BOONAGEV

Mercenaries and/or assassins were hired to help, each with different qualities and strengths.

Of course, the higher the tier of the mercenary the tougher the job and the bigger the pay cheque you must give them.

But even amongst the hundreds of tiers and thousands of mercenaries, there were 11 names capable of doing things, no one should, their abilities well over the meaningless tier chart.

Their powers and abilities are so great, that the kingdoms and guilds had no choice but to create a separate tier only to house these 11… monsters.

And so, the God tier was born following their ranking 11 to 7 were in what was considered the “outer circle” and 6 to 2 were placed in the “inner circle”

The outer circle was formed by Soaring Surfer a clever assassin and pirate of noble seapony blood, he is mostly known for being one of the head admirals of the seapony and mermare armies, and many enemy pirates and admirals dub him the Ghost of the Equestrian seas, however, due to his advanced age he is had taken a step back from the job and his position in the outer circle is near to be vacant.

Next comes one of the youngest members of the God Tier, her name is Dahlia, princess of the Batponies and a gal you did not want to cross or make angry, even though she is only 16 she is one of the most ruthless Bounty Hunters, and Warriors you can hire, as long as you have the pockets to cover her fees.
Dahlia’s fame comes from the fact that she is seen as a great conqueror and strategist, she single-handedly liberated, reclaimed, and rebuilt 15 forts lost by the Batponies during the Equestrian wars to Tall Tale and Coltroon without a single casualty on her side, and she was only 14.
The only downside to her is that she, like many Batponies, IDOLIZES “the night dragon” and tends to try to imitate him to a T, which has left her in incredibly tricky situations.
Nevertheless, she can get the job down, either from the frontlines or from the strategy table, and so far, she hasn’t failed a single assignment.

After her comes Mijira, one of the few huntresses that can also take on the role of a healer from the Dragonlands that doesn't use a bow and arrow or guns, but prefers long weapons, like her trident.
Mijira might not be stereotypical for a dragoness, preferring a more supportive role than a main attraction on the battlefield, something which usually clashes with her unrivaled beauty, which garnishes attention everywhere she goes.
Despite all this, she is competent as an assassin and as a member of the Brew Crew league and is close to reaching the triple digits in her kill count. And just like Dahlia, she has not reached her 2 decades of life.

Then we have Lunar Light, the Unicorn Mistress of the Night; she is one of the few jack-of-all-trades kinds of mercenary as she literally can help out with things like killing a target, to much simpler things as being a maid or servant; something that has helped her infiltrate places considered impenetrable; her kill count is somewhere in the realm of the 500 however, some claim that it is much higher than that.
She would be higher on the ranking, but at 30, she has decided on dedicating herself completely to the toughest job there is in this world… Motherhood, and with triplets, now THAT is a challenge.

Next comes Straight Shot, the Dragonlands greatest gunslinger; Straight Shot has somewhat of a complicated past, having a Dragon mother and a Unicorn Father and being born a Kirin she didn't feel like she fit in anywhere, making her a loner since a young age, then, when she turned 15, her father, who she had a very close bond with was murdered in cold blood, to this day few people know the reasons for such act, this devastated her and her mother and fueled by anger and resentment she set out to hunt down the group responsible, and hunt them down she did.
Only one of the group members survived… a turncoat that helped her achieve her goal.
After feeling the rush of adrenaline from the hunt, and realizing how unique she was for being one of the few people who could use Ether Blasters instead of regular guns, she decided to become an assassin as well and help form the Brew Crew.

Now comes the Inner Circle, and if you thought that the names mentioned before were impressive you haven’t seen anything yet.

First, we have Redsopine, the demon of Manehattan, and its greatest protector, Redospine is one of the few fighters alive who have successfully defeated an entire army and avoided the invasion of Manehattan during the Equestrian wars, having a kill count of well over 1100 confirmed kills.
He would be ranked higher on the list, had it not been for the fact that he is now an instructor at the Royal Military Academy, which has hindered his availability to take on quests and contracts, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Next comes Smokescreen, the only member of this tier who had fame before the creation of this.
Smokescreen is a well-known dragon assassin who once belonged to a separatist movement known as The Order of the Gold Cloaks for which he was the top assassin and enforcer, he didn’t really identify with this order, but it paid well, and he didn’t have a to answer stupid questions.
However, after they ordered him and other enforcers to attack a hospital and kill everyone inside, he began to question their motives and even refused to follow through with the orders, this caused many of his former allies to try and murder them, however, that proved counter-productive as he slaughtered his attackers.
Despite all this, he was unable to reach the hospital before the attack was carried out, luckily, most of the patients had been moved to other hospitals due to battles happening in the vicinity; the death toll was still near in the double digits with patients, nurses, doctors, and guards killed indiscriminately; amongst them, Straight Shot’s father, that day, that encounter, would change his life forever; teaming up together, he helped Straight Shot hunt down and kill all of the members of the Order and create the Brew Crew.

Next comes Pharynx, one of the best spies and infiltrators there is, being a Changeling he can take on any form or figure making him deadlier than deadly, however, his acting skills are rather… lacking, added to his hot-headedness and lack of patience he tends to blow his cover rather quickly, nevertheless his abilities to execute his targets and his speed when doing it, most likely because he blew his cover, is second to only Spike.

Next comes his younger brother, Thorax, why is he ranked higher than his older brother? Well, first of all, he has successfully infiltrated and lived amongst his enemies for months, learning about their lives before killing his targets, second, unlike his brother, Thorax has a lot of physical strength, enough to run through a concrete wall like if it was made of paper, plus, he is skilled enough to be able to use any weapon known to man, except for magic weapons, and most of Spike’s creations, he is deadly.

