Mask

Five years.

Five years since the world had turned to ash, snow and glass. Five years since everyone was confined underground. Five years since Spike had last seen anyone he once knew. Five years, and yet to everyone underground, it felt like an eternity, far too unbearable in the small space they had shared. Hearths Warming had gone and past, birthdays, funerals for those old enough or those who had died of sickness, parties and celebrations, and a day to remember the fallen, which happened to be the anniversary of when the world had been plunged into ash and snow.

Spike, now eighteen years of age, was no longer the small, chubby child when he first arrived, as he had been hit hard by dragon puberty. Now standing at five feet and eleven inches, Spike himself would look no older than sixteen years old despite his height gain, and would keep this appearance for a century or two, if Mayor Mares books were to be believed. His fangs had grown as well, his senses expanded and, thanks to the training under the guards, he had become a muscled fighter, ready to defend his home.

Definitely nowhere near Bulk in terms of muscle, but Spike himself had slimmed out and had muscles hidden by his general appearance. Spikes tail had once been chubby and short, and now it had become long and serpentine, the spade appearing sharper and spines becoming larger and rounder. After he has hit thirteen years out, he had found out that his wings could retract into his body to help with mobility. The process was painful, but thankfully said action was fast and healed rather quickly. He would only use his wings in emergencies, as his wings were more powerful, but slower, than a skybloods.

That being said, Spike was still treated like a kid by Mayor Mare, whose mane had grown out. Over the years, her manes roots had turned back to pink and her white hair was nothing more than a few flicks. She had gotten a few wrinkles around her eyes and slightly a bit chubbier (though, all it did was add to her already beautiful looks), though did not change much.

Silver and the other guards had changed. Silver himself had gotten a few more scars from his fights with the Mutts and Bugs, and was used to venturing to the outside and getting more supplies with his team, and has shaved his beard, showing off the four long claw marks he had gained from the first encounter with the Mutts. His armor also had teeth of multiple creatures on it, and his helmet had marks of fallen allies and friends during the excursions.

Steel had gotten wicked scars on his arms and sides from a particularly bad mission, though he only said that chicks dig scars when Spike brought it up. He has also grown a beard which matched his hair, though he complained his mask got too hot with it. Apparently, Nurse Redheart had mentioned she liked it, so he kept the beard is an attempt to woo her.

Storm has cut her lengthening hair and now used an improved version of the crossbow, too attached to the weapon to upgrade to the new stuff, and her armor had been repaired and retrofitted to fit her bulkier frame. She had also gotten more muscled over time, and would often teach kids how to fly when their teacher was unavailable. They may have been underground, but they still found uses for their wings.

Meteor had grown her hair out and tied it into a bun, and would use a new wrist gauntlet with her blades attached. Seems she got sick of having to constantly lose her knives to stupid actions and getting them replaced. Her clothes also had more packs put on to carry more medical supplies out in the field. She was no doctor, but she could stitch someone up in a pinch, and had trained to help the injured in the field after Big Macs near death scare.

Big Mac had quit the team and was back to farming, Applebloom herself only learning self defense before joining her brother back in the farms. Bulk and Thunderlane had been more permanent and would often help the team out, though they both had voiced their concerns over Spikes rather harsh training. The guards had seen others join their ranks and, luckily, had been rather successful in their defense of the Caverns.

Unfortunately, today would be the first part of a very long journey for them.

Spike rotated his body, smashing his fist into the punching bag, punching it again and again, adjusting his body to put more force into the strikes. The punching bag bounced a bit with the punches, Spikes eyes glazing over as he struck it over and over. His mind was distracted, though that didn't stop his strikes, making the punching bags metal clink loudly.

Twilights face flashed through his mind, her laugh and smile, some joke long forgotten making her do those dorky giggles of hers. Her wings rustling as she read her book, scribbling some answers down as he struggled to stay awake on her lap. Her warm, loving hugs whenever she was excited about something or her cuddles whenever he had a nightmare. Her scared face when they ran from monsters or her disappointed look when he did something wrong

Spikes pupils turned into slits, a nictating membrane sliding over them and protecting his eyes from his sweat. The bag shook as he kept striking, stopping to deliver a swift, but devastating kick, then continuing with his strikes. His ears were deaf to the rather sickening sounding punches and kicks, if the punching bag could talk, it would be begging for him to stop.

