Author's Notes:

Warning: This chapter contains heavy violence and gore.

If this makes you uncomfortable or squeamish, please wait until the next chapter.

For everyone else, when you're done with the chapter, I would love to know your thoughts on the developments in this chapter. Please enjoy and I look forward to seeing you next chapter!

Stay classy, my paladins, and have a happy 2018!

I think I’m done with everything ever for today.

I walked away from Trojan's place with my thoughts in a haze, winding through Ponyville back to the castle. By the time I arrived, the sun was just beyond the horizon, Luna’s moon rising from the other side of Equestria.

Every time my mind wandered, I slapped myself out of it with a palm to the face, not caring what anypony in town might think.

Stop it, brain. Spike, the Brave and Glorious, needs his ‘me’ time, Celestia-damn it.

First order of business was to get cleaned up. I didn’t want to think about the meeting, Flash’s outburst, or Trojan and that one mind-blowing discovery she dropped on me. Bath. Food. Rest. Then I could properly deal with this mess and possibly freak out. I made a bee-line for the shower to satisfy my first objective.

Cleaned up and far less stressed out, I went into my room, reveling in the familiarity of my amethyst quarters. That Saturday issue of Power Ponies still on top of my bookshelf was tempting, but the rumble in my stomach led me to the corner of the room instead.

I rubbed my claws together in anticipation as I approached my good ol' gold-embroidered treasure chest. After a quick palming on the alarm glyph I set on the lid -- to warn me via Dragon Whisper if anyone I didn’t approve got to my gem hoard -- the little red circle that marked the spell lit up. I smiled for the first time since I got back.

The lid clicked open with a satisfying pop. A glittering bed of tasty rubies, emeralds, diamonds and more greeted my eyes. I passed over most of them; today called for my emergency stash of star sapphires.

I grabbed an armful of the glorious blue rough-cut shiners, chewing through a few as I made my way to the bed. As the fragments melted in my fiery stomach, I shuddered from the euphoric surge no sugar rush could ever compete with.

Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff.

Just as I climbed on the bed and prepared to relax, I noticed a letter addressed to me on my pillow. I gave it a quick read while munching on gems.

Dear Spike,

If you need to find me, I am at the Stardew Horizon with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. If you see Flash before he sees my letter, let him know to read it as soon as he can. There is something very important he and I need to talk about. I’ll explain later, but it is important that I talk to him alone about this.

i would be grateful if you could give us some space during that time. It’s a very adult conversation and I would rather not subject you to that or make Flash feel uncomfortable. I promise to make it up to you later.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle

Adult conversation? With Twilight? So she’s finally going to talk to him about this human versus pony Flash thing she’s been stressing out over since he got here. Add confronting him about Flash’s imaginary feelings for her, and there is a recipe for the world’s most awkward conversation ever since Twilight gave me ‘the talk’.

“...Oh well, sucks to be him!” I pushed the concern out of my mind as I continued getting my fill.

Halfway through my fourth sapphire, an uneasy feeling twisted in my chest.

Trojan was not the only one who had a rough day.

“Nope. Not gonna deal with this right now. Today has been crazy enough as it is.” The discomfort intensified.

I haven’t heard from Flash for awhile. He’s probably even more upset, and now has to suffer Twilight’s ‘adult’ talk. I should talk to him too. See how he’s doing.

I groaned. “But I don’t wanna deal with it now. Ugh, can’t it just wait until tomorrow? A lot of crap just went down today.”

Same with Trojan, but that didn’t stop me from helping her. Am I playing favorites now?

“Damn it, I like both of them. I mean, yeah, Trojan has been growing on me, but it’s not like I don’t think Flash is… wait, why am I arguing with myself?”

Because those two are driving me to drink.

I sighed in defeat. Couldn’t agree more. “Fine, I’ll check up on Flash and give him his pep talk… even if he was being a great big jerk today.”

I placed my hand on my chest and channeled Flash. “T-Bolt, this is Dragonfly, do you copy?”

