The Kiss of Immortal Love

~ VI ~

Into the Lair without Flair

The passage opened into a voluminous cavity spanning the interior of a mountain, platforms of wood and stone, straight and sloped across the walls, levels going up and down, tunnels branching into endless possibilities. The two walked across a bridge crossing the center and middle of the area, leading downward.

Twilight led the way across the bridge, an odd shivering in her neck touching and twitching her head. Barely could she suppress it, but carried on anyway, feigning charge. The dragon kept behind two steps while scanning the air. Below loomed tracks and abandoned carts, seem from their glint within the sea of darkness, a shallow reflection to the mare's magic.

"None of this is right." Spike peered from the side of the bridge to the mare. Both of their reflection became gigantic across the dome of the wall and ceiling to their side. Twilight dipped her head in thought. "There's never been records of an operation like this before. It's too big to be hidden from Celestia. Did she commission it? But none of this matches the works of ponies."

Spike had travelled lands both known and unknown to ponies, meeting many kinds and types, their different ways of life and work and everything of the sort. But nothing about this place felt right. Something so massive and requiring the force of an army to suddenly be gone? Everything stripped?

"Perhaps it wasn't my kind here." Twilight shook her head. "Dragons would never work like this. They've changed since their king. But even those... like you wouldn't allow yourself like this." She coughed, speaking with hesitation. "Dragons would destroy this place. Whatever glimmered, they would take. But their intent wouldn't be preservation."

He'd been expecting the innocent mare to comment about it. Twilight didn't treat him like the rest did, but she thought differently of him for it. There was no... hostility in her voice. Only the speaker of facts, a by-product of searching for the truth.

"I don't know any kind daring to interfere in the mountains before ponies and dragons but, they're not here anymore, and there must be a reason for it." Twilight nudged to a left to a distant platform, below and across the wall, cart laid at its entrance... empty. "Something came in afterward. Killed everyone or stole everything? These many miners? Only an army would dare to invade."

Twilight threw her head back and groaned, walking forward the same and, were it not for the tense air... the dragon would have laughed. She was like a frustrated teenager on the cusp of an answer. Draped mane exposing her face, her eyes caught in annoyed—burning brighter for it.

"But what army would know about this, be sure it was worth the resources, attack, and simply clean the place out? This whole place is mined beneath the ground!" An explosion surged from her horn the multiplication of blue dots plastering downward, defining the shape of the interior... teasing to its depths.

Far... far below ground.

During this explosion of light, silver glints flickered above, vines of white, crafted in silk, all shone in sporadic tandem. Glint after glint appeared, its length improving and numbers increasing, twinkling stars across the rocky sky.

Spike endured the non-existent breeze chilling the scales on his phantom arm. Glancing down, its digits clung over his hilt. His real claw did the same as the bridge transitioned to the platform of rock leading into yet another passage.

"And can you get this?!"

Spike was too busy turning as he walked, gazing everywhere, seeing nothing, vines of white awash in dense blackness. Skittering twitch his frills. Heart-rate increasing. Snout twitching. His digits squeezed and released and squeeze the handle of his blade. He exhaled to calm himself, half-failing.

"I can understand stealing gems and tools and other minerals," Twilight started upon facing the wall that curved into the passage, two iron brackets arched from it, barren of anything within. "But there's no point in stealing all the torches! It would have been advantageous to leave them lit to guide the way out—the let the fires burnout! So much effort for no reason!"

Spike's eyes widened and horrible realization, one coming before the other, the second being the second glint over the princess. In dashing forward, he pulled out his blade, a cleaner sweep from before, aiming to for the beast hovering over the Twilight.

The greatness of the arachnid consumed the space over her body, its long, black legs whisking lower. Its back was covered in darkness, white eyes glinting, same of its strewn web. With a hiss, an inched up—lunging downward.

The dragon slammed into the mare upon drawing out his place, an upward slash across the creature's face—slicing deeper as the beast sunk into it. On following through the attack, the dragon stepped into the passage, coat floating over his ankle, blocking the mare on the ground behind him.

He rose his blade over his face at once... until his eyes scanned across the room.

Hundred of twinkling stars inches across the curve of the ceiling and walls, a hundred more sparkling from the ceiling, scattered in different places, an uninterrupted view of the night sky. Before his feet, the other rose, hairy legs touching over its face, stumbling.

