Spike’s Heart Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don’t own My Little Pony and its characters, but my OCs are mine.

Spike’s Heart

Chapter 8

The Fight for Life

Spike reappears from green flames, far away, on a mountain after sending Chrysalis to safety. The mountain is massive and overlooks the valley below as well as everything else miles around. The figure of Spike looking into the distance with rays of light off glistening his scales, brings a sense of majesty to his surroundings.

“Sigh… This Kreelix is a very stubborn creature.” Spike says, as he watches a dark figure dashing through the treetops silently, in the distance. These movements were showing deep in the valley below, and Spike can only see it with his draconic vision. Taking the ring that serves as his connection to Lily, a series of thin green flames start to sprout which forms a cocoon. The guarded ring flies into a tree far away. Spike continues to form a variety of colorful, fiery inscriptions… as a slight haze appears on the mountain top.

Done with his preparations, Spike takes a deep breath and calm his nerves. Focusing deep inside for a deep warmth… his eyes starting to narrow as he slowly shifts into his more instinctual state.

The Kreelix shoots out the forest line slowing down when he sees his prey waiting patiently for him. Sharp teeth can’t be hidden as he feels excitement. For what he is sensing, is the power in the dragon race.

“It was a wingless dragon, who stop my game?” It sniffs the air shaking it head, “I don’t smell an earth dragon, but I don’t see no wings. *Haha* funny, very funny!” It laughs, deeply breaking the lying tree branches on the ground. Suddenly, its red pupil less eyes widens, “Oh I know! You a half breed… Yes, half breed, how can you disappear in the middle of my game? Oh! Or was it the witch’s doing? What was that power…” The Kreelix licks its lips but stops as his small eyes looks around the wingless drake. Feeling slightly confuse, it asks, “Where’s the weak witch bug… did the witch die along the way here. Oh whatever! I find her body somewhere. Drake I’m hungry, but first… why the prey is waiting for me?” It smiles as he sees the drake becoming angry.

Spike quickly calms his instincts and responds, “I wanted to ask you something. I found it strange that you, a Kreelix, can speak so well. There seems to be other differences and no records of it.”

“Ah great question young drake very good question. In a way… I mutated?” It smiles, rubbing his chin with a hairy black wing. “Yes mutated, is the word for it… Now the HOW. OH YES! Being trapped by a WEAK wizard with nothing, I should have perished long ago, but… I SURVIVE when I found many dark energy crystals and feed from them. At first, I felt very ill, but after a while I became stronger and finally, much smarter. I’m no longer this Kreelix, or whatever does silly pony wizards called my kind. There isn’t anyone who can compare to me. I broke and eat the wizard’s seal and became the ruler of this lovely forest. I consume a countless number of creatures’ essence. All for power! All for VENGEANCE! I must kill the foolish wizard who imprisoned me! And you dragon is just the creature I need to finish my transformation.” The creature crouches as its shouts, “Now be a nice dragon and DIE!” The mutant darts forward silently as it two top fangs turn blackish and the lower one changes pure black. Instantly, a torrents of orange flames crashes into the Kreelix figure, pushing the lizard-bat back by several feet. When the section of earth turn burnt, the flames stop being release from the drake mouth.

“I wanted you to say that” Spike smile watching the smoke, turns sour as he watches a dark figure walk out the flames unscathed.

“Weak flames very weak flames! *Haha* a half breed is very, very weak” wiping the soot off his mouth, the creature smiles. “A fire newt flames were stronger” The Kreelix laughs, as dark streams of energy forms around its body. Raising its dark wings overhead, the dark streams begin to condense together.

Spike dashes toward it as balls of deep red flames follow him instantly as he grabs the Kreelix spiked wings with both hands. The wings were too sturdy to break and feel as if made from the coldest ice. Spike grits his teeth as a pain flares up in his hands. Spike flashes away as a claw hand swipe his location and flame balls slam into the mutant.

A dozen yards away, Spike reappears and inspected his hands finding a few blackish scales and tiny scratches. Spike looks at the figure’s wings and the way how the environment along with his flame balls turns to a black vaper.

“You don’t just consume magic but devour life itself, right!” Spike shouts as bright yellow flames covers his body. His heart starts pumping flaming hot blood through his veins.

With a laugh he says, “You’re very quick to realize the truth. Unlike my other prey, the half breed dragon is smart. Yes, I devour everything and anything of life. It makes sense that none can compare to me.” He stands tall and proud as if he is declaring a well-known fact.

“This fight is not over yet.” Spike sneers. Taking a deep breath, he blows three massive flaming vortexes that look like fire tornadoes. They quickly surround the proudly standing mutant, just to hit a black screen in all directions. The tornadoes wilted in and out before finally succumbing to a black fog which enters a black hole of a mouth.