No response.

“Come on. T-Bolt. This is Dragonfly. Please respond.”

Still no response.

Perhaps he was still feeling angry and wasn’t up for our Vox speak. Time for a different angle. “Hey Flash, you got a minute to talk? Please say something. Anything.”

Nothing.

Flash was always particular about maintaining proper lines communication and coordination, usually answering my calls within a few minutes at the latest. For him to not mention anything whatsoever churned at my gut with an uncomfortable feeling. I gave him some time to respond to me, stuffing my face with more gems, if only to calm my nerves.

After two minutes, it was clear he was not going to answer. Maybe he’s talking to Twilight.

Channeling the Dragon Whisper, I connected to Twilight. “Bookhorse, this is Dragonfly. Do you read?”

“Spike, I’ve told you to stop calling me that,” I didn’t have to see Twilight to know she rolled her eyes. “I take it you finished spending time with Sassy?”

“Yep! Had fun, as usual. Showed me a lot of cool therapy stuff with her job.” Biggest damn lie of the century.

“I would hope you’re learning something from her. Can’t help but notice that you’ve been hanging out with her a lot, lately. Ugh, stop it, Rainbow! Pretty sure Spike doesn’t have a crush on Sassy!”

I facepalmed. Not in the mood for your crap, Rainbow.

“Twilight? You left the whisper on,” I warned.

“Oh! Sorry, Spike. You know how Rainbow gets. Just ignore what you heard for now.”

“Way ahead of you. Speaking of crushes, is Flash with you?”

A pause. “W-what is that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothin’. Anyway, is he there?”

“No, but he did seem troubled by something when he left the confidence session. Haven’t seen him all day. Is he alright?”

“Oh, him? Yeah. Totally fine. I read the letter, so I thought he might be with you talking. Finally gonna tell him the truth behind the Mirror World Flash?”

“Y-yeah, among, well, other things. I can’t keep dancing around this subject, no matter how uncomfortable it will be for both of us.” Twilight’s voice trembled big time.

“Don’t worry, I’m positive that’s not going to be near the top of his uncomfortable list.” That honor went to ‘working with Changelings.’

“Well, what probably will be on his list is once I talk to him about his, erm, w-well, emotions for me. For the past few weeks I’ve done what I could to get to know him and calculate my feelings. I just… I don’t know, Spike. Everytime I see him, I just see the other Flash. No matter what I do, I can’t see them as individuals, and that’s not fair to him. I have to set the record straight.”

Now I was definitely glad not to be part of that conversation. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near earshot of those two talking about their ‘feelings’.

“I’m sure everything will work out. Just tell him how you feel and don’t beat around the bush.”

“You’re right. I just hope I don’t make things awkward between us. Flash is a fantastic friend, but I’m just too confused to see him as anything more than that. I would rather not, as Applejack phrased it, ‘lead him on’.”

Had the story about Flash’s love for Twilight been true, I would have felt bad to know he was about to get friend-zoned by the Princess of Friendship.

It’s so ironic, it hurts.

Nothing against Flash, but the implications of those two being in the same castle and dating made me cringe. I read enough of Big Mac’s secret stash to know what would happen eventually.

Ugh, I think I made myself sick.

“Everything will be fine. You got this, Twilight.”

“Thanks, Spike. Leave it to my Number One Assistant to know exactly how to cheer me up.”

I smiled. “Alright, I’ll catch you later. Going to find Flash and send him your way.”

“Okay. Bye, Spike!”

I released the connection. Never thought that one little lie would spark all of this. Then again, I should have known better. Time to find Flash and get this over with.

I hopped off my bed and went across the hall, knocking on Flash’s door.

“Hey Flash, are you in there?”

No response. I frowned.

With a twist to the handle, I opened the door.

“Look, Flash, I know you’re probably still… huh?”

Immediately, red flags went up in my mind: Most of his equipment was gone.

Flash was not in his room, his armor missing, and I couldn’t reach him via Dragon Whisper? This had bad news all over it.

