Snowball snorted and grunted in frustration and nervousness as he watched Harpy being carted to the next town over so she could get better care.

He glared up at the elderly landshark nurse. "What's the point of you being a doctor if you couldn't fix my Harpy!?"

Coral Reefs rolled her eyes. "I was a veterinarian. I treated pets before you came here."

"Aren't we all animals here?" He squealed.

"Look who's talking, Porky." The landshark grunted before going back inside the infirmary.

Snowball was in a mess. This newcomer not only destroyed his best female fighter, but she wants to take his dragon away.

He rubbed his snout with his sleeve before he waddled off.

Going back to his office, he dug around in his drawer before pulling out a crystal orb. He sets it down on the surface and quickly taps it five times.

The orb quickly filled with smoke before the eyes of Sombra appeared.

"You better have a good reason for contacting me, Snowball." Sombra grunted.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. Normally I don't make contact with the client unless there's an emergency. There is one." Snowball responded. "When you sold me the dragon, you told me specifically that he didn't have anyone come and look for him. I just had his mate come in, make a fool out of me and now, I have a fighter who can't fight anymore! And that's just with the females, if I have her fight against my males, I'll lose money!"

The eyes rolled. "How is that my problem? "

"You lied to me!"

"If you don't want the dragoness to leave with the male, bring her down with your devices. How were you able to do it before? "

"Have you seen this girl?" Snowball reached down underneath the desk and pulled out a dart gun. "I can try but hybrid looking creatures are harder to submit."

"I have things I need to get done, I cannot do everything. All I need you to do is make sure those two do not return to Equestria, not until I have what I want. Is everyone my son has contact with are such imbeciles? Do what you will on it. DO NOT CONTACT ME AGAIN."

The orb clears, cutting off communication.

Snowball rubbed his head. "Is it too late to go back to the Farm?"

He can't go back on his word and tell her that he changed his mind about this, he has a feeling that she will straight up kill him if he says that and he very much wants to keep on living.

As he rubbed his head, an idea came up. "Ooh!" He taps on the orb again. After several taps, the orb is filled with smoke again. "Come on, come on…." He grumbled impatiently.

There was a rattle-like sound and a hiss before a greenish brown pony/snake hybrid appeared. "What do you want, S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-snowball." The snake pony hissed as there were sounds of a female moaning and whimpering in the background.

"Aspa! It's been awhile, old friend." Snowball said. "Did I interrupt something?"

"My meal time," he responded. "One s-s-s-s-s-s-second." he then disappeared from view. There was a loud scream and shrieking in the background, a small struggle before hearing loud chomping and gulping.

Snowball shivered as he listened to the snake devouring live before straightening up when Aspa came back.

"That was-s-s-s-s-s-s delic-c-c-c-ciouss-s-s-s-s-s-s" Aspa let out a deep, satisfied chuckle. "What do you want, pig?"

Snowball coughed into his hand before continuing. "I have a job for you, how fast can you come to Ironstone? Got a little problem here that needs your attention."

Aspa let out a snarl. "Why would I want to come back to that s-s-s-s-s-s-s-shithole of a village?"

"Because I have money. I know It's been ten years since you paid your debt to me, but I'm in a bit of a bind here. From what I heard, your body count is impressive."

"I can add you to the count."

A bead of sweat dripped from Snowball's forehead. "I mean it, I'll give you what you want, but I need you to do a job."

The snake stroked his pony-like jaw with his long, boney fingers. "What's-s-s-s-s-s the job?"

"It involves two dragons, how fast can you get here?"

"A half a million in gold is-s-s-s-s my fee."

"A HALF A MILLION?! Boy you got me all kinds of fucked up."

"Then find another as-s-s-s-sas-s-s-s-sin with my s-s-s-s-skills-s-s that will come to Irons-s-s-s-stone."

Snowball groans. "Mother fucker. Okay okay, half a million, deal. Now, how fast can you get here?"

"I have other jobs-s-s-s-s to do firs-s-st. I'll get there when and if I can." Before Snowball could object, the orb cleared up again.

Snowball shivered, "Slithering bastard." Then proceeds to gather the funds he will need when Aspa gets here.


"Where did you say Rachel went?" Tiny Twilight asked from her shelf, looking down at Capper and Tempest. "She's been gone all night."

"I'm sure she's okay." Capper said as he ate anchovies from a can. "She's a strong, independent creature. After what she pulled in the fight, everyone knows not to mess with her."

"It'll be a short week with how destructive the Queen is." Tempest said as she twirled the dagger in her hand, leaning against the wall.

"Still, one of us should call her." Twilight said.

The door of the room swung open and Rachel came in. "Hey guys," Rachel greeted before stepping aside and had Spike coming in.

