple drake.

“Hate,” muttered Curator. “Anger, suffering, greed, lust, insanity…squirrels, among other things. Why, did you see something different?”

“I did,” said Spike. “I saw him, Curator. Conquest, when he was a child. I saw what his life was like. You know he wasn’t always this way. He was just a kid, a normal run of the mill pony.”

“Then what happened to him?” asked the alicorn. “What made him so…vile?”

“Ponies,” sighed Spike. “It was the vile nature of the ponies that made him the way he was. The bad side of ponies anyway. All he ever knew was the bad; he was never shown the good side of their nature, so he thought it was non-existent. He was incapable of compassion and forgiveness because he was never shown it. He had lived a terrible life, so it was inevitable that he would become such a monster. His hate was undying, letting him push through such pain and torment. He called himself crazy but he always knew what he was doing. It’s a really long story, I’ll tell you when you’re not on the verge of dying.”

“But I still don’t understand how you were able to defeat him.”

“That’s the thing, I don’t think I did,” said Spike. “When I forgave him, he wasn’t mentally able to take it, he was too far lost. He needed his hatred to survive, even if it meant his death. When I gave him a hug, he got mad. So he did whatever he could do to keep his hatred flowing. I saw every single pony, griffon, dragon, anything that he had killed. They all turned on him, tore him apart limb from limb in silence. Like I said, I didn’t defeat him. He did it himself.”

“So you are sure that he was dead?

“Pretty sure. I woke up and I was in the middle of strangling Rainbow.”

“Is she—“

“Yeah,” said Spike, cutting the pony off. “She’s fine, nothing but a few scrapes here and there. Wings still crippled as hell.”

“Good,” smiled Curator. “I am glad that she is safe. She was a very good fighter, despite her injuries. Tried to save me before you almost ripped me in half.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Spike.

“Not your fault, it was his…” Curator mumbled. “Speaking of him, come closer…”

Spike leaned closer to the fallen pony. Curator was in really bad shape, his blood was starting to flow out less and less, his own white coat growing dim and pale, his mane losing his colour, and his eyes looked pale.

“Put this on…” he whispered, reaching under his body and levitating the strange amulet from underneath. “If he is even remotely alive in there, this will flesh him out.”

“What is this anyway?” asked the dragon, staring at the floating amulet. “It’s was never truly explained to me.”

“No one really knows what it is, not even me,” said Curator. “All I know is that those with a pure heart can unlock its power when it’s needed the most, and those who are evil burn at the touch of it. It is a shield, not a sword; it will never take a life, only save them. Wear it, so I may see if any evil still lingers in your body.

“Okay,” said Spike, grabbing the golden chain of the necklace. Almost at the touch of the metal, the heart shaped jewel illuminated with a bright and powerful white light. The dragon felt a pain in his stomach, burning with the passion of a thousand fires. He felt the pain crawl up his throat as he vomited out a river of black sludge. There was a lump in his throat that pressed past the lips of his mouth, as a blob of black fell to the ground.

“Just as I feared…” sighed Curator, as he painfully got up from the ground, wobbling as he leaned on the dragon for support. “He still lives.”

“What?!” gasped Spike, looking down at the puddle of dark liquid he had barfed up. Laying in the pool of filth, was a small dark colt curled up in a ball, slowly whimpering and giggling to himself in illiterate ramblings. “But I thought—“

“Like you said, his mind was incapable of such forgiveness. But his body still remains,” said Curator, limping up to the colt. “You still have done me a great service. You managed to shatter the mind of a mad mare, or stallion in this case.”

“But he’s still alive!” roared Spike. “This is ridiculous!”

“He may be alive, but he a shadow of his former self. His magic and strength are gone, but I sense he is slowly rebuilding it. If we are to end this, it must be done now.”

“And how do we do that?” asked Spike. “We’ve tried everything!”

“What does darkness fear the most?” wondered Curator.

“I don’t know…”

The white alicorn looked up into the sky. “I think it is time to end the madness,” he said. “The sun seems like a fitting end for us.”

“Excuse me?” baffled Spike.

Curator smiled. “Spike, he feeds off of the hatred of everypony, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t see why—“

“Then as long as I am alive, he will keep coming back,” he said. “I have seen everything he has done, every life he has taken, and I was the puppet he used to do it with. I was his slave for thousands of years, I can never forgive what he has done to me and to others, and it is that hate that keeps him breathing at this moment.”

“But what about—“

“It has to be this way, Spike,” the white stallion said, levitating the small gibbering colt onto his back. “The sun is powerful enough to make sure that our bodies are completely incinerated, and with my anger put to rest, he will not likely come back.”

“But still—“

“Tell my sisters I love them, and that I’m sorry for all I have done,” he said before taking off, using every last bit of energy he had left to flap his wings. “Especially Luna.”

Spike watched in shocked awe as he flew, growing farther and farther away from him. Part of him wanted to go after Curator, to drag him down and try to talk some sense into him, but he knew he couldn’t. Conquest was too dangerous to be kept alive. He and Curator knew this more than anyone. This was a mercy, for both of the alicorns, and Curator was probably too proud to admit it. This was just as much for him that it was for Conquest. He wanted to die as Curator, the free and righteous pony that had defended Equestria, defeated evil, and won back the ponies freedom from a crueler dragon race.

“Be at peace, both of you,” said Spike, as he watched the majestic white alicorn charge strait into the sun. There was a fiery flash of light as Curator and Conquest were engulfed in the flames. Spike had to avert his eyes to prevent from going blind. When he looked back up to the sky, they were both gone, disintegrated from this plane of existence.

It took over five thousand years, countless innocents, two wars, the kindness of a dragon and the sacrifice of a noble alicorn, but it was finally over.

Conquest was finally gone forever.

The sudden reality of the situation hit Spike like a wrecking ball. “RARITY!” he cried. He felt ashamed that he had almost forgotten his love. How could he have forgotten such an important thing!?

He rushed over to her heartless and cold body; her fur was soaked from blood loss and rainwater. Her mascara had run down her closed, soft eyes, and of her frozen cheeks. Her mane was in tangles, dyed with the red of her own blood. She was dead, gone without her heart for goddess knows how long.

“No…” He shook his head, praying for this to be another bad dream. “Nonononononononono! Please!” he begged, trying his best to close the wound. “Don’t die! I can’t live without you! This isn’t how it ends! It can’t be!”

There was no response. He was talking to a corpse. A cold, dead corpse.

“There has to be something I can do!” he cried, “I’d give anything to—“

“Spike!”

“Rarity?”

“Spike, over here!” called Rainbow as she lead the group of ponies and dragons. Celestia and Luna’s wounds had healed up a bit, their faces less gashed and bloody. Twilight had found her broken off horn and had it wrapped back on. It still looked fragile but it seemed like it would reattach with time. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were all bandaged up, same for the quintet of dragons. Forge had what looked like a makeshift peg leg, and was still supporting himself with a crutch. They all looked fine, recovering from terrible injuries and psychological trauma, but fine.

“Spike, where’s Curator?” asked Luna, looking around the roof in a panic. “I can’t see him anywhere.”

“I’m sorry,” grunted Spike, hardly paying attention to the mare. “But he’s gone.”

“Gone?” asked, Luna. “What do you mean gone?!”

“I mean he’s gone. He died defeating Conquest.”

Everypony gasped in shock, but none more than Luna. The dark princess of the night fell down to her knees, her face frozen with a look of shock, sadness, and denial. Her breaths quickened and her heart raced as she broke out a single tear. It shined and sparkled in the dim afternoon glow of the sun that had been her love’s resting place. “No…” she whimpered. “Not after all this. I thought we were going to be happy together at last.”

“Sister, I am truly sorry…” Celestia said, trying to comfort her distress sibling. “I can only imagine what you’re feeling.”

The dark mare said nothing as she dug her face into her hooves, crying. “It’s not fair!” she wailed. “Why did he have to die?!”

“He died a hero, Luna,” said Spike, still doing whatever he could to revive Rarity. “He wanted me to tell you that he loved you both, and that he was sorry, Luna, for everything.”

“He…he said that?” she whispered, lifting her head up from her hooves. “He said that he loved me?”

“With all of his heart… HEART!!” gasped Spike, as he quickly scrambled over to Rarity’s side again. “That’s what she needs! A new heart!”

“Oh dear,” worried Twilight. “Spike, I’m sorry, but she’s gone. A new heart won’t save her now.”

“Maybe not a pony’s heart…” the drake said, eyeing his chest. “But maybe a dragon’s.”

“Spike…” sighed Forge, pushing his way past the rest of the group. “I know what you are thinking and I have to tell you that it too risky. I mean, she’s a pony! No dragon has ever tried to revive anything else but another dragon with this procedure, and even if it is possible, we still don’t know if it will work!”

“But I have to try!” cried Spike. “I can’t just give up on her!”

“What are you going to do, Spike?” barked Forge, grabbing the purple drake by the shoulders. “Tear out half your heart? And what if she doesn’t pull through? Then you’ll end up like me, an old cripple who’s counting the days until what’s left of your heart gives out!”

“Then it’ll be only half a tragic life I will live!” muttered Spike.

“Don’t give me that tragic hero bull crap!” snarled the crippled red drake. “I know that you think that what you’re doing is noble, and it is. But I refuse to sit here and let you throw away your life like I did!”

“So that’s what you think this is?” frowned Spike. “Love stricken idiot? Who the hell are you to say what I can and can’t do?!”

“I’m trying to help you prevent the same mistake that I made,” said Forge. “You have other ponies that care about you to. What about your friends, Spike?” he asked, motioning to all the others. “Look at them, they all care about you Spike. Can you do that to them?” The red smith dragon let go of Spike and backed off. “If you think you can hurt all of these ponies and dragons, then go ahead, rip your damn heart out!”

Spike growled at all of it as he flexed his claws in his hand. There was still only one selfish thought running through his head. “Fine!” he finally said, bowing his head in defeat. He turned back to Rarity, his one and only love in this world. He didn’t have to cut his heart in half for it to be broken. The sight of her was sharper than any knife in the world. “I’m sorry…” he snivelled, “I wasn’t strong enough. This is all my fault.”

“It… wouldn’t have worked… anyways.”

The purple drake’s head turned slightly, following the sound of the strained voice. “Who said that?”

“Oh… don’t mind me… just dying slowly… just like you asked,” coughed Slitilda. The bronze dragoness had somehow managed to survive. She was sitting in a pile of her own blood and flesh, leaning on a railing for support as both of her claws tried to desperately close the gaping wound in her stomach, but it was proving ineffective. “Thanks for helping me…when you all ran away and stuff…” she droned. “Love bleeding to death…”

“Slitilda? You’re still alive?” gasped Spike, getting up and running to her side.

“Nice to see you too…” snickered Slitilda, smiling weakly at the purple drake that had rushed by her side. “Oh, and thanks for killing me…”

“Listen, I’m sorry,” apologized Spike, examining her wounds. “Look, it’s going to be okay, we can get you to help, we’ll get a medical team up here, we can save you.”

The dragoness shook her head feebly. “Not going to happen, I don’t deserve it… I’m just a bad dragon…”

“You’re not a bad dragon!”

“Yes… yes I am, Spike,” she hacked, a mix of saliva and blood coming out. “Do you know why I even came here with the rest of the dragons?”

Spike shook his head.

“I… I came here…” she looked past Spike to Rarity’s dead body, “I came here…to kill Rarity.”

There was silence, Spike just staring blankly at the bronze dragoness.

“I wanted…to be with you Spike,” she said. “More than anything else in the world. I was ready to kill her if I couldn’t….couldn’t have you,” she coughed again; they were getting worse. “But then I saw how you tried to save her…what you were willing to give up…your own life, just to save her… Your…Rarity.”

“I—I”

“Shhhhh,” hummed Slitilda, “You don’t have to explain anymore. I understand now,” she weakly took his claw in her own. “Love is more than hugs, cuddles and screwing each other. True love is the willingness to give everything, to sacrifice it all if you had to for your special someone, because you can’t stand to see them miserable.” She placed his claw over her chest, smiling as she pressed harder. “Take it.”

“N-no, I can’t. We can—“

“You can’t save me,” strained the dragoness. “I’m dead, Spike. And I want to do something good with my last breath, so take the whole heart, she’ll have a better chance this way.” She stared lovingly into Spike’s startling green eyes.

“Slitilda, please don’t—“

“Think of it this way,” she smiled. “Now a small piece of me can always be with you.”

“I…don’t know what to say…” Spike said, staring back into the bronze dragons eyes, watching as the life was slowly trickling away from them.

“Then don’t say anything,” she said, wrapping her other arm around the dragon’s neck and pulling him in for a last kiss.

Spike didn’t fight back, there was no point in doing so. He tasted the bittersweet flavour of blood and brimstone on her scaly lips. She stilled had that smoky flavour in her mouth, the musky aroma that only a dragon could love. His heart wrenched as Slitilda slipped away from him, the lips of her mouth curled up.

“Had to steal one last…kiss…”

“I know.”

“If you’re going to do it…now would be…”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t…don’t let her die…” whispered Slitidla, as she started to fade away. “I…love……….” Her grasp around the dragon’s claw grew limp as it fell down by her side. “…You.”

Spike watched as her eyes started to roll up her head. He brushed fingers down her face, closing her eyes forever. But he would mourn later. Precious time was lost each second as he quickly flicked open one of his claws, and gently carved it into Slitidla’s flesh. It was a simple incision, a small ‘X’ over her heart. He gently opened the folds to reveal Slitilda’s still beating heart. He looked at the golden organ for a moment, before carefully reaching into the hole, and grabbing the heart.

The bronze dragon only grunted as Spike remove her heart, the rest of her life slipping away within the moments. Spike held the precious dragon’s heart with both claws as he walked to Rarity. This was his one and only chance to save her, if this didn’t work… He’d rather not think of that at the moment.

Everypony watched with sympathy as Spike made the slow walk to the dead mare. The storm outside had started to calm down, as with the rest of the world as Conquest’s influence faded, but the marks he made would never be forgotten.

The rain was like a drizzle, a similar shower like the night when he had first proclaimed his love for Rarity, the one and only mare he would ever love. His dream, his fiancé, his everything. Life would have no purpose without her in it.

The drake bent next to Rarity’s body, still motionless as he cleared the hole in her chest, making sure that the large dragon’s heart would fit. With every care, Spike lowered the heart into her body. He watched with amazement at how fast the heart reconnected to Rarity’s existing arteries and veins, still beating weakly, and healing even slower. The dragon place his middle finger and his ring finger together against his lips, and blew a gentle green flame. The embers lingered on his fingertips as he placed the two fingers down on the open wound, using the other hand to press the flesh of the hole together. The wound cauterized quickly in the shape of his two fingers, a heart.

Then he waited…

…

...

…

And still he waited…

...

…

“Spike…”

“Yeah Twilight?”

“I don’t think…”

“We don’t know that!”

…

...

…

And still he waited…

…

...

…

“How long does it take Forge?”

“If it were to have worked, it would have done so by now,”

…

...

…

“Spike, I’m sorry, but I don’t think she’s coming back.”

A tear fell from the dragon’s face. “I…” He didn’t want to finish his sentence as he looked at his love. Rarity looked so peaceful.

He picked up the magnificent unicorn in his hands, her body was still very cold. So very dead and cold.

“Just one last kiss…”

He pressed his lips against hers. They were freezing at the touch but he didn’t care. They were the lips that he wanted to kiss forever, the lips that tasted better than all of the gems and cakes in Equestria, the lips that he wished that he would never have to part with.

And he never would, because they were also the lips that kissed him back.

The Wedding

“Love and friendship are the only things that allow people to care about others and not just about themselves, making it a truly magical and wonderful thing."

~flutterwalk

Spike’s heart nearly exploded as he felt her lips slowly caress his own. He immediately jumped back. Could it be real, or did his mind just play a cruel joke on him?

Rarity’s eyes slowly opened up, her glimmering blue eyes barely visible behind her long black eyelashes. “Spikey…”

This was no joke, this was real. Rarity was alive!

“Oh my god!” the dragon’s jaw dropped from pure happiness as he gazed his awakening beauty. “R-Rarity, you’re alive!”

“Of course dear…” said the white mare, smiling weakly, “I knew you would save me…” Her eyes started to get watery, and she groaned, squirming as if her stomach was in pain. “Do…you think I could trouble you for a glass of water, dear? I feel dreadfully warm inside…” She started to cough. “And my throat is dry…” She started hacking harder, “I don’t *cough* feel so well *cough* darling.”

“Oh crap!” gulped Spike, turning around to Forge. “What’s happening to her?!”

“How the hell should I know?!” exclaimed the red dragon. “I’m still shocked that that actually worked!”

“What *cough* what are you *cough* are you talking about, dear?”

“Nothing, dear!” said Spike quickly, carefully stroking her mane. “Everything is going to be fine!” He started to head towards the door leading off the roof and back into the castle. “We just had an…an accident.”

“Oh dear, did *cough* did our friends get hurt?”

“Yes but they’re fine now…”

“Then what is the problem *cough, cough*?” asked Rarity, still hacking up a storm.

“Well…” strained the dragon as he pushed the door open with his back, he could see their friends following close behind “Ah...please don’t freak out when I tell you…but you sort of…kind of…”

“Spike, a lady can compose herself *cough* at all times,” Rarity said. “I promise.”

“Well… You were sort of…dead for, like about an hour.”

The mare just stared blankly at her dragon, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. When she realized that he was being serious, she screamed.

“WHAT!?!?!”

“It’s okay! You’re better now!” said the drake trying to calm the hysterical mare down.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WAS DEAD??!?!”

“You kind of died…”

“Oh, how dreadful!” gasped the unicorn, falling faint in Spike’s arms. “Oh, of all the worst possible things, this is the *cough* worst *cough* possible *cough* THING!! And I mean *cough* it this time!”

“Please calm down!” begged Spike, still carrying the white pony through the castle. “We’re going to get you to the infirmary, and everything is going to be fine!”

“How am I *cough* how am I even alive right now?”

“Well, we gave you a new heart from a dra—“

“What happened to my own heart?”

“It sort of broke!” muttered Spike. “Look, I will explain everything to you once we get you to a doctor, I promise.”

“Who’s heart do I *cough, cough* who’s *cough* who’s *cough, cough, cough*”

She kept coughing and coughing, Spike was getting worried. Soon, she was spitting up small sprays of blood, as her terrible cough grew worse. Rarity’s eyes started to roll to the back of her head as her whole body went limb.

“Rarity? Rarity!” panicked the dragon, placing the mare on the stone floor. He placed two fingers against the pony’s new heart. It was still beating, so what was the problem?

BLLAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!

Rarity’s suddenly shot up into a sitting position, blue azure coloured flames came spewing out of her mouth. The fire grew in intensity, spreading around and latching onto anything that would burn. The walls were scorched, curtains were singed as the flames finally died out, leaving Rarity sitting there, every other pony and dragon just staring at her.

“I…” she started to say, before coughing up a puff of blue smoke. “I feel a lot better actually.”

“Whoa…” exhaled the purple drake. “That was…interesting.”

Rarity looked baffled at the scorched marks in front of her. “Did I, did I just do that?”

“How is that even possible?” wondered Twilight, looking to Forge. “Do you think that it has something to do with the dragon heart?”

“Okay, will somepony please tell me what’s going on?” asked Rarity, crossing her hooves. “I’m getting rather irritated not being in the loop of things.”

“Sorry, it’s just that...” Spike started to say.

“WHOA!!” gasped Pinkie, pointing at the white mare. “Look at that!”

All heads focused upon what the pink party pony was pointing at, and each pony and dragon gasped at what they saw.

Rarity looked worried. “What? Is there something on my face?” Her hooves padded her face down, not feeling anything out of the ordinary. “What is it? Would somepony please tell me what’s wrong?!”

“Rarity it’s…it’s your eyes,” said Spike.

“What about my eyes?” she asked, quickly dashing to one of the windows in the hall. She almost fainted when she saw her faint reflection in the glass. Her eyes were no longer the ones she was born with, but had become snake like, a slit instead of a dot for her pupil. “My—my…”

“Her eyes, they’re like a dragon’s,” said Glimmer.

“Okay, what the hell is going on?” asked Dust Devil. “She’s not going to turn into a dragon, is she?”

“What part of ‘I don’t know’ do you all find so hard to grasp?” muttered Forge.

“What… a DRAGON?” mumbled Rarity, as she started to feel light headed, it had been a lot to take in in such a short amount of time and her body seemed to be on fire again and she eventually passed out.

“Rarity!........ Rarity!!!”

*****

Beep………… beep………… beep………… beep…………

Rarity’s eyes were greeted by a bright light as they slowly started to open. The steady pace of beeping was ringing next to her ear. As her senses came back to her, she was able to see where she was. It looked like a hospital room, with lots of strange medical machines stationed next to her small metal bed. Turning to her side, she saw large bushels of flowers and ‘Get Well Soon’ cards. There were also a lot of discarded hospital food in the nearby trash can; it seemed that the culprit only ate the lime Jell-O and threw away the daisy sandwiches and milk.

She giggled a little at the sight, knowing perfectly well who would only eat the dessert, and as she rolled over to her other side, she saw a very sleepy looking purple dragon sitting in the visitor’s chair.

“You know that you can’t just eat the Jell-O. It’ll go straight to your thighs.”

Spike’s head slowly raised up, a big sleepy smile stretched across his face. “Hey…you’re awake…”

“I am,” she said, looking around the room again. “Where am I, and how long was I out?”

“You’re in the medical ward of Canterlot Castle, and you’ve been out for over three weeks,” answered the dragon.

“Oh my, that long?” said the confused mare. “What about everyone else? Are they all right?”

“Yeah, they are, for the most part that is,” said Spike. “Luna’s taking Curator’s death pretty hard. Celestia had to raise the sun and the moon for a bit there, but she’s getting passed it.”

“That’s good to hear, I can only imagine what it would be like to lose the love of your life,” sighed the unicorn. “She must be devastated.”

“Like I said, Luna’s slowly getting passed it with her sister. Speaking of which, as you were asleep, Celestia has been having a lot of conversations with Rockjaw, the new leader of Volcanna. I don’t want to speak too soon, but Rockjaw wants to work on the pony/dragon treaty from after the Dragon Wars. The dragons have learned to control ‘The Greed’ better, and we are thinking of integrating them into Equestria.”

“Spike, that’s wonderful!” smiled Rarity. “But what about their homelands and the more nasty dragons?”

“They can stay in the Badlands if they want, no one is forcing them to leave. But I heard that Bitterbite and the others are planning on staying.”

“How are they doing?”

“Pretty much the same. Lurch accidentally ate a pony he thought was a sofa, but he spat him out. Bitterbite and Glimmer still have the strangest love relationship I have ever seen, and Dust Devil is still desperately trying to deny his feelings for Rainbow.”

Rarity giggled at that last one. “They really would make a cute couple, if you ask me,” she leaned in closer to Spike, who had gotten up from the chair to talk. “You were unconscious at the time, but I think that Rainbow likes Dust Devil.”

“Now I know you’re better, you little gossip!” grinned Spike.

“How is Rainbow, and all the others?”

“Physically, they’re going to be okay. Rainbow’s wings healed up nicely, same with Twilight’s horn. Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy’s cuts and bruises all healed up too.”

“You said they were okay physically… Why?”

“Because they’re okay physically. Mentally…there has been some scarring.”

“Oh dear…”

“We’ve all been through psychotherapy, some more than others. We’ve all been having recurring nightmares about him and what he has done… I can hardly close my eyes without seeing his face in my head,” the dragon sighed. “And I keep having this one dream…where you didn’t survive… And I’d lost you…”

“Oh Spike…” sniffed, Rarity, pulling the drake closer. “You don’t have to worry, I’m fine. I feel fine, I feel better than fine. In fact, I feel absolutely perfect!”

“Well at least one of us is feeling like that,” smirked the dragon.

“What about Forge?” asked the mare. “How is he?”

“I’m doing quite well.”

Forge had managed to slip by the door without either Spike or Rarity noticing.

“Forge!” smiled Rarity.

