Author's Note

Okay, so this story has 60 favorites, 45 "likes" and......

13 dislikes.... (sad sigh)....

The sad part is that I don't blame them.

SOMEPONY ADDED THIS STORY TO THE GROUP "CLOPFICS!" WHEN IT IS NOT A CLOPFIC (since it is rated "teen")!

My question-to solve this problem-is that: Is there any way to remove a story from a group?

My belief is that the "dislikes" come from the people in the "clopfic" group that find this story...and find that it is mis-grouped "dislike" it.

I have to find troll repellent.

However, I'd like to thank everypony that Favorited this story. I'd thank everypony that "liked" this story too, but....unfortunately....this site doesn't list who "likes" it.

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Thank you all!

Training the mares, facing your fears

Spike's Technique list
*Attack Prevention Technique
*Amaterasu
* Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation
*Fire Release: Great Fireball Shower
*Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
*Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique
*Genjutsu: Sharingan
*Gunbai Barrier Technique
*Gunbai Fanned Wind
*Kamui
*Sensing
*Shadow Clone Technique
*Susanoo
*Uchiha Return
And the only technique that Madara didn't know
*Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique

Anyways.....let's see what the viewers said.

They wanted something for Twilight that would be difficult to master, such as a staff....well, I could use a crystal as a blade on one end...

Fluttershy's should be non-lethal....accepted...however....I think a whip would be a bit much. I mean....can you see Fluttershy using a whip at a "closer" range than my planned item? Though it may work in combination with my originally planned item.... Senbon Needles.

Senbon are metal needles with a point at both ends. They often serve a medical purpose, being used to strike acupuncture points. They have little killing power, but can be thrown with great accuracy. A user with proper medical knowledge however, can effectively use senbon in battle to incapacitate or even kill their target should they aim for vital spots.

Applejack I heard a couple people say gauntlets...and, well, I have to agree with them. Being an Earth Pony, her main power lies in strength...that would allow her to utilize it.

The only thing I heard at first for Rarity was a rapier...but then someone suggested something amazing. A tessen. A bladed hand-fan. That is utterly.....BRILLIANT!

Pinkie Pie I kept hearing unconventional things like "hammers". And well....it's Pinkie Pie. Since it is an unconventional weapon (the only real recorded case I remember hearing about a hammer as a weapon was with the Norse God Thor)....It fits Pinkie to a T.

Rainbow Dash is also a problem. The viewers want something "cool" and fast. One idea is a Chukoto-a Japanese straight one-edged sword. Sasuke Uchiha uses one and it has been been shown to be able to be swung at fast speeds. Other options include spears and daggers. Until there is a definate "yes" among the fans, Rainbow Dash has not been "fitted" to a weapon.

Also, here is the Chukoto.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A week after the "Griffon incident", Spike had been training the six mares daily.

Six mares stood across an open field from a gold-armored dragon. The dragon was tall-slightly taller than the tallest mare, had emerald green eyes with cat-like pupils, and wielded a metal war fan called a gunbai.

Weapons of many sorts were laid on each side of the field. There were fans, senbon needles, whips, shuriken, kunai, swords, and even a staff with a blade at one end composed of magically-reinforced purple crystals.

The only mare with an object in her hands was an orange one with a blonde mane and tail. She wore blue jeans and a baggy red-and-white plaid shirt. The objects on her hands were gauntlets with spikes protruding from the knuckles and metal plates covering her arms, backs of her hands, and fingers.

"That's it! He's going down in ten seconds flat!" A cyan mare in training clothes yelled, her rainbow-colored mane and tail hovering by the gusts of wind her wings caused, before she charged straight at the dragon.

"Rainbow Dash!" A lilac Unicorn mare called out before she and the other four (excluding the orange Earth Pony) mares ran to the sidelines to grab random objects. The lilac Unicorn came back holding the staff, while the butterscoth Pegasus with a pink mane and tail strapped a container of senbon needles to her right leg and held a long rose-patterned whip in her left hand.

The white Unicorn grabbed an elegant, one-handed fan with ornate golden leaf patterns and blades protruding from the top, while the pink Earth Pony grabbed...a giant pink hammer...

The cyan Pegasus had now reached the dragon and swung a punch with her right hand, only to find it caught in the dragon's left hand, and before she could react, the side of the gunbai had stuck her right side and sent her flying back to the other mares.

