Disclaimer! I do not own anything from MLP! However, the only thing I can lay claim to is the "King of the Dragons", Zermilion. He is a character I created for a Novella I am working on. Figured I would simply throw some spice and have him implemented into the MLP world! I hope you guys enjoy this story…. After my first Crossover with MLP, some weird ideas just kept popping up in my noggin, and I had to get them out… SO! Without further ado! My Little Hatchling!
Chapter Four: Garble, Old Dragon Fang, and an Old Foe
Seelia laughed, as the baby dragon explained a certain incident about what had happened when Spike attempted to try and handle a bunch of pony pets for a whole day. The Dragoness continued to lay around Spike, since her body was much larger than his, while looking down at him. "I must say, Spike, you have quite the amount of adventures!" She said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Makes me wish I could have seen your antics myself."
Spike smiled, as he took a bite from one of the rubies. "What can I say? I'm quite the unique baby dragon!" He said, proud. "I even stick to the Dragon Code!"
"Seriously? That's rare, to find, in most Dragons these days." Seelia said, making Spike tilt his head. "Most of the older ones still live by the code, yes… Though, you'll notice that most of the teenage drakes do not really follow such things. Heck, we got a little group of them go and bother the Phoenix Nests nearby." She gave a sigh, shaking her head. "Annoying little whelps, that need to grow up."
"Oh… I ran into a group of teenage dragons that tried to make me do that, but I couldn't." Spike admitted, making Seelia tilt head at his statement.
"And why is that, little hatchling? Why didn't you want to be part of the drakes where you were from?" She asked him, honestly curious.
"I did, at first, when I joined the Great Dragon Migration, but…" He recalled how he felt that day, and what it was like holding the Phoenix Egg… Garble and his gang edging him on to smash it. "I couldn't. The egg reminded me of myself, when Twilight hatched me. It was, at the time, alone and without its family." Spike admitted, eyeing the last bits of the ruby in his hand.
Seelia nodded, smiling at him. "I see… Well then, you're more of a Dragon, than you think, Spike." She admitted, making Spike smile at her comment. "The King of Dragon, from what I learned when I was just a hatchling, wasn't one for harming weaker creatures. He saw it as either a dishonorable thing, or demeaning. It is one of the things that considered him noble."
Spike smiled, being compared to such a dragon like the King of all Dragons, Zermilion. "S-So… Think I could be like him one day?" He asked, looking up at the Dragoness.
Seelia smiled, and nodded. "Maybe, one day? Who knows. After all, if you put your mind to it, you may become a really powerful dragon someday." She thought for a moment, and shrugged. "I mean, no one can really tell you who you are, or aren't. Only you decide that-?" A roared rumbled across the canyon, forcing the Dragoness to look towards the far end. "That time already?"
Spike looked around, the random roar startling him a bit. "W-What's going on?" He asked her, looking up at the dragoness.
"Just a meeting between the adult dragons, is all… Nothing serious. We have one every evening." She looked back down at him, while she slowly stood up. "You stay here; I'll be back after the meeting to find you a place to stay."
Spike gave a nod, waving good bye, as Seelia took off deeper into the canyon. He smiled, eyeing the ruby in his claws. "Wow… Barely here a day, and I've already met one awesome dragon here to help me." He thought, before biting down on to the ruby. "I wonder how many other dragons here are like Seelia? I hope there are a lot."
Unknown to Spike, three larger shadows were slowly approaching him from behind. They were the size of teenage dragons, a rounded one, a thin one, and one who was somewhat muscular. The lead one pointed towards the baby dragon, as the other two nodded. Before he knew it, Spike was suddenly surrounded on all but one side. "Well, well, well… Look who it is?" A familiar voice said, making Spike nearly choke on his ruby.
Spike instantly turned around, and saw Garble with two of his lackys from the Great Dragon Migration! "G-Garble!?" He yelled, dropping the rest of his gem.
"Yeah, me, ya little punk." Garble said, his claws crossed over his chest. "Here I thought the mambi pambi pony lover here forgot about us, right, boys?" He looked to the brown and purple dragons, who merely laughed. "How about we show him, that we hadn't forgotten what he did back during the Migration, right?" He laughed.
