Mask

Cage.

Spikes brain slowly started to awaken, the aches and pains throughout his body made him groan, still feeling like his sides were on fire. He opened his eyes, only to hiss in pain, closing them as a harsh light blinded him. He groaned a bit more, resting his head on something cold, the feeling giving him a sort of pain relief against his throbbing head. His jaw felt weird, his body ached where he was struck by the electricity, and the sound of dripping water was really annoying to his aching brain. He sat there for a moment, before slowly opening his eyes, his slitted pupils rounding as he took everything in.

Metal bars?

Spike raised a hand to his head, only for it to stop just short. He looked up to see a shackle on his wrist, blinking in confusing, before giving it an experimental tug, the chains clinking loudly as he did so. He looked down to see his boots and pants...and...nothing else? He was completely shirtless. All of his gear was gone, even his necklace. He grasped his hand around the metal chain, giving it an experimental tug, before giving a good look at himself, confusion filling his mind. He inspected himself, seeing giant red and purple bruises from when he was shocked, before he rolled his neck and sighed, grunting to himself, then looked around.

He was in a well lit room, surrounded by cages, though all of them were empty, in the middle of the room was a table, though he could not see what was on top of it from his position, and a few chairs. He sniffed, his nose crinkling at the old, dank smell, looking over to see blankets and strange objects in some of the other cages. He made to move his mouth, though was confused when it didn't open, feeling something pull against his mouth. He lifted his free hand up, giving a confused noise from his throat when he felt something metal and leather.

A muzzle.

Suddenly, memories flashed into his mind.

A little girl. Sparks of electricity. Pain. Anger. Fear. Hatred. The voice of a woman.

They...they locked him up like some sort of fucking animal.

His eyes filled with hatred, trying to tug the muzzle off, denting the metal of his chains a bit in his grip as he felt the leather on one side of his face start to slacken. He heard something tear from the pressure, hearing the door slowly creak, Spike letting go of the muzzle and whipping his head around to see light spilling in from the door.

The little girl.

His mind filled with anger, unintentionally giving a deep rumble, backing into the cage a bit as the little girl drew closer to him. She knelt down in front of the cage, her eyes scanning over his body, Spikes eyes never leaving her face, anger filling his system. The little girl reached a hand forward, only for Spike to give a throaty hiss, his mind filling with violence.

He wanted to strike her. He wanted to shift his hands into claws and mark her face. He wanted to breath fire, or rip the muzzle off and bite her hand, or punch her teeth out, or grab her throat and squeeze until she begged for mercy. He wanted to kick open the cage in front of him and make her taste his boot, maybe even grab her hand and crush it, or grab her arm and break it, maybe even lock her in the cage and leave her there.

Spike did none of these things.

He just glared at her, keeping his back against the metal bars. She suddenly stood up, Spikes tail coiling around one of the bars behind him at the sudden motion, then walked out of the room, leaving the door open. Spike watched her, curious, hearing some quiet whispering flow into the room. Although he had great hearing, he couldn't make out the words, so he looked around for an escape option.

Vent? Too small. Cages? He could throw them, but not a great weapon. Dig his way out? Too loud. Door? Dangerous, no clue what's around it, but it looked like the viable option.

He heard boots on the stone floor and looked up, confusion etched on his face. He backed up a bit when he saw a woman standing there. She stood at six feet tall, as far as he could tell, and she wore armor on her body. By her bare arms, covered in scars, Spike could tell she was muscled, and her skin was light from living underground for years. Her eyes held a dangerous look, brown like the little girl, and four long claw marks ran across her face, though her smile once she spotted him seemed the most dangerous part of her.

It looked...hungry.

"You must be the dragon." Spikes eyes narrowed at her comment, making her grin. He hated that grin already, though he made no motion to even anger her. After all, she was an Earthblood, Spike knew she could put up one Tartarus of a fight if he provoked her. "What was your name...Spine?"

The little girl grasped and tugged the womans shirt a bit to get her attention, then corrected, "It was Spike, Mama."

