Final Call of Sweet Claws

“S-S-Spike?” Apple Bloom turned around and saw that the dragon she had loved with all her heart and soul was standing in front of her. It was like she remembered. His purple scales, his green spikes, those powerful wings behind his back, the brown coat he wore.

“S-Spike!” The yellow coated mare suddenly leaped onto the purple drake with hot tears rolling down her eyes. She finally got the chance to enjoy the cool feeling of his hard scales again after so many years.

Slowly Spike began to comb his wife’s mane his own tears falling down his face. “Oh my favorite little apple...” he said softly. Just as slowly as he rubbed her mane, he shakily reached down and wiped the tear from her eye with a single claw.

“How... How are you still alive?” she asked, but he shook his head. Apple Bloom realized something wasn’t right, as Spike seemed to be struggling just to do something so simple.

“Oh no, I’m as dead as a doorknob,” he responded. “But I need your help. When I... those bastards killed me, they trapped my soul within an ancient mirror. I’m not sure why, but if anypony calls my name... I... I... I... have to kill them,” he explained letting out another pained grunt.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked almost too afraid to hear the answer.

“Find the mirror and Destroy it. This is the only way to end my curse,” he replied as he slowly backed away. “It’s only a matter of time before some unfortunate soul says my name again. Regardless of who it is, My curse will force me to kill them.No matter who it is...” Against his will, his claws extended, much to Apple Bloom’s terror.

“Spike... what are you...” Apple Bloom whispered as he looked like he was prepared to attack. The tears once again falling down her cheeks as she put two and two together.

“Please... Get away from me Apple Bloom...” he begged trying to resist. “I... I’m Losing control! Run!” he roared before his eyes turned red. He held his pain trying to resist the curse’s urge to kill his beloved wife.

“Spike...” Stunned by his words the potion maker shake her head, she then ran downstairs toward the living room. Luckily, she knew nopony was in the house since there was a lot of farm work to tend to outside. She didn’t take a moment to look behind her, she just fled outside as fast as her legs could take her. She knew that he would kill her. One way or another. She ran and ran not bothering paying attention to any pony that she passes. Neither her son, daughter, niece and nephews. Not even her family. Apple Bloom ran to the one place she knew she’ll be safe for now. Twilight’s Castle.

Upon arriving at the castle, the frightened mare frantically knocked on the door while looking left and right to see if Spike had caught up to her. Lucky the only thing she saw was a few ponies staring at her. Knocking again, the door was finally opened by Starlight who didn’t have time ask what Apple Bloom wanted before she forced her way inside.

She got in just in time, as looking out the window she saw Spike just standing there looking in the direction where Apple Bloom ran. By this point, he had disappeared among the sea of ponies.

“Geez Apple Bloom... I know Nightmare Night is only two days away, but calm down,” Starlight reassured her friend with an amused smile.

“Starlight...” she panted not returning the unicorn’s smile. “A-A-Ah don’t have time. Where’s the princess?!”

“What do you mean?” she asked with a frown. “What happened?”

“Where is the princess?!” she asked again even louder than before.

Starlight shakes her head, trying to stop the ringing.“Twilight is in her study with her husband.” Before Starlight could said anything the yellow pony ran pass her. “What’s with that mare?” she asked herself this.

True to what Starlight said, Twilight was up in the study fixating on one of the many books she had. Her husband, Star Tracker, the very same stallion she met on the family cruise she took all those years ago.

In addition to being a fan, Star Tracker has had a huge crush on Twilight ever since she became a princess. Despite being an earth pony, he loved astronomy and shared his studies with the princess.

Seeing how they had more in common than they thought, Twilight asked Star Tracker to come to Ponyville more often and it wasn’t long before the two began dating.

25 years is indeed a long time. A middle-aged stallion, Star Tracker was sitting on the sofa, listing to Twilight theory in space travel. Star Tracker was taking note.

“And with the crystal supplying the magical fuel ponies could travel to other planets. Oh Hey Apple Bloom.” The lavender mare smile.

“Hey, Apple Bloom.” The dark cyan earth pony waves.

“Sorry Princess but there something important ah must tell you.”

“What wrong?” Twilight asked in consriend.

“I-I-It about the killings. All of them. S-Spike. His soul is trapped within a mirror. We need to find the mirror and desto-” Apple Bloom felt a sharp pain in her neck. She then turns only to see the dragon she loves. Tears traveling down his cheek. The spear end of his tail moved to show the blood it was coated in.

“I’m sorry...” the dragon said watching his beloved drop to the floor. As he stood with tears still falling to the ground, he turns to see Twilight and her husband who was shocked. Luckily for him, neither of them had seen him. But they did know about the myth of ‘Sweet Claws.’

