Thread 20: Stories 1-15

Thread 20 archive: http://archive.heinessen.com/mlp/thread/17622856
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>Spike
“Blueblood”
________

“Help you… find a monster.”

>Yes.

Spike didn’t think it possible to store so much emotion within one eye but Blueblood pulled it off masterfully. There was condescension, an enormous amount of pity, the urge to laugh, and a few shades of loathing there.

With a snort, Blueblood returned to facing the wall, giving his limp tail an uninterested flick.

“I’ll pass. The last ‘monster’ that came knocking was the size of a skyscraper. Better here until I’m a ripe old age than prematurely dead.”

The first rejection was utterly expected, which was why Spike had come prepared with a back-up plan. He edged himself closer to the bars, the urge to grin nearly overwhelming but he fought it, keeping his face neutral.

>The monster I’m talking about… is this weird breed of Changeling. Not a thing is known about it, except that it looks kind of like a spider.

Another grunt, another lazy tail swish.

“Then you can doubly count me out. I was never one to openly seek out those of arachnid background.”

Whoa, wait… was the high and mighty Blueblood afraid of spiders...? Oh Celestia above how Spike wanted to poke and prod at that but other things took precedence.

>This thing is a threat, Blueblood.

Okay, maybe not exactly a threat but there was still some concern for possible hive numbers and their overall viewpoint, whether they came in peace or not.

>And threats need to be taken care of.

“Then I suggest you gather your little troupe of Canterlot’s finest warriors and go snooping around by yourselves. You don’t need my assistance for that.”

>That’s true enough, I don’t. But I’ve come to realize that you’re an idiot, Blue.

A very noticeable twitch shook the stallions form and it was then that Spike noticed Blueblood looked shades thinner as well.

>You’re a special kind of dunce, the kind that needs looking after and for someone to give them a good, hard kick in the ass when they get too stupid. I’m going to look after you on this, Blueblood. I just… I only ask that you do the same for me.

It was that one completely on-the-spot remark that caused Blueblood to slowly flip onto his other side to face Spike. Yeah, he’d definitely lost weight and that same woefully tired expression was heavily reflected in both pupils, now fixed unwaveringly on the purple dragon.

When he didn’t speak, Spike took that as a sign to continue.

>I can’t risk taking even one of the Gun Club members where I’m planning to go- hell, none of Canterlot can. Too big of a gamble, we might get struck again while gone and bam, we’ve lost everything we’ve struggled so hard to fix and rebuild. Cards on the table, I need your help, Blueblood. You’ve got skill with a rifle obviously, that’s rare. There’s a place for you behind these bars, man. You don’t want to become nothing but a faded star whose memory is only brought up by bored house ponies. Think about it.

“There’s nothing to think about because I already gave you my answer five minutes prior. Or are you just daft of hearing?”

Spike nodded, not at Blueblood, but at the ground. He had really hoped that this part could’ve been skipped but no, Blueblood wanted to play hardball.

Fine.

>Well, alright then. Guess that’s that. I don’t really care if I fail and that creature gets loose, I just worry about Glimmer and the baby….

A sudden rigidity came over Blueblood that was so pronounced he sat up in a blur and climbed to the ground on trembling legs, legs that obviously were not yet used to moving again.

“What… what do you mean by that…?”

>Hm? Oh, just that, well… think about it. Most Changeling hives detest one another and what we’re dealing with here is a possible Spider-Changeling hybrid- I think Chrysalis mentioned them one time and even she was scared. So you can imagine what this creature will do if it ever fully escapes: it’ll start picking off rival Changelings one by one. But it’ll go after Glimmer first. Know why?

Blueblood was at the bars by the time Spike asked the question, eyes strained and his face a tight mask of desperation.

“Why? What ill-minded reason could there be to attack a defenseless soon-to-be mother?”

He’d nearly yelled it out, his voice gruff and dry, and again, Spike had to fight to keep his composure in check.

>Possibly because it’s a pony holding a Changeling, mixing genes, all that sort-

“THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT!”

Huh. So Blueblood wasn’t one of those hardcore ‘only mix with the same type’ supporters. Well, Spike knew a certain fanfic writing Changeling who’d be upset about that particular piece of destroyed headcannon.

Truth be told, Spike knew full well the particular creature they were after was in no way a threat to Glimmer or her baby, but he didn’t exactly know how many of them there were or, again, if they were friendly. For all he knew, there could very well exist some with those dark ambitions.

>All the more reason to go down there and do something about it before things escalate. We’ve already got one wandering the castle. We don’t want an army.

The many months in prison had knocked some of the gleam from Blueblood’s eyes but Spike could still make out trace amounts of a non-assholish stallion, of a friend in the making….

“Somewhere in your spiel… I can tell that you’re blowing smoke in my face, dragon.”

Spike blinked but otherwise said nothing.

“But the bulk of what you say is true, and that’s that there is some prospect of danger there, a danger to Glimmer’s child. And that does not sit right with me.”

He gently nudged the steel bars keeping him prison with the tip of his horn, which, Spike was able to see, had grown back nearly to its full glory.

“Fine.”

>Fine?

“Yes.”

Spike reached a hand through the bars.

>Then shake on it.

“…”

>What, too weak to lift a hoof?

“What am I shaking to? Besides my freedom.”

>Tch, you’d think the freedom part would be enough. You’re shaking to keep me in check and I’m shaking to keep you in check. We watch each others backs down there.

“And where is ‘down there’ exactly? You’re telling me what we’re doing while oddly withholding some very important snippets so pardon me if your arm gets tired during the wait.”

>Look, we don’t have a lot of time here, Blueblood. Applejack might change her mind any second and then you’d be stuck here until another catastrophe decides to tear down the stockades. Do you trust me or not?”

“…so it’s essentially put my life in your hands, or wait until something else breaks me out. Considering Equestria’s affinity towards certain doom, the second option seems not only more tantalizing but sensible.”

>Welp. That’s a damn shame, then.

And Spike left it at that. He wanted to make amends with Blueblood on the grounds of upholding the valor of ‘redemption’ Applejack brought forth, but he was not about to beg. Not for that.

