4 days later

What felt like an eternity for Rachel to regain enough strength for the teleporting, she said goodbye for what she hoped would be the last time she departed for her child.

Because if she doesn’t come back with Spike, it would probably be of her own volition, because her patience when it comes to her mate was quickly wearing thin. She loves Spike with every fiber in her body but there’s so much the Queen could take from being away from her responsibilities and her child.

If she can’t convince Spike to pull his head out of his self pitying ass, she’s going to blow up. She would possibly beat him to fucking submission because she’s about to blow her top.

And depending on his next choice of words would probably determine if she’s dragging his ass back to Equestria in a body bag.

She lands in the Inn room where Capper was waiting for her. He was reading a book when she came in and he jumped in sight.

“Where the hell have you been, you’re late!” Capper yowls, tossing the book on the bed and getting off.

“Late?” Rachel asks as she slips the staff back in the pocket dimension. Would probably use it to beat Spike with it later. “Late for what?”

“The fight! Snowball has you on tonight.”

“Yeah, the only thing I’m fighting is that pig and Spike tonight. I’m not fighting anymore of his slaves.” She snarled. “Where’s Spike?”

“Being forced to wait in the arena.” Capper said. “Remember the assassin Aspa we talked about? Well, that’s who you’re fucking fighting with. Snowball made it clear if you don’t show up soon, he’s going to have him sicc on Spike.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes at him. “You shitting me?”

“I wish I was. You got five minutes to race over before that snake gets him. If you don’t want to have another raging dragon moment, you better go.” Capper said.

If that happens, she’s literally going to say fuck it and murder every single creature there was.

Cursing out loud, Rachel quickly changed into her gym wear before she and Capper took off running towards the arena.

“Snowball had taken advantage of the fact you were gone with Spike so he’s running ragged at the moment.” Capper gave Rachel the rundown as they ran down the street.

“Did you mention to that fucker that I had an emergency?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t care. Keep saying to Spike that you left him here.”

“You and Tempest tell him that I was coming back? I couldn’t come right back, I had to do things that drained me like a fucking battery, I just got my strength back to end this bullshit once and for all.” Rachel growled annoyed.

“We told him. Would help a bit more if our boy had a cell phone so you can keep calling him to reassure him. We tried to keep him away from Snowball and his henchmen but they somehow got him.”

“Okay, after I beat this assassin to the ground, I’m going to tear that hog into pieces with my bare hands. Break off all his limbs, cook them and force his ass to eat himself!” Rachel loudly declared.

They just barely made it in time, slipping through the doors and had Rachel run down the walkway. Seeing her next opponent.

Spike was seated somewhere near the bottom stands, and judging on how he looked, he looked like he had run through the wringer several times and looked exhausted as all can be. When he saw Rachel, he gave her a soft look, wanting to move.

However, he was stopped by one of the henchmen putting a hand on his shoulder and made him sit back down.

“Well well well, looks like you finally graced us. Thought you left us, my pretty.” Snowball sneered through the comms.

She snarled up at the viewing box. “You wish, asshat.”

“Oooh so salty.” He snorted. “Ladies and gentleman, tonight we have an interesting line up for you all tonight. We have an old time favorite coming here to visit and relive to good ol’ glory days.”

“You’re pus-s-s-s-s-s-shing it, as-s-s-s-s-s-shole.” Aspa commented loudly for him to hear.

Wow shocking, Snowball isn’t very popular. Rachel thought before she hopped over the rope to enter the ring. She eyed at the long venomous fangs protruding his lips before looking at the tip of his tail. It looked similar to a rattler but it had a bladed tip. Pure metal and sharp.

“I thought one of the rules said no weapons allowed?” Rachel asked with a glare.

“Thiss-s-s-s-s-s is-s-s-s-s part of my tail.” Aspa chuckled, his bladed tail flickered.

Rachel quickly studied him, outstretched, the snake/pony creature was long, roughly thirty meters. His upper half of course being part pony, only to have covered in scales instead of pony fur. The pony looked like an earth pony.. She had no idea what the story was about this abomination of creation or wanted to know how his parents came to be.

She knows that this assassin is here to kill her. She had to watch out for his venom - which would be his downfall if he were to bite her - and that bladed tip and not be crushed. As his snake body looks long and thick enough to engulf her.

“Rules are still the same. No deaths but make the fight a spectacle.” Snowball snorted at the word death.

The only deaths that will matter will be the assassin and the pig, that's what Rachel was planning on anyway.

Rachel and Aspa get ready. The bell rang and the fight was on.

Aspa went first. For a creature with a long body, he was fast. Faster than what Rachel had anticipated. One would think someone with extra baggage would be weighted down.

NOPE!

Zipping around, he delivered quick jabs hard across her face and stomach before she had a chance to react. Slamming his body against her, knocking her across the ring and into one of the rope posts.