Spikes eyes narrowed at the little girl, before looking back at the woman, "Ah, yes. Thank you, my dear." She then knelt down, making herself level with Spike, grunting a bit as she knelt down and inspected him. She suddenly reached forward, Spike flinching away, making her pause for just a moment, though she continued, gently cupped his cheek with her hand, making Spike shiver, uncomfortable in her grip. She stared deep into his eyes, giving a soft hum. "You know...before the bombs fell, I knew someone who had a puppy named Spike. You are certainly much cuter than it was, little wrinkled bulldog he was. Though, you seem like a Pup yourself."

Spike gave a growl, flashing a fang through his muzzle, before tearing his head out of her grip, closing his eyes and giving a smoke filled snort out of his nostrils. Her eyes widened at the action, before she suddenly grabbed onto the cage, making Spike look at her, his eyes filled with a fire that filled the womans heart with excitement.

"Feisty little guy, aren't you, Pup?!" The woman said, before leaning in, giving a husky growl that made Spike shiver again. "I think that Queen can go fuck herself, because I'm going to keep you, Pup." Spike quirked an eyebrow at that, before seeing her women tug Spikes necklace out of her pocket, making him snarl at her. Spike making a grab for the necklace, grasping nothing but air as she backed up last second, flashing him a playful look, before tucking the necklace back into her pocket, humming as she inspected the boy in the cage. She turned to the little girl, then spoke, "Tell the Queen he escaped, Nova Flare." She then grabbed onto the cage, peering down at Spike with that predatory smile. "Now...be good for Mommy and I might let you out."

She started to walk out, Spike watching her, his pupils turning into slits. The little girl, Nova Flare, just gave Spike a soft look, before walking over, kneeling down and giving him a hard stare. This time, Spike made no movement, only staring at her with his burning eyes, her eyes searching for something Spikes own. After a moment, she stood back up, walking over to the door, only to stop in the doorway and speak.

"I'm sorry, Spike."

She left Spike alone, the door clunking shut behind her, the sound of another clunk confirming to Spike that it had been locked. After they were gone, Spike relaxed against the bars for just a moment, gathering himself, closing his eyes and snorting some smoke out.

He had to get out of here...he just needed his moment.

Silver shivered a bit, the biting wind blowing past him, staring at his bracer as it clicked loudly at him. He looked up, scanning the tempest above them, Steels wings pressing against himself, trying to keep them warm in the snow, whilst Bright Flare and Meteor were trailing behind, aiming around the snow, and Wave was in the middle, shivering and looking around, taking in the destroyed and snowed in buildings. Silver nodded to himself, then continued out into the snow, trying to remember where they were.

"If I remember correctly, the next settlement has no access to the surface, so we'll have to skip it." Silver spoke to his team, voice just barely above the screaming wind around them. "We can work our way down the next settlement and circle back!"

They heard a screech in the wind, all of them ducking down. Wave gave a confused look around, only to be tugged along by Silver as they walked into a broken building, the group taking cover inside, Wave being pushed against the wall and giving a grunt. Meteor and Steel aimed their Sweepers, Silver pulling his spear out, and Bright Flare has taken her snapper out, watching.

Waiting.

Wave opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a loud bang hitting the roof, everyone aiming upwards. A few seconds of silence passed, only for a shrill screech to echo out, making Wave shiver in fear.

The Bat.

It stalked down from its perch above them, before dropping onto street they were just on mere moments ago. Its body still held the scars of their encounter from years ago. It twirled its head to and fro, showing off the long claw marks across its face, its eye and most of one ear gone from the injury Spike inflicted on it. It screeched into the air, before taking off, powerful wings blasting gusts of snow into the shop they hid in. After a few minutes, they finally decided to move out, peering their heads out of the shop window.

After no demonic beast swooped down on them, they walked into the snow, continuing on through the snow. Whilst walking, Wave gave a look around, before testing his radio, speaking, "Ocean Man to the Dragon, respond." After a few seconds of static, Wave frowned, trying again, "Ocean Man to the Dragon, respond, over."

Silver stopped, looking back at him, quirking an eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

Wave held up a hand, his other hand on the button, letting the static fill the air, before saying, "You hear that?"

They waited a moment, before Steel walked up, shifting uncomfortably, fiddling with his mask a bit, his beard a little itchy under it. "Dude, I hear jack fucking squat."

