*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
"Alright, alright, I'm up."
A tall, purple and green dragon awoke from his deep slumber, rubbing his crust-filled eyes. He stepped closer to the irritating noise.
"Man, I hate this thing."
After he turned off the alarm clock and did a few stretches, his eyes caught glimpse of a bright red and yellow colored phoenix, sleeping on his bird perch.
''Yo Peewee buddy, you up?'' the dragon whispered, noticing that the phoenix was still asleep on his perch. "Sweet. Guess I get to go hunting by myself then."
The dragon crept softly to the door, taking particular care not to make any noise that would awaken his feathered companion. After clearing the doorway, he softly closed the door. However, just as the door was mere inches away from closing, the flame-colored bird awoke with a start, gracefully swooped through the narrow opening, and landed on his master's shoulder.
"Great to see you up, buddy," the dragon chirped as they headed downstairs.
[Underneath Canterlot]
"*Huff* *Huff* This is a dead end, Spot," panted a tall dog with medium grey fur. He wore a faded red vest, dirt grey pants, and a collar with a topaz gem in the middle, all of which was covered in a moderate amount of dirt.
"I was just following Fido," replied Spot, a dog with greyish gamboge fur. Spot was much shorter than the first dog, only barely reaching up to his chest in height. He wore a grey vest, ripped slacks, and a bedazzled collar. He was just as dirty as his friend. As he spoke, Spot pointed to yet another dog, the third and final member of their little group.
"I was following Rover," Fido said, pointing towards the first dog in a state of confusion. Fido had cornflower bluish-gray fur and was the biggest and bulkiest member of the trio. He was only half a head taller than Rover, but his muscles seemed at least three times as large, especially his thick, hulking arms. His clothes--similar to that of Spot’s, and just as filthy--fit firmly on his bulgy body.
"Ugh, forget it. Let’s just dig through before she catches us," Rover scowled as he started digging through the cave wall.
The other two were about to join him, when a distinct, unknown sound filled the air, causing the trio’s sensitive ears to prick up in alert. Suddenly, a purple arrow whizzed through the air, pinning Rover’s left hand to the cave wall.
"Aarghh!" howled Rover.
He fretfully grabbed his left wrist with his free hand, desperately trying to pry his hand free, but to no avail. Coming to their senses, Spot and Fido soon joined him, grasping Rover around his waist and chest, respectfully. The trio pulled with all their might, but Rover’s hand stayed firmly pinned to cave wall...that is until the arrow disappeared into thin air.
With the arrows sudden disappearance, the trio fell backwards onto the cave floor, landing harshly on their backs. As the dogs grunted in pain, the sound of approaching footsteps soon silenced their pitiful moans. A single figure emerged, casting a menacing shadow over the supine forms of the three canines. The trio looked up at the figure from their recumbent positions and trembled in fear at the figure’s fearsome gaze, which promised overwhelming pain and suffering. As one, the trio immediately got off the ground and prostrated before their terrorizing assailant.
"Please don't kill us!!" the trio begged, pleading for their lives.
The figure stepped closer, stopping a few short feet before the cowering canines. A bright lavender light suddenly illuminated the dark cavern, emerging from the spiral horn on the attacker’s forehead. The light revealed the assailant to be a lavender unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail, which had a hot pink stripe running down the middle. Standing at about 5' 4'', she was fairly average in terms of height for her pony tribe. She wore a white, button-up blouse that firmly covered her C-cup breasts with a purple skirt that matched the dark purple bow construct she had conjured with her magic. The unicorn formed another purple arrow out of thin air and loaded it into the bow, aiming it towards the trio trembling before her.
"And why shouldn't I? You mangy mutts tried to steal from the Princesses’ Treasury."
"B-B-Because...b-because...." Rover stammered, fearfully wracking his brain for an excuse.
"Because we know where the phoenix thief is!!" Spot interrupted, hoping it would be enough for the unicorn to spare their lives.
"Shut up, Spot!" Rover hissed.
He and Fido briefly smacked the smaller dog over the head, getting him to clam up. Rover then turned back to the unicorn before them, resuming his placating behavior.
"S-sorry about him. He's delusional from fear,'' Rover said, putting on his most convincing smile.
They may spend their days' underground collecting gems, but even Diamond Dogs knew that information was a commodity as valuable as gems, sometimes even more so. This particular piece of juicy information could sell for a tidy profit to the right person. Of course, that was assuming Rover could cover up his blundering lackey’s outburst.
Unfortunately, the unicorn wasn’t so easily fooled, and neither was she deaf. His statement and “winning smile” were met with another drawn arrow pointed right at his temple.
"Talk.Now." the unicorn demanded, ready to let the glowing arrow go at the first sign of deceit.
[Canterlot Castle]
Canterlot Castle’s Throne Room, the center of power for not just the city itself, but of all Equestria. Within this hallowed chamber, placed upon a raised platform, stood two majestic thrones side-by-side. Both were identical in height and the crimson coloring of their plush cushions and padding. However, both seats differed in both the color and decoration of their gilded frames. The throne on the right had a golden frame with a polished yellow sun on very top of the throne’s back. Meanwhile, the throne on the left had a bluish silver frame with a glistening blue moon on the top of the throne’s back. Currently, both thrones were occupied by their owners.
Atop these two thrones sat two beautiful mares, each bearing amazonian figures, large spiral horns on their foreheads, and large wings on their backs. The figure on the “sun” throne was a white alicorn with a flowing mane that resembled that of an aurora. She wore a royal white gown with gold trim at the bottom which desperately tried to contain her F-sized breasts from popping out, leaving a considerable, yet tasteful, amount of cleavage exposed to the world. Sitting in the “moon” throne was a dark blue alicorn with a flowing mane that resembled a starry night sky, complete with accurate portrayals of the constellations. Though her breasts were smaller than the fellow alicorn’s by at least one cup size, her thinner waist, luscious flank, and subtle muscle tone earned her a few admirers.
These two illustrious alicorn sisters were currently on break from their royal duties. They were having a pleasant conversation with each other whilst enjoying a fresh pot of tea and an assortment of desserts placed before them. Their small respite was interrupted, however, when the Throne Room doors suddenly burst open, admitting entry to an excited lavender unicorn whom was rushing towards the thrones.
''Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, we have news regarding the phoenix thief!!'' the unicorn proclaimed, taking a knee and bowing her head before the two royals.
''Oh? Well then, what have you discovered, Twilight?'' Princess Celestia asked, calmly taking another sip of her tea.
''Yes, well, it seems the phoenix thief lives in a small town called Ponyville, your majesties,'' reported Twilight.
''I see. And? I have a sneaking suspicion that the thief's location isn’t all you’ve learned. So then, what seems to be the problem, Twilight?'' prodded Celestia, noticing the anxious look on the face of her favorite mercenary. She would think that acquiring such information would have made her happy.
"Well, you see your highness, my team and I have never faced a creature like this in combat before, so I have no way of knowing what to expect,'' Twilight replied, trying her best to keep the worry she felt inside out of her voice.
''Twilight, my faithful mercenary, you and your team were able to defeat my little sister when she was under the curse of Nightmare Moon. It's because of your team and your leadership that I was able to reunite with Luna and have her by my side today. I have no doubt that together, all of you will be able to overcome anything, no matter what challenge you face.'' Celestia slowly walked down the steps with her tea still in hand, stopping before the bowing unicorn. She bent down and gently lifted Twilight's chin up, making the lavender mare meet her eye-to-eye. ''Trust in yourself and your team, and I'm sure you'll do me proud.'' Celestia encouraged, her words bringing new life Twilight.
"Thank you, your highness! We'll do our best to meet your expectations. My team and I will be taking the underground tunnels to Ponyville, promptly. Tell our client that his pet phoenix will be coming home soon,'' Twilight stated, her tone laced with newfound confidence. The unicorn picked herself up and headed for the exit.
''Oh, before you leave Twilight, what pray tell is the phoenix thief?'' Celestia queried. ''If it has you worried, then it must be quite the dangerous creature.'' Celestia queried.
''Well Princess, according to my sources, it seems this thief is another dragon,'' Twilight answered before stepping past the Throne Room doors and moving out of sight.
''A dragon? Hmmm...that could serve as a problem. Perhaps we should enlist some reinforcements to assist them,'' Luna pondered, speaking up for the first time since Twilight’s arrival. However, her words were suddenly cut off by the crashing sound of a teacup. ''Sister?! Art thou alright?! what problem seems to ail thee?!'' Luna asked, looking worriedly at her sister.
''Language, Lulu. And, uh, it’s nothing, nothing at all. The silly thing seemed to get away from me for a second there, that’s all. I must be more tired than I thought. In any case, Twilight and the others shouldn't need any backup for a simple kill and retrieval quest. Now if you’ll excuse me, I'm just going to go to my chambers for a quick nap,'' Celestia said, her horn lighting up in preparation for a teleportation spell.
