Spike hated to admit it, but back when he was living in Equestria he was a very weak dragon. Sure he had claws, and could breathe fire, but he never used them violently. He had always been afraid of being seen as a monster and feared being seperated from Twilight when he was growing up. That incident on his birthday where his greed got the better of him, making him threaten Ponyville, had haunted him for months. Maybe that’s why he liked superheros so much growing up. They were strong, brave, and could knock any villain out with a good punch. Old Spike didn’t so much as wanted to hurt a fly.

Now, Spike could very well hurt anyone, including the grey furred Diamond Dog in the leather jacket that was matching him blow for blow in the ring. It wasn’t the first time he and Rynx had danced, and it wasn’t going to be the last. Not that Spike wouldn’t want it any other way.

Ducking under a rising roundhouse kick, Spike went for an uppercut only to miss by inches. Using his momentum, he turned his body to try for a sidekick that was caught in the paws of his opponent. He twisted the leg to try and force the dragon down, but a quick flip allowed him to escape without harm.

Pushing off the mat, Spike slammed his fists together to encase them in flames. His opponent wasn’t worried, but rather smirked, got into a fighting stance, and motioned for Spike to bring it. Grinning, Spike delivered as he dashed forward with a few jabs that were blocked, but Rynx was unable to stop the solid hook that knocked his face back. The flames were not at their hottest, but the singes on the fur could be smelled from a mile away. What Spike wasn’t expecting was for Rynx to grab his arm, turn around, flip the surprised dragon over, and slam him on the mat hard.

Losing concentration, the flames quickly burned out, and Rynx locked his legs around Spike as he forced him into an armbar. Spike gritted his teeth as he tried to move up, but the dog's legs were thick and forced him down. A few voices outside of the ring were yelling for a tap, but Spike wasn’t going to give up that easy. Rynx may have locked four of his limbs, but he forgot about the fifth.

Maneuvering his haunches, Spike got his tail up and shot it right up Rynx’s nose. The diamond dog yelped as he broke the armbar and shot his paws to his nose. Spike took the advantage and got on top of Rynx before pounding at him with his fists and elbows.

Rynx did his best to defend himself, but a few of those blows managed to get through. However, Rynx had a trick up his sleeve as well as he grabbed Spike by the shoulders and forced their heads together. It was sort of stupid to headbutt a dragon with tough scales, but it made Spike wince, and that was enough for Rynx to push him off while slugging him across the face for good measure.

Both fighters took a moment to regain themselves while raising their fists in anticipation for their next move. The voices around them were screaming at them to keep going, but neither opponent acknowledged them.

Taking a deep breath, Spike charged forward with Rynx ready to defend himself. Only instead of attacking, Spike led out a breath of his magical fire that wrapped around him like a cloak, and he vanished. Rynx’s large blue eyes widened as he looked around for Spike. What he found was his clawed foot, smacking him across the face with a hard kick after re-teleporting seconds later to the diamond dog’s right side.

The blow managed to send Rynx out of the ring and onto the cold hard floor where he gathered his thoughts with a few shakes of his head before punching the solid earth in frustration. “Ring out!” the referee, a female griffin in plate armor announced with a smirk. “Spike wins!”

There was a mix of cheers and boos, but the loudest of them was Windward, who was flapping his wings with joy while punching his hoof in the air. “Alright! That’s my boy dragon!” He turned around to a bunch of grumbled guild members who were opening their wallet bags. “That’s right! Pay the pegasus, boys! Windward is going home rich tonight!”

Spike rolled his eyes at the cheerful pegasus before walking over to Rynx and holding his claw out. Rynx stared at, snorted with amusement, and took it as he was picked up. “Damn, I still fall for that trick. You dragons and your magical fire breath.”

“If it helps, I’m a rare kind,” Spike said, patting him on the back. “Most dragons just burn things without any control.”

“Most dragons aren’t trained by the best fighter, and leader, of a mercenary guild,” Rynx said as he made way for the next pair of fighters to have their match. “Three years since I joined, and you still kick my butt like it's nothing.”

