This is the author's note for this. Because I don't like having to explain things that should be explained after you have read it. It's irritating. So, this is a Spike/Nightmare chapter. Who really wants to read about Crimson reading maps? Really?

Spike was leaning over a bucket, his face had a green tint to it. He coughed slightly, letting a strand of drool fall he didn't bother with it. He didn't care about it, all he cared about was getting the vomit in the bucket and not on himself

"Thou must keep yourself clean." Nightmare said. "Ti's not healthy."

"I don't feel healthy." He said. "Inca-Incase you haven't noticed..."

Nightmare came out from him, sending shivers across him as her wisps slid over the underside of his skin. She looked down at him, a neutral frown displayed.

"C-Could you not stare?" He asked looking up.

She still looked down at him, shaking her head she went and laid down on the other side of the deck. Staring at him, she waved him over with a hoof.

"What?" He asked. "What do you want now?"

"We want to help thee. Now, do as instructed. Come to us." She said.

He merely glanced up at her, shaking his head he hacked some more partially digested gems up. When a thunder crack came out of nowhere, he jumped and looked around in shock.

"Come to us, we only wish to help thee." She said again.

"F-Fine..." He sniffed getting up with sore arms. "And what do I get in return?"

"Your legs." She said grinning. "Your sea legs."

He face-clawed before taking his first step.

Which ended up with him tripping on his bucket.

Getting up with a sour taste in his mouth, he glared at her as she snickered into a hoof. Wiping crystal's from his chest he took another step. He wobbled from the ship and his illness but held his ground. Smiling slightly, he then began taking more steps towards the misty mare of the moon.

He slowly made his way towards her, wobbling from time to time. As he was halfway across, another thunder-crack rang out startling him. He fell on his tail and just saw Nightmare's eyes become aqua again. She gave a wink as he snorted a small amount of smoke.

"Y-You were doing that before, weren't you?" He said. "To scare me?"

"Aye, I did." She grinned. "If you were to come over here, you could surely punish me for such a heinous act." She grinned.

He stood there, letting the words process in his mind. After a few seconds, he began to laugh much to her confusion and frustration.

"What? What?" She asked glaring at the laughing drake. "What hast made thou laugh?" She asked. "Did we miss the jest?"

"It's just what you said," he said getting up. "It's nothing. Just the tone you said it in."

She stared at him, mulling over her own words. Slowly her jaw opened and her ears splayed back.

And just as soon her lips peeled back as best as a mist-made, carnivore-like goddess could do and shot herself at him. Hitting him, she quickly went into his lungs and into his bloodstream again before entering his brain.

He stared down at his chest in surprise as it turned a menacing black, and his arm, including his claws, became a steel blue before he realized armor was forming. He looked at the morphed appendage in fear.

It lifted up and slapped him across the cheek before Nightmare spoke.

"Do not make a jest of our words; remember, we do not need thou, we only desire to kill Silver. And nothing shall stop us from doing so," she whispered almost as if she was by his ear spines. "Nothing will get in our way, lest they wish for an early death."

"I-I was only trying to lighten the mood." He sputtered rubbing his cheek with his other claw. "Your the one who agreed to using me; you do know I'm still technically a hatchling? Yet you chose me, why?"

"There is a hidden strength withing thee, we respect such a thing." Nightmare said. "Especially from a young drake, daring enough to stand against a goddess. We respect thee even more for that."

"But respect will only take me so far?" He said bluntly.

"Thou truly is intelligent." She laughed. "Ti's good to have found a worthy host of spirit and mind. Crimson is worthy to have thee by her side."

"I guess..." He shrugged. "But I'm still just a dragon," he muttered. "One who doesn't even have wings."

"Dost thou wish to experience flight?" Nightmare asked.

"You know I do. But, I was hatched as a fire-breathing lizard. Some life I got, huh?" He said going back to his spot under the railing.

"We... We may know of a spell to grant thee flight." Nightmare said.