He watches as Twilight tries desperately to heal her wounds, but it was too late. She was gone and to a better place. Spike only wish to be with her once his curse was lifted.

Alarmed by Apple Bloom’s unexpected murder, and Twilight didn’t know what to do. Apple Bloom was dead by some unknown assented. Twilight believe it could be a surviving pony from the massacre 25 years ago.

Regardless of whether or not she knew the perpetrator, Twilight could see that this incident needed to be investigated.

Her horn flare to life, creating a field. “Ok ok ok ok. Star get Starlight so she can help me, then go around town and ask if any pony saw something out of the ordinary.

“Well do.” The stallion simulated then ran back out of the library to begin his mission.

A minute later Starlight bust into the room, but then gasp seeing the body of Apple Bloom laying on the ground lifeless.

“W-What happened?” asked the panicked mare.

“I don’t know. One minute she said something about Spike’s soul, then the neck a hole appear on her neck where she lay dead on the floor.

“Could it be?” Starlight place a hoof under her muzzle thinking.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“When me, Sunburst, Thorax, and Shining Armor went to look for Spike’s murders, they said a dragon was killing them one by one.”

“Hold on, are you saying Spike...”

“No, no! There is a possible chance it could be some form of magic no pony saw?” Starlight shakes her head. Though she didn’t admit it, she too was concerned whether or not her long-dead friend was responsible for this.

“Sweet Claws. Sweet Claws. Sweet Claws. Sweet Claws... Sweet Claws,” called out a light pinkish alicorn with a purple mane and a blue streak. She along with her longtime friends Pumpkin Cake, and Pound Cake we’re observing all the candy they would be giving to the foals on Nightmare Night.

Flurry had learned the name Sweet Claws from her subjects, and her two friends from some time. Both Pinkie and Rainbow Dash used to tease them and tell them stories about a dragoness who die while protecting her young but failed. The creatures that killed the mother cried out ‘Sweet Claws’.

Like most ponies, Flurry Heart didn’t take the legend seriously. It was said that whoever called out the name would die in the same night. “Alright turn off the lights.” She ordered, to which Pound happily obeyed. Despite being in their 20s, the three did act like foals from time to time. Once the lights were off.

Nothing happened. No physical harm, no screams…

After about a minute of waiting pound turned on the light. Both he and his twin sister gasped in shock and awe. Flurry who didn’t notice turn to her friends. “What?” She asked which to there responds was to point behind her. Flurry did just that and when she did, her jaw hit the floor.

Sitting on the edge of the sink was Spike. His claw tap the crystalize suffice of the sink he was sitting on. “You know... I was hoping for some somepony who I don’t have knowledge on a personal level would be dumb enough to call me...” He then opened his coat not only revealing his rib cage and spinal but a swarm of flash bees which then attack the trio. Each sting sending a volt of electrical throughout their bodies.

Spike looked down at the trio who had sparks coming and smoke from them and were only barely alive. He closed his eyes trying to resist the urge to finish the job, but it was no use.

Towering over Flurry Heart who looked up at the abomination with the little conscience she had, he raised his claws preparing to slit her throat.

“I’m sorry...” he said solemnly before his claws ran across her neck, decorating the walls red.

It was Nightmare Night, one of the scariest holiday ponies would celebrate. The festival was created to remember the mare’s tale of Nightmare Moon, returning to the Equestria and devolving up any pony she came across. And to satisfy her hungry ponies would offer the dark alicorn candy. Due to the Flash Bees incident involving a member of the royal family, and the deaths of several ponies, it was deemed necessary to cancel Nightmare Night.

Due to the recent murders around Ponyville no pony other then the princesses, guards, and police are allowed to be out after the sun went down. Celestia, Shining Armor, Luna, Twilight and a with an old grey unicorn stallion with a long white beard. He wore a magician hat with bells, along with his cape, also adore with bells at the end.

“Why can’t I enjoy my retirement in peace without fools causing trouble?” the old stallion walking over toward the grave site.” Even after the incident with the Pony of Shadows, Star Swirl the Bearded maintained some of his arrogance.

“I’m sorry we have to pull you out of retirement Star Swirl, but this is a matter of urgency,” Luna spoke in a claim but regal tone. “We believe that a pony is using a forbidden magic.”

“Ah yes. Necromancing,” the retired sorcerer said stroking his beard.

“Wait, as in zombies?” Shining Armor asked to which Star Swirl chuckled.

“There are two aspects in the dark arts of necromancing. The physical side, and the spiritual side. The physical side is where the user summons zombies. The spiritual side is the most dangerous of them all.” The old pony explained. “Without a soul, the caster must continually use magic to keep the body moving. Kind of like a puppet, but with a soul the caster won’t use magic, and the body depending on how rotted it is will have a will on it own.”

“Your Highness.” One of the guards said bowing his head “We found a hidden cavern under a tome.”