Before leaving, Celestia gave her younger sister a departing glance. ''Please don’t worry about me, Luna. I’ll be fine, I promise. Stay here and enjoy the rest of the sweets. I’ll be back shortly,'' assured Celestia with a comforting smile before disappearing in a flash of light.
Within moments, the white alicorn reappeared in her bedchambers in another flash of light. However, when she arrived, she no longer had the same smile on her face as before. Instead, her expression was the epitome of sheer panic. She quickly dashed to her writing desk, picked up a quill and an empty scroll, and began writing frantically. Once she was finished, she rolled the scroll and her horn lit up once more, teleporting the scroll elsewhere in Equestria.
''I do hope it gets to you soon,'' prayed Celestia, sitting on her bed as thoughts of the past began flooding her mind.
[Ponyville]
''Alright Peewee, you remember what to do, right?'' said the purple and green dragon.
He was now wearing a white T-shirt and black pants while holding a battle ax under Peewee's talons. The phoenix suddenly burst into flames, concentrating the fire into his talons. With his flaming appendages, Peewee carefully wrote on the ax,Made by Dragon’s Forge.
''Alright, looking good, Peewee. Looks like those writing lessons are starting to pay of--urp.''
The dragon’s slight teasing was suddenly interrupted by a roaring grumble originating from the pit of his stomach. He felt the uncomfortable sensation of something working its way up his throat, so he clamped his mouth shut and placed his free hand over his mouth. His purple cheeks bulged like a couple of scaley balloons as whatever came up his throat entered his mouth. The dragon held on for a few seconds, but eventually, he couldn’t withstand the pressure and opened his mouth, releasing a loud belch and a thin stream of emerald fire from his lips.
The flame, seeming to have a mind of its own, went into a spiral, converging into one point. As the flame seemed to shrink into that point, a rolled up scroll magically appeared in its place. Despite his shock at this unexpected turn of events, Spike had enough presence of mind to catch the surprisingly unburnt scroll in his free hand and lay it on top of a nearby counter.
''What in the hell is this?'' the dragon muttered, unrolling the scroll to read its contents.
Dear Spike,
I know you probably have a ton of questions about how, or why, you just burped up a scroll. But that’s not important right now! I need you to follow these instructions. Please run as far away as fast as you can as soon as possible, or else you are going to die!
Peewee flew up to his master's shoulder, giving him a worried look as the dragon frowned at the letter’s contents. Spike crumbled the scroll and tossed it into the trash.
''Come on Peewee, this is probably just somepony's idea of a joke, and a disturbing one if anything else.'' Suddenly, the door flung open. Spike turned and welcomed the approaching customer. ''Sup. Welcome to the Dragon's Forge.''
''Yo. How you doing, Spike?'' A minotaur stepped into the store staring at Spike. He was a couple of heads taller than the drake, and incredibly bulked up from the waist up. His upper half was covered in blue fur, while his lower half was covered in black fur. The minotaur wore a black suit with matching slacks and tie, a white button-up shirt beneath the suit jacket, and sunglasses.
''Hey Iron Will, here to pick up Crimson, right?'' greeted Spike, smiling towards his favorite customer.
''You know it. Is she done? Please tell me my baby's coming home to daddy.'' Iron Will pleaded, trying to contain his excitement.
''Come on, Iron Will. Have I ever let you down before?'' Spike said, walking to the back and pulling out a double bladed axe that resembled Iron Will's two horns.
''That's perfect! Spike, my main drake, you made crimson look brand new!'' Iron Will cheered, holding his battle axe in hand and looking it over. He noticed a crimson ruby at the end of the blade.''You even put Charlotte's special jewel on the base of it.'' Iron Will murmured.
''I thought it would make you feel better, knowing that she's always near you.''
''Thank you.'' Iron Will said softly, dropping a bag of bits on the table.'' Keep the change, buddy. You've definitely earned it.'' He walked out of the store holding crimson in front of him, smiling at the great blue sky.
''Alright Peewee, are you ready to go hunting?'' Spike asked, turning to Peewee only to see he had already bolted out the door, leaving burn marks on the register. ''Thanks for waiting on me bud!!'' Spike screamed sarcastically at the open door.
Spike headed upstairs to retrieve his two purple and green revolvers and bullet kit. Walking downstairs again, Spike turned the sign on his front door fromOPENtoCLOSED. After locking up, he started running to catch up to his fiery flying friend.
