Set to Burn

A week later, Spike was summoned back to the mirror room. A pair of guards cleared the way for his entrance.

"The evil I'm sensing is just as strong as before." Celestia informed him.

"Then this won't be any fun at all."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It won't be like last time."

"He's right," Twilight added, "This time, you're going in with backup."

Flash stepped next to the dragon.

"I see," Celestia noted, "Cooperation will certainly make things a great deal easier."

"You should let Flash hold on to the sword," Twilight recommended, "A little kid carrying a sword would probably seem strange."

"Good thinking." Spike concurred. He gave the sword to his partner.

"You ready to go, man?" Flash inquired.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Come back safe." Twilight told Flash.

"I will. I promise."

He gave her a brief kiss and rejoined his brother in arms.

Rain descended over the world. Again, everything appeared the same as before.

"Great," Flash grumbled, "Now I'm gonna be soaked all night."

"Hang on."

Spike held out his arm. A purple light materialized above Flash before vanishing. The droplets deflected away from the Pegasus.

"What was that?"

"A barrier spell. Twilight taught it to me a few days ago. It should last long enough for us to find some shelter."

"She's a genius. That's why I love her."

"Come on. Let's go."

"You're the boss."

On the other side of town, Flash and Spike found an inn. Flash paid for a shared room. They discussed their next move in private.

"Things seem quiet so far." Flash observed.

"You can't trust what you see. They work in the shadows away from prying eyes."

"It's just another form of camouflage. Nothing I'm not familiar with."

"This isn't something to take lightly. The last monster I fought was an imposter. They can look the same as our friends and family. The only difference is how they fight. They're savage and cruel. The only way we can beat them is to stay focused."

"So they're like changelings, but more violent?"

"Not exactly. The only way for you to know is to find them. It won't be easy."

"You watch my back, I'll watch yours."

"That's the idea."

"We'll have to wait for this storm to pass before we can do anything. May as well get comfortable in the meantime."

"You hungry?"

"Food sounds amazing right about now."

"Let's grab something to eat. At least it'll give us something to kill time."

When the pair finished their meal, they returned to their room. Spike asked Flash to write a letter to Twilight informing her of their situation. When it was done, the dragon sent it off.

"I hope this works."

"Hey, wasn't your fire green before?"

"Shining said the same thing. We figured it must've been an effect of the transfusion."

"The captain, huh..."

"You look gloomier than me."

"He's been riding my ass harder than ever since me and Twilight started dating."

"He's just being protective. You know how that old song and dance goes."

"I know. It's just exhausting."

"You're gonna gain a ton of respect for helping me out on this one. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Ya think?"

"Don't tell him I told you this, but he was scared too after Twilight told him about last time."

"Guess even the bravest men have something they're afraid of."

"When you're dealing with freaks of nature that prey on people's vulnerabilities, there's no such thing as being too cautious."

"I'm just glad we know our enemy this time around, no pun intended."

"The question is, who is it?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

Twilight read over the letter. Relief washed over her like a cleansing downpour.

"They're safe." she voiced.

"It seems those lessons in friendship paid off in more ways than one." Celestia replied.

"Spike is sharper than I gave him credit for. He was always so unmotivated, I just assumed he didn't care."

"Perhaps that's what makes him so formidable. He only exerts energy on what he needs."

"I remember growing up how I was exhausted all the time from studying. Looking back, I probably would've benefited from a more laid-back approach."

"We all have our idiosyncrasies."

"Since you brought it up, I did some digging into Orion's background. The angel of manifestation is one title he goes under, but a more fitting alternative is the angel of dreams."

"Does he possess similar powers to Luna?"

Twilight shook her head.

"Not those kind of dreams. His abilities pertain more to life goals and desires."

"Interesting."

"He's sort of a mental guide to steer people in the direction of their destinies."

"That would explain Spike's change in behavior and appearance. You and Shining Armor must be the catalysts to help him fulfill his role."

"I guess there are some futures even you can't predict."

"Indeed."

It wasn't until the next day that the storm passed. After breakfast, Spike and Flash set their plan into motion.

"Let's split up and look around," Spike advised, "We'll cover more ground that way."

"Where should we meet?"

"We'll reconvene behind town hall in two hours."

"Roger."

"Be careful."

"Same goes for you."

When the agreed upon time elapsed, the dragon and the Pegasus seemed no closer to finding answers - that was, until they arrived at their rendezvous.

"You find anything?" Spike questioned.

"Something weird's going on around here for sure. I went to check on Twilight at her castle, but it wasn't there."

"The castle's gone!?"

"More like it never existed. There wasn't even a trace of the foundation."

"That means we're in a timeline where Twilight never became the princess of friendship!"

"Now I know why captain Armor was so worried."

"Damn it! Now what do we do..."

"Stay calm. We just need to gather intel."

"How?"

"Let's start with the paper. Any common threads should be easily linked together in the headlines."

"Right."

The team strolled to a nearby store a few blocks away. Just as Flash expected, a shelf of papers were neatly stacked out front.

"Look at this. A number of disappearances have been reported recently."

"Is there a list?"

"Right here."

Spike examined where Flash's hoof stopped.

"Holy shit..."

"What is it?"

"It's Scootaloo. She's one of the ponies reported."

"Scootaloo?"

"A filly I know back home. Her wings were stunted when she was born."

"She can't fly?"