"Nightmare, that's not funny." He said hotly. "I'm depressed enough thinking about it, and now your offering something that cannot be given. And you told me my trust was worth something."

"We know of a spell to give thee wings, and thou refuses it?" She inquired.

He stopped, listening to her words he felt uncertainty begin to form alongside hope.

"Your serious?" He asked. "You really know how to get me wings? Actual wings that can lift me off the ground and let me fly? Wings attached to me?"

"Aye. But it will be at-"

"Will it kill me?" He asked interrupting her. "Turn me into something else other than a dragon?"

"No," she said sighing. "There will be pain. Much pain, but thou shall get your wings. And your dreams of flight."

"I... I might need to ask Crimson about this. Just to see if she's alright with it, you know? She is like a sister to me, and I'd be a bad little brother if I didn't ask for permission."

"Siblings..." She said. "There is no true point to them. What does it matter if they art brother or sister? Thou is your own, and thou alone. Thou is intelligent enough to make your own choices." She said with a huff.

"Um... But she is the one who gave me life." He said taping his caws together. "And she is the one I trust the most. I don't want her not to trust me."

"Trust." Nightmare spat. "That is what the ponies of mine era gave us not. That is why we wanted to bring eternal night."

"But, wouldn't that have killed everything off? Things like plants need sunlight to grow, and-"

"We did not say what form of eternal night." Nightmare sighed. "We would have a blood moon shown, to honor our faithful guards, the night's strength, the night's care. It would have symbolized the shield that the night is for the innocents of Equestria. Not the sword to slay them all... Our blood moon would have spread it's magnificent light all across the land, daring our enemies to enter our domain. We would have ruled just as Celestia had; without greed, anger, benevolence. The land would be no different to what it was."

Spike was stunned. He looked down at the wooden planks and then back at the wheel where Crimson was staring out to the sea. With a sigh, he spoke.

"I... Fine. I'll take it. But, could I get something to bite down on atleast?" He asked impishly.

"Aye. Thou may. It will be needed."

Looking back up at Crimson, he thought he saw her glancing down from the side as she inspected a map. Shaking his head he went down below deck and started to rummage around.

He quickly pinched his nose when the smell hit him. It had the heavy odor of salted fish, mildew, gun powder, and vegetables that were originally left from the ships last voyage. When he stepped on the first plank, he made a face feeling the wet wood under his foot.

There were multiple crates and barrels, some leaking foul smelling substances from the bottom of them. He looked around, his eyes glowing a slight green as he let his vision wander around the darkened cargo room.

"Do you have any idea what I could use, Nightmare?" He asked. "Maybe a rag?" He suggested.

"A piece of iron would do better, your teeth would tear through cloth easily and thou would only injure yourself." She said. "There, by the... Pray tell, what is that contraption? The one of metal guarding the wall."

Spike looked over and his eyes widened. Running, he almost tripped over another bucket before reaching the wooden wheel of the canon.

It was crafted, as far as he could tell, in a bright silver metal. The mouth was in the form of a dragon's while the rest of the body was crafted further down its length. The wheels were larger than him, the rungs, six on each side, were thickly made from a dense stock and painted a dark red. After peering at it, Nightmare spoke again.

"Spike, what is this thing of metal and wood? Dost thou know?"

"Yeah I do!" He said grinning. "This is a three hundred year old canon from the griffon changeling war! I think it's an authentic, it's said you can tell by the way the dragon's teeth were made. If there bent back, then it's not real. But if their bent forward, then it could have been used in the war or made for it during the time."

As he pulled over a crate, she studied it from his eyes. Going through his memories, finding the canon it opened a new flood of memories.

Spike was trilled beyond belief, as he got up he immediately noticed how the teeth of the dragon were bent outward. Not from force, but by craft. Biting his hand slightly he got off and noticed the fuse on the end.

As he stared at it, something else caught his eye. A rag laying on the fuse itself. He hopped slightly and pulled it from its perch.

"Wait, no. I couldn't." He reminded himself throwing it behind him.