“Nice to see you’re finally awake, Miss—I mean Mrs. Rarity,” the red dragon laughed. “Spike filled me in on everything, and I have to say that I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.”

“Thank you,” said Rarity as she snuggled up to Spike’s arm.“We couldn’t be happier!”

“I’m glad,” said the forging dragon. “I’m also glad that you’re awake, so I can tell you this now and not in a report.”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, after you passed out three weeks ago, we rushed you and whatever medical staff we had left to the infirmary. After I got a more permanent leg situation,” he gestured to his new prosthetic leg. “Made out of what was left of Spike’s armour, by the way. Anyways after we got you stabilized, me and a few of the medical staff started to run a few tests. It seems that the dragon heart had a few side effects that we didn’t expect.”

“Like what?”

“Well externally, the only real notably change is your eyes, and I want to run some vision tests later. Now internally, you have under gone massive amount of changes. We tested your blood and have discovered it fighting off and eating away at any sort of clots and build ups that were in your veins, cleaning them similar to what dragon’s blood does. Your body also naturally healing at twice the normal rate of a pony, and your immune system bolstered tremendously.”

“All that from a dragon’s heart?”

“There’s more,” said Forge as he continued. “You also developed a flame sack, which is where Fire dragon’s like me and Spike store fire. Now we can remove this if you want, as there are a lot of dangers to having a fire sack.”

“Like what?”

“It can swell up and lead to violent outbursts of fire, and worse case is that it bursts and disintegrates all of your internal organs.”

“Oh dear…”

“But,” said the red dragon, “if you take the time to learn how to control it, and remember to release fire on a semi regular basis, the benefits are numerous.”

“I’ll guess I will think about that…” hummed the unicorn. “Anything else Forge?”

“Not at the moment,” he said, as he turned to head out the door. “I’ll come back in a couple of hours to do some tests. I need to see if the heart affected your unicorn powers, as well as come to a decision about keeping your fire sack or not. Until then, you two relax, you of all of us deserve it.”

“Thank you Forge,” said Rarity as the red drake closed the door. She looked back to her dragon, scooting over on her bed. “It’s awfully cold…” she grinned.

Spike took the hint as he slowly slipped into the bed, snuggling up next to his white unicorn. It had been too long since they were together like this, lying peacefully in a warm and safe bed, no worries of wars or psychopaths or omens, just a mare and her dragon, and all the love in the world.

“So…” hummed Rarity, nuzzling the dragons neck with her head. “When should start planning the wedding?”

Zzzzzzzzzz…

“Spike?” wondered the mare, looking up to see that Spike had fallen fast asleep. She rolled her eyes as she tucked him and herself in. “Get some sleep love,” she smiled, giving a small yawn. “We’ll talk about it later…”

*****

Pain, an insufferable stinging sensation in his mind. Spike couldn’t think, it hurt too much to think. What had happened to him? He tried to open his heavy eyes, only to be greeted by the powerful light of the sun through the window. Light was not his friend, so he kept his eyes shut.

“Rarity…” he wallowed, feeling around blindly for some indication of the mare he loved. “Rarity…” he finally found what he was looking for, soft fur. He wrapped his claws around the warm body, pressing it close against his. She was so warm, so soft, and so…scaly?

“Spike…”

That wasn’t Rarity’s voice, hers was soft and angelic, like a song sung by angels. This voice was not soft and angelic, like a song sung by a dragon.

“Spike…”

His eyes shot opened, staring back at him were a pair of brown eyes. Bitterbite was staring right back at him. He had a fuzzy pink blanket covering more of his body.

“Spike…” Bitterbite said again. “Why are you holding me?”

“I…” Spike was at a loss of words.

“Spike, please tell me that there is a beer bottle or something poking me in the leg…”

There was a pause as both dragons looked down, realizing that there was no beer bottle down there. They both screamed at the top of their lungs. The earth dragon freaked out and accidentally rolled off the bed, landing face first on the floor. Spike clutched his ears, the sounds of their screaming was like jabbing a spear through his skull.

“What the hell Spike?!” yelled Bitterbite. “What. The. HELL!?”

“I thought you were Rarity!” Spike yelled back, still clamping his ears shut. “And don’t talk so loud, my head is killing me!”

“Do I look like Rarity?!” demanded the dirty drake, slowly climbing off the floor.

“It was that soft blanket. And I said stop yelling!” the purple drake moaned, rolling around on the bed in his own misery.

“Ugh, whatever…” groaned Bitterbite as he stretched his arms out, smiling. “That was a fun ass party though!”

“Oh, right…” chuckled Spike, as he slowly snoozed his hangover away. “Best party ever… Pinkie Pie can eat her heart out…”

“Yeah,” laughed Bitterbite as he leaned against the wall, still having the fuzzy pink blanket around his body. “Umm…why were we partying again?”

“Because…” Spike started to say, but his mind drew a blank. “There was something important… I think.”

“Yeah, yeah!” mumbled Bitterbite. “Was it the new treaty signing?”

“I think they did that like a month ago dude…”

“Was it for the memorial services for the Battle of Canterlot?”

“Three months ago. You’re really freaking bad at this, Bitterbite.”

“I don’t see you coming with anything Spike!”

“Screw you…” muttered the purple drake. “Something important…something that was going to happen today…”

The two dragons eyes widened at the sudden realization of what was happening today.

“THE WEDDING!!” they both screamed, Spike immediately falling back onto the bed.

“Goddess, the noise hurts!” he winced.

“Quit your bitching Spike!” said the brown dragon, picking up the clock that had fallen to the floor. “OH CRAP!!”

“What?”

“We have less than an hour before it starts!”

Spike shot off the bed, his hangover being overthrown by the new crisis at hand. “You get the suits; I’ll try and find everyone else!”

They nodded as Bitterbite bolted to the closet, try to find all of their formal attire. Spike kicked past the door of the small room and into the wreck that was what looked like the living room.

There was definitely a party here last night, and you could tell dragons were involved. There was a large gaping hole in the north wall, leading outside to the balcony. Furniture was destroyed and tossed around the carpet, which was covered in discarded liquor bottles and scorch marks. There were very few signs of life. If there were other guests, they must have gone home already. However, there was what looked like a pair of white hooves under a discarded mattress lying out of place among the other carnage.

The dragon carefully lifted the mattress up, for some reason it smelt like cheese, cheese and shame, and under the mattress that smelt of cheese and shame was none other than--

“Shining Armour?”

“Hey…” the stallion grumbled, hugging onto a half full beer bottle. Shining was wearing his red uniform, but it had been terribly stained and torn by something that smelt of…cheese and shame. “Spike, my buddy… My pal, whassssssup?”

“Are…are you still drunk?”

“Damn straight I am!” he cackled to himself as he took a drink of the beer. “The best way to avoid a hangover is to………” His eyes stared lazily at the wall.

“Are you okay?” asked Spike.

“Hey, what smells like cheese and shame?” asked Armour.

“I don’t know. You, I think,” grumbled the drake. “Try and sober up, we need to be at the wedding in less than an hour.”

“Oh…” said Armour innocently, struggling to get up. “Hey, remember my bachelor party?”

“No…”

“EXACTLY!” the pony grumbled as he staggered through the mess of the living room. “You were supposed to throw me a badass party…and all I got was a no badass party.” He started to cry. “Why Spike… Why no badass party?”

“I was eight!” said Spike, looking under a flipped couch for more sleeping guests, finding none. “I didn’t even know what a bachelor party was until I was a teenager.”

“Oh…” gloomed Shining. “Well…how come you didn’t throw me a badass bachelor party?”

Spike sighed, “I did, but you don’t remember it,” he lied.

“Niiiiiiice,” grinned Shining, before collapsing on the ground.

“Great, now where the hell is—“

“Spike!” the door to the room opposite of Spike was kicked open, a panicked Dust Devil was shaking, his claws all jittery.

“Dust, there you are, look we need to—“

“Yes, the wedding I know!” interrupted the black sky drake. “But we have a more pressing matters to attend to!”

“Like what?”

“I think I killed a hooker.”

“WHAT?!?!!”

“Well we were having a party in my room and I sort of accidentally…killed her, I think.”

“HOW THE FRAK DO YOU DO ACCIDENTALLY KILL A HOOKER?!?!?!”

“With a frying pan.”

“WHAT THE FU—“

“Dude just see for yourself!” said Dust Devil, rushing back to the room, dragging Spike with him. The black and pink drake pushed Spike into the dark room.

“Where the heck is the light?” asked Spike, “I swear, I have no idea—“

“BOO!!”

The purple drake jumped back in fright as a two headed bed sheet jumped out from within the shadows. Spike fell to the ground, scurrying away from the bed ghost monster of the dead hooker, who was laughing their twin heads off.

“We got you good Spike!” the one head said.

“He makes it too easy, don’t you agree?” said the other.

“Wha…”

The bed sheet was removed from the bodies of the two hysterical ponies, one a cream coloured earth pony, and her marefriend the light green unicorn.

“Lyra, Bon-Bon, you two were fantastic!” laughed Dust Devil, who was on the floor with in fits.

“We can’t take all the credit!” grinned Lyra,

“You did the perfect setup, Dusty,” smiled Bon-Bon.

“I should have known…” grumbled the dragon.

“Coulda, woulda, shoulda!” teased Lyra, sticking out her tongue.

“Is anyone else in there?” Spike asked in a deadpanned.

“No,” said Bon-Bon, shaking her head. “I think Lurch was in the master bedroom, you know, because he needed the biggest bed to sleep in.”

“Because he’s so fat!” laughed the green unicorn.

“Lyra, he’s not fat…” said the candy mare. “He’s just bigger.”

“Yeah, bigger and fatter!”

“Both of you, shut up!” growled Spike, immediately silencing the mares. “Get ready to go, we need to be at the wedding in less than an hour.”

“Okay…” both the mares and Dust Devil sighed, as they walked into the other room were Bitterbite was looking for the suits.

Spike walked out of that room and to the master bedroom, knocking on the door before entering. “Lurch, please tell me you’re alive in there!”

“Yeah…” called Lurch from the other side. “Just give me like ten minutes and I’ll be out!”

“We don’t have ten minutes!” shouted Spike, knocking on the door again. “We need to get going NOW.”

There was the sound of mass groaning as the large footsteps of the boulder dragon boomed towards the door. Slowly the door cracked open, revealing the large pale blue drake. “Okay…” he yawned turning his head to the room. “Party’s over.”

There was a wave of female ‘awww’s’ as five mares quickly trotted around the bulda dragon, each with bedroom eyes and messy manes, and they were all trying to coddle a different part of the drake.

“But we were just starting to have fun…” cooed one of the mares.

“Do you have to go?” another one pouted.

“Sorry ladies,” said Lurch, “but I need to head to my friend’s wedding.”

“Do you need a date?” one asked. “I could be your date if you need one!”

“If anyone’s going to be his date it’s going to be me!” barked another.

“He likes me the best. I’m going with him!”

The five mares continued to argue about who would accompany Lurch to the wedding. Spike stared with amazement at the arguing mares, looking at the round boulder dragon with an arched eyebrow.

“What?” shrugged the large blue drake. “I’m big, strong, soft and have three tongues, what did you expect? Now let’s go to that wedding!”

*****

“Mare’s and Gentlecolts, dragons and dragonesses of all shapes and sizes, we are gathered here today…” Celestia was standing under a white archway decorated in an assortment of jewels and flowers. They were standing outside in the Canterlot Gardens. Several plants and trees had been carefully moved to make room for all of the guest. Not all of them ponies. There were a decent amount of dragons attending the wedding, including Rockjaw, the other surviving Elder dragons from Volcanna, Baba D; the kind old dragon that ran The Hatchery, among other dragons that came to see this special day commence. “To join this dragon and this mare in celestial matrimony.”

Spike blushed a little at Princess Celestia’s words. There he was, standing in from of hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies and dragons, about to get married to the one he loved. He was able to find his suit: an onyx black tuxedo, equipped with his favorite jewel encrusted bowtie, and a tri-set of three blue diamonds over his heart, the same shape and colour of Rarity’s cutie mark.

Rarity looked stunning in her wedding dress, no expenses were wasted. It was a beautiful white, almost blending in with her white coat. There were brilliant white diamonds around the rim of the skirt leading up to the part in the dress, where the two trails of gems formed into one, trailing up the blouse of the dress, and separating again around her collar. Her dress sparkled in the afternoon sun, but no jewel shined brighter than her fire ruby necklace, wish she wore proudly around her neck.

“The bride and groom have written each other vows, which they will new recite to each other,” Celestia said, turning to Spike. “You may begin, dragon.”

Spike nodded as he carefully unfolded the paper he had kept in his pocket, his fingers trembling with a mix of stress, excitement and nerves. He cleared his throat as he finally managed to un-crumble the vows.

“Rarity,” he started to say, his voice was shaky, it was really happening. “From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I would never love another. You were the only mare that I would ever love, I could ever love. I was just a kid then, barely a whelp by my kind’s standards, but I knew you were the one. You steal my breath away, you make my heart race, and consume my every thought and every second away from you is a second in hell.” He took a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts straight and organized. “I would live for you, die for you, and everything in between. Rarity… I love you with all my heart; and I will always be there for you.”

There was a low hum of sighs and aww’s coming from the guests in the gardens. “And now for the bride. Rarity, if you would?” smiled the celestial princess, wiping a happy tear from her face.

“Spike…” she started to say; she had memorized her vows. “I must confess that my feelings for you were like a flower. The more you cared for me, the more my love grew, until it finally blossomed into true and undying love. I admit I was scared of what others would have thought of us if we were together, but those thoughts quickly disappeared the day you saved my life, and it wouldn’t be the last time…” She sniffed as she placed a hoof over her chest. The heart shaped scar was still burned into her skin, but had healed well into a clean shade of dark purple. “You would have given me your heart, done anything to save me. I can’t stand to think of life without you in it. I love you, my little Spikey-wikey.”

Soft cries could be heard as mares and even a few stallions and the odd dragon shed a tear to the tenderness of the speech.

“Spike…” began Celestia after everypony had started to settle down. “Do you take this mare, to be your celestially wedded wife, to love and cherish, through good times and bad, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“And do you Rarity, take this dragon, to be your celestially wedded husband, to love and cherish, through good times and bad, though sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

Rarity looked into Spike’s reptilian eyes. They were so much like hers now, but she knew that he would never stop loving her, no matter what she looked like.

“I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, mare and dragon! You may—“

Spike and Rarity lunged at each other’s mouths; they couldn’t wait a second longer. They were a married couple now, and the tension between them was getting far too unbearable.”

“You…may kiss the bride,” sighed Celestia.

*****

“WHOO HOO! Time to get our groove on!” screamed Pinkie from the DJ booth. She and Vinyl her rocking a new track as most of everyone else was dancing on the dance floor. There was however, plenty of dragons and ponies laughing and mingling off the dance floor. One particular pony, a light blue unicorn, was downing his third beer when his friend took a seat next to him.

“Dragoon, are you all right?” asked Heart Shield, waving the barkeep to get him a beer.

“Never better!” pepped the blue stallion as he emptied his drink. “Barkeep, another one!”

“Well, it’s just that you don’t usually drink… Like, ever.”

“Yeah, but I need to work up some liquid confidence!” Dragoon said, the bartender handing him another beer. “Thank you.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to do it!” smiled the light blue unicorn. “Bunsen’s here at the reception and I’m finally going to ask her out!”

Heart Shield face hoofed himself. “Oh goddess, not this again…”

“I’m serious!” grumbled Dragoon, taking a big swig from his cup before slamming it down on bar. “I’m going to ask her out…”

“Look I told you—“

“You know what!” growled, “I think that you asked her out and she said no! And now you can’t stand having any other stallion with her… Well, screw you! I thought you were my friend…” He got up from the bar, and started to stagger around the gardens, looking for the purple pegasus that he desired.

“You don’t want to do that…” muttered the red unicorn, taking a sip of his newly received beverage.

“Watch me!” grinned Dragoon as he spotted Bunsen by the buffet, serving herself up some salad. “I’ll show him… Jerk.” The blue unicorn made it to the spread with relative ease, he wasn’t that drunk. “Hey Bunsen.”

“Oh, hey there!” replied the purple mare, serving up some sliced turnips on top of her green salad.

“Hey Bunsen… Listen…” Dragoon started to say, “I’ve was wondering… Would you… I don’t know... Maybe want to go out sometime? Like for dinner or a show?”

“Oh…” gasped Bunsen, her dark purple face slowly turning crimson with blush. “That’s very sweet of you… But umm… I can’t…” She bit the bottom of her lip. “Sorry…”

“What? Why?!”

“It’s…” the she started to say. “It’s…it’s just really complicated to explain, but I’m sort of with somepony else…”

“WHO?!?!!?”

“Oh Bunsen!!” a sing-songy voice called out from the crowd.

“No...” gaped Dragoon, his mouth dropping wide as he saw Celestia slowly trot over next to Bunsen, the two mares exchanging nuzzles.

“Oh hello, Dragoon,” smiled the princess of the sun. “Are you having a good time?”

“But—I—What—We—She—“

“Great!” said Celestia. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal Bunsen away, do you?”

“A….”

“Fantastic, c’mon Bunsen,” she said, taking the purple mare’s hoof in hers. “Come get some cake with me.”

“Of course, honey,” smiled Bunsen as the two mares left the babbling unicorn.

“I tried to warn you.”

Dragoon turned around to see Heart Shield standing right behind him. He put a hoof around Dragoon’s neck.

“C’mon, I’ll buy you a drink. You could use one right about now.”

“But—She—Why--?”

“Try not to think about,” said the red unicorn. “Now let’s get some more beer in your belly and a mare on your lap. That’s what helped me get over it when I found out.”

*****

Inside the castle’s kitchen, a large round boulder dragon was rummaging through the cupboards and drawers.

“Where the hell are they hiding the sugar?” Lurch mumbled to himself. “It has to be in here somewhere…”

He pushed passed some more pots and pans, nothing in this one. They had to of been here somewhere. He pulled his head out of the low bearing cupboard and started to rummage through drawers.

“Just cutlery… Why do ponies even need these?” he asked himself as he pulled out a fork. “They don’t even have fingers… Stay focused Lurch. Sugar.”

He popped the fork into his mouth. He was hungry, but metal wasn’t very filling, and he needed to satisfy his craving for the sweet powdery goodness that was white sugar.

“Ah-Ha!” he grinned as he walked up to the locked pantry. There was at least half a dozen locks on it, but the dragon easily ripped them off like they were made of paper. “Puny locks…” he said, throwing the final padlock onto the floor. He kicked the metal door of the pantry down and gazed that the fruits of his labours. “Jackpot.”

There had to be at least fifty bags of it, all piled up on wooden shelves. Lurch’s eyes widened and he licked his lips as he stepped into the pantry, spinning around in glorious wonders of the sweet paradise he had just walked in on. He immediately ripped open a nearby bag, taking in the sugar’s delectable aroma, before taking two fistfuls of the powder and throwing it in the air. He laughed like an idiot, spinning in circles as the sugar slowly floated down like snow. He was in heaven.

His tongues went to work, all three shot out of his mouth and grabbed a bag, pulling them into his widened gullet. He grabbed and tore open more bags, dumping the contents down his throat. Within minutes he was covered in sugary goodness, powdered white like a ghost.

He moaned with satisfaction, as he walked out of the pantry, leaving a large and sugary mess behind. He didn’t even bother to try and hide his little pleasure, he was pretty sure that the ponies would notice almost fifty bags of sugar gone, he would gladly pay the consequences later.

Lurch had just walked out of the kitchen when he heard a strange noise coming from down the hall.

“Mmmhmmm…” the strange voice groaned.

“What was that?” wondered Lurch as he went down the hall towards the moaning.

“Mmm… oh goddess yes…”

The pale blue dragon continued down the halls, the cooing sounds of pleasure growing louder and louder until he saw some strange rustling happening behind some purple curtains. Carefully, he crept up on the curtains.

It was still moving, probably a couple that wanted some privacy.

“Oh, Dust Devil…”

Lurch blinked. “Dusty?!” he blurted out loud.

The rustling stopped from behind the drapes. “Oh crap!”

“Wait, is that really you?” laughed Lurch as she reached for the drapes, trying to pull them open, but the sky drake was making sure that they stayed shut. “What are you doing? Is someone else there with you?”

“No!” shouted Dust Devil.

“There is, isn’t there?”

“I said no!” growled the dark dragon. “Now go leave before I rip your eyes out!”

“Oh, like I’ve ever listened to you,” grinned the bulda dragon as he pulled down the curtains down.

The drapes fell down, flopping to the floor to reveal Dust Devil, and…

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh… hey Lurch” blushed the cyan coloured pony. She had her back against the wall with her hooves around Dust Devil's back. Her multi-coloured mane was a mess, as if it had a claw rummaging through it, and her face covered in small dragon nips.

“Oh… my god…”

“Lurch it’s not what it looks like!” Dust Devil said. “We were just umm…”

“Fighting!” squeaked Rainbow.

“Yeah, fighting, because we hate each other!” said the black and pink dragon.

“Right… You two hate each other as much as I hate sugar covered rubies.”

“Please Lurch,” begged the rainbow mane mare. “Can you please not tell anybody?”

The boulder dragon rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, but you two owe me something.”

“Like what?”

“Well…” smiled Lurch, dragging a claw on his shoulder, scraping off some of the leftover sugar. “I think I have an idea.”

*****

“Did you hear what Rainbow and Dust Devil did?” Spike asked Rarity. It had become much later in the evening, most of the guests had left and gone home, leaving only the cleaning crew and some stragglers left. The newlyweds were packing up the last of their bags in their bedroom, getting ready to leave for their honeymoon. “I heard that they broke into the kitchens pantry and ate almost fifty bags of sugar.”

“Really?” asked Rarity as she pressed down on her third suitcase, trying to get the latches to click in. “That sounds like something Lurch would do. What on earth were they doing in there?”

“Probably making out or something like that,” laughed Spike.

“Now Spike, let’s not go assuming things…” said Rarity. “Although that makes more sense than them eating that much sugar.”

“Exactly,” replied the dragon. “Hey, how many more bags do you need to pack?”

“Only two more dear…” grunted the white mare, trying to force down another suitcase lid. “Then we can leave.”

“Just think Rarity, in just a few hours we’ll be at the Harrion Hot Springs.”

Rarity moaned at the very mention of the resort’s name. “It’s going to be just heavenly. I can already feel the hot springs waters soaking into my aching muscles,” she sighed.

“And the food,” said Spike. “Don’t forget the five star restaurant and all-you-can-eat buffet.”

“And that cute little village right outside the resort. Remind me that we need to go shopping when we’re there.”

“Of course…” the dragon grinned. “Mrs. Dragon.”

Rarity stopped pressing down on her suitcase, turning around with a sly grin on her face. “Oh, so I’m Mrs. Dragon now?” she giggled, walking towards her dragon. “Maybe it’s you who are Mr. Rarity.”

“Do you even have a last name?”

“Don’t change the subject!”

“How about,” said Spike, “we don’t change anything. We’re just Mr. Dragon, and Mrs. Rarity.”

“That sounds wonderful” cooed Rarity, planting a quick kiss on the nose of Mr. Dragon. “Now, come help me pack. Our chariot won’t wait forever.”

“Of course… Mrs. Dragon.”

“Hey!” barked Rarity, her dragon falling to the ground laughing. “If we don’t get these bags packed, I won’t be able to show you my new lingerie I got for our first night.”

Spike shot up from the ground. “Here, let me help you with that…”

*****

The dragon snored quietly in the hotel bed, the resorts mattresses were almost as soft as the castle’s guest rooms beds. Still twenty times better than his old one that laid in the library’s basement. He rolled over, feeling for his wife’s soft fur, but she was next to him. “Rarity?” he yawned, as he slowly and reluctantly crawled out of bed.

“I’m in the restroom,” Rarity called.