"SPIKE!" Twilight enthusiastically called out to him. Managing to hop around with the music box, trying to get close to him. "Oh Spike, I'm so glad to see you!"

Spike blinked in confusion as he entered the room, looking at the tiny princess.

"Uh..Twilight?"

"Yes, Spike, it's me. Hi!" Twilight hopped too close on the edge and she began tipping over. "Whoa!"

The dragon quickly reached out and caught her before going on the ground. He let out a sigh. "Still the same as ever."

"Uh Twilight, what did we say about going nuts when and if we brought him over?" Capper asked as Rachel brushed her bangs out of her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm a little excited." Twilight giggled before looking up at Spike. "I'm glad to see you, little brother, I'm glad we finally found you."

"I'm, uh, glad to see you too, Twilight." He said. Though his voice still sounded in pain, he was glad to see her again.

The moment of him hitting her out of the way when he was large was replaying in his mind. Spike shook the memory out as he walked up to the shelf and was going to put her back up when he noticed her wing. "Uh, what happened to your wing?" Spike asked, noticing one of them draconic.

He then frowned. "Did…did I do that?"

"NO! Oh no no no no no. You didn't do that, Spike." Twilight quickly reassured, flexing her dragon wing. "I lost my wing during a fight with the humans and my wing got shot off." Spike's eyes widened. "Rachel here gave me a new wing. She's quickly settling into her magic powers. Oooh Rachel, did you tell him how you managed to get the Blue Celestial?" Twilight looks over to the Queen.

Rachel motioned with her hand, telling Twilight to cut it out.

"A-Anyway, even though I'm not physically here, though I wish I was, we're all here for you." Twilight smiled up at Spike.

Before she said anything else, she looked at Rachel. "Does he know about Igneous?"

"I do." Spike responded to that. "You've met him?"

Twilight nodded. "He's such a little cutie. I wanted to hold him but Rachel wouldn't let me."

"Because you came barging in like a maniac after I had just gotten him to sleep and he cried." Rachel reminded her.

Spike snickered, imagining that exact moment. "Yeah, that sounds like what you would do." He smiled.

"Hey! I didn't know she gave birth then. I assumed she had three more weeks." Twilight grumbled.

That put pain in Spike's heart. Another reminder that he had missed all of Rachel's pregnancy and the birth. A pain he believes won't be going away anytime soon.

"As soon as this mission is over, we have all the time to make up for lost time." Rachel said.

"WIll it be during or after finishing the war against Sombra?" Tempest asked.

Both dragons snarled at that name.

"I say a lot of us want our pound of flesh." Spike said. "But before any of that happens, I have to get this off." He then turned his head and motioned to the device on his scarred neck.

Twilight hummed as her eyes squinted, studying the foreign object. "That is keeping you here?"

Spike nodded. "It's what keeps all of us trapped in this village."

Upon closer expectation, past the obvious claw scars of his own creation, there was a drill hole, as if someone had taking an instrument and dug through the hardened scales and into the pink flesh underneath.

"Maybe you can use magic to take it off?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I tried that obviously, but it didn't work."

"Not your magic, maybe from an outside source." Twilight said, rubbing her hands. "I can try, but I need to be here. Rachel, can you bring me here?"

Rachel shrugs. "I can, it'll make me dizzy since it's so far, but yeah, I can try." She said as she pulled the Blue Celestial out of the pocket dimension. "Hold on tight." She said as she got in a stance. The staff glowed and she shot at an empty space in the room.

The spot burst in flames before the Princess herself was revealed. "Owowowowowowowow, hot hot hot hot!" She slaps the fire off of her arms.

The energy that was used made Rachel light headed, Tempest quickly got up from her spot and went over to her, steadying her. Spike went to step towards her to help but it was clear that Tempest had her and stayed back.

Twilight quickly pats herself down before shaking her body. "How are you and the Mordi have fireproofing, I have no clue!"

"The Mordi?" Spike had a confused look on his face when they were mentioned. "What The Mordi?"

"Apparently it's what the Mother Cells are actually called," Rachel muttered, shaking her head as she set the staff aside. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm still not used to using large amounts of magic without losing energy. That thing drains a lot."

"You just need to build enough endurance with it." Spike said, remembering his lessons from using the Bloodstone staff. Even though his usage was minimal.

After Twilight made sure she wasn't on fire, she quickly turned and gave Spike a big hug. "Sorry, I have to get one. I really, really missed you."

Now that she was physically here, Spike felt his eyes swell once more before wrapping his arms around her and gave her a hug.

"I'm really sorry for how things ended up. I should've never treated you like I did, I was a horrible sister, an-and~" Twilight rambled but was tearing up as well.