To close out the Inner circle, we have none other than Dragonlord Ember, a skilled mercenary, she isn’t one to run away from a battle, be it 1v1, 1v5, or 1v100, the only word she does not understand is “Complicated”.
Ember has demonstrated amazing abilities when it comes to doing her job, if they need her to be silent and stealthy she will be as quiet as a ghost, if they need her to be aggressive and take down an army she will become the definition of aggressive, if they want her to go berserk, she will go fucking BERSERK!
Her body count might only be a bit over 1200, but she has also successfully coordinated various jobs for all of her mercenaries and assassins, not to mention the Dragonlands army kills during battles.

And finally, the name synonymous with the job, “The night Dragon” the mercenary no one wants to mess with, for 5 years this mercenary terrified evil-doers left and right, as he sometimes took on jobs “pro-bono” if there was a staggering amount of evidence convincing him that his target was truly evil.
Everyone knows how he rose to fame, his solo stand against the Tall Tale army at the Oso Fort, and the subsequential assassination of Tall Tale’s tyrannic King Ranger the First and High General Whitehorse.
Ever since then he has been credited with ending the lives of around 1500 to 1700 bandits, enemy soldiers, corrupted officials and nobles, and just about anyone who is on his “Kill list”.
To this day his identity is unknown, the only things people have been able to pinpoint accurately are the facts that he is a Dragon, he is deadly, and under no circumstance do you want to make him angry or find yourself on his kill list…

“Wow, he sounds really cool!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash

“And deadly,” said Applejack

“Yeah, I can’t believe you gals ran into him and aren’t dead,” said Pinkie Pie

“Well, it does say that he only attacks people that are on his kill list and/or have attacked him first,” said Twilight

“Still, it is impressive,” said Rarity

“Wow… I can’t believe it…a-all this time I thought he was just new at this b-but, in reality, he was the deadliest mercenary,” Fluttershy said uncomfortably

“Well, he wasn’t afraid to show me his abilities while we worked together back in the Griffon empire, he was amazing,” Sunset Shimmer said as her cheeks turned red making Fluttershy jealous with her comment.

“Hah, I bet he was, if he can make those numbers and be considered the deadliest assassin, he must be a good time,” Rainbow Dash said

“Yeah, too bad we don’t really know how he looks like without the mask, thanks to the fact that Fluttershy doesn’t remember her encounter with him,” said Twilight

“Wait a minute! Sunset, didn’t you see him without the mask while at the Griffon Empire?” asked Rarity

“Uhm, yes?” said Sunset Shimmer

“Well, draw him and then we can finally place a face to the name,” Rarity said as she made a pencil and notebook appear before Sunset Shimmer

Sunset immediately started to draw him and after a few minutes she was done

“Ok, this is the best drawing I could do of him,” said Sunset as she turned the paper around letting the girls see it

“Well, that confirms he is a dragon,” said Pinkie Pie

“A very handsome one at that, wouldn’t you agree Twilight?... Twilight?” asked Rarity as they turned to face their pale friend.

“Somethin’ wrong sugacube?” asked Applejack

Twilight then jumped up and snatched the drawing from Sunset’s hands

“Oh no… no… no-no-no-no-no…NO!” Twilight said as she began to panic even more

“Yo, egghead, what’s got your head so scrambled?” Rainbow Dash said as they all saw Twilight walked around the room in a panic, her eyes glued to the drawing

“What’s up with her?” asked Sunset

“Well, it is obvious that she recognizes him,” Rarity said

“Not only recognize, she knows him personally,” Pinkie said making all of the girls look at Twilight

Just then, she walked over to a chest she had in her locker

“Why is she grabbing the “forbidden Chest”?” asked Sunset

Twilight then slammed it on the table and used her magic to unlock it and started to rummage through it.

“I don’t know if to be scared or worried,” Rarity said

“Or both,” said Fluttershy

Suddenly Twilight stop her frantic digging and slowly took a piece of paper out of the chest

“I-it can't be…” Twilight said as she sat back down

“Sugacube, you’ve got us all worried’ere,” said Applejack

“Yeah, what gives Twi, you look like if you’ve just seen a ghost,” Rainbow Dash said

“I did…” Twilight said as she placed the drawing and the piece of paper on the table

The girls quickly looked at the 2 of them and noticed that the piece of paper Twilight was holding was a picture.

The picture showed a younger Twilight and her twin sister Sci-Twi and an unknown boy all smiling at the camera

“That’s him! That’s Spike,” said Fluttershy pointing at the boy in the picture

“No kidding,” said Sunset Shimmer as she took the picture to get a better look at it

“Wow… he glowed up from this picture to the drawing… unless you’re just making him look hot,” Rainbow Dash said earning a glare from both Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy

Then Rarity turned to look at Twilight, tears falling down her cheeks

“Dear, what is it you are not telling us?” Rarity said making everyone look at her

“I… We… we used to go to the same elementary school back in the Crystal Empire… back then, Sci and I weren’t really… popular, and we got bullied a lot… one day, the bullying got so bad, one of the kids destroyed our end of year presentation… it took us 3 days to make it…” Twilight said as she used her magic to show the girls her memories

“Luckily for us, another teacher had seen what happened and we were able to save our grade… of course, this angered him… and that day, after class, he and a few of his friends ganged up on us… they started to belittle us and throw stuff at the 2 of us… despite this, we didn’t show him that we were defeated… and we even tried to stand up for ourselves, but, it made things worse… the kid grabbed a rock and launched it at us… we both closed our eyes but we never felt the hit of the rock… we opened our eyes, thinking that a teacher had seen what had happened, but, to our surprise, it wasn’t a teacher that had come to our help, but, him…

“What do you think you are doing?” Spike yelled at the boy

“Putting these 2 in their rightful place!” the boy said

“And what place is that?” asked Spike

“Below me, right where all of you belong,” the boy said

“Is that so?” Spike glared at him

“Yeah, got a problem with that?” asked the boy sarcastically

“Yes I do, as a matter of fact,” said Spike

“Oh, and just what are you going to do about it?” said the boy

“Blueblood, come on man, let’s go, he’s bad news,” said another boy

“Shut up, besides, what is he going to do, he’s just a fat, overgrown lizard,” Blueblood said as he turned to look at Spike “There is nothing he can do to me,” he said

“I can do this,” Spike said as he threw the rock back at him.

Blueblood dodged it easily

“You see, nothing,” said Blueblood as he turned to face his lackeys

“I wasn’t trying to hit you with it,” Spike said as he appeared in front of him

“What the?” Blueblood said as Spike punched him in the stomach.

He hit him so hard that Blueblood knelt down, whizzing and gasping for air

“Still think I can’t do anything to you?” Spike said as he kicked him in the face making him fall to the floor and lose a few teeth in the process “And FYI, all dragons are chubby when young, that doesn’t mean we are out of shape… anyone else has anything to say to me?” he glared at the other kids, but they just wet their pants and ran away.

“Are you girls ok?” Spike asked as he turned to help them

“Yeah, just dirty,” Sci said as he helped them up

“TWILIGHT!! SCI!!!” came a male voice

“At that moment, my elder brother and a few other adults ran up and saw the scene, we explained everything to them… naturally, Spike got in trouble for using violence, but it was nothing compared to Blueblood’s punishment, apart of being expelled… nonetheless, after that we became friends with Spike, and we used to hang out almost everyday… then, a few months before we entered High School, Spike and his parents moved back to the Dragonlands… and a few months later we heard what happened to them… we tried to contact him or anyone close to him, but we always hit deadends… I thought… I thought he had died with his parents… that I was never going to see him again,” Twilight said as she cried.

“But now, it turns out that your childhood friend is not only very much alive but also one of, if not THE greatest mercenary to ever live,” said Rarity

“And the love interest of two of your closest friends,” Pinkie Pie said as she smiled at a blushing Sunset and Fluttershy

“Wait a minute… Blueblood, that name sounds familiar… OH RIGHT! Hey Rares, isn’t he that loser ex-crush of yours?” Rainbow Dash teased

“Not the time, Dash,” Rarity said angrily, making Rainbow Dash shrug and shift her attention elsewhere

“I just can’t believe it,” said Twilight as she looked at the drawing of Spike and then at his Infobase.

“You, me both… THIS GUY HAS A BOUNTY OF $100,000,000… ALRIGHT, I’M HEADING OUT!” Dash said as she grabbed her gear

“And just where do you think your goin’?” asked Applejack

“To cash in a new bounty,” said Rainbow Dash as she walked towards the door only to be stopped by Applejack

“Didn’t you hear the conversation we had or any of the facts we just spoke?” Applejack said

“Yeah, that’s why I am going to bring him in alive, that way Twilight can get to reconnect with he friend,” said Rainbow Dash

“From behind a cell, while waiting to be executed?” said Applejack

“Details are not my thing,” said Rainbow Dash arrogantly angering Applejack

“Dash, sorry, to burst your bubble, but…” Rarity started

“This is the “Night Dragon” we’re talking about he isn’t some low-level crook… he isn’t even a crook, to begin with, the bounty was placed by Tall Tale’s Royal family, and we all know their reputation,” said Pinkie Pie

“Not to mention, he is basically un-trackable, many people have tried to track him down, yet, no one has been able to, and from that list, many didn’t even come back to tell the tale,” said Applejack

“So? That just means that when I do it, the victory and the money will taste even better,” Rainbow Dash said

“You should know how high of a risk it is to try and track him, more than anyone else, I mean, the last person to ever come back alive from attempting to track him was your own mother,” said Applejack

“Yeah, and she was almost dead when she crawled back into town,” Sunset added

“My mother isn’t me,” Rainbow Dash said

“Yeah, she is 5 times more skilled than you,” said Sunset

“Will see about that,” Dash said as she stormed out of the room

“She’s gonna get herself killed,” said Sunset

“Should I go after her?” asked Fluttershy

“Nah, let her experience what a real challenge is… maybe that way her IQ will stop being on a single digit level,” said Applejack as she went over to Twilight “Everythings’ gonna be ok, Sugacube, you’ll see,”

ELSEWHERE IN EQUESTRIA

“WHA~...OH!...OUCH!”Gabby said as she landed face-first into the mud

“Again!” Spike commanded From the top of a cliff

“I’m ok, by the way,” Gabby said as she cleaned herself

“I know you are, I wouldn’t let you follow me around if I believed you’d be killed easily,” said Spike

“Remind me again, why you have me climbing a cliff when I can just use my wings to fly up there?” asked Gabby

“Simple, what happens if you get captured, or your wings are injured, or you are simply placed into a situation where flying is not an option?” said Spike as he landed next to her

“Good Point,” Gabby said

“Wings are great assets, but we don’t have to count on them all the time, I mean, look at Unicorns and Earthlings, they don’t have wings and are fairly capable without them,” said Spike

“I take it you have been in those situations before,” said Gabby

“Once, but it’s just common sense,” said Spike

“Right… so, where are we going? There are no cities or villages in this direction,” said Gabby

“We are heading to the Basilisk Fort deep inside enemy territory… also there is a town nearby, it is under heavy enemy control, but there is one,” Spike said

“Oh, which one?” asked Gabby

“Terraria, I don’t think I need to remind you of how dangerous what we are doing is, right?” asked Spike

“No, I got this,” said Gabby

“Good, now start climbing, there is a lot more I need to teach you, and I only have 48 hours until we get there,” said Spike as he flew up to the top of the cliff.