“Oh, okay…” mumbled Spike, stretching as he finally lifted the last of the many covers off of him. He walked to the small table that resided in the corner of the room. It was piled with ‘Congratulation’ letters from all of their friends, as well with some other pieces of mail that struck his interest. He looked puzzled at a strange looking letter. ‘For Spike’s Eyes Only’ was written on the front and three wax stamps on the back, one red, one purple, and the other green. The dragon scrunched his face as he tried to open it, but the paper refused to rip, it must have had an enchantment on it to keep it from opening up. “Strange…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing dear,” said Spike, tossing the letter onto the rest of the pile. He picked one that wasn’t at all vague and mysterious. “Hey, we got a letter from Bitterbite and Glimmer!”

“Oh really?” said the mare from the bathroom. “How are they?”

“One second,” the purple drake said, as he easily tore open this letter. “I’ll read it out loud.”

“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Rarity (face it dude, you’re that forever now)

Hope you and the misses are doing well on your honeymoon. Everything here has been great. We just finished up moving to our new house here in Ponyville, I have to say that I wasn’t really thinking I would like living indoors were there is no earth to burrow into, but as it turns out that pony floorboards are really weak, so I still get to dig! Glimmer wasn’t too thrilled that we had to pay to replace, as she puts it, ‘the gigantic ass hole my idiot boyfriend dug in the middle of the living room.’ So what do I do? I get down on one knee and ask her if I could be her idiot husband, and now were getting married in the fall! That’s when the ground’s nice and soft and the clouds are big and puffy. It’s our favorite time of the year! I was hoping that you could be my best dragon, and Glimmer wants to know if Rarity would like to be her mare of honor? Anyways, I’m rambling and I need to try and cover up this new hole I dug in the bathroom, so write back soon!

Bitterbite.

PS. This is Glimmer, my idiot fiancé asked me to write something for you guys and I read his little ‘bathroom hole’ bit. I hope you two are having a great time, and Rarity, you better say yes! I already asked the yellow one, but she keeps running away every time I try to talk to her. Now excuse me, I need to kick the crap out of my fiancé for destroying the floor again.

Glimmer.”

“Wow…” snickered Spike as he finished the letter. “Did you hear that Rarity? Bitter and Glimmer are getting married.”

There was no sound coming from the bathroom.

“Rarity, are you alright?” asked the dragon.

Still no answer…

“Rarity!” gasped the dragon as he rushed to the door, giving it a few knocks. “Rarity, I’m coming in! Please be decent!” he called as he slowly opened the door.

Rarity was just standing there, facing the dragon. She didn’t seem hurt. “Spike…”

“Rarity, you’re okay,” said Spike, sighing with relief. “I thought something was wrong.”

Still the mare said nothing, she just turned to the counter of the bathroom, and a little box was sitting open on it. Spike gave Rarity a strange look before going to the box. He noticed that it was open.

“Spike…” said Rarity, as she levitated a small plastic stick into the dragon’s palm of the dragon.

He gently picked it from the magical levitation, and took a better look at it, and that’s when he noticed how it reeked of urine, and there was a newly formed little ‘+’ sign on the fat end.

“I’m pregnant.”

The Epilogue

It is not only what we accomplish that defines our success in life. It is also the people we love. So, like your success, guard the ones you love jealously. Keep them close, and remove all threats to them, whether by force or cunning.

~Bunsen

It was six in the morning when Spike woke up; it had been another sleepless night. He was far too afraid to close his eyes and let sleep take him. It would be another day or two before the exhaustion finally caught up to him and he would be forced to fall asleep, and to embrace his nightmares.

His eyes stung as he stared at the ceiling of the Carousel Boutique. He had been living with Rarity for almost seven years now. They had been the best years of his life, even if he didn’t sleep well for most of them.

The only remedy was to roll over to his side and stare at his lovely sleeping wife. Rarity had managed to cuddle up snug to him, her hooves wrapped around his chest. The soft vibration of her purrs would help lure the dragon into a snooze, where he could rest his eyes peacefully without fear of seeing him in his dreams.

But today was not a day he could afford to sleep. For him, it was that time of the month.

He would have to be careful to not wake Rarity. She deserved her beauty sleep, not that she needed it. She would always be beautiful to him, but he still didn’t want to wake her. Slowly, Spike lifted up one of her soft hooves from around his chest, freed himself from his lover’s clutches. Then he carefully slid off of Rarity’s princess size bed, easier than you think, as the mattress was so soft, it hardly caused any vibration when one of the two rolled in their sleep. It would mostly be Spike, considering his sleeplessness.

When the dragon was finally out of his bed, he gently gave his love a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered, knowing full well that Rarity was still fast asleep.

Spike carefully crept to the front of the bedroom door, opening it before slipping silently by it. He made sure to close the door gently behind him as he made his way down the hall.

“Daddy?”

Spike froze in his tracks as he slowly turned around. There stood one of his angels. Citrine, his second oldest stood outside her room.

Citrine, like all of Spike and Rarity’s children, was considered what Forge had aptly named a ‘Kirin’ or a sort of pony-dragon hybrid. She had dragon-like purple eyes and a pair of fangs, but besides that, this daughter took after her mother, having brilliant diamond like fur. Citrine’s coat was so brilliantly bleached; one could swear that she was see-through at times. She was of pony build rather than a dragon’s, four hooves and all, but at the tip of each of her hooves were three nubby little claws that she rather enjoyed painting a variety of colours. Her hair was also like Rarity’s, a deep purple mane and tail that fell down in long curls.

“Hey there princess,” smiled Spike, as he went to hug his daughter. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Are you going to see your friend again?” she asked, shooting her large purple eyes at her father.

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I don’t want you to go, daddy…” the white Kirin whimpered, as she hugged her father harder.

“Hey, I’m not going forever, just an hour,” said the dragon, reassuring his daughter. “Now go back to bed and I’ll be back for breakfast. You have to help mommy cook daddy’s eggs just the way he likes them.”

Citrine giggled a little as she nodded. “Extra ketchup, right?”

“You know it, Citrine.”

“Okay!” she said before quietly turning invisible, the door of her room slowly closing by itself.

“Try not to wake your brothers and sisters,” warned Spike as the little filly closed the door, the dragon relieved that only one of his kids had woken up at this ungodly hour. When Rarity gave birth to their six kids, each one was oddly gifted. The doctors only assumed that it had something to do with the mother being a unicorn. How else could Citrine, a hornless pony hybrid be able to turn completely invisible? Spike slowly walked down the stairs of the shop, being sure not to wake anyone else up.

“There’s never anything to eat in this house…” grumbled a voice downstairs.

“That’s because you eat all of it, lard head!” another voice responded.

Spike rolled his eyes, “Oh great…”he said as he walked down the stairs, quietly jumping the last few steps before peeking through the kitchen door. There he saw a scaly dark body raiding the fridge.

“Hey, there’s cake in here!”

“You idiot, we can’t have that!”

The black scaled whelp pulled his head out of the fridge. “If we only take a little, no one will notice, Onyx.”

“How stupid are you, Obsidian?” mumbled Onyx, as he too pulled his head out, his neck attached to the same body.

Onyx and Obsidian were the twins of the family. They were the middle...child? Children? Spike and Rarity could never figure it out. Out of all of their kids, Onyx and Obsidian were the most dragonish, almost fully Fire like their father, with the exception of their round pony eyes, Onyx’s a dark red, and Obsidian’s a bright blue. Their structure was bigger than a normal whelp’s, as they had two stomachs to feed, and were twice the size the size of their brothers and sisters. They had black scales, claws and feet like a normal dragon, and two necks that split at the shoulders. Forge had said that since dragons usually birth in litters of eggs, that two headed dragons were the equivalent of twins, and that they could tend to be quite a handful, always fighting the other head or control of the body, which they had to share in moving.

“One bite won’t hurt anyone,” grinned Obsidian, staring at his brother head.

“I guess…” muttered Onyx, as he reached with their arm into the freezer.

“You know…” said Spike, as he opened up the door, “if your mother and sister knew about this, I think that they would be pretty upset.”

“Oh crap…” muttered the dual headed drake in unison. “Hey dad.”

“Don’t ‘hey dad’ me. What are you too doing up so early? And in the fridge too.”

“We were—“ Onyx tried to say.

“Just Hungry—“ stuttered Obsidian.

“IT WAS HIS IDEA!” they both shouted, pointing at the other’s head. “WHAT?”

“It was your idea, butt head!” growled Onyx, butting his head into his brother’s.

“No, it was yours, barf breath!” scowled Obsidian, butting back again his other head.

“Will you both be quiet!” shushed Spike, shutting the twins up. “Now, you to are going to march up to your room and go to sleep for the next hour, and when I get back, we’ll get you some breakfast with everyone else. But until then,” he leaned in close to the boys. “Don’t. Touch. The. Cake.”

Both heads of the twin drake nodded as they quickly scurried past their father and rumbled upstairs.

Spike sighed, as he left the kitchen and headed out the door.

It was the middle of spring, but the air was still nippy outside, not that it bothered him too much. Ponyville was still asleep, shops and things would not open up for another couple of hours. He knew that the florist’s would be closed today, so he had to quickly steal a rose from one of the rose bushes outside of Rarity’s shop. He prayed that she wouldn’t find out.

Into town the dragon went, deserted as he expected, the sun was barely even up. How Celestia got up at this ungodly hour each day was beyond his understanding.

The walk to the edge of the Everfree was uneventful, but it usually was at such an early time. And on a weekend no less, when most sane ponies were sleeping in, but you can only sleep in if you can fall asleep on a regular basis.

Spike took his first step into the forest. It was not his first time he made this trip, and it would not be the last either as he walked the weathered path to his destination.

Again, an uneventful walk, but it was better this way. Only a few knew what he did in the woods of the Everfree, and even fewer understood why.

“Hey there…” he finally said as he reached his destination. It was an old tree, probably a couple thousand years old. Its trunk pierced through the skies, like most of the older trees did, and the bark was old and bitter.

But the tree was only a landmark that the dragon used to find this place every months, as at the base of the tree lied the true purpose of his little trips here, and what he had told his children as ‘visiting an old friend.’

The dragon placed the rose on the grave of Dark Conquest.

“Got you a rose this time…” sighed Spike as he stared at the rock that he had scratched his unholy name into. “I never knew your favourite flower, so I guess a rose this time. To be honest I sort of was rushed this morning…”

The gave stood still, as it had been since the day he had placed it there years ago.

“How long has it been?” asked the dragon. “Six years? Six years since I haven’t heard your infernal laughter? Six years since I have had to see that damn smile? Six years since you’ve been dead?” He grinned a little. “Almost don’t believe it myself, but there has been no sign of you, no egotistical warning or gloating, no strange deaths. It’s like you really are gone.”

The cold grave stood still.

“Then why do you still torture me?” said the drake. “How come I built you a grave, even though you don’t deserve it, or visit you, even though you’re not my friend?”

The tomb did not answer.

“Am I still afraid of you?” he asked. “Do I do this every month to show that there is someone who cared for you because that was the only way to stop you? Have you corrupted my mind, so that I am paranoid of your return?” Spike took a deep breath. “It’s funny, you’re probably laughing your ass off right about now. You find this hilarious that I put a flower on your grave…”

He looked at the motionless grave.

“All the bad that you did in this world… I don’t blame you anymore. I’ve learned to rise above what others think, and this is what I think…”

He took a knee down, staring at the tomb.

“I don’t think I do this out of pity, or hate,” Spike said. “I do this because I am a protector. I have a wife and kids now, and if I have to spend the rest of my life coming back here then so be it.” He got up. “I am sorry for what happened to you Conquest, and may your next life have peace in it. Now, I have to cut are talk a little short this month, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me. I did it for you after all.”

He looked at the tree again, such a wonderful thing that survived all this time. Through disasters and flames, it still stood there. He looked at the grave again, the large rock that had Conquest’s name on it was next to a much smaller one, one that had been weathered with time.

RIP MR SQUIRREL.

“Just remember that I buried you next to your friend, and that I hope you found him up there, or down there… I don’t know,” he started to turn around. “I’ll see you next month.”

Spike left the graves, the newly planted rose laid on top of last month’s flower, which had started to decay by then.

He easily navigated through the forest, and headed back into town. It was still fairly quiet, and there was no pony in sight.

“Happy thoughts Spike,” yawned Spike as he approached the Boutique. “Happy thoughts…”

He reached for the door but he was soon tackled by a red blur of red.

“Yay! Daddy’s home!” said the bouncing, happy, red Kirin on top of Spike’s chest.

“Morning Ruby,” groaned the dragon. Ruby was his youngest daughter, and by far the most energetic. Like her name suggested, this child had a bright red coat, but she also had some dragon scales aligned with her facial features, mostly along the nose and around her eyes. Her tail was a dragon tail, long and lizard-like, covered with her red coat, and her mane was a messy untamed mess of dark crimson hair, sticking out at all ends and frayed, almost resembling a wildfire.

“Hey dad, you want to play fireball?” Ruby asked as she burst into flames.

Ruby couldn’t breathe fire like Onyx or Obsidian could. Instead, she could become fire, running and bouncing along as she torched everything that she touched, which earned her the nickname of “The Trotting Apocalypse’.

“Maybe later, my little walking fire hazard,” smiled Spike as he picked his flaming child up. “So cool it down until after breakfast, then we’ll play.”

“Promise?” asked the red Kirin, returning to her normal self.

“Promise. Hey, is everyone else up?”

“Yeppers!” giggled Ruby as she wiggled out of Spike’s claws and ran into the house. “Mommy, dad’s home!” she yelled, disappearing into the store.

Spike walked into the house, and heading into the kitchen, “Hey everyone, I’m back.”

“Hi Dad!” waved his son Topaz, sitting at the table. Out of all of Spike and Rarity’s kids, Topaz was almost completely unicorn, with the exception of his orange dragon eyes that were covered by his thick glasses and his fangs, which all of their kids possessed. Aside from that, Topaz looked like your run of the mill unicorn: yellow coat and short blonde mane and tail.

“Morning Topaz, what do you got there?”

“Oh this?” asked the yellow unicorn, gesturing to the book in his hooves. “A new book I got yesterday from auntie Twilight! An advance copy of the Princesses spell handbook, with all the best spells ever used by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!”

“Sounds like we have a mage in the family,” laughed Spike, ruffling up his son’s mane as he took a seat down next to him. “Just remember to take your nose out of the book every now and again, okay?”

“Okay dad,” said Topaz, diving right back into the book.

“Good talk…” said Spike, getting up from the table. “Is everyone up yet?”

“I think that Jade is still asleep,” mumbled the yellow unicorn, not really paying attention. “She’s always asleep.”

“Only one in this family apparently,” muttered the drake as he headed back up stairs. As he walked up, he saw the aged Opal sliding walking down the steps, meowing at Spike.

“Morning to you too, flea bag.”

“KITTY!!” screamed Ruby from the top of the stairs. The energetic Kirin started galloping towards the terrified cat, who ran away as fast as its little legs would take it. The red filly was too fast, she captured the moody feline before it could make the cat door. “I love you, mister kitty!”

Opal looked desperately at the dragon, meowing as the air was being squeezed out of her by the iron grip of the red filly.

“You two have fun,” snickered Spike as he ascended the stairs. Jade’s room was the first door to the right, easy to find considering the poison coloured skull poster that she had stuck to it. “Jade, you awake in there?” he asked, knocking the door.

No answer.

“I’m coming in,” he said, slowly opening up the door to his daughter’s room.

He almost vomited from the stench that dwindled of Jade’s room. There were dirty clothes everywhere, along with stacks of dirty dishes and moldy apple cores. In the far side of the room was a small little bed, a mess of dirty blankets and pillows were piled up against the wall as a sleeping green filly laid on top.

Jade, the middle child was an odd one. She had a dark green coat and a jet black mane and tail. She was mostly pony, she even had a unicorn’s horn, but she also had a pair of scaly green dragon wings that had developed at an early age. Dotted among her coat were small stray scales, they were mostly hidden under her fur, but when the sun hit her just right, she would sparkle like a prized gem, and looked absolutely beautiful.

“Come on Jade, it’s time to get up,” said Spike as he walked to the window of the bedroom, stepping over one of his daughters ‘Pontallica’ shirts.

“Five more minutes…” the sleepy filly droned, curling up deeper into the large ball of blankets and pillows, almost like how dragons curled up on piles of treasure, but more smelly.

“No Jade, now,” said her father, picking up the green Kirin off the bed. “I swear, you sleep almost as much as I use to.”

“And did Aunt Twilight wake you up as well?” she grumbled as she rolled up in Spike’s arm, trying to fall asleep.

“All the time,” chuckled the purple drake, placing Jade on the floor. “She’d wake me up earlier than this and send me to work.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, suddenly daddy’s not so bad,” smirked Spike, “C’mon, let’s go down and eat.”

“Just a second…” the green filly said as she started looking around the floor of dirty clothes. “I need to find a shirt.”

“On the floor?” asked Spike, “Honey, that’s why we have dressers and closets.”

“But all my toys are in my dresser…” muttered Jade.

Spike rolled his eyes as he walked to the closet. “Well there has to be something in here that you can wear.”

“DON’T OPEN THAT!” shouted the Kirin, as she quickly dashed in front of the closet, holding it closed behind her. “It’s um… messy in there!”

The dragon raised an eyebrow. “Really, messier than the rest of the room?”

“Yes.”

“Jade, what are you hiding?”

The little filly sighed in defeat. “Please don’t tell mom, she’d have a cow if she saw him.”

“Him?” asked Spike, as he gently brushed his daughter aside, and opened the closet.

HISSSSSSSSSSS!!!

“What the hell?!” gasped Spike as a dark brown bat flew out of the closet, swooping over his head, as it started to circle around the room.

“So…” pondered Jade, shooting her best innocent smile, “Can I keep him?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Aww!” whined the Kirin. “Why not?”

“Well, like you said, your mother would have a heart attack if she saw this.”

“Mom hates everything cool,” grumbled the annoyed child. “But what if I promise to take REALLY good care of him?”

“The answer is still no, young lady.”

“But we have a stupid cat!” argued Jade. “Why can’t I have a bat?”

“First of all, that’s your mother’s stupid cat,” droned Spike, “and as much as you and I hate it, you mother and sisters love it. So we keep it until Ruby inevitably strangles it.”

Jade couldn’t help but laugh at her father’s joke.

“Second,” smiled the drake, as he looked to the window. “If… what have you called it, again?”

Jade gave an evil smile. “Killer, Lust for Blood!” she cackled evilly.

“Okay… Well if… ‘Killer’ were to live in that tree next to your room, it would officially not be a pet of this household,” he walked to the window and opened it. “But unofficially, it’d be like having a pet.”

“Really?!” gaped the happy pony, running up to hug her dad. “You’re the best!”

“Just don’t let your mother find out, or he’s gone,” sighed Spike. He was such a pushover.

“I won’t, promise!” smiled Jade, as she quickly picked up her ‘Pontallica’ shirt from off the ground and quickly threw it over her head.

“I’d suppose we should head downstairs?”

“Yeah! I’m starving!” said the green Kirin. “Race you daddy!” she said, opening up both wings and fluttering out of the room.

Spike slowly followed her walking down the stairs. Topaz was now reading a different book on the couch, from the looks of it. The title was ‘Magic 101, A Beginner’s Guide for Simple Unicorn Spells’. “Kid really likes his books. Wonder who he reminds me of?” he asked himself jokingly, heading into the kitchen. When he walked in, he saw two white mares standing by the stove, cooking what looked like eggs.

“There you are,” smiled Rarity as she quickly gave her husband a kiss on his cheeks. “I missed you this morning.”

“Daddy went to see his friend again!” said Citrine, who was standing on a stool next to her mother. His little daughter was focusing on the frying pan, her tongue sticking out as she scrambled the eggs with her hooves, the claws sticking out from thing allowed her to get a good grip on the wooden spoon she was using to do the scrambling.

“I know dear,” sighed the unicorn, as she levitated a plate next to the pan, and dumped the eggs on it. “I just never know why.”

“You know why,” said the drake.

“Yes, but I don’t know why you keep visiting him.”

“Can we meet your friend someday?” asked Citrine as she hopped off her stool and trotted to the fridge.

“Maybe when you’re older,” said Spike, knowing full well that he would never expose his kids to the evil that was Conquest, even if it was just his tomb. He would hopefully be able to take that story to his grave.

“That’s grown up talk for never…” sighed the white filly disappointingly as she grabbed the bottle of ketchup from the fridge. “Ketchup?”

“You know it princess,” smiled Spike, his daughter happily drowning his breakfast with half the bottle of ketchup. “That’s good enough, thank you Citrine.”

“You’re welcome daddy!” pepped the Kirin happily. “I’m going to go play!” she said, rushing out of the kitchen.

Rarity waved as the white filly left the room, before sitting down next to Spike. “Ugh, finally,” she sighed. “They’ve been up all morning. I just got all of the little monsters fed.”

“What about Jade?”

“She grabbed some toast and went flying out the window,” muttered Rarity. “I love her, but she’s an odd one.”

“Just because Jade is a little different doesn’t make her any less special.”

“I just wish she wouldn’t insist on always wearing those horrid shirts,” said the unicorn, taking a sip of some tea that she levitated towards her. “Hmm…” she thought, before taking a deep breath, and whistling out a small blue trail of fire at the bottom of the cup. “There we go,” she smiled as she took another sip from the now steaming tea. “It covers up her scales. She’s so pretty when she’s not hiding under those rags.”

“I think that’s the point,” said Spike. “She doesn’t like being sparkly.”

“There is nothing wrong with being beautiful,” said the white mare.

“But there is nothing wrong with having your own fashion, honey,” smiled Spike, taking his first bite from the eggs. “These are good,” he said as he chewed. “I think somepony has a gift in cooking.”

“Or at least eggs with an obscene amount of ketchup,” grinned Rarity.

“Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned up one day with an egg or something as a cutie mark,” said the dragon, scraping up the last of the eggs into his mouth. “Seriously, these eggs are fantastic.”

“Maybe one day,” said Rarity. “I just feel bad for Onyx and Obsidian. Their siblings will all get cutie marks, but not them.”

“I think that they’ll be too busy fighting one another to notice,” laughed the dragon, getting up from the table and placing it in the sink. “And I was never upset that I never got my butt tattoo.”

“I think that you would look very cute with one,” chimed Rarity.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Yes, cause cute would be what I’d be going for.”

“Cutie marks are to reflect you special talent,” smiled the white mare, also getting up and placed her cup in the sink. “But just because you don’t have one, doesn’t make you any less special.”

“I know, and I know that Onyx and Obsidian will find their own thing that makes them special,” she said. “And find somepony special.”

“Oh really?” asked Spike, “Are you hiding something from me?”

Rarity blushed… “Well...don’t tell anypony that I know this, but I think our little dragons have a crush.”

“Aren’t we a gossip? Spill.”

“You’re not going to believe this,” she whispered, leaning into the dragon’s ear. “But with Applejack!”

“What?” laughed Spike, doing a double take. “How do you know?”

“I found a picture of her stuffed under their pillow, along with a bunch of others with all of us but there are hearts drawn around her, isn’t it adorable?”

“Like father like son,” grinned the dragon. “Always going for the sexy mares, just like his dad.”

Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

“I’LL GET IT!!!!” screamed Ruby from the other room, the sounds of running hoof steps could be heard as she approached the door.

“Expecting company?” asked Rarity.

“No…” wondered Spike as he got up and headed to the living room, his wife following closely behind. When they got there, they saw two Inferna dragons standing outside. One was quite large, definitely larger than Spike by at least two feet, but was still short enough to be considered ‘Greedless’ as Spike learned that was the used term for a dragon that passed The Greed. He had wide broad shoulders and large bulging muscles everywhere. His scales were a darker red, with bright yellow spines and blue eyes. He looked gruff and serious, and very intimidating.

Other one was a defiantly female, and she was about half the size of the other dragon, probably half a nose shorter than Spike. She had a slim slender build, narrow shoulder with only a slight curve outward at her chest. The dragoness was dark green, with bright red spines that were styled to look like a pixie haircut. She smiled at Spike and Rarity, looking at them with her own blue eyes.

