Banner by lmbossy
Banner by lmbossy
Many thanks to Megan/Peta and Lmbossy for all their
betaing and endless patience.
Chapter 8
Continues on from where the last chapter left off.
“Spiiiike” Buffy screamed as the dragon pounced and snatched her up.
Its green scales shone brightly in the brilliant sunlight as it curled its talons around her slim form and reared upwards onto its hind quarters. A flicker of flame curled from its nostrils as it trumpeted its defiance. The white horse was still held pinned in its coiled tail and it whinnied in fear and pain, kicking its hind legs furiously trying to break free.
“Really, what is that?” the shadow pointed excitedly at the green monster. A childlike curiosity sat unfamiliarly on the angular face. His bright eyes were gleaming with excitement at the new experiences, the world he had been created in was a strange and alien place filled with surprises.
“It’s a dragon you git.” Spike wheeled around and using his sword as a walking stick, he began to move slowly towards the scaled beast. “We have to do something,” he staggered forward, one of his hands holding his stomach as he sank to his knees. Weakened even more by his sudden movements, the drain of strength between them was increasing with their renewed proximity. He didn’t even have the power to growl and he hated it. “We’re stuck in a sodding realm where fairytales are real, and now it looks like the bint has decide to chuck Puff the Magic Dragon at us on top of whatever the hell she’s done to me, and somehow I doubt there will be any wacky baccy around to enjoy later either.”
“What?” the shadow cocked his head and stepped out of his host’s reach, skirting around the slumped form and moving closer to the dragon. “This is amazing; is it really a dragon? And this is a fairytale realm? I thought for a moment you were pulling my chain. But look a dragon.” He gestured at the green beast, excitement lighting his azure eyes.
“I noticed.” Spike pushed himself up and swayed, then sank back to his knees. “God, there has to be a way to get us sorted.”
His counterpart avoided looking at Spike, instead focusing on the tableau of the dragon with its two captives. Part of him knew what to do but it wasn’t fair, he wanted to survive. He had only just become solid; he wanted to live the life his host did. Experience everything and not fade back into the dark to be forgotten. Having no feeling or experiences beyond the previous night the Shadow Spike felt no guilt destroying his former host by just being there. But the girl was pretty, she had a sunny smile and her hair was shiny. A small bloom of cold erupted in his stomach as he looked at her pain wracked face. He wondered if this was worry or guilt that he was feeling.
“Ow,” Buffy grimaced and began to wriggle, trying to get loose from her clawed prison. Her face paled as one of the razor sharp tips of a talon nicked into her stomach. Blood welled around the small wound and she inhaled deeply. Sucking her breath in and curving her back as best she could in her scaled prison, Buffy tried to move her stomach away from the sharp point and failed. “Spike…” her face blanched as the pain ricocheted around her small form.
“No!” Spike crawled forward, dragging himself slowly and inexorably towards her. His former shadow followed his progress emotionlessly; his hands thrust in his jeans back pockets as he watched the scene unfold before him. The obvious suffering of the vampire had no effect on him - but the young woman was a different case. He sauntered after Spike as he made painstakingly slow progress towards the girl he’d declared his love to only minutes earlier. “I’m not letting you die, not now. Not after everything we’ve bloody well gone through to get here.” He levered himself up and sank back on his heels.
Buffy gritted her teeth. She lifted her arm and swung downwards, her sword flashed in the sunlight as it glanced off the impenetrable scales that covered the dragon from head to really sharp toes. The ringing sound from the impact covered the whimper of pain from its wielder, Buffy dropped the sword as her fingers went numb, and it thudded on the grass. “Crap, not good,” she reached for the talon shallowly piercing her skin and wrapped her hands around it, and trying to lever it out of her bleeding flesh. She lifted her legs and braced them against the scaled cage that held her as she pulled and yanked at the immovable dragon talon. “Slayer strength ain’t working here Spike.”
Spike’s eyes turned amber as his game face flickered to the fore, all his focus on the wound that was in his slayer’s soft stomach. The scent of her blood, instead of making him hungry, was crushing him fear and worry. “Go and help her, you’re stronger than me,” it took a lot for him to admit this to his copy. Anger was overwhelming him with a helpless rage for the first time since he was paralysed. He wanted to tear at the grass and weep in frustration.