LATER THAT DAY (CANTERLOT ELEMENTS OF HARMONY HQ)

“So… what is so important that you the all-powerful Elements of Harmony want to talk to us?” asked Bow Hothoof

“We’ve got a little situation, right now, and we’re hopin’ you can shed some light on it,” said Applejack as she guided the 2 pegasuses to the HQ

“I hope it’s nothing too complex,” Windy Whistles said

“Me too,” Applejack said as she opened the door to the HQ to reveal a room in total silence; Twilight was sitting at the table her eyes glued to the picture she showed earlier, Fluttershy was sitting in a corner while stroking Angel, although it seemed he didn’t like it that much, Sunset Shimmer was looking out the window, however, her gaze was set into the nothingness.

“It's worst than I thought,” said Windy

“We know,” said Rarity as she came along with some tea for the visitors

“So, where is Dash?” asked Bow

“She is kind of the reason we called you here today,” said Pinkie Pie

“Oh dear, she isn’t in any trouble again, is she?” asked Windy

“Not yet,” said Applejack

“Not… yet?” asked Bow

“You see… the last couple of days, some of our members had some issues on the field…” Rarity explained as she pointed at Sunset and Fluttershy

“Oh dear, are they traumatized?” asked Windy

“Cuz if that is the case, then you called the wrong people for that,” said Bow

“No, they’re in love,” Pinkie said making both Bow and Windy raise their eyebrows

“So what is the problem?” asked Windy

“One of the problems is that the person who helped them, is an old friend of Twilight’s that she considered dead…” said Rarity

“The other problem, and probably the biggest one, is that that person, is a very infamous person, someone you might know very well,” Applejack said as she looked at Windy

“Me?” asked Windy

“Windy… remember the last mission you ever took, that required you to track someone down,” Rarity asked

“Unfortunately, I do,” said Windy

“Oh no, you mean, the reason Dash isn’t here is because…” Bow said

“Yes… that friend… is him,” Twilight said as she turned around letting Dash’s parents see the pictures and files on the table.

“Oh dear…” said Windy

SOMEWHERE NEAR GRIFFONSTONE

“According to the report from Sunset, it was here where “Spike” was last seen before she returned to Canterlot… w-wait… How is it possible… there are no discernible tracks! HOW CAN SOMEONE SO BIG AND MUSCULAR NOT LEAVE ANY TRACKS?!!!!” Rainbow Dash said frustrated as she continued to look around for clues.

A few minutes later…

“Nothing… damn it, where did he go?... did he fly?... no, there are no marks of wings flapping on the ground… so, the legend is true… he is a ghost,” Dash said as she sat down on a fallen log near the dirt road.

“I can’t just give up so easily, I mean, why would he take the dirt road instead of taking the main one… to remain hidden… and because his target is closer if he takes this road… huh, there are some tracks here, they are not his, however, they are much too small, obviously they are female… they are not too deep, and by the looks of it they are fresh, 1 maybe 2 days old… wait I’ve seen this type of imprint before!... common Dash if there was any time when Rarity’s fashion expertise was actually helpful, it is now…” Rainbow Dash said as she concentrated “THAT’S IT! They are Valkyrie boots… WAIT! Didn’t Sunset say that one of the valkyries they helped became his apprentice!... I might not be able to track him, but I can definitely track her, in my sleep, she is definitely a rookie…” she said with a smile while looking around for more clues

“Ok, by the looks of it, they are heading to the North-west, which means they are heading towards enemy-controlled territory… Are they gonna go and fight them alone?!... no, Spike seems to be a smart guy, he knows it is suicide to do that… but again, the only things in that direction are the Basilisk fort… and the Terraria township!… I got you now!” Dash said with a smile as she leaped into the air.

BACK AT HQ

“I see, that must’ve been quite the shock for you,” Windy said as she sat at the table as the girls explained everything.

“She kinda lost her mind for a minute,” said Pinkie

“Thanks for the unnecessary input Pinkie,” Twilight said angrily

“You welcome,” Pinkie replied obviously

“So, when you were tasked with capturing him… what happened?” asked Rarity

“W-well… I wasn’t tasked to capture him, I saw the wanted poster and I decided to take the job, I mean $50,000,000 is a lot of money… so, I set out to find him… it took me… about 5 to 7 hours to find his trail…” Windy began

“5 TO 7 HOURS!!!!” said Twilight in surprise

“That is so cool,” Sunset said, a bit too loud for her liking, making her blush

“Sorry,” Twilight said as she composed herself

“B-believe it or not, tracking him is not complicated, once you have his trail,” Windy said

“Really?” asked Applejack

“Yeah, the hard part is… keeping up with him, that is why he is called a Ghost… you know he is near or you see a glimpse of him and then, poof, he is gone… during the few days I spent chasing him, I was able to get near him twice, I mean, I was a few hundred yards away from him, then I blinked and he was gone, and it took me a couple of hours to find his trail again,” said Windy as she kept talking about her mission.