“Oh come on!”

I was torn between punching something out of frustration and telling Trojan, who already was not in the best of moods, that Flash had likely gone out and gotten himself in trouble.

Whoa, time to get a grip on myself. Remember your training. Assess and evaluate. Don’t jump to conclusions. Flash usually took his equipment with him whenever he went on patrol, so that doesn’t mean he’s in actual danger.

I searched the room all over. There were no signs of hurry, such as knocked over items or unorganized belongings. Some of his special equipment were missing, such as his evidence case. His concealable weapon was also gone, as well as that cool camouflage cloak he talked about using should he ever need to go into Everfree’s forest.

Wait. There’s no way he would do that… would he?

Nah. There’s no way he could be that stupid to go into Everfree by himself, especially without telling either of us. There must have been some piece of the puzzle I was missing.

Trojan’s advice suddenly sprang to mind. Every solution left a trail of answers. Just a matter of finding where the trail starts.

My brow furrowed in thought. Flash somehow figured out that Trojan and I made up the story that he was in love with Twilight. The big question was how he pulled that off? He had to have come from the castle, since it was during his confidence session time. The only two ponies who knew about the stage fright issue was Twilight… and Fluttershy.

My eyes widened. Ruling out that Twilight somehow told him, that left Fluttershy to be the last one he spoke to. Fluttershy ratted us out!

“I need to talk to Fluttershy.”

I kept a steady jog as I hurried towards Fluttershy’s cottage. I’d asked ponies along the way if they saw Flash. Unfortunately, nopony recalled such an occurrence. Assuming they somehow never noticed an armored pegasus run around in a forest-colored cloak, this meant there was a chance Flash, for reasons I could not fathom, dodged attention on purpose.

Damn it, Flash. Where did you go?

I was about to leave the outskirts of town when I caught sight of three unicorn stallions trotting with a brisk trot down the road. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much had they not been moving towards Everfree. Ponies had been warned by Twilight to avoid going into the forest, especially at night. What reason could they have for going into the forest this late?

While there were still some ponies milling about, no one paid any attention to the stallions. Nothing about them stood out to the naked eye. To my trained eyes, they were too normal.

Dark, crew cut manes that were eerily similar. They moved almost in perfect unison, more of a march than a casual stride. Their expressions were empty as their eyes focused on the path ahead. Most telling was the unsettling vibe that emanated off them. Those ponies were on a mission.

I might just be paranoid. But just in case, I’ll ‘practice’ my stalking and stealth training on them. If I get caught, I’ll just laugh it off and pretend I was playing a prank on them.

When it came to stealth, my biggest weakness was that I stuck out like a sore hoof. For me to hide in plain sight was a fool’s errand. I thought back to the golden rule drilled into me for stalking ponies.

Think like a Changeling. Move like a dragon. Act like a predator.

The moment the stallions looked away, I slipped to the side and around a building as if I took a casual turn into a side street. Once I was out of everypony’s line of sight, I dashed from one shadow to the next. I ensured every move and position I took produced no sound or hint I existed in the space.

As we reached the edge, there were no more buildings to hide behind. Just a bridge to cross over a small river to enter the Everfree’s vicinity. The stallions continued to move, oblivious to me.

The plain was well maintained outside areas that drifted rather close to Everfree’s Forest, where the tall grass could easily provide cover. My only safe bet before then was under the bridge the stallions were about to cross. To my chagrin, they alternated lookouts for anypony following them, almost like clockwork. Roughly between thirty to forty five seconds each, not too often to draw suspicion.

If I was going to get close to not lose them, the timing was tight. I would have to cross the plains and get under the bridge before they noticed me.

Going onto all fours, I interpose myself between a house and parked carriage to get a clear shot between my spot and the bridge. I waited until one of the stallion’s eyes faced forward again to scramble towards the safe zone. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Twenty-five seconds.