His arm had only begun to slink back through the bars when something grasped it, and quite firmly.

>…

“This isn’t for you, dragon. This is for Glimmer’s protection, and the protection of my Auntie. I…”

Curiously, the hoof clutching Spike’s claw began trembling.

“I heard she... that she protected everyone, teleported them out of the danger zone. I-is that true…?”

>It is. Very much so. Celestia did a damn fine job saving her people.

“And she cracked her arm…?”

>It’s getting better. It’s actually already healed, just sore.

Saying that might have saved Spike from seeing Blueblood shed some tears, which would have shocked him to no end. He knew Blueblood respected his aunt but had never really seen him show any familial care for her. This, though….

>She’s fine, Blueblood.

“…”

With a deafening clank, the cell door swung open and Blueblood just stood there, looking quite unsure of what to do, almost like he was expecting this to be some sort of joke.

>C’mon, man, really, we got shit to do.

That first step was always the hardest, proven as such when Blueblood set a hoof out his cell and started to fall. Spike caught him mid-drop, throwing a hoof around his neck while Blueblood stabilized his trembling legs, beads of sweat peppering his forehead.

“This… might be a little rough….”

>Nonsense. We get some food in you real quick, be right as rain. You’re body’s basically coming out of stasis, you’ll be fine in a few hours.

“…why?”

>That’s just how nature works.

“No… why help me? Free me?”

A grunt passed Spike’s lips as he made down the long corridor, very much dragging Blueblood along.

>Mostly because of the princess you tried to assassinate.

“…”

>Yeah. Bad Blueblood.

“Silence…”

>Maybe I should just drop your ass then.

“Maybe I should jam my horn in your side when I fall.”

>Go ahead, I could use a break.

“…where are you lugging me again?”

>We’re going to meet the other members of the Gun Club. They need to know what’s going to happen.

“Great.”

>Don’t sound so happy. And, fair warning? Watch yourself when we get there.

“Why?”

Spike glanced over at Blueblood with unnaturally wide eyes, his mouth a thin line.

>Because they know what you’ve done, and they’re not as accepting as I am. I may have gotten you your freedom but that doesn’t mean there aren’t quite a few others who still want to see you six feet under, Blue.

“…”

>So, best behavior, yeah? There’s a good colt.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Spike
"77"
'Blueblood'
~~~~~

"PUT THAT DOWN! Who gave you bleach!? Who would POSSIBLY give one of YOU bleach!? That's just stupid on all fronts!"

A nervous tapping on his shoulder broke his focus away from the Changeling currently attempting to 'whitewash' himself, and the other changeling that strangely kept saying 'RACIST' with no provocation.

>Hey, 77.

"Hm? Oh, sorry Spike. I did not hear you come up... well, that is an unfortunate look. And who is your friend?"

>Yeah... that's kind of what-

"Blueblood!? Great Wallbreaker, stallion! You look terrible!"

'Glad to see you're so concerned-'

"Good. You deserve worse."

'...I do not like you.'

"If I had a single care, that would mean something I'm sure. Spike, I trust you have a reason to drag him out from the dank hole he was supposed to be rotting in?"

'Thought you would have a softer opinion on traitors.'

"...Spike, please start talking before I stab him."

>Look, this is not going to be easy to say, which is kind of why I wanted to talk to you first, and everyone else separate. You're going to be the one this effects the most.

"Spike... you're worrying me."

>It's... it's not going to get any better."

He took a deep, deep breath to calm himself.

>Okay, here goes... something has been crawling up out of the caverns and returning. Something possibly bad, possibly nothing to be worried about. Regardless... regardless, I'm going down there to check it out, and I am taking Blueblood with me. If you want, I'll be happy to take you along too. Maybe get some revenge? You know... because... a-are you okay?

His eyes had gone as wide as they could possibly go. His pupils, dilated to near pinpricks. His breath, short and heavy.

"W-why... why would you ever go back there? That place... Spike, that place is..."

>I know.

"NO!"

Quick as a flash of black lightning, he had snapped forward and shoved Spike into the ground.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA! You don't fucking KNOW! YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW!"

>77, you're hurting me-

"GOOD! MAYBE YOU NEED TO GET HURT! MAYBE YOU NEED A PEAK INTO WHAT'S DOWN THERE!"

His breath grew ragged, slow.

"Monsters that... that eat your insides out while you can do nothing about it. Things down there that will eat you alive and make you SUFFER all the while. And you want to go down there for a possibility!?"

>It's bigger than-

"SEAL IT OFF! Burn that entire godforsaken bathroom to the ground! DON'T FUCKING GO IN IT!"

>77...

"WHAT!?"

A claw gripped the shaking hoof, pulling it back just a bit.

>I have to know. This is bigger than just something skittering up here on occasion. If this thing is what I think it is...

"What could it possibly be to be worth it!?"

>It looked like a Changeling.

"...WHAT!?"

>A changeling... with spider legs.

Impossibly, his eyes grew wider, and the color began to drain from his face.

"Sciderella..."

>I don't know much about her, but I gathered that-

"Sciderella is... was a monster. She was a creature of pure, poisonous death... but she is dead."

>Do you know how they make new Queens?

"...No. Her highness has not given me the secret to that. All we know is that it requires the previous one's death."

>So... what if she's not down there... but something worse is? And that's a scout...

"That found a way into Canterlot..."

>She won't stop just because we sealed off one entrance.

"...I-I have to go."

>77, I don't want you to come if you're not-

"NO! Not... not go down there. Go... I need to talk to someone. Now. Spike, I need you to send a guard to go get 42, she should be in Canterlot still. Wait here with my hive until she arrives."

>Are you sure?

"...Yes."

>...Alright.

He pushed off the dragon, tearing down the hallway, and towards the center of the castle.

Where he was going, Spike didn't know.

But he wished him luck anyway.
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Canon-debateable(aren't they all?)
>Chrysalis
"77"
~~~~

It is very likely Shining Armor would yell at her later for tossing things around in his kitchen.