[Main Six POV]
''Alright girls, Princess Celestia has given us the privilege of finally killing off the phoenix thief and returning the phoenix to our customer. Since this is the first time any of us are facing a dragon with an intent to kill, I want all of us to be cautious and prepared. Are there any questions?'' Looking over her team of mercenaries, Twilight noticed a white, manicured hand rise into the air. ''Yes, Rarity?''
''Twilight, darling, I understand your concern about this matter, and it's completely understandable. But we've been walking underground in this hot, dirty tunnel for the past hour and my brand new jacket is covered in filth. So, could you kindlyshut your trap!!''
The white unicorn was wearing a black duster jacket and a satchel across her waist. Before the start of the mission, the jacket hugged her figure in such a way that made her look stunning. However, after an hour of walking through the tunnel, a light layer of dirt had began to cover her ensemble, detracting from her appearance. Furthermore, the trek had caused drops of sweat to form on her forehead, which infrequently dripped down to further stain her jacket. Her loud outburst made even more drops slither down her beautiful C-cup breasts.
''Oh right, sorry. We’re just assassinating adragon. I mean, seriously, we've never killed one before. Sure we took down Nightmare Moon, but that's only because I had information about how to kill her. This is adragon, and there's hardly any information about them anywhere. *Huff* *Huff*'' ranted Twilight. The lavender unicorn stopped to catch her breath from her panic-filled tirade. Looking up, she saw that her friends were giving her dubious stares that seemed to scream,‘How in the world did she become our leader.’
An orange mare walked towards Twilight, carrying a huge Warhammer with an apple symbol in the middle of it. She wore a stetson hat atop her blonde mane, booty short jeans that showed off her thick, toned thighs and wide hips, a plaid, open vest and a white T-shirt underneath, barely covering her DD breasts. She gently placed a consoling hand on Twilight’s shoulder.
''Twilight, ya listen here. Just remember the three rules of any good mercenary: always be cautious, never underestimate your target, and finally, always have your comrades back. If we all keep these rules in mind, we'll be just fine," comforted Applejack, grinning at Twilight.
"And think of it like this, Twilight. We're going to be the only ones in the organization to kill a dragon! How exciting is that!" cried a bubbly voice.
A pink mare jumped on Applejack's back from seemingly out of nowhere. Applejack felt the soft sensation of her friend's perky, pillow-like D-cup boobs on her back.
"Would ya get off o’ me, Pinkie Pie.''
Applejack pushed the cotton candy pink mare on the ground giving them a full view of her attire. She wore a blue shirt and frilly pink skirt. On her right thigh, she had a pink pistol placed snugly in its holster, as well as a hunting dagger.
''Aww, but Applejack~. We won't get another ApplePie scene until the next chapter, and who knows how long it'll take Lightning-Flare to write it.'' Pinkie Pie whined,even though I told her not to spoil anything.
The world suddenly froze in place, everything coming to a swift halt while turning into dull shades of black, grey, and white. Everything, that is, except a certain wall-breaking, pink pony who pouted towards the sky.
''But I didn't even tell them the real juicy parts, like how me and Applejack are going to be covered in slimy, sticky, chocolate goo.''
Pinkie!! Just keep the story moving normally, okay?
''Okie dokie, Lightning!'' chirped Pinkie Pie. She then pulled out a script from her voluminous pink mane and began flipping through the pages. When she found the page she was looking for, she began reading it aloud. ''*ahem* Rainbow Dash don't you agree?'' Pinkie Pie said, quickly stuffing the script back into her mane while looking at her rainbow-colored haired friend. The world suddenly regained all it’s color and time seemed to flow normally once more.
''Yeah, she's right! We’re making history today!'' agreed Rainbow Dash, smiling half-heartedly. She gave her head a good shake. She didn’t know why, but something about how Pinkie had said that felt wrong. But she just couldn’t put her finger on it. Oh well, she decided to drop it. When dealing with Pinkie Pie, she learned long ago that it was best to just go with it and put such thoughts behind her.
Rainbow Dash was wearing the least amount of clothing among the group, only having an iron brassiere, a loincloth, and a rainbow-colored pelt that protected her B-cup breasts. She may be the shortest member of the group, but she was definitely the most athletic, her outfit boldly showing off her six-pack abs. She carried two trench knives with wide, slightly curved blades, perfect for either stabbing or slashing. The attached brass knuckles were each colored in half the rainbow. The right one was colored red, orange, yellow, and green, while the left was green, blue, indigo, and violet.
''Um, girls? We’re, um, here.'' said a soft, angelic voice.
Standing a fair distance in front of the group was their final member, a yellow pegasus with a silky pink mane braided into a ponytail. At least half a dozen fresh flowers were woven into her hair. She wore a simple green cloak and carried a wooden staff that was nearly as tall as her.
Upon hearing their friend’s voice, the five other mares rushed over to her side. She pointed above her head with her staff, directing their attention to an escape hatch embedded in the tunnel ceiling. Upon closer inspection, an inscription was written on the hatch that read, ‘Ponyville.’
''Alright, Fluttershy! Glad to see you’re just as excited to kill this motherbucker as I am.'' Rainbow Dash said, placing her arm around her fellow pegasus’ neck and pulling her into a side hug.
''Um, actually, it was Angel here who found it.'' Opening her hood, Fluttershy revealed a snow white bunny settled comfortably within her cloak. The bunny’s face looked as innocent as a newborn foal, but if one looked deep within the depths of his beady eyes, they would see a soul filled with pure evil. ''So if you have anyone to thank it should be him,'' Fluttershy said, pulling away from the hug and rubbing her slightly bruised neck.
Twilight was the first to climb out of the hatch, scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. The hatch had opened up to a dark and eerie forest, where the tall trees eclipsed the light of the sun, save for a small number of solar rays spread all over. With the coast clear, she signaled to the rest of the girls to climb up. Once everypony was out of the tunnel, she explained what the diamond dogs had told her.
''Okay, the diamond dogs said that the phoenix thief has several minions who walk out of his lair with magnificent treasures that shine like the sun.''
''Darn vermin probably stole them from other ponies,'' scoffed Applejack, derisively spitting on the ground. Suddenly, a loud, blood-curdling howl erupted from deep within the forest.
"You all heard that, right?" Twilight asked, hoping that her nervousness was making her hear things. But seeing her teammates nod in assent left Twilight with a sizeable lump in her throat. Nevertheless, she and the girls moved cautiously in the direction of the sound.
"Wow, who knew you had that kinda raw power in you, Peewee?"
Spike brushed the dust off his clothes while strolling over to the unfortunate target of his phoenix’s power. Lying in a charred heap before him was a timberwolf, it’s wooden body burnt to near cinders by phoenix fire. Bending over the wooden canine, Spike dug through the pile of burnt wood until he found an undamaged, sparkling green gem.
''Huh, so this is what a timberwolf’s core piece looks like,'' Spike said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bullet molding kit. He placed the core piece inside the kit snapped it closed. The kit began to glow, and after a few minutes, it popped open, revealing a brown, wood-like bullet. Examining it closely, Spike marveled at the wood-like design and glowing green stripes spirling around it.
''What do ya think, Peewee? You wanna see what this bad boy can do?'' Spike asked placing the bullet in one of his revolver's and aiming it at Peewee. The phoenix’s body was still in a blaze. The light of the flames made his crimson plumage sparkle like a dazzling ruby.
''DIE, PHOENIX THIEF!!!!!''
''The noise came from over here,'' Twilight said, signaling the rest of the girls to follow. Pushing aside a couple of flowering bushes, the girls witnessed a tall purple green dragon pointing a gun at a phoenix. Their target in sight, Twilight swiftly took command.
''That must be him. Okay, here's what we're going to do. Fluttershy, Rarity, and I will attack from back here and separate him from the phoenix. While we keep him distracted, AppleJack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie will attack up front. From there, Rarity and I will provide you three cover while Fluttershy moves in to secure the phoenix. Everypony got that?''
Twilight looked to her team and almost immediately noticed something wrong. She did a brief headcount and came up with four. Her team was short one polychromatic-haired pegasus.
''Where the buck is Rainbow Dash?'' fumed Twilight. She was answered in the form of a battle cry from a very familiar voice.
''DIE, PHOENIX THIEF!!!!!'' Rainbow roared, charging towards Spike at subsonic speed and landing a punch on the unsuspecting dragon. Spike was sent flying towards a nearby tree, slumping to the ground after impact. ''One-hit KO! *Heh* Pretty disappointing. I was kinda hoping for an actual story to tell.'' snickered Rainbow Dash.
''Rainbow Dash, we had a plan,'' chided Twilight as she approached the confident pegasus.