"Was the time I spent trying to teach you teamwork all for nothing?" The dragon asked, before a whistling sound was heard and he raised the side of the gunbai, stopping the senbon needles in midair. With a swing, a gust of wind from the gunbai blasted the needles back at the mares, but they stopped short, landing on the ground in front of them.

A smirk came upon the dragon's face as he saw all six mares charging. The first to reach him was the pink pony, who swung the hammer but fount it stopped short by the gunbai and then a powerful kick to the pony's midsection sent her skidding back. A lilac magical blast came out of nowhere, but the dragon performed a backflip and skidded to a stop, his eyes closed.

"Congratulations..." He said, opening his eyes revealing red irises around a now-round pupil and three raindrop-shaped tomoes around the pupil. "You've forced me to activate the Sharingan. Perhaps the lesson on teamwork hasn't been wasted..."

The white Unicorn mare, orange Earth Pony, and butterscotch Pegasus attacked in tandem. The dragon twisted and weaved to avoid the strikes from the Earth Pony's gauntlets. As he was focusing his attention to the Earth Pony, a whip wrapped around his left arm and tugged him towards the bladed fan of the white Unicorn as she swung it at his head, her eyes widening in horror as she couldn't see how he'd escape.

His eyes morphed as the tomoe gained a hole in each of them and their longer ends shifted and connected to each other. A powerful blast emerged from his location, sending up smoke, but the mares held their ground, with the white unicorn being held in place by the Orange Earth Pony.

The bladed fan had struck.......

A large rib-cage covered in blue flames that surrounded the dragon.

"Once again you've reached a milestone....You've forced me to use the initial form of the Susanoo." The dragon said, as the white Unicorn and orange Earth Pony were then paralyzed from making eye contact with the dragon. "But...."

In a blur of speed, the mares were stuck and went flying.

"Your moves are still too wide."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The six mares sat bruised and battered, but otherwise unharmed. "Now....can you tell me what you did wrong?" The dragon asked, pacing in front of them.

"We let Rainbow Dash charge by herself first." the Butterscotch Pegasus quietly said, "Um....if you don't mind...that is..."

"Exactly. While you did cover it up by grabbing your supplies caused by the opening, except for some senbon needles, nopony went to help until she was blasted back at you. Some ponies wont stop at just knocking you back injured. What if....instead of a gunbai, I had used a kama? No...wait...that was destroyed. A kunai?"

At this the defiant look on the cyan mare faded into a thoughtful one as she rubbed her bruised side.

"Also, Applejack and Rarity, while successful in their collaboration with Fluttershy, looked into my Mangekyo Sharingan. This is a big 'don't do' when it comes to facing anything with special eye powers. For instance...what if instead of me, you had been facing cockatrices? I heard back in his prime, Discord could hypnotize ponies with a glance, just like my Genjutsu: Sharingan." Spike said, turning to face them.

Seeing their utterly defeated looks, his face softened.

"I'm not doing this to be harsh." Spike said, as the mares looked up, "I'm doing this to keep all of you safe. I'm sixteen, and I started training when I was six, and I am still learning....if I want to get anywhere close to his level." Spike said, growling out the word his.

Only Twilight had a look of understanding at who Spike was mentioning, as the other five mares had looks of utter confusion.

"However, my growth threw off my balance, and I've been re-learning my claw-to-hoof combat.......so in all actuality I'm training along side all of you." Spike said.

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie...you have an abundant amount of Yang-physical energy. While I know Fluttershy's shyness will probably prevent her from going right up to an opponent...that doesn't mean she can't be useful. With that whip and those senbon, she can easily disable or trip up foes from a distance....by the way Fluttershy...how do you know how to use senbon?" Spike's train of thought was broken when that question came to his head.

"I...um...sometimes use.....accupuncture....on my...animal friends when they are in pain....excuse me..." She replied, turning her gaze away from everypony.

"Okay....as I was saying, you four have a lot of Yang energy....but you shouldn't become over-reliant on it. There are many stamina-freaks out in the world. Try to get the most out of your movements while exerting as little energy as possible." Spike said, "And it may help you out in other endeavors."