Just as likely she would not give a damn.

>HAH! Oh holy shit, that was great. Ahhh... where's my fucking popcorn? If 18 ate it again, I am going to so tear her ass a...

Normally, she wouldn't care when someone slammed the door like it was an errant stepchild and them the abusive foster parent, but this seemed like a particularly important sounding slam.

>Oh! Hey Slasherjack! Hey, want to come watch Maney beat the crap out of some soldiers? It's a riot!... uh, you okay?

His face was hard as stone, and every bit as blank.

"Majesty, I have received news that Spike the Dragon is... is attempting to return to the catacombs from which I escaped not so long ago.

Flippantly, she tossed the popcorn onto the stove, only partially paying attention.

>I don't care what the lizard gets up to, thank you very much. If he wants to go get eaten down there, it's his business.

"Highness... I am considering going as well."

Something shattered.

That something was a cast iron skillet.

It was only after an elongated silence that he dared try to speak again.

"T-though it was... traumatic for me, I feel that my expertise may prove invaluable for them, along with my-"

>No.

There was more power in that one word than when she had shot Celestia out of the air.

"...M-my Queen, I know I-"

>No.

Very, very slowly, she turned to fave him.

>We are not having this discussion, is that clear?

"M-majesty-"

>DO NOT 'MAJESTY' ME!

He would have sworn he felt a power surge through the room, but he saw no such flame upon her horn to call it forth.

>You are NOT going back down there, and that is the END OF IT.

He had faced demons, monsters that towered above the buildings themselves, all manner of dangerous and mighty foe.

And yet, he had never felt so small.

"...I..."

>You WHAT!?

"...I.. I do not wish to let him go alone."

>TOO BAD!

At last, her horn flared, and surprisingly gentle fingers of magic plucked him from the ground, and held him aloft into the air.

>You will NEVER go down there.

"...Majesty..."

>Am I not getting though to you? Fine. I'll do this the way everyone wants.

She stamped her hoof, shattering the tile directly beneath her, and revealing a hidden compartment.

He had never seen Coffee brewed so fast, or slugged down so quickly with no care for how hot it was boiling. Inversely, her rage began to cool before his eyes. Yet... it was no less terrifying.

>I am going to put this to you in simple, easy to understand terms, and we are going to go from there. There are catacombs beneath that castle. You are not going to go into them. If Spike wishes to enter them that is his decision. But not you. Not 42. Not any single one with chitin upon their skin. Every Changeling shall stay above ground, and that is my final word on the matter. Are we clearer?

The magical grip was so tender. So gentle... and yet so oppressive all the same.

"My Queen... the reason he is going is that a Changeling may be the creature coming up from the depths."

>...Oh?

"A Changeling... with spider legs. Y-you know who is the only one who could have done something like that."

She was thoughtful, but ultimately unmoved.

"I-it's not just about that. I... I wish to hurt them for what they did, how they hurt me. What happened down there... needs to be reconciled."

She bore into his soul with ever second that past.

Deeper.

And deeper.

>...No.

"M-"

>Shut up. I am telling you again, no. I am going to be blunt with you now. I listened to what you went through down there. I made sure they gave me every single detail. Every death. Every horrifying moment. Do you know what I found, 77?

"...W-what?"

>You fought ANIMALS! You fought mindless, stupid, ANIMALS. There is no closure to be had down there, because you have no foe to punish. You have mindless, non sentient creatures who's territory YOU wandered into. They did not seek you out, they did not break you down, because they are nothing but ANIMALS. You will find no justice, no solace in their death anymore than you would from killing the flowers in a field. They will feel no regret. No... if your friends really cry out for such things to be done, they do not do so for the beasts who's home you stumbled into.

Her expression cracked, just for a brief moment.

>But the one who sent you into that home in the first place.

"...M-my Queen, I-"

>If it will make you feel better...

Her horn flared again, and his bone knife was held aloft before him.

>...Go ahead.

There was no containing his horror.

"M-majesty! I do not want you dead!"

>You won't kill me, 77. I will easily defeat you and survive anything you could throw at me. I am offering this so you may feel better, nothing else.

"B-but... but that's... that's treason..."

She brought her face close to his, the knife now under her neck.

>I'll look the other way just once. Just. Once. Only for you, and ONLY for this. You have no hope to kill me or even seriously wound me, go ahead.

He just hung there, limp.

>No? Fine.

He was set on the ground as gently as a child.

>In case some part of this conversation slipped by you, I will say it again in less questionable terms. 77, I order you to never again attempt to enter into cave system beneath Canterlot without my express permission. This order is final, and without reproach. If you should disobey this order, after I have finished uprooting the entire castle and dragging you back to the surface, I will lock you in a dungeon until the end of your days for treason, and you will be excommunicated from the hive. This is my word, and it is law. Is this understood?

"...Y-yes... yes My Queen..."

>Go back to Canterlot. Go have dinner with that schoolteacher you are seeing. Here-

A bag of bits clinked as they landed against his chest.

>On me, take her somewhere nice.

The bag in his hooves felt far too heavy.

"Why..."

>I do not pretend to know your mind, 77. I do not pretend to know how you will feel in the time that goes by beyond today. All I know is that tomorrow, I will wake up, and I will be able to say "this time, I made the right call. It will never fix what I have done, but I will never forget the lesson that it taught me." Never again. I do not know if you will ever agree with me, but this is my decision, and that is the end of it.

His chest hurt, and he had no idea what exactly it meant.

"If 42 say she wishes to go..."

>I will be sure to inform her that it is not an option, thank you. Perhaps not as harshly, but perhaps more so if she persists. If you see her first, please do not hesitate to pass that on.

"Of course... but Majesty, if it is Sciderella's hive..."

In the blink of an eye, she was before him.

In the next blink, his world became fire.

>Then you are going to protect the brothers and sisters that still live, and not chase the ghosts of those that fell.

Power surged through every inch of him. More than ever before. More than enough...

"Thank you, your majesty."

>Do not thank me, just protect them. I trust you.