“Hello there…” said Spike, looking at the strange dragons. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, Ponyville’s number for all things fabulous. Can we help you with anything today?”

The large red drake leaned into the ear of the smaller green one. “Are you sure this is the right place?” his voice was low and gravely.

“I’m positive,” whispered the dragoness. “Trust me, I’m just as confused as to why he’s living in a giant cake.”

“Umm,” wondered Spike, scratching his head. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”

“No,” shook the green dragon. “Let’s get that out of the way. I’m Mythril, and this is my brother Argo.”

“Sup.”

“Hey,” said the purple drake. “So is there anything me or Rarity can help you with?”

“Yeah,” said Argo. “We need to talk you. Alone.”

Spike turned his head to Rarity, who nodded. “Ruby dear, let’s go upstairs. Your father needs to be alone for a minute.”

“Okay!” smiled the bouncing red filly, hopping up the stairs. “We’ll play fireball later, okay?”

“Sure thing sweetie,” smiled Spike as he watched his daughter and wife disappear up the stair before turning around to face the dragons. “Okay, we’re alone… What do you two want?”

“Just to chat for a bit Spike,” smiled Mythril. “Nice kid, how many do you have?”

“Five, six if you do a head count rather than a body count,” answered the purple drake.

“Twins eh?” said Mythril. “Watch out for them, they could be trouble. Anyways, we didn’t come here to talk about your family, Spike.”

The dragon in question blinked. “How do you know my name?”

“Not important,” said Argo.

“I think it is,” growled Spike.

“Pity.”

“Easy Argo,” said the green dragon in a calming voice. “We’re here peacefully, let’s all just take a second to be calm.”

“I am calm.”

“Yeah,” said Spike, glaring at Argo. “Me too.”

“Fantastic,” said Mythril, “This is good.”

“Look, unless you are going to actually tell me what you came here to tell me, I’m going to ask you to leave,” said Spike.

“Fair enough,” nodded Argo. “We need you to come with us.”

“Why?”

“It’s important.”

“So important that you can’t tell me?” asked Spike.

“No, but we are not obligated to tell you.”

“Then I’m not going,” said Spike.

“Look, Spike we aren’t even going to leave town. We just moved in and we have someone who wants to see you,” Mythril tried to explain.

“Then why didn’t he come himself?”

“He’s…” mumbled the dragoness. “Sort of stuck… Kind of why we need your help.”

“Is that all?” asked the purple drake.

“Yes.”

Spike tool a deep sigh, “Fine, I’ll come, but if this turns out to be a trick, you’re both going to regret it.”

“Trust me,” smiled Mythril, “we wouldn’t dream of it.”

*****

“So this is it?” asked Spike as they approached a rather large cottage in the middle of town. By now, Ponyville had sprung to life, and everypony was out enjoying the day, there was even a handful of new dragon citizens, flying around, shopping, selling. It had been a very smooth transition into the Equestrian lifestyle, even if a few ponies were a little freaked out.

“This is our home,” said Argo as he opened the door and the three of them walked inside.

It was rather dark and gloomy on the inside, not very well kept with plenty of broken and gnawed furniture, and there was a thick layer of dust everywhere.

“Rarity would freak out if she saw this,” muttered Spike.

“What? We just moved in…” smiled Mythril, “We still need to decorate. Now follow me, he’s in the kitchen.”

They walked into the kitchen area. It, like the rest of the house, was in terrible condition, not that anyone seemed to care. But sitting in the middle of the kitchen was a huge blue dragon with purple spines.

“Hello Spike,” the massive dragon as Spike and the others walked in. He was big, most definitely a couple hundred years old. His large head almost touched the ceiling, even though he was scrunched up in a crouching position. How he got in here, Spike hadn’t a clue. “I’m so glad that we can finally meet.”

“Nice to meet you too…”

“Backlash,” said the blue dragon. “My name is Backlash.”

“Nice to meet you Backlash,” said Spike. “Mythril and Argo weren’t kidding when they said that you were stuck.”

“Is that what my kids said to get you here?” chuckled Backlash. “I would have hoped that their mothers had raised them better than to lie.”

“Oh, so you’re not stuck?”

“Not at all!” laughed the blue dragon, his body suddenly starting to shrink, until he was no taller than Argo.

“How did you--?” gasped the baffled Spike, not believing what he had just witnessed.

“A trick you’ll learn when your body grows again,” said Backlash, dusting himself off. “I keep forgetting that your knowledge on our culture is limited, what with being raised by ponies and all.”

“How do you know that? Who are you?!” demanded Spike.

“You look so much like her, Spike,” said the blue drake. “You have her scales and her eyes…”

“What do you know about my mother?”

“I know that she was caring, protective, a bit rash at times and perhaps even hostile towards others, but those are good traits to have in a mother,” he sighed. “I was shocked to find out that she was killed, but surprised to find out one of her eggs had survived, and been moved to Equestria.”

“You knew that?”

“Of course I did, and you must know that I spent years looking for you, trying to find you Spike, and now I finally have.”

“Why?” asked Spike, his heart racing.

“Why?” smiled Backlash, as he placed a claw on Spike’s shoulder. “I just did what any loving father would do to find his son.”

“Father?”

THE END

The Foal

First a quick word from me, the author: This is not my story. I did not come up with the idea for it. Rather, I was given the chance to continue on what I thought was a great idea for a story. Credit for creating the storyline goes to spikethed, for he was the orginal creator. Credit goes to me (Yay) for actually writing the story. spikethed was unable to continue it, so I decided to pick up where he left off, because to me nothing is as sad as watching such a potential story die. So lets review: I am writing the story, but the oringinal idea for it is not mine. So without any further pointless rambling, please read, rate and comment on For the Ones we Love.....

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Don't feel like reading it? Check out the First chapter read for you by the amazing Phantom Brony

B.C. (Before Celestia)

In the forest....... in a land nopony knew,

A shack shrieked in the woods, hidden from view.

The scream could be heard throughout the forest as two young stallions paced outside the hidden shelter. A tall, brown earth pony paced left and his blue Pegasus companion paced right.

“How long have they been in there?” the pegasus asked, turning to his friend.

“Can’t be much longer now,” said the earth pony, trying to reassure compatriot. He knew how nervous his friend could get sometimes, and this was no exception.

Another scream echoed through the night and the two ponies quickly rushing to the small window, peeking through the filthy glass.

Inside were two white mares, one a pegasus and the other an earth pony. They were both dressed in blood stained aprons and they quickly rushed around the room, warming up water and grabbing clean towels. The pegasus lifted up a large bucket of steamy water as the earth pony tossed in rags to soak. The pegasus outside the window grew worried.

“Do you think that she’ll be okay? That’s a lot of blankets.”

“Night Sky, please,” his friend told him. “You have to let the nurses do what they can.”

A third scream came from the shack; one of pain and agony, as if a pony was being tortured.

Night Sky slammed his hoof against the wall of the shack, the thud of hoof on wood unable to shroud the cries of pain coming from inside. “She’s in there having my child, Quickdraw!” he turned angrily to the shocked earth pony. “So forgive me if I’m a little on edge!”

Night Sky looked back through the window, a young mare of unicorn descent lay exhausted from the bed. She was a deep purple with an identically colored mane, which was messy and frayed, her body drenched in sweat. She was breathing heavily as the two mares fussed around her, wiping her body down with the soaked rag and helping her get comfortable. She looked out the window to see the blue pony’s face staring back at her. She smiled weakly at him, right before her face grew ill and she let out another banshee-like scream.

“She’s in there, giving birth to my first child, and I’m out here doing nothing!” The pegasus flew up in the air. “It makes me want to…” he began, then cut himself off as he hurtled rapidly back towards the ground, landing with a thunderous stomp.

“Night Sky, please,” the earth pony said, putting a friendly hoof over his friend’s shoulder. “My wife and your sister will take good care of her.” Quickdraw smiled. “She’ll be fine, I promise,” he said, trying his best to calm his friend down.

Slowly, Night Sky’s disgruntled face melted away. He sighed heavily. “You’re right Quickdraw,” he smiled back at his friend. “You’re always right.”

Another scream came from within the shack, setting Night Sky back into a state of anxiety.

His smiled quickly faded. “You know, you didn’t have to help us. Most ponies would have just spit on us or shunned us for our actions.”

“These are dark times we live in, friend,” said Quickdraw, his voice growing quiet and angry. “Why are some ponies so foolish? Aren’t we all just ponies where it matters? Four hooves, bushy tails? Why does it matter if somepony can cast magic or if another can fly?” He started to tear up. He always got emotional when he thought of the stupid racial laws that haunted the three pony tribes. “Why can’t we just live in peace and harmony?” He turned to Night Sky. “Is that so much for a pony to ask?”

“Never, my friend,” he said, cringing as another scream was emitted from the shack. “But I worry for my wife.” He looked to the shack. “She can’t live with me in the clouds, and we have no home that is earth bound….” His voice trailed off. “We need to find a home soon, lest we be food for timber wolves.”

A howl echoed through the forest, a cold shiver crawling up both of their spines as the thought of those evil wooded demons entered their minds.

Quickdraw shook his head. “I won’t have that!” he said. “You and your wife are more than welcome to live with us!” He looked at the shack. “My home is small now, but we could make it bigger, and we would never let another pony find out about your marriage.”

Night Sky wasn’t quite sure. “No pony would find out about us?” he asked.

“Never,” reassured Quickdraw. “We live miles away from anypony. You’d be completely safe.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“You will stay with us,” Quickdraw said rather seriously. “It’s not up for debate.”

Night Sky knew that this pony was famous for his stubbornness. “Very well, but I insist I work to pay you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my friend.” Quickdraw lifted up a hoof. Night Sky immediately tapped it, sealing their agreement. His voice lightened back up. “I already have a list a mile long for you to do after this.”

Suddenly the door of the shack creaked open, the white earth pony stood in the doorframe. Her front hooves were covered in blood and other nasty fluids, her yellow mane glued to her face with sweat. She was wiping her hair out of her eyes as she smiled at the blue pegasus.

“Would you like to meet your son?” she asked.

Night Sky didn’t respond. He immediately pushed her aside as he passed into the small shack. “Solar Rise.” He looked at the mare lying in the bed, a rolled up bundle of rags in her hooves.

The purple unicorn slowly shifted the roll of rags, revealing a small face of a foal. The foal’s coat was a cloud white with a deep red mane and gentle yellow eyes that glowed like the sun. Hidden under his messy red mane stuck out a little white horn. Night Sky couldn’t have been happier.

“It’s a boy!” said Night Sky proudly. “And a unicorn, just like his mother.”

“Actually…” Solar Rise smiled as she slowly began to un-wrap the little foal. Slowly, she slid the blanket down the sides of the little colt, revealing two little feathery buds on his back.

“He’s… He’s a pegasus too?” Night Sky wondered. “How is that even possible?”

Quickdraw entered the room. “Is everything okay in here?” he asked.

“Quickdraw! My friend!” Night Sky said excitedly. “You won’t believe what has happened. My son has-“

“Both a unicorn’s horn and pegasus wings” he finished. “My wife told me everything.”

The white earth pony walked to Quickdraw’s side. “It’s just incredible; I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Solar Rise wrapped up her newborn foal. “It does not matter what he is,” she said sweetly. “He’s perfect in every way imaginable.”

“Yes he is,” said Night Sky, looking at his recent addition to the world. “Absolutely perfect.”

Quickdraw let out a yawn. “It must be getting late.” He looked towards his wife. “Shall we leave these two alone? I’m sure that they would appreciate some alone time.” His wife nodded as she and Quickdraw walked into the other room, leaving Night Sky and Solar Rise alone.

Solar Rise shuffled sideways in the bed to make room for Night Sky, who climbed in next to her. The two of them laid in the silence, admiring their newborn child, gently humming him lullabies, and slowly rocking him to sleep. After what seemed like hours, Solar Rise slowly drifted off to sleep. Night Sky carefully took the foal from his wife so she could rest. After all, it had been an exhausting day.

Night Sky laid next to his wife, staring at his sleeping son. What was he? Never in history had a pony been born with both the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn. He wondered how he would fit into society. Would he be loved by all, a symbol to show that we are all ponies, regardless of what you look like? Or would he be hated, considered a freak of nature? Hated by unicorns for his wings, by pegasus for his horn, and earth ponies by both.

He looked at the child. It was a shame that something so beautiful would be forced to live in a world that lacked love and tolerance.

Night Sky felt his eyes beginning to grow heavy, as he stretched out his wings and wrapped them around Solar Rise, placing the baby foal between them. With a final yawn, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

*****

Sleep was short lived. There was a loud knock.

Night Sky shot up from the bed, his ears turning to the door. “Solar” he whispered. “Did you hear that?”

Solar Rise ignored her husband, turning away from him in her sleepy state. “It’s probably just the wind,” she mumbled. “Go back to sleep.”

There was another knock, Solar Rise heard it that time. Her eyes widened and dilated. She grabbed her baby son, who was still sound asleep, and pressed him protectively towards her chest. “Do you think…” She looked at her husband with fear. “Do you think they found us?”

Night Sky tried not to panic, but his worries were written all over his face. He slowly got out of bed and approached the door. He was stopped by Quickdraw.

“Are you crazy?” he whispered urgently. Quickdraw had quietly entered the room, giving Night Sky a motion to move away from the door. Night obeyed as Quickdraw slowly creaked the door open a little. “Hello?” he said tiredly. “Who is it?”

The earth pony was engulfed in a yellow aura, which lifted him in the air as he panicked, trying desperately to reunite with the ground. Night Sky and Solar Rise watched in horror as Quickdraw flailed helplessly in the air. The door started to glow yellow as it magically opened.

A dark figure moved into the shack, a playful jingle ringing every time he took a step. He wore a tall pointed hat and a long slender cape. Both were a dark blue and were rimmed with many golden bells. Under his hat stuck out a long and pointy horn, and an even longer silver beard. The stranger lifted up his head, showing his aged yellow eyes and a wrinkly smile. “Easy, my friends. I come in peace.”

Solar Rise instantly knew who this mysterious unicorn was. “Starswirl the Bearded!” she exclaimed loudly.

The elderly unicorn gave a little chuckle. “Yes my child, it is I.” His voice was old and frail, yet held wisdom with each word. “I am looking for the ones called Night Sky and Solar Rise.”

Slowly, all focus came to the two ponies by the bed. Starswirl’s horn began to glow as his hat and cape were levitated off his body, folded up neatly, and placed carefully on the ground.

“I see,” he said, slowly approaching the purple unicorn. “Is that the child?” She nodded quickly. He walked up right next to her, looking at the sleeping little foal. “The child…he was born with both a horn and wings, correct?”

Night Sky was shocked. “How… How did you know?” he asked.

The old unicorn’s smile began to drop. “Because it is the reason I’m here,” he said. “Your son is the first of three alicorns to be born this night.”

Quickdraw turned his head slightly. “An ali-what?”

“Alicorn,” Starswirl began, “are a special breed of pony. They possess the magic and intellect of unicorns, the speed and flight of a pegasus, and the strength and stamina of the earth ponies.” He looked back at the foal. “This child, along with the other two, will be rulers of the new world.”

The news hit the couple like a hurricane. “Ruler? Our child? But how?” they both stammered.

“Wait you said three,” pointed out Quickdraw. “They only have the one.”

“The others have yet to be born yet, earth-clan,” stated Starswirl.

Solar Rise let out a forceful cough. “Not to interrupt, but what’s this about my son being ruler of the new world?”

“Ah yes,” the wizard said, giving a small chuckle. “My mind wanders with age. Your son, along with two others of female sex shall rule a world where ponies are united in peace and harmony.”

Quickdraw eyes grew with delight. “All ponies untied! That’s wonderful!” He looked toward his friends. “Your son will rule a world of untied ponies.”

“Yes,” said Starswirl, his voice growing darker, “but at a terrible cost.”

“What?” asked the three ponies in unison.

Starswirl sighed. “They will unite the races…but one of them will suffer a great loss, and will succumb to darkness, threatening the peace of this future rule.”

There was a deafening silence in the room. The two new parents looked at their child. Could they be looking down at the future destroyer of the world? Surely it had to be one of the others. Night Sky broke the silence.

“Do… Do you know which one?” he asked, hoping he wouldn’t say it would be theirs.

The old pony shook his head. “I do not know which one will bring the end. I only know that it is necessary for all three to live. For you see, without these foals, we have no hope in ever bringing peace to this land.”

Solar Rise started to tear up. “My son could destroy the world!” she cried. “He’s going to destroy the world!”

Night Sky tried to calm her down. “Solar, please calm down!” He grabbed her by the shoulder. “We don’t know that! Right Starswirl?” He looked optimistically at the wizard.

Surprisingly, the aged pony smiled. “Actually, yes, there is hope.”

“There is?” asked Quickdraw.

“Yes…in my vision, I saw a champion rise from the downtrodden, a dragon will be our savior and vanquish the evil that th-”

“A DRAGON?!” the three yelled in unison.

“Whoa there wizard,” said Quickdraw. “A dragon will be our savior? Dragons are just a bunch of greedy monsters.”

“I agree,” mumbled Night Sky. “The only reason we haven’t gone to war with them is because of that stupid peace treaty.”

The wizard pony sighed. “Yes, I am aware of the treaty we have with the dragons, but is it real-“

“And, are you aware that they take our colts to be slaves and our mares to be whores?” screamed Quickdraw angrily.

“Yes I am awar-“

“And that they sometimes have a pony wed a dragon! The very idea is just revolting!” The brown pony spat on the floor. “Were you aware of that, old wizard!? Were you!?”

“SILENCE,” Starswirl bellowed, his voice hollow with anger. “I know what the treaty is. I was there, after all.” He looked down to the ground, remembering that fateful day. “But it is unimportant what it is now. Rather, what it is to be.” He looked to Quickdraw. “Why so much anger toward dragons?”

“What’s to not hate?” he asked. “They’re greedy, vile, violent, disgusting overgrown lizards!”

Starswirl stared deeply into the pony’s eyes. “Regardless, it has been seen, and so it will be.” He turned towards Night Sky and Solar Rise. “This evil, which may or may not be your son, will not happen for thousands of years.”

“Thousands?” asked Solar Rise. “But surely he won’t live that long. Nopony can.”

“Exactly,” stated the wizard. “Which is another reason I’m here.” He looked at the foal, still sleeping in Solar Rise’s hooves. “I am going to make your son immortal.”

Those last two words shot through Night Sky like an arrow. “W-what?”

“I will make each of the alicorns immortal, to ensure they will live to see peace.”

Quickdraw shook his head. “But you said that one of these foals would threaten the peace! Why allow them to live that long? You’re only dooming the future!”

“It is an unfortunate, but necessary sacrifice,” the wizard sighed. He looked into the eyes of each pony. They may not have liked the idea, but deep in their hearts they knew it was the only way to achieve peace among the ponies. Slowly, Night Sky nodded his head in approval, as Starswirl approached his child.

Starswirls’s magnificently long horn began to glow with a strong yellow aura, his eyes completely void of color. He started to mutter a strange chant, old and ancient words that were far beyond comprehension of the other ponies. Slowly, the little foal began to glow with yellow energy.

There was a binding flash of light, then abruptly, nothing.

“It is done,” said an exhausted Starswirl. “He will live to see, or to become, a great evil. I do not know when, but when he is or is faced with it, a dragon of peaceful nature will rise to defend our lands, to be our champion.”

Quickdraw looked to his hooves. “So that’s it then?” he asked.

“Yes,” said the wizard. “Our part in this play is nearly complete.” He turned towards the door of the shack. “I must go now. I have so much to do…and little time to do it.”

“Wait!” shouted Night Sky. “Is there nothing else we can do?”

Starswirl smiled, bringing with them a sense of warmth. “You’d be surprised in where one can find power,” he said. “One can find it in the smallest and strangest of places. Like in friendship.”

“What?” asked a confused Solar Rise.

Starswirl placed his hat back on his head and re-equipped his cape. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have seen a vision of my future student and I must prepare for her. After all, 45 years to prepare is not that much.” He looked back at the three ponies. “Goodbye ponies, and remember to always love and tolerate,” he said before disappearing in a flash of yellow energy.

Quickdraw walked up to his friend. “What do you think he meant by that?” he asked.

Nightsky just lifted his shoulders with no real answer. “Friendship is magic?”

“I don’t know what he meant,” said Solar rise softly. “All I know is that our son will be a bringer of peace among the ponies. If he is the bringer of doom, then I hope this dragon will help our child find that peace again.”

The three ponies all leaned in close to the foal, wondering if it could be him that would try to bring the end of the world, and who would this dragon be?

This dragon that would be the only hope in stopping the evil that is to come.

The Training

We’re shaped by are past, a pony once said
Forced to relive it, so we never forget

Spike blinked his eyes, and the skeletons were gone, vanished in thin air.

He rubbed his eyes. Did he see what he saw? Or hear what he heard? He feared that maybe Conquest was getting to him, that the dark pony was driving the dragon mad.

The door slowly opened up.

“Spike?” a friendly voiced asked. “It’s Duster, are you awake?”

The dragon yawned, stretching his arms out. “Yeah, I’m up.”

Duster walked in the room. He wasn’t in his guard armour, and his light brown fur and his bizarre pink mane surprised Spike.

Duster noticed Spike staring at him. “Oh my mane, I lost a bet a while ago, long story, not important. You seem tired? You sleep okay?”

Spike shook his head, he did feel rather groggy.

Duster chuckled. “Well, you better get it together,” he said. “After all, once we get you fixed up in medical, it’s straight to basic training.”

“Great,” muttered the dragon. “I guess we should head out.”

“Eager, are we?” joked the guard, as the two headed out of the room. “Just wait till you see who’s running the training exercises today.”

*****

The day before

Applejack groaned as her eyelids slowly peeled open. The world was shifting around her as she tried to get up. She slammed her head against the bottom of the table and fell back to the floor.

“Ow!” she moaned, rubbing her hoof through her sandy yellow mane. She felt that something was missing. Her hat was gone. She anxiously looked around the floor to see that it was lying next to a couple of rotting apple cores. The cowpony slowly crawled to her favourite hat, and after brushing of some dust, she placed it back on her head where it belonged. She stumbled as she tried to lift up from the floor. Her head felt like it was about to explode. How much did she drink last night? However much it was, it was kicking her flank right now. Applejack carefully made her way to the main room, careful to step over the still sleeping ponies. The library was huge mess, even worse than the kitchen.

“What in the hay happened in here?” she wondered. “It’s like a mantico-“

Rainbow Dash came unstuck from the ceiling and land straight on top of Applejack.

“Rainbow? Where in the name of the princess did you come from?” she squeaked from under the blue mare.

“Oh Soarin….” She mumbled happily in her sleep.

“Rainbow.”

“Right there Soarin… that’s where mama like’s it,” she moaned.

Applejack facehoofed. “You’ve got to be kidding! Rainbow, wake up!” she yelled slapping the pegasus in her face.

Rainbow opened her sleepy eyes. “Hey Applejack, I was having a such a wonderful dream….. I think you were in it.”

Applejack cringed a little. “I don’t wanna know what goes on in that there head of yours.”

“Whatever,” said Rainbow as she stretched out her body. “Why are my wings all sticky?”

“The hay if I know,” said Applejack. “I’ve been awake only a little longer than y’all.”

Rainbow tried to flap her wings, apparently, the sticky stuff was on there good and had harden.

“Well, this is just great,” moaned Rainbow.

In the back of the room, they heard the shifting of a pile of books. Twilight rose from the mountain of literature, a piece of paper stuck to the side of her face from drool. She let out a yawn before staring at her two sleepy friends.

“Good morning girls,” she yawned as she made her way out. “How late did we stay up?”

“No clue sugar cube,” said Applejack. “Last night was a bit of a blur.”

Twilight let out another yawn. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Spikeeee” a voice called out. All the ponies looked up the stairs, Rarity made her way down the steps, she seemed well rested, the bags under her eyes had disappeared and a newfound smile on her face. “Has anypony seen Spike? He left for a bit and he hasn’t come back yet.”

