Chapter 4

The Return Of Spike

Over a year has gone by, and Spike is practically unrecognisable. He doesn't have the baby fat he used to have and was instead replaced with a six-pack. His scales had gotten a little bit darker shade of purple, and his Spike's had become black. He had been training for several hours every day, and he was a dedicated samurai. He had earned his armour.

The armour was made from cloth and metal. The cloth was black with the Sakai twin mountains as the crest on his cape. He wore a mask that covered his mouth and nose like a bandana. The mask was one of a demon. The nose was thick and looked like it had been punched. It also had a mouth with teeth, and it revealed Spike's real mouth. Spike also had a sword and knife.

He had only received the weapons six months ago, together with a bow and arrows. He was good with any weapon and could use anything to his advantage. Spike was currently in the garden meditating and keeping his mind clear. Today was the day he went back to Equestria. He couldn't tell family members that he was alive though, he had to remain a secret. Jin hadn't said anything about it, but he had a feeling that he thought the same thing. Spike heard footsteps and he immediately knew who it was.

"Is it time already Jin?" Spike asked, making Jin look at him impressed. Spike sure was good, but he didn't think that he was that good. Then again, they were the only ones who lived in the house, to begin with. Jin then laughed a little. He was sure gonna miss his heir. Sure, he was following with him to Equestria and would stay there, but his heir would be fighting against King Sombra.

"Yes, it's time my heir. You have come a long way since I trained you, and now, it is time for you to go back to your home." Jin said, making Spike open his eyes a little. He had grown used to seeing Hoofshima in the mornings, and now he was gonna wake up in a cave every day somewhere in Equestria. Not that he expected to be living in a five-star hotel in the first place. He had learnt how to sleep on anything in his training, and he was amazed by what his dragon form could sleep on.

"Well then, we shouldn't be wasting time then. Shall we go back?" Spike asked, in a bit of a rush. He wanted to get to Equestria as fast as possible. Jin simply sighed. Spike was definitively his heir by blood and mind. He didn't have patience at all.

"Patience my heir, we will get there, and you know it takes one hour," Jin said, making Spike sigh, and nod with an expressionless face. He was in no mood to get into another argument over his patience, as he didn't have the patience for it either.

Spike got up from his knees and looked up over the horizon of Hoofshima. It had certainly changed over millennia. Then again, much is to be expected when a millennium passes in the first place. The city that Spike was looking at was tall and proud. He was gonna miss it here, he certainly would come back one day. Besides, he had to refreshen his Neighpanese at some point. He looked around the small garden to make sure everything is inside the house so they don't lose anything on the way to Equestria. The garden is always saved, but the objects are not.

Spike walked inside the house and closed the door and saw Jin pull down the leaver so they would teleport. The house felt like it started to move again, and Spike sat down on the cushioned chair. He was gonna make King Sombra pay for what he did to every mare and child that he has killed. He was gonna force him to surrender. If he doesn't, then it will be a blood bath...

"What are you thinking about?" Jin asked, shaking Spike out of his thoughts. Jin looked at Spike with some sort of curiosity. Spike straightened himself in his chair and looked at his ancestor in the eyes.

"I'm thinking about King Sombra, and what he has done towards innocent mares and children. I promise you, I will make him suffer." Spike said, with such malice thinking about Sombra, that he didn't notice the fond smile Jin had on his face. Spike reminded Jin so much of himself when he was young. He had said the exact very thing when he had woken up on the beach at Komoda and seen all the innocent ponies and creatures get slaughtered. He had not failed his promise either...

"I see so much of myself in you, Spike. I will miss having you around. I will help you of course, when you need it. Although, this is a journey you should be doing alone and with allies that you think are loyal. Which is why I won't be as involved as you and the allies that you make along the way." Jin said, making Spike nod in understanding. He had been expecting that, and wouldn't have it any other way.