With one final nod, he left the kitchen at last. Strangely, he felt lighter than when he had entered it.

Alone, Chrysalis finally let out the shaking, unsteady breath she had been holding in, and slumped against the counter.

>...My throat hurts.

It was almost subconsciously that she tossed away the empty coffee packs. She didn't particularly care if someone found them.

What, were they going to start telling her not to drink non-caffeinated stuff too?

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>Chrysalis
"Applejack"
~~~
>Hey, Applebutt, I need got a bone to pick real fast!

"This ain' 'bout Shiny's fetish, is it? 'cause ya know Ah hardly know the guy, right?"

>Pfft, figured that out back during the wedding when I asked.

"Righ'... That was you. Welp, that's one more memory tarnished."

>Hey, you want awkward, I had been planning to ask Sparklebutt-

"Startin' ta tune out here!"

>Okay, to the point, look, your boyfriend's planning something stupid-

"Know that."

>Problem is, mini-godzilla's apparently got his claws in some of my bravest and best. You know the horror stories about what's down there.

"Yeah..."

>Well one of my people experienced it. I don't want that to happen again. So you can interpret this as an ultimatum, or me asking for a favor, but do not let a single Changeling go down there. I don't know if you ponies plan to use it as a sick form of punishment or not, but do not let my people suffer.

Applejack looked up with curious smile and shook her head

"Never had planned to. Ah probably woulda told 77 an' 42 mahself. Actually Ah woulda asked 77 to try to talk Spike outta it."

Chrysalis blinks and sits down a bit, some of the broken faith from the Chitania incident restored before her usual grin was on her face

>Yeah, well fat chance. I'm pretty sure 77 brought it up to Spike given the guy was willing to face that hell again.

"Ah wish ah could jus' order Spike, but we don' practice absolute rule over subjects-"

>You should try it some time, you'd be amazed how smoothly things can work at times.

"Easy fer you ta say when yer numbers 're below one hundred."

>Ouch! Cheap shot.

"Jus' statin' the facts."

>Well, anyway though, you never heard this from me, but go fuck yourself.

Chrysalis leaves the room

"Ah ain' never gonna hear anythin' so close to 'thanks' from here again..."
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>SA
"Chrysalis"
~~~~

>Hey, Chrysalis? Where'd you go? Mane-iac says you just kind of vanished, are you in he-

His bones locked up when his hoof touched the shattered remains of what was once his iron skillet. In the blink of an eye, his face grew hard, but worried. Before he could even move another muscle, his horn had ignited.

>CHRYSALIS! Where-

"I'm right here, stop screaming."

He vaulted around the counter space, skidding to a halt on the other side, and finally allowing him to see her sitting down and leaned up against the crystal fixture. Wasting no time, he darted before her and started checking her for injuries.

>Are you alright!? What happened?

"I'm fine."

>You are clearly not fine, don't give me that.

"I said I'm fine, I just had a little accident."

>You exploded solid iron like glass, what, did you 'accidentally' summon a meteor?

"I'll buy you a new one."

>Chrysalis!

"...It's nothing personal. I just had a talk with 77, kind of snapped at him and I feel bad, alright?"

>Why?

"He wanted to go back down into those caverns. Spike's going and he felt like going with."

>Whoa, okay, we'll get back to that Spike thing in a second-

"I don't know why, I kind of laid into him before he could explain it all the way."

>-but right now I need to just follow you here. Explain.

"Nothing more to say... damn it, Shiny. Stop caring so much."

>I get your reasoning, and I don't disagree with it, I just want to hear it from you.

"...My call sent him down there in the first place, I guess I was just trying to make the right call this go round."

>Chrysalis...

"...Heh, remember when we hated each other?"

>Yes. Yes I do.

"Ahhh, seems so long ago now, doesn't it? When I would laugh at you while 42 kicked your ass, I tired to have 18 sap you dry, kept insulting you... hell, I even turned myself into Cadence again to seduce you, and when that didn't work I tried to mind control you again! HAH!"

>...

"...h-heh... I don't miss those days."

>Me either.

"No, really... I don't... I don't get you, not really. If someone tried the stuff I did to you, I'd be pissed. I'd kick their ass. I'd kill... but you, you're just..."

>Just... 'special'?

"Yeah..."

He sighed, plopping down hard next to her.

>Not going to lie, you can be a hassle sometimes.

"Yeah..."

>Didn't want you near me when this all started.

"Nope..."

>Lost it when Applejack tried to bring you near my kingdom.

"You did."

>Even tried to love-bomb you sky high when you first arrived to mess up my paperwork.

"Magic love bomb attack, right?"

>Something like that. But then you ended up at my table, then my bed, then my life... and somehow it all culminated with you saving my Empire, and you nearly dying.

"Till you..."

>Yeah... till I kissed you.

"...yeah. Unexpected."

>Really unexpected.

His horn glowed once again, allowing him to unlock his 'secret' stash, and bring down two shot glasses and a bottle of some kind of scotch.

"HAH! Knew you were hiding some!"

>Have to make sure Two doesn't get into it.

"Ah, right. The changeling you adopted."

>The one who tried to hit on me the second time we met.

"Pffft! AHAHAH! R-really!? Noooo."

>Really. She has no idea what she was asking for. Just wanted to prove I was good 'in bed', and you were the one who was bad 'in bed'.

"Holy shit, what?"

>Yep. Which is why we ended up playing candyland on the bed. She showed you.

"...Shit hit me in the head with a chunk of floor, once."

>She did that.

"....Hey, Shiny?"

>Yeah?

She held up a glass, full to the brim.

"I'll be frank, I have no idea where you and I are going to end up, and it would be crazy to even try to guess at this point."

>THAT'S the truth.

"So let's just toast... for getting this far at all."

>To many a happy day that has passed, and many a happy more to come. Cheers.

"Cheers."

Surprisingly, he could drink almost faster than she could.

"...Thanks for being Shiny, Shiny."

>...Thanks for being better than expected, Chrysalis.

"I try to exceed expectations... so you going to go try to stop Spike?"