Rarity flashed through his mind, her beautiful smile once bringing him such love and joy, bow bringing nothing but an empty longing. Her cute giggles, her critical eyes when looking over a dress, the noises she made when she saw a gem. Spike had long since realized that his crush would never go anywhere, but that never stopped him from appreciating her beauty, even now.

His eyes hardened, the bag would probably be set on fire with the glare Spike gave it, had it now been for the sweat it was covered in.

Rainbow Dash, her rainbow speeding past him during his chores, sometimes even a prank that scared him out of his skin...scales? Both, he supposed. Her smirk, how he hated and missed that smirk, or the genuine care she showed when one of them was hurt. Her flexing and showing off her muscles to a younger, more impressionable Spike, or telling him stories of her great heroics or dreams. Sometimes, they would sit under a tree and talk about life, or she would drag him along from some adventure, or he would have to deal with her fearless acts. Celestia, how he misses that rainbow haired adrenaline junkie.

More strikes. Hit after hit after hit. The chains connecting it to the hook groan and strain.

Applejack, the ever dependable, beautiful Applejack. Her strength was something he strived for, her honesty even more so. He would remember helping her with the apple season, how she saved his life and he saved hers from the Timberwolves, and how she would let him wear her hat after a hard days work. He always felt special when she did that.

A chain gave a clicking sound, but Spike only punched harder and harder.

Pinkie Pie. That woman was always ready for a party, and had even brought Spike out of the dumps after the greed growth incident. Her smile was infectious, her laughter was like music to his ear, and she always gave him special gem desserts. What he wouldn't do to watch her bounce through these Caverns.

A louder groan.

Fluttershy, such a calm, sweet soul. When she first met him in Ponyville, she had wanted to know everything about him. She was the first person to truly show interest into his thoughts and feelings, and would often cuddle him or help him through issues whenever Twilight wasn't available. He would never admit it but he may have had a small crush on her for a bit, and although it was not as big as Rarity's, it was still there. He soft giggles and smiles, she would stand up for her friends, even if she was scared to do it, and cared about every animal she could.

Starlight. Ember. Smolder. Yona. Sandbar. Gabby. Gallus. Ocellus. Silverstream. Thorax.

Each name pounded into Spikes brain, at the same speed as his fists, fast and hard. His fists smashed into the punching bag again and again, cold fury filling his veins, before he suddenly slammed his fist into it.

The punching bag decided it had enough, the chains breaking as it flew backwards. His hand had also split open the bag, sand exploding out and spilling out, almost looking like blood as it flew backwards. It skidded across the ground for a few moments, before finally resting, still spilling sand from the hole Spike had punched. Spike pulled his fist back and looked at it, seeing claws instead of his fingers and scales running up to his elbow.

Spike took a deep breath, letting his claws slowly shift back into his hand, the scales started to shift back to his skin, Spike giving out a long breath after, flexing his hand a bit when it finally changed back. Spike wiped the sweat off of his face, pulling his shirt off and stretching. That is when he heard a wolf whistle behind gim, making Spike rolls his eyes, then turn around, spotting Storm in the doorway.

Storm gave him an impressed look, though something else was there. Something he couldn't pinpoint, though he decided to let that go, hearing Storm walk in. "Morning, ma'am."

"Spike, I already told you, when it is just us, you can call me by my name."

"Sorry, Storm. So, off to the supply run?"

"Nah." Storm leant in the doorway, giving him a soft look, "Bossman wants to know if you are good to go for an outing."

Spike looked at the punching back, before walking over and grabbing another, putting it on his shoulder and setting it up. He grabbed the destroyed one and tossed it into a pile of destroyed equipment in the corner, rotating his shoulder a bit. "What's the mission?"

"Don't know. Silver said it was big though."

"Alright, I'll shower and meet you guys there." Spike made a move to leave the room, only for Storm to grab his arm and squeeze it.

"You sure you're good?" Storm asked, her eyes scanning him for any faults.

Spike could lie to her, tell her he was fine. He could just look her straight in the eyes, let the lie slip from his mouth and she wouldn't push it. He could go about his day, thinking about that lie, wondering why he did and feel guilty about it.

He wasn't that type of person.

"No, I'm not." Spike admitted, before grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze, continuing, "I keep thinking about the girls. My friends. And...I just need something to distract me."

Storm squeezed his hand and gave him a soft smile, "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here, and so is the rest of the team." She let go of Spike as he walked away, before sighing softly and following the young lad, sparing a glance towards the pile of broken training material.