"According to this, she was last seen at the Cloudsdale flight exams, but how...?"

"You might want to check the date."

"We're...In the future...!?"

"Now I know something fishy's going down. This has cover-up written all over it."

"We're already too late to save her..."

"And it's unlikely we'll get any information from the other ponies. This is bad."

"We have to search Cloudsdale ourselves."

"We should go now. If we try to sneak around in the dark, someone might spot us. It's not uncommon for guards to patrol the area. We should blend in without raising suspicion."

"If we only had a motive, something tells me we'd be one step closer to catching the killer."

"Then let's find one."

Between the eight year gap from Spike and Flash's world to this one, Cloudsdale had become considerably more industrialized. Steel pipes lined the sides of the city, and through them, streams of multi-colored light sprang forth.

"This isn't right. Rainbows are produced as a consequence of light mixing with rain. How are they making them artificially?"

"There must be some kind of factory further in." Flash reasoned.

"From here on out, we'd better keep a low profile. It's unlikely they'll let us waltz right in."

"We'll stick to the shadows."

Just as Flash predicted, a large factory composed of reinforced metal laid at the edge of the city. Spike couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's heavily fortified," Flash spoke, "There's clearly something in there they don't want us to see."

"How do we get in."

"Hm..."

Flash looked around for a blind spot in their defenses.

"There, up on the roof. We can sneak in through the central pipeline."

"I guess this is the point where nightfall becomes advantageous."

"You got it. We'll go back to the room for now. We should send another letter to Twilight. She's probably worried sick."

"I'll need my sword."

"It's all yours."

"I'm counting on you, Orion..."

The steam from the pipe left an enormous amount of residue underneath Flash's coat. He shook himself off.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little wet behind the ears."

"I'll reactivate the barrier. It should keep you safe from any nasty surprises."

"How many times can you cast it?"

"Until I run out of energy, which means we have to make every second count."

"Can you see?"

"Yeah. It's really dark here. Stay close."

"Now I know how it feels to be the damsel in distress."

"We'll get you a dress on the way back."

"I'll be the prettiest girl at the gala."

A few rooms in, Spike's nostrils flared again. The same pungent odor as before invaded his sinuses.

"I smell blood..."

"Looks like our hunch was right after all."

"If something happens, you run, got it?"

"That's a no-go. Twilight would kill me if I left you behind."

"I've been ready to die from the very beginning. You still have a life to live and love to share. Don't throw it away for me..."

"I'm not leaving Twilight with a gaping hole because you don't feel worthy of life. That's bullshit, and you know it."

"I know who we're fighting now..."

"So do I, but remember, she's not your friend. Your friends are home waiting for you. They all are."

"...Yeah...You're right."

"Let's finish this and get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

Spike opened the door to the extraction room. Corpses littered the floor. Just like with Pinkamena, their organs had been removed.

"Come out, Rainbow. We know you're here." the dragon commanded.

A haunting laugh filled the room. With a loud crash, the cyan Pegasus revealed herself.

"Hey, Spike. How long's it been? Seven, eight years? You're still a midget."

"What happened to you?"

"Guess you could say I moved up the corporate ladder."

"You stole their hopes, their dreams, and all for what? Convenience?"

"The world was bound to change sooner or later. Had to keep myself employed somehow. It was nothing personal."

"Why didn't you ask anyone for help?"

"Who was there to ask?"

"Rarity? Applejack? Do you remember any of them?"

"Relationships dissolve over time. You shouldn't be this naïve anymore. You're all grown up now, or is this not what you wanted?"

"No, it isn't, and you're wrong."

"Enlighten me."

"I'm not the Spike you knew before. I've changed, and you know something else? You're not Rainbow Dash."

"Are you blind or just stupid?"

"Twilight left and everyone went their separate ways. You shut yourself off from the world in exchange for a shallow life of despair. The only way you could cope was to revel in the bloodshed and wait for death to claim you."

"You don't know me at all!"

"I know you better than you can possibly imagine, better than you know yourself even."

"You're starting to piss me off!"

"The feeling's mutual. You're not the element of loyalty. You're a wounded animal. It's time to put you out of your misery."

"I hope you and your little friend have said your prayers."

Spike unsheathed his sword.

"That's how we got this far."

Spike and Rainbow crashed through the ceiling of the facility. The rain had begun to fall again.

"How does it feel to know pain?"

"Fuck off!"

Rainbow used her hind legs to kick Spike back. Flash rushed past him. The guard tried to punch the mare, but her incredible speed overwhelmed him. She swept him away.

"Eyes on me, Dashie."

Rainbow evaded a direct hit, but she couldn't salvage the feathers under her wing.

"How did you get this strong!?"

"Good foresight."

"Enough with the mind games!"

"You like cool stuff, right? Wanna see a new trick I picked up?"

Spike summoned a green ball of fire.

"Big deal. You're not the only dragon who can use fire magic."

"Watch."

The flame changed color from its original green to a bright purple.

"How!? Dragons can't use more than one element!"

"Half dragon."

"What are you!?"

"The real future."

Spike shot the spell at Rainbow. She blocked with her forelegs. The flame blackened her torso. Before she could react, the dragon swung the sword over their heads. Flash pushed the blade down from the tip. Their combined momentum sliced through her skull, cleaving it in two.

"Why...?"

Her decapitated body fell through the clouds, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch.

"Sweet dreams, little pony..."