>No... he knows what he's doing, I trust the little guy. And if he doesn't come back fast enough, I'll be down there in a flash.

"...Don't leave me behind, okay? Can't let you go fight some other monster"

>Wouldn't dream of it.

The silence resumed as they sat there. Once bitter foes, then merely antagonists, then acquaintances, then...

Well, who knows?

Not them.

And they wouldn't have it any other way.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Spike
"Blueblood"
~~~
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

"What are you doing here, aren't we supposed to be preparing for the expedition?"

>This is preparing for the expedition. I'm making gear for us.

"smithing?"

Blueblood looks at some of the half-finished crowns and hms with some impress

"A surprisingly noble and civilized art for such a savage as yourself to pick up."

>Yeah, well...

Spike quenches his current project then sets it to cool

>It has it's uses, and what weapons did you get to know while on the run?

"Well, honestly, only the rifle."

>I thought as much. The caves are going to be confined so you might not always have a chance to make full use of the rifles range. So I'm giving you the first thing I ever forged.

Spike hands Blueblood a rather large, crude, and heavy blade

"Did you make this out of an old rail spike?"

>Four actually. I call it The Union Equestrian. Here, test it out.

Spike set out some thick steel nails and with a heavy swing, Blueblood hacked through all of them with ease then pulled up the short sword to find the edge not even dulled

"Well, crude, savage, fitting for you. I would prefer something more elegant... But I don't think elegance is going to be on the minds of what we encounter down there."

>See? That's the spirit! The things made for heavy, hacking swings, should be able to split open the skull of an adult pony with that. Though I made sure the tip was sharp enough to be a functional business end.

"I already will accept the damn thing, stop trying to change my mind."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>AJ
"Rekulk"

Truly this was a tragedy. A pestilence. A complete and utter blight upon his people! Rekulk stood before the ruined bags of white powder, lip quivering, eyes watering, the moonlight shining down on his pale skin as he looked over the enormity of his loss.

He had failed the trade.

All the times before had been different, the times he'd traded diamonds for burlap and gold for cider had been setbacks, true. But he had always returned with the object in question to be corrected. This...this was a disaster!

He collapsed against the soggy bags, the enormity of his failure crashing down on his subterranean-living form.

>Uh...y'all alright there?

Applejack grimaced, the creature that was inside the suit was only slightly less grotesque than what it wore. Though she did find her revulsion a bit stymied by the fact it was cradling a bag of sugar like an action hero with a dying love interest.

"Princess of Apples, I have failed. I have failed all!"

His voice was a rather pathetic moan of dejection.

"I have failed Zhetri Tuuhl, the head of metal, my people, and you!"

>Ah...what?

"My failure! It...dissect...no...word, what is word? Desert-crated...nngh...RUINED! It ruined integrity of the trade! I have failed everyone with my foolishness!"

>Hey now, it's not that bad, we can git ya more sugar.

"No!"

He stood red-eyed and in tears, it would have been sad of the situation wasn't so absurd.

"I traded six shimmerstones for three bags of the white powder! To give me more would demand more shimmerstones! The stones are in the caves! I must have the stones to trade, to trade without giving is...is WRONG!"

>...that head of metal of yers hasn't gotten around to gifts yet, has he?

"What is gift?"

>Ah-y'know what...ah got a trade fer ya.

"Yes?"

>Okay, first of all, yer a Morlock, yeah?

He nodded.

>Alrigh', had my suspicions but just had to confirm it. So ya'll know what the catacombs under Canterlot are like.

He nodded again.

>Got a real lay of the land?

Thrice he nodded.

>Well...Ah got a proposition fer ya, and if ya do this fer me, we'll trade whatever ya'll want.

The Morlocks eyes went incredibly wide at the prospect of such a mighty trade. Anything? He could bring home weapons to destroy the dark lurkers! He could take back these materials the head of metal said were imperative to civilization, like lumber and bricks!

FOUR BAGS OF WHITE POWDER!

The Morlock's eyes narrowed with determination.

"I will do this thing, in the name of my people, the name of the head of metal, in the name of Zhetri Tuuhl!"

He ran off boldly, AJ sighed.

>Wonder how long it'll take him ta realize ah didn't tell him what it was yet.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Spike
"DT"
'42'
[BlueBlood]
~~~
>So, I wanted to tell all of you-

"We know..."

'Word's been traveling fast, kiddo.'

[Well, that saves us time then-]

"Not so fast, bucko!"

[Really now, Diamond Tiara, we're cut from the same cloth, I was attended your mother's-]

>BB! Shush!

Diamond Tiara levels one of hermany many guns on Blue Blood's muzzle

"Shit choice of words, sparky. And we might be cut from the same cloth but fuck if we didn't end up in different patterns."

>Well, all that aside, you know what I intend to do, right?

"Yep, use him as personal fodder. Frankly, there's easier ways to kill a guy and dispose of the body. I wish you had asked me."

>That's... not the point. 42?

'I want to say: I object to this, Spike. 77's story has spread like fire around the hive, each retelling's more horrible than the last but still never as awful as the actual story. You want to know something? I went down to 32 and he's fucking worried for you! So you're not going, and that's final.'

>42, haven't you heard the risk.

'I don't give a fuck! I'm not risking- ... Look, Spike, we're friends, right?'

>Yes, and-

'Then do me a favor, as a friend, and don't fucking do this! You really want some social experiment to prove Blue Blood's getting better or shit can be turned into gold? Go to an alchemist or make him do charity work, but risking your own life by going down there AND trusting it to him is not the way to do it. Please, Spike...'

>... 42...

'If you do this, I will not teach you another lesson again. No more sparring matches. Fuck, I'll turn in my badge to the Alpha-team and my membership to the Gunclub.'

[... I don't know what half of that meant, but she sounds serious.]

>42, why are you doing this?

'Because I couldn't do jackshit to help Shiny not once, but two times when he needed me most, I wasn't there to stop you from getting shot, I couldn't stop Chitania from hurting 2... I am not going to let another friend be hurt if I can help it.'