Steel yawned loudly, before rubbing his eyes a bit, trying to keep himself awake whilst they waited for the briefing. Amongst them were a few women and men, magicbloods, skybloods and earthbloods all together in this room. Usually there would be three times as many, but some were guarding food while others were working normal jobs or resting from their shifts. Steel looked around, before stretching a bit, rubbing his cheek a bit, brushing his hands through his beard.

Spike walked in with Storm, Steel smiling and waving them over, the duo pushing past people to stand next to the Skyblood. "Hey Storm, Spike. You heard about the new toys the lab cooked up?"

"You'd think they'd slow down after that...what was it called?"

"Force detonator." Spike mumbled out, making Steel snicker. "Blew my clothes off in front of everyone."

"Yeah, and planted you into the wall." Storm snickered, Spike only rolling his eyes in reply. "I still remember helping you pull shrapnel out of your hair."

"Yeah, chest was bruised for a week." Spike spoke, giving a grimace at the memory.

"That was just a small explosion too. Imagine what a full power one could do." Steel mumbled out, only for him to stand at attention, the others in the room following suit as Silver entered.

Silver took a look at the faces around him, before speaking, "At ease." The group sat back down, those who had to room to sit would lean against the wall at watch Silver intently. "Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?" Someone raised their hand, to which Silver nodded to them, "Yes, Bright Light?"

The bulky woman, having bright red hair and a long scar across her face gave a playful smile, then pointed out, "I'm Bright Flare. She-" He pointed a few rows away to a woman with pure white hair and a tattoo of a flashlight on her arm. Spike himself never really understood the appeal of tattoos if cutie marks existed, but who was he to judge how others wished to look. "-is Bright Light, sir." Silver gave a deadpan look, staring intently at her. "Sir, is this an actual mission, or just another bug hunt?"

Silver adjusted his straps a bit, before responding, "Nope. This is big. Any other questions?" When no one asked any further questions, he nodded to himself and finally started, "Well, as of fourteen hundred hours yesterday, we fixed up the old radio system in Ponyville. Unfortunately, we lost two members to Mutts and the Bat, Bridge Keeper and Winter Gust. A moment of silence for them."

They all bowed their heads, Steel taking his helmet off and pressing it to his chest, Spikes long tail slowly curled around and he gripped it, his eyes soft. Storm held her head low and gave a soft grimace at the news, everyone sharing their sadness at such news. It was sad when someone passed sway to disease or age, but in this savage world, it wasn't uncommon to be mauled or eaten by things that crawled in the tunnels or flew above.

Silver cleared his throat after a few moments passed, catching everyones attention, before continuing, "Their sacrifice was not in vain, thankfully, as we have now set up a communications hub, and, we found out an unintended side effect; there are other survivors out there." The room erupted into murmurs, Spikes eyes widening as he squeezed his chair, unintentionally crushing the metal in his grip.

Other survivors?! Why didn't anyone tell him? Did Twilight try to contact him? Why has it been so long since anyone tried this? So many questions, they swirled in Spikes mind like a maelstrom, making him dizzy. Storm must have noticed, because she took his hand and squeezed it, calming his frazzled and distracted mind. He looked at her, before smiling and squeezing her hand back, before letting go.

She still held onto his hand for a few more seconds before letting go, watching Silver raise his hand up. It took a few seconds for the murmuring to calm, but Silver just stood up and sighed a bit. "So, we got good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Good news!" Yelled someone from the back, making the group murmur in agreement.

"Good news is, the groups we came in contact with are only a few miles around us, and they talk about further tunnels with more survivors. Bad news is-" He took a step towards the map of the surrounding valley, with marks on it, pointing a finger at their location, before continuing, "We have to fight our way through the mutts and bugs in the tunnel, and whatever else is down here. We also have to get through caved in tunnels, transportation hubs that are being occupied by some sort of violent faction, and we may have to go above ground to travel to a few of these groups."

"Whole lotta cons, not many pros." Steel admitted, making Spike look confused at him. A few too many of the others agreed with him, making Spike huff in anger.

"What?! I cannot believe what I am hearing!" Spike practically growled out, the sight of his fangs making a few people back away from him. "People need help - no, need OUR help, and you lot are giving up already?!" Spike stoof up and gave the map a point, "If my friends were here, they wouldn't even THINK of those cons before rushing over to help! They would just do it!"

