Rewrite the Stars

Given some time, Spike flew down below just as Rainbow Dash flipped one of the White Mantle soldiers.

"Yo!" Dash shouted at Spike. " Dude, what the hell is going on??"

Pinkie comes barreling in, using her animated tail and smacks a rock with it, it flies and hits a soldier, smacking between the eyes and knocking them out. "This is one violent party."

"These guys~one sec," Spike cuts himself to swing a fist that made contact with a soldier's jaw, grabbing the pony and throwing them, knocking down a couple of the human soldiers. He turned back to his friends. "The White Mantle wants Rachel, and will kill everyone to get~shit!"

Spike grabbed the girls, seeing two humans had their guns pointed at them. He grabs the two and pulls them close, spinning around, wings engulfing the two ponies as their guns go off.

Rrr-rat-tat-tat! The sound of the machine guns rattled as they fired upon the dragon. Bullets flying and hitting Spike's back. The dragon gritted his teeth and grunted loudly as he felt the lead repeatedly hitting his scales. As soon as he heard the empty clicking sounds, Spike let go of the girls before turning around and a burst of fire erupted from his mouth and he blasts back at the humans just as the other girls raced to the fight.

“Girls, go inside the castle, Twilight and others are still inside.” Spike told them.

“What’s going on?” one of them asked.

“No time to explain, just go now.” Spike responded.

“SPIKE!” Spike’s earfins flickered upward when he heard Brimstone’s voice called out to him. He turned his head and gasped on what he saw.

“They have her, lad!” Brimstone shouted, pointing up to the sky.

Rachel was being carried away by several pegasi guards. Three of them had her arms and a leg and she was struggling.

“Go get em’.” Applejack said before she and the girls ran to help Twilight.

Spike didn’t waste a second before he leaped up in the air and went after his girl.

“Get your fucking hands off of me!” Rachel roars as she struggles in the ponies’ hands. Wiggling and pulling back as violently as she could. The White Mantle guards tossed her weapons off somewhere before they dragged her off.

“Quit struggling!” one of them shouted back as they held onto her.

As Rachel struggled, she looked at her power cufflet. With the blue gem still gray from previous usage, she was left with her two other options. Having a bit of faith in this, she turned her head away from the thing, squeezing her eyes shut and shouted, “Calanmai!”

This bright light burst from her wrist, causing the three pegasi to shout out of surprise and out of reaction of wanting to shield their eyes, all three of them collectively dropped Rachel and she plummets.

“Shit!” she shouts as Rachel momentarily freefalls, only to ultimately land into a pair of large purple arms and is darting forward.

“Hi there.” Spike greeted her with a big smile. He was loud so she could hear him over the wind.

Rachel blinked before she smiled back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “My hero.” She giggled and kissed him sweetly on his cheek, being as loud as he was.

Spike’s heart swelled up even more, Rachel could swear she sees hearts in his eyes.. That lovely dopey grin lasted two seconds before hearing sounds of guns firing off, the bullets missing the two.

The dragon snapped his head towards the direction and saw that there were pegasi with the human weaponry coming after them.

“Fuck, hold on.” Spike said before flapping his wings and sped off.

Rachel held on tightly, trying to get small in his arms as the bullets flew over their heads. Clutching for dear, ever-loving life as the dragon continuously swerves left to right to dodge. Gritting her teeth as she hears the familiar sound of gunfire going off.

Guns, why the hell would humans use guns as part of the trade business?! Rachel was not a big fan of them back home and was sure as hell not a fan now.

Then.

BANG!

Rachel started screaming loudly in pain, pulling her arm around away from Spike’s shoulders and tucking it close to her chest. Spike gasped, seeing that there was a gunshot wound on her forearm, the scent of her blood filling his nose.

Over at the Dragonlands, Dragonlord Ember was taking a few personal rounds around her volcanic palace, in her hands always was the Bloodstaff. The main source of draconic magic only the Ruler of Dragons and a rare few are able to harness its raw abilities.

With the ponies having a hard time with the humans and the history dragons had with the humans centuries ago, patrol and guards doubled around their lands.

Besides Rachel who proved herself to be trusted and earned her keep, no other mortal dared to set foot in these lands and besides Spike who has crossed over to their world, no other dragon dared to set back to where it was once called their home.

As she passed by a statue carved in obsidian and gold of her father Torch, the blood red stone on the scepter started to glow and energy surging from the length of the crystal staff. She stopped and held the staff out. “The fuck?!” she yelped. Her whole body started to vibrate from its energy and it just suddenly stopped abruptly.

Ember’s scales paled, she felt some of the magic from the staff was just being used remotely.

And she knew where that magic went. “Uuh oh,” she said slowly, staring at the staff.

Snarling, Spike’s hands began to glow a bright green in color, his body enveloped in magic that felt distantly familiar to Rachel. Spike spun them around to face the oncoming enemy. With a shout, he threw his hand out towards them.

The same draconic magic that flowed in his hands shot out. The pegasi with guns were soon consumed in green flames causing extreme agony, one by one, all of them incinerated at mid flight and it was slow to increase maximum pain brought upon them before they were reduced to nothing but ash and dust. Their armor, skin, the iron and metal of their weaponry was gone, the intense heat burned much hotter than typical dragon fire that it left nothing of them.

Though in pain herself, Rachel couldn’t help but watch Spike use this kind of magic. She knew he can do some things other dragons cannot but nothing like this.

Spike then holds onto his mate and dives into the Everfree forest below. He swiftly landed on the ground, placing Rachel on a large boulder gently.

“Lemme see,” Spike said, then gently grabbing her arm, Rachel winced and grunted, showing him the bloody gunshot wound. It wasn’t through and through so the bullet was still lodged in.