>Shit, even Applejack didn't give me this hard of a time. Do you have to make me choose between friendship and ideals?

'When you exercise your ideals through stupidity? Yes.'

"She's serious, Spiko."

Blueblood steps forward

[Whether Spike goes or not, it doesn't matter, I agreed to this expedition because there is something which threatens the future of Canterlot. So I'll save you the trouble and turmoil and go down there myself.]

"... Holy shit."

'Fine! Fine. You can go, Spike, on one condition... You have to beat me in a fight. No simulator, right here, right now.'

>Aw, shi-

Spike blinked

He shouldn't have or he would have dodged the punch that came his way

He still rolled backwards with the force and turned a solid hit into a grazing one but fuck it stung

Spike rolls to his feet in time to block several followup attacks from 42

A blast of magic, a five punch combination, a grapple attempt Spike broke with a headbutt

Still didn't stop Spike from getting blasted through several walls from a massive flare of love magic

"Give this up now and we can save you a hospital trip!"

Spike peered out to see Blueblood and Tiara had taken cover, several others were scrambling, and 42 was now ardent, all the love stored in her harnessed unleashed and at her hooves

Spike confidently stood up and smiled

>You wouldn't forgive me if I did just give up now!

Spike countered a destructive beam of green flame with an explosive shot from Charity that gave him a smoke screen to find a better vantage point

42 surveyed the area and saw Spike missing

"Spike! You know running away from the fight only means you forfeit!..."

>I'm not hiding!

Spike's voice came from above but what seemed to drop down wasn't Spike, but a piece of debris

Immediately behind it was Spike, now on 42's back

>YEEHAW!

Spike grabbed and held on for dear life as 42 became a berserking bull, bucking, flailing, and constantly trying to burn Spike off with magic

"Get off! Get off! Getoff! Getoff!"

>Sorry, don't see you that way!

Spike continued to hold on, his arms around 42's neck and each attempt to dismount him only made him hold on that much tighter

Worst of all, the magic bursts 42 kept trying were costly and draining her additional strength, thinking fast she took the air, flipping half-way to let Spike shatter the ceiling for her

This time though he was bracing for impacts, and as they broke through each floor until they reached clear sky, Spike just grunted

>Ow

Each time

They were high in the air, high enough oxygen was getting thinner, but 42 could supplant her air needs with the power stored in the harness, how long could Spike hold out?

>Yoink!

Apparently long enough for Spike to pull off the harness where said love was stored

42 decided instead of struggling to get it back she would let herself drop, fast and hard, spinning faster and faster, angled so Spike would be smashed into the floor

Until the castle roof came back in sight and 42 felt love surge through her again as Spike pressed the harness against her and then flipped them back into a position where 42 would take the blows of crashing through the ceiling and each floor

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

42 cursed each time, unable to stop her own acceleration until it was too late, and the ground floor did it for her

'Oh... That's gonna smart.'

>Yeah... wasn't much better for me either...

Spike slowly peels himself off of 42

>You okay the-

42 roars back to life and grabs Spike by the throat

"YOU!"

Smash!

"AREN'T!"

Smash!

"GOING!"

>Yoink!

42 looked down to see her harness once more swiped away and much of her energy drained

She staggers from exhaustion but doesn't fall over

"Dammit... Why does this mean so much to you?"

>Same reason it meant a lot to Applejack to give you guys a second chance.

"Impaired cognitive abilities from multiple, consecutive generations of inbreeding?"

[HAH!]

>No... Because in this new Equestria, we are giving inherit rights every person who lives within it, the first right, is a right to a future.

42 sways a bit and falls to her knees

"Dammit... Fucking dammit... I guess you win, kiddo. Well fought."

Spike smiles and gives 42 back her harness

>Thanks, you too. Patch yourself up.

42 then looks to Blueblood

"I swear on Chrysalis' eventual grave, if he dies and you life, I will bury you int the Underground and let you suffer every bit of hell down there."

[Lovely to know he can screw me over so easily.]

'We can all screw you over pretty easily, just give us one more reason to.'
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One day in...

THUD!

"Ungh..." Pommel groaned on his back on the deck. The crew cheered loudly as Daw looked down at him with annoyance.

"Come on, lad, y'can do better'n that!" She shouted, "Up ya get, we ain't done here yet!"

Pommel panted, getting up as the pegasus began circling him. He'd never thought he'd miss the troll, but at least the injuries from that just disappeared. He could tell these were going to keep for a while.

Then the blue pegasus smashed into him like a cannonball and the fight was on again!

Two days in...

"So!" Rat began with a smile, hanging nimbly from the rigging, "What did we learn?"

Pommel grumbled as he struggled and squirmed inside a twisted knotted mass of rope.

"That this is a lot of work when you're going to sell me off to a camel? ...the fuck is a camel?"

"Pray you never find out," Rat said gravely, then like a switch he was back to his cheerful self, "Besiiiides, if you work hard and we somehow find and raid the lost city of Seaponopolis, you'll be fine!"

"And if we don't?"

"Wonderful weather in the Dromedary Sultanate this time of year..."

"Drome what-WHOA!"

Thud!

"Aha! Told you you just had to bend your spine the right way!"

Three days in...

Doc grumbled as he wrapped Pommel's ear in gauze.

"Don't recognize the point in this," The earth pony muttered, "Waste of resources if you ask me."

"See? You, you get it, there is no way, no way in hell that I am paying that money back," Pommel rolled his eyes.

"Aye, but the cap'n's orders are ironclad," The earth pony bit down on the gauze and tore it off, "I owe a lot to the one-eyed bastard."

"Really? Wanna swap debts?"

"Ha ha ha, shush ya little cad," The resident doctor turned away, retreating deeper into his cluttered cabin, lit by a single lantern and filled with all many of books, drawings of primitive devices, and said primitive devices themselves.

"So...Doc, you seem kind of...multidisciplined?" Pommel arched an eyebrow, "Why'd you fall in with pirates?"

"Oh, that? I'm a cannibal, run!" Doc gave small chuckle, "Few members of this crew know my story, boy. You've not been here a week, like hell I'll confide in you!"