“Me? How…I don’t know what to do?”
“Oh, for the love of…” Spike snarled. He lifted the sword he’d been using for support and holding it like a spear, he threw it unerringly towards the dragon. It glanced across a green scaled flank and skittered away leaving a trail of sparks in its erratic passage. The dragon caught unawares reared back and lost balance. Instead of falling, it uncoiled its tail, inadvertently releasing the white horse. Using his tail for balance, the mythical monster turned its attention to the two peroxide blonds. Now freed, the horse trotted away its sides heaving as it inhaled air into its oxygen starved lungs. Distractedly Spike noticed that it had furled wings along its back.
“Go and help Buffy, please,” Spike begged. He had never felt so helpless, and hatred for his parasitic shadow was filling him with a dark rage that he was unable to express in his usual violent fashion. Instead he begged. Begged for his girl’s life with his last ounce of strength.
“But what can I do? I can’t fight…I don’t know how.”
“Just sodding well try, the world needs her I sodding well need her and she needs us to save her.” Spike managed to stand up, his passion for the slayer giving him with a burst of energy. He watched Buffy’s legs kicked futilely as she tried to pry herself loose from the implacable grip of the fire breathing monster.
“You need to wrestle it, tear its head off.” a musical voice echoed around the meadow. The white horse cantered towards Spike unfurling the pair of feathered wings that had been laid flat along his back. “It’s the only way to kill it,” Pegasus sidled around and stood next to Spike. “Rest against me, gather your strength, and between us we shall save your maiden.” The magical animal tossed his mane and regarded the silent shadow with distaste. “Your cowardly companion need not bestir itself.”
“I am not a coward,” the copy protested as he stepped towards Spike. “If I do this, then I will be lost forever and I don’t want to die. Not now, not after becoming me.”
“You are me, not a separate entity. Whatever that bint did to me was wrong. You are not supposed to be here.” Spike growled as he looped his arm around the white horse’s neck to support himself.
“You are not meant to be,” the Pegasus reproached the shadow of the vampire. “Your presence is destroying your master; this is not the natural way.”
“I know. But I am scared,” the shadow Spike shivered and wrapped his arms around himself as he hunched his shoulders against the inevitable. He wanted to survive, but the budding feelings that were evolving in him for the slender blonde girl were confusing him - and at the same time giving him the strength to do the right thing.
“We all get scared," he admitted with a crushing reality check. "Right now I am bloody scared out of my gourd for Buffy. That bastard is crushing her to death. If we don’t save her, the slayer doesn't have a hope in hell...she will die.” Spike grated out as he leant against the white flank of the flying horse.
“Hurry, the beast is about to fly back to his eerie with your companion,” the Pegasus whickered nervously as he tossed his head.
“Promise me you won’t forget me,” the shadow Spike begged as he took a few steps backwards.
Spike managed not to roll his eyes and nodded, “get on with it.” He ordered gruffly as he turned to look at Buffy and her captor, his blue eyes narrowed at the sight of the great translucent wings that were being unfurled in readiness for flight.
The shadow nodded, then took a deep breath and ran towards Spike. The two mirror images joined together in a scattering of red and yellow sparks, and Spike’s head was knocked back as the strength that had been robbed from him surged back into his frame. “Oh yeah,” he ran his tongue across his chapped lips and let his fangs descend. He turned to look at Buffy, and watched as she gave up trying to pry herself free and hammered her fists against the topmost talon holding her captive.
“Wrestle it, you say?” Spike bounded across the meadow and grabbed hold of the dragon’s tail and gave it a good yank. “You know I’ve always wanted to kill a dragon.”
“Come on if you think you’re hard enough.” Spike yelled as he ran towards his girl and the green beast.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Wait! Look, it worked,” Willow squeaked and leapt up with a happy yell.
Xander coughing loudly as he waved his hand in front of his face, trying to clear the smoke away.
Anya clapped her hands. “Brilliant! Now all we have to do is drive around and it will show us the way.”