“Good the sooner we destroy that mirror the better.”

Shining Armor wiped a tear remembering his daughter’s death. Yes, it didn’t take long for him and Cadence to learn of the flash bees incident.

Within the Ponyville cemetery was a cavern beside a grave marked ‘Flag Pole’ said to where one of the founders of Ponyville went exploring one summer and ever return. The cavern was a mile long deep but begin enough to fit a pony.

“So... what is our plan?” Twilight asked still comforting her brother.

“Simple look for the mirror, and shatter it.” The white stallion looks around. The only thing within the area were claw marks, scorched earth, and a transparent mirror along with a coffin. “And I found the mirror.” The stallion said firing a magical blast at it, only the magical beam of energy to pass through it and hit a wall. “What the?”

“Here let me,” Luna spoke doing the same thing only for the result is the same but with a bigger scorch mark. “Okay then?”

Star Swirl slowly walked over to the mirror and examining it. “Well safe to say it isn’t necromancing, but it is a rather powerful spell. It also looks like a soul it trapped within the mirror.”

“If we can’t break the mirror what should we do?” Shining asked.

“As risky as it is...” Star Swirl said with a gulp. “...we must summon the demon that is responsible for these murderers. If the legend is right, saying the beast’s name five times will force it to come out and kill whoever summoned it.”

“Sweet Claws... Sweet Claws... Sweet Claws... Sweet Claws...” the elderly wizard gulped somewhat hesitant to say the name one more time. Looking back he saw Luna and the others were lighting their horns preparing for the fight.

“Sweet Claws,” he finally said the name for the last time.

The transparent mirror soon turn into a solid one. It then began to glow, blinding the ponies in the cavern before fading. There stood the dragon. His eyes stared at the elder pony who summon him, then to the others. “Hello everypony...” The purple dragon spoke softly. Against his will, he reached down and seized Star Swirl by his throat.

Panicking as they watched Spike grip it tightly, Celestia was the first to act, and fire her golden beam at Spike, and to everypony surprise, it actually hit him, which cause him to fly towards the rocky wall. Star Swirl coughed as he was dropped upon Celestia attacking Spike.

“M-Mother the mirror... B-Break it...”

“I know Spike.” Her horn charges up as well as Shining Luna and Twilight. However, Spike opened up his coat with a loud roar allowing a swarm of flash bees to fly out.

“We need to hurry!” Cadence yelled as she and the others shot down as many of the bees as she could, trying to make a path to the solid mirror.

Star Swirl was still weak from Spike’s choking and crawled over to the mirror being closer to it than the others. He was about to fire a beam when he was lifted by his head by Spike’s powerful claws.

“Please destroy it!” he begged as his grip grew slightly tighter. He was using the best of his willpower not to obey the curse and crack Star Swirl’s skull like an egg.

The three princesses, and Shining all fire at the mirror but then Spike open his coat letting out more flash bees. The swarm kept them from offering any assistance to the wizard whose head was slowly leaking out blood.

“Forgive me...” Spike said unable to restrain himself anymore. He was just about to crush Star Swirl’s head when a purple beam passed by him and... hit the mirror.

Letting go of Star Swirl, Spike slowly turned around to see it was Twilight who shot the beam. Her eyes were red with tears from being forced to see her friend like this.

Spike dropped to his knees and the flash bees retreated back into his coat. Twilight instinctively ran over to the weakening dragon, knowing his time was up.

“Twilight... everypony... I... I never wanted things to be like this. I never wanted to kill everypony...” he whispered.

“We know this Spike,” Celestia said as she trotted up to rest her wing around her son. She thought she would never get the chance to see the gentleness and kindness that filled those green eyes.

Spike prepared to say his final words as his eyes grew heavy. “Please bury Bloomy’s body alongside mine...”

“O-Of course,” Twilight said as she rubbed his back.

The fight was done. The mirror destroyed and Spike soul is free to enjoy the afterlife with his wife and friends. Carrying his body out with a white sheet covering the corpse, the entire group weep silently as they prepared to bury their friend again.

This was probably the most solemn Nightmare Night Equestria has ever experienced. Both Ponyville and the Crystal Empire were mourning the loss of their fellow ponies who fell victim to Sweet Claws.

No words were exchanged as they buried Apple Bloom alongside Spike just as he asked. The couple would finally reunite in the afterlife.

Both their foals were there, each crying over the loss of their parents.

“Think they’re happy sis?” Flame asked, to which Spice nodded.

“Ah believe so brother.”

Fin

Author's Note

And this is the final chapter of Sweet Claws. I know it was rush because I was planning on getting this out on Halloween. And I have.

I'm not doing deadline fics every again.

Also when and if I have the time and not be lazy I rewrite this and turn it into a masterpiece