The other two dragons joined him in the laugh, before yelling. "Yeah!"
"Get him!" Garble yelled, as the three lunged towards Spike.
The baby dragon yelped, before rushing off! The three landing square into the pile of gems he was just sitting on. "Not good! Not good!" He yelled, running away from the three.
"Don't let him get away, or get near one of the adults!" Garble yelled, as the three took chase after the baby dragon. "When I get my hands on you, you're gonna wish you never left that little pony town!"
"Oh, man! Oh man! Oh man! Need to find a place to hide, and fast!" Spike thought, as he continued to run away from the three drakes. When they were about on top of him, Spike quickly turned left and ran up a carved out hill leading to the forth level of the canyon…. Garble and his goons having to try and halt, before continuing their pursuit of the baby dragon.
He quickly looked around, seeing other baby dragons eating gems at random piles, and drakes wrestling each other… But nowhere for him to hide on this level! He could hear the three closing in on him, and even notice the other drakes suddenly stopping their fights and laughing at how he was being picked on by the older dragons. When another trail appeared on his left, Spike didn't waste any time before he rushed up it. Once again, the sudden turn caught Garble and his goons off guard, but this time ran into a couple more drakes. This caused them to become enraged, and give chase for the reason those three were even running recklessly… Spike.
The moment he reached the fifth level, Spike instantly saw the mouth of a massive cave, and smiled. "There! His mind yelled, before the baby dragon instantly sprinted into the dark cave! Not stopping, despite the fact it was getting extremely dark, and hid just outside of the light coming in from the entrance of the very cave.
When Garble and the other drakes showed up, he instantly threw both arms out, and stopped the persuing group. "WHOA! Whoa, hold on! I am not going in there!" The lead drake said, eyeing the cave's mouth. "Oh, wow, he actually ran into the old timer's cave…." Garble said, shaking a bit. "The hatchling has guts; I'll give him that…"
"Garble, why aren't we going inside?" The brown, overweight, drake asked, tilting his head.
"Are you kidding!? There's no way I'm going to be caught dead in this cave! The one who lives here scares even me!" Garble explained, the other drakes looking at one another, and remembered who he talked about…. They nodded, all five of them bolting before who ever lived there returned. Though, Spike couldn't trust that… After all, this could be some ruse to lure him out, instead of trying to find him in the dark.
With a sigh of relief, Spike slowly made his way back into the cave. Careful not to trip over a rock or anything. He slowly moved until feeling the rough suffers of the cave's wall, and smirked. There was no way Garble and his goons were going to find him here, and he could just explain it to who ever lived here as to why the baby dragon was hiding out here. He was relieved to know, for now, he was safe… Until he felt the wall suddenly move a bit.
Both eyes went wide, as he felt the 'wall' a bit more, and soon realize that he was actually touching rather large scales. The moment Spike turned around, a burst of flames lit the entire cave, along with the torches lining its walls, up. His eyes shot directly up, nearly to the cave's roof, as he stared at the massive… Giant… Red and black dragon in front of him. The mere size of it, was the biggest Spike had ever seen! He never saw one this one's size at the Great Migration either. "U-Uh… Hi?" Were the only words the baby dragon could manage to say.
The dragon slowly narrowed its eyes down at him, before lowering its large head all the way down until it could get a good look at the baby dragon. "And what, hatchling, do you think you're doing in my cave?" The dragon asked, his voice shaking the ground under Spike's feet. Ok, he was really nervous and could see why this dragon scared even Garble.
"I-I-I w-was… Uh… Looking for a place to hide from… Garble and his g-goons?" Spike said, the dragon suddenly letting smoke out of his mouth, and making Spike cough.
"Why didn't you just try to fight them? Most Hatchlings your age try this." The dragon asked, tilting his head at Spike. He was about to answer him, when the dragon suddenly started to take big sniffs with his snout, nearly pulling Spike from where he stood. "And why do you carry the perfumes of Equestria?"
"Oh, uh… I… Well…" Spike remembered how Seelia reacted, at first, to the fact he was from Equestria, and contemplated whether or not telling this massive dragon that. However, he also remembered how the dragoness told him that any dragon looking for shelter or a home in the Dragon Mountains are to be treated like family… That the older dragons follow this rule no matter what. "I'm… From… Equestria?"