“Interesting… was there anything… odd, that you noticed while tracking him?” asked Twilight

“Yes, he is a very, VERY, smart, it’s like if he can get into the mind of the person tracking him, he takes the routes that make it even more complicated to track him, and even uses the surroundings to his advantage… and I learned that the hard way…” Windy said as she got up and looked out the window “I had the wrong mindset when I went out tracking him… I thought it was going to be a simple payday and that I’ll be rich, so I didn’t really pack many provisions for the trip… I had rations for 2 maybe 3 days, I thought that if I was careful I could make them last for 5 days or buy more at any town or city I walked into chasing him… but, oh, I was DEAD wrong… on the first day when I was able to find his trail, I followed it blindly, all throughout the night I walked trying to catch up, hoping that I would, as you kids say nowadays, find him lacking or sleep, but, no… it was until around dawn the next day when I was finally able to see him at the distance, he was just walking, WALKING, he was not rushing nor did he look paranoid, it was as if, he was out on a stroll… I rushed to get closer to him, but at some point when I looked down to watch my footing, he disappeared. I spent about 2 hours trying to find his trail, and when I finally did, he was long gone… and I didn’t see him again until the dawn of the 4th day, I was low on rations at that point, but I saw him so near, and I thought I could one-up him since he was walking towards Zelarayan Peaks, I knew that area well, I used to train there with the Cloudsdale army corp. And I knew there was a small valley that led to a hill and from there, no one could hide, since there was no vegetation and the land was flat… I was peaking up speed to catch him, but he crossed the hill and disappeared, I knew that was my chance, so I used my wings to get closer to the hill, but when I got there, he was gone… I looked around frantically, and when I finally saw him again, he was already halfway up Zelarayan peaks, that in itself was impossible… at that point I know I should’ve quitted, but I was stubborn so I rushed again… it took me a full day to cross Zelarayan peaks, and when I finally cleared the peaks and arrived at Gaul Valley, he was gone, there was no trace of him, and then, I looked into my bag for something to eat or at least drink, but I had no more rations, I tried to walk a bit further but I collapsed… when I woke up the next day, the first thing I noticed was that there was a bonfire going near me and that my bag had enough rations for one a day trip… walking it was a death sentence, but, then I realized that it was little, because if I flew back here it would be enough… and so I did… and you know the rest,” Windy said as she turned to look at the group.

The girls just looked at Windy in amazement not saying anything

“He… came back?” asked Twilight in shock

“Yeah, that was the scariest part, it’s like… he knew I was following him… to this day I don’t know why he didn’t attack me or tried to get rid of me… he had all the chances to do so,” Windy said

“Maybe he didn’t want to,” said Pinkie

“I hope that was the case,” said Windy

“W-well, he save my life when I was attacked by Timberwolves, and he even fixed and upgraded my gear,” Fluttershy said as she showed her gear

“He save me and many others from trafficking,” said Sunset proudly

“Well, then you are lucky… many mercenaries or assassins are so far gone, they kill out of habit… especially when they feel a hostility towards them,” said Bow

“Then Rainbow Dash is doomed…” Applejack said as they all looked out the window.

NEAR TERRARIA LATER THAT DAY

“And here we are, Terr… Oh dear, this complicates things,” Spike said as he and Gabby arrived at a hill that overlooked Terraria.

“Wow, those are a lot of enemy soldiers,” Gabby said as she observed the city

“Makes sense, Terraria is basically a town that serves and protects Basilisk… Peewee, what else can you tell me?” Spike said

“There still is a civilian population in Terraria… and by the look of things, they are not too happy with their new guests… everywhere I turn, I see oppression…” Peewee said

“Hey, Spike? Everything ok?” asked Gabby

“What?” asked Spike

“You suddenly went quiet,” said Gabby

“Oh, just talking to Peewee,” said Spike

Oh, d-did either of you come up with something?” asked Gabby

“Kind of… listen, there is no confirmed location for the Pyro-Crystals we are looking for… so, we are going to split up, I will head to the Basilisk fort and you will go down there and look around,” said Spike

“W-wait… I-I’m going into enemy territory, alone?!” Gabby said in a panic

“Well, what better way to practice and improve the skills I taught you than by putting them into action… don’t worry, Peewee will go with you… you already figured out who to use telekinesis, right?” Spike said

“Yeah,” said Gabby

“Ok, we’ll meet over by those trees at nightfall, gather as much information as you can,” Spike said

“Ok, I will,” Gabby said as she and Peewee headed down toward the town

“Good luck, kid,” Spike said as she left

As soon as Spike turned to head toward the Basilisk Fort, he felt a shiver in the back of his neck

“Hmm… it seems I have company,” he said as he walked towards the tall grass and headed into the nearby woods.

2 MINUTES LATER

“WHAT?! He was just here!” Rainbow Dash said as she landed at the same place Spike and Gabby were standing minutes before.

She quickly looked around and noticed a pair of footprints

“The valkyrie!” Dash said as she looked over the edge and noticed Gabby entering the city “There she goes!” Dash said as she jumped off the ledge and was flying as fast as she could to catch up with Gabby before she disappeared into the crowd.

Just as she was nearing the gate, she noticed something

“Wait, she’s alone!” Rainbow Dash said as she stopped dead “They must’ve separated somewhere…but he must be nearby… I can see the phoenix Fluttershy mentioned flying overhead… but where is he?” Dash said as she flew back to the top of the hill.

