The next day, the group gathered again shortly after breakfast to hear more of the story. However, shortly before Samus or Spike could begin, there was a knock on the door. Confused, Twilight started to move for the door.
"I'll get it!" Spike told her, heading for the door and opening it. Before him, two figures he had been starting to remember stood there, staring up at him in shock. Spike couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Last time I saw you, you were bigger than me," he pointed out to the unicorn stallion.
"Spike?" Shining and Cadence gasped out in shock.
"Shining? Cadence?" Twilight called out from inside, recognizing their voices as she rushed out to join what quickly became a group hug.
"What happened to you, Spike?" Shining finally asked as the hug broke up.
"Nope!" Pinkie piped up, jumping between them. "We've already sat through four days of storytelling. You can join in in the middle and get the refresher later!"
Cadence couldn't help but laugh at that. "Or we could just read Twilight's notes," she teased, resulting in Twilight blowing her a raspberry.
Shining rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah...she's the only filly to ever take notes during The Cat in the Hat."
"Shi-ning!"
Laughter and introductions went around, as well as a few quick explanations, and Shining and Cadence took seats around the table. "So what have we missed?" Shining asked. "Any chance we could get a cliff notes version before you continue?"
"Samus hatched Spike due to crazy time stuff," Rainbow began. "Spike ate bad stuff which is actually good for dragons, grew super tough, fought a dragon, fought a demon, saved two planets, and had trouble convincing himself he wasn't a monster. Oh, and he apparently snagged a kiss at some point we haven't heard about yet, since apparently dragon fire cleanses their mouth completely, even of bad breath, leaving only a 'smokey aftertaste'."
Rarity gave Rainbow a long suffering look. "That was a rather...blunt way of putting it," she commented, noting Shining's somewhat shell-shocked expression. "However, I must admit I'm still curious about who it was that you got such...attention from, Spikey-Wikey." She fluttered her eyelashes at the dragon, making him scratch at his neck uncomfortably.
"Funny you should bring that up," Samus pointed out. "That's actually the next part of the story, when we went back to that same world where Spike had his 'monster' moment before."
"Ya took him back?" Applejack asked in shock.
"My idea," Spike indicated. "I wanted to face up to what I'd done and accept it...and prove to myself that I'd moved past it."
"And boy did he..." Samus chuckled.
As Samus and Spike stepped out on the world where their previous abortive picnic had occurred, Spike glanced around carefully. His armor hummed faintly, limiting his capabilities to account for the 1G environment, as opposed to the 20G he was used to. He was still immensely strong like this, but with luck he wouldn't break anything, or anyone. He wasn't surprised to see looks of concern or hostility sent his way after his last visit there.
Samus, for her part, greeted any hostility directed at Spike with a hostile look of her own. She was much better at it than the civilians. Few hostile civilians remained any longer than it took them to turn tail.
Cadence couldn't help but giggle at that. "I never would have pegged you for the overprotective type, Samus," she teased.
Samus merely shrugged in response as Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, considering I thought I'd lost him at the end of the last mission-"
"Wait, lost?" Shining asked, confused.
"Oh, yeah, Spike died at the end of the second planet," Rainbow added nonchalantly. "He got better though, and he apparently has a taste for brains. No big."
Discord busted several guts laughing. "Shiney...Cadey...you should both see your faces!"
The Princess and Prince Consort both blushed, as while Discord was the most vocal, he wasn't the only one laughing.
Samus suppressed her own chuckles. "At any rate, things were...tense. At least until the fire broke out."
"Fire?" many of the listeners gasped out.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Mom, I don't know which of you is worse..."
Spike and Samus were caught off guard when they saw the fire truck go racing by. However, neither hesitated either. Samus donned her Varia Suit - Arm Cannon restored - and raced after Spike, who managed to get ahead of her in the short time she had taken to get armored.
Arriving at the scene, she saw the fire truck in position, dousing a large apartment complex with their hoses, trying to extinguish the flames. "What's the situation?" she asked the head of the squad.