One of them was just about to turn his head as I crawled under the bridge, my claws gripped along the edge of the bank and the wooden planks underneath. My heart thudded against my chest as I took agonizingly slow breaths to avoid making a sound.

I listened for the subtle hooffalls. Though difficult, I could pick up muffled steps growing more and more distant. Once I judged they were far enough, I slithered towards the edge of the river and stole a peek just above ground level. I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding once I saw they did not suspect a thing.

I snaked my way into the tall grass, watching my speed so they wouldn’t immediately notices the shifting of the grass blades. I watched them through the slits of green blades, going about their merry way into the gap of foreboding trees and darkness that was Evergreen Forest. Not silly enough to follow them along the main road, I opted for the scenic route behind the trees and through the underbrush.

Something most ponies didn’t realize about dragons was their ability to see in the dark. Along with having powerful senses, it was all too easy for me to keep track of the stallions who suddenly picked up the pace. They never talked or even made expressions as they acted as if some invisible force commanded them to move.

Those ponies were definitely up to something.

Every step had to be carefully executed. A single twig or misstep would give away my position in a second. At times I fought the urge to speed up as our gap widened to avoid risk. Outside a few close calls with some snakes and broken branches, I was little more than a formless, silent shadow to them.

We moved deeper into the forest, a rough estimate of about a quarter mile in, before they stopped. I froze and held my breath.

Before my eyes, they transformed into Timberwolves.

I stifled a gasp. Changelings!

My heart thump in my ears as the three ‘Timberwolves’ slipped into hiding spots alongside the path. Green, glowing eyes peered through the thick underbrush they hid under. It wasn’t until I focused that I realized there were more of them in this area.

Three more pairs of glowing green eyes hid amongst various shadows and foliage. It wasn’t until I looked skyward that I noticed even more Timberwolves perched on the thick tree trunks, one of them right above me. Some were harder to find than others, very well hidden among the greenery and treelines.

It’s almost as if they are setting up an ambush. But for what? Or rather, whom?

After a cautious scan, I found ten Timberwolves lying in wait. According to Thorax, this was almost all of them with the exception of one, likely Elytra if I had to guess.

I have to get away and call Trojan. This is way too big for me to handle on my own.

I shifted my weight to move backwards, thankful their focus was primarily on the path ahead. Inch by torturous inch, I slipped behind another thick line of trees until it was between me and the Changelings.

Only to be greeted by two leering, untransformed Changelings.

Oh crap!

An odd, uncomfortable sensation filled my mind, fogging my thoughts. Their bluish eyes burned green as they crept towards me. The sensation didn’t feel harmful, but it was clear an unknown force at work.

Are they attempting to mind control me? Figured it would be more painful and less irritating. Unless… that’s it! The daggers keep them out of my head! That just leaves dealing with these two bastards.

I waited for them to get a little closer before I blew a flash of dragonflame in their direction. This stunned them for only a few seconds, but long enough to jump to my feet and run for my life. Various growls and shifts echoed from behind, rapid steps and shifts of foliage followed hot on my heels.

I leapt through the trees and looked back only to blow more flames in their direction to scare them off. Leaves shifted all around me.

They’re trying to flank me! Shit!

Before I could alter my direction, one of the changelings dropped in front of me. Pain exploded on my chin as the hoof knocked me back. I countered with a quick jab to the cheek and shifted back and into a fighting stance out of reflex. I stole a cursory look around to search for a way to escape.

That chance for escape proved useless as I found myself surrounded by Changelings.

A quick headcount revealed twenty.

Did Thorax lie to us? There should be no more than eleven!

My stomach and heart sank.

Am I… going to die?

No escape routes. Completely surrounded. I doubted I would get a chance to call Trojan. How in the world am I going to get out of this?

The daggers came to mind. I didn’t want to kill them. Perhaps I could scare them off long enough to call for help and put some distance.

The Changeling who punched me lunged forward.

I reached for my blade, slid to the side, and swiped at its hooves, scoring a small cut on the dark chitin.

All the Changelings converged towards me. I took on a defensive stance, gathering flames in my gut to unleash a blast.

“HOLD IT!”

The swarm froze stone still. My eyes turned to the source of the voice; the first Changeling to attack me.

His eyes went wide with shock, a hoof raised to issue a hold position. He stared at my blade like he had seen a ghost.

After a pause, fury took over his features.

“That blade! Where did you get that?!”

Strange. Why did he look so shaken about seeing the–

I gasped with a start. They recognized Trojan’s weapons!

The other changelings murmured among themselves, half stunned, half enraged. My life hung on a shaky thread. One wrong move, and I was changeling chow.

“I… uh…” Sweat poured out of me in waves. Think, Spike, think! How do we use this to stay alive and get help?

“Tell me what you’ve done, dragon! How did you get those daggers?!”

Do I tell them about Trojan? They recognize her weapons, but for all they know, I killed her and took the daggers. I don’t think telling them Trojan’s alive is a good idea without making sure she was okay with it. Thorax had no weapons on him, so I can’t say he had them. Couldn’t say a buddy gave the daggers to me either; that would kill me faster.

Gah, I’m thinking too much. Keep it simple; how do I keep them from murdering my face off? Show them that I’m not a threat worth killing?

It suddenly clicked.

Here goes nothing.

I steeled myself as I recited the Shadow’s Code:

“I am the guile mind. Knowledge is my weapon.
I am the strong body. Health is my core.
I am the brave soul. Courage is my shield.
I am the noble heart. Love is my life.
We are legion. We are victory. We are shadow.”

For a moment, I thought they stopped breathing.

They gaped in awe, jaws slack and eyes wide. It was more terrifying to see them silent than snarling at me.

“Spike, was it?” The initial speaker inquired, his tone far calmer, yet held a hint of caution, “where did you learn such a phrase?”

Welp, I’m not dead yet. Here’s hoping I can keep it that way.

I thought to give them the true answer, but realized I still needed to maintain some secrecy. No telling how they would respond if I told them the truth.

“I have my ways,” I replied.

He growled, “you’re the one who killed the other changeling, aren’t you?!”

Easy, Spike. This one I think I can answer honestly.

“Thorax is alive and well. We’re taking good care of him. Of course, he will only stay that way as long as I am unharmed.” I added as a safety precaution.

Tension instantly thickened among the group, who exchanged nervous glances.

The lead changeling glowered, though I could see the proverbial gears churn behind his gaze. Occasionally he would throw death glares at some of his teammates, who shrunk back in shame. I would have found their silent arguments humorous if my life wasn’t in danger.

After a minute, he nodded.

“We won’t kill you. However, we do have to bring you before our leader for question–”

He never got to finish his sentence.

I’d noticed the shadow half a second before something crashed onto the changeling with crushing force. Cracked chitin and strangled gasp filled my senses. Blood and splinters showered from the now brittle corpse, some of it splashing or bouncing off my face. I looked up, earfins pulled back as I stood speechless.

Tattered remains of the mud-green cloak were stained dark red. His snow white coat was covered with numerous cuts, bruises and blood, majority of the blood covered the bladed sword staff. The once golden Royal Guard armor barely hung on his body, cracked in places and just as bloodied as the rest of his garments.

The black sclera and feral look in Flash’s eyes made me question whether I was safe or about to die.

“Move.”

My blood chilled at the warped tone. My legs failed to respond.

“Are you daft?” Flash’s voice dripped with hateful venom. “Move, or I will kill you too.”

That was more than enough encouragement to wake my legs up. I dove and took cover behind the furthest tree. I moved just in time before Flash was immediately surrounded by growling Changelings.

“Hope you bastards enjoyed your last meal.”

Flash bore a wicked grin.

“I have no love or mercy left to give. Only twenty dead Changelings.”

The changelings rushed at him.

A violent white aura whipped around Flash as he dove towards the swarm. He let loose a battle cry that rooted them in place.