“What about the power of the Hellmouth? Won’t that draw the lodestone to it?” Giles cradled the bowl of thrice blessed water with the enchanted arrow head that they had used as a focus for the spell. It span idly around in the water, drawn to the small bursts of power emanating from stock in the Magic Box.
“No, it won’t. We’ve worded the spell carefully, using the fairy’s name as a significator,” Willow checked the sheet of paper that they had used. “Yep, all set to find evil Maleficent spells and nothing more.”
“Then what?” Xander asked hesitantly, he tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels.
“We try and get Dawn back,” Anya stated succinctly. “No matter what,” unconsciously echoing Buffy and Spike’s new mantra.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike and Pegasus attacked from both sides.
The proud horse rearing up, hammering at the belly of the beast repeatedly with its front hooves, whinnying to distract the dragon’s attention from the vampire behind it. Spike gripped hold of the tail, his amber eyes gleaming with renewed vigour and anticipation. Moving forward, he grasped hold of one of the hard fins that ran the length of the dragon’s spine and began to climb hand over fist towards the head, realising that it was a safer approach than head on. He was highly flammable after all.
“Hang on love, I’m coming.”
“Hurry up Spike, cos the need for air is kinda becoming an issue here.” Buffy gasped as she continued to thump her fists against the claw holding her captive. Spike grunted and hung on as the green beast twisted away from the hooves of the winged horse. Its wings stretched out and began to flap downwards preparing to fly off with Buffy.
“Don’t think so mate.” Spike had reached the join where the wings met the dragon’s back. He wedged his legs around the joints, hooking his toes under the wings. “Bet this buggers up your plans,” he reached over and easily tore through the membrane of the left wing as if were tissue paper.
The dragon lurched and fell sideways, trumpeting its pain, tendrils of smoke shooting out of its nostrils while Spike shredded its wings into tatters. As it fell, Buffy managed to wriggle free of its loosened grip and dropped to her knees on the grass rolling away to relative safety. Clutching her stomach, she struggled to her feet and hobbled over to the thrashing dragon. “Spike! Spike? Where are you?” Absently she retrieved her sword and held it defensively in front of her.
Pegasus trotted over to her side and nudged her gently with his nose. “Are you well? Your injury, is it grave?”
Buffy gave the beautiful horse a dazzling smile, “I’ll be fine. It’s just…”
“You are concerned for you companion?”
“Yeah, I can’t see him. What if he was squished by that thing?”
“Fear not, look to the beast’s neck.”
Buffy squinted and breathed raggedly in relief as she spotted two black leather clad arms wrapped strongly around the neck of the green dragon. “What is he doing?” she pressed a hand to her stomach to stop the wound from aching anymore than it was.
“It’s the only way to slay this type of dragon.”
“Seriously?”
Before Pegasus could say anything, there was a great tearing nose and a scream of pain as the dragon trumpeted its death knell to the heavens, a final heartfelt clarion call.
“Okay sooo not the thing I wanted to see before breakfast,” Buffy gagged as Spike reappeared triumphantly brandishing his trophy in front of him. “Eww, Spike! Put the dragon head down and come here.”
Pegasus whickered, the noise sounding suspiciously like a laugh.
“You okay pet, let me see,” Spike bounded up to her filled with energy. Rejoined with his shadow, he was back to his fighting self and full of beans. Buffy half heartedly batted his hands away from her shirt as he lifted it and peered at the wound on her stomach. “Not too deep by the looks of it.” He brushed a tender kiss on the undamaged skin above the gouge in her stomach.
“We need the First Aid pack again. Why is it I’m the one who keeps getting hurt?” Buffy sighed and rested her head on Spike’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re all back together though, are you okay? No ouchies from dragon slaying?” her hazel eyes twinkled at him.
“M’fine, come on Mr Ed, you coming with us?” Spike lifted her into his arms and carried her to their backpacks, before setting Buffy down gently on the grass. Pegasus followed them without a word.
“I don’t think he got the pop culture reference,” Buffy snickered and winced as Spike smoothed some ointment on the wound and quickly bound it with a soft bandage. Spike chuckled at her and shook his head.
“I saw what the shadow did. How did you get it to go back?”
“It was the love that your companion here has for you; it appears the interloper felt the same.” The horse trotted closer and watched curiously as Spike tied off the dressing on her torso. “In the end that overcame all its doubts and fears.” Pegasus nuzzled Buffy on the shoulder, “I owe you both my life. How may I repay you? I am at your disposal.”
“Really? You are?” Buffy eyed the feathered wings and then glanced up at the castle shimmering in the distance, her gaze assessing.
“Good thinking Slayer,” Spike straightened and wiped his hands together.
“Can you carry the two of us?” Buffy stood and tucked her shirt into her jeans.
The flying horse nodded its head. “Indeed, where do you wish to be taken”
“Up there?” Buffy pointed at the castle. “My sister is trapped in there,” she explained deciding not to go into too many details as time was really getting to be of the essence. Her mom was due back in Sunnydale tomorrow and she wanted to have Dawn back in one piece before that.
Spike kicked their backpacks, “We’ll need to leave these behind, carry some weapons just in case, but nothing else.”
“Climb aboard,” said the white winged horse offered, as he ducked his head down.
Spike lifted Buffy and settled her; he handed up the two swords and then leaped up behind her. The sacrifice his shadow had made for love forgotten, as they focused on the last leg of their journey.
It was time to get Dawn back.
~~~~~~~~~
“NO!” Maleficent screamed as she watched the winged horse carry the two blondes upwards into the air. She sagged against the pedestal, her energy wavering at yet more failure. The thieves and the spell she had cast to weaken the vampire had failed magnificently. And now, now the dragon was slain and her enemies were rapidly approaching the castle.
“I have to stop this.”
She wove her hands above her heard, energy crackled from her fingers and she cast her final desperate spell.
As she did, the surge of energy attracted the interest of her enemies.
One rose and mounted his stallion, having paused for a moment’s rest in the quest for his brother. The power the evil fairy used to cast a final bravura spell lit up the night sky above her castle. Directing his faithful steed in the direction of the light and sounds of fury, he sent a silent call of reassurance.
In another part of Sunnydale, an aged Citroen spun around and headed in the direction the lodestone pointed.
All the elements were starting to come together.
~~~~~~~~~
“So we’ve had; a rabid wolf, a butch bint with polar bears and a swarm of snow bees, giant, dead thieves, me and a dragon.” Spike listed off their opponents so far, as he wiped the rain off his face. “Now the sodding fairy is sending a thunder storm after us. What’s next - a plague of vamped frogs?” He opened his duster and wrapped Buffy in it, tucking her head under his chin. Both arms were wrapped around her as they huddled against the straining Pegasus’s neck, their swords thrown away. The near miss with a lightning bolt had made them dump them rapidly, after Spike had snapped the hilts off and tucked them away in his duster.
Buffy huddled closer to him, her frozen fingers clutching at Pegasus’s silken mane as her teeth chattered with cold. She shrieked as a jagged bolt of lightning flashed across the dark sky, followed closely by yet another rumble of thunder. “This is getting freaky,” she yelled, her voice lost in the wind. She clung on tighter as the flying steed whirled around and began to circle down to the castle battlements. In the distance, she could see an impenetrable thick briar of thorns and rosebushes surrounding the building. “Check it out, looks like we lucked out with the flying pony.” She pointed to the briar hedge and then pumped her hand in triumph as the horse’s hooves clattered onto the flagstone floor of the crenulated battlements.
Spike slithered off the back of the exhausted animal and helped Buffy down. The flight had been a hard one, ducking and diving around the bolts of mystical energy and being hammered with unrelenting rain. Spike ran his hand down the neck of the Pegasus. “Thank you mate.”
The exhausted flying horse whickered tiredly. “My pleasure, now go and find your sister, I shall remain here in case you have need of further assistance.”
Buffy reached over and pressed her hand on his heaving soaked flanks, uttering a heartfelt “thank you.” Her face was solemn as she tried to express her gratitude with a look as words failed her. The mystical horse had saved her life and possibly Dawn’s by braving the storm and carrying them to the castle.
“Go now, your sister awaits you.”