They were quiet for a while. They didn't know what to tell each other, as this was probably the last time they would be seeing each other for a while. Although, after King Sombra is defeated, they would meet again, and they would have fun again as they did for the whole year together. Spike was thinking about what his friends were doing these days, as it has been over a year. He wondered how his mother was doing, as he had not heard anything about Equestria in over a year since he disappeared. He hoped that his mother is okay, as goes for his aunt, uncle and cousins. He couldn't bear the thought that somepony who was close to him died. Jin was thinking about how much Spike has improved over the year he had been with Spike. He only seemed to improve, and improve. He never seemed to fail at anything, except patience. But, he will have to learn it the hard way as he had done himself.

All of a sudden, the horse stopped, and Spike checked the windows. He saw that he was somewhere in the badlands if he was not mistaken. There was sand everywhere, and it looked like to be hills of sand. Definitely the badlands. Spike opened the front door, and he was greeted by the warmth of the sun. Jin walked beside him, and let out a relieved sigh. He wasn't worried that they were ended up somewhere wrong, the warmth from princess Celestia's sun was simply... refreshing. He felt like he was a new colt.

"Well, here we are my heir. I do hope that you manage your task with the prophecy. And be aware; only because that it says you can defeat him doesn't mean that you will defeat him. You will have to use every tactic I taught you." Jin said, making Spike nod in understanding. It was true what Jin was saying. Spike had at one point believed that he will simply defeat Sombra with his sword and nothing else. Jin had barked out laughing with literal tears in his eyes. When he told Spike the truth, Spike had no idea whether to be embarrassed or laugh himself.

"Yes, I will my ancestor. Now, I must free the ponies and creatures of Equestria." Spike said, as he gave one last hug to his ancestor and walked towards the direction the Everfree Forest was. He was gonna walk through the forest and hopefully, find some of King Sombra's creatures to kill.

The sand under Spike's feet made a sound every time Spike took down his foot to walk forward. The thing was, he wanted King Sombra's creatures to know that he was there. He wanted them to fight him, so they could see that he was not to be taken lightly. Hopefully, if his plan worked, King Sombra would show himself in public to specifically fight Spike, and Spike would be able to kill him more easily. He would save quite a lot of effort also.

Spike looked quite terrifying in that armour. His sword and knife to the side in their holsters, and his mask that covered his mouth and nose. He would hopefully strike fear in King Sombra. He was not gonna give up either. No, he was gonna fight until King Sombra was dead. That was a promise. Spike reached the Everfree Forest, and saw the tall trees that were close to each other, making it harder for him to see what is beyond the trees. Luckily, he had learnt how to see in the most impossible of circumstances, so it wasn't a problem.

He didn't see any creatures, but one could never be too sure. Spike looked at the closest tree to him, and he started to climb up and didn't stop until he was at a decent height. Spike looked over the trees from the branch that he was standing on. Spike knew that there were some Timberwolves there, but he didn't see or even smell where they were. Then again, perhaps all of them were in the Crystal Empire or Canterlot, or somewhere else serving their King.

Spike didn't want to take any risks, so he jumped from branch to branch with speed and agility. He was athletic, and he didn't intend on giving up. Spike looked down towards the ground and saw a dead body. Spike stopped at the next branch that he landed on. Spike slowly climbed down, feeling the hard tree wood against his scaly claws. The twigs, grass, and leaves on the ground didn't make a sound as Spike stepped on them. His attire had been enchanted to not make any sounds at all. The dead body looked like it belonged to a mare, and Spike felt immediate anger. The mare was laying in a pool of her own blood, and it looked like it had been here for some time. It wasn't rotting, so perhaps a few hours ago? Spike couldn't really tell, but he knew it had been at least from one hour to one day. He was unsure if he was gonna find anything to bury the mare with, and he didn't know if he should. He didn't want to disrespect the dead in any sort of way.

All of a sudden, he heard a growling noise. Spike jumped up a few feet into the air and lashed on to the tree he had climbed down from. A few moments later, a wooded creature with greenish-yellow eyes, walked out of a couple of bushes, and it looked like to be searching for something. It was a Timberwolf. No other creature had wood as a body and looked like a Timberwolf. Spike saw how it looked around with a drooling mouth, but instead of saliva, there was something blackish coming out of it. Spike decided to have some fun, and jumped away from the tree and pulled out his sword, and when the Timberwolf turned, Spike slashed the throat of the Timberwolf. He knew it wouldn't die, but he wanted to see if he could access the blackish liquid better. The Timberwolf let out a growl of surprise and felt its head fall backwards.