Spike let out a small sound. "It's okay ... .I'm glad to see you too, Twi. I miss you and the other girls."

"They also miss you." Twilight said before pulling back. "Now, let's see if I can do this."

"If you're able to get it out, then all we have to do is go to Snowball's office and beat him black and blue until the others are freed." Rachel said.

That would be amazing to get this done and over with and not actually fight a week worth of assholes.

"Okay, everyone, give me the room." Twilight instructed, having everyone back up.

Spike let out a whimper, not knowing how this would go. "Just be careful, this thing shocks like nothing else." he warned.

Twilight nodded. "I'll be careful." She said as her horn began glowing. "Ready?"

"Ready." He said but didn't have the enthusiasm as them. He'll change his mood when the thing is out of him.

Twilight nodded, bracing herself.

The circular disk was then engulfed with the magic. Her eyes glowed to see Spike's anatomy via x-ray. She could see the disk had long tendrils coming from the object, seeing it latched onto nerves and other important vitals with tiny claws.

"Okay, I think I can unlatch them, so you're going to feel some discomfort." She warned him before proceeding to grab each tiny claw and began to pry them off.

Not even two seconds after she touched them, Spike heard the familiar high pitch sound. Before he could tell them to stop, it activates and Spike is electrocuted, making a horrible pained sound.

The sound he made was the most awful sound they ever heard Spike make. They saw him fall to the ground and was convulsing.

Before Twilight could stop, Rachel already sprung into action, taking the staff and shooting at her. Teleporting Twilight back to where she came from before stumbling over to Spike.

"Spike!" Rachel shouted, trying to put her hands on him, only to get shocked herself. She yelps, causing her to scoot back away from him.

The electrocution and convulsion lasted about a minute before it finally stopped, leaving the male dragon gasping for air.

Rachel waited until she was sure she wouldn't get shocked for her to scoot back to Spike. Helping him sit up before he shot out from the ground and stormed out of the room, closing the door and running out of the inn.

"Well, that went bad." Capper said.

Rachel goes to stand and run after him, finding herself getting dizzy from being shocked and forcing her back down on her knees. Tears streaking down her face. "Oh god…what did we just do…?" She whispered.

That noise…. That was the most horrible noise she ever heard Spike made, her body trembling.

After a moment of silence, Twilight came back in her tiny ballerina form, finding herself on the ground. "Hey, where's Spike?"

Rachel raised her head, face red and tear streaking, glaring at Twilight. Without saying a word, Rachel grabs the music box and takes Twilight to the bathroom and over to the toilet. She takes the tank lid off and drops Twilight in it.

"What?! Hey! What are you doing?" Twilight yelped, the music box floating in the tank water.

"You're going to stay here and think about what the fuck you just did until I get back." Rachel snarled at her before placing the lid on, leaving Twilight in the wet darkness.

She stared at her trembling hands.

If that small shock she received caused that much pain…what Spike was feeling was ten times worse!

Spike ran out of the Inn, desperately needed to get out of there. He ran outside and fell on his knees on the dirt road. Just needed to take in air, though as rancid smelling it was, he needed it. After him spending some time in the damn pits, he needs air.

He needs to leave!

His heart rate was getting out of control, his chest tightened.

Damn it, DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!

His ears then flickered, hearing that awful moaning sound. Spike whipped his head and looked up. He let out a shout when he saw Rarity was there, having him fall on his butt but scooted as fast as he could away from her.

The spirit moved closer in a jittery way, shuffling her ghastly hooves over to him.

"NO! Go away, go away!" He cried out. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes.

Monster.

Murderer.

Mindless beast…

As the voice in his head berated him, he felt a touch on his shoulder. Spike jerked and shouted, looking up to see Vox standing over him.

"Whoa whoa, there brother, it's me!" Vox puts his hands up. "It's me."

Spike looked behind him and around the street. Trying to see if Rarity was still there.

She wasn't.

Vox studied him with a soft look. "You're seeing her again, are you?"

Spike didn't respond as he kept looking and expecting to see the ghost.

Vox sighed before kneeling in front of him. "Listen to me, breathe. Like we practiced, that pony isn't here any more." Vox said, trying to get him to get his breathing control. "Focus on something else, not on her." He instructed him, bracing his hands on his shoulders to keep him down. He does the breathing instructions along with him.

Spike followed Vox's advice, feeling himself calming down.

Once satisfied, Vox helped Spike up to his feet. "Okay, let's go see Gertie, I heard she got her game console fixed up, we can go play." He offered.

Spike didn't say anything, but didn't fight as Vox began leading Spike away. He looked up to see Rachel was looking out from the window watching. He gazed at her before being led away.

"Let him go." Rachel could hear Tempest say. "Give him a moment to breathe."