In the span of a gasp, Flash gripped the first Changeling’s face and charged forward. A yelp escaped its lips before a resounding crack against the now bloodied tree silenced it.

By the time that Changeling slumped from the tree to the floor, Flash’s blade already cleaved the closest Changeling, separating his skull and body. Flash spun towards another Changeling’s charge and grasped its horn.

Twist. Snap!

The body went limp, one horn short of a full Changeling.

One of them opened their mouth to cry in anguish, but a flying horn to the throat silenced that attempt.

In the next second, Flash’s blade found its mark on another Changeling’s throat before he could fire off a magic bolt from its horn. Before the blood touched the floor, Flash turned and struck down another.

Then another.

Again and again.

Their numbers dropped faster than I could count.

Bloodcurdling screams filled the night sky. Flash stabbed, and slashed, and carved his way through the ranks like a blender. Those who resisted or attempted to fight back were cut down in an instant, torn apart by Flash’s blade and broken both in body and spirit by his hooves.

With each kill, a ghostly essence flowed from the corpses and into Flash, somehow inspiring his frenzy.

The smile never left Flash’s muzzle.

I drew the conclusion long before the changelings did: They did not stand a chance.

The smarter Changelings attempted to flee, only for Flash to skewer them with his spear or improvised Changeling horn. His movements between one changeling to another was a mere blur to the naked eye. I tried to peel my eyes away from the slaughter, but couldn’t find the strength to do anything more than cry for the remaining half of the Changelings, who begged for their lives.

Flash kept true to his word. Their wish was never granted.

As I stared back at the hollow eyes of the Changeling’s head that rolled to at stop at my feet, every nerve went numb. I opened my mouth to scream.

Only to be stopped by a pair of hooves that yanked me away from the madness and pulled behind the trees. My cry was stifled from the hoof over my mouth.

“Spike, relax, you have nothing to fear. You won’t come to harm, that I swear.”

I nodded slowly. Zecora turned me around to and tossed a tired smile. Her mane was a frazzled mess, matted to her muddy and sweaty coat. Strapped to her back was a familiar metal case that was missing from Flash’s room. There were traces of blood on her, some clearly not from her wounds.

“Zecora, what is going on? What in the world is happening?” My voice cracked between trying to talk over the screams and failing to fight my own rising panic.

“Please stay calm, for what I will tell you may sound crazy. The ghosts of hatred, a windigo, has possessed Flash Sentry.”

She's right. That did sound crazy. This entire situation is crazy. Maybe even I'm going crazy.

My chest tightened. Breathing was a chore.

Windigos possessed Flash. Butchering of Changelings.

Screams. Blood. So much blood.

Why was this happening? Why the buck was I even here?

Somepony, please wake me up!

A sharp pain exploded on my cheek. I snapped my focus to Zecora’s stern stare as she lowered her hoof. “I apologize for striking you, but we cannot delay. You must seek help while I keep Flash at bay!”

Zecora’s right. Flash can’t be allowed back into Ponyville until the Windigo is out of him. In fact, his symptoms was just like Pinkie when the pathos–

I gasped with a start.

Wait a minute. Magic that fed on hatred. Windigos that spread hatred. Chrysalis’s partner. They all had to be connected.

I dug my claw into my shaking arm and squeezed. The pain brought my mind out of the brink of frenzy.

I’m Flash’s teammate. No matter how much I wanted to run away and seek help, Zecora is clearly in no condition to deal with him.

“My turn for questions, one that is cause for much alarm.” Zecora peeked her head over the hedge bush towards the madness. Immediately she averted her eyes and crouched out of sight. “What are Changelings doing here, targeting you for harm?”

“There’s too much to explain. I’ll tell you later, but for now, I need a favor.”

You can do this, Spike. You can’t let Zecora deal with Flash after what she’s been through. I am the brave soul. Courage is my shield.

“I will stay here and deal with Flash. I need you to be the one to find Twilight and the others.”

