"Harmony's New Flame"
Chapter 9: Dragon Quest 2 – The Origin of Spike!
Hey everyone this is chapter 9! This is Nova Pyro telling you this one is going to be good! Read and find out what happens today in Equestria as dive into Harmnoy's New Flame! Today we rejoin Twilight, Spike, and their new houseguest Pyro early in the morning. The dragon king is preparing to go out with his friends, which he can do now that the secret of him being a dragon is out. However destiny has a hand or shall I say paw to play with our king today. Read and see what adventure awaits everyone today.
The morning sun was rising and projecting a beautiful glow over the town of Ponyville. In Twilight's library a certain dragon we all know was preparing to go on his morning hunt with the others. Inside Pyro was stretching out all of his muscles and cracking his joints.
Twilight then said, "You sure are limbering up pretty well. Do you really need to do this every time you go out there?" He nodded and replied, "Yeah, you never know what's going to happen out there, so it's better to be prepared. You never know if you're going to have to fight or run for your life, or what. Anyway I better get going. The others are probably waiting for me."
As he prepared to rush out the door, Spike called out, "Hey Pyro!" The red dragon stopped upon hearing his name and turned to his lavender colored friend. "Um do you think I could go with you guys? I'm been dying to see you in action, and I really wanna learn what it's like to be a dragon like you." The teenage dragon was caught off guard and looked a bit uncomfortable answering the question. He then replied, "I don't know Spike. Like I said, it can be pretty dangerous out there, and we never know what's going to happen. It might be better if you stayed here."
The young dragon's excited look went away replaced with a look of disappointment. He then said, "Oh well that's ok. I guess you're right." He then began to head towards the stairs, while Pyro turned towards the door. Twilight looked at her number one assistant who looked like he'd just been denied a tasty gem.
She walked over to Pyro and placed a hoof on his shoulder as she asked, "Pyro, come on let him go with you. You guys are all going to be there, so what's the harm?" "I don't know Twilight. The guys and I can get pretty intense when we're on the hunt. I just don't know if he can handle it." She then pointed to him and said, "Come on look at him. You saw how excited he was, he wants to be like you and the others. Come on just let him go this one time… please just do this one thing for me?"
Twilight was pulling the puppy dog eyes maneuver and boy was it working. Pyro tried to look away, but he just couldn't. "(Huff) Oh all right, but just this once. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for the little guy." She smiled and called out, "Spike, Pyro said you could go!" The purple and green dragon stopped and said, "Really, you mean it?!"
The red and gold dragon nodded and said, "Yeah, why not, let's role!" With that both dragons dashed out of the tree library and ran full speed towards the Everfree Forest. Twilight only hoped she hadn't just made a big mistake. She then mentally thought, 'Be safe… both of you.'
After about a minute and half of walking, the two dragons met up with the others at the edge of the forest. The others were glad to see their friend, but surprised to see who was tagging along behind him. Razor walked up to them both and said, "Hey Pyro, glad to see you made it. Um, what's Spike doing here?" Pyro looked to others and said, "He's coming with us. He wants to see how real dragons do things. I promised Twilight we'd look out for him, so we all have to be extra vigilant!"
Everyone nodded showing they understood and agreed. Spike then walked forward and said, "Oh man, I'm so excited. Let's go guys!" As the young dragon went ahead the others stayed behind and began to talk. Ethan then asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea?" The dragon king shook his head and responded, "No I'm not, but the guy was devastated when I said he couldn't come. But this is a one-time thing so let's just do this."
Skye then said, "Listen man, I know you don't want to be mean to little guy, but I think you should tell him." Conner then said, "I second that. If we don't tell him soon, it mind end up doing more harm than good." Pyro then said, "I figured as much, but I can't tell him yet. He's not ready. After seeing us in action all he wants is to be like us. If I told him now it'd crush him."
Razor then said, "Well she should at least tell Twilight, once this is over." He nodded and said, "That's a much better idea. I'll see if I can talk to her once we get back." Ethan then said, "Uh guys, we better get going! Spike's getting a little too far ahead." They all nodded and turned to Pyro. He then let yelled out, "Alright boys, let's role!" With that they stormed into the forest full speed, ready to begin their hunt.
The dragons moved through the forest quietly and carefully, while also keeping an eye out. One dragon however was so excited that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Spike was looking all over the place with an excited and happy look plastered on his face. As he turned around he suddenly tripped on the root of a tree and landed hard.
He let out a loud, "Ouch!" Everyone turned their attention to young companion and could easily figure out what had happened. Spike gave a bashful smile as they all gave him an annoyed look. Pyro then said, "Spike, I know this is your first time out here, but you've got to keep it cool. We can't risk alerting the prey that we're here."
Spike nodded, got up, dusted himself off, and began to follow as quietly as he could. As they continued on their path the dragons suddenly stopped. Spike not knowing what was happening asked, "Guys what's wrong." Razor leaned close and whispered, "Ssshhhhh, were not only things hunting out here."
