Canterlot Catacombs
January 10, 2016
"Who knows about the leader of this movement, the one where the peasants left us to do the work?!" A man with a tuxedo asked, looking at a woman with pink hair, and had three fleur-de-lis symbols on her white shirt, two purple and one gold.
"I only know that I do not," she briefly answered.
"If you're going to ask about the leader, why don't you ask this one?" A hooded figure asked.
"Who are you?" the man in the tuxedo asked.
"As said in times before ours, it doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan." the hooded man said. The man in the suit got closer to the hooded figure and uncovered his face, only to see a red bandanna with a black eagle covering the lower half of his face.
"No one cared about who I was, until I liberated the mass."
"What the hell brought you to begin this strike?"
"If you want to hear the whole story, let me do a few things first." He walked over to the woman and helped her up, seating her to the nearest chair. He then pulled out two chairs, one for himself and one for the well-dressed man.
"It began over a year ago, back in the restraints of the former princess...
"Spike, do your chores, I'm going out with the girls!" Twilight Sparkle yelled, while she left.
Harmony Castle, the place where Twilight Sparkle resided, along with her Dragon-Blood assistant. Fellow readers, I ask you the following: is he truly an assistant, or is he an assistant by title? This is the question our protagonist asks himself, as he sweeps the floors of the castle.
"And by chores, you refer to slave work," Spike said out loud, once his guardian had left the castle.
Twilight Sparkle had gone to Rarity's to get a new dress for the Grand Galloping Gala, for it was in a week. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were also at the Boutique, and they had also been invited to the Gala. His question was now the following: why hadn't he been invited? He was by all rights Celestia's son, and that marked him as a Prince. At the age of 17, he still wondered why he was still locked inside the walls of the castle, while his 'Guardian' was out with her friends.
Yes, she was a Princess, and she had new duties, but what about all the free time she still had? Used up either on her boyfriend, her friends, or all-nighters until she fell asleep. The sad fact of life for him was why he was stuck inside those walls. Every morning, he would have to wake up early and clean each and every single room of the castle, but why exactly didn't anyone help him? The answer was the following: when Spike asked her if she would hire any maids to assist him, she said that she would do so in the following days, but she would eventually forget therefore he gave up.
His chores consisted on cooking, mopping, dusting, sweeping, and all other imaginable chores. He had grown tired of his life, he worked himself to the bone, yet he didn't get the respect he deserved nor a salary. It had been time he had last helped Rarity, and he had known nothing about her nor the elements of Loyalty, Honesty and Laughter as of late. He had considered suicide several times, yet there was always a reason as to why hadn't done so: Her. Many of you would've thought it was Rarity, but it was Fluttershy.
He received visits from her every once in a while, and they would eat, clean together and spend a fun time, although this would only occur when he was alone. He still hadn't given up on Rarity, but the time he couldn't spend with her was now discouraging him. He wanted to escape, but he needed to find the way. That's when, his mind clicked back to the Gala: that was his perfect escape plan. He would start planning his escape bit by bit, and he would soon break free.
It was the day of the Gala, and the Elements were about to leave. It was 5:50 A.M., and they were already leaving. The train would leave at 6:00 A.M., and the train that Spike would take parted at 9:00 A.M. As he saw them leave, he started preparing his pesonal belongings: personal hygiene products such as a toothbrush, deoderant, toothpaste and a bar of soap. He also packed his clothes in a luggage case, and last but not least, he took the cage along with his lad, Pee Wee.
That phoenix had been there through thick and thin with him, and he simply couldn't leave the pet that had grown into a friend behind. He was going to miss the girls and all the other residents of Ponyville, but he felt like he needed to leave and be part of the world, not rot in the walls of a castle. As he waited for time to pass until he left, he found a CD Vinyl Scratch had given to him time ago as a birthday gift. He played it, and he found the song that had motivated to plan his escape. He paused the song right before it began, and he wrote a note.
Time had passed, and it was now time to leave. Without looking back, he headed for the train station, with the determination of changing his life for the better.
Canterlot Castle, Canterlot
8:00 P.M.
The Grand Galloping Gala, an event that occured once a year and also reunited the most important people of Equestria. Held by the two sisters Celestia and Luna, this event was now livelier due to the events of that famous gala, where five of the Elements were pretty much fighting over the remaining ticket. Speaking of the Elements of Harmony, they each arrived with their signature dresses, and with the same objectives they had five years ago. Well, except for Twilight and Rarity. Twilight was planning on spending time with her boyfriend while Rarity intended on enjoying herself, for she had decided to stop setting her sights on dating for the time being. Before they went to enjoy the gala to do what they had already planned, a couple neared them.
“Twily!” a certain blue-maned Unicorn exclaimed.
“B.B.B.F.F!” the lavender Alicorn answered, but when she saw Cadence, she proceeded to begin their signature greeting:
“Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hands and do a little shake!” They then broke into laughter, until Cadence said:
“Celestia and Luna want to see you, they are in the study.” Once she finished, she proceeded to lead the Elements and Flash to Celestia’s study, and when they opened the door, there stood Celestia, standing in the middle of the study. She wore a white dress that showed off her figure, yet gave a regal air to her. In a chair stood Luna, who wore a dark blue dress that contrasted her pale skin nicely and complimented her small figure.
“Good evening princesses,” Twilight said, while she, the remaining Elements and her boyfriend bowed down.
