Chapter 5, where they take the fight to Dragon Blood
Spike's Journal Entry 16 (con't)
I can't believe Twilight is gone. AJ keeps reminding me that she's in a better place, that she isn't in pain anymore… but she was the pony closest to me. She was the one that was supposed to come with me to find who I was, and now… I know she couldn't come, that things can't work out like that. Even Fluttershy reminds me that Twi is with me in spirit. But it's not enough.
Same with the punishment those gang ponies got. After doing all those things to Twilight, all they are going to get is some jail time? No! I wish I could have hurt them when I had the chance. Bandana told me to be a dragon of action, and I should have taken action there. Those Dragon Bloods… I hate them all…
…
The small group of very noticeable ponies and one dragon were hiding in an alleyway besides an apartment building. Across the intersection was the enormous lumber warehouse that Steel said the gang was holding Twilight in. They took great care once they crossed the threshold into the slums of Manehatten, keeping Spike surrounded at all times to prevent ponies walking by from seeing the young purple dragon.
They had been there in the alley for what seemed like hours to Spike, though in reality it had been more like 3 minutes. Bandana, Steel, and Applejack were discussing the plan of how to save Twilight without having to fight too many goons at a time. Applejack was once again refusing Bandana's offer of a weapon.
"Now c'mon miss, you really think you can handle them all by yourself? I know you're tough, but they'll have weapons!"
"And what do you think these are? I've been bucking fer years, mah legs gotta be the strongest'n all a'Equestria!"
"And the sexiest, too!" Bandana said in a whisper to Steel Star, who was fixated with the top window of the apartment next to them.
Spike was only half listening to the conversation. All he was thinking about was going in there and saving Twilight. That's all that mattered to him. They planned enough. So when Steel suggested that they inspect the apartment next to them, Spike grabbed a pipe on the ground and started walking toward the warehouse.
…
"I have bad feeling about apartment. Bad Spirits. We must inspect!"
"You sure about this, Steel?"
The white pony nodded toward his comrade. "It is strong feeling. It has bad aura. No doubt."
"Alright, then…" huffed Bandana as he lifted the Gum Gun and saddlepack with two small clubs onto his back. "We should go in here and check it out."
"Now what makes ya think his hunch is right?" asked Applejack.
"His last hunch saved me from taking an arrow to my knee back in the war. Call me crazy, but his hunches are the one thing I believe in."
"Ah, I see, it's kinda like a Pinkie Pie sense?"
"Sure?"
"Who is this Pinkie Pie? She sounds like one in tune with spirits."
"Well, she's in tune, all right, but not with no spirits!" Applejack chuckled at the thought of her musically inclined friend. "Well, if it's that serious, I b'lieve y'all's judgment. Lead the way!"
"Okay, now I'll go in first and soften up any visitors with my Gumgun. Steel, you go ahead and do what you do best. Sweetie, you and Spike need to cover my back once I'm done with the Gumgun so I can take it off and help fight. You got it?"
"YEEE-HAWWW!"
"What about you, Spike?"
Silence.
"Spike? SPIKE?"
"He disappeared. He must be at warehouse." Steel answered.
"What's that blockhead thinkin'? We need ta go'n save him!" Applejack made to gallop off when Bandana grabbed her by the tail.
"S'cuse me, I need ta go save mah friend!"
"He's already gone. If we abandon the plan now, nothing would ever get accomplished. We made this plan for a reason; we need to stick to it. It's the best way to help him. I'm sorry, sweetie."
Applejack was at a loss. She knew she could have saved Spike, but even she needed to stick with these warriors if she was going to survive herself. She felt a hoof on her back. She almost went to kick who she thought was Bandana, but was greeted to Steel giving her a hug.
"I have lost many friends in my life. But if we abandon plan, none will survive. Spike can handle himself. We help him by sticking to plan. Apple-san, we must go. Now!"
"Besides sweetie, the sooner we take care of anypony in here, the sooner we can go to the warehouse."
"Alright…"Applejack shook off her momentary doubt, "Let's go'n kick some evil pony flank!"
As they ran to the front door of the apartment, Bandana gave Steel a hard nudge. "Now don't be going to steal my girl, you hear?"