The purple and green dragon gulped upon hearing that and looked around with a terrified expression on his face. While Spike was panicking the others began scanning the area and sniffing the ground.
Spike's fear was getting the best of him and he began to back away slowly under some bushes. As he continued to take one small step after another he suddenly bumped into something. He touched whatever it was he had bumped into with his hand and felt a warm moistness. He then looked down and saw that it was blood.
His eyes shrunk, his heart rate spiked, and gulped down as hard as he could. He then slowly turned around to see the dead body of a very large creature. He began to scream but was stopped by a very large paw. He turned to see it was Pyro with a very serious look on his face.
The fire dragon put a claw over his own maw and whispered, "SShhhhhh." The younger dragon nodded and elder one removed his paw. The others came by and saw the dead body as well, but they showed no reaction to it at all for they had seen these things many times.
Ethan then said, "It looks like a male Minotaur… or what's left of it." The others nodded and moved closer. Spike then asked, "S-S-S-Someone k-ki-killed it?" Razor shook his head as he examined the body and replied, "Not someone, something. With sharp claws… and very sharp teeth." Skye then added, "And judging by all the paw prints around here, there was more than just one."
Spike was being scared out of his mind and began to back away again as he said, "You know guys… maybe we should head back now. We can always try this again later. So I'll go head towards the trail and you guys can meet me their." Unbeknown to Spike, the teenage dragons were so absorbed into their investigation, they hadn't heard a word he'd said.
Conner then said in a very serious tone, "I'm sure we all know there's only one creature that hunts in packs that can do this kind of damage, and its only a matter of time before they get to Ponyville." Skye then said, "If they get their, dozens will be slaughtered. What's the plan Pyro?"
"Even if we kill off a few of them, it won't solve anything. We need to find the matriarch and deal with her. After that the others will flee deeper into the forest and will be rid of them. We can claim this area as our territory after that." Everyone nodded showing they agreed with the plan.
Conner then took a look around and face pawed as he asked, "Uh guys, anyone know what to Spike?" They all began to look around and saw that young dragon was gone. The dragon king then face pawed and said, "For the love of god. Razor do a psychic sweep and find him."
Razor sent out a psychic pulse searching for the young dragon's thoughts. Upon doing so he said, "Oh crap." Conner then asked, "What's wrong, did you find him?" The grey dragon nodded and said, "Oh I found him, but he's not alone."
Spike had begun to make his way back towards the exit, but there was one small problem. He forgot where it was. He figured if he kept walking he'd find something that looked familure and find his way back. The little dragon kept walking until he suddenly bumped into something again. What he saw in front of him was large, scale covered leg. He then looked down to see a three-clawed foot, with a very large arc shaped claw for the big toe.
The purple and green child dragon then looked up to see large reptilian creature. Its body was thin, and long. It had long arms with razor sharp claws that were at least three inches long. Its face was thin like the rest of it, but housed many, many sharp blade like teeth. The creature looked down and narrowed its eyes at the small reptile before it.
The larger reptile hissed and began to move closer as Spike backed away in fear. Spike thought for sure he was done for, but an all too familure roar reached his ears. He turned around and saw his friends coming through the bushes growling and snarling very angrily. Ethan stepped over Spike protectively as an adult male dragon would its offspring.
Spike then asked the green dragon standing over him, "Ethan, wh-what are these things." The earth general responded, "They're raptors. Pack hunters that can run up to 6o miles per hour. Their armed with razor sharp claws and blade like teeth. They're experts at coordinating and working together to bring down large prey. They're also known to be very intelligent."
The teenage dragons began growl and roar at the raptors, who simply hissed and growled back. Pyro stepped forward making plainly clear that he was the alpha of this group. The matriarch raptor then stepped forward and stood against him."
Pyro then looked back and know that they couldn't fight with Spike here and said, "Come on guys. We're falling back, we can deal with these guys next time. Let's go." The dragon nodded and began to back away slowly. The raptors weren't about to let them go so easily. Pyro breathed in deeply and unleashed a fire stream that created a wall of flames.
The dragons then took flight, with Spike riding on Ethan's back. It only took about 10 minutes for them to get back to Ponyville where they explained what had happened. Spike had scared out of his wits and was sulking in a corner in the library.
Everyone met together to discuss what had happened. They had been talking for quite some time and at the moment Rarity was speaking. "Well I for one am glad that you all are safe, especially little Spikey Wikey. However I must insist you all get rid of those horrid raptors."
Skye replied, "That's the plan, but now we have to track them down and that could take a while." Apple Jack then said, "Well the sooner the better if ya'll ask me. We can't let those raptor things wreak havoc here in our home." Twilight then agreed with her friend and said, "Apple Jack's right. Pyro I know I'm asking a lot of you right now, but we seriously need you to get rid of those things."
The fire dragon nodded and said, "Don't worry Twilight, I know how serious this is. We'll head back into the forest and pick up their trail." Spike then asked, "Uh guys, I know I messed things up this time, but I still think I can help you."