"Rarity and Twilight have the opposite problem. They have an overabundance of Yin-Spiritual Energy. However, only Twilight can seemingly use it in battle. Rarity, this doesn't mean your magic is useless. I've seen you move multiple fabrics at the same time. Potentially, you can also use your magic to grab onto a foe's limbs or even extend the range of your fan's blades." Spike said.

"Wait." Rainbow Dash asked, standing up, "why are you criticizing us? We nearly got you!"

"With me not using most of my techniques." Spike replied and Rainbow Dash sat down. "Even my least lethal Fire-Release Technique, while not as hot as Dragon-Fire, can still burn any of you to ashes if struck. Also, I've never used my Amaterasu or Kamui...in fact, due to your statement Rainbow Dash, tomorrow I will use the Kamui...let's see if you can 'get me' then!"

At this declaration all the other mares glared at the cyan Pegasus.

"In fact" Spike continued, "Until today, I've only used sensing, Genjutsu: Sharingan, and Gunbai Fanned Wind as well as my claw-to-hoof combat. Basically, I've handicapped myself each training session. Tomorrow, I will add yet another notch to the difficulty and add my Gunbai Barrier Technique."

"Wait. Gunbai Barrier Technique?" Twilight asked, and Spike nodded.

"Twilight, create the largest spear you can make." Spike said and Twilight conjured up a spear twice his length and nearly half his height before launching it at him. Spike slammed the Gunbai into the ground, held the handle and called out "Gunbai Barrier Technique!" before a wall of blue energy formed a semi-circle about twenty-hoofs high and a semi-circle around him twenty-hoofs long in front of the gunbai. The spear struck the barrier and jammed in as if it hit a solid wall, much to the ponies amazement.

Spike let the energy stop and the spear fell harmlessly to the ground as he picked up his gunbai and strapped it to his back.

"Now. Rest up. Take the rest of the day to reflect and think up new strategies." Spike said, as they headed back to Ponyville.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Much to his ire, Twilight's version of "relaxing" was "studying" and "practicing".

"Twilight....you do know you need to rest your magic after exerting it....right? Spike asked, as he suddenly found himself with a large black mustache.

"Many Unicorns only have a limited amount of magic, tied with their talent. But...what if their talent is magic?" She asked, going over a checklist, "That makes twenty-five spells."

"....You're not listening, are you?......" Spike asked.

Just as she was about to continue with her tirade, a pair of Unicorn Colts-Snips and Snails-burst into the library.

"Twilight, you've gotta check this out. There's a new Unicorn in town!" Snips said.

"Yeah, and they say she has more magical prowess than any other Unicorn!" Snails added.

"Wait...that's not right. How can she have more magic than a pony whose special talent is magic?" Spike asked, ripping the mustache off his face, "Ahhhahaaa! That stings!" He groaned out, holding his face.

Seeing Twilight's concerned face and the colt's eager faces he groaned. "I'm not interfering in this one." He said as Twilight walked out to investigate.

Leaving Spike alone with his thoughts.

Giving a soft sigh, he felt his fears sneaking up through his body, and he quickly tried to push them down and calm his nerves. He had always said his worst fear was "Madara"...but never really went into depth about it-not even to his mother.

His fear wasn't just Madara coming back.....ever since he received the same kind of powers Madara had....he feared.....

Becoming the very same kind of person Madara was.

A person who would betray his friends if they got in his way.

To quell his fear, he tried acting aloof....trying to create distance between the ponies around him...and yet....he still had friends.

"You won't escape me that easily." A silky, yet sinister voice said, and Spike saw Madara standing in the mirror where his reflection should be.

"I am nothing like you! You're dead! I saw the Shinigami take your soul!" Spike said, glaring at his reflection.

"And yet...we are very much alike. Oh you poor naive fool. You don't get it, do you?.....you have MY powers....in a way...I live on!" Madara said, "You may not be me reborn, but....you are still MY heir...." With that the image of Madara faded and was replaced by a fearful looking Spike's.

"I...am NOT Madara!" Spike said, moving to lean against the wall, "This is just my stress talking..."

Even the wind seemed to mock him, carrying his voice along with it.

"But you are afraid....and through that fear....I live on....my name...still...has power."

"I swear Madara....if you show your face here on Equestria ever again...I'll be ready....to destroy you!" Spike shouted, as he struck the wall with his fist and left a hole in it and his eyes shifted to the Mangekyo Sharingan......

The same Mangekyo Sharingan that Madara once had.....