A crash quickly echoed around the room, followed by a series of what he could assume were fragile objects. Finally, a crate, stacked on two others shifted and fell spilling it's contents.

He cocked his head, picking the iron ingot up he flipped it around in his hands before shrugging.

"Nightmare, I've got some metal. And look, it's iron."

"Aye. Tell me," she said mischief lining her voice. "We did not know thou were interested in so many fine weapons."

"What? Hey, were you looking in my memories?" He asked angrily. "Now see, you talk about trusting me, but how can I trust you? That's my personal space, my private area. Being intrusive isn't helping you at all you know."

"We... Apologize. We only meant to search for the memory of the weapon. When we had found it, we saw many more. There were weapons that had not existed in our era. it excites us to know of such inventions."

"You know, I could tell you about them some time. All you need to do is ask." He said. "So, where should we do it?"

"Pardon us?" She asked.

"I-I meant the spell!" He sputtered glancing down at his arm again. Seeing nothing he sighed in relief.

"Good, now, go to the back. There should be cots there. Make haste!" She yelled the last.

"Alright! Alright! Just don't yell!" He whined rubbing his head. "It's a lot louder considering your actually in my head."

He wandered quickly through the crates and barrels, looking forward he saw a row of cots. Slowing down slightly he quickly felt his legs and arms go numb. Looking down in surprise he saw them become covered in blue steel. Groaning as he ran on all fours, he looked down and saw the ingot still clenched in his claw, a few dents were made though.

'She must be stronger than she looks. She's bending solid iron! And in my claw!' He thought. 'I hope it doesn't hurt me.'

"Do not worry yourself, ti's only us who holds the metal." Nightmare said. "Pardon us for reading your thoughts. We cannot help but hear them."

"It's... Alright. Just don't answer my thought's please." He said arriving at the cots. "So, now what?"

"Grab a blanket, a bucket, and place the ingot in your mouth." She said.

He looked around and saw a bucket, placing it in front of him he reached for a blanket. He stopped, staring at it, he saw it was the only unmade one. Curious, he leaned forward and sniffed the edge of it.

He jumped back with a gasp, swallowing heavily he merely stared at it before running a claw over it.

"This was Crimson's cot... Wow." He said in wonder. "She actually slept on a ship. I wonder what that was like."

"Spike! Get a blanket and step into the bucket!"

With a start, he grabbed a different blanket and immediately stepped into the bucket, ingot in mouth.

"Now, wrap the blanket around yourself. After that is done, we will begin."

He spit the ingot out, speaking again.

"Is that the royal we or the me and you we?" He asked.

"What?" She asked.

"Were you referring to me and you, or yourself?"

"Us."

"Was that the, you and me, or just yourself us?"

"Ourself." She said. "Know, place the ingot back in your mouth."

He nodded, putting the metal back in his mouth he wrapped the blanket firmly around himself. Closing his eyes, he felt sweat begin to form on his brow and sending cold streaks down his back. He froze momentarily when he felt her magic begin to spread over him.

It began as a small tickle on his back, right below his shoulder blades. It soon increased into a feverish itch, and soon it was biting into the ingot from the pain as he felt his muscles tear and finally his scales part allowing the flesh to split and stream blood. As the blanket was soaked in blood, it flowed down into the bucket where it began to puddle at his feet.

In a moment, he felt his entire body freeze as if flash frozen. He couldn't breath, he couldn't see, he couldn't feel. He was nothing in his own thoughts. All he saw was black, all he knew was black, all he felt was nothing, all he thought was nothing.

As Nightmare worked diligently and quickly, she could sense he had passed out.

"Good, it shall be easier for him then." She said lightly. "I shall have Crimson prepare a cold bath for him."

Author's Note

Can I ask you all something?
Should I have them get to Londmane in the next chapter?
And would you look at this, Spike the weapon fanatic. Who would have thought? Well... I did since I wrote it.
The question was an opinion, but I think I can squeeze out a chapter where Spike's in bed rest and Nightmare, with Crimson, are all conversing.