"Exactly." Wave said, before looking around. "I run the radios in the Caverns, and we had no issues with the equipment. Now? We're getting static, when we should be hearing the settlements just fine. Why is that?"

Silvers eyes narrowed as he realized what Wave was getting at, though Meteor was the one who voiced it out, "So, if we aren't hearing anyone, even up here...then that means something is messing with the equipment we set up."

"And seeing as none of the animals touched the stuff, even after we set it up..." Bright Flare spoke, speak spilling from her gas mask.

"That means that survivors are intentionally messing with the equipment." Silver finished, adjusting his sweeper against his shoulder. He looked at the watch on the bottom of his wrist, inspecting it. Ten minutes. They had time. "Okay, everyone, we're going to make a detour to the radio equipment. Keep an eye on your surroundings, I don't want the Bat to get a meal."

Meteor blinked as she walked up to Silver, he voice muffled and low, ensuring only Silver could hear, "Are you sure, sir? You know we still have yet to meet that violent faction, and Spike is by himself. If he -"

"Spike will be fine." Silver interrupted, making Meteor quirk an eyebrow at him. "Our people are important too. We need to get those communications back up and running, or we're blind and deaf out here." Silver started walking out into the snow, the squad following behind, aiming around, careful not to catch attention.

It seems they needed to fix the radio station.

The door clunked loudly, before creaking inwards into the room. A woman enters, grumbling loudly, holding a tray of some sort of slop (though as to what it was she had no clue, as long as it was edible and a bowl of water. It seemed her leader took the dog thing a bit to literal in their prisoners case. She sighed loudly, wondering how she got roped into feeding time for the prisoner. After all, she was the one who took him down in the first place!

Well...not really, but she was the leader of the group that was out there! And she helped!

"Alright, wake up dog, it's time for lunch." In reality, it was still too early for lunch, but one wouldn't complain about food in this harsh new world. "I'm not gonna hand feed you, so you better fucking enjoy the little free will you have."

Silence.

She quirked an eyebrow, setting the tray down, before looking over at the cage, seeing the form of their prisoner.

"Hey, dumbass, food time. You like food, right?"

Silence.

Not even a rattling of a chain. No begging to be set free. No deals. No crying or sobbing or even angry roaring.

Silence.

She pulled the cattle prod off of her thigh and walked over, kneeling down a bit and inspecting him. Sure, he looked a little roughed up, bruised, bandages on his shoulder and claw marks on his side that were a bit faded. She inspected his face, or what little she saw at the angle, and thought he looked rather handsome. Green air, smooth face, eyes were closed but she knew they were green, and his lips looked soft. She felt a soft urge to kiss them...if she knew he wasn't about to be claimed by that psycho bitch of a leader first. A shame, she would have loved to have been the boys first. Guess she'll just have to settle for second.

Spike. The word rolled through her brain. A name. His name. And such a cute name it was. A cute name for a cute boy. Though, something seemed wrong. Her eyes narrowed as she realized what it was.

He wasn't breathing.

"Playing possum?! I'll fucking teach you!" She snarled out, before smacking her cattle prod onto the back of his neck, still kneeling down to watch him, before pressing the button. Spikes body jiggled and twitched, though no sounds came out. After a few seconds, and her worry increasing, the woman stopped and waited. And waited. And waited. "Oh fuck...OH FUCK!"

She scrambled to unlocked the cage, pulling her keys out and jamming one in, realizing it didn't fit, and trying again with a different key, which also didn't fit. "OH FUCK! MAMA'S GONNA KILL ME! SHE'S GONNA KILL ME IF I LET YOU DIE!" She screamed to the body, panicking, her brain running through everything that happened. Were they too rough? Did the electricity have a delayed reaction and his heart gave out? Was there something in the sedative that was lethal to dragons? Was Mama too much and he died of fright?! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DO CPR?! The whole thing looked almost comical if viewed by an outsider.

She reached the final key and unlocked the cage. Her first mistake.

Spikes foot struck, fast as lightning, smashing the now unlocked cage door into her face. Dazed and sent flying back, she saw stars when she landed and rested for a minute, her brain trying to catch up. Spike gave a grunt as his other hand turned into claws, ripping open the metal with ease and freeing himself, though he grasped with both hands, giving a draconic growl as he ripped the chain from the wall. He wrapped the chain around his right arm a bit, then stood up to his full height.