“I’m sure Spike is fine,” said Twilight reassuringly. “He can’t have gotten into that much trouble. He’s still injured so he has to take it easy.”

“I’ll check around town,” said Rainbow as she started to head to the door. “He probably went to get some coffees. I know I could use some.”

“You do that,” said Applejack. “We’ll all check around the house.”

“Please bring him back if you find him!” shouted Rarity as the cyan pegasus trotted out the door and headed towards town.

Twilight gathered everyone in the middle of the library. “Alright everypony, we know he’s not in the kitchen or upstairs, so where could he be?” asked Twilight.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Applejack. “His bedroom?”

“Of course!” said Twilight excitedly. “His bedroom! It’s so obvious!”

Twilight charged towards the room, the other two slowly following behind her. Twilight opened the door into Spike’s room, and saw the lump on the bed.

Rarity jumped on the bed. “Oh Spike” she said in a sultry tone. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to move things to the bedroom” she said, as she removed the cover and gave the being under it a kiss.

Fluttershy’s eyes shot open from the feeling of Rarity’s warm, wet lips against hers. She spat out the letter in her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs.

“NOT MY MOUTH!!!” she yelled. “DON’T PUT THINGS IN MY MOUTH!!” she tumbled out of the bed and quickly ran out of the room. The broom closet was still open, and the vibration of the screaming caused a certain cleaning instrument to fall out of the closet. “BROOM HANDLE!!” she screamed as she jumped out the window and towards her cottage.

All the ponies just stood there, baffled by what they just witnessed.

“What in the name of hayseeds was that?” asked Applejack.

“What was that about a broom stick?” questioned Twilight.

“And what was she doing in Spike’s bed?” wondered Rarity as she tried to spit the taste of mare out of her mouth. “You don’t think-?”

“Rarity” Twilight interrupted, “I don’t think Spike would cheat on you with Fluttershy right after proclaiming his love for you.”

Applejack looked to the ground, picking up a slightly damp letter. “What’s this here?”

Rarity looked at the letter with anticipation. “Maybe it’s from Spike!” she hoped.

“Hold yer horses there, I’ll read it” she mumbled as she open the letter and began to read it out loud.

To Twilight,

I have been summoned by the princesses to come to the castle for urgent business. I am sorry that I can’t tell you this myself, but it seems like an emergency. I will try to write back to you as soon as I can, but I ask that you do not follow me to Canterlot, as I fear that you are all in great danger. You aren’t even supposed to know that anything is wrong, but I can’t just leave everypony like this…..

Twilight, I will hopefully be back soon, but if I’m not back later today, then something is wrong, and I’ll be staying a little longer than expected. If this is the case, I want you to tell Rarity that I love her and that this is the last thing that I wanted to do, but I was given little choice from your brother.

Hope to see you all soon,

Spike

P.S. I’m sorry Rarity.

“It’s not fair!” cried Rarity as Applejack finished reading the letter. “I was finally happy, we were finally happy!”

Twilight put a sympathetic hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “I know how you feel Rarity, this is the last thing any of us wanted,” she said sadly.

“My Spikey Wicky shouldn’t be put in danger!” she cried. “He should be here with me. I’ve waited so long, Twilight…..” the white mare started to cry again.

“Hey, don’t be sad,” Applejack said, trying to cheer up her distress friend. “Remember, he’s going to write back as soon as possible I reckon.”

Rarity started to calm down a bit. “I suppose you’re right,” she sniffled.

“That’s the spirit sugar cube,” smiled the cowpony, “Now come on I reckon you’re all mighty hungry, so what do you say I whip up some apple pancakes?”

Rarity immediately broke down in a fit. “SPIKE USE TO MAKE PANCAKES!” she cried as she wallowed in a puddle of her own tears.

Applejack sighed. “This is going to be a long wait.”

*****

“GIVE ME TEN MORE PUSH-UPS, YOU OVERGROWN IQUANA!” yelled Curb Hoof at Spike. He was in the courtyard of the castle with about thirty other pony recruits running training exercises. All around him he heard the groans, grunts and cries of ponies as they suffered through their training.

Spike groaned along with them. “Of all the ponies in Equestria….” He cursed under his breath.

“WHAT WAS THAT MAGGOT?” screamed Curb Hoof right in Spike’s face. “You got something to say to me?!”

“Yeah, brush your teeth” said the dragon sarcastically.

“Oh lookie here men!” shouted the loud pony to all the ponies within earshot. “We got ourselves a comedian!” he looked back at Spike. “Just for that remark, it’s an extra ten miles on everypony’s run, courtesy of the comedian over here!”

A wave of whimpers echoed though the court yard as everypony got up and started running down the field. Spike got up and was about to join them when Curb Hoof stopped him.

“Not you dragon,” he muttered. “The princesses want you to take breaks until you’re at full health.”

“Really, cause I feel fine. The doctors here are a lot better than the ones at Ponyville,” Spike said.

“I wasn’t asking you,” he said forcefully, “it was an order.”

The guard pony started to walk away as walked towards a nearby bench.

“Jackass,” he muttered as he took a seat. His body was aching, ever since he gotten out of medical, he had been forced to fields on Canterlot to undergo rigorous training and physical exhaustion.

He couldn’t help but close his eyes, just for a few seconds…..

*****

Spike woke up in the darkness of the shadows, of course. It wasn’t as frightening this time, and he knew that a certain psychotic pony was lurking somewhere in the unending haze.

He drifted mindlessly in the darkness, waiting for Conquest to make some sort of grand entrance, to appear in a flash of light, emerge from the shadows, something like that. But it remained silent.

“What game are you playing?” Spike said out loud, his voice echoing in the darkness, still nothing. He continued to walk into the black fog, the hazy grey and black getting darker with each step he took.

The silence was broken by the gentle humming of a stallion. Spike followed the strangely alluring tune, making a pathway through the darkness, until he came upon a decorative pool, the glittering blue water contrasting with the bleakness of the shadows. The black alicorn had his back to Spike and didn’t seem to notice him.

Conquest was relaxing in the water, happily singing to himself.

Daisies, daisies, give me your heart today
Otherwise I’ll rip it out, and take it anyway!
Its beating is a pitter patter, as I serve it on a silver platter
Garnished with the finest, ordure’s

He moaned with a sense of pleasure as he sank a little deeper in the water.

Honey, honey, made with the finest wine
My love for you, is to abuse
The queen of parasites!

Bubbles started to form in the pool as a dark head breached the water. Her turquoise blue hair was washed over her face, a long, decaying looking horn sticking out from underneath the mess of wet hair. She flicked her hair out of her face. It slapped down on her sides revealing her plasma green eyes. Conquest smiled at the creature.

“My, my Chrysalis. I had no idea you could hold your breath that long,” he snickered.

“Your such a naughty little pony,” she giggled. “And I love that about you,” she cooed, crawling on top of his lap as she nuzzled him. Her eyes darted towards Spike. “Conquest, were you expecting company?”

Conquest looked at her strangely, before turning around and noticing Spike’s presence. His eyes looked slightly surprised, but was quickly covered up by his wicked grin. “Spike! So nice of you to drop by uninvited!” he said sarcastically.

Spike just stared at the two. “Sorry,” he said bluntly, “I didn’t exactly choose to come here.” The couple just started to laugh as Queen Chrysalis resumed kissing the dark alicorn. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Oh no, Spike,” Conquest said, staring deeply into the queens eyes. “Chrysalis was just about to finish.”

She gave a wicked cackle. “Oh behave Conquest,” she said, lifting herself off of Conquest and sat beside him, wrapping his hoof around her as she snuggled up to the dark alicorn.

“I never behave, especially with you,” he grinned, lifting the queen’s face to his. Their tongues wrapped and writhed, eliciting cries of pleasure as her saliva mixed with his shadowy drool.

Spike watched uncomfortably from the side. “I think I’ll leave now,” he said, turning around and quickly walking away from the two blissful creatures.

He tried to navigate through the thick fog, but it was difficult to see through the black clouds. He stepped through the clouds and fell face first into a pool of water. He emerged, spitting out water. He noticed that Conquest and Chrysalis were sitting on the other side of the pool, her head resting on his chest as they both stared back at him.

“Back so soon?” asked Conquest, stroking a hoof through Chrysalis’s hair.

The queen purred as the pony’s hoof slid through her blue mane. “So, how are you Spike? Still a slave for that infernal Twilight?” she asked angrily.

“I’m not her slave,” the dragon said defensively.

“Keep telling yourself that,” she said sarcastically. “Also, I still haven’t been able to thank her properly for all her help at the wedding.”

“Patience my queen,” chuckled Conquest. “Remember, as long as your changelings fight for me, I will make sure that the one called Twilight Sparkle is served to you on a silver platter.”

“Oh Conquest,” she hummed, “you treat me so well.”

Spike was wheezing smoke out of his nose. “You won’t touch a hair on her head!” he snarled, slamming his fist in the water.

Conquest sarcastically rolled his eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he cackled. “Now if you would excuse us, Chrysalis and I have to finish….. Bonding our alliances” he said as he pulled the queen of the changelings back on top of him. “So I was thinking of penetrating the southern walls of the kingdom.”

“Is that your battle plan?” Chrysalis asked, sliding closer to the dark pony.

Conquest gave one of his famous razor sharp smiles. “Of course not.”

Spike felt like he was going to vomit. “I’m still here”

“Then go away!” barked the alicorn, the sudden change in tone startling the dragon.

“Go where?” asked the dragon.

“The same place Chrysalis is going” he smiled, “Down, down, down.”

Suddenly, he felt his body being pulled under the water by an unknown force. He was whisked away, smashing up against rocks as he tried desperately to hold his breath until he sank into the darkness of the water.

*****

Spike woke up, lying on the floor and drenched in sweat. What had happened, he had no idea, but these visit to that world were going to drive him crazy if they didn’t stop soon. But what had disturbed him was the whole scene with the pool, and how Queen Chrysalis had officially entered the war. Things were looking bleak for Equestria, and hope was fading fast. He dragged his claws down his face, as he did when he was stressed out. To make matter’s worse, he saw his favourite pony heading in his direction.

“Break’s over, maggot!” Curb Hoof barked, “Report to the pegasus for flight maneuver training immediately!”

“Yeah, yeah,” muttered Spike, as he started heading off. The guard pony just stared angrily at the dragon as he walked away.

“He is pretty amazing, isn’t he?” a voice said behind him. Curb Hoof turned around to see Princess Luna standing behind him.

“Princess Luna!” the startled pony gasped, quickly bowing down to one hoof.

Luna shook her head at the gesture “Rise Curb Hoof, there is no need to be so formal,” the guard rose back to a standing position. “So tell me, how is our newest recruit?”

“Making fast progress, Princess,” said Curb Hoof. “He has managed to break almost all former records in every field, and he’ll be done with basic training by the end of the week.”

The princess nodded as she looked away from him, staring off into the sky. She saw Spike soaring with the pegasus ponies, winding tightly through obstacles with speed and grace. She let a loving sigh slip out. “He’s magnificence,” she whispered.

“Excuse me?” asked Curb Hoof, who had overheard the princess.

Her face quickly became a shade of red. “Nothing,” she squeaked, as she strutted away in a hurry, leaving the confused guard pony standing all alone.

*****

The day was long and tiresome, and it left Spike physically and mentally exhausted. He slowly walked into his room and fell on to his bed, his body begging him to fall asleep. But sleep wouldn’t come. He laid there, lifeless, thinking of his day. He had been given complements by most of his commanders, well except for Curb Hoof who clearly had something against him.

Can I really do this? he thought, doubt taking over his mind. Sure, he had excelled in training, but could he actually take on Conquest? Now Chrysalis was in the picture, and with the two of them together, winning seemed impossible.

It really is hopeless…. the thought kept popping up in his head. No I have to! He had to, everypony was counting on him. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity.

Rarity… For her alone, he would do this. Even if he had to die a thousand deaths, he’d do it to protect her. He missed her so very much. He couldn’t even remember when the last time the two of them had been apart for this long. Maybe after this, things could go back to normal, and life would let them finally be together.

“Spike……” a voice dragged on. Spike rolled over to see who it was. The all too familiar dark alicorn was standing at the door, and for once he did not have a stupid grin on his face. “We need to have a talk.”

“Could we not do this?” Spike groaned, “I’m really frickin’ tired.”

Conquest jumped in the air and shot down at Spike with hypersonic speed, landing on the dragon’s back with a spine breaking impact. Spike squealed as he felt his bones snap under the pressure of the alicorn.

“You don’t get choose when we do this, dragon!” the alicorn yelled. “I need to have a little chat with you.”

He flapped his wings, and with every flap, a thick smoke formed in the air, and soon the entire room had disappeared in the darkness of the fog. Conquest lifted up Spike by the neck, squeezing him with his shadowy magic.

“Listen, you overgrown newt,” he hissed at the dragon, “I don’t know what that crap was with you appearing in my world, but if you do that again, especially when I’m bucking, I will feed you your own heart on a silver platter!”

“Like in your song?” the gutsy dragon muttered.

The alicorn’s crimson eyes glowed with intensity, not amused by the dragon’s joke. He reared his back and slammed it in Spike’s face. There was a flash of white light as Conquest was bounced back from Spike. The golden necklace that had protected him last time Conquest tried to kill him had materialized around his neck.

Conquest got up from the ground, the anger was still in his eyes. “I hate that stupid thing!” he yelled, “it makes me want to just-just---”

He turned around and conjured up a cloud of smoke, which quickly hardened into a large stone block. Conquest then grabbed the block with his teeth, tearing off chunks of it with his mighty sharp fangs. He did this until there was nothing left but a large pile of rubble.

The dragon watched in terror as he spat out the last rock. “Pretend that rock was you,” mumbled the alicorn darkly.

Spike remained silent. Just staring at the pony

Conquest burst out laughing. “Who am I kidding, I can’t stay mad at you!” he said with newfound enthusiasm. “Cm’ere you!”

He gave the dragon a large hug, squeezing the life out of Spike. The necklace started to flicker again and Conquest backed off. “So Spikey, what do you think of my new play thing?”

“What?”

“Chrysalis. She’s great! Isn’t she just great? I mean look at her: sexy eyes, hot body, a flank that I just want to plow all night long,” he said, doing pelvic thrusts on that last fact. “Plus, she has those holes in her hooves, which makes it a lot easier to-”

“I don’t get it.”

“Well, first she spits in the hole, and then she slides it on my-”

“NOT THAT,” Spike shouted. “I mean you and the Queen, you go on about hating love and then you get a marefriend. What’s up with that?”

“Oh that,” said Conquest. “Lust is what that is, dragon. Not love,” he started to smile again. “Love is fake, and nothing but pain and betrayal. Lust is real, it’s pleasure and satisfaction.”

“But she feeds on love?” began the dragon.

“Which she can’t get from me,” Conquest said happily. “She doesn’t control me, rather I control her. A great relationship, if I do say so myself.”

He looked at the dragon, who remained silent. “You’re so serious all the time…. It’s boring,” his grew bright and unnaturally cheery. “Hey, I know what’ll get you to lighten up! If I continue my story!”

“Please don’t,” begged the dragon.

He snickered, “Too late, I already started! Now we had just entered town, and we were having a hard time finding Luna….”

*****

“Luna! Luna!” called Celestia, as she, Curator, and Symphony entered town. Ponies of all races were busy rushing around, shopping for food and other items of interest.

“Luna!” screamed Celestia again. “Where are you?!”

“Probably hiding somewhere,” said Curator. “You know how she is.”

“Don’t remind me” she said, turning around to face Curator, “I honestly don’t know how she can be so immature all the time.”

Celestia continued to rant about Luna, unaware of a little dark blue alicorn with pigtails sneaking up behind her. Luna quietly fluttered into the air, and summoned up a dark raincloud. She floated it above her distracted sister and arched up her back. With one swift movement, she stomped down on the cloud, a bolt of lightning shooting out and striking Celestia on her flank.

The white alicorn shrieked as she reared up from the shock. Luna fell on the cloud with a fit of laughter. “I got you CC!” she cried, sticking her head through the bottom of the cloud.

“Luna!” Celestia said angrily, “what was that for?!”

“’Cause you’re stupid,” the little alicorn giggled, sticking her tongue out at her sister. She looked towards her brother, and the new pink unicorn. “Who’s that?”

“She’s Symphony,” Curator said dreamily, staring at the candy coloured mare, “Sweet Symphony.”

“Hello dear,” greeted Symphony, giving out a friendly hoof. “You must be little Luna. Curator has told me all about you!”

Luna just stared at the mare’s hoof, before sticking her head back into the cloud, hiding in the dark fluff.

“Sorry about that,” Curator said. “She can be a little timid sometimes when meeting new ponies.”

Symphony just smiled. “Well I think she’s adorable!” she said to the cloud, a small blue eye poking out. “Anyhoof, I’ve got to get going. It was nice meeting all of you!”

She started to walk away. Curator couldn’t take his eyes off the pony. Everything about her seemed perfect: her eyes, her hair, her smile, everything. To think that he’d lived in this town all this time and never noticed her. He couldn’t let her go, not without at least trying.

“Hey… umm Symphony…” he called nervously, kicking up dirt as he stared at his hooves.

“Yes?” she asked, looking back at the red maned alicorn.

“I was wondering……. You ever wanted to pick flowers again…….. I could come with you….” He said, his face quickly turning redder than his mane “To protect you of course! Not like a date or anything!” he laughed nervously, hoping he didn’t sound like a complete idiot.

The unicorn smiled. “That would be lovely, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“As long as it is a date,” she said, before winking at him and continuing on her way.

Curator was stunned. His heart may have stopped beating as Sweet Symphony walked away. Did she just wink at him? What was that supposed to mean? Were they dating now? This was all new to him as his thoughts raced in his head.
Luna poked her head out of the thundercloud. “What was that all about?”

“I think I just asked a pony out…” the stunned Curator mumbled happily.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Well, she did most of the asking.”

Luna giggled. “Curator and Symphony sitting in a tree!” she sang, “K-I-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-I-N-G!!”

“You added a few too many s’s sis” Celestia said.

“You have to add more when they kiss longer!” she cooed.

The two sisters laughed as their brother just stood there, lost in his thoughts. All he was able to think about was Symphony.

*****

“That was the first time I ever felt love,” sighed Conquest. He had managed to make a table and chair for him and Spike to sit down at. He looked across to the dragon, who was listening idly to his story. “Spike, have you ever been in love?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the dragon said, thinking of the white mare he loved, and how worried she must be right now.

“Right, the little white mare… The ever so divine and prim Rarity,” he said. “I wonder what she would have to say about true love?” the grin on his face grew bigger and as devilish thoughts developed his mind. “Let’s ask her.”

Conquest flicked his hoof and a crude, wooden marionette puppet formed in his hoof. He strung the puppet down, it hung down limply, it almost looked like it was crying.

“Spike…” a voice weakly whispered, the puppet looked up. It was Rarity, who had been shrunk down to miniature size. “Help me….” she begged.

“What did you do!” screamed Spike; he tried to lift up from the chair, but he felt stuck, like something was holding him down.

Conquest ignored him, far too interest in his new puppet. “Oh Rarity,” he chuckled, as he forced the pony to dance. “Look at you: Oh you’ve got these strings, to hold you up! To make you dance, to make you hop! Love is like, the strings on thee; glad there’s no strings on me! Da, Da, Da!” he laughed as the dragon scowled at him, trying to get off the chair.

“You see dragon, love is like the strings on a puppet, and I can use the strings to control whatever the puppet does. I can make it do what I want, when I want, with the poor puppet isn’t able to do crap about it. And when I feel no more love for the puppet…” he lifted a hoof, a glowing blade of magic and slashed the stings, the Rarity puppet falling lifelessly on the table. “… I can just snip the strings, and she falls lifelessly down, used and broken. It’s such a terribly beautiful thing, is it not?”

“You’re crazy!” yelled the dragon. “You’re basing everything on one bad experience!”

The dark alicorn thought about what the dragon, pondering in his thoughts. “You know what Spike….. You’re right. I think I may have just overreacted.”

“Wait, really?” the dragon asked, he didn’t hear any sarcasm in the alicorn’s voice.

Conquest nodded as he got up from the table to walk around. “No it’s true…” he started to cry. Dark Conquest was actually crying. “Oh God, all the ponies I killed! The creatures I’ve slain! I’m a monster!” he dived in Spike’s arm and continued to cry. “Spike, the things I’ve done!”

“Hey, hey” said the dragon, trying to comfort the pony. “It’ll be alright.”

“No it won’t! I’m beyond help!” he groaned.

“No you’re not. Nopony is.” Spike said.

“It’s just t-t-that I miss her so much, why would Symphony do that to me!”

“I don’t know what she did, but you have to move on. It’s the only way to start the healing process,” the dragon said.

Conquest let go of Spike and turned around, facing the ever stretching darkness. “You know, I guess I sort of knew a bit inside. A small piece of me would always say ‘This is wrong, why are you doing this, what happened to Curator?’” he said solemnly.

“Really?” asked the dragon, hopeful that he had helped the alicorn.

“Yeah…” he said in a more sarcastic tone, he snapped his head around, that infamous deranged smile and wide eyes plastered on his face. “But I can’t hear it anymore cause there’s a much louder voice screaming KILL ALL PONIES!!!” He started to laugh hysterically. The dragon sitting in shock.

“I can’t believe you fell that!” he cackled as he slammed his hoof on the table in a fit of laughter. “Like I’d actually take advice from you! You stupid bucking dragon!” he continued to laugh, slamming his head against the table with thunderous laughter.

“But I thought…..”

“You thought what I wanted you to think,” Conquest said, showing no signs of calming down. “Ponies will manipulate you Spike. So try and sift the dirt from the crap, though they are the same colour….”

Spike just growled at him, the heat growing in his belly. He had enough of this pony. “I’m going to kill you, you psychotic freak!”

Conquest disappeared in a puff of smoke, his laughter was slowly fading. Spike felt himself being lift up from the chair, unable to control his own limbs.

He heard a snicker behind him. “Oh Spike…” the dragon looked around, a giant Conquest was smiling at him, his fangs as big as Spike. He was holding up puppet strings that were attached to the dragon. “It’s been a long day. I was plowing Chrysalis for who knows how long, and I still make it a selfless effort to visit you. And this is the thanks I get? I think it’s time I cut the strings,” he said.

Spike watched as Conquest formed another aura blade, and slashed the strings that held him up. Spike collapsed to the floor, unable to move his arms or legs. He groaned as the weakness washed through his body and he slowly closed his eyes.

*****

Spike woke up lying in his own bed. He slowly got up and looked out the window. It was still late, and the moon was still high in the sky. He groaned as he rolled over. He felt so stupid for letting Conquest trick him like that. Now, more than ever, he knew what he had to do. He was going to kill Conquest, a horrible pony like him didn’t deserve to live. He was a rabid dog that had to be put down, and he was going to do it.

There was a knock at the door. “Spike?” a familiar voice asked. “Are you still awake?”

“Yeah Duster,” he muttered. “Is there something I can help you with?”

The pink mane guard walked in the room. He seemed tired and let out a long yawn. “Sorry to disturb you, but the princess wants to see you immediately.”

The dragon whined a little as he got up. It had been a long day and he wanted to fall asleep without some demonic pony trying to teach him life lessons with puppets. The two slowly walked down the long hallways. They eventually came to the throne room, but they kept walking by it.

“Aren’t we meeting the princess?” asked the dragon.

“You are, but not in there,” he said.

“Okay…” the dragon said curiously as they continued down the hall. They kept walking, down a corridor Spike was unfamiliar with. They eventually came to a large dark blue door.

“This is it. She’s waiting for you inside,” Duster said before turning around and leaving.

Spike stared at the mysterious, door and eventually entered it. The room was dark, and he was unable to identify anything in it. He prayed to Luna that he hadn’t fallen asleep again.

The door slammed shut behind him. Luna was leaning against the frame.

“Hello Spike,” she said.

“Princess, you said you wanted to see me?” asked the dragon.