"Thank you, Spike." Silver spoke, although his tone was that of being upset of being interrupted, he did agree with the young dragonblood. Spike, hearing that, blushed and sat back down, not noticing the looks from a few of the guards his way. "As I was about to say, I'll need some volunteers to come with me. We'll set you up with some new gear the lab has made for this very occasion. Who's going with me?"

Spikes hand shot up immediately, Silver giving a smile at the sight, before Storm and, reluctantly, Steels hands rose. A few others rose, including Bright Flare and Bright Light, a young man by the name of Star Gazer and an older woman by the name of Stone Striker. Silver smirked, before adjusting his bags a bit.

"Okay, those who did not volunteer, you will wait here until we clear the area. In about three hours from mission start, you will head in and secure the first station we clear, and you will set up a forward operating base. Bring plenty of water and rations. No telling how well this op will go, so be prepared for anything. Operation starts in an hour, so be ready by then." Silver stood up, then spoke, "Dismissed."

Most of the crowd separated to get ready, Spike broke away from Steel and Storm, walking over to Silver. Silver smiled at the young lad and grabbed his shoulder. "Spike! Knew you'd be the first to volunteer!" His smile slowly turned into an expecting look, "So, you wanted to ask me something?"

"The girls, did they-"

"No, they didn't." Silver admitted, sitting back a bit and rubbing his cheek, before resting against his palm, other hand resting on his hip as he watched the young dragonblood. "No help signals, no messages from the Crystal Empire, nothing. We haven't even gotten the automated message that is supposed to play after the attack, and that should have lasted ten more years with the energy supply Shining gave it."

"Tartarus..." Spike leaned back and sighed, rubbing his eyes. Silvers eyes softened, before he grasped Spikes shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Don't worry kid, we'll find 'em." Silver said, making Spike nod, before pulling his hand away. "Alright, we'll get your gear. And tell Mayor Mare about you volunteering, so she doesn't worry about you."

Steel watched them both walk off, before leaning down and asking, "Do you think Spike knows Silver and Marw are a thing?"

Storm chuckled, then said, "You kidding me? Spike was the one who told the Mayor to date Silver." Steel shot her a questioning look, making her blink confusingly at him, stating, "What? Spike talks and I listen. Kid has a lot of heart and too much stress for someone his age."

Spike watched the man run around, giving Silver a glance, which Silver only shook his head to. Silver cleared his throat, making the man stop, before lifting his helmet up, flashing the two a toothy grin. "Oh! Spike! Silver! You are just in time, just in time!" He looked down at his watch, before frowning a bit. "Well, uh, a few seconds late, but close enough, yes."

"Spike, I believe you have met Time Turner."

"Yes, we have met. Right before he blew me into a wall."

Time Turner, a tanned man with blue eyes and long brown hair, smiled at the young dragonblood, "Well, to be fair, I did tell you it was on a timer."

"Yeah. You didn't tell me how long the timer was!"

Silver said nothing, however did narrow his eyes. Both of them immediately stopped, before Silver finally cleared his throat, "I'm sure the ladies didn't mind the show, Spike." Silver teased, before looking at Time Turner, ignoring the look Spike gave him. "So, you got some new toys for us, Time?"

"Toys?" Time looked confused for a moment, before snapping his fingers and ducking under the counter. He stood back up, holding a mask and helmet, giving it to Silver, the sigil of a spear carved into the side of it, Time speaking, "I got the modifications you asked for, plus a few of my own. Flashlight attachment on the helmet, helmets is reinforced, mask is definitely more durable with a stronger glass, and I added an attachment to the top, in case you need binoculars or something on your helmet so you can just flip it down."

Silver whistled and inspected the helmet and mask, humming a bit in thought. "Feels a bit heavy. Anything we can do about that?"

Time scratched the side of his head with a screwdriver, humming in thought, before replying, "Maybe, but I'll need more time and you have places to be, so nothing I can do about it right now." Time then gave a proud puff of his chest, speaking, "I also made an adjustable spear for you, based off the original you...uh...lost. Should be in with the new weapons Blaze Powder helped me make."

"New weapons?" Spike asked, worry filling his voice, though Time only grinned in reply. "Okay, so, why'd you need me here?"

"You?" Time Turner gave Spike a quizzical look. "Why'd I need you here?"

"That's what I asked."

"I don't remember."