The Timberwolves head had been cut off completely. Spike waited to see if it actually had died or if it was regenerating. Spike wanted to be absolutely sure and didn't want to take any risks. The Timberwolf never regenerated. It was dead like Spike had suspected. The Timberwolves are known for being able to regenerate, but it didn't this time. Spike didn't know why, but he felt like he knew that the Timberwolf was not gonna regenerate, but he didn't know how he knew. Spike walked towards the black liquid that was gushing out still from the Timberwolves body. Spike caught some of the black liquid with his two dragon claws. The liquid looked to be more ooze-like, and it gave the vibes of The Pony Of Shadows in that sense.

Spike was taught a lot when he was in Hoofshima, and one of the things Jin taught him; was about The Pony Of Shadows. Spike was given an example of the ooze from the Shadow Pony and studied it for a few weeks. It was fun, but he didn't know what to find, that was when Jin came in and spoke about how the Shadow Pony lives and could use the ooze to corrupt any living being. Spike hadn't know whether to be horrified or impressed.

"Hmm, I wonder if this is one of King Sombra's," Spike said, out loud, hearing his thoughts. Spike came to the conclusion that it could be one of the creatures that were corrupted by Sombra, or it was simply a corrupted creature that had accidentally gotten the ooze. It could be either, but Spike was still getting to the bottom of it. Spike pulled out a vial from one of his pockets and made the ooze get into the vial. When it was half-full, Spike placed the vial in his pocket and had put on a lid to make sure nothing got out of it.

Spike looked around his surroundings and saw nothing but trees, bushes, grass, leaves, and some small animals running around. Spike looked down towards the Timberwolf what was dead. "I hope you find peace in Heaven," Spike said, giving a respectful bow to the Timberwolf. Spike knew that it isn't the Timberwolves fault that they were the way they were. They are simply doing their 'job' to make sure everything is alright in the forest and whatnot. The leaves rustled as a small gentle wind came and Spike looked to where the wind was headed and saw it lead to Ponyville. Spike didn't notice how the Timberwolf started to regenerate...

Spike started to walk and occasionally looked around to make sure that there weren't any other creatures there to surprise him. The forest gave low rustles from the leaves on the ground, and the crunching it made with each step Spike took. It wasn't sunny or dark, it looked like the time Spike nearly lost the Crystal Heart to Sombra. When Spike came to the last end from the trees that belonged to the Everfree Forest, he could only feel anger and hatred. The houses of Ponyville were destroyed, and the civilians looked like they were doing everything in their power to not end up in poverty. Spike decided to ask around and see what has been going on over the year he was gone. He didn't want to ask someone he absolutely didn't know. At least somepony that remember that he lived there. Then again, he didn't want them to recognise him either. Well, he was wearing the mask on, so he wouldn't have to worry about recognition.

The houses of Ponyville that had been once the pride and joy of the tone with the colourful buildings, were now completely destroyed. Someponies looked like they had tried to restore the buildings, but had failed miserably. Spike didn't like this, no, he was furious about this. He had already promised that he would avenge them, and he intended to keep his promise at all costs. He walked forward towards a mare with a very light aquamarine coat, brilliant gamboge eyes, and pale, light greyish cyan with white highlights. It was none other than Lyra Heartstrings. Spike remembered her from his time in Ponyville.

"Excuse me Lyra, but can you tell me what is going on here?" Spike asked while he had walked up to her. Lyra's eyes didn't even look like they responded to his voice either. It was like she had absolutely no hope over anything. Spike looked into her eyes and saw that she had been traumatised. Her eyes showed pain, sorrow, anger, and betrayal. Spike was unsure of what has exactly happened, but he knew that it must have been bad.

"King Sombra invaded us and took our homes, children, money. I don't know how to live under his rule. My best friend; Bon Bon disappeared a few months ago, and I know that the King has something to do with it. I just don't have evidence that suggests that he has anything in it." Lyra said, making Spike look at her in shock. He did expect the King to be cruel, but not this cruel.