Spike continues to attack the black wall in multiple directions with a series of greenish, reddish, and whitish flaming punches and kicks. Forming many afterimages, Spike flashes to cover more area as well as use his flames as a form of protection.

“The fruit of your labors only makes me stronger… hmm I wonder. Should I just stand here and wait for yourself to tire out?” The mutant Kreelix jokes as he watches his prey struggles.

“Please do!” Spike speaks, making a large green fiery inscription in front of the black wall. Causing a chain reaction of symbols appearing all around the surroundings and a little on the black wall. “Now stay here for a second” Spike laughs while snapping his fingers causing a major distortion in the area. This force bends the space in the area.

Feeling a distortion focusing only on him, the mutant tries to move but was stuck, as if surrounded in a thick substance. Moving became less important as his lungs struggle, working harder to gather air. All he can do was watch as chains of flames form around the symbols, interconnecting. The drake disappears in a green flash, and it feels a rare chill crawl up its spine as more symbols start appearing from the ground. These blue and purple shapes lock onto its limbs, forming extremely tight chains that pull its knees to the ground and bend backwards. Its wings trapped against the dirt. In a shape of a bow, all he can do was look up into the sky defenseless, where somehow a hole outline by white dots had form in his dark shield. He can see something bright heading to him…

In the sky above the summit, Spike reappears many miles high and is slightly surprise the bindings didn’t rip it to shreds. He roars and shoots downward forming a deep purple flame that outlines his hands, and ten claws of deep purple flames form from the magic formation that surrounds the whole mountain. These ten flaming claws shoot off the base of the formation into the hands of the falling drake, hardening into fifty huge flaming drills. The drills spin on their own, causing the sky to rip apart as Spike falls. The top of the formation opens to reveal a prone dark figure below, waiting to be struck…

Realizing what this energy was, and the one, who he is facing, is his main target. In his eyes, a falling half breed is speeding towards him. The mutant Kreelix just mentally snaps, “MY NAME IS DOUGHAL, AND I REFUSE TO DIE BY ANY WIZARDDDDDDD! *ROARS*” Doughal’s lizard-face roars out causing small rips in his bindings and the sound shakes the sky without limit… releasing loads of darks energies from his mouth, forcing his wings to dig out the ground below him. The disrupted space barely containing the dark forces swirling within. The surrounding inscriptions try to suppress the mass of darkness but fail to penetrate the core… the sounds of crashes and angry screeches booms in the core of darkness.

The falling flaming figure struck the violent black mass. Landing blows of fifty burning drills at once which repeats with blows of twenty-five drills after. This follows by the sound of the earth breaking and splitting as Spike continues to dig his way into the mountain. He has no choice but to dig. Fighting back against the three deadly fangs, the multiple shadowy claws, and the two rock-hard icy, spiked bat wings. Spike must deliver more or equal blows to hold out for survival. Without his body flames protection, he would be done for already. This was a deadly balancing act. This lethal fight reaches deeper and deeper into the earth.

Roars, quakes, and explosions fill the heated hole in the summit as Spike and Doughal fighting intensity increase. As the fighting reach 30 miles deep, both individuals have sustained many minor injuries. Only when Doughal saw no ending did he forced a disengagement. Forcing a disengagement by wrapping two dark binds around Spike, slamming him deep into the side of the cavern that they form. The impact was so strong that it shook the mountain. This sent Spike head first into another small cave.

Laying in a pile of stone rubble, Spike coughs up some blood as well as a few teeth. He was cover by bruises from the impact and cuts cause by near misses of the lethal fangs, only to be hit by the claws. While blocking those cursed wings, caused some fracturing in his ribs. Looking at his surroundings, he can’t sense his magic formation which means he can’t summon his drills again. Shaking his head, he laughs weakly as he sees rows of diamonds, starfires, emeralds and other gems, crystals, and minerals at his feet. Using his tail and his free hand to rake all the treasures into his mouth, finally getting rid of the taste of meat in his mouth. Overcome by the taste of his favorite treats, tears of joy began flow out of his tightly close eyes. Piles of gems and minerals start to disappear faster than a racing Rainbow Dash. All of it is going into Spike’s stomach.

When Spike heard a noise at cave’s new entrance, his spines shifts upward. He looks over to see the mutant Doughal, cover in countless tiny holes, walking over to end this bout. Without skipping a beat, Spike hasty says, “Can’t you see I am eating here.” He bits into another emerald, “Oh this so good! Dude wait for a second there” Spike says, stuffing his mouth some more.