He walked over to the downed woman, blood spilling from her nose a bit from the hit, before he grasped her throat with his clawed hand, easily lifting her up and making her dangle. A wave of nausea flew threw her system as her world went topsy turvy, though she quickly adjusted and stared in fear at the dragonblood.

You see, this had been Spikes plan. Not many people knew this, but having Archosaurian blood had its perks, and dragons were archosaurs. That meant his heart and lungs were powerful, as they had to be, meaning Spike could hold his breath for a long time, and that meant he could play possum, and pretty efficiently at that. Playing possum was the easy part, the hard part was the electricity. So, Spike waited until she picked a spot, then used all of his concentration to turn said spot she shocked into scales, making sure it couldn't actually affect Spike.

So, Spike had the protection and the plan, all he had to do wias act like he was being electrocuted. In his humble opinion, Spike did maybe a b plus. Definitely not middle school play, though not enough to play with the big leagues. It bought him his freedom though.

He squeezed the womans throat, making her gasp a bit, before stopping his pressure, taking a good look at her. He recognized her voice, the leader of the little ambush in him.

She was a bit on the skinny side, had green hair running down to her shoulders, wearing a sown together shirt, patched together pants, and the cutie mark of a bush with flowers on it on her shoulder. Her skin was paler than the one woman they called "Mama", but she definitely seemed beautiful in her own right.

"Answer me truthfully and I'll let you breathe." Spike growled out, his mouth glowing a bit to add to the intimidation. "Understand."

"C-crystal clear." She croaked out, grasping onto Spikes arms a bit, her green eyes staring into his emerald ones.

"Name?"

"Shrub Planter."

"Good. Now. How many of you are out there?"

"A-about thirty? Maybe forty." Spike squeezed, making her give out a sickening sound, before he stopped, letting her cough, shivering a bit in his grip. "F-FUCK! FIFTY! THERE'S FIFTY! PLUS NOVA AND MAMA, SO FIFTY THREE ALTOGETHER! A GROUP IS ON PATROL THOUGH, SO MAYBE ONLY LIKE THIRTY OF US IN THE STATION RIGHT NOW!"

"Good. Now, how well armed are you?"

"W-we got swords, cattle prods, a few magicbloods, and some crossbows!" Another squeeze, making her eyes tear up and her lungs burn. "FUCK! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, JUST THAT WE GOT A LOT!" The pressure lessened.

"Who the fuck is that woman?"

"Mama!" Shrub saw the confused look in Spikes eyes, making her smile. "Y-yeah, no clue who she was before the bombs, but her and that little girl of hers run this shit shack."

"What does she want me for? And why is she hunting me?"

Shrub adjusted a bit, "Well, she originally wanted you for a payday." Spike quirked an eyebrow at this, but she continued, "Those dumb Dogs wanted you for their Queen. Fuck if I know. Mama was on board for capturing you for them. Then, she saw you in person." Shrub spat out some blood, careful not to hit him with her blood, before gripping his arm a bit more, grinning at him, "You got yourself one cock hungry bitch now, Spike!"

"We both know she isn't exactly my type."

"Do you think she gives a shit?!" Shrub grinned wickedly, before saying, "It's the end of the fucking world! She'll put you on a leash and collar and make you her new boy toy, consent be damned! And us ladies are waiting for our turn with the new puppy, too!"

Spike gave a disgusted grunt, before looking at the opened door, hearing some voices down the hall. He had to speed this up. He turned to her, showing off his fangs, which made her drop that smug grin rather quickly, his throat glowing a bit, before speaking, half of his voice a draconic growl, "Where is my gear?"

She gulped (or rather, tried to), then glanced at the doorway. "Three doors down. I-it's guarded, you won't make it far without those weird things you carry."

Spikes eyes narrowed, before he brought her close, whispering in her ear, "Watch me."

He dropped her back onto the floor, before adjusting the chain on his arm, twirling it around, giving a stance. The voice of another guard filtered through, the second woman who had ambushed him - perfect. "Hey, Shrub, Cave Diver and I were gonna - FUCK!"