Zecora shook her head. “Foolish dragon, that will not do. I won’t stand to see harm come to you.”

“Don’t argue with me on this. You’re in no condition to deal with Flash.”

“But–”

“This isn’t the time!” I hissed. Zecora reeled back. “Twilight is at the Stardew Horizon. Find her and bring her here as soon as possible. Flash will listen to me, or I will make him listen.”

Her hardened stare met my own for several seconds. Zecora sighed. “I will bring Twilight. But whatever you do, avoid a fight.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Hopefully.

Zecora moved only a few steps before a terrible realization hit me.

If Twilight knows about the Changelings, Trojan will find out. If Trojan ended up learning Flash killed those Changelings…

“Wait!”

Zecora froze, casting me a curious glance.

“Let me do something first. Stay still and relax.”

I went up to Zecora and initiated the draconic glyph spell on her chest like I did with Flash and Trojan.

“This is the Dragon Whisper. Whenever you need to talk to me, place your hoof where I touched you and picture me in your mind. With it, you can talk to me from any distance.”

Zecora’s eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, only to clasped shut as her eyes looked over the hedge we hid behind. I was about to ask what she saw when the answer was all too clear.

It was quiet.

“Find Twilight, and please don’t tell her about the Changelings! I’ll explain why later, now go!” I commanded in a whisper. Zecora nodded and bolted around and through the tree line, disappearing into the night.

“Wind Stride, it’s safe to come out now.”

I stiffened. Flash’s voice was both lighter and more warped at the same time.

Wait, who was Wind Stride?

“Are you still here? I said come out!”

Was there another pony? What if this Wind Stride was travelling along with Zecora and Flash?

I gulped, forcing myself to ignore the ball of ice that dropped in my stomach as I moved out of hiding to face Flash.

I covered my mouth to stifle the scream.

Flash panted heavily as he sauntered towards me, stepping through a trail of severed limbs and eviscerated bodies. Red and black stretched as far as I dared to look. White mist leaked off his body and merged with the chilled red mist that smelled of foul iron, a trail of frost and snow followed Flash’s wake. The blood contrasted his white coat. His hard eyes robbed my ability to talk or move.

Was this what war was like? Did Flash go through this during Canterlot?

“Wind Stride, are you hurt?”

How could Flash think this was okay? How was any of this okay?

“Hey, are you there? Wind Stride!”

I… I can’t. This was wrong. All wrong. Please, no more bloodshed. Make it stop! By the stars, make it all stop!

“Wind Stride, snap out of it!”

Flash shook me like a ragdoll, throwing me out of one nightmare into the next. Now I had to deal with the murderer himself.

I am the brave soul. Courage is my shield. I am the brave soul. Courage is my shield. I am the brave soul...

I sucked in a shaky breath.

Spike, get your act together! Twilight will be here soon to help. If you don’t deal with Flash here, there will be more deaths. Buy time.

With my wits back to normal, I begrudgedly surveyed the landscape–more like graveyard–to find this ‘Wind Stride’. When Flash wrapped his hooves around my head and peered closely at my eyes, I fought every instinct in me that wanted to flip out and run. The obsidian sclera shifted in his glassy gaze.

“W-where is Wind Stride?” I cursed the tremble in my voice, especially when Flash frowned.

“What are you talking about, Wind? Wait,” Flash’s eyes widened with alarm, “did those bastards get to you? Get your act together, private!”

Private? Why is he calling me Wind?

Shock rippled through my spine.

Does he think I’m was Wind Stride? I have a bad feeling about this.

“Flash, what is my name?”

Panic flickered in his gaze for a second. “How do you not… hold on. I think I know what’s going on here. Shellshock, just like Nitro.” Flash’s features softened. “Alright, listen; you’re Private Wind Stride of Squad ten.”

Oh. Oh no. Please tell me this is not happening.

“W-where are we, um, C-captain?” I asked.