“No! No More Waiting! I have never been in such a state sense my mutation. The fur on my body is burnt and damage, the scales on my head are bruise, and what really hurts is my pride. I let some pitiful flightless dragon wizard get the best of me. I have never been so humiliated. No, this is the second time… just as in the past a wizard tricked me with some simple ploys and yet … so have you TRICK ME!” Doughal shouts, leaping for the dragon only to crash through a very realistic reflection as a white glowing crystal break. In a rage, blackness surrounds him and half the cave. Turning around to see Spike getting up slowly out from the rubble with numerous black lines and orange inscriptions stretching over his scales.

The surrounding rocks bursting in various shades of red flames. One side is pitch darkness, and the other side is a feverous, red hell hole of lava. The cave breaking and expanding. Molding in response to the different energies, it’s exposed to.

‘So, this why Zecora said only eat meat.’ Spike thought. Feeling his body burning uncontrollably and his heart beating very hard. Spike can feel the illness returning with a more severe rebound. His inscriptions starting to turn red, follow by blue, and in seconds white was shown. Transferring the intense heat from his blood into the surroundings. Lava begins to fall from the rocky ceiling and pools around the drake. Quickly spreading into a fiery lake preventing anyone from exiting.

Looking at drake standing in a deep pool of lava and gems near the exit. “You think lava can stop me?” Doughal mocks as he flies above the spreading lava, laughing at the dragon’s foolish plan. He speeds toward the weaken drake. The black and red begins to clash.

The inscriptions covering his body all compress to his chest, Spike opens his mouth, saying, “No…” sending a blackish bean, that burns a big hole though the mutant’s chest completely. “This will.” Spike says weakly as he catches the Kreelix powerless body out of the air as spraying blood cover him. The purplish blood entering his own chest where the destroy inscriptions left him a visible opening into his chest.

“H-how?” Doughal asks weakly, dying quickly as black flames start to break out of his hollow chest. He looks to Spike, who was also cover in tiny blackish flames. Both their burning bodies sinking deeper into the lava. The blackish energy dissipating and sunlight shines through the hole above.

“Doughal, my name is Spike Solas, and I betted my life on this flame which couldn’t be control. A dark flame that can burn my own draconic flesh, blood, and heart. As the flames can destroy me than how not… you *Ahik*” Spike softly grumbles as he passes out into the lava bringing the dead Kreelix along with him as well.

As the pair descend, the dead Kreelix was burnt completely by the black flames and caused the temperature of the new lava chamber to increase. With the depths constant and volume of lava increasing, the mountain became a volcano as lava flows out of the hole on the summit destroying the magic formation and surrounding trees.

Burning by his unique illness, Spike scales turned black to gray falling off. His own blood can’t reach his limbs and his flesh burnt away. Foreign purple blood soaks through his scale-less skin, but the black flames stop it from reaching his heart. Only the purple blood that had enter his open chest reaches his rapidly pumping heart, where ancient markings start to form. These mysterious markings cause a white light to surge out of his heart, completely consuming Spike’s broken body. The light is blinding, making it impossible to see anything. The sounds of a slowly beating heart is heard for miles from the volcano.

These deep heartbeats seem to have cause some major reaction as an eruption sent loads of lava out over the mountain, distorting the original environment into a flaming wasteland.

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A surprise, a rescue?

Meanwhile, Chrysalis is transported into a clearing filled with sunflowers, daisies, and daffodils. A massive white tree stands in the center of the area, crowned with many big branches. These branches drapes over the ground bearing many types of fruit...

I open my eyes to see a wonderful array of life flourishing. I spotted a building next to a huge tree that also serves as a house. Vines grow out from under me, forming a barrier of sorts. Feeling pain from my injures, I couldn’t fight. Uncertainty fills my heart, but I try to trust the dragon who sent me here. Yet as I see a Zebra and two unknown beings, one made of plants and the other look like a small child of some kind. ‘Is he really the same dragon, I know?’ Chrysalis thought nervously.

◊◊◊◊

Lily senses flared as an unknown intruder emerge from out of nowhere in the clearing, she looks to Zecora and Dahlia, as the two talk on their views of nature and magic. Rolling her eyes as they fought over which aspects of a swamp gloom can best help in detoxing others. The flower wasn’t this important until Zecora found other species in this forest without any corruption. Now, the zebra spends all day in the new forest surrounding their home. Dahlia busies herself by helping answer the zebra questions on their environment. Saying how Master’s spell was the most outstanding and highly innovative defensive barrier she seen. Protects, purifies, and provides a unique substance in the forest that it was lacking. Not really a substance but an inscription that can be absorb. But she needs to break it up now…

“Someone has intruded the clearing,” Lily states, while pointing out the window, putting a end to the discussion.