Recognizing her by her armor, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Fuel Gel tanker had a navigation malfunction and crashed into the apartment building. It's mostly empty, but there are still people and animals trapped inside. Was the dragon with you?" He gestured to the large hole in the wall.
"Spike went inside?" she demanded in shock.
"He said he was fire proof!" one of the other fire fighters called out.
"Not Fuel Gel proof!" Samus snapped, getting ready to charge in.
"Fuel Gel?" Twilight asked curiously.
"A highly reactive chemical substance, naturally occurring on various worlds," Samus explained. "Ideal for interstellar ships as a fuel source. Highly acidic to organic materials."
Twilight and several others winced. Samus continued the story.
As Samus got ready to move in, the fire bowed outward around the hole as Spike stepped out carefully, several people and animals shielded under his armored wings. The fire fighters raced forward to guide them to the EMTs. "I think that's everyone," Spike told the one in charge.
"My baby!" one of the women shouted out. "My little girl's still in there!"
His eyes going wide, Spike turned and immediately raced back inside, eyes closed and nostrils flared.
"Eyes closed?" Shining asked, confused.
"Sight isn't actually the strongest sense in most reptiles," Fluttershy pointed out. "From the sound of it, Spike was trying to track the difference in heat between human body temperature and flames, and scent anyone living left in the burning building."
"That exactly, Fluttershy," Spike praised. "Unfortunately, I was nearly too late..."
Samus watched from below, focusing on using her power beam to shoot any fragments of debris that were flying towards other buildings or people. She regretted her lack of Ice Beam, as it would be ideal for the situation. Not even her missiles were useful here. While focusing on what she could do, she pushed back her worries about Spike. After all, he was a big dragon, right?
At that moment, a scream was heard from the far side of the building. Up near the top, a teenage girl - presumably the one Spike had gone back in to find - was holding on for dear life from a window ledge, fire shooting out the window above her.
Samus raced over with the firemen, trying to position an impact pad to help the girl survive the fall, but she lost her grip before they'd even made it around the corner, screaming as she fell.
As she passed the halfway point - about when the impact pad was fully unpacked - the side of the building exploded outward just above her. The civilians screamed in fear, but Samus felt her jaw drop as she saw lances of green incinerate bits of debris falling towards the girl.
Spike swooped down out of the cloud of smoke and flame, moving as fast as he could to catch up to the girl. Just before she hit the ground, he managed to snag her. His armor's anti-G field kicked in, using the same energies that limited his strength in a low-G environment to neutralize the effect of sudden G's on his body - or anything he was holding - allowing him to shift instantly to lateral flight without tearing himself or the girl apart as he pulled her into his forelegs. He performed a gentle swoop up and around to land amongst the civilians safely. "You alright, miss?" he asked as he set her down gently.
The girl smiled up at him. "My hero," she breathed, throwing her arms around his head and planting her lips firmly on his. His eyes popped open in shock. After a few moments, she pulled back, licking her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm...smokey." She giggled. "My name's Lauren. What's yours?"
"Er...I...uh...guh..." Spike stammered out.
"Spike!" Samus shouted, catching their attention. She pointed upward, where a bit of pipe blasted upward by another explosion in the building had caused one of the aerial tankers carrying the flame retardant to extinguish the flames start to list dangerously, losing altitude. Without thinking, Spike took wing, shooting up into the air to catch the listing ship, using his own strength and wings to position it in the right place to dump its load.
Lauren looked up with an awestruck grin. "Dragons are awesome!"
"That they are!" Rainbow crowed, holding out her hoof for Spike to bump.
Rarity sighed theatrically. "A young girl bestows her first kiss upon her rescuer...how romantic..."
Samus chuckled at Spike's embarrassment. "Well, we weren't able to stay for long. By the time we were finally ready to unwind, we got called up for another mission. We had to meet up with one of the Federation's main fleets near Planet Norian for debriefing. That mission...was a doozy."
"Made some friends while we were at it, though," Spike pointed out.
"You know how that ended," Samus countered.
Spike shuddered. "Don't remind me-"
"Forgive my interruption!" Luna spoke up. "However, my attention is required immediately. An errant comet has just entered our region of space and is approaching the planet at untoward velocity!"