…
The group inside the apartment was about their usual business. Some played card games at a table in the corner; others were gathered around a makeshift bar drinking cider and juice. All were bored. They were the fodder of the gang, and they did very little outside of the occasional robbery. Their days were spent in the apartment/headquarters of the gang, and they tended to wait to have a chance to climb the gang's hierarchy. So when the sound of hooves coming up the stairs, nopony reacted.
Bandana busted the door from its hinges. With his Gumgun on his back, he appeared to be a huge pony machine. He fired round after round, levitating each new shot into the catapult. He caught at least two thirds of the thugs in the confusion, and now they were immobilized for the police to come and slap cuffs on them.
A white blur flew above the tan pony and bolted up the stairs. Steel flew past the confused thugs not hit by the gum without being noticed. He dashed into a group coming down the stairs and made quick work of them. All were effectively knocked out within 5 seconds, and he continued to take down any stragglers upstairs. Technically, he was not fighting them; he merely used his vast knowledge of pressure points to preform quick strikes that immobilized all but the strongest ponies. Still, Bandana and the rest of Celestia's royal guard respected and feared his "fighting technique" so he did not correct their assumption.
Back in the main lobby, Applejack's hooves made clean contact with another stallion's chest, and he feel to his back in a heap. Bandana had finally taken off his catapult and magically picked up a club. "Now let's go help our eager friend!"
"Hold on, I still gotta few ponies here ta take care of. Y'all go on without me!"
"Sorry sweetie, i'm not leaving you that easily."
For a pony that appeared to AJ as just another muscly stallion with no brains, he was unusually protective of her. She was flattered by his kindness, even if it was a bit overbearing at times. They proceeded to knock out the stragglers hiding from the fearsome duo.
After the final pony was "comfortably" laid on the ground, Steel came bursting down the stairs. He had just eliminated any possible threats upstairs. They looked around at their handiwork, trying to find a clue as to what was going on in here. There were tables and loads of money and bottles littering the ground, but no clue as to why these gang ponies were hiding out in here. Nothing.
"Bandana-san, there are no clues to who they were, and why they were here."
"Well, this musta been one a'their bases of op'ration. Maybe all'a these ponies were just waitin' fer somethin'."
Bandana smiled at the light orange mare. "Just what I was thinking. But it does us no good to sit here thinking about details like that. Spike needs us, and so does Twi. Let's go to the warehouse!"
"What about a plan?" Asked Applejack.
"Oh, right… I'll go in swinging, and you two try to keep up. If the thugs in there are like these ones, we can take them!"
…
Spike slowly made his way into the warehouse. He almost regretted leaving the group behind the moment he entered the eerie building, but he had to be strong for Twilight. He made his way down side halls and connected rooms, trying to avoid any unnecessary fighting if he could. He approached another corner when he almost collided with the hind quarters of another pony. He held back a scream and ran back into the door next to him. He hid under an old table and listened to the pony talking.
"Yeah, I'm a bit worried about that Twilight, leaving her alone with Fang like that."
"Well, she told us to leave. What else can we do? Stop worrying, Runner!"
"But she's going to do something, I know it. I've lived with her long enough to read her emotions, and she has that look again…"
"Then a pony gets hurt. Big deal. Right, Berserk?"
Spike heard a huff, from what sounded like a manticore. But that was nothing compared to what he overheard. Twilight WAS here, and it sounded like she was hurt. But what could he do? If these ponies caught him, then he'd be no help to his friend… but he was stuck here. So he waited a while longer for the ponies to pass by.
"Yeah yeah, Berserk, why don't you just answer us?" Asked the mare-sounding pony.
The other boy pony answered, "If he doesn't like talking, it's okay. Don't force ponies to do what they don't want to do."
"Oh, no don't turn this back on me!" The group sounded like they were walking away. Spike poked his head around the corner. The coast was clear. He took careful steps, since he could still hear the faint conversation.
"Just because you think you're better than everyone else does not give you the excuse to have no blood on your hands!" The mare sounded angry at the colt.
"But why does it have to be done? Isn't there another way?"
Spike would have listened to what they were talking about, but a pair of teeth lifting him off the ground, startled him. He wiggled and yelled and tried to escape, but he knew it was over. The monster-pony had found him. The other ponies heard the noise, and were coming fast. He was caught.