The chain struck her leg, bringing her down to one knee, tears streamed from her eyes in pain, though she was still reaching for her cattle prod, Spike striking as fast as lightning, wrapping the chain around her neck and dragging her inside. Her wings (Spike just now realizing the woman was a skyblood) flapped uselessly, striking against him as he tightened his grip around her throat. After a moment, she finally fell limp, Spike letting go of the chain and checking her pulse, giving a near silent relieved noise when he realized she was still alive. He gently lowered her down, then stood up and peered outside, looking down each hallway, before slipping outside and closing the door with a loud chunk, locking it in place.

Shrub, now alone with the skyblood, who was named Wind Breaker, was left to her thoughts, and the forgotten plate of food. Of course, her mind ran through a million different things, before her hand brushed against the red marks around her neck, shivering in delight, one thought loudly barging through the others.

"Fuck, that was hot."

Spike stood there for a moment, only to kneel over, feeling sick. Mostly at himself, though some of that sick feeling was directed at the leader, the so called "Mama". He hated getting violent with any sapient race, even if it was well deserved. He hated how he felt after, he hated that he had to get violent, he hated that other people wanted to fight. He hated fighting.

After a moment, Spike stood up, swallowing the acidic bile that threatened to spill from him. He rested his back against the door, before hearing another voice down the hall, loosening the chain a bit from his arm, then started walking the opposite direction.

Spike was walking down the hall, passing the first door, thankfully closed, then the second came up. He stopped when he saw the light turn on, a shadow appearing for a second before disappearing. He stopped himself and pressed up against the wall, silently grabbing the chain and tugging it a bit to make sure it was taut. He peered inside, only to see a man playing solitaire, his back to the door, grumbling to himself as he stared at the table.

Spike quirked an eyebrow at such a sight, thinking how odd it was for someone to basically be right next door to the prisoners and not be on alert at the time. Spike silently walked around him, his pupils turning into slits at the low light conditions, looking around, careful to not be spotted. He finally made it to the third door, his eyes narrowing a bit as he saw it was closed. The door itself had no window or way to peer in, meaning he was at the mercy at whoever was on the other side.

He turned the wheel, unlocking the door, before pushing it open with a creak, peering inside. He quirked an eyebrow as he saw a woman leaning in her chair. Napping.

This place was just...unbelievable.

Guards are slacking, napping or playing games, their patrols are awful, and it is clear they have no training regiment whatsoever! Silver would have a stroke if he came across this place.

He quietly walked into the room, the door shutting with a loud groan, making Spike pause. The guard snorted, smacked their lips, then said, "Fuckin stop starin at my ass...an kiss me..." Before falling back asleep, snoring even louder. Spike gave out a silent sigh, before walking over to the table. He looked around it, spotting several of his items, but gave a grumble.

Where was his journal? And where was his necklace?

The guard snorted awake, before yawning a bit, making Spike freeze, hearing her stretch out and grunt. He looked at her, seeing her stare at him, confused, her eyesight must have been blurry because she gave a groan as she stretched again.

"Shift change already?"

Spike was suddenly upon her, wrapping a chain around her neck, making her gasp in surprise, before choking a bit as Spike brought her down. The chair clattered to the ground as Spike pushed her against the wall. Another round of interrogation it would be.

"You scream and I burn you to ash, understand?" She gulped and nodded, eyes glued to Spike. He stood back up, letting go of her, before walking over to his gear, Had Spike kept his eyes on her, he would have noticed the woman licking her lips as she stared at Spike. "Where is my necklace, my journal, and my picture?"

"You're...journal?"

Spike ran a hand over his face and gave an irritated sigh, before looking at her, his pupils slits as he stared at her. "The book? It was my journal. Had a map on the first page?"

The woman struggled for a moment, before gasping, "Oh, Mama wanted it!"

Spike quirked an eyebrow upwards, finding it strange so many people called her "Mama". "Where is she?" He asked, sliding his armor on, clicking it into place and fastening it, giving a grunt at the bruises it pressed against. He unwrapped the chains and pull on his shirt, before he looked over, noticing her staring at him, making Spike roll his eyes. "Lazy ass guard, focus."