The dragon just looked down at him, for a few moments, before going into a hearty laugh! His voice booming throughout the cave, and echoed into the canyon itself. It took a few moments for the massive dragon to actually stop his laughs, stifling them down to mere chuckles. "What dragon in their right mind would set up a nest in Equestria? Don't they know the ponies will constantly be nagging at them to leave?" Though, Spike's next response actually silenced the older dragon, even of his laughs.
"I…. Wouldn't know. I never knew my parents; I was raised by a pony." He said, kicking a gem towards the dragon.
To his surprise, the massive dragon grabbed in with one of his claws, the very tips just barely holding on to the delicate stone. "Is that so?" He asked, Spike only nodding while he brought the gem up to his eyes, and looked at it for a moment. "I'm going to take a shot in the dark here, hatchling, and guess you came to these mountains to either find them or find out more about yourself? This being caused by some other deep rooted feeling."
Spike looked up at the dragon, and nodded. "Y-Yeah, how did you know that?"
The dragon chuckled a bit, before handing him the gem. "When you live, long as I have, and become a Wyrm… You pick up on a few things, hatchling." He watched, as Spike took the gem from him, and pulled back his massive arm. "What is your name?"
"I'm Spike!" He replied, slightly nibbling on to the gem.
The dragon gave a nod. "Well, Spike, I am known as Fang. You may stay here, with me, and even partake in what I have within my own hoard." Fang suddenly lifted himself up, and allowed the countless gems to pour out from behind him! Spike going wide eyed at the amount this 'Wyrm' had accumulated over the years.
"WHOA! But, wait… They're yours, and aren't most dragons greedy?" Spike asked, looking up at the older dragon.
Fang nodded his head. "Yes, that is correct, however…" He watched Spike walk up and hop on to the pile before laying down further, allowing the hatchling to rest against his massive body. "There is more forms of greed, than just over things you want. For example…" He motioned to the very gems that both he and Spike lay on. "I do not need these gems to remain how I am, they are just here for the occasional snack and something to eat. My treasure isn't these."
That caused Spike to look up at him, confused. "Then… What is your treasure, Mr. Fang?"
"Just Fang will do, Spike." He noted, before motioning to outside of the cave. "My treasure, is every single dragon outside of this cave. In our King's place, as the next oldest dragon, it is my duty to protect them… And I take my charge very seriously." He gave a fanged smirk. "It is something I take pride in, a duty the King could only trust me with."
"You knew the King!?" Spike said, after spitting out a piece of the gem.
Fang gave a nod, smirking at the baby dragon's reaction. "That I did, Spike. That I did… Noble soul, always caring for other Dragons, seeing to those who were wounded… Always putting himself last." He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "There was a reason he was also the biggest known dragon. His greed was to those around him, not gems…. I learned that, rather quickly."
Spike thought about what Fang had just told him, for a moment, smiling a bit. "I… Didn't think about it, like that." He suddenly felt tired, like the baby dragon had ran some sort of marathon. "Whoa… For running up two levels… I'm really tired." He said, feeling a tad bit sleepy. "I wonder if I'll have enough energy to get back to the third level…"
Fang suddenly went wide eyed, and looked down at Spike. "You ran all the way here, from the third level of the canyon?" He asked.
Spike nodded, looking up at Fang. "Yeah, those bullies ran me all the way from a pile of gems I was snacking on, from the third level-?" The older dragon suddenly began to laugh at his answer. "W-What? What is so funny, Fang?"
"Hatchling…. You aren't on the fifth level… You're on the tenth!" He replied, making Spike go wide eyed.
"W-What? B-But, I only ran up two inclines…." Spike said, confused about how he could be on the tenth level.
Fang suddenly reached over, and grabbed hold of Spike. The older dragon then made his way to the outside of the cave, showing Spike that he was really high up. He also noticed something different about the Wyrm he was with. His scales were red, and he was massive, but his under belly and spines were a black color. He had a square snout, with a large horn curving out from over his nose, a smaller one behind it, and two horns on the back of his head. He even had black spines going all the way down his back and to his tail… Where at least five spikes had formed a weapon like end for his tail. Fang even had a few spines running down his cheek bones. This made Spike think this old dragon was actually built for battle. "See? You're on the tenth level of this canyon… You thought there was only two inclines, because your mind was in a panic. You didn't notice that you were already rushing up to larger inclined trails, and an up the steeper paths short cutting the other trails." Fang explained, allowing Spike to notice…. The Wyrm was correct.
"Whoa… I didn't even think about that, at all." He said, rubbing the back of his head while Fang walked back inside, setting Spike down on to the pile of gems, and laid down himself. "Say, Fang… If your charge is to protect the other dragons, why are they afraid of you?" He asked.
"Only those who want power over the other dragon, need fear me." Fang simply said, before wrapping his head around the baby dragon.
Spike nodded, understanding his answer because of how Garble… "One last question, why aren't you with the other adult dragons?"
Fang gave a lazy nod. "Because I am not needed for the council they are performing. They merely talk of how to handle day to day life within the Dragon Mountains… My presence is only required when something drastic or catastrophic occurs." He answered, slowly closing his eyes. "Now, if you do not mind, little one… I'm going to continue my short nap."
Spike nodded, stretching out a bit. "I think yawn I'm going to join you on that one." He said, slowly closing his eyes while laying against the larger dragon's frame.
"Good choice." Fang silently said, smirking at the decision.
-Within the Crystal Empire-
A Royal Guard pony yawned, as he looked outside of the Watch Tower he was stationed at. His eyes narrowed on the blizzard, along with the silhouette of a large mountain they were ordered to watch. He had been in the guard for almost seven years, and assigned to this post around a year ago. The guard didn't know why, only that it was some top secret mission that only the best are allowed to do. At least, that is what his commander told him. Now, he and another pegasus guard, are having to watch this strange mountain. It frustrated him, especially with the fact that they missed both the Changeling Attack and Princess Sparkle's coronation ceremony because of this "top secret mission".
"Hey, Storm Hammer… Why do we have to watch this mountain gain?" The guard pony asked, looking towards the gray pony, who was currently reading the Crystal Empire Newspaper.
"Because the Commander said it was a direct order from Princess Celestia, that at least two pegasi ponies watch this mountain. The last rotation was here for two years and our names came up for the rotation." Storm Hammer said, putting he newspaper. "Just like the last three hundred times you've asked me, Sky Blitz. Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy catching up on the news…" With that, the pegasus pulled his newspaper back up.
Sky Blitz gave an annoyed sigh. "Why do we have to do this? I'm sure someone else could watch this freaking mountain… All it does, is sit here."
"Because we're two of the fastest pegasi in the Royal Guard, and the Princess wants exactly that, in case something happens and a message needs to be sent to her." Storm Hammer said, not even putting his newspaper down this time. "Huh… Princess Cadence seems to be eating a bit much, lately." The guard pony muttered.
Sky Blitz was about to retort, about how he shouldn't be talking about the Princess of Love's figure, who wouldn't, but a rumble suddenly shook the entire watch. "What in Equestria?" He said, the rumble feeling like it was about to cause the whole tower to collapse.
"E-Earthquake? Here? That's rare." Storm Hammer said, putting his newspaper down. "I thought the Crystal Empire never had them."
"I-I don't think it's an earthquake, Storm Hammer! Look!" Sky Blitz pointed at the mountain, within the blizzard, as cracks of bright green light started to shin through it.
"Sweet Celestia…" Storm Hammer muttered, joining his partner at the view point of the mountain.
It started to crack open, the larger fissures within it suddenly breaking off with smaller cracks. The two Royal Guard ponies watched, in horror, as the peak was blown completely away by some powerful burst of green energy! The ground around the hole suddenly breaking apart, as a dark, malevolent, laugh followed…. They watched, as a boney dragon claw reached out and grabbed hold of the ground outside of his earth prison.
"QUICK! Sky Blitz, we have to get to Equestria and inform Princess Celestia!" Storm Hammer yelled, the two Royal Guards shooting out of their watch tower, just before a dragon skulled head ripped out of the mountain, green flames burning within its eyes, and unleash a powerful blast of dark energy! Destroying their former station.