''I know, but your plan didn't have me as the hero. So I improvised, andlook!'' Rainbow Dash pointed to the still unconscious dragon. ''Easy as pie,'' she jeered, a smug smile on her face.
''But that wasn't part of the plan,'' persisted Twilight, dismissing Rainbow Dash's self-centered comment. The lavender unicorn was in no mood to stroke the pegasus’ ego.
''Who cares? Let's just grab the bird and leave,'' Rainbow Dash griped, pointing to the shocked phoenix in front of them.
The ambush was so sudden that Peewee had been temporarily stunned, letting his flame die while he hovered in place. Realizing his master had just been hurt, Peewee sprang into action, reigniting his flames and he flew straight for Rainbow Dash.
''Whoa! What in Tartarus is wrong with this bird?'' Rainbow Dash exclaimed, dodging the angry phoenix.
'' It's aphoenix, Rainbow,'' Fluttershy corrected. She and the other girls came from out of the bushes, now that the immediate threat was neutralized.
''I don't give a flying hoof what it is, keep it from burning me!''
Rainbow Dash continued to dodge the enraged phoenix, barely managing to avoid his flaming charge again and again. Fluttershy maneuvered behind the flaming bird, preparing to grab him and calm him down. However,
*BANG!*
...she was stopped by a whizzing bullet that past in front of her face by a few mere inches. Surprised by the sudden noise, the group of mares turned to see that their target was back on his feet.
''Hands off my phoenix,'' Spike growled, glaring at the six mares in front of him. ''Now, I’m gonna give you gals a choice. You all can leave with your heads still attached, or.... *CLICK* Well, I think you get the gist.'' Spike had both of his revolvers out, the left aimed at Rainbow Dash and the right aimed at Fluttershy.
''Wow, we’re so scared,'' Rainbow Dash snarked, giving Spike a slow handclap. ''If you haven't noticed phoenix thief, there's six of us and only one of you.''
''Look behind you, smart-flank,'' Spike smirked, loving the sight of what his bullet had created. The six mares looked behind them, and stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed in horror at what they saw. Standing a few meters behind the group of mares was a giant, grotesque, wooden, wolf-like creature menacingly staring down at them.
''What in Equestria is that!!'' the six mares screamed.
''Looks like they’re not from around here. I got home-field advantage,'' Spike mumbled. ''Alright Peewee, which ones ya want?'' Spike looked beside him to see Peewee nodding his head towards the two pegasi.
''Aww, I wanted the blue one.'' Spike whined, feeling letdown that he wouldn’t be able to payback the blue Pegasus himself. His disappointment was met with a sly smirk on Peewee's face.
''Fine~ You can have her, but do you mind lending me some feathers at least?'' Spike asked. As soon as he said that, he felt the gentle caress of some phoenix feathers landing on the back of his claw. While he reached for the fallen feathers, Peewee was already charging towards his selected opponents.
''Impatient as always,'' Spike muttered, putting a feather into his kit and pocketing the rest. ''Timber, you get Orange and White, and I'll take Purple and Pink!!'' he yelled. The kit popped open, revealing a light orange and bright yellow bullet. Spike placed it into his Revolver and aimed at the two mares he claimed.
''GIRLS, SCATTER!!!'' Twilight screamed as the girls separated into twos to avoid the beast's attack.
''Guess were partners this time, Rares. You want top or bottom?'' Applejack asked, readying her hammer.
''You should already know that a lady loves being in control of her prey, darling.''
*Howl!*
While the two were talking, the timberwolf had already wound up his arm, lunging his body towards them for another strike. The two dodged it with grace and style. ''But a lady must also be prepared to subdue a brutish predator. Do you mind entertaining our guest for a few seconds Applejack?''
''It'd be my pleasure.''
Applejack charged at the timberwolf, swinging her massive hammer and landing an attack on its front left leg. While Applejack was dealing with the timberwolf, Rarity dug into her satchel and pulled out a diamond inscribed with ancient text on its surface. Her horn lit up with a cornflower blue aura as she used her magic to dig a small hole in the ground, place the gem in the hole, and fill it up again. Within a few seconds, the ground began to shake and diamond white spikes began shooting from the ground.
Feeling the resulting shockwaves from the ground, Spike looked from out of the tree he was using for cover. Much to his surprise, he saw a giant, crystal golem had risen up from the ground, dwarfing his new timberwolf servant in size. ''Okay, you see, now that's just full-on copying.'' Spike said, ducking back into cover as he narrowly avoided the bullets and arrows flying at him.