"That's horrible Lyra, I'm sorry for what happened," Spike said, making Lyra simply nod in understanding. She didn't bother to ask for Spike's name, as she knew it wouldn't make a difference. She walked slowly away, leaving Spike to ponder on his thoughts. He would have to plan everything carefully and make sure that nothing goes awry. Then again, it always does even though, he expects it to happen. All of a sudden, he noticed a young colt with a white with greyish-brown spots for a coat, dark tangelo with lighter streaks for a mane, and if Spike noticed correctly; very deep reddish-brown eyes. It was Pipsqueak if Spike remembers correctly.

Pipsqueak was carrying a bag with propaganda in it. He didn't want to do things like this, but he had to live on something while the tyrannical King ruled. He wanted more, he wanted to help ponies and creatures that are treated like dirt from the King. There had been an attempted rebellion with creatures that were against the evil King. Ponies had cheered for them, but sadly, they had lost to King Sombra's manipulative spell that made them do whatever he said. They had caged themselves through the spell, and couldn't get out. They had been in public for the humiliation that the creatures knew was staged to make sure King Sombra didn't go after them or their families.

"Well, I better start giving out propaganda." Pipsqueak said as he was about to start. Spike walked up to him and looked at him with curiosity. Pipsqueak could see the eyes of the weird pony or creature and gave a small wave. "Hello there! Are you interested in getting one of these posters?" The poster depicted King Sombra sitting on his throne, while his army was marching somewhere. It looked quite powerful and made King Sombra look like a proper leader if Spike would have to admit.

"No, I'm simply interested in you Pipsqueak. It has been a while after all." Spike said, confusing Pipsqueak. How did this pony or creature know his name? He had no idea, but it would be worth trying to find out.

"Um, excuse me sir, but I don't remember giving you my name." Pipsqueak said, making Spike smile behind his mask. This would be fun. Spike suddenly gave Pipsqueak a hug that was unexpected for Pipsqueak. Although it was unexpected, Pipsqueak returned it after a few seconds.

"Well, in due time you will know my true name, but for now, simply call me Ghost or The Ghost," Spike said, making Pipsqueak confused. Spike and Pipsqueak had been good friends before the invasion happened. Sadly, Pipsqueak had no idea who this is. He didn't know whether to feel threatened or hopeful.

Spike ended the weird hug, and looked into Pipsqueak's eyes and said to him; "I Promise you Pipsqueak, I will free everypony and creature in Equestria from the evil King. I will cut his throat myself with my very own blades.

Pipsqueak had led The Ghost into his home and had explained everything that had happened in Equestria, and explained how he had lost his best friend Spike during the conflict. Spike had then decided to tell Pipsqueak who he was. It had surprised Pipsqueak and he had asked over a million questions that Spike could barely answer. They had talked, and Pipsqueak decided to keep it quiet that Spike had returned. Pipsqueak had told Spike that he had heard a prophecy that he then had bought from some seer. Spike had asked Pipsqueak if he could hear the prophecy and Pipsqueak obliged.

[centre]"The time is coming near for the pony who shall aid a warrior in defeating the evil King. His name shall be known in Equestria and beyond like the warrior, and he will rise from ashes, and be good with a bow and arrow."Spike had been quite surprised when he had heard it. It sounded to be relatively recent, but he couldn't know for sure. They had talked for a few hours about what had happened in their lives. Pipsqueak had it tough and told him how the CMC had been captured by King Sombra when the element bearers and their families tried to escape to the Crystal Empire. The rest of the element bearers escaped, but the CMC is locked up in the Canterlot dungeons. Spike had a plan, and he was gonna use it well. He wasn't gonna let the CMC rot in a cell.

All he had to do now, is find out where exactly they are. A dungeon is a big place in Canterlot Castle. Pipsqueak had left to give out propaganda, and Spike was planning the breakout. He was gonna do it that very night. He was gonna get the CMC out of the cell, and hopefully, be able to make King Sombra lose some balance. He wanted the King to feel insecure about the place, and double the guards, and see those guards failing their duties because The Ghost is good at hiding in the shadows.

The room that he was in, was Pipsqueaks bedroom and the room itself looked like an abandoned room that belonged to a building that had been left unfinished. The walls were cracking up, and the ceiling was broken as there were many destroyed wooden planks and bits of the roof breaking. The floor was filled with filth and dirt, but Spike didn't mind, he had gotten used to it anyways.