"Oh fine, be that way," Pommel trotted out of the cabin, "Time to get my ass beat some more..."

"Now what kinna attitude is that?" The husky growl in his ear made him freeze, DAMN this mare was an ambush artist, "Remember one day yer gonna need t'keep yer wits about ya inna fight."

"I'll keep that in mind," Pommel shook his head and turned towards Daw, "So we gonna fight belowdecks now?"

"That part of the curriculum's further down the line," She smirked, "No, Rat wants ya to eat with him'n me tomorrow, says we can 'tutor' you better."

"Aw but I wanted to sit at the cool kids table!" Pommel mock whined.

"Would ya rather eat fresh fish? It can be arranged with a flick of my hooves," She eyed him stoically.

"No no, sure, I'll eat with you guys," Pommel said quickly, visions of sharks swimming through his head.

"Good, now back on the deck! Our lesson ain't done, and you'll be swabbing your own blood off the deck if ya don't think fast!" She slapped him on the back and trotted off.

"Goody..."

Four and a half days in...

The sun was setting over the horizon, shining off the far ocean and looking like an oil painting in a Canterlot Art Gallery. Pommel's body ached from the fighting and working he'd done in the past few days, and he still wondered if it was all worth it. They refused to tell him how much he was making with his tasks, only that he had a far way to go.

"The Princess does such a pretty job, doesn't she?" Rat mused, hanging upside down from the rigging beside Pommel.

"It's not often I've had time to...y'know, admire her work," Pommel agreed, "I had a lot of work to do back in Canterlot."

"With the gardening, aye?" Rat smirked.

"Yeah, the gardening," Pommel nodded, "So Rat, you were stranded on an island like me?"

Rat grinned, "Like you? Noooo, I used to be a captain too, you know, of a little merchant ship that sailed out of Manehattan. I came to the Mareabbean in order to sell some luxuries I'd come into, figured the folks down here would pay a pretty penny for stuff like an ornate dresser and the like."

"What happened?" Pommel raised an eyebrow.

"I worked hard, my crew worked harder, and decided I wasn't working hard enough. A mutiny happened, lead by this ass of mule -see what I did there?- and before I knew it, I was tossed into the sea. I washed up on the shore of some forsaken island, with nothing but my wits and a rumble in my gut. I foraged and fished -don't look at me like that, lad, it was a desperate situation- to survive, and I dunno how long I was stuck there, but by the time our dear Widow's Remorse passed by, I was half mad from the sun and reduced to the delightful Bilge Rat you see before you today!"

"That's crazy...was it hard, y'know, being alone?" Pommel asked, he'd left Chitania out of his story to not seem insane, but curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Mm? Oh no, I made conversation with some nice folk," Rat swung back and forth on the rigging before flipping onto his hooves on the deck below.

Pommel blinked, "But I thought you said the island was forsaken?"

"I did," Rat looked out at the night sky, his smile growing placid, "I spoke to the stars."

"I...what?"

Rat laughed, "Oh don't mind my rambling, mate, just my addled little brain giving me silly ideas."

"Oi!" Daw's voice came from the steps to belowdecks, "C'mon, to yer bunks with the both of ya, we'll be making port in Tortoiga tomorrow by the cap'n's charts, an' I want everyone ready t'go aground!"

"Aye!" Pommel said, trying not to snap off a salute, he looked at Rat, "We better go."

"Run along without me, lad," Rat didn't look away from the sky, "I just wanna...gaze a bit longer."

Pommel grimaced, but did as he was told, as he walked down the steps, he swore he could hear the strange unicorn talking to someone.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Chitania
"Captain"
'Crew'
~~~~~

"Lass? Are you okay?"

>WHY DID I END UP HERE!?

"...It's a cruise ship, you normally have to pay quite a lot."

>I WAS TELEPORTED HERE!

"Ohhhh....OH! You poor thing! Some malicious unicorn sent you here?"

>...Sure. Let's go with that.

"Oh wow, I thought you had stowed away! Well, why don't ya' come down and enjoy yourself? We've got a buffet, a water slide, all sorts of nifty party things!"

>NO.

"You can't be comfortable up there. That pole is right in the sun."

>I AM FAR FROM WATER. THAT IS IMPORTANT.

"Eee... you really don't want to be here, do you?"

>WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE!?

"Can't swim?"

>NO. FUCKING. SHIT.

"Alright, alright, no need to get angry.

>I'M ALWAYS ANGRY!

'Should we try to get her down, captain?'

"No no, best to let her come down on her own terms."

'Guessing we don't need to tell security about the stow-away?'

"No no, she clearly didn't come here on her own, not like earth ponies can teleport on a whim, that would be cruel to add to it."

'No kidding. The brig is below deck too, which means-'

>TRY IT AND I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!

"Yeah. Don't think that's the best place for her."

'Great hearing, I guess.'

"Miss? Are you sure you don't want to come down? It's bingo night, and everyone who participates gets a free seaweed platter!"

>NO!

"Alright, well... we'll tell you when we make land, alright?"

>GOOD.

'Shoot, I don't know who did this to her, but...'

"Yep. That was a huge dick move."

The setting sun was juuuuust dim enough that you could see the stars begin to twinkle in mirth.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Twilight
"Spike"
'Blueblood'
~~~~~

>...

"...Uh..."

>...Okay, just so we're all clear here, how did you think I was going to react?

"W-well-"

>No, really. I want you to think about this. You want to go down into a place even I, at my most Twiency, did not want to examine. I didn't. Me. Because I was worried things down there would eat me.

"Yeah, well-"

>And yet, here you are. Seemingly completely oblivious to the disbelief on my face as you ask me, point blank, to go down into that place... with Blueblood. Not soldiers, Blueblood. And just to put the cherry on top, I can't go thanks to needing to dispose of a chemical that, if not dealt with properly, will in fact destroy over sixty miles in all directions and make it a toxic wasteland for generations to come. Of all the times to do this, you pick now. Despite this, you will not postpone this little expedition.