“Hey, you’ve beaten me a few times in the past, and you’re getting better. That move I only save for serious fights,” Spike complimented as the two walked over to a seving girl who had a tray of drinks to hand out. Both fighters put a piece of silver and took two sodas before sipping on it. “Besides, you’re lucky that Silverwolf was impressed enough to take you under his wing. I had to wait for Marc to finally train me.”

“I guess being the apprentice to the second best fighter in the guild does have some perks,” Rynx admitted with a smirk as he finished his drink in one gulp. “Still wish he would teach me some of his special techniques, though. I saw him slice a boulder with his claws with one swipe. Imagine what other moves he’s got.”

“It took Mark five years to finally teach me how to summon fire in my limbs,” Spike said, showing off the flames burning in his claw. “Trust me, he’ll teach you soon.”
“Hope so,” Rynx said, tossing the cup away while putting his paws in his jacket. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Nah, I’m taking it easy tomorrow,” Spike said, finishing his drink. “How about Friday?”

“Works for me. I’m gonna check the mission board. Later.” The two fist bumped before the diamond dog took his leave from the training room.

Windward, carrying a heavy sack of silver, cheerfully levitated over to Spike and said, “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Starting to realize that Azura is not into you?” Spike joked as the two exited side by side.

“Hey, she will be! Once I finally win her with my charms,” Windward said, grinning.

“Why do you keep bothering, Windward?” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “I admit, you’re very determined, but I think with all the times she’s frozen your sorry flank-literally, I might add-you’d get a clue and try some other girl.”

“Nonsense! She’s just plain hard to get! I know the type,” Windward said. “She acts like a cold diamond of ice, but deep inside, I know she has a warm sensitive side that will open those gates of love for me as her one true mate.”

“Or she’ll send you to the gates of hell itself after she finally kills you with an ice spell to the head,” Spike pointed out.

“Hey, I’m a pony remember? We don’t have a hell,” Windward said, smirking. “We just get turned into donkey’s if we’re bad.”

“So you’ll be also an ass in your next life. Good to know,” Spike jibbed, earning a weak punch to the shoulder.

When they arrived at the bar, they quickly found a table and sat down. Nearby, Razzdog could be heard on the radio nearby. “Yo mah' island dsheeiters, it's yo' favo'ite Diamond Dod DJ, Razzdog. Hooooowwwwl!” shouted the voice on the radio. “Right On! So we gots some interestin' news fo' ya' boys. First waaay down, de alliance between de Halberd Win's and Dragons Gate Clan be over. Right On! Bod sides gots into an argument dat lead t'some pretty intense fightin' t'de point where some blood war be startin'. All ya' yung bloods out dere lookin' t'make some dojigga' fo' yo'selves betta' get started on dose hirin' process. In majo' league news, de once slave island dat wuz snatchn ova' by de Legion, wid help fum some mercs fum Red Lightnin' gotss'ta officially been to'n waaay down brick fum brick. When asked why de island wuzn't goin' t'be made into some sea po't fo' de Legion, we wuz told it wuz in de best interest t'not gotss' some base so's far fum deir plantashun turf. What it is, Mama. Right On! So free island fo' dose wants'in' it. Tensions between Unico'nia and da damn Minotaur Islands continues as anoda' escalashun mos' came t'blows, but so's far official war gotss'ta not be declared. On de oda' side uh de wo'ld, Equestria's Princesses gotss' once again put out an issue uh some warnin' fo' wants'ed criminal Tirek. Tirek, fo' dose who duzn't know, be one bad-ass dude who tried takin' ova' de wo'ld but wuz defeated by our homeyly ponies uh de west. Oda' nashuns gotss' promised t'keep an eye on de criminal and return him t'Tartarus where his red butt belongs. Dat's de news so's far, now back t'de beat dogs. Right On!"

“It’s been a week since they’ve gone on about that Tirek guy,” Windward said, accepting a drink from a waitress. “Is he that dangerous?”

“He came out of Tartarus,” Spike said, narrowing his eyes. “So he’s definitely dangerous.”