Twilight let out a shocked gasp, shortly followed by the entire group racing out of the castle. "Where is it, Luna?" Celestia asked.
Luna focused her magic, and her eyes widened. "That is far too fast! It has already entered the atmosphere!" She pointed upward.
A bright blue spot surrounded by a red corona could be seen shooting through the atmosphere, coming downward.
"Shining Armor!" Luna barked out. "We need your strongest shield spell, backed by all the magic we can bring to bear! If that thing impacts at those speeds-"
"It won't," Spike commented calmly, his eyes locked on the object and the readouts his visor was giving him. "It'll slow down well before it reaches the ground, and come in for a gentle landing..." He tracked the course projection, and pointed to a clear space near the crystal castle, within walking distance. "Right about there." He glanced up at Discord. "I wonder how they got the course so accurate? Or knew where to find us?"
Discord glanced away, whistling innocently.
"I...I don't understand..." Luna began.
"It's not a comet," Samus explained as the object began to slow its descent. "It's a spaceship...made of living ice."
"And machines, from the looks of things," Spike pointed out.
As the ship landed gently, its door opened. Three familiar figures stepped out into the light.
Hehe.
ok that was awesome...more please
So we're done with Prime 2 now right? Please?
the Ice space ship pilots!
CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS INTERGALATIC TRAVELERS YEAH!
pre02.deviantart.net/71e6/th/pre/f/2015/268/7/2/cmc_wrecking_crew_by_hillbe-d9auq0m.jpg
And then the castle exploded. . .
Hmm...are we going to go a little Stan Lee in all your stories at this point?
Ice and machines? Oh god, the other bounty hunters!
Wait, didn't they die in MP3, though?
Also, when are you gong to publish Discord's crossover? I ask only because I am going to be internet-less as of December 7.
Predictions: The Bounty Hunters from MP3 are going to be the ones on the ship. Later, an Ing Emperor possessed Ridley shows up to get their revenge, but finds all the ponies, Samus, Spike, and the Bounty Hunters all prepared for him and ready to attack.
Ridley: That just ain't fair.
Spike: Sorry, we don't give a fuck.
Samus/Twilight: Spike! Language!
CUE THE DARTH VADER MUSIC!!!!!
6492243
6492269
Can't say I didn't call that a few chapters ago either Though I guess it was too good of a reference to just let up eh?
6492334
Looking at the direction this is going and comparing the other fics I'll just say this: they got better.
Discord, what the hell did you do!?
Awesome chapter, I can't wait to see who the visitor's are, but I have a good guess due to the ice and machinery. And perfect timing, with Cadence and Shining finally arriving.
Yes they are. And I'm guessing she's yet another Lauren Faust analogue??? You seem to have them pop up more in the supporting cast fics than the Mane 6, any reason why???
6492389 That will be highly disappointing.
He's just a regular Casanova.
....no
that would be to great if you did what i think you just did.
It can't be....
6492533 No. But it is to be expected.
Maybe there will be lots of collateral damage to make it better. And screaming ponies, that should cheer you up.
6492610 Ridley starts chomping down on beings and getting healed..... what it's how he did it in the Manga and this clearly follows SOME of the Manga. Plus he's now bonded with a being that tears holes in dimensions... it's not gonna be that easy.
6492617 I hope it isn't any of Fluttershy's animals! Well... maybe on villainous bunny...
6492631 Yes. ALL THE ANIMALS.
6492634 NOOOO!!!! NOT ALL OF THEM!!!! JUST THE IRONICALLY NAMED ANGEL BUNNY!!!
Mr. Bear is named after my teddy bear! I can't let him die!
6492652 Okay let me see if I can convince him..... uh huh.... yeah.... oh I see..... welp hate to tell you but... Ridley just dropped ALL the fucks he gave.