Spike took the slayer’s hand and they ran off towards the nearest tower. In unison, they kicked down the door.
Buffy turned and blew the Pegasus a kiss before Spike impatiently tugged her into the castle.
~~~~~~~~
“In here,” Spike pushed the door open and pulled Buffy through.
Their search of the castle had been unimpeded from start to finish. They had run from empty room to empty room calling for Dawn. But they had been greeted with silence, only the sound of their pounding feet broke the peace. Spike pulled Buffy into the circular room and they both stopped in their tracks.
A shimmering green form lay on a velvet covered bed.
It was Dawn.
“Is she alright?” Buffy ran to the bed and threw herself on it. She reached for her sleeping sister, and grabbed hold of her lax form. “What the hell is wrong with her? I thought she would be awake here.” Part of her was felt relief and the rest of her was shivering with terror at the limpness of her sister’s body.
Spike came around the other side of the bed and took Dawn’s slack hand in both of his and rubbed it hopefully. He could feel her pulse fluttering under the frail skin of her inner wrist. He sighed and bowed his head against the silken comforter in relief. “She’s alive, no idea what to do to wake her but she is alive!”
“What do we do now?” Buffy’s eyes filled with frustrated tears as she brushed Dawn’s hair off her face. “Why is her skin covered in green sparkles? What does it mean?” she turned hopeful eyes towards Spike.
“Hang about,” Spike looked around the room and then down at the princess-like dress the Platelet was wearing. “That was a forest of thorns and roses we saw outside the castle right?”
Buffy nodded, “yeah, so?”
“Use your noggin pet, what fairytale has a sleeping girl in a castle surrounded by a briar forest?”
Realisation dawned in Buffy’s face, “Oh, oh! Sleeping Beauty.”
“A cupie doll for the prettiest girl in the room.”
Buffy stared down at Dawn, “Err, okay, so kiss her already.”
“What!” Spike yelped and leapt away from the bed. He let Dawn’s hand slip from his as he goggled at his insane slayer. “If you think I am going all paedo and snogging your underage sister, you can just sod off. I’m not Peaches. Nor am I the Platelet’s Prince Charming.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Firstly eww to snogging! I just meant a peck on the cheek, pervhead! And secondly peado Peaches thing gross and sooo not the time or place to have a snit fit over my old boyfriend. Now kiss Dawn already!”
A glimmer of berserker slayer rage glimmered in her eyes Spike’s demon recognised as one that didn’t bode well for any vampire who didn’t obey her orders. He pulled a face and ducked down, pressing a quick kiss on the tip of Dawn’s nose. “There, happy now?” he refrained from folding his arms across his chest and pouting. Instead he sank back down on his knees and took the young teen’s hand.
“It didn’t work, why not?” Buffy frowned down at Dawn’s still features. “Oh god, I’ve lost her, haven’t I?” her eyes filled with tears and she crawled onto the bed, pulling Dawn’s head and shoulder into her lap. She started to cry. “I was sooo awful to her last time I saw her, what am I gonna do Spike?”
Spike rose and sat next to the sobbing slayer, Dawn’s hand still in his. “I’m sorry pet, I really am.”
Buffy bent down and gently kissed her comatose sister’s forehead.
And then it all changed.
Dawn’s eyes flickered open slowly and the room began to spin around them.
In Sunnydale, Maleficent sank to her knees with a horrified shriek.
Ole looked up from his position next to Dawn’s chaise, hope in his eyes. Dawn yawned. And opened her eyes to find herself staring into the Sandman’s battered face, and squeaked in surprise.
In a hospital ward across town, all the teens woke up at the same time. The red dust faded from their and Dawn’s faces as Maleficent’s power dissipated simultaneously with Dawn’s opening eyes.
The evil fairy held her hands up in front of her face and began to cry as the smooth plumpness began to wrinkle and twist. Liver spots began to appear all over her fair skin as it aged as rapidly. She staggered sideways as her powers weakened.
“No, I will not die…I will not go back to what I was.” She stumbled, her hands grasping at the stonewalls of her castle.
“I will not die!”
This was an obscure Fairytale the dragon and pegasus so I thought I would include a link http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/rft/rft08.htm