“Yes I did,” she said as her horn lit up, a missile of magic shooting out and hitting the ceiling and lighting the room. Spike looked around the now lit up room. The walls were aligned with shelves of books and drawings of stars, with a large telescope by the window. The observatory? He looked around to see a navy blue dresser and a princess sized bed in the middle of the room.

This was Luna’s bedroom.

“Do you like my room?” she asked. “I had it personally designed.”

“It seems… nice,” the dragon said uncomfortably. “Is there….. A...um…reason I’m here?”

The princess gave a sultry smile to the dragon, whose heart was racing as Luna started to advance on him. His temperature rose and his body felt sweaty as he backed away from the night blue mare.

She fluttered her eyes. “You’re so cute when your nervous,” she grinned, pushing the dragon on the bed and climbing on top of the him.

“I must be dreaming,” the dragon said, hoping that he was right, that this was all just another one of Conquest jokes.

“Maybe,” the princess cooed, “and your dream is about to come true” she said as she pressed up against Spike’s lips and gave him a long passionate kiss.

The Amulet

"What is love? Love is the armor the knight wears as he prepares for battle. Love is the fuel that lets the underdog fight to protect those that he cares for and lets him the world. Love is the reason why so many would go to great lengths to insure happiness for others… (part one of three)

“Do you think that Dust Devil is alright?” asked Rainbow, as she walked down the hallway with the others. “It’s been really quiet.”

“I’m sure he’s okay, darling,” smiled Rarity. “And I must say that you two make a cute couple.”

“We’re not a couple!” the pegasus gulped. “It’s just that he saved me...and, well you know…”

“Know what?”

“I guess he’s, I don’t know, maybe he’s sort of a little bit…cute, but in a totally stupid way!”

“Whatever you say, dear, I won’t ponder on it any longer than I have to,” said the white mare.

“Hey look!” shouted Pinkie Pie, pointing up the hall. “Is that a pony?”

Sure enough, the still blood soaked Curb Hoof was slowly making his way down the hallway towards the group of ponies. He picked up the pace when he saw that Spike was injured, still being levitated by the unicorns.

“What the hell happened in there? What happened to Spike?”

“It was Conquest,” muttered Forge. “He shattered his back and unleashed all kinds of hell on the rest of them, including the princesses.”

“Your highnesses, I am sorry,” apologized Curb hoof, bowing in shame. “I wasn’t able to stop him.”

“It’s okay,” Celestia smiled weakly. “We are okay.”

“But we can’t say that for all of us,” sighed Luna as she looked over to the purple drake.

“Damn it, dragon,” sighed the guard pony, walking up to his side. “What the hell did you do?”

Spike’s eyes slowly started to open at the sound of pony’s voice. “Curb Hoof, is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” droned the guard pony, as his horn started to glow. Curb Hoof’s magical aura started to surround Spike as he was levitated much more smoothly. “Who the hell were you excepting?”

“Where are the others?” the dragon asked weakly.

“Heart took Bunsen out of the castle. You said that there were ponies outside, right? I figured that they’d be safer there.”

“Why aren’t you out there with them?”

“Had to make sure that you were okay, you overgrown lizard.”

“I thought you hated me?” grinned Spike.

“I do.”

“Then why make sure I was okay?”

“Look,” Curb Hoof said bluntly. “I don’t like you, Spike. In fact I may even as to go as far as to say I despise your very existence.” He took a deep breath. “And, despite all of that, I still came back and make sure that you are okay… and you know why?”

“Why?”

“Cause like it or not, you’re one of my troops. And I’ll be damned if I let my best soldiers get killed by some psychopath.” He looked at the dragon. “I hate you and your kind Spike, but Celestia damn it, I respect you.”

“You…you what?”

“Everything you’ve done, Spike, has been nothing but selfless and noble. All the crap that has happen to you this past month, all the crap I’ve given you, you don’t deserve it.”

“Then how come you’re still an asshole to me?” asked Spike.

“Because you’re a dragon, and I can’t stand them.”

Spike rolled his eyes as he kept floating down the hall. “You, my friend, are an incredibly strange and complex pony. I can’t for the life of me figure out what the hell is going on in that head of yours.”

“It’s better that way,” the guard mumbled as the group of ponies started towards the entrance of the castle. “Anyways, we’re at the entrance of the castle. We should be able to get out of the castle now.”

Spike smiled as he relaxed on the bed of magic. The rest of the ponies and the one dragon opened the doors to the castle ground, expecting to see the green fields of the courtyard.

“That’s odd,” wondered Curb Hoof, as he stepped through the door. It had not lead them out of the castle as he had thought, but into another corridor of halls. “I could have sworn that this was the door that lead to the castle courtyard…”

“Maybe it’s the next corridor?” said Twilight, “I’m sure that you just got a little confused.”

“Maybe,” Princess Celestia said, “but I’ve walked these halls for centuries. I am positive that this should have led to outside.”

“You don’t think…”

“No,” shook the sun princess. “Not even he could do that, not without us knowing.”

The small group headed out the door, not wanting to stay in the same place longer than they had to, trying to avoid something that could or could not be stalking them within the shadows. Down this hallway and still no luck, the large doors only seeming to connect to more and more hallways within the castle. It seemed endless, and the ponies could swear that they were going in circles, as all the passages started to look the same, the same red rugs and marble pillars and large royal windows.

“This is ridiculous!” moaned Rainbow as she pushed open another door, leading into yet another foyer. “There is something seriously weird going on right now.”

“We’ve been walking for hours…” sighed Fluttershy, who had been very quiet up until now. “I don’t think that I can walk anymore…” The yellow mare collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted.

“Fluttershy!” cried Twilight, running to the side of her friend. “Are you okay?”

“I’m so tired, Twilight…” she whispered, “I don’t think that I can go on…. Just leave me here.”

“We’re not leaving anypony behind, Fluttershy!” cried the purple mare, doing her best to pick the exhausted yellow pegasus. “Applejack, give me a hoof, will you?”

“Sure thing, Twilight,” the farm pony said, coming to the aid of the yellow mare, wrapping her friend’s hoof around her neck. “C’mon Fly, we got to keep moving.”

“Please… don’t…” she mumbled. “Just let me die, I can feel them in my stomach…”

“Feel what, sugar cube?”

“The…” She leaned close to the cowpony’s ear. “The spiders…” she whispered. “He made me eat a spider when he was torturing us. He said that it would lay eggs in my stomach and kill all of my friends if I tried to run away.”

“What?!” gulped Twilight.

“Please… just leave me for him” Fluttershy begged. “I don’t want him to ge--ACK!!” She coughed, her dark crimson blood dripping down her mouth. “Oh no! They’re hatching! Get away from me, please!”

Fluttershy fell to the ground, clenching her stomach, as if it were going to burst as she continued coughing up more and more blood until her aqua eyed face was covered in her red spit. She still didn’t stop, though. Her friends backed away from her, scared that touching her would bring her pain as the first of the spiders crawled out of her mouth. They were small at first, barely any bigger than a grain of salt. Then they got larger, getting longer legs and fatter bodies as they started to crawl around the mare’s body, their little legs skittering around the base of her swollen stomach and crawling on her terrified face.

Applejack tried to get the spiders off of the yellow mare, brushing and squishing the spiders off of her. But, for every arachnid that she squashed, more and more would just crawl out of Fluttershy’s mouth. The spiders started to turn on the orange mare as well, crawling up her legs, biting into her skin.

“Ouch!” she winced, trying to get them off of her, but even they started to overwhelm the farm pony as well. “Ah—ge—get them off of me!”

Fluttershy was dead silent; the swarm had almost engulfed her and was wrapping her paralyzed body up in their silky white web, like an insignificant insect. The spiders started to pull her away from the group of ponies and through the door they had just walked through, while her friends tried to brush off the spiders on Applejack.

“Please…..” Fluttershy said in the quietest of whispers. “Run…”

The doors slammed close behind her and she was gone.

“No!” screamed Rainbow, running past Applejack and slamming both hooves on the doors trying to open it. “Open up, damn it!” She banged on the front of the door, trying her best to push it open but it wouldn’t budge. “I said open! Open up!”

“Rainbow Dash…” sighed Celestia. “She’s gone…”

“NO!” roared Rainbow, shaking the locked handle. “She can’t be gone!” she whimpered, tears rolling down her eyes. “She can’t….she just can’t….” Her face slid down the door as she slumped into a puddle of her own tears. “She just can’t be gone. I won’t believe it.”

“Then join her,” a satanic voice laughed, the cackling echoing down the hallway. Suddenly, the door swung open with a gust of wind, sucking the cyan pegasus through, and shutting close behind her.

“Rainbow!” cried Twilight, reaching out for her friend, but to no avail. The doors locked themselves as the laughter continued to plague the hallways. The purple mare turned up to look at the ceiling, trying to find the source of the terrible laughter. “Please! Just leave us alone!” she shouted, trying to fight her tears back.

“Don’t bother, Twilight Sparkle,” grumbled Forge as he continued limping down the hall. “You need to save your energy, and yelling at windows won’t do crap.”

“That’s it, y’all!” Applejack gasped, excited from her sudden realization. “We can get out through the windows!” The excited cowpony ran towards one of the stained glass windows, peeking through it. “We’re not that far off the ground, we could probably make a rope or something from these drapes and get the heck out of here.”

“But what about Spike?” asked Rarity. “We can’t lower him down, he’s in critical condition.”

“Well, I’m sorry Rare, but we need to get out of here. Now, will someone help me with this here window?”

The red dragon turned around. “I’ll help,” he said, getting glares from the rest of the ponies as he wobbled to the window. “What? She’s right, if you guys want to stay then that’s fine, but he will find you, and he will kill you.”

“Forge…” sobbed Luna. “How could you do this?”

“I don’t want to, princess,” said the crippled drake. “But I can’t leave Applejack alone out there.” He smiled at the strong earth pony. “She needs someone to protect her.”

The orange mare blushed as they both opened the window, Forge grabbed the drapes and tied it around a nearby pillar. Making sure that it wasn’t loose or anything, he gave the okay for Applejack to go down the rope. The cowpony nodded as she got a grip on it, sliding herself down.

“You coming Forge?” she called as she slowly lowered herself.

“Yeah,” he said, as he got up on the ledge, gabbing the rope in his hand. He turned his head, looking at the rest of the group. “Good luck,” he smiled.

The pillar that the curtains were tied to exploded there fragments blasting across the room. It took everypony by surprised as they flinched away from this sudden catastrophe. Forge and Applejack weren’t as lucky. The dragon was knocked off the ledge of the window, and the drapes that were used as a rope was undone. Both the dragon and the pony fell out of the window as the laughter of insanity grew ever louder.

The remaining ponies gasped as they gazed out at the large hole in the wall. They couldn’t see the dragon or the pony, but if either of them had actually fallen to the ground, there chances of survival were not very good.

“Oh goddess no!” sobbed Pinkie, her mane and tail starting to deflate. “Not them too.”

“Can you see them?” asked Curb Hoof to Twilight. “Are they down there?”

“If they are, then they’re under all that rubble,” mumbled Twilight. “Why did she have to go? She should have never tried to separate!”

“She just wanted to survive,” said the guard pony. “I can see why she did it.”

“This is all terrible…” muttered Pinkie, slouching onto the ground. “We’re all going to die…”

“How do you know what she wanted!” yelled the lavender mare. “She just wanted to save herself!"

“Listen lady!” growled Curb Hoof, “I don’t know why the hell you’re yelling at me! I didn’t do crap!”

“Why didn’t you do anything?!” the unicorn demanded. “You’re supposed to protect ponies!”

“How was I supposed to know the freaking pillar was going to snap?! These things are made of solid marble.”

“WILL BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP!”

Both of the ponies stop to look at Rarity, she was still levitating Spike with the help of the princesses, but her cheeks were stained with tears.

“Look at you!” she shouted. “Both of you! You’re acting like a couple of foals! They wouldn’t want us arguing like this!” Her eyes started to get watery again. “They would want us to get out safety, and we can only do that if we stick together!”

Twilight and Curb Hoof both looked at each other, sighing heavily. “I think she’s right,” mumbled the guard pony. “We can mourn them later, but right now we need to get moving.”

“Okay…” whimpered Twilight, sniffing a little as she looked one last time down the hole, where her friends had fallen. “Goodbye Applejack.” She wiped her tears as she followed the rest of her friends out of the room.

“What should we do now?” asked Celestia, looking around the newest room that they have entered. “This we’ve been walking through the castle for who knows how long.”

“There has to be an exit somewhere,” said Luna.

"There is no escape from madness!”

“Who said that?” wondered the night mare.

The familiar laughing once again started to echo down the halls. “It’s so wonderful!” it said. “Lost in your own castle, your friends being picked off two by two, it’s like a nursery rhyme gone to hell!” the voiced laughed. “And I love it!”

“Conquest, show yourself!” yelled Celestia.

“Hmm, let me think about that….” he drawled, “No, I don’t think that I will.”

“Coward!” snarled the sun goddess. “That’s all that you are!”

There was more hellish cackling as Conquest appeared in a puff of smoke. “That’s hurts sister,” the dark pony pouted sarcastically. “I don’t think that I’ll ever recover from that blow!”

“You murderer!” screamed Twilight. “You killed them! You killed all of them!”

“As much as I would love to say yes… No,” grinned the demon alicorn. “No, I can promise you that they’re still very much alive. I wouldn’t want them missing the grand finale! It’ll be so very beautiful!”

“They’re…they’re still alive?” asked Pinkie hopefully.

“Yeah, they’re right outside that door if you don’t believe me!”

Naively, the pink and purple ponies looked to the door behind Conquest. Slowly, the large doors started swing open, revealing four figures: three ponies and a dragon. They all seemed barely conscious, like they were about to die at any moment.

“Girls!” gasped Pinkie as she foolishly ran towards the door.

“Pinkie no!” shouted Twilight, chasing the pink party pony. “It’s a trap!”

But it was too late for them. The door slammed shut behind the two small ponies. Their screams could be heard from the other side.

“Relax, they’ll be fine,” snickered Conquest, another screech ripping through the air. “They’ll be alive, at least.”

“What have you done to my friends!” shouted Rarity, still staying close to her dragon.

“I’m getting them all ready for the finale, and I would love for the rest of you to get ready as well,” said the dark pony. “And you can either go willingly, or I can drag your beaten and limp bodies there as well. Your choice.”

There was silence, the ponies looked back from one another and then to the dark alicorn. He kept his smile on at all times, and his eyes spoke the truth. One way or another, he would get what he wanted, he always did.

“Very well,” sighed Celestia, bowing her head in defeat as she slowly started to walk towards the door. “I concede.”

“Same here,” whimpered Luna, following her footsteps.

Curb Hoof said nothing. With a frown on his face, he too went with his princesses, leaving just the white mare and her dragon.

“No!” cried Rarity. “I won’t leave him! I’m not going to abandon him again!”

“It’s okay, love….”

The fair skinned unicorn looked down at Spike, whose eyes were open and he was smiling. He slowly lifted his claw and dragged it through her mane. It was still soft and silky, despite all that it had weathered that day.

“I….I don’t want to see you get hurt,” the dragon said. “His ego’s too big to kill you off.”

“He’s not wrong, you know!”

“He’ll…..” Spike started to cough “He’ll…keep you alive, probably to watch me die…but I’ll find a way to save you,” he whispered. “I promise.”

“But Spike I don’t—“

“It’s going to be okay,” the drake said, trying to push back the tears in his eyes. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

Rarity took a deep breath, “Okay, if you say so,” she trembled, walking with the others. “I love you…”

“I love you too.”

“I love you too, dragon,” mocked Conquest as the rest of the ponies left the room, the doors slamming behind them. “I guess that just leaves you and me Spike. You are all alone…with no one to save you, or to help you.”

“What do you want now?” muttered Spike as he laid on floor, glaring at the dark pony that hovered above him.

“It’s not about what I want,” said the alicorn, “But rather, what we all want. Things have gone on long enough I think, and I have wonderful things and ideas planned for the new world,” he snickered. “My world, a sort of Dark Equestria…”

“A …. What?”

“A Dark Equestria,” repeated Conquest. “Do try and pay attention. Anyways, imagine a world where the sun and the moon are gone and there is only darkness, where instead of mountains made of stone and ice, they’re made of the bones of my victims. Instead of fields and meadows of crisp green grass and colourful flowers, there are fields of fire! This is what I dream of, these are my goals in life, the death of a civilization, and the bliss that comes with it.”

“That’s crazy!”

“Crazy?” giggled the dark pony. “I don’t see it that way. I see a world that is full of hatred! Full of scum and filth! And I have had to experience it every single day for my entire god damn LIFE!” he roared. “You think that everything is just perfect? A colourful world with colourful ponies and happiness is all a lie, just a mask to hide the true intentions in every pony’s hearts. I know this very well, I have lived it. It’s what makes me, well, me after all.”

“The world is not as dark as you think it is,” grumbled Spike. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you. I highly doubt you even knew what it is. But the way you look at the world, it’s wrong. You think that there is only evil in the hearts of ponies? Look around you, there are thousands that are willing to stand against you, good ponies and dragons who have defied you. How is that dark, Conquest? There will always be good in the world; it’s not something that you can kill.”

The demon alicorn sighed. “So diluted, with your thinking,” he groaned. “You will see what I mean Spike, you will learn that all heroes will fall, perhaps maybe in the next life,” the pony grabbed the purple drake’s neck with his hoof. “But for now, it’s time.” He dragged Spike’s body up to the door, slamming it on the frame. “You don’t believe that I can change the world? Well, see for yourself!” he laughed, throwing the dragon through the door.

The first thing the dragon noticed was that he was outside now, the roof of the castle to be specific. The second thing that he noticed was that the weather has changed drastically. No longer was it the sunny skies that Celestia had blessed that morning with, but instead the heavens were crowded with thick grey rainclouds. The rain itself felt like cold knives against the dragon’s scales, and with the typhoon level winds, it was difficult to see what was going on around him. If he were to see though, all he would witness would be tornados and volcanic eruptions tearing up Equestria.

“Do you believe me now?!” cackled Conquest as lightning cracked in the clouds and rain fell, down, soaking the dark pony’s grey mane almost immediately. “Do you not see how beautiful my new world is?!”

Lightning bolts struck down on the ground of the battlefield. The combatants scattered, screaming as the ground and sky rained and exploded hell upon them.

“It’s beautiful, is it not?!” laughed the dark pony.

Spike rolled onto his aching back, the rainfall pelting down on him. All he could see were the dark thunderclouds and the white lightning that it produced. “This isn’t beautiful, this is madness!”

“Madness?” gasped Conquest, turning towards the dragon, staring him down as he hovered above him. “THIS. IS. SP—Well actually, you’re right,” he joked, sticking his tongue out. “And what good is madness if you can’t share it with others?”
He snapped his hooves and pillars shot out from the roof. To each of these columns was a pony or dragon strapped to it. His friends, the dragons, the princesses, even Rarity was constrained to pillars, each of them helpless to do anything but watch.

“Mares and Gentlecolts, Dragons and Princesses of all ages!” announced Conquest. “I have gathered you all here today to witness the end of the world and the death of a hero!” he cackled in unison with the lightning. “I hope that you all know that this is all your fault, and I don’t just mean your fault, but every single pony that has or ever will existed. You are all pathetic, worthless and pitiful creatures, and your evil ways have brought this upon yourself.”

“You’re the only thing that’s evil here!” shouted Celestia.

“If I am evil, then it is your kind that is worse!” shouted the dark alicorn. “I am only a product of my insanity, an insanity that you all caused! It’s a hatred and madness that has kept me alive for eons!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Forge.

“I’m talking about hatred…” smiled Conquest as he looked around at the ponies and dragons. “You still don’t get it do you?”

“Get what?”

“You all hate me, do you not?” he asked, their responses were what he expected, general agreeing of their hatred towards him. “And you see that! That is the reason you will never beat me!” he laughed. “I can’t be killed as long as there is hatred in this world! The anger of every living thing is what gives me my power! The more that you hated me, the stronger I became!” The dark pony laughed even harder. “And the best part is, you will never stop hating me! All I do is inspire the hate that created me, that feeds me! You think that I’m a normal pony, that this is your sweet Curator? He gave up long ago! So go ahead, soak it all in, you stupid bastards!”

The wind whistled in the silence as everypony took in what they had just heard. It had been all their fault. They were the reason that he became so powerful, that he was able to keep coming back to life every time he was struck down or torn to shreds. He was fuelled by their anger, their pitiful quarrels and feuds. Every time two ponies had an argument, or somepony got mad for any reason, Conquest grew more powerful. Lashing out with anger, tearing the pony apart would only make him stronger, and after today and this war, he would be unstoppable, and one question crept into the mind of everypony and every dragon…

How do you kill someone you can’t hate?

“Do you see how blind you’ve been?” asked Conquest. “That you all enabled this, and now you have to face the consequences?” He lifted up his hoof, and within it, a large spike of dark magic started to extend it. “Spike the dragon, my foe for a month, and my dear, dear friend,” grinned the pony. “It’s been a time and a half, but I think that it’s time to end this.” He raised his bladed hoof over the down dragon. “Any last words?”

“Yeah…” said Spike, glaring at the dark alicorn, “I know why heroes fall…”

“And why’s that?”

“Because,” said the drake as he drove his foot in between the legs of Conquest. “It gives us a reason to rise.”

Conquest grasped his jewels as he fell to the ground. “Ah, God! Even I’m not that big of an asshole!” he laughed as he rolled around on the ground. Spike started to get up. “Hey, why are you getting up?”

“Oh you didn’t know?” smirked the drake, “Rarity’s been putting my spine back together with her magic, it’s still a little sore, but it’s enough to still kick your ass.”

“Oh my goddess!” grinned Conquest, flashing his white fangs. “You sneaky little bitch, you managed to trick me!”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” smiled Spike, and he pounced on the pony, “And now it’s time to end this.”

“Oh Spike, you’re getting angry,” giggled the alicorn, “You wouldn’t like me when you’re angry.”

“Of course I’m angry at you,” said the purple drake, “Who the hell wouldn’t be? You are an asshole of a massive scale, and I want nothing more than to kill you Conquest.”

“It’s as if you didn’t even listen to me…”

“But I know that I can’t kill you Conquest...” continued the dragon, “You’ve made that perfectly clear, but you have endangered the lives of thousands.” Spike felt his chest start to warm up, his body getting strangely stronger. “You’ve threatened the lives of all my friends and tortured them profusely.” His eyes started to glow. “I will always protect my friends from evils creatures like you.” Around his neck, the heart shaped amulet, the one that would come and go at the strangest times, appeared. “A threat against them is a threat against me.” The white glow grew more and more. “I don’t know how to beat you, Conquest. But I know how to set this right.”

His right claw was glowing as he ripped off the glowing amulet. “I have no idea what the hell this is, but every time I’ve been in serious trouble, whenever you’ve actually tried to kill me, or someone I care for, it’s shown up. It belonged to Curator, so he can have it back!”

Spike jammed the heart shaped gem into Conquest’s chest, and there was an outburst of white energy. The amulet started to fuse into the chest of the alicorn, who was screaming with pain. Soon, the black coat of the pony started to melt away, like a layer of dead skin blowing off the body, revealing a white coat beneath. Still the alicorn screamed and still the amulet worked it’s magic, more and more of the alicorn’s coat reverting to white from the shadowy black. The misty grey mane shifted to a brilliant dark red, and the glowing red eyes dimming to a golden yellow. His fangs dulled down, transforming back to normal pony teeth, and the screams no longer sounded like Conquest, but rather somepony else. Spike let go of the amulet as he gazed at a new alicorn in front of him. No longer the insane Dark Conquest.

Curator.

The red maned alicorn was panting heavily. His eyes were dilated and he was sweating profusely. He rolled over and looked up at the dragon. “You…you saved me... How did you know that would work?”

“I didn’t, to be perfectly honest.”

“Well regardless…” smiled Curator. “Thank you…”

“It’s not your fault, you had that thing controlling you.”

The alicorn’s smile faded away. “That monster… I regret every day that I allowed him to take control, that I let myself get mad over something like Symphony.”