"What?! You had this whole-"

Silver raised hid hand, stopping Spike, before turning to the metal worker, tapping the helmet in silent communication. Time stared at the helmet for a few moments, before his face lit up, dashing into the back. Spike raised an eyebrow at his antics, before Silver put a helmet on his head and attached his mask to his chest, pushing Spike a bit.

"Come on, Spike, while he gets your stuff ready." Silver walked with Spike, walking over to another part of the building. On this part, there were spears, knives, swords, crossbows and a woman, covered in scars, her left eye being covered in an eye patch with a long scar across her cheek trailing up towards her eyebrow. Her skin was dotted with scars, with four long ones across her bicep, and her cutie mark was a spark with some black powder under it. "Blaze."

"Sir. Who's the cutie?" She asked, giving Spike a flirty wink. Blink? Wink?

"Spike, he's coming with me on the mission. Careful with that though, basically part of the Apple Family and Mayor Mares family."

"Kid gets around, eh? Well, girls do outnumber the boys, four to one."

"Blaze."

"Just teasing ya." The magicblood giggled, only to walk over, lifting some strange, heavy objects in her hands. She set them down in front of the duo, giving a proud smile. "These are my babies. Hope you don't mind single moms-"

"Blaze."

"Right, right." Blaze waved Silver off, smiling at Spikes blush, before looking down with her one good eye. "So, these I call Boomers."

"Boomers?" Spike asked, making the womans eye twinkle as she looked up at him.

"Yup. Top notch stuff. These are stronger than crossbows, spit out metal, shoot fire, and come in different shapes and sizes." She spread them out, Spikes and Silver staring at the assortment. It appeared to be a boomstick with exposed shells in a rotating clip, some strange one handed weapon with a long nose, and a type of bulky crossbow with a strange attachment at the bottom, a long barrel, and a heavy stock. She lifted the shotgun and smiled, "This is my Boomstick! Fires seven of these...lets call them shells, loaded with metal pellets. Can't shoot far, but definitely insanely damaging up close. Takes a bit to reload though, so use it sparingly."

Spike stared at the thing, before looking at the shells, lifting one up and giving it a curious sniff. He put it back down and hummed, "Smells familiar."

"Yeah, used the same powder we use in fireworks, just turns it...well, deadly." Blaze admitted, before using her magic to lift the strange one handed weapon to herself, sliding a strange thing out of it to show brass casings inside. "This is the Snapper. Fires as fast as you can pull the trigger, easy to conceal, reloads fast. It isn't as powerful, but it is far more accurate at longer distances than the Boomstick. In a pinch, it'll do."

Silver hummed, before nodding, slowly scanning over the weapons. "I see. Boomstick is great for tight tunnels, Snapper is all around weapon, what about this last one?"

"Ah, this beauty -" Blaze set the snapper down and picked up the long weapon, unloading it to show off the ammunition, before loading it back in. "- is called the Sweeper. Has three modes, single fire, trio, and fully automatic. Fully automatic can full sweep a room and still have some rounds to spare, hence the name. It is great at long range and medium range, has an attachment for a scope and has a attachment at the barrel to allow one to put a bayonet on it." At Spikes and Silvers confused look, she snapped her fingers a few times to try and remember, only to point down at the barrel, finally saying, "You can put a knife on it for up close and personal stuff." Silver hummed a bit, before looking at each weapon, weighing them and inspecting them. He nodded to Blaze, who pulled out schematics of more weapons on front of them. "This is just the beginning, of course, there will be flaws that I can iron out in later designs, but those designs are still in the beginning stages." She then leant down and pulled the small spear out, handing it to Silver, who gave a grin at the sight. "Should be easier to carry around and use, just be careful with it. These things aren't cheap to make."

"Noted."

"How do we use these?" Spike asked, making Blaze smile at him, making Spike lean back a bit.

"I like a man who gets to the point. You know how to fire a crossbow, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Same basic principle. Hold on tight though, the big girls pack quite a punch, so you gotta hold it steady and make sure to adjust." She then smiled flirtatiously at Spike, making the young dragonblood lean back again and blush. "You can come back at any time ya like in case there's something you wanna discuss about my...girls."

Silver rolled his eyes, before whistling a bit, catching Blazes attention. "Once you finish making the batch, let the other guards know."

"Yessir, don't you worry. Pretty soon, your buddies will be punching above their weight class."