"...Time is a pretty big factor."

>You... you cannot be serious.

"But the security risk-"

>Is negligible, and can easily be solved by simply reinforcing key points in the castle.

"But... we might have a whole new species of Changeling down there-"

>Spike, I chased a Changeling in the name of science not very long ago, you may remember. Didn't end well, to put it mildly.

"Look, Twi, I have to do this-"

>You absolutely do not. That is a lie you are saying. Do not lie to me.

"...Yes I do."

>One reason, go ahead.

"...I can't believe you even need to ask me."

>Spike-

"No! The Twilight I know wouldn't be stopping me, she'd be asking me to bring back samples of stuff, document them, try to find out what the things down there are made of, look like, stuff like that!"

>I don't want-

"What? You don't want to see if there's something else like the Morlocks down there? Twi, there was an entire civilization underneath our feet this whole time! They have a culture, lives, they can think! And you know what? We NEVER would have known if 32 hadn't come back. Never!"

>77's group-

"Were unarmed, love starved, had no idea what they were up against, had no goal except 'survive', no proper hazardous area training, and most importantly no clear exit! We have all of those. If things get dicey, we can just come right back out. We'll set up every precaution to prevent a cave in, we'll be armed to the gills with enough firepower to take on an undead army, and we'll have a clear cut goal of get in, find out where that things hive is, get out. No battling Changeling hoards alone, no unnecessary risks, just closing a gap in security, and off we go. And you know what? All along the way, I'm going to be writing things down, sending you information with my flame breath which, oh yeah, if we get in any real trouble I can use to send for help! And you know what? I'm not even worried."

>...Why.

"Because even though you're not acting like the Twilight I know right now, I know for a fact you'll rip this entire mountain off it's foundation if I say I'm in trouble."

>...

"...Please, Twilight, don't fight me on this. I need this to give Blueblood a chance, I need this to feel just a little useful again after Chitania didn't even notice me, and... Please?"

>...I... I-if you so much as twist your ankle-

"I'm out, full stop."

>...Blueblood?

The unicorn who had been hiding thus far, sheepishly poked his head around, looking more than a tad nervous.

'Er-'

>Look, I'm not going to say the same old spiel about killing you, I'm sure you've heard it from everyone else at this point. All I'm going to say is, I know every chemical in a ponies body, I know exactly how ligaments work, and I once turned a pony into a cyborg. I won't kill you, I'm not like that, I'm not a killer, not really... but I probably will do something really, really bad... for science. Understood?

'...I kind of wish you had just said you were going to kill me.'

>Sorry I can't oblige.

Abruptly, she grabbed hold of the little dragon, and crushed him against her chest.

>Be careful.

"...You know, you had to go on a whole lot of adventures without me, too."

>Yeah, and you know what?

She let him go, and started to trot away.

>It sucks on this end.

He knew not to stop her.

He knew she didn't want him to see her cry.

'...You're doing this for her too, aren't you?'

"...It's kind of stupid, but... maybe if she remembers how big the world is, and how much still is there to learn, she'll..."

'..Come, we have more preparing to do.'

He just nodded, and together they left in a hurry. They needed to make a stop, after all, and who knows how much longer that scroll and quill shop was going to be open?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Rarity
"Spike"
~~~~

>Spikey! Oh, darling I've been looking all over for you. I heard about your little expedition, and I rushed over here as fast as I could!

"Don't try to talk me out of it."

>Hm? Oh no, I suppose we have to take Blueblood, I find that rather annoying but it's better not to dwell on his inclusion.

"Good, cause... we?"

>Of course we. Now, what other supplies do you think we are going to be needing for the trip? I have a list I've been working on, so-

"Rarity!"

>...Rude, darling.

"Rarity... you can't go, it's too dangerous."

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

And then was immediately filled with laughter so loud it would drown out an atomic bomb.

>AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA-T-t-tooo dangerous!? PFFTAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

"Rarity I'm serious!"

She just howled louder, collapsing to the ground.

>I-I-I CAN'T BREATH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!

"There are monsters! Horrors!"

>O-OH MERCY MAKE IT STOOOOOPAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

The laughter continued on... and on.. and on... stopped briefly during a moment when Spike was sure she suffocated and had to be revived via alicorn immortality... on some more... then very, veeeery slowly, died down.

>Ahahah...ahahh...hah... ooo... Spike? Spikey Wikey? I love that you are concerned for my safety, really. But darling, it's important to remember which one of us charged forth to face Nightmare Moon, and which one of us slept through it.

"Er..."

>Also which one of us didn't hide from Discord.

"Uh... well..."

>Also which one of us saved the world more than once.

"...The robots kind of count..."

>And finally, which one of us is immortal, and not just very long lived.

"..."

She cheerily pecked him on the cheek, and started to leave.

>I'm off to pick up more supplies, darling! Tell me when you've finished your preparations, and we'll have ourselves a bit of an adventure!

Only after she had left did Spike bring up an embarrassed claw to his cheek, and shoot a glare at Blueblood.

"Not a word."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Oh I come from a land
>A not-so faraway place
>Where the caravan spiders roam
>Where it's deep and immense
>And the dark is intense
>It's barbaric but hey, it's home!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>You got some power in your corner, now
>some heavy ammunition in your band!
>you've got some punch, kablam, kaboom and how
>just take my grenade launcher in your hand
>and I'll ask:

>Mister The Dragon, now,
>what ammo will it be?
>acid, shrapnel, sonic, flash?
>you ain't never had a friend like me
>no no!

>this here's your weapon for making
>spider fricasee!
>who else would lend you out their Giblet Gun?
>you ain't never had a friend like me!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

>Spike says he needs an extraction!
"What!? He just went down there not two minutes ago! Literally, I'm not exaggerating for a cheap joke, I timed it. Two minutes. What happened?"
>They made it about twenty paces and Diamond Tiara saw a bug.
"A monster bug!?"
>No. Pretty sure it was just a cricket that followed them down there.
"So, how much did she-"
>The cave is on FIRE at this point.
"Ah."
>She's still shooting.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________