“You’re pony,” said Spike. “We all make mistakes; I think that anypony would do the same thing in your situation.”

“That still doesn’t excuse what I did,” muttered Curator, “I never should have trusted him, I knew there was something wrong with him, I just didn’t know it was this bad.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“But I should have known.”

“And you didn’t, but he’s gone now, and you don’t seem anything like him,” said Spike, helping the alicorn. “You’re a good pony, Curator.”

“I… I was, yes,” the white coated pony said. “And I would like to be good again.”

Slowly, the pony’s horn started to glow yellow with power, and over the shackles and bondages that held the ponies and dragons hostage. The cuffs broke with ease and each of the hostages fell to the ground. The quintet of dragons all reunited while Slitilda brushed herself off. Bitterbite quickly rushed over to Glimmer, the drake quickly embracing the dragoness. Rarity and the others ran for Spike, his white mare almost knocking him over with her hug.

“I can’t believe that you actually did it!” cried Rarity.

“I told you, I would never let him hurt you,” said Spike, brushing a claw through her perfect mane. “And I don’t break promises.”

“CURATOR!” Luna called as she ran towards the alicorn.

“Luna! Celestia! It’s so good to finally see you again, after all these ye--” he was interrupted mid-sentence by a pair of dark blue lips. He felt the warm taste of Luna against him. He was shocked of course, but he didn’t fight it. Curator now knew the feelings that his ‘sister’ had for him.

“I’m so sorry, Curator,” said the dark princess when she parted her lips from his. “This is all my fault. I’m the one who caused all of this. You must think I’m a monster.”

“It’s okay Luna,” smiled the red maned alicorn. “I’ve been a monster, and you ain’t one of them.” He wrapped his hooves around both of his sisters. “I’ve missed you both so much, can you ever forgive me?” he cried.

“You are our brother,” sniffed Celestia. “Of course we can forgive you.”

“I love you both so much.”

“Everything is absolutely perfect…”

“Which means that something terrible is just around the corner.”

There was a low groan of snickering in the air as everypony grew ice cold.

“No…” whispered Curator. “That’s impossible…”

The snickering grew into cackling.

“It can’t be him, he was destroyed!”

The ponies all looked up in the sky. There they saw a strange and frightening creature, almost like a pony, but it seemed deformed, like a drop of ink in water. Conquest hovered above them in a misty blob of shadows. You could still make out his drifting red eyes, and his crooked white smile.

“You did it!” he said, “You finally were stupid enough to fall for it dragon!”

“Fall for what?” demanded Spike.

“Why my plan of course. I set a trap and you sprang it gloriously!” he cackled, as he nosed dive towards the purple dragon. “Months of planning to get that stupid necklace off of you, and you are now fit for the taking.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never wanted Curator, Spike,” laughed Conquest as he collided with the dragon’s face. “I wanted you!”

Spike was knocked to the ground as his body started to twitch. He was groaning in a strange sort way as he grabbed his neck. His feet kicked around and his stomach churned. The dragon spat out green flames as he continued to gag until finally his entire body went limp.

He laid there completely motionless, Rarity cautiously going up to his side, “Spike, are you okay?”

The dragons lips curled up into a big flashy smile. “Couldn’t be better!” he laughed.

His eyes opened up, they were not the emerald greens that she had fallen in love with, but instead, they were a hauntingly glowing red. The dragon sprang up as he goggled over his body. “I did it!” he cackled. “I’m inside the dragon!” He looked at his claws, his sharp, dagger like claws. “With this body, and my magic, nothing can stop me!”

“Spike?”

“It’s not Spike anymore!” the dragon laughed. “It’s only Conquest now!” His hand reached for his throat, digging deep into the scales. “Well almost all me. He’s a fighter, this one! But he will fall, they always do…” He looked over at Curator. “None can survive the conquering.”

“We need to stop him now!” shouted the while male alicorn, grabbing the amulet in his teeth. “This amulet wards off his powers, we need to get it around his neck!” he looked towards the group of dragons. “Try and hold him down.”

“Got it!” they all said as they pounced towards Conquest/Spike, who stood there looking amused.

“I don’t have time for this,” he mumbled, forcing his free hand to point towards the oncoming dragons. A chain of red lightning shot out from the tip, striking each of the drakes and dragonesses. They all fell to the ground, their bodies twitching with uncontrollable spasms.

“Now for the steps!” smiled Spike, turning his head towards Curb Hoof. “Step one: Kill the one you hate!” Within a flash, Spike had the guard in his grasp, looking deep into his eyes. “You shouldn’t have been such a jackass, Curb Hoof.”

“This isn’t you Spike,” choked the pony, clawing at the dragon’s hands with his hooves. “Your’re better than this.”

Snap!

“Not really!” laughed Spike as he dropped the dead body of the guard on the cold roof, his neck broken and his head turned the other way around. “Now for Step two…”

“Stop him!” commanded Curator again, this time leading the charge with his sisters. “We can’t let him finish!”

“STAY OUT OF THIS!” shouted the purple drake, as he mustered up more of his fire, breathing it out and leaving an impassible wall between him and the alicorns. “Now as I was saying, Step two: Kill the one that betrayed you… Oh Slitilda…”

The bronze fire dragon’s body was slowly levitated towards him; she was still limp from the lightning strike as she was lifted to meet the eye level of Spike. “Please…” she begged. “You don’t have to do this. I love you…”

“And that’s the problem,” snickered the drake, “You love him so much that you betrayed him at the capital, and that hurt him very much!” He took a claw and dragged it over her stomach. “And so I think it’s only fair that we return the favor!” He plunged his claw deep within her gut, his claw grabbing on whatever flesh was inside of her and pulling it out. There was an explosion or blood and gore, as he tossed her screaming body aside. “Do me a favour and die slowly, m’kay? And now for the final, and my personal favorite step. Step three…”

He turned his red eyes onto Rarity.

“Kill the one you love!”

“Rarity RUN!!” shouted Curator from behind the flames.

She didn’t need any warning, the white mare immediately took off in the opposite direction of Spike, running for her life.
“Why are you running, love?” laughed Spike as he spread his wings. “I just want to give you a nice big hug!” He took off into the air, laughing as he soared circles around his fleeing love. “Where are you running to, darling? Did you forget that we’re on a roof, and you can’t fly?”

“Spike, PLEASE!” the unicorn panted. “I know that you’re in there. You have to fight him, don’t let him control you!” Rarity eventually ran out of roof, as was expected, barley catching herself from falling off. She turned around and almost fell when she saw how close Spike was to her, his eyes still pulsing with evil and his smile still sinister. “Please! You have to fight it, Spike!”

“This is it!” the drake smiled as he easily grabbed the throat of the mare with one hand. “The moment I’ve been waiting for, your death will seal my complete control over the dragon! And with it, the new world!”

With his free hand, he jabbed it towards her face, the mare flinching at this finishing blow.

But it stopped short.

“Still resisting!” wondered Conquest. “You have a lot of guts dragon!” he laughed. “But I always get what I want!”

He took another jab at her, this time aiming for her heart, and once again he was stopped short, his claws just breaking her pure white coat.

“Stop fighting back, dragon!” the dragon yelled. “It’s inevitable that she dies!”

“No it’s not!” cried Rarity, “You can beat him Spike, I know you can!”

“No…” The dragon raised his claw in the air, the nails shining like silver knives. “He…” He used all of his might in the force of his jab. “Won’t!” And went digging into the chest cavity of Rarity, pulling out her beating heart.

Da Dragon (gizoogle.net'd, bonus, non-canon, and not a related chapter to the rest of the story) Read at your own risk!

Da fate of our ghetto rests wit the

A dragon that’s strong, n' yet not mean

Warning, the following has been translated by the gizoogle.net feature. Thanks to Chaos2012. This is for no other purpose than for enjoyment. There is strong course language in this as well as starring 'Raritizzle' instead of Rarity... so yeah... hope you enjoy this awesome crap.

I need to find a new hobby...

Dat shiznit was another sunny dizzle up in Ponyville, as it always seems ta be. Birdz was chirpin as everypony was gettin locked n loaded fo' another dunkadelic day. It make me wanna hollar playa! Da sun rays peeked all up in tha windowz of a tree house, tha Ponyville library, as tha light penetratin tha eyez of a chillin unicorn.

Twilight Sparkle slowly turned up in her chill, tryin ta avoid Celestia’s shinin rays. But dat shiznit was no use, dat biiiiatch was already awake. Twilight slowly lifted her muthafuckin ass up from her bed, lettin up a funky-ass bangin yawn. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. Her deep purple mane was frayed n' disheveled up in a cold-ass lil funky-ass bedhead mess yo. Her grill was groggy n' bags drooped under her eyes. Bitch had stayed up late dat night studyin again; she straight-up needed ta stop bustin dis shit.

Bitch slowly crawled outta her bed. Dat shiznit was colda dis morning, so her dope ass dragged her blanket wit her, wrappin it round her shiverin body. Twilight approached her mirror n' sat down as she levitated a funky-ass brush all up in her messy hair. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Starin at her reflection, she noticed how tha fuck chillaxed she straight-up looked. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Bags under her eyes, unwanted facial hair, acne biaaatch! All sortz of blemishes dat dat thugged-out biiiatch could live without.

As soon as dat biiiiatch was done brushin her hair, she placed tha brush back down on tha table n' fuckin started ta focus on her reflection. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. Her horn fuckin started ta glow wit a phat purple aura as her grill was illuminated wit a similar colour fo' realz. A moment later, there was a gangbangin' flash of white light n' Twilight closed her eyes. When she re-opened her eyes, her grill was straight-up clear of all pimplez n' hair. Her bags was gone as well.

“Picture perfect!” her big-ass booty holla'd ta her muthafuckin ass cheerfully. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch gots up from her mirror n' headed downstairs. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch was surprised at how tha fuck big-ass tha mess was. Books laid scattered round tha floor, a pile of scrolls rested up in tha corner n' a tipped over ink vial was still drippin a jet black liquid onto tha floor.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. Bitch clearly must have gotten outta hand wit her research last night.

“I guess I mo' betta wake his ass up,” her big-ass booty sighed, headin towardz tha basement door fo' realz. A few muthafuckin years ago, her companion had made tha case ta git his own room, bein too oldschool ta chill by her bedside or something. Well shiiiit, it took a lil' bit of adjustin yo, but she hustled ta chill without his ass by her side.

Bitch knocked on tha door. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. “Come on, git up!” Biatch knocked harder n' shit. There was a funky-ass bangin groan from tha other side of tha door. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. “I’m comin in, so you mo' betta be decent up in there!” dat thugged-out biiiatch called as she opened tha door.

Bitch was greeted by tha foul stench of goat cheese pizzy n' stale cupcakes. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch looked round ta peep what tha fuck use ta be her basement. Empty pizzy n' ‘Joe Donuts’ boxes littered tha floor. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Stale cupcake wrappers laid on every last muthafuckin surface n' empty bottlez flooded tha room. Da walls, which use ta hold wall ta wall of books, now hung a assortment of pin-up mares fo' realz. At tha back of tha room was a big-ass mess of hay n' blankets, a lil' small-ass trail of smoke emittin from tha pile.

“Wake up Spike!” dat thugged-out biiiatch called ta tha pile. There was a shift up in tha blankets, n' you can put dat on yo' toast. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Slowly, a big-ass purple claw rose from tha blankets. It gave a lil wave ta twilight before sinkin back tha fuck into tha blankets, n' you can put dat on yo' toast. “You’ve gots ta be kiddin me,” her big-ass booty sighed, her horn glowin again n' again n' again as her big-ass booty blasted a funky-ass bolt of purple lightenin straight all up in tha pile.

A big-ass purple n' chronic dragon erupted from tha bed of hay. “AHHHH! DAMNIT!” his schmoooove ass cried as his schmoooove ass clenched his bottom, a lil' small-ass black singe markin his muthafuckin ass. “What’d you do dat for?”

“Why do you think?” Twilight muttered. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “It’s time ta git up.”

Spike fuckin started ta whine. “Aww, c’mon Twilight, you know I need mah chill.” Dude grumbled.

“Nooooo,” da hoe fuckin started. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “Baby dragons need they chill, n' last time I checked, you weren’t a funky-ass baby no mo'.”

Dat shiznit was true. Over tha last couple years, Spike had grown ta like a size yo. Dude was still up in his fuckin late teens yo, but Spike was still talla than any pony up in Ponyville. Dude was almost as tall as Supa-Hoe Luna her muthafuckin ass. Spike let up a thunderous belch, a phat stream of smelly chronic fire blasted from his crazy-ass grill. From tha ashes, a letter formed.

Twilight quickly snatched tha letter from tha air n' opened it up. “What’s this, biatch? I’m not expectin a letter from tha bizzatch todizzle.”

Spike quickly snatched tha letter back. “It’s mine!” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd doggystyle.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. “Why do I keep you round again?”

Spike gave a thugged-out dopey smile. “Because you looooooove me,” tha dragon holla'd sarcastically.

Twilight let up a lil chuckle. “Don’t remind mah dirty ass. Now come on, our crazy asses gotz a shitload of work ta do,” her big-ass booty holla'd before headin out.

When dat thugged-out biiiatch closed tha door behind her, Spike turned his thugged-out attention ta tha letter n' shit. Carefully, he opened it up, n' read:

Dear Spike

I know how tha fuck terribly busy Twilight can make you yo, but it would be eva so sick if you cook up some fuckin time fo' our asses todizzle dawwwwg! I just gots another order from Sapphire Shores n' I need Ponyville’s number one assistant ta help me look fo' gems muthafucka! I shizzle hope you can find tha time biaatch!

Don’t keep a lady waiting… XOXO

Raritizzle

Spike quickly jumped outta his bed; of course da thug would help Raritizzle dawwwwg! Dude quickly ran ta his crazy-ass mirror ta make shizzle da thug was decent yo. Dude straight-up had grown a lot: broad shoulder, extended snout, sharper teeth n' claws, n' mo' musclez than he knew what tha fuck ta do with. “Well, aren’t you a thugged-out dirty dragon?” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd ta his dirty ass as his thugged-out lil' punk-ass baxed up in tha glory of his bangin reflection, flexin his crazy-ass muscles.

“Spike!” Twilight called from beyond his bangin room. “Will you hurry up?” Spike stopped posin up in tha mirror n' headed outta tha room n' straight ta tha front door.

“Sorry Twilight, I’ve gots thangs I need ta do!” called tha dragon as he left tha house. “Later!”

“SPIKE!!!” dat freaky freaky biatch hollered at his muthafuckin ass. But dat shiznit was too late; tha door had already slammed behind tha dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Twilight let up a groan. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “Ugh, teenagers….”

*****

Spike squinted ta shade his wild lil' fuckin eyes form tha overwhelmin light of tha autumn sun. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. Dude started headin down towardz tha Carousel Boutique. Dat shiznit was probably a short strutt yo, but todizzle da ruffneck decided ta take tha scenic route tha fuck into Ponyville Square fo' realz. After all, da ruffneck did run up on breakfast.

Dat shiznit was still fairly early yo, but tha hood square was up in full bloom, wit ponies up n' bout hustlin fo' chicken n' flowers n' other thangs dat would tickle they fancy. Da dragon strutted tha fuck into tha street. Many lil' of tha lil' mares whistled n' waved back at Spike, n' he gladly, not ta mention sensually, waved back yo. Dude knew dat da thug was considered a lil' bit of a cold-ass lil catch up in tha biatch hood. A catch all dem of dem was dirty ta snag yo. Dude was particularly fond of his bangin relationshizzle wit Colgate yo, but afta they lil fallin out, da ruffneck decided ta just trip off single game fo' a while.

“Yo Spike!” called a pale chronic unicorn. Bitch was chillin at a lil' small-ass café next ta a cold-ass lil cream coated pony wit a puffy blue mane n' a pink streak hustlin all up in dat shit. “Over here!” dat thugged-out biiiatch called up again.

Spike strutted over ta tha two. “Yo Lyra, Bon-Bon.”

“So where is you off ta todizzle?” axed Lyra. “Our thugged-out asses haven’t peeped you round hood recently.”

“Yeah Spike, what tha fuck gives?” holla'd Bon-Bon, slouchin down on tha table, twirlin her bouncy afro wit her hoof.

Spike scratched tha back of his head. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “I’ve been busy,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd casually. “Twilight has straight-up been hustlin mah ass recently all up in tha libr-“

“Or maybe one of mah thugs has been hustlin it,” Bon-Bon giggled.

“Yeah, we’ve peeped you over all up in tha Misses doggy den a shitload recently,” holla'd Lyra, givin Spike a sleazy look. “Tell me, do she use tha horn?”

Spike jerked back up in shock. “What is you two rappin' about?”

Lyra rolled her eyes n' smiled. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Yo ass know exactly what tha fuck we’re rappin' about.”

“We’re rappin' bout R ta tha A ta tha R ta tha I ta tha T ta tha Y!” busted Bon-Bon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “What’s dat spell?”

“Spike’s marefriend!” finished Lyra. Da two of dem laughed uproariously at they lil song. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike didn’t be thinkin dat shiznit was so funky.

“Yo waitress!” his schmoooove ass called up ta a nearby pony dressed up in tha formal attire, hopin ta chizzle tha subject. “We're locked n loaded ta order now!”

Da waitress strutted casually over ta they table. “What can I git you ponies…” Biatch looked awkwardly at Spike. “…and dragon?” Flippin open her lil order book, she readied her pencil up in her grill.

Da three of dem quickly gave her they ordaz before dat biiiiatch strutted away. Lyra immediately returned focus ta Spike.

“So, how tha fuck is tha lil misses recently?”

“She’s not mah misses,” Spike holla'd, tryin ta hide his thugged-out lil' playful smile. “We're just playas.”

“Yeah, playaz wit benefits!” cooed Bon-Bon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Lyra laughed again.

Spike sighed “Sick one Bon-Bon,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd sarcastically. “Yo, isn’t dat what tha fuck you two are?”

“Were,” erected Lyra, scootchin closer ta Bon-Bon, whoz ass slid closer ta Lyra. “Until dat fateful day…” Biatch gently took her mare’s hoof.

“When we knew we was meant ta be together,” sighed Bon-Bon, gazin tha fuck into her freak’s solid amber eyes.

“Together forever,” Lyra holla'd as tha two of dem nuzzled. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Spike face-palmed n' dragged it down his wild lil' face.

“I be thinkin I just lost mah appetite,” groaned Spike, starin all up in tha two ponies. Put ya muthafuckin choppers up if ya feel dis! Lyra broke off from tha nuzzle, givin Spike a gangbangin' finger-lickin' dirty look. “I still can’t believe you two blew tha fuck up so doggystyle.”

“Well, what tha fuck do you expect?” stated Bon-Bon, still not breakin away from Lyra’s face. “Ninety cement of Ponyville is female!” Spike looked around. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Biatch was right, there did seem ta be a big-ass gender gap. “I’m surprise there aren’t mo' fillyfoolaz up in town.”

Their chicken finally came, two dandelion sandwiches n' a big-ass slice of chocolate fudge cake. They gave props ta they waitress as she left ta tend ta mo' hungry hustlas. Spike looked down at his slice of cake n' greedily licked his fuckin lips. In a instant, tha entire cake had been shoved tha fuck into his crazy-ass grill, thick brown icin splatterin all over his wild lil' face.

“That’s so gross,” cringed Lyra, wipin off some chocolate dat landed off her face.

“Umm Lyra, you still gots a lil on yo' nose,” holla'd Bon-Bon.

Lyra stopped smokin, her big-ass booty stuck her tongue out, tryin ta reach her nose. “Id eei et it?” she axed wit her tongue still stickin out.

Bon-Bon gave a lil smirk. “Here,” her big-ass booty holla'd up in a sultry voice. “Allow mah dirty ass.” Bon-Bon stuck up her own tongue n' slowly dragged it slowly across her marefriend’s face, makin shizzle dat her tongue ended up in Lyra’s grill.

Spike just sat there, awkwardly lookin at his cold-ass two playaz makin up wit each other n' shit. “Yeahhhhh,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd nervously. “I’m just goin ta muthafuckin bounce.” Dude dug up in some loose scalez up in his coat, grabbin all dem bits dat dat schmoooove muthafucka hid up in there n' throwin dem on tha counter n' shit. “That should cover mah cake.” Dude gots up from tha table, tha two ponies still up in horny-ass embrace. They was gettin mo' n' mo' intense as they fuckin started feelin each other up, lettin up lil' small-ass moanz of pleasure. “Later,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd, quickly strutted away.

As tha dragon strutted away, tha two humpin' ponies fell tha fuck from they seats, still goin phat wit they passion. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Da waitress looked over ta tha chronic n' cream couple n' sighed.

“Not again.”

*****

Spike continued down towardz tha Carousel Boutique, constantly bein harassed by oldschool mares he once dated n' freshly smoked up ones dat wanted a ta take a blasted all up in tha well grown dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. Dude was able ta ditch tha crazies as he finally reached his fuckin lil' destination: a large, light pink n' purple buildin dat was sort of tha shape of a giant weddin cake.

Spike approached tha big-ass purple doorz of tha shop n' gave it a thunderous knock.

“Coooooooommmmmmmiiiiiiinnnnnngggggggg!!” a gangbangin' familiar voice sang. Da soundz of hoofsteps approachin tha door. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Slowly, it swung open. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “There yo ass is Spike biaaatch! I peep you gots mah letter!”

Raritizzle looked just as dunkadelic as she always had. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Her perfectly groomed white coat was as fine as snow yo. Her mane always a funky-ass dope shade of dark purple dat hung from her head so gracefully fo' realz. And dat face, dat dope, dope grill fo' realz. A grill dat looked like dat shiznit was carved by angels, so dope dat we could git lost up in her enchantin gem like eyes…

“Spikey, biatch? Is you all right?” she axed his muthafuckin ass. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike shook away from his cold-ass trance, unaware dat da thug was smilin stupidly.

“I’m fine.”

Bitch smiled. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Dunkadelic, oh n' I’m so grateful you was able ta come help me on such short notice,” her big-ass booty holla'd as dat freaky freaky biatch headed back tha fuck into tha shop.

“Anythang fo' you Rarity,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd dreamily, starin at her flank, her perfectly shaped flank…

“Oh I was just exhilarated when I gots tha word from Sapphire!” Biatch went on rappin' bout tha hyped thug, n' all tha scams dat dat freaky freaky biatch had fo' dresses. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike just stared at her, dumbstruck by her beauty.

“Uh-huh…” Dude mumbled, not straight-up payin attention.

“…. fo' realz. And I have just tha finest scam fo' a ruby red dress wit tha gemstones linin round tha skirt.” Biatch gave a lil laugh. “But dig me, ramblin as you wait so patiently.” Biatch started ta head upstairs. “If yo big-ass booty is ghon excuse me, I need ta git mah bag.” Biatch looked back at Spike. “Don’t worry, I’ll just be a minute.”

“Take yo' time,” Spike holla'd, watchin her head up tha stairs yo. Dude couldn’t help but feel his thugged-out ass melt as her big-ass booty swayed up tha staircase.

With time, his fuckin lil crush had evolved tha fuck into suttin' so much mo' n' mo' n' mo' fo' realz. As he gots olda da thug was able ta experience vibe up in a freshly smoked up way yo. Dude still was a cold-ass lil lil pimp at ass, n' that’s what tha fuck most mares loved bout his muthafuckin ass yo. Dude moved over ta one of Rarity’s nuff muthafuckin mirrors, checkin his dirty ass up yo. Dude had no clue why he’d fallen so up in ludd wit his own reflection. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Maybe dat shiznit was his crazy-ass muthafuckin increase up in height, maybe dat shiznit was his newfound musclez dat engorged his body, maybe dat shiznit was tha way dat his spines n' scalez was shiny n' slick, like his body was covered up in purple n' chronic gemstones. “My, yo ass be a thugged-out dirty dragon,” da thug whispered ta his dirty ass.

“Yo ass shizzle are,” giggled Rarity, slouched over tha railin of tha stairs. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike grill quickly turned red.