Silver nodded, before Time Turner called them back, Spike pulling the Snapper, Boomstick and Sweeper from the scarred woman and trying to ignore her look as he strapped on the holsters for the weapons. He put everything in its right place, then she handed Silver a piece of paper. "If you run outta rounds, these are the ingredients to make more. Shouldn't be too hard."

Silver and Spike walked over, Time setting a helmet and mask down, making Spike gasp. On the helmet was the design of a cartoonish, though fierce, dragon with wings and a western style body, neck, head and tail. Its wings were outstretched in flight, and its jaws had flames spewing out of them. On the mask, the glass was bulkier, and the filters seemed to be attached. Spike opened his mouth, though no words came out.

"I missed a few of your birthdays in Ponyville and in the Caverns, so, I thought that, once you officially joined the guards, I could make a gift." Time Turner explained, before wiping the helmet a bit. "Mask has these attachments, made to mimic filters. You don't have to breathe the same air we do, but you definitely need to protect yourself out there, so, I made this. It will also stop people from thinking it is safe to breathe out there, when only dragonbloods can."

Spike twirled it over and smiled, before looking back up at Time Turner, finally croaking out with misty eyes, "Thank you."

"If Twilight asks, I did not make this." Time Turner said, before giving Spike a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

"Yeah, she'll freak when she finds out."

Mayor Mare squeezed Spike in one last hug, giving a soft noise as she lifted him up for half a second. "I remember when you were small enough that I could carry you around."

Spike rolled his eyes, then gave a fanged grin, "Acting like I'll never make it back."

"I know you will." She kissed Spikes cheek, making him blush a bit. Applebloom and Big Mac snickered behind her, making her shoot them a glare that made them shut up. "Cuz the rest of these people know I'll do worse than the Bat if they come back without you."

Spike hugged her tighter, before letting go, resting his forehead against hers. "I'll make it back. If I don't, I'll probably haunt Silver forever as a ghost."

At the mention of his name, Silver walked over and gave a chuckle, "You'll have to get in line, kid, got too many ghosts on me already." He leant down and kissed Mayor Mare on the lips, keeping the kiss for a moment, making Spike walk over to Applebloom and Big Macintosh, the man giving a smile as he grabbed Spikes forearm, Spike grabbing his, both giving each other a squeeze.

"Ya better come back. Can't back outta being an Apple, even if ya die."

"Like I would do that. Celestia knows Applejack would tan my hide if I died before she learned the news."

"Spoken like a true Apple." Big Mac said, before letting go of Spikes arm.

Applebloom hugged Spike and lifted him up, making the dragon give a gasp, petting Appleblooms back even as she made his back pop from her hug. "If ya see Applejack out there, tell her she is in a whole mess of trouble!"

Spike chuckled, before patting her back, saying, "I'll let her know. Now...can you put me down?" Applebloom chuckled as she put Spike down, before smiling up at him. "You keep Big Mac outta trouble. And give Winona plenty of treats, poor girl doesn't get enough."

Meteor walked over, Storm and Steel adjusting their weapons and armor a bit. Meteor saluted, before standing at attention, seeing Silver, "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"At ease. Well, since we are heading out right now, I want you divide up shifts for everyone and protect the Caverns. Make sure to see Time Turner and Blaze Powder about an hour after we leave, they should have your gear up and running by then." Silver then looked up, then gave a soft smirk. "And make sure Mayor Mare doesn't make a groove in the ground when she paces."

The Mayor smacked Silvers arm, making him chuckle, before he finally stretched a bit, adjusting in his clothes and armor, nodding to the others, "We're moving out in five! Get ready!"

Steel nodded, before putting his helmet on, a carving of a wing with blades for feathers being carved on it, whilst Storm put her helmet on, a storm cloud with wings being carved into it. Spike adjusted his watch, before nodding to Silver, who put his fingers in his mouth and whistled, catching their attention.

"Open the gate!" Silver walked over, the door groaning open as dirt and dust fell around it, skeletons of Mutts and old bodies of Bugs littered the hall, some of the group giving disgusted looks. "Alright kiddos! We got a job to do and we aren't paid hourly. Move out!"

They moved into the halls, drawing their weapons and aiming down the tunnel, Spike adjusting his helmet before following. Silver turned and made a motion with his hand, the doors starting to close behind them. Spike and Storm shared a glance, before the group started to move forward into the darkness, Spike sparing a glance at the doors, seeing a glance of Mayor Mare, giving him a soft, loving smile before the door closed behind them.