She let out a shout when her spine and the spikes on her back hit the metal with such velocity.

Rachel shook her head and let out a gasp when she saw Aspa coming at her again. She jumped out of the way from his attack before delivering some attacks of her own. Stomping on his tail before slamming her fist in a fury.

Jumping and dodging his slithering body, trying to block the creature's movement before he whipped his tail at her.

Rachel jumps but wasn't fast enough as the blade caught her across the face. Going from the right side of her muzzle and across her cheek.

There were some gasps and oohs coming from the jammed packed audience. Tempest, Capper and Spike tensed up. Spike wanted to move and stop this. He tried to shove the henchmen back but the high pitch sound of the device forced him to stay put.

A reminder that no one of the captive slaves were to interrupt the fight.

Rachel stumbled back, hand briefly touched her face but winced. Pulling back to see her fingertips were covered in blood.

The bladed tail has cut through the fur and the scales underneath it.

Aspa chuckled at the look on her face, the tip of his tail waved for her to see. "Whoops-s-s-s."

Oh fuck.

The fight continued on, Aspa proved to be a formidable foe. For each attack Rachel landed on him, he landed five more back. Forcing Rachel to be on defense, blocking and countering attack, trying to put as much distance as she could between her and that damn tail of his.

The crowd was on the edge of their seats as they looked on. Snowball enjoying this, seeing the she-dragon actually having trouble in a fight.

After smashing his face, Aspa quickly whips around at Rachel with a shout.

Rachel jumped but that tail came at her fast, she felt the blade sliced across her scaled stomach, causing her to stumble back.

"Oh fuck!" Capper gasped.

Rachel's stomach began to bleed profusely, she pressed her arm against the wound with a shudder.

Aspa quickly wrapped his body around Rachel's body and squeezed, causing her to cry out in pain, something popped out of its socket.

Capper and Tempest, since they weren't captive, got up to help put a stop to this, but they were stopped by the henchmen as well.

Aspa let out a smile. "Pity, you're a good fighter, but all things-s-s-s-s mus-s-t come to an end, my dear." He hissed, looking right at her before he opened his mouth wide. His jaw actually became unhinged, making the gap wider and wider.

He was going to devour her right in front of everyone.

Rachel snarled, feeling the sacks in her throat igniting before blowing fire at his open mouth.

Aspa let out a shrill of a scream as his mouth and throat began burning in its blue flame.

Rachel then turns and bites down on his scaly body. Her teeth tearing into his much softer scales, biting right into the meat and shooting fire at it once more.

"Hey! No fire!" Snowball cried out.

However, that was never said before.

Aspa screamed as he was being burned, unwrapping himself from her.

Before he gets away, Rachel grabs his upper body and slams him down on the ground. With shouts, she repeatedly stomps on him, not caring where her hoof made contact, but she does it multiple times enough where Aspa stops moving.

The excessive movement caused her to cough up blood, having her stumble back away from the downed assassin. Her right arm was in excruciating pain, barely any movement caused her pain. Her lower abdomen was still bleeding from the slicing.

Everything went silent. No one dared to utter a breath as they watched the battered dragoness.

She turns and limps off. Lumbering over the ropes and limping down the pathway out of the arena.

Capper and Tempest, followed by Spike, ran after her, trying to catch up to her. However, she waves them off, giving them a sharp warning growl before going off on her own. Not in the fucking mood to be crowded around, leaving a trail of her own blood behind.

When she found a spot to herself, she pressed her back against the wall and slid down to the ground. Wincing and shuddering at the pain. Her arm pressed against her gut, moaning and grunted.

Her intestines were fine, not deep enough for them to spill out, but if she was still pregnant and this had happened, the baby would've died on the spot.

She closed her eyes, breathing and panting, used her internal flames and began healing the cuts on her face and stomach. Blood cauterizing and wounds sealed.

And now to deal with her arm. She used her left hand and felt where it popped out. Grunting and gasping when she found that her shoulder was dislocated.

Fuck.

She tried to push it back but the shock of pain was too much, making her slam her fist on the wall multiple times.

She had relocated her shoulders many times, but she couldn't bring herself to set it back in place.

Her nose caught Spike's scent and heard him coming up to find her.

Spike stared at her, seeing how battered she was and knelt down. "Rach," he said. He saw how her arm looked and frowned.

Rachel grunted, knowing what was about to happen and leaned forward. "Just do it." She said.

Spike nodded and placed one hand on her back and the other on her shoulder. After the count of three, he resets it. Wincing at the pained shout coming out of her before it turned to snarls.

She quickly turned towards him. "We need to talk." She said to him with a dark tone.

After retreating to the loft, Rachel had a lot to say. She sat silently on the couch, waiting for Spike to make her a pack of ice. Her left hoof jittering as she waits to get this conversation done and over with before she goes pay a visit to Snowball.