“Oh really, but the defensive barrier?” Dahlia says unsure.

“Dahlia, never thought that someone can enter?” Zecora asks.

“No, it just so unforeseen that I can’t understand how…” Dahlia explains until Lily cuts in.

“Let go greet our new visitor,” Lily says, walking out the door. The two follow her after a slight hesitation. “We can ask how they got in.” She says smiling at the two behind her. She was just as curious to find out.

When they reach a bundle of vines gather around a black form on the ground, Zecora gasps in shock. Never in her wildest dreams she sees the former changeling queen injure right in front of her.

“Do my eyes play tricks or is there really a changeling in front of me.” Zecora says as she scans Chrysalis for any more wounds besides the ones on her flanks and wings. Looking towards Lily, she points to her home. “Lily can you please help me move her to my house. I need to treat her. The sooner, the better.”

“But she is Chrysalis… I recognize her in Master’s memories.” Lily become angry looking at the Changeling Queen. “She nearly kills him, TWICE!”

“Lily, I know…” Zecora says.

“Dahlia you were there! Tell her no.”

“Lily, I can see Spike’s magic surrounding her.” Dahlia states flying towards Chrysalis, who was silently watching them. “He sent you here. Spike sent you to us.” She says staring at the queen eyes.

“Y-yes, he did, I…” Chrysalis begins to say, but was cut off by Zecora closing her mouth with a hoof.

“No Talking, Lily help me. Now.” Zecora demands.

“Ok she must know what happen with Spike!” Lily uses the vines to form a stretcher under Chrysalis. The vines follow them as they head over to the zebra’s hut.

◊◊◊◊

Looking over the new concoctions in her hut, Zecora smiles holding the four colorful bottles over Chrysalis, who was in a large metal pot or cauldron filled with water and herbs.

“I hope you like, my new brews, Chrysalis” Zecora says while pouring the liquid out onto her.

“*Ah*, itching, *ah*, and aches, *ahhhhh*” Chrysalis sighs in relieve, when the itching in her flanks and aches in her wings began to disappear. She feels like fresh clay in the zebra hands. Now the treatment was over she wanted to run from Zecora.

“Now tell us everything!” Lily stresses to the changeling. Zecora and Dahlia leading closer to hear the story completely.

“He is fighting a mutant Kreelix…” Chrysalis says worry for Spike.

“How can a Kreelix be in this forest? Oh Spike!” Zecora shouts about to run out the door.

“Spike?” Dahlia says lowly almost in a daze.

“Lily!” Zecora says as vines block her way to the door.

“Master didn’t ask for our help.” Lily sadly looks to the zebra. “I can’t sense his green ring, but his flame still burns. This I know!” Lily walks over to the changeling.

“You right! He wanted to fight the creature alone. Without me weighing him down…” Chrysalis says as a tear comes down the side of her cheek. Seeing the tear, Dahlia flies over and hugs the changeling queen.

“Tell us everything, sweetie.” Dahlia says, as she hugs Chrysalis with her small arms. Zecora lays a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder.

“We all ears, ready to listen.” Zecora says.

“I think it will help us feel better.” Lily smiles as she takes them out of the zebra’s hut into the treehouse. As a table with cookies and tea cakes, is set up before them, and Lily sits them all on chairs around the table.

Taking a small bite out of a cookie, tears start to burst from Chrysalis as she tastes sweetness and other favors she has forgotten since leaving her hive. Lily gives her a warm cup of tea. Drinking a mouthful, warmth fills her, reminding her of the warmth she felt from Spike after he saves her. Remembering all those moments, they share together, she smiles through her tears. He was her wonderful dumb dragon. ‘He said I am his possession. Dumb dragon, I’m your queen.’ She thought to herself, drinking some tea for warmth.

“Running on nothing but instincts, an unknown black dragon save me from a huge manticore in the forest. It took this dragon turning back purple for me to recognize. It was Spike. He had no emotions, but I trusted him with my life. Even at his lowest, Spike was a very noble dragon. He never hurt me. He saved me many times. He protected me. We lived off his hunts, and we slept on their hides. He took care of me, and he played with me. Only today did he regain his sanity. I don’t know how, but he seems to be aware of what happened during his mindless phase. He protected me again. He said some things and sent me here.” A blushing Chrysalis confess looking away from the others, taking another bite out of her cookie. She mumbles out, “I was rescue by him.”

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Author's Note

It was a rough year, a love one died. I'm feeling better now, so I will write and write some more.
My periods of writing are too short, I will do better...
My updates take too long, I will do better...

I am happy to see people are waiting for me. I like this chapter for being a sort of trial for me. Pls comment if you have any suggestions. If I like one or two they can find their way in the story as well. And sorry for the delay.