“Ok Dash… think, why would they come all the way here only to go their separate ways?... they aren’t defecting to the enemy side, if that were the case, they would’ve gone to Pharamont, which is a day's walk from here… they might be buying provision for the trip… no, they wouldn’t be carrying heavy cargo, it would make them stand out and slow down, plus, these heavily controlled enemy cities have shortened markets, you can’t buy much because the invaders’ hoard most of the food and supplies… other than that, the only reason they are down here is to… kill someone, or they are looking for something… but what?... THE FORT!” Dash said as she looked to her left and noticed the fort in the distance “He must be heading that way… no, he IS!” she said as she looked down and noticed a bootprint heading towards the forest.

“He must be about 3 minutes ahead… you’re mine now, “Ghost of Equestria”,” Rainbow Dash said as she ran into the forest in hot pursuit of Spike.

Spike was nearing the fort when he heard footsteps a few meters behind him

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME GHOST!” Rainbow Dash said as she appeared through some bushes

“Not again,” Spike muttered as he walked through some bushes

‘YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM ME Now~” Rainbow Dash said as she rushed through the same bushes but noticed that she was alone

“WHAT THE FUCK?! Where did he go?... did he cross the river?... no, there are no muddy bootprints, on the other side, nor splash marks… did he jump or fly?... no, not enough space to properly land and hide with so little time…” Dash said as she looked around, and then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something… something that for many, would be an insignificant detail

“Odd, there are more leaves on the ground on the west trees but not on the east-facing ones… THAT SON OF A BITCH! He didn’t jump across, he flew Westbound… he must’ve done a low-fly, maybe just about 5 feet in the air…HOHO, I am licking this even more,” said Rainbow Dash as she flew into the sky to try and pinpoint his location.

And what she saw, both surprised her and scared her.

There, on the ledge of a cliff, was Spike, arms crossed looking at her as if he was waiting for her to land before him.

And she did just that.

“We meet at last, Ghost,” Rainbow Dash said as she landed

“Indeed,” Spike said as he locked eyes with her

When Rainbow Dash’s eyes made contact with Spike’s, she felt butterflies in her stomach, and her face and other parts of her body warmed up.

MEANWHILE, TERRARIA’S ROOFTOPS

“... 350 guards so far… 200 with “primitive gear”... 100 riflemen, various archer and sniper towers, with the remaining 50 men spread out through them… no magical Miniguns located so far… everyone seems to be badly malnourished, except for the soldiers… I wonder why none of them have fled the township?” thought Gabby

“Because they are now POWs, you are welcome to come, but when you try to escape, well, that happens…” Peewee said as he landed next to her and motioned for the gate

Gabby turned and noticed a lot of people being shoved into armored Personnel carriers and taken toward the fort.

“You are arrested and taken away… maybe forever,” said Peewee

“Shit… I wish I could help them somehow…HMPH!” Gabby said as someone placed a blag bag over her head

“WHAT THE?!” Peewee said as someone did the same to him.

BACK TO THE CLIFF

“I have to admit, Ghost, you did make it complicated to find you, but in the end, I guess I proved those rumors wrong!” Rainbow Dash boasted

“You’re not the first to do so… and I doubt you’ll be the last,” Spike said looking at Rainbow Dash

“What?” she said

“It’s not hard to track me, all you have to do is do the opposite of what you’ve been trained to do as a tracker and then have good stamina,” Spike said

“Really?” asked Rainbow Dash

“Yeah… you’re the twenty… seventh person who was ever able to keep up with me,” said Spike

Dash stood there in disbelief

“Although, you are the fastest to ever catch up with me,” said Spike

“And I’ll be the first one to arrest you!” Dash said as she leaped towards Spike trying to kick him, but, Spike easily blocked her kick and shoved her back to the other side of the cliff.

“I’m not going to fight you, kid,” said Spike

“I am NOT a kid, and I know you aren’t an old man either, my friends Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy said this… and Twilight confirmed it,” Dash said as she got up

“Twilight?” Spike said as he entered a trance remembering his childhood

Dash noticed this and saw an opening

“You should never lose concentration during a fight!” she said as she once again charged at Spike only for him to block her punch and shove her back again.

“You have a point, but you should talk if you’re going to attack a distracted or disoriented enemy, the adrenaline will help them recover faster,” he said as he looked at Rainbow Dash

“D-Damn it… how is he this good?... I… I hate breaking my promise to Twilight and Sunset’s and Fluttershy’s heart but, the reward is available for a live man or a cadaver,” Rainbow Dash said as she used her wings to fly into the air, catching Spike’s attention.

Once she was at an acceptable height, she drew her daggers and darted down towards Spike, even using her rainboom to increase her speed.

“Let’s see you survive this!” Rainbow Dash said as she neared the edge of the cliff

When she was probably around 100 ft. away from Spike, he suddenly disappeared from view right before her eyes.

“WHAT THE?!” Dash said as she slashed right through the rocks as if they were butter; Rainbow Dash quickly corrected her flight path and soared back up to be parallel to the ledge of the cliff she just sliced through

“Where did he go?” Rainbow Dash said as she looked around for Spike, just then, she felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

She turned around and saw Spike flying behind her, almost at arm's length

“That Rainboom was very impressive,” he said

Rainbow Dash tried to slash at Spike, but he quickly grabbed both her arms, disarmed her, and kicked her back toward the floor.