He grimaced, already he could see her transformation had begun the process of healing itself, but it was having a hard time with something in it. “Rach, I gotta~”

“Just fucking do it.” Rachel whispered, trembling from the pain but knew what was about to happen.

But both of them hate it.

Spike nodded before picking up a stick before handing it to her. Rachel took it and put it in her mouth. Once secured, Rachel nodded, bracing herself.

“I’m sorry,” Spike whispered softly before shoving two of his claws in her arm.

Rachel chomps down on the stick, though it broke in half from her strength, it did hold back the painful scream. Her nerves felt like they were on fire, writhing in her mate’s hand but she forced herself to stay put though everything was telling her to pull away.

Spke worked quickly, digging and feeling for that bullet. Being careful not to damage her even more, feeling the hot meat and tendons, just to go as far as the projectile. He kept looking at Rachel to see how she was handling it, hating to see that twisted pained expression on her.

His claws then felt something metallic. “Okay I got it, I got it.” He said, managing to grab the bullet. He counted to three before he pulled it out, causing Rachel to drop the broken stick from her mouth and let out a frightful scream.

For which Spike dropped it and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, for then she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, I'm sorry.” He tells her repeatedly, holding her, feeling her hands wrapping around him and buried her face in his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

“W-why is this happening to us?” She asked in between sobs.

“I don’t know,” He responded, petting her gently and trying to sooth and comfort her.

After a while, he pulled away to see how her arm was now. The bleeding has stopped and he recognized the familiar signs of scales growing. “How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“It hurts like hell and I'm scared to death.” she responded, still visibly shaken.

He hears more pegasi wings flapping nearby, causing him to snarl loudly. “These fuckers just won’t quit!” he growled before looking at Rachel. “Do you remember where Zecora’s hut is?” he asked her.

She nodded, wiping her face with her hands.

Spike helped her off the boulder and framed her face with his hands. “I’m gonna take care of these guys, I’m going to need you to run towards Zecora’s as fast as you can and stay there where you can be safe, okay?”

“But~”

“No buts, okay, I can’t lose you.” He said, placing his forehead against hers. “When I’m done with these guys, I’ll come back. You trust me?”

“I do,” She whispered, “Always.”

They kissed, Spike taking her in one last time, shuddering softly before pulling away. “I love you, Rachel.” He said as the wind began to pick up. The draconic magic Rachel was feeling before was coming off of him again. Though it was clear she wanted answers, it would have to be later after this.

“I love you too, Spike.” She said, Her ears were then able to pick up the sound of the White Mantle guards approaching them from afar. They both snapped their heads towards that direction before Spike told her to go.

Rachel forces herself to tear away from the love of her life and she takes off running. Leaving Spike behind to take care of the mess.

Leaping over fallen trees, feet picking up dirt as Rachel zoomed through the forest. She recognized the area and knew where the pathway towards the zebra’s hut was. Her arm stung all to hell but her adrenaline and whatever her own magic was happening was keeping the pain at bay for now.

Echoing in her ears, she could hear the roars and cries of the encounter, her blood running ice cold, partially feeling sorry for those guys but they had this coming.

But it sure did scare the living hell out of her, she wasn’t going to lie, but she trusts her dragon.

As she ran, she was suddenly feeling this sharp pain in her stomach, causing her to stop, leaning against a tree. “Oh shit!” she groaned, the pain was making her double over, hand pressed against it.

There was something inside her that was changing, she could feel it. The same tearing pain she felt when she touched the Crystal Heart was happening again. She didn’t know it was the adrenaline, the fear she was feeling or what but it was at it again.

The feeling then traveled from her stomach and right up the arm she was just shot, and right before her eyes: she watched as golden scales grew from where the bulletwound was at then traveled to her hand, covering it entirely; her black painted nails turned to a warm brown and turned to long sharp claws.

“What the actual fuck….?” Rachel whispers as the change stops but the pain from the change lingers.

As she stood, contemplating and trying not to freak out, she noticed a huge difference in her surroundings. Her sense of smell heightened ten times along with her hearing, hearing the smallest of insects walking on a leaf, the smell of wood burning and flesh blood spilt and it was a strong one, given what Spike was doing now. Frightened animals taking cover in nearby holes and spaces unseen but she knows they are there.

However, one sound she managed to pick up frightened her the most. She can easily distinguish the sounds and growls Spike makes, she was able to register another sound.

And she suddenly bolts off, the creature charges right for her.

Every nerve in her body lit up, the hairs along her arms and neck were standing straight up, cold sweat dripping from her pores. This was one chase Rachel intended not to be caught!

As she ran, she quickly saw a pathway emerging ahead, the two arrowed signs pointing from the east - Zecora’s Hut, and north that pointed to where Ponyville was.

Just as she went to turn east, a huge red figure dropped right in front of her and his hand reached out, grabbing her by the throat and easily raised her off her feet.

Gasping out of breath, she felt her throat was being crushed by sheer strength. She tried hitting and clawing but it proved to be ineffective. She managed to open her eyes and came face to face with Garble.

And he was pissed. She could see that his right eye still had a piece of her arrow sticking out and he had tried to make an attempt to pull it out but just broke a part of it.

As Spike threw the remaining guard at a tree, the tree snapping in half upon impact, he stiffened when he heard this booming voice.

“HEY LITTLE PONY!” Garble boomed.

Spike snapped his head up at the sky and he could’ve sworn all the color of his scales ran white, his eyes widened to see what he had.

“LOOK WHAT I GOT!!” Garble snarled, holding Rachel up by the neck, seeing her struggling to breathe.