He remembered Twilight teaching him all about the ancient prison from a time so long ago there were barely any records of it. How it held the most ancient of evils that were sentenced to a fate worse than death or were too powerful to be destroyed. Inside, you slowly wasted away over time, yet you never died. You went hungry, thirsty, and could get sick, but the cursed magic prevented you from dying. A thousand to ten thousand years of agonizing pain and suffering and you would never die.

“Hmm,” Windward said, quickly losing interest. “So, when are we doing another mission?”

“It’s still been a week, Windward,” Spike said, leaning back against his chair. “Marc doesn't want us going out into action yet. Besides, we’re not all yet ready.”

“You mean Aquilina?” Windward asked, sighing. “She's still saying up in her room, huh?”

“Well, she’s starting to hang out in the dining area and bar, talking to me and her uncle,” Spike said, accepting a drink and sipping it. “But she still refuses to come back to the hideout.”

Not that it wasn’t a surprise. Word had spread of what happened to her on the island, and Aquilina didn’t want the attention for once. Everyone on the team swore they didn’t tell, but it was too late to do damage control. “I should go check up on her,” Spike said, putting down his still full drink. “I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

Nodding to Windward, Spike got up and made his way for the lift back up to the surface. Just as it was coming down, he spotted Yasahiro stepping off and bowing to Spike. “Hey, Yasa. Doing okay?” The Kitsune ronin nodded. “Thanks, I’m about to go see Aquilina. See if I can get her to come to The Rotten Barrel for once.”

Yasahiro then rubbed his chin as if he was in deep thought before a smirk decorated his lips. Spike tilted his head in confusion, but before he could answer, the kitsune was already walking away. “Um, okay. Bye.” The young dragon got up on the lift and waited for it to head up while wondering what the fox was up to this time.

***

The Rotten Barrel was overflowing with guests by the time Spike arrived which caused Rupert to ask Spike to get on the stove and start cooking. While Spike worked on a triple cheese tortellini with fresh vegetables, Rupert was talking near the kitchen, pouring drinks. “So Head Chef Master Fresh Taste was here earlier looking for you.”

“Did you tell them that I wasn’t interested in becoming his apprentice. Again?” Spike said, rolling his eyes. Every week or so one of the high ranking chefs of the Cooking Guilds came to ask him-or beg if one was being honest-to come work for them. “I should be flattered, but quite frankly I can’t stand the snootiness.”

I never thought I’d find a group of creatures worse than the Canterlot Nobility, but those guys come a close second, Spike thought as he added the cheese.

“Well, what do you expect when you manage to beat one of their highest ranking chefs with a full five course meal to the point where he cries tears due to the taste?” Rupert asked, chuckling. “Also, a letter came to you from Ruby.”

Spike paused in his cooking and felt two emotions threatening to burst out of him: Fear and Rage. Taking a deep breath, and counting to ten, he asked, “Has... he shown up?”

“No, but she does want you to know that she’ll be out of contact for awhile due to visiting a friend,” Rupert said, before sighing. “Look, Spike, you need to get that incident out of your head.”

“...I lead them to their deaths,” Spike whispered, closing his eyes. “It was my idea and it blew up in my face...”

“The way Aquilina says it,” Rupert said, leaning forward from the window, “It was that Diamond Dog’s fault. Not yours. And I won’t have you moping around again like you did six years ago.”

“Trust me, you can thank your niece for that,” Spike said, rubbing the back of his head. “But you’re right. It is his fault. And if I find him... I’ll kill him.” Spike made a point by stabbing a knife into a nearby slice of meat. “I’ll kill him and burn whatever part of him remains.”

“...You did wash that knife, right?” Rupert asked to which Spike blushed and quickly went to reclean the meat.

Rupert rolled his eyes and started to refill glasses when he spotted Aquilina, dragging herself to a stool, and laying her head on the bar table with a thud. Peewee flew right behind her and landed on her shoulders. Rupert sighed, poured her some coffee, and put it next to her head. “Bad dreams?”

“...yeah,” Aquilina muttered as she lifted her head to drink the hot drink. “Even Peewee’s singing can’t help.” The young phoenix tweeted softly in apology as Aquilina petted him. “Relax, it's not your fault.”