“Now Twilight, there is no need to bow, for in this gala, my sister and I wish to be treated as any other citizen would be treated,” Celestia said, before taking a seat.
“Ok, prince-err, I mean, Celestia,” Twilight said, as she proceeded to take a seat with the other Elements, while Sentry stood by her.
“I suppose you are all eager to form part of the gala, being that it can be read on your faces. How were the external decoration and the animal handling, Fluttershy?” the moon Goddess asked the Element of Kindness.
“Oh, the decoration was done nicely and the dears were excited,” she answered, with a small hint of happiness in her voice.
“How was the preparation of the meals Applejack?” Celestia asked.
“Everything’s alright, Celestia” the Element of Honesty said, with a smile on her face.
“How is the special act, Rainbow Dash?” Luna asked, with a hint of anxiety in her voice.
“The Wonderbolts and I are ready, just tell us when you need it to be done, because nothing can stop the Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!” she answered, in her usual boasting tone.
“How was the planning of the music and entertainment, Pinkamena?” Celestia asked.
“Things are superrific, Princess! I can’t wait to go and have some fun!” the Element of Laughter said in her usual cheerful tone.
“How was the planning for the decoration, dear Rarity?” Luna asked.
“Oh darling, it was wonderful, and I couldn’t have asked for a better event to show off my skills better than this one,” the Element of Generosity answered.
“Twilight, how was the overall organization of the event?” the solar goddess asked.
“Everything is in perfect order, Celestia, there is nothing that can go wrong,” the Element of Magic answered.
“I am glad to hear that from who once was my protégé, and to see that she has become an excellent princess, it makes the years with you worthwhile.”
“Oh it’s nothing Princess, I am really thankful for all those years.”
“If there is nothing left, let’s go out there and have some fun!” Rainbow Dash kicked in.
“In fact, there is one more thing, and I have noticed that you brought your boyfriend Flash Sentry with you Twilight,” the solar princess said, first directing herself to Rainbow Dash, then to Twilight Sparkle.
“What is it, Celestia?” Twilight asked, wondering what she had forgotten.
“Where’s Spike?”
Act I, Part I: Push Car Railway
Day of the Gala
8:50 A.M
"What do you mean with 'the train is occupied'?" Spike asked the ticket seller.
"That train is the only one available to Canterlot, and it is going to other cities to get the other attendees for the Grand Galloping Gala," the ticket seller answered.
"Fuck's sake..." As he said that, he saw a man that was using a pump car on the tracks.
"Excuse me sir, mind if I tag along?"
"How good are you with that guitar, laddie?" the man on the cart asked, pointing at the classic wooden guitar the Dragon-blood had strapped on his back.
"Pretty good, I know several songs. Ask and I'll see if I know it."
"Do you know 'Ring of Fire'?" Upon hearing this, Spike started playing that well-known song, which is proudly made by Johnny Cash.
"Hop on, we're going wheresoever these tracks are taking us."
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"Love, is a burning thing..." and with this, the journey of our protagonist begins, as we head for his next destination, but that is for later, for now, we will resume what happened at the Gala that night...
Resuming where we left off at the Gala...
At that moment, everyone was silent, for the drake in question was not there. Suddenly, Twilight spoke up.
"Princess- I mean Celestia, Spike..." she trailed off.
"She left him at home, because the last ticket was used to bring me here Your Highness," Flash said, in a firm tone, although there was a hint of fear in his voice. Upon hearing this, Celestia said:
"Those that do not have the title of 'Princess', leave this room, immediately." One by one, the people left the study, until the four princesses were left. Upon the others leaving, the Solar Princess's horn glowed faintly, and then, Celestia broke:
"What do you mean with 'you left him at home'? That ticket was for Spike!"
"But Princess, I-" Twilight said, only to be interrupted by the sun goddess:
"I do not care about your excuse, I specified that the seventh ticket was for my son, and you decided to bring your boyfriend instead! Faust damn it, you are a librarian and a princess, yet you forget about the meaning of friendship this time! Get out of my sight, before I do something I end up regretting." Upon hearing this, the princess of friendship left the room, with something puzzling her mind. Then it hit her: what did Celestia mean by 'her son'? As if someone heard her thoughts, Luna answered her with an indication:
"Come with me, I will explain everything once we get there." The two proceeded to go to Luna's study, which was a contrast of several tones of blues and whites. Luna took a seat in her black leather chair (courtesy of her father, and maintained with a spell known by few), while Twilight took a seat on a sofa.
"Everything began when..."
3:00 P.M
Elsewhere
As the drake and the push car man stopped, they observed the place the two had reached: Dodge Junction.
"Well kid, do you want to stay here?" the push car man asked.
"Yeah, it's fine," Spike answered, as he got off the cart.
"Well sonny, I will now travel wheresoever these mere tracks take me. Goodbye, young chap!" With this, he started pumping, slowly disappearing from the dragon-blood's view. As he walked, he saw a flyer that said 'Help Wanted'. Might as well get myself a job, money doesn't fall from the sky, Spike thought. He asked a man for directions in order to reach the destination that was given on the flyer, and after receiving instructions, he left for his destination. Upon arriving, he saw a woman that had two-toned red hair and a cream-colored dress. This woman was nothing less than Cherry Jubilee, the woman who could pretty much be considered as the most important person in Dodge Junction, who was known for being the proud owner of Cherry Hill Ranch.
"Good afternoon, how may I help you?"