6492659 YOU BUCKING SON OF A DIAMOND DOG! YOU TOLD HIM TO KILL MR. BEAR SPECIFICALLY, DIDN'T YOU?!!!!
6492663 Yes. Angel Bunny lives so he can have survivor's guilt and send a message.
6492668 I'LL KILL YOU!!! GET OVER HERE SO I CAN RAM A FLAMING SPIKE UP YOUR ASS!!!!
Then, I'm gonna rip off your wings and shove them down Tank's throat you you can see what its like to loose a loved one!!!!
6492677 Eh. He's already dead so whatever. Also a spike up my ass? That'd tickle.
6492491 Cause Lauren Faust is awesome!
6492681 I'm getting Alucard. And Seras. And Father Anderson. And Sir Integra. And Walter.
And the Master Sword for your demonic face.
6492698 *Drops Seras and Anderson's bodies on the floor and Alucard is right beside me laughing* Oh I'm sorry- *breaks the Master Sword* -you were saying?
6492702 That I fucking hate you and your family. Also, that was a training sword you just broke. I've still got plenty of magic at my disposal. Hell, even you can't beat me in an aerial dogfight, you damned slowpoke.
Also, I just did the rest of steps 2 through 10 while you weren't paying attention. On all three million and stupid long numbers of his ghouls and Alucard.
Lets keep this in a PM, K? I've got some things I don't want to say in public.
Oi don't mock Twilight taking notes of the story I actually had to do it for my Dungeons and Dragons party because I was the only one paying attention to the plot!
6492720 Oh no see... we're already done... as I already have your heart and just now ripped out your brain. Night night.
6492726 Have I mentioned the cheap tricks?
I've got a few clones of myself running around, and I can change my form. Who am I? What am I? Where will I show...
LASER CANNON TO THE FACE!!!
Another Story, another Lauren
I consider this canon now.
... you're gonna have Lauren in every story, aren't you?
Wait... they're alive!?
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
*Stares at Discord* I know you had something to do with this Discord. I would have thought that as the lord of chaos, you'd know that bringing unpredictable beings to equestria would put fluttershy at risk.
Hm?
Correct, Correct and Correct again.
You're not serious are you? Oh god you are, oh this hilarious!
... Blunt.
To be fair, they're just civilians, Samus is a certified bonafide Badass.
I wish we could.
Wouldn't be surprised if he just inhaled the fire harmlessly.
Useful. If the Varia Suit can protect from extreme volcanic heat, I doubt that mere flames will stop her.
Fuel Gel?
Yikes.
He can fix that.
Precisely.
Yes, I suspect that your missiles would just cause more debris.
Useful. I'm guessing Rainbow's pegasus magic must do something similar when she Rainbooms which is why in Sonic Rainboom, she, Rarity and the 'Bolts didn't get ripped apart by the Gs.
... Well then. Anothe Lauren to tick off the list.
Damn right!
Ooh, right, that one.
Shit!
Oh boy!
I wonder?
Of course.
Ice?
And machi-HOW?!
Please tell me this is going where I think it is.
6492659
I'm surprised he had any to give to begin with.
6493172
Exactly the same thing, at least according to my headcanon.
6493189
Makes sense, sine thrill seeker Dash may be, but I don't think she'd enjoy being ripped apart by her own "Special Move"
Faust drop
New theory, all the Laurens get together and do something amazing. That is how the eventual massive crossover will happen.
Welp. The other bounty hunters are there to insure Ridley regrets his choices that much more. Varia suit, luminoth armor, elements of harmony, solar and lunar diarchs, Princess of love, prince consort to the princess of love, and bounty hunters gear, plus every one else.
RHUNDAS?!?!?!?
GHOR?!?!?
Gandrayda.....
I cannot WAIT to see how you characterize the first two. Could care less about gandrayda though, she's a bit of a bitch.
Let us proceed to the next chapter...
6493172 Well due to bonding with the Emperor Ing he had some but they've recently just dropped all the Fucks they give.
6493955
Except the ones devoted to their destroying Samus and Spike, probably as painfully as possible, and staying alive. Pretty sure they may want to give a fuck about that.
6493959 Surprisingly THAT ONE has exactly ONE FUCK.... and they.... oh shit they dropped it.
6493961
Huh, still more fucks than I expected.