Rainbow Dash landed hard on the ground, her body even cracking the floor when she landed

“H-how are you so good,” she said as Spike landed next to her and gave her first-aid

“If Twilight is your friend, you should know that I was in the Military… anything broken?” Spike said

“Oh, yeah, she mentioned that… don’t worry, the only thing broken is my pride… wait, why are you helping me? A-aren’t you supposed to kill me?” asked Rainbow Dash

“If I wanted you dead, you would’ve died the second you landed on the ledge,” Spike said as he helped Rainbow Dash rest against a boulder.

“B-but, Mercenary code says that if 2 mercenaries fight each other, t-the winner must kill the loser, or…” Rainbow Dash said

“What we just did was not a fight, I never drew my weapon, so the fight is void,” Spike said

“D-did the same thing happened with the other 26?” asked Rainbow Dash

“Only with the ones that wouldn’t quit… which were only 2 of them, the others just decided to head back home,” said Spike

“Wow… I’m sorry, Spike, I guess, I was blinded by money…” Rainbow Dash said

“You were also poorly prepared, no one in their right mind heads out to fight something or someone stronger than them, but, we all do mistakes, so no hard feelings skittles,” Spike said

“My name is Rainbow Dash, not Skittles,” Rainbow Dash protested

“Sorry… Rainbow Dash… but I think Skittles is also a very cute name… I have to admit, you did have me against the ropes a few times there, the way you were able to throw me off my game and lunge at me was very clever, and then your attack, it was beautiful, the way you were able to easily combine your rainboom and the control you have to be able to stir yourself while flying at such a high rate of speed, it amazing,” Spike said, praising Rainbow Dash, unaware that her face was turning redder by the second “Anyway, it was nice to meet you and fight you, but I have a mission to finish, and I am already behind… by the way, here, you’ll need this more than me…” he said giving her a health potion “Hope we can see each other again Rainbow Dash,” Spike said as he jumped off the ledge and headed for the fort.

Rainbow Dash sat there for a few seconds, processing everything that just happened, her face redder than a tomato, and a smile creeping into her face

“Wow… he really is something else… He even was calm enough when saying it… I need to head back fast,” Rainbow Dash said as she chugged the potion down and leaped into the air, flying as fast as she could toward Canterlot.

WITH SPIKE

“Ok, here we are, now, what exactly am I dealing with… Peewee, what can you see?... Peewee?... oh yeah, he went with Gabby, silly me, well, I’ll have to do things the old school way,” Spike thought as he cracked his fingers

“SPIKE!!!” Peewee screamed as he crash-landed near Spike catching his attention

“PEEWEE?! What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked as he went over to his trusty companion, who was already healing himself

“It’s Gabby, she's been kidnapped…!” Peewee said

“What?!” Spike said

“The kidnappers are waiting for you!” Peewee said

“Where?” asked Spike

“In an old mine, 20 minutes out of town, heading south,” said Peewee

“Then let’s not make them wait!” Spike said as he leaped into the air and flew towards the location.

BACK IN CANTERLOT (30 MINUTES LATER)

“Do you think Rainbow Dash is safe?” asked Fluttershy

“The better question is, do you think the night dragon will have mercy on her, I mean, she is hostile towards him,” Rarity said

“She'll be just fine, I thought her everything I know, not to mention, I doubt she’ll even catch up to him,” said Windy

“Windy’s right, if anythin’ we ain’t gonna see Dash’ere for a few days, since, well, she ain’t the one to give up easily,” Applejack said as she drank her cup of cider

“That’s our daughter for you,” said Bow

Suddenly they heard a loud boom, that put them on edge, they all quickly looked out of the windows and saw a rainbow contrail leading from the clouds to the entrance of the castle.

Suddenly the doors swung open, revealing Rainbow Dash.

Everyone turned to look at her in surprise, as she marched over to her locker

“Hey Dash, back so soon?” Applejack taunted

“Mmmh-hm,” Rainbow Dash said as she continued to put stuff in her backpack

“I take it you haven’t had any luck locating your target,” Rarity said

“Nope, I found him, I even fought him,” said Rainbow Dash paying little attention to the conversation

“AND YOU’RE STILL ALIVE?!!” Applejack said in shock

“Yup, he went easy on me,” Rainbow Dash said

“Dash, mind me asking, but, why are you cleaning up your locker?” asked Twilight

“Yeah, you don’t have to quit the group only because you lost a fight,” Sunset said

“I’m not quitting, and I am not emptying it out, I’m just packing some extra things for the trip, I mean, I probably won’t be coming back for a few days… anyway, gotta go, see ya, bye!” Dash said as she finished packing at rushed for the door

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE YOUNG LADY!” Bow said as he stopped his daughter dead in her tracks

“Just where do you think you are going?” Windy said

“Back to Spike… oh yeah, that reminds me, mom, dad, girls… I’m engaged to be married,” Dash said

“WHAT?!!” all of them said

“What? Is it hard to believe?” Rainbow Dash said

“Yes,” Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, and Applejack said

“Kind of,” Twilight, Fluttershy, Windy, and Bow said

“Congratulations! Should I throw you a Bachelorette?” Pinkie said

“Ok… why is it hard to believe, and, not right now Pinkie, I don’t think I’ll be back for a little bit,” Rainbow Dash said

“Better question, WHO is your fiancee?” asked Applejack

“Spike,” Rainbow Dash said proudly

The second she uttered that name, the room went silent.

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity looked at their friend in shock while processing what she just said.