''Aww, ya mad that her's is bigger?'' Pinkie Pie teased while firing her pistol at the tree.
''Aww, ya mad that her's is bigger?'' Spike mockingly repeated, loading another phoenix bullet into his pistol while running out of cover. He shot the bullet at the two mares as he moved towards another tree for cover. The bullet burst into flames--much like its former owner--transforming into a massive fireball.
''Shit. You just had to trash talk him, didn't you,'' Twilight said in annoyance, glaring at Pinkie Pie while dodging the fireball.
''Hey, it's not my fault that he's tiny,'' Pinkie retorted, bouncing away from the approaching fireball.
''HE'S NOT TINY!! HE’S AVERAGE, OKAY?!!'' Spike barked, only to be grazed by an arrow, making him go back into cover. ''Come on, Spike get your head in the game,'' Spike muttered. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small gem and ate it healing the cut up wound on his face.He then veered out of cover once more to look over the battlefield. Looking in Timber's direction, the dragon saw his wooden servant losing to the crystal golem. The golem was larger, stronger, denser, and had a unicorn mistress providing magical support. A grim smile plastered the dragon’s face as he assessed the situation.
''Timber’s in trouble, I'm down to my last four bullets, and Peewee...'' Spike looked up toward the battle between Peewee and the pegasi mares. The firebird was gracefully avoiding Rainbow’s slashes and Fluttershy’s vines like it was some sort of aerial ballet. With superior aerial maneuvering, he would lead the two into bumping into each other or canceling out each other’s attacks. ''...is completely fine, as usual. Alright then. Timber, I'm coming over!'' Spike cried, firing another bullet at Pinkie and Twilight. Like the previous bullet, it turned into a massive fireball.
''Wow, the phoenix thief really is just a one trick pony,'' Pinkie Pie giggled, only to be stopped by something pulling on her tail.
''Technically, the pony her isyou'' Spike said, throwing Pinkie Pie at Twilight, knocking the both of them unconscious. He had used the fireball as both cover and a distraction in order to get close to the two mercenaries for his attack. ''Later losers!'' Spike taunted as he ran over to aid Timber.
When Spike arrived at the scene, Applejack was in the midst of wailing on Timber’s left leg again, hoping to break it for good this time. She was so focused on the wooden mutt, that she never noticed the purple dragon coming up behind her.
That changed when stepped on Applejack’s right shoulder, springboarding onto Timber’s back, right between the shoulder blades.
''Pardon me,'' Spike said in passing while Applejack fell forward due to Spike’s momentum. Spike held on tightly to one of the branches protruding from Timber’s back as he steadied himself and faced down the opposing golem. ''Alright, you rocky monster, have a taste of some phoenix fire!'' Spike yelled, aiming his gun at the golem.
''What the buck, you damn vermin! Using my shoulder for a launch pad,'' Applejack griped as she got back onto her hooves.
She looked up just in time to catch sight of a massive fireball hit Rarity’s golem, burning a hole right through its chest. The damage was too much for the golem. Unable to sustain its form, it crumbled into a pile of rocks and dust. With the golem collapsing beneath her, Rarity tumbled through the air towards the ground. Spike jumped from his perch on Timber’s back towards her, a grin on his scaly lips.
''You know, if you weren't trying to kill me, I'd definitely ask you out. Oh well,'' Spike said, kicking Rarity in the direction of Applejack.
The two mares collided with each other, sending them into an uncomfortable heap. Timber caught Spike on top of his head preventing him from falling to the ground. ''Thanks, Timber. Now let's deal with the rest of them.''
*SCREECH!*
Spike turned his head to see that Peewee had been captured in the entanglement of vines. ''Peewee!!'' Spike cried. He quickly commanded Timber to head in Peewee's direction. ''Don't worry, Peewee, we’re—whoa!'' he yelled as Timber came to a complete stop. ''Yo Timber, what are you doing?! We gotta save Peewee!'' Spike complained.
''Sorry, but your little canine is under my control now,'' Fluttershy said, making Timber turn against his nowformermaster.
''Wha—'' Before Spike knew what was happening, Timber threw him off his back, preparing to attack the dumbfounded drake. Spike tumbled head-over-tail through the air and on the ground, stopping just short of Peewee’s cage of vines. A mild groan escaped his lips as he shook off the wild ride and stood back up. He gave Peewee an encouraging smile. ''Hey buddy, don’t you worry. I’ll have you outta here in no time.''