Spike was looking at his sword that had the Sakai emblem on it. He closed his eyes and started to meditate. It helped him relax, and calm down from any stress he had or didn't realize that he had. "I wait for time..." Spike was going deep into his thoughts and what he was saying. "Proudness of one's ambition..." Spike was thinking about all the scenarios in his head when he was ready to face King Sombra. "Will death redeem us?..."

Spike opened his eyes again, and he felt relaxed and smiled. It helped. He didn't have to worry about anything else for a while. The breakout wouldn't happen until twelve at night anyways. Spike decided to see what Pipsqueak was doing out, and was lucky. The door opened and it revealed Pipsqueak who was carrying two small bags. He smiled at Spike who looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Sorry for being out for so long, I stopped by a restaurant that sold some good hayburgers. I do apologise, they didn't have gems or anything." Pipsqueak said, in an apologetic tone. Spike simply waved it off. It was another thing he had learnt when he was with Jin. He could eat a couple of plants, and not be so hungry anyways,

"It's fine Pipsqueak, I have survived on pony food and non-pony food, It won't affect me any different to what I have tried and done before," Spike said, making Pipsqueak let out a sigh that he didn't realize that he had been holding. Pipsqueak pulled out the food for Spike and he started to eat, while Pipsqueak looks out the window to make sure nothing out of the ordinary was going on. Nothing was going on, so he sat down and started eating. He had missed Spike since he disappeared from Equestria. He always wondered where he was, and here he now was, in samurai armour from the looks of it.

"So, Spike, you have planned on breaking the CMC out. How will you do that? The castle is surrounded by guards, and it's impossible to break inside to my understanding." Pipsqueak said, making Spike look up at him and grin. He understood where Pipsqueak was coming from, but, all hard training that he had been doing for hours on end, was gonna pay off.

"I'll be in the shadows. I strike from the shadows, and I'll take down as many guards as I possibly can. It will be difficult, but I know for a fact that King Sombra is sloppy. He isn't expecting a samurai, specifically a Ghost to break out three young fillies is he?" Spike asked, making Pipsqueak think. Spike had a very good point. The King was probably not expecting somepony or dragon to do resistance, as there hadn't been anything since the invasion. But now, when Spike has returned and looks ready for war, they might have a chance.

"You see Pipsqueak, I want him to fear me. When he says my name, I want him to look around to make sure that The Ghost isn't listening or planning to kill him that specific day. That is what I want him to feel." Spike said, making Pipsqueak look at him with newfound interest. He knew that the old Spike wouldn't want this. Perhaps revenge, but not this. Then again, war brings out who somepony or creature truly are...

"Okay Spike, but should I come with you?" Pipsqueak asked, making Spike wait to think for a few moments. He didn't really need Pipsqueak inside the castle, but he would need some sort of getaway pony. That was probably it.

"Yes, but I want you to be the getaway driver. You see, I saw some carriages that don't look like they belong to anypony. All we need to do is make the wells stronger, and enchant them to drive by themselves. That is where you come in. I need you to steer as to where we should go. I have no idea where the princess' is, so I'm not even going to try to find them in the first place." Spike said, making Pipsqueak look at him gobsmacked. The last part was uncalled for. He didn't say it in a mean way, he just... it sounded like he missed them as if he knew them personally. Pipsqueak shrugged it off and nodded towards him. It sounded like a plan that they could pull of.

"Well then, let's prepare for the breakout," Spike said, making Pipsqueak nod in agreement. Spike finished his food and Pipsqueak did the same, and they went to sleep to prepare for the breakout, and Spike wanted to store his thoughts in the right places.

Several hours had gone by, and Spike and Pipsqueak were preparing for the breakout. Spike was in his samurai armour, which was completely black. The lower region of his legs was covered with long pants that were covered with black metal leg plates. He wore shoes that didn't make a sound as it was enchanted. The upper body of his chest, belly arms and hands, were covered in black clothing that was covered with black metal chest plates. His claws were free from any metal or gloves. He wore a mask that belongs to anypony or creature that becomes The Ghost it had a demonic-like appearance, and it had an open mouth with teeth. He also had a cape that had the Sakai clan symbol which was the two twin mountains with a circle around it. Spike had his katana and knife in his two holsters.