“Maybe we should get a professional to check you out,” Rupert offered, putting his talons over hers. “This has been going on for a week now, and I’m concerned.”

“I’m not seeing a quack,” Aquilina growled before getting up with her coffee in hand. “Give me a few more days and I’ll be fine!”

“Aquilina...”

“I’m fine, Uncle Rupert!” Aquilina shouted before retreating upstairs with Peewee flying back to her seat, shaking her head.

Spike, having heard everything, looked at Aquilina as she hurried back up to her bed. Seven days and she rarely ever came down save for eating or the bathroom. The others had come to visit, but she rarely ever talked and just listened most of the time. The worst was the evenings when she would toss and turn while crying in her sleep. One night it was so bad, she started screaming, and it took all three of them to comfort her and get her to sleep again.

Pounding the counter, Spike cursed himself and wondered what he should do. Normally, he would have asked Princess Luna to help, but even if he was willing to risk exposing his location to the sisters, Erebus Islands were too far away for Luna’s dream walking powers. He was no psychologist or therapist. Plus, he just couldn’t stand another day seeing her in pain.

Once again, he cursed Mistress Loveshot and wished Fausticorn allowed bad ponies to be left in the void instead of reincarnation. There had to be something to help her. Something to get her to relax again.

“Um, Spike? That kitsune friend of yours is here,” Rupert said, getting the dragon’s attention. “And he’s kind of scaring my customers.”

Walking out of the kitchen, he saw the ronin kitsune standing in the middle with all eyes on him. Or more accurately the swords he had. A few of the more armed guests were reaching for their own weapons just in case, but Yasahiro didn’t even seem to care. Of course, if someone did try something stupid like attack the samurai, they would be dead before they hit the ground. Spike quickly rushed over to Yasahiro and dragged him to the side. “Don’t mind them, they’re not used to seeing a heavily armed fox who can slice them into sushi,” Spike said, crossing his arms. “What’s up?”

The kitsune gave a small smile before showing a set of five purple and white tickets. Raising an eyebrow, Spike took one of them and read it out loud. “The Five Ring Carnival and Circus Show?” Spike took a moment to realize what Yasahiro was implying. “Wait, you want us to go to a carnival and circus? You?”

Yasahiro nodded.

“...Okay, a wandering samurai fox who kills with ease and likes carnivals with popcorn and clowns. A weird combination,” Spike muttered.

Rolling his eyes, Yasahiro pointed upwards towards his and Aquilina’s room, and Spike finally got the picture. “Ohhh, you want all of us, including Aquilina, to go and have fun which might cheer her up.” Spike looked at the tickets and shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll try, but I doubt she’ll want to go.”

***

“OF COURSE I WANT TO RUCKING GO!”

Spike had to nearly slap his face upon hearing this. “Wait, really?! You want to go to the carnival?!”

“Of course!” Aquilina said with a bright-eyed face with stars in her eyes. It was a complete turn around from her usual behavior. “I’ve always wanted to go see one! The animals! The games! The clowns! Oh, I hope they are as funny as they say they are!”

“I’m just... kinda surprised,” Spike said, but smiling nonetheless. “I would have thought you’d think they were childish or something.”

“Pssh, Carnivals are bright and colorful and designed to have fun! Or at least that’s what my mom always told me,” Aquilina said, blushing as she rubbed her wrist. “Mom used to tell me about how much fun she had at the Carnival when she was a kid. The amazing acts and rides. The weird and tasty treats. All the unique animals and prizes you can win. I’ve always wanted to go, but I... didn’t have anyone to go with me.”

“What about Rupert?” Spike asked.

“He’s terrified of clowns,” Aquilina said, giggling. “I once saw him screaming and running away from a pony mime when I was nine. But anyway, can we go?!”

Spike, looking at his ticket, smiled and nodded. “Yup, let’s go to the carnival!”

Author's Note

Hey guys, here is the latest update. Sorry for the wait.

As always, please help out at the TV Tropes Page: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TheAssassinationofTwilightSparkle