“Rarity!” he gasped. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “I didn’t peep you there!” Dude tried ta act casually but he ended up trippin on his cold-ass tail. “Oomph!” he grunted as he fell tha fuck ta tha ground.

Raritizzle tried ta muffle her laughter as she peeped tha dragon pick his dirty ass up. “Oh, Spike…” Biatch shook her head slowly. “Yo ass is lookin fine todizzle. It make me wanna hollar playa! In fact, you’ve never straight-up holla'd at mah crazy ass how tha fuck you stay so…” Biatch examined tha dragon’s body. “Toned…”

Spike smiled at her complement yo, but quickly lost it as tha pimpin' muthafucka tried ta explain his dirty ass. “Remember mah birthday, biatch? Bout ten muthafuckin years ago, biatch? When I gots straight-up big-ass n' destroyed half of Ponyville?”

Rarity’s eyes grew doggystyle. Of course she remembered dat day. It make me wanna hollar playa! Dat shiznit was tha dizzle Spike had tried ta confess his fuckin ludd fo' her n' shit. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch had always regretted not bustin tha same. But, as time passed n' Spike grew older, da perved-out muthafucka started ta date other mares n' she quickly tried ta ignore her vibe, even though they kept on growing. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch had tried ta date other colts n' stallions over tha muthafuckin years yo, but they was never able ta be like like his muthafuckin ass. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch particularly remembered one time when dat thugged-out biiiatch caught one of her ex coltfriendz ridin' dirty on her n' shit. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch remembered how tha fuck upset dat biiiiatch was, n' how tha fuck when Spike had found out, he rushed over ta find her up in such a gangbangin' fucked up state. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike had tried ta comfort her yo, but when she explained tha thang ta him, it took every last muthafuckin thang dat freaky freaky biatch had ta stop his ass from goin up ta find dis colt n' show his ass his newfound strength.

“Yes, I do,” her big-ass booty simply holla'd.

“Well, afta dat incident, I went ta peep Zecora,” Spike holla'd, stretchin up his thugged-out arms up in tha process. “Bitch holla'd once I reach mah full height, mah greed would just continue ta grow. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch holla'd at mah crazy ass dat if I didn’t want another episode like that, I’d gotta try n' keep busy. Yo ass know, liftin books, cleanin up tha library,” he looked at Rarity, “gem hustlin up in yo' faaaaaace biaaatch! Things like dis shit.”

“Fuck dat shit,” Raritizzle was shocked. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “I had no idea.”

Bitch felt wack fo' not knowin all tha mad bullshiznit it took Spike ta just live up in Ponyville. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Suppressin his own primal instincts, just so his schmoooove ass could be near tha ones he loved. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Dat shiznit was so dope n' selfless of his muthafuckin ass. And here dat biiiiatch was exploitin his ass ta find some gems.

“Don’t worry bout it Rarity,” Spike reassured her n' shit. “If bein a lil' bit chillaxed means I can still be round you, then it’s worth dat shit.”

Raritizzle turned her head away from Spike, tryin ta hide her grill so his schmoooove ass couldn’t peep her blush yo. Her ass was sayin ta act now yo, but dat shiznit was bein smothered by her thoughts, n' you can put dat on yo' toast. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch did a quick flip of her afro as she ignored her vibe.

“Well, we should make our way out,” her big-ass booty holla'd as calmly n' rationally as possible. “After all, it’s such a sick day, n' I would don't give a fuck bout ta gotta waste it inside.”

“Then let’s go, mah lady,” da perved-out muthafucka smirked as held tha door open fo' Rarity. “After yo thugged-out ass.”

“Well, aren’t we a gangbangin' fine gentlecolt todizzle.” Biatch smiled as dat biiiiatch strutted pass tha door.

Spike turned ta close tha door. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. Despite his bangin rather actizzle ludd game, his cold-ass thoughts always came back ta Raritizzle yo. Dude knew exactly why he loved her yo, but he knew dat as much as da thug wanted ta tell her, da thug was always afraid dat biiiiatch would say no. That was why da thug would always just stand by her side, always there ta comfort her n' take comfort whenever da thug was near her n' shit. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike frowned as these thoughts came ta mind as his schmoooove ass closed tha door but quickly dispatched it when he faced Rarity.

“Spike, is you aiiight?”

“Yeah, couldn’t be better,” he lied. Dude sometimes did whenever Raritizzle axed his ass bout how tha fuck felt, mostly ta prevent Raritizzle from worryin bout his muthafuckin ass.

*****

As Spike n' Raritizzle strutted across hood towardz tha rocks where most of tha jewels was found, they dropped time pluggin oldschool stories wit each other.

“Well, dat biiiiatch was a thugged-out dragon, n' a funky-ass dope one at that, wit bronze shiny scalez dat glimmered up in tha sunset n' eyes like tha finest rubies,” holla'd Spike, re-tellin tha tale of one of his wild lil' fuckin ex-lovers. “And, dis one time, we sat on top of dis cliff n' our tails wrapped round each other n' then we…” Spike turned ta Rarity, tha look up in her grill as da hoe bit her lip holla'd at his ass dat biiiiatch was gettin uncomfortable. “…Oh, sorry.”

“Oh, it’s like all right,” her big-ass booty holla'd doggystyle. “All our asses dudes o afta all trust one another ta share these sortz of thangs.” Spike’s grill grew redder n' redder as Raritizzle continued ta speak. “Besides, you’re a thugged-out dragon, n' she’s a thugged-out dragon. It’s only natural.”

“Fuck dat shit, no, no, no, no Rarity, our phat asses didn’t do anythang besides kiss.”

Raritizzle was relieved ta hear dis yo, but didn’t dare express dat shit. “Well, then why did you break up wit her?” she asked.

Spike grew nervous yo. Dude had peeped dat Raritizzle was bothered, n' dat schmoooove muthafucka had lived wit Twilight long enough ta know when ta be careful when da perved-out muthafucka was rappin ta a mad salty mare.

“Well dat biiiiatch was pretty…” Dude thought bout what tha fuck da thug was goin ta say, choosin every last muthafuckin word carefully. “…. But there was all dem thangs dat biiiiatch wasn’t.”

“What?”

“Bitch wasn’t generous…” Raritizzle tried ta hold back her delight as Spike kept rappin'. “…Or kind or even half tha lady yo ass is.” Her ass nearly blew up like a muthafucka. “So yeah, dat biiiiatch was pretty. But dat biiiiatch was also just a shitty dragon.”

Raritizzle smiled as tha two kept struttin towardz they straight-up hustlin spot. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch marveled at how tha fuck Spike thought of her, even when da thug was wit other mares, or dem hoez of his own kind. Dude still thought dat biiiiatch was perfect; dat biiiiatch was special.

*****

Da minutes went by as tha two of dem dropped tha entire dizzle jewel hunting.

“Spike, if you could git dis boulder off tha ground, there be a funky-ass big-ass gem deposit under it,” she asked, her glowin horn pointin ta a big-ass bolda up in tha middle of tha sandy field.

“Sure thang, then we're done here?”

Raritizzle gave his ass a nod as tha dragon grabbed tha giant rock yo. Dude took a thugged-out deep breath as lifted tha bolda wit ease, revealin a big-ass deposit of colourful gemstones. Raritizzle gazed dreamily all up in tha dragon, tha way he lifted tha bolda wit ease was breathtaking.

“Magnificent,” her big-ass booty holla'd, oglin his wild lil' frame.

“Yeah, they shizzle is some sick gems!” tha dragon holla'd, oblivious ta what tha fuck tha unicorn was straight-up rappin' about.

“Yes…the gems,” she grinned nervously. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch went ta tha gems, levitatin only tha finest ones tha fuck into her saddle bag. “There we go, dat should be enough.”

Spike dropped tha bolda wit a thud. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Okay then, I guess we should git going.” Da two of dem started ta head off, back towardz tha town. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “Yo, do you be thinkin I could git some red gems, there mah fav-” Dude stopped mid-sentence. Raritizzle stood behind him, her aiiight smile quickly changin ta a gangbangin' frown. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Da tall purple dragon fuckin started lookin ta tha tree lines, sniffin tha air round his muthafuckin ass. “Rarity, did you hear that?”

“Hear what, dear?” she asked.

“That rustle, I heard suttin' up in tha bushes…”

Raritizzle just rolled her eyes. “It’s probably just a funky-ass bunny rabbit. Straight-Up Spike, you can be all kindsa paranoid sometimes.”

Da ground erupted beneath them, bitz of dirt n' rocks was flung tha fuck into tha air, drizzlin down upon tha dragon n' unicorn, so check it before ya wreck it. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Raritizzle hid behind tha massive Spike, tha debris bouncin harmlessly off his cold-ass thick hide. From tha cloud of dust, three familiar silhouettes emerged.

Da Diamond Dogs.

“Well, well, well.” Da diamond dog’s voice was rusty, like a cold-ass lil claw draggin down a cold-ass lil chalkboard. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “If it isn’t tha whiny pony,” he looked ta tha dragon, “and her lil helper.”

Da larger dawg snorted. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! This type'a shiznit happens all tha time. “Not lil any mo' yo, but still just as weak as a funky-ass baby!” his schmoooove ass chuckled.

“Rarity, stay back,” Spike whispered behind him, a mad salty trail of smoke emittin from his nostrils yo. Dude turned ta tha dawgs. “What do you mutts want?”

Da dawgs burst tha fuck into random laughter, only increasin tha rage within tha dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Raritizzle slowly fuckin started ta back away from his muthafuckin ass. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch knew his battle stizzle all too well, his back arched forward, his cold-ass teeth gritted, musclez flexed n' claws gleamin yo. Dude was a sight ta behold n' few would dare challenge tha dragon up in dis state yo, but his opponents was slow ta learn this.

“Spike darling, please do be careful. Yo ass know I don't give a fuck bout ta peep you fight cuz of me,” Raritizzle begged tha dragon.

Spike turned his head. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Don’t worry bout dat shit.” Dude gave her a reassurin wink. “Have they even come close ta you since last time they tried this?”

Raritizzle didn’t reply, she just stood behind Spike as tha three dawgs stopped laughing.

“Give our asses tha pony!” they demanded.

“Don’t you pimps eva learn?” replied tha dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “It’s tha same ol' dirty rap every last muthafuckin time. Yo ass try ta kidnap Rarity, our crazy asses gotz a funky-ass big-ass fight, n' you all run away wit yo' singed tails between yo' legs.”

“Us thugs want dat unicorn,” demanded they leader.

“Yeah!” holla'd tha smalla dog. “We even have earplugs muthafucka! So dat thugged-out biiiatch can whine all dat biiiiatch wants!”

Raritizzle gave a lil tut. “I did not whine biaaatch! I complained hommie biaaatch! THHHHIIIIIISSSSSS Pt IIIIISSSS WHH-!”

“ENOUGH!” shouted tha lead dawg yo. Dude revealed a shiny lil piece of silver n' shit. Dat shiznit was a thugged-out dawg whistle. Da diamond dawg blew tha fuck into tha whistle, givin a high pitch ring. From tha forest round them, at least two dozen mo' dawgs emerged, all howlin n' barkin like tha rabid muthafuckas they were, so peek-a-boo, clear tha way, I be comin' thru fo'sho. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Slowly, they formed a perimeter round they prey. “Try ta stop our asses now dragon!” tha dawg gloated.

Spike could peep dat they was up manned. There had ta be at least thirty of them, n' they was closin up in fast. “Rarity, I want you ta git outta here as soon as you git tha chance.”

Raritizzle shook her head. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “No Spike biaaatch! I won’t leave…”

Spike took off, sprintin towardz a crew of dawgs wit breakneck speed, shoulder checkin tha fuck into tha straight-up original gangsta dawg wit a funky-ass bone breakin impact. Da two dawgs beside his ass took dis opportunitizzle ta try n' git tha jump on tha big-ass dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike had anticipated this, n' kicked it wit tha two dawgs wit a bangin swipe from his claws.

Mo' dawgs was drawn ta tha dragon behemoth. One tried ta jump on his back but Spike was quick ta turn round n' punch his ass right up in tha grill fo' realz. A dawg tryin ta sneak round ta flank Spike from tha side kicked it wit a similar fate, bein hurtled tha fuck into tha air by tha dragon’s uppercut. Spike was managin ta hold his own, slashing, punching, throwin dawgs tha fuck into one another n' slammin dem on tha ground. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Dude took a thugged-out deep breath n' let up a big-ass chronic firebizzle tha fuck into a crew of diamond dawgs. Da cowardly curs desperately scurried away from tha chronic flames, leavin a big-ass gap fo' Raritizzle ta escape through.

Here’s mah chance, thought Raritizzle as she ran as fast as her hairy-ass legs would carry her, jumpin gracefully over tha chronic emberz of Spike’s extinguished firebizzle. Kick dat shit! “I’ll go git help!” shouted Raritizzle as dat freaky freaky biatch headed towardz town.

But her dope ass did not git far.

“Well, wassup there pony,” tha diamond dawg holla'd, blockin tha white mare’s path. “Where do you be thinkin you’re going?”

“To go git help?” she axed innocently.

Spike could peep from tha crowd of dawgs dat Raritizzle was up in shiznit yo. Dude let up a roar as tha pimpin' muthafucka tried ta escape from tha pile of mutts upon his muthafuckin ass yo. Dude grabbed two dawgs by tha necks n' slammed they headz against each other n' shit. “Rarity!” his schmoooove ass called, desperately tryin ta reach tha mare.

Dude was so preoccupied wit tha dawgs, da ruffneck didn’t peep tha big-ass one come round from behind, n' da thug was carryin a straight-up big-ass stick. It took three strikes ta tha grill of tha dragon before Spike finally went down. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Da big-ass dawg laughed, aiiight wit his victory as da ruffneck dropped tha now shattered stick. Da remainin dawgs quickly jumped on tha downed dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch.

“Rarity! Run!” his schmoooove ass called out, tryin ta wiggle outta tha Diamond Dogs grasp yo, but ta no avail.

Raritizzle was still frozen up in fear as dat freaky freaky biatch heard her playa tell her ta run. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch quickly snapped outta dat shit. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch hated ta gotta leave his ass up in such a state yo, but she knew dat dat freaky freaky biatch had ta n' Spike would be fine. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch hoped.

“You’re comin wit us, pony!” tha dawg screamed as he lunged towardz Rarity, claws extended. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Raritizzle shrieked as she gave a quick kick straight ta his wild lil' freakadelic gemstones. Da dawg clutched tha throbbin pain between his hairy-ass legs as his schmoooove ass cried up in agony.

“Yo ass don’t bust a nut on a lady like that!” da hoe barked all up in tha diamond dog.

Da dawg slowly gots up from tha ground. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Yo ass straight-up shouldn’t have done dis shit.” His voice was all dem octave higher n' shit. “Now you’re gonna git it!” Dude quickly snatched tha pony by tha neck, liftin her off her hooves.

“P-put me down you, you brute!” she gasped, strugglin fo' air.

“Shut it!” da perved-out muthafucka shouted, glarin all up in tha pony.

“Make me!”

Da dawg smiled. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Gladly,” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd, right before strikin her up in tha face. Rarity’s left eye quickly fuckin started ta swell, a lil' small-ass trickle of blood pourin from her ear. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. “Yo ass like that?” he axed devilishly, strikin her again, her once dope white grill now covered wit red n' purple bumps. Da dawg snickered as tha pimpin' muthafucka threw tha defeated pony ta tha ground.

Raritizzle looked up at Spike. Dat shiznit was takin six dawgs ta hold his ass down, even though he looked like da thug was hit by a train. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. His body was covered wit blood n' bruises, his wild lil' grill was disfigured, his snout all bent up in a jagged pattern, wooden splintas up in his cheek n' blood drippin from his nose. “Spike…please… Help me…”

“Rarity…”

Da leader strutted up ta Spike’s defeated visage, a funky-ass big-ass toothy grin on his skanky face. “Well, well, well, it be lookin like tha big-ass wack dragon is up fo' tha count!” Da other dawgs laughed, eggin his ass on.

“Go…go ta Tartarus…” tha dragon muttered.

Howlz of laughter came from tha dawgs as they leader flexed his claws. “What was that?” he asked, takin one of his fuckin long n' jagged claws n' placin it over Spike’s right eyebrow. “I couldn’t like hear dis shit.”

Dude slowly n' painfully jabbed tha nail tha fuck into tha dragons skin. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike tried his dopest not ta show any pain.

“Make his ass squeal!” shouted one of tha dawgs, tha rest of tha pack agreein wit mo' hellish howling. Da lead dawg smiled, lookin all up in tha dreary eyez of tha dragon.

“Well, dragon, biatch? Yo ass gonna squeal fo' us?” he axed Spike. Da drake holla'd nothing. “Well then…” Dude twisted his nail round up in Spike’s wound, right before slashin down across his wild lil' fuckin eye.

Da dragon grunted up in pain as blood poured over his wild lil' fuckin eye.

“This won’t do it,” sighed tha lead dawg yo. Dude turned ta Rarity, dat biiiiatch was bein held by tha big-ass diamond dog. “Maybe his crazy-ass marefriend can help us.” Dude grew another devilish grin on his wild lil' face.

“Not…my marefriend…”

“Oh,” holla'd tha diamond leader, a shitty scam formin up in his crazy-ass mind. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Then I guess you wouldn’t mind…” Dude took a hold of Rarity, slammin her grill tha fuck into tha ground. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Yo ass see…” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd as he looked back at Spike, “here’s what tha fuck we’re goin ta do. First we’ll have some funk wit yo' lil pony.” Spike’s heartbeat fuckin started ta increase. “And then was goin ta bust a cap up in yo thugged-out ass.” Spike gritted his thugged-out lil' pointy teeth. “Then, she’s goin ta work till she findz our asses all tha diamondz up in Equestria.” Spike was growling. “But don’t worry, she’ll have nuff breaks.” Dude looked at his thugged-out lil' pack. “Our thugged-out asses have needz afta all!”

Da ounce ta tha bounce of horny dawgs whistled n' cackled at dat remark, echoin up in tha darknizz dat was approaching. Da cloudz had blocked up tha sun, n' soon dat shiznit was drizzlin heavily.

“What do you say, thugs?” tha lead dawg shouted. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! This type'a shiznit happens all tha time. “I’ve never had wet mare before!” Dude strutted behind Raritizzle n' grabbed her flank. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch tried her dopest ta resist yo, but dat biiiiatch was just too weak ta fight back. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch started ta cry, lookin at Spike fo' help. Da dragon looked like da thug was bustin up like a biatch as well. Fuck dat shit, not bustin up.

Laughing.

“What’s so funky?” axed tha leader.

Spike lil' small-ass lil chuckle grew n' grew tha fuck into a maniacal laughter n' shit. Every dawg was starin at his ass wit a strange look. “It’s funky…’cause I know suttin' you don’t…”

“And what’s that?” tha dawg axed smugly.

Da dragon looked up, tha blood from his wild lil' fuckin eye drenched across tha right side of his wild lil' face. “Simple,” his thugged-out lil' punk-ass fuckin started, “I have wings.”

Da four dawgs holdin down Spike’s back was flung tha fuck into tha air, landin unconsciously on tha ground. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! On Spike’s back was two big-ass purple wings, n' dat schmoooove muthafucka had become straight-up phat at foldin dem so they blended tha fuck into his back. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Sometimes, it didn’t even be lookin like they was even there, so peek-a-boo, clear tha way, I be comin' thru fo'sho. With tha weight of tha dawgs off his back, da thug was easily able ta crush tha skullz of tha remainin two dawgs up in his crazy-ass massive claws.

Da big-ass dawg charged at Spike fo' realz. Apparently, dat schmoooove muthafucka had found another stick. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike mustered up what tha fuck lil fire was burnin up in his belly n' erupted it up in tha dog’s face. Da big-ass dawg screamed as da thug was burned kickin it, fallin ta his knees as tha pimpin' muthafucka tried ta pat up tha chronic flames.

Da leader of tha Diamond Dogs was all ridin' solo. Dude dropped Rarity, n' started ta run away yo. Dude wasn’t nearly as fast as tha flyin dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike grabbed tha dawg by tha neck n' flew high up tha fuck into tha air.

Da dawg desperately tried ta claw free. “Mercy dawwwwg! Mercy!” his schmoooove ass cried weakly.

“Mercy?” tha solemn dragon asked. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Did yo dirty ass show our asses mercy!” His grip tightened. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “DID YOU SHOW HER ANY MERCY!”

“I’m…I’m sorry” his schmoooove ass coughed. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! “Please…”

“NO MERCY!” tha dragon screamed as he flew higher tha fuck into tha air. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. Once he reached a high altitude, his schmoooove ass closed his wings n' tha two fuckin started hurtlin towardz tha ground.

As they fell, tha dawg was finally able ta wiggle down enough ta bite tha hand of tha dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike winced up in pain as he let go of tha dawgs neck. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike opened his wings ta slow his wild lil' fall yo, but tha dawg grabbed his fuckin leg.

“I’ll bust a cap up in you, nahmean biiiatch?” tha dawg screamed as da perved-out muthafucka swung across tha dragon’s soft underbelly.

Blood blew up like a muthafucka from tha dragon’s stomach as Spike gave a thunderous roar yo. Dude looked down all up in tha evil grin of tha diamond dog, Spike’s blood drenched across his wild lil' face.

Back on tha ground, Raritizzle was huddled up in tha mud, lettin up lil snifflez over what tha fuck almost happened ta her, n' what tha fuck had happened ta Spike already. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Slowly she noticed freshly smoked up thick dropz of liquid fallin on her face. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch looked up ta peep dat shiznit was not rizla yo, but dark crimson blood. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! I be fly as a gangbangin' falcon, soarin all up in tha sky dawwwwg! Biatch quickly scurried away from tha blood rain. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. Where was it comin from, biatch? Biatch thought. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch found up soon enough as a big-ass gameless body fell tha fuck from tha sky n' landed up in tha mud wit a messy splat. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Slowly, Raritizzle peeked at what tha fuck it was. Dat shiznit was tha headless body of a gangbangin' finger-lickin' diamond dog. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Spike descended from tha sky n' landed next ta Rarity.

“Spike!” her big-ass booty screamed as dat biiiiatch went ta gangbang tha dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “Dat shiznit was wack biaaatch! T-T-They tried ta r-r-r-r” Biatch couldn’t say dat last word. Y'all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Biatch was up in full tears as dat thugged-out biiiatch clung ta her dragon.

“It’s all gravy Rarity…” da perved-out muthafucka holla'd, tha sadnizz up in his wild lil' fuckin eyes was clear as he rested his neck on her shoulder n' shiznit yo. His eyes started ta grow heavy. “I’m sorry…”

Bitch looked all up in tha dragon, wipin tha tears from her eyes. “Spiky, you have not a god damn thang ta be sorry about!” Biatch felt his weight gettin heavier n' shit. “Spike?” Da dragon collapsed on tha ground, blood still pourin outta his stomach. “Spike!” her big-ass booty screamed all up in tha fadin dragon. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch. “Spike git up!” her dope ass demanded while bustin up. “Git up damn it!” Biatch held tha dragon’s grill close ta hers, his big-ass chronic eyes still shinin up in tha rain. I aint talkin' bout chicken n' gravy biatch yo. Dude gave her a weak smile.

“I’m sorry…”

Rarity’s tried ta hold her tears back, causin her ta hyperventilate. “What?” she axed on tha fuckin' down-lowly. “What is you sorry about?” Biatch waited fo' his thugged-out answer.

Spike coughed up a lil blood, tha ghetto was gettin darker round him, yet Raritizzle was as bright as eva n' shiznit yo. Her grill was covered wit blood, her left eye had swollen over n' dat freaky freaky biatch had cuts all over her cheek. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch was still dope ta his muthafuckin ass. “I’m sorry…I …never holla'd at…you…” his fuckin lyrics was gettin heavier as da perved-out muthafucka spoke. Dat shiznit was harder ta breath. “How tha fuck I……” Dude couldn’t finish tha sentence before every last muthafuckin thang went black.