Spike had managed to steal one of the wagons and had rebuilt the wheels to make them work. Spike had then found a unicorn to enchant it to drive by itself with Pipsqueak being the one to change course and reverse if needed. It was all going smoothly. The only thing now was to find a way inside the castle and try to rescue the CMC.

They were currently inside the home of Pipsqueak, and Spike was planning everything strategically. Pipsqueak listened to everything Spike was saying, and occasionally asked a question. There was one thing Spike had to look out for, and that was the guards. From what he learned from Pipsqueak, they sometimes change their schedule randomly to confuse anypony or creature from breaking anypony out or anypony from escaping. Spike knew that he could possibly learn if he just watched for a few minutes.

Spike and Pipsqueak had then left around eleven and it was dark outside. Nopony or creature could see much, but the wagon was enchanted to give Pipsqueak the light he needed to steer and without being seen by anypony or creature. Pipsqueak was in the "drivers" seat, while Spike was in the passenger seat, lost in his thoughts. He wasn't gonna fail them. He was gonna save them from King Sombra, and he'd make sure that they got to the safest place in Equestria, which he learned was the Crystal Empire. After Spike saved them, he would bring them to the gate of the Crystal Empire. He would also bring Pipsqueak there.

The long dirt roads made Spike feel on edge. But, it was vital if he wanted to save the three young fillies. Pipsqueak was looking at the road ahead of them, but he too, was lost in his thoughts. He wanted the CMC to be as safe as possible. They were nearing the castle, and Spike could feel the magical barriers, but Spike didn't worry about it as he knew that they would eventually find that the CMC had escaped.

"We are nearing the castle." Pipsqueak said, making Spike look at him and nod. Spike prepared himself for the break-in and break out. He had sharpened his sword with the help of a stone he had found. He had also sharpened his knife, as he didn't know if he'd need it or not. Better be safe than sorry.

"Yes, how far are we exactly?" Spike asked, making Pipsqueak look at the road ahead of them. He calculated that it would be at least thirty minutes. He turned to Spike.

"At least thirty minutes." Pipsqueak said, making Spike nod. The carriage they were in was made out of wood, and it looked like one of the poorer versions the nobles used to use. Well, there aren't any nobles now, as King Sombra is the only noble there is as he is the King. The carriages inside were fitted for at least ten ponies. It was perfect.

The ride went on for another thirty minutes, and they were on the side of the castle walls. Spike could see how the creatures who were corrupted by King Sombra were marching and keeping lookout everywhere. Spike looked at Pipsqueak and said; "Wait here Pipsqueak. I will get the CMC and after we have escaped, I will need you to floor it to the Crystal Empire. Although, I won't be able to stay as I have a mission to fulfil." Pipsqueak nodded in understanding.

"Understood Spike, be careful." Pipsqueak said, making Spike nod. Spike got out of the carriage and saw some stones that were perfect for climbing. He also had an object that would help him swing across any longer jumps.

Spike jumped and grabbed on the stones of the castle walls. Spike was as quiet as possible and made sure that he still made good progress. When Spike made it, he was crouched on the side of the castle wall. The magnificent castle now looked more like a devils castle. Instead of the purple and white colours, it was black and red. Spike looked over the streets of Canterlot and saw that the creatures were looking around with sharp hawk eyes. Spike walked in his crouched state and looked for any sort of entrance to the castle. He found one and jumped towards a balcony that was made out of stone, and was coloured in dark red. Or that was what Spike assumed as it was lighter than the normal plain black.

Spike climbed over the balcony side and saw that there were double glass doors that were covered by curtains. Spike tried the handle, but it was locked. He then pulled out a large knife and started to pick the lock. It was a trick that Spike had learnt when he was with his ancestor. The glass doors then made a click sound, and Spike carefully opened the glass doors. Spike pulled away from the curtains and found out that he had to be even quieter. The king was sleeping in his royal bed...

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait!

I hope you have enjoyed the chapter!