“Captain? No, that’s Nightingale. I’m a private, just like you. Look, I wish I could get you back to speed better, but the changelings are running rampant. We have to save everypony and take down as many of these bastards as we can before they take down all of Canterlot.”

Oh sweet Celestia. Flash thinks he’s back in Canterlot during the invasion! But didn't Shining say Flash was the sole…

My heart sank.

Just play along, Spike. For both of your sakes.

“I… er… y-yeah, it’s coming back to me now.”

Flash smiled. “Damn good job! I’d already sent Nitro to find the others. In the meantime, we need to storm the castle and free the hostages.” He dropped a hoof on my shoulder.

A sharp chill went through me. I couldn’t feel an ounce of body heat from him.

“Bro, I know you’re scared right now. But I want you to know that I believe in you. The only ones left who can save Celestia and the other hostages is us. It’s a long way to the castle, but if we work together, we can make it! We can’t let the fear get us!”

That train left the station a long time ago, Flash.

“R-right. We can’t let fear get us. That’s why we should, uh… look for our other comrades! I’m sure they are in this fore-I mean city, somewhere. Reinforcements and all of that.”

“But there’s no time! Chrysalis could be torturing the hostages! Maybe even killing them!”

“Flash, you’re thinking scared right now. We need to be smart about this. The more of our squad we save, the better our chances will be to infiltrate and rescue the hostages. Secure the quickest advantage first. No soldier gets left behind.”

Flash frowned as he looked between me and the direction towards Ponyville. I could only assume that was the direction the Canterlot castle was for him.

After a minute, he sighed, then smiled gratefully at me. “You’re right. See, that’s why you’re the smart one in the team.”

“Eheh, yeah, that’s totally me. A total genius.” I laughed with a nervous hitch. “Follow my lead. I’ll help you find the others.”

“Right behind you.”

Assuming he believed me to be a pony, I moved while crouched on all fours. Flash followed.

Great, now I have to escort a tripping Flash Sentry while pretending to be a dead soldier in the middle of an imaginary warzone.

What could possibly go wrong?

What the hay is taking Zecora so long? I’ll be dead from stress or Flash at this rate!

Time couldn’t have moved any slower for us as we trudged through the ‘ruined city of Canterlot’. Flash kept scowling towards Ponyville every few minutes as lead him in an obscure circle. The pathos inside Flash grew as we walked, snow and frost trickling from his hooves and all around out. Flash would mumble something incoherent to himself and stop once in awhile to stall a migraine. I was on borrowed time.

After ten agonizing minutes of aimless walking, my small miracle came through.

“Spike, can you hear me?”

I stopped cold, causing Flash to slide into a stop. That’s Twilight’s voice! Zecora found her!

“What's wrong, Wind?”

“Oh, uh…” I cupped my chin, searching for an opening. First thing’s first; lose Flash for just a minute so I can talk to Twilight alone.

“Let's split up here to save time. Gale search pattern,” I suggested. It was Flash’s code for encircling separate paths and waving routes into each other so we didn't stray too far.

Flash lingered, giving me a blank look. “...Alright. I'll search this street. Go through that alley.” He pointed to a hollowed out log.

“Sounds good. See you soon.” I moved in the suggested direction, looking for ponies that didn't exist until Flash ventured off east and disappeared out of view.

Flash didn’t look at all convinced. Have to do this right now.

“Please tell me Zecora found you!” Half excited, half paranoid, I spoke in a hushed tone.

“Yes, Zecora told me about the windigo and Flash. I had Fluttershy take Zecora to the castle to get some rest, but the girls and I are on our way to Everfree right now. Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine for now, but please hurry up and find me. Flash is really freaking me out.”

“We’ll be there soon. Whatever you do, avoid doing anything to agitate or upset him. There’s no telling how he will react if he’s hallucinating.”

“I’ll be careful. I’ll get us back to the entrance to meet up.”

I released the call. Tension rolled off my shoulders in waves–

–only to return with a vengeance as Flash’s blade settled at the crook of my neck.

“Going somewhere, comrade?”