Spike filled up the pack before closing the small fridge, took three steps over and handed his mate the pack. She muttered thanks before applying the ice on her shoulder.

He silently sat on the couch next to her, he could see waves of anger coming off of her. Seeing the steam coming off her shoulders.

Spike stared at her before asking, "How's… how's Igneous?" He knew it would be stupid to ask how she was feeling because he knows she's angry.

And he has a feeling it was towards him.

It took her a moment to respond, having to bite her tongue to prevent her from saying something else before speaking. "He's fine now. Sombra tried to take him, but he's safe now."

"What?" Spike's eyes widened and a wave of anger washes over him. "What the actual fuck, how did he got past the barriers?"

"The bastard had his ways. If it wasn't for the fact that our son has powers of his own, Sombra would've taken him." She grunted. She was so angry she had no words about that. The fear of losing Iggy made her sick.

Igneous was the last good she has left. She can't bear to lose him.

Spike's next words however, made her see red.

"Equestria is not safe for us. Once Snowball is dealt with, we need to go, all of us." Spike said. Thinking about the safety of the two.

Rachel started laughing at this point. A humorous, dark laugh because she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're kidding me right?" She asked him, seeing this confused look on his face seeing her react like this. She then throws the ice pack at him, it hits him in the head and she shoots up from the couch. "You're kidding me?!" She snapped. "I just said that our son was almost kidnapped and your response is for the three of us to leave!? Are you so stupid that running away solves everything! Fucking hell Spike!"

"I'm thinking about the three of us. After everything we went through back in Equestria. The White Mantle, Blueblood, Garble, you want to be back to all of that??" He asked with a growl after the ice hit him in the head. He tossed it on the cushion next to him.

"We fucking can't just pack up everything and abandon our friends and family. If you haven't heard, there's a war going on. A war that I'm right in the middle of. I'm partially responsible for Sombra coming back, I have to see this through. I can't just leave! We can't just leave. Or did you forget that when you left, your responsibilities became mine with becoming Queen!"

"You didn't have to go through it, but you chose to do it! " Spike snapped back, getting up from the couch as well.

"Oooh don't you fucking blame me, mister. Ember would've dragged me into that position and you fucking know it." She was aggravated. Her body trembled. "You have to stop self pitying yourself. It wasn't a good look on you on the cruise, it's not a good look on you now. Everypony knows that you're not responsible for what happened, I can keep saying that until I'm fucking blue in the face!" she shoved him again, making him even more aggravated.

"Stop shoving me!" He yelled at her.

"What the fuck are you going to do?! I fucking dare you to do something!" She snarled. "You're the goddamn Dragonlord, a father, you have to stop being such a coward and step up. We're counting on you, all of us are!"

Spike snarled, shaking his head and proceeded to try and get some distance as he could within the loft.

"Spike, you can't keep running away! You have responsibilities back home!" Rachel screamed. "You have to stop running!"

Spike gripped the sides of his head with a frustrated growl. "Oh for fuck sake's, that’s what you did!" He snapped back, turned around and pointed a finger at her. "You ran away from your home world and came here because you couldn't handle things there. There's so much guilt and trauma for me there that I can't go back home! What makes my situation different??!?" As soon as those words left his lips, he knew he crossed a line. His eyes widened and covered his mouth in horror of what he just said.

Rachel stiffened once that was thrown at her. Feeling something cracked in her chest, feeling like she was physically stabbed in the heart.

"Rach, I didn't mean~" Spike tried to quickly back peddle that but she turned around and quickly began walking away. Opening the door of his room and stormed out. "Rachel, wait!" He began following her.

Rachel couldn't even look at him, she felt disgusted being near him that she had to get away from him before she did something she'll regret, not trusting herself to be around him.

"Rachel please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, wait please!" He begged as he caught up to her. When he reached out, Rachel stepped aside.

"Don't touch me, don't touch me!" Rachel snapped repeatedly but he kept trying to reach out to get her to stop walking. She kept repeating, warning him.

He then grabbed her arm to make her stop.

Wham!

A loud audible smack echoed in the hall. Spike's jaw dropped as a shocked expression was screwed on. A stinging sensation and a red mark was on his cheek and a cut.

Rachel's hand was balled up, shaking after striking him in the face. Hot tears free flowing down her face. "Sombra may have put you here, Rarity may have been responsible for what happened back home, but the only one that's breaking us is you." Her voice crackled.

Spike fell mute, losing his ability to speak, he watched her turn on her taloned hooves and left him. Quickly disappearing from view. He stared where she left in horror.

Oh no, what the hell have I done?

Author's Note

- it was at this moment he knew, he done fucked up

Woo boy my face is red at this point writing this.