Spike slashed the ropes of the bridge as the creature hugged the planks, falling down and away, disappearing on the swing into the abyss. Docking his blade, he spun on a step, helping the princess to her hooves.

But her amethyst gems locked on the hundreds toward them, lip quivering, a constant thumping to her legs. Without time, Spike's claw swept underneath her body, and he cradled her into his arm. Holding the princess bridal-style, his head glanced back to the spiders pouring into the passage.

Glancing to his right, a wooden beam stood and, with clenched eyes, he kicked it.

Great billowing of dust was accompanied by falling rocks and raining sands as the narrow corridor collapsed into itself. The dragon sped forward, the rushing collapse licking his heels, beams above causing him to duck low, rocks jutting from the ground catching on his feet.

He stumbled in a run ever forward, seeing the shafts blurring on the sides as they too collapsed throughout, one wrong kick gone bad. The entire section was coming down, and he heard it, hearing the mountain groan from the inside.

"I-I can't do it Spike!" Twilight clenched her eyes shut, crying, heaving breaths that puffed her chest. "The light... I can't... can't!"

The glowing ball of light dimmed at the tip of her horn.

Spike coughed a hurtful hack. Filth crept into his mask, perpetrated from the enclosed space, cycling into his snout and clouding his lungs with muck. Breathing to drink in dust in which continuously drowned his lungs.

But in that sound, her eyes opened, seeing the world closing around them. Despite her terror, the mare reclined in his embrace, gazing only into his face, his expression sad and terrified. She swallowed as her glow returned. So long as she did not focus on the despair chasing them, but fixated on the hope of him... her light kept glowing to illuminate their escape.

It came over them, the clouds of undulating dirt and dust and grime, the scratching of rocks and the cutting of gems. Protrusions on the wall stole their slices of blood and covered the wounds in the essence of aged smoothness. The sweeping current brushed them the carved rectangle that would be their exit.

Spike's foot travelling from ground to nothing as the cavern opened before him. It was another cavity that's first glimpse was barren. They fell while gravity churned in their stomachs, the dragon curling the mare into himself, and then he the same, wearing to bear anything.

The slam should have struck the life out of him. Instead, the ground sunk beneath the weight of his momentum, exercising it in little bounces. Sleek and stick and tightly interwoven with minuscule give. It rolled curved as it went along.

The dragon laid forward on the strange bedding, uncurling himself, warmth and softness now missing. Dim light illuminated the scene, the tides of webs that composed the flooring. In weakling looking to his right, Twilight laid on her side, desperately cradling toward him, holding out her hoof.

"S-Spike! Please... s-save me!"

The world was shaking, and his ears were ringing as he fought to bring life out from himself. There was a faint warmth within, the stings of embers still aflame, the bonfire needing reignited. Spike shook his head of the idea, standing of hollow legs while his claw waved at his side, one and two swipes—until feeling the handle of his sword.

"T-There's something on me!"

The cute mass of Twilight was blanketed by the stale fuzz of the enormous spider, consuming her from beneath its weight, creeping over in delicate inches. Spike dashed in a step forward—wobbling back as the world spun and grounding dived upon his influence. He fought to correct himself, also fighting the urge to vomit.

The head of the spider peeked over the mare's neck, dipping its mouth over the tender texture, bearing its fangs. Spike lunged his head forward, and the weight of his body followed, drawing a sweep of a slice over its neck as its head went limp over the princess.

She screamed in pain and agony, the repeated sort of one lit aflame, beating hooves around her body to put out the flames. Two spiders appeared at her sides, their legs and heads raising before the dive.

One they never made.

Spike slashed up on left as it came down and, in a twirl, cut down as the spider as it did the same. Its legs fell, and toxic spew splattered from the cuts, glowing neon, burning strands.

"I-I... I can't... hold it... anymore..."

Those weren't the words of a scared mare.

Holding the proper form again, the dragon backed to the mare, checking to see her state. He pushed the body of a spider off her, seeing her head laid to the side, eyes open, mouth the same, yet not a twitch to either. Exhaling, her light faded, slowly, until there was only darkness.

"... I'm...afraid...of...the...d-dar..."