*Hooowl!!*
''*Tch* Just as soon as I deal with our newborn puppy.'' Spike loaded another phoenix bullet into his pistol and aimed it at Timber. ''Sorry, Tim—Ack!'' Spike was cut off as he suddenly coughed up blood from his mouth. Turning his head, he found Rainbow Dash had snuck up behind him, cutting a hole through his neck. ''You...*koff* bitch,'' he rasped, falling lifelessly to the ground.
''Yeah, well, you're dead. So who's the bitch now?'' Rainbow Dash replied. She held a victorious smile while looking at Spike's corpse. Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight and Pinkie Pie gently slapping them awake. ''Like I said, easy as pie.'' Rainbow gave a smug smirk at the annoyed Twilight.
Picking herself up, Twilight walked over to the dead body. ''Guess you were right. Must have been easy killing him from behind than upfront, coward.'' Twilight seethed, noticing the dagger wound inflicted upon the back of Spike's throat.
''Hey now, don't get mad at me just causeyoucouldn't kill him.'' Rainbow Dash retorted.
''I’m not angry that you killed him. But when you think a kill like this is praiseworthy, that's when I have a problem,'' Twilight claimed with a look of disgust on her face.
''It doesn't matter how I kill, just that it gets done!'' fumed Rainbow, becoming enraged at Twilight's judgemental face.
''It does if it's a cowardly kill,'' berated Twilight, pushing Rainbow Dash into Pinkie Pie.
''Oh~ little miss egghead wants to start something. Okay, fine. Let me add you to the kill count.''
Rainbow pushing herself off of Pinkie Pie and charged at Twilight, taking out one of her trench knives. However, she was stopped halfway as Applejack thrust her humongous hammer between the two of them.
''Enough, partner! It's over. We’re all just a little worn out, alright.'' Applejack said, looking meaningfully at Twilight.
Twilight understood her loud and clear. She didn’t like it, but she knew her friend was right. With clenched her teeth and balled up fists, she apologized. ''...I'm sorry for my word choice. It's not my place to tell you how to kill.''
''See? Alls well that ends well. Now then, Fluttershy, ya mind carrying Twilight and the phoenix back to the organization, along with that there wood creature? Maybe someone there knows what it is.'' Applejack saluted to Fluttershy, whom was riding on top of Timber with a pale and sullen-looking Peewee in hand.
''Got it, Applejack. Come on, Twilight,'' Fluttershy waved for Twilight to hop aboard.
''Applejack, I don't see why it’s necessary that I go back before everypony else,'' Twilight said.
''Listen Twi, you darn gone said the wrong thing to Rainbow Dash, and right now she needs space to cool off from you. So it's for the best that you leave and put some distance between you two,'' Applejack replied, gesturing to a still fuming Rainbow Dash.
''I understand,'' Twilight moaned. Noticing her friend’s depression, Applejack gave the lavender unicorn a hardy slap on the back.
''Good! Now get a move on. We'll meet up with ya in a few hours. And don't worry about Dash. If this kind of thing could really make her mad, she would have left by now. She'll be back to her old self in no time.'' consoled Applejack, pushing Twilight onto Timber.''You just leave everything here to me,'' Applejack said a reassuring smile.
''Okay. We'll see you girls back in Canterlot.'' Twilight waved as she and Fluttershy rode Timber off into the distance.
''Now then, who’s carrying this bastard back to Canterlot?'' Applejack asked, looking for somepony to volunteer only to find no one raising their hands, not even Pinkie. ''*Sigh* Alrighty then...1,2,3 NOT IT!!'' Applejack screamed placing a finger on her nose.
''NOT IT!!'' cried Rainbow Dash.
''NOT IT!!'' cried Pinkie Pie.
''Looks like you're on piggyback duty, Rares,'' Applejack said.
''Seriously, making me use two golems in one day? He’s lucky he’s already dead,'' Rarity groaned, pulling out another gem from her satchel.
Soon after, another golem had been created, this one a smaller version of its predecessor. Rarity pointed to the dead dragon, signaling the golem to carry him. In short order, the golem picked up Spike and threw him over its shoulder, following its mistress back to the secret hatch from which she and her friends came.
Author's Note
Welp Spike is dead oh well?But Spike can't be dead we still have more chapters with him in it.Pinkie Pie it's dramatic effect and did you read ahead.I don't care how dramatic effect is he shouldn't hurt Spike.And yes yes I did.Ughh never mind if anypony has an idea for a bullet let me hear it.