Sunset Shimmer was green with envy that HER crush was getting married to Rainbow Dash

Fluttershy just stood there, tears falling from her eyes, whoever, everyone mistook them for happy tears, forgetting their past conversation.

Pinkie just stood there with a massive toothy grin on her face.

“Dashy… are you saying that…” Bow began

“The deadliest mercenary/assassin ever, proposed to you?” Windy finished

“Yup,” she said proudly

“THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!!” they both exclaimed as they hugged their daughter

“I KNOW!!” Dash said,

“HANG ON A MINUTE!!!” Twilight yelled catching everyone's attention “I doubt that Spike actually got down on one knee to propose to you, so you better explain what actually happened,”

“Well, after he defeated me in battle, he refused to kill me, saying that the battle was void do to him not drawing his weapon, he then proceeded to heal me, and then complementing me over and over again, going as far as calling me cute, therefore, following Mercenary rules, valuing me and proposing to me… however, he didn’t kiss me, he said he had a mission to finish and left for the Basilisk fort…” Rainbow Dash said

Twilight went silent, she didn’t know what to do or say

“W-well, he doesn’t have to kiss you to seal the deal, just the fact that he kept you alive and praised you is enough, I mean, that’s the law,” Bow said

(CONTEXT: There is an old mercenary law in Equestria that says that if to 2 or more mercenaries enter into combat, the winner must then execute the losers of the battle, if the winner decides not to kill the losers, out of mercy or other reasons, the losers must now devote their lives to the winner, essentially making them bodyguards or servants of the winner; now, if the winner, actually praises the loser and complements them in any way, that is considered a “Marriage Proposal” since many mercenaries want to leave behind strong offspring to continue their legacies)

“Yes, the same thing happened between your father and me… OH! I’m so happy our little girl has found a husband,” Windy said as she hugged her daughter again

“W-well, congratulations Dash,” Twilight said gritting her teeth in jealousy

“Thanks,” said Dash

“Say, I know this is still early, but, should I start buying things for our grandkids?” asked Windy

“MOM! I JUST GOT ENGAGED TO HIM!... but, as you taught me, it’s best to be prepared,” Rainbow Dash said turning red

This comment made Fluttershy cry, even more, Sunset smashed the cup she had in her hand, and Twilight just stared back with a blank stare.

“W-what about Tank?” asked Rarity

“Oh, he is coming with me, there is no way I am leaving him behind, he can be incredibly useful for the 2 of us… and his apprentice… well, if you excuse me, I must return to my hubbies side, that’s the rightful place of a wife, see ya later gals, mom and dad,” Dash said as she rushed out of the room toward her apartment to get Tank.

“Good luck out there, tell our future son-in-law we said HI!” Windy said as Dash disappeared

“So~ that happened,” said Rarity

“Well girls, it was nice to see you and hang out with y’all, but I have to go bye some baby products,” Windy said as she left the room

“And I better go stop her before she goes ballistic with her shopping spree,” Bow said as he saluted the girls and left.

Twilight plopped down on her throne, paler than ever

“I-I can’t believe it,” Twilight said

“You, me Both…” Applejack said as she sat down too

“Well girls, I better head out, I am already a bit late for my quest,” Pinkie said as her phone beeped and she ran out of the room

Sunset just stood there, everything that just happened replaying in her head until she walked towards the door, grabbing her backpack in the way.

“Wh-where are you going?” Fluttershy asked

“For a little “walk”... you wanna come with?” Sunset Shimmer said winking at her

“I-I guess, I-I do need some fresh air,” Fluttershy said as she got up and gathered her gear.

“See you later girls,” Sunset said as she closed the door behind them

“Well, that was also unexpected, wonder where they are going” said Rarity

“They are headin’ to Terraria too,” said Applejack

“Why would they ever go there?” asked Rarity

“Basilisk fort, Spike, their crush, he just got “engaged” to Dash… they are obviously jealous and want to get between ‘em… or join ‘em,” said Applejack

“Oh, darling, you have such an imagination,” Rarity said

“Then why did they take their armors and weapons with ‘em?” asked Applejack

“Good point…” Rarity said as she turned to look at Spike’s drawing

“Somethin’ wrong, Princess?” asked Applejack

“No… it’s just… it’s like if I’ve seen him somewhere before too… but I can’t put my finger in where?” said Rarity

“Oh brother,” Applejack said as she went back to her cider.

BACK NEAR TERRARIA

“W-where am I?” Gabby said as she awoke in a bed

“You’re finally awake! Sorry for the rough treatment, but it was the best way to get you here safely,” a man said as a young male unicorn said as he walked into the room

“What are you going to do to me?” asked Gabby panicking a little

“Nothing! We just want your help… and your friend’s help as well,” said the man

“I’m not following,” said Gabby

“The boss will explain everything when he gets here,” said the man

“IN THERE!” Peewee said as he and Spike arrived at the entrance of the mine

“GABBY! WHERE ARE YOU?!!” Spike said as he ran into the mine, at full speed coming to a stop when he reached a massive, well-lit cave inside the mine.

“Spike? I’m here,” Gabby said as she got off the bed and walked out to see him

“GABBY! WHERE ARE THE KIDNAPPERS?!” Spike said with rage

“Wait, it’s not what you think! They just wanted to catch our attention,” Gabby said

“She is right, we don’t mean you any harm,” said the man

“YOU!” said Spike

“If you are going to blame someone, blame me…” a very attractive unicorn said as she walked out of the shadows “... Greetings Night Dragon, we’ve been waiting for you,” she said as she walked closer to Spike