In the other room, Fang put down the drill. She had finished working on Twilight's beautiful hooves. Now they looked like Swiss cheese. She went back to her operating table with all of her items and tools. 'So many options!' she thought to herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had fun, it really had been too long since she caused this much pain. And such a perfect specimen, too! She looked at her captive, and contemplated what to do next.
Twilight had nearly passed out from her pain. She stopped yelling long ago, but she still involuntarily twitched every time Fang hit a nerve in her hooves. But her drill was just one of many options Fang had to choose from—she had many options, methods she has never employed, ones that would dwarf the pain Twilight felt so far.
She could make an incision and get to the gore, but she wanted to do as much damage as she could without killing. Slayer wouldn't forgive her for killing their captive instead of the dragon, and she wanted to prolong her patient's suffering. Death was not an option. So she grabbed her saw. She never had a unicorn to play with before, and she heard that losing a horn was excruciatingly painful.
Before she could continue the "operation", however, the other three ponies walked in.
"What did I tell you about interrupting me?" screamed Fang.
Runner started to answer, but after looking at Twilight's maimed body and the blood around her, he felt like he was about to be sick. Instead Shadow answered her; "But this is important! Look what Berserk found in one of the old offices in the halls!"
She moved to the side to present a large blue stallion with a small purple bunch of scales in his mouth. It was the dragon. The one that they were all waiting for. Fang smiled for the first time in many years at the sight of her newest victim.
"Perfect… the dragon of the hour. Come to see your friend? She's taking a nap right now." She nudges to Twilight's limp body. Blood was still oozing from the holes in her hooves, and Spike began to panic.
"What did you do to her?"
"Nothing compared to what i'm going to do to you…"
"Fang, do we really need to do all this to him? Let's just give him to Slayer, I don't like all this bloodshed," the young pony asked in between coughs and gagging.
"Don't worry your little head about it; we'll just have some fun with him first!"
Berserk brought Spike to the eager pony, who started to tie his arms and legs together hog-style. She would begin on him after she finished her first little project. "Now, you just sit here and enjoy the show as I finish up on your little friend here."
"No!" cried Spike. "I won't let you get away with this, I swear I'll—"
"You'll do what? You are in our hooves, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
As soon as Fang finished this last sentence, there was a loud bang. Wood was being broken at the front of the warehouse. Somepony was here.
"Okay, we have some company now. Find them and kill them!"
…
The door was big, but the combined bucking strength of Bandana and Applejack was enough to turn the door to dust. "Okay, we need to hurry. Where did you see Twilight, Steel?"
"Midddle room. In center. Very big, Bandana-san!"
"Were there any other ponies there?"
"I count 4 others. We can take them!"
Bandana nodded, and the three ran for the middle room. By the time they got there, the other four ponies seemed to have gathered at the front entrance to meet them. In the back, they saw Spike tied up and laying on the ground. Twilight was chained to a wall, and there was a lot of blood on and around her.
Applejack exploded at the sight of her friends. "WHAT DO YA THINK Y'ALL ARE DOIN' TA MAH FRIENDS?"
"Aww, such a cute wittle voice from such a cute wittle pony." Fang replied mockingly. "Did somewon hurt your little fwiends?"
"By the order of Princess Celestia and Luna of Canterlot, you will give yourselves up and release your prisoners!" Bandana was more serious than AJ had ever seen him.
"And what if we don't? You can't do anything!" answered Shadow. "Get them, Berserk!"
The blue pony huffed and swung full speed at Steel. He barely had time to dodge, he never expected a pony so big to move so fast. But Steel turned with his block and kicked Berserk under his chin. 'The nerve here will disrupt his legs. He will fall shortly,' thought the ninja pony.
Berserk stood still for a moment as everypony watched. A smile curled his lips, and he laughed and swung again at Steel, making contact and sending him flying across the room.
"Steel!" cried out Applejack.
She heard his voice from the distance. "His muscles are too big, cannot contact nerves." His eyes grew wide when he looked to AJ. "Look out!"
Applejack had just enough time to dodge Fang, who came running after her with a knife.
With that, all hell broke loose in the warehouse.