"Sorry, what'd you say?"

"Your leader, where is she?"

She watched as Spike pulled on his jacker, then clipped on his pouches, pulling his knife and sheath out, sliding the blade out and inspecting it. He twisted it around, the woman studying his face, her cheeks warming up at the sight. He looked at her again, making her clear her throat a bit, looking everywhere but him, letting him attach the blade to his gear, "She's in the station."

"Station?"

"Y-yeah, some sort of underground train shed thing, some rotating thing helps turn the engines and cars around. She lives in the only train actually in it, the rest are just cars." Spike pulled the slide back on his snapper, making sure a round was chambered, before he checked his sweeper and boomstick, nodding to himself as everything was in the correct shape. "The bitch is insane." This made Spike pause, though he continued looking through his gear, hearing the woman continue, "I swear I didn't want any part of this. I really hate violence."

"Quite the career path you chose."

"Not like I had a choice." The woman growled out, standing up, making Spike reflexively grasp the chains, but she didn't notice. "the nitch has me guarding! I can't even shoot! All I want to do is make art and hear customers complain, but nooooo, I have to do this or she shoots me - or worse!"

It was clear the woman needed to get this off of her chest for a while, so Spike just stood silently and let her talk.

"This psycho wants us to kill people and take their stuff! I don't want to do that! If I want food, I'll farm! If I want help, I don't threaten people! And when I find a guy I like, I will talk to him, I won't FORCE HIM INTO A CAGE AND TORTURE THE POOR KID!" She noticed Spike staring at her, making her blush and clear her throat. "I hate it here, but it's too dangerous to go alone...so I stay and guard."

"I'm sorry." Spike pulled his helmet on, the carving of the dragon on it making the woman shiver, watching him a hawk. He grabbed his mask, before giving it a confused look, inspecting it, "You fixed my mask?"

The woman gave a shy smile, then nodded, saying, "I'm Sand Shaper, I made glass art and helped fix glass around Ponyville. Well...before the Fall, that is." She lifted her sleeve to show off a gust of wind with sand.

Spike looked at her, surprised, before glancing at the cattle prod at her hip. She followed his eyes, before she grabbed the hilt, making Spike grasp onto the chains. Instead, she threw it over to the side, giving a tired sigh, though Spike gave a soft smile, then put his mask onto his chest, adjusting it so it would stay clipped on.

"You haven't harmed anyone, have you?"

Sand shook her head, giving a soft sigh, "Thank Celestia, no. All I do around here is guard and fix up the bosses train cars after she goes on a bender."

"You know..." Spike began, looking at the chain, before wrapping it around his arm again, then he adjusted his bracer, checking his counter, and finally the watch, nodding to himself. "I am heading to the next settlement, and my squad will be there soon. Since it's clear you don't want to be here...would you like to come with me?"

The door opened, the guard who was playing Solitaire opened the door, a pack of cards in his hands, saying, "Hey, Sand Shaper, you're supposed to go on break, I'll take -" His voice died mid sentence, his throat suddenly feeling dry, seeing an equipped and unamused Spike standing there. He made a grab for his crossbow, hanging on his back, Spike giving a growl as he grabbed the chain in his palm, turning it into a make shift knuckle duster.

"DUCK!" Spike had half a second to react and did just so, dropping down. Suddenly, a cattle prod, crackling with electricity, flew over Spikes head and smashed into the mans chest. He stumbled, though his muscles locked up from the electrical current, Spike reaching forward and grabbing the man, stopping him from falling, pulling him back into the room. Spike looked back as he gently let the man lie on the floor, unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, seeing the woman adjusting her pack.

"Thanks."

"You can save that until after I get you out of this shit hole." Sand said, before peering her head around the corner. "I know a good way to get out, the gate guard owes me a favor."

"Wait." Spike spoke, before giving a sigh, "I can't leave without that necklace and my journal." Sand quirked an eyebrow up, asking an unspoken question. "It...it has a picture of my family...before the Fall. I can't let it go."

Sand gave him a soft look, full of understanding, before peering outside, giving a soft sigh, "Alright, come on, we really don't have long until he wakes up."