Pyro looked to others as he said, "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhmm…" The others were giving him any signal they could think of to say no, and Pyro got the point. He then said, "I'm sorry Spike, but you can't come, its too dangerous especially for you." Spike then said, "But I wanna help you guys." Rainbow Dash then said, "Come on Spike, you saw those things, and after hearing what they can do. I think you staying here is helping."
Fluttershy then said, "Don't worry Spike, they're dragons. I'm sure they'll be fine." Spike then made an angry and irritated looked as he said, "But I wanna go. I'm a dragon too. I want to help because they're like me and I want to be like them."
Twilight then said, "Spike you may be a dragon, but you're a baby dragon, plus you're a different species. You're not like them. I know you're a dragon Spike, and you want to do your part to help them, but it's just too dangerous like Pyro said." The young dragon then said, "Well if I'm a dragon then why can't I go?"
Razor then sighed heavily and said, "Pyro, I think it's about time we tell Spike the truth." Everyone turned their attention to Razor as he made that statement and then to Pyro to hear his reply. The red dragon then replied, "Razor, I-I don't think he's ready yet." Ethan then said, "Ready or not if we don't tell him the truth he'll keep persisting and get himself hurt and the guilt of that would be far worse."
The young dragon fearfully asked, "What truth? What are you guys talking about?" The element of magic then asked, "Yeah, what are you guys talking about? Is there something we should know?" Pyro looked at everyone and finally he cracked.
He then said, "Everyone please calm down. They're right, this has been a long time coming. Spike… there's something… I should have told you a long time ago." "What?" The dragon king looked him sorrowfully and after what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke, "Spike, you… you're… (huff) you're not a dragon."
Everyone gasped at once at the utterance of that statement, but no one was more shocked or more horrified than Spike.
Ethan then said, "Oh boy." Conner followed up as he said, "Guess the dragons out of the bag." Spike looked at them with watery eyes as his mind tried to process what the elder dragon had just said.
Everyone had gathered together and everyone was very confused by Pyro's statement. Twilight was sitting next to an upset and confused Spike as she asked, "What do you mean Spike's not a real dragon?"
Pyro spoke calmly and clearly, "Exactly as I said. Spike may look like a dragon, and may act somewhat like one, but he's not." Rainbow Dash flew up to next to red dragon and asked, "We get that part, but do you think you could explain that more clearly?"
Twilight spoke up and said, "I agree with Rainbow Dash. This is quite difficult to understand." Rarity then said, "I really don't see what all the fuss is about, I thought we all agreed that little Spikey Wikey was fine the way he was. After what happened at the dragon migration I thought he didn't want to be like other dragons. Besides even if he doesn't look like you 5 or any other dragons doesn't mean he's any less of one."
Spike blushed upon hearing that and said, "Thanks Rarity, I really needed to hear that." Razor cleared his throat and said, "Under normal circumstances that would be true, but unfortunately circumstances occurred that robbed Spike of his dragon spirit and heritage, which also took away his ability and furthermore his right to be a dragon."
Apple Jack asked quizzically, "So how exactly did this happen? I mean how did Spike lose his uh 'dragon spirit', and how does he get it back?" Fluttershy then turned to Razor and asked, "Razor, is this really bad? I mean what's gonna happen to Spike?"
Ethan looked to the two mares then down to Spike sorrowfully. He then walked forward and asked, "Spike, have you ever thought or said that you were happy not being a dragon, or that you were happier being something else?"
The lavender purple dragon thought for a minute and finally remembered. He then said, "Yeah... I did... during the dragon migration. But that… that was months ago almost a full year now." Skye then said, "How long ago it was doesn't matter. The action itself does, and I'm afraid the action you took was a big mistake.
Pyro sighed and said, "I'm sorry Spike, but I'm afraid when you spoke those words you stopped being a dragon forever." Fluttershy turned to Razor, and asked, "Umm, Razor do you think you could explain this. I mean if that's ok with you. I'm still confused." Razor rubbed his head against hers and answered, "No need to be so nervous. Pyro can explain this, better than I can. I'm a bit... blunt with bad news."
Pyro turned to Spike and said, "Spike, you aren't an ordinary dragon like the others in Equestria. As you probably already know, when you were an egg somepony found you and brought you to Twilight. When she hatched you, she erased most of your draconic instincts, replacing them with that of a pony."
Twilight nodded and said, "Princess Celestia explained that part when she first gave Spike to me, but what does that have to with him now?" Conner whispered, "He's getting to that, keep listening."
"Although most of Spike's normal dragon instincts were erased and suppressed, some of them still remained active. This was because of his dragon spirit, however when Twilight erased his dragon instincts she also implanted in him the spark of a pony spirit. As Spike grew older, both these spirits grew in perfect sync inside his body living in a perfect balance. This is why he can still breathe fire and eats gems."
Spike wasn't sure he liked where this story was going, but he tried his hardest to understand every word his friend was speaking. He then asked, "So what you're saying is, when I said that I didn't want to be a dragon my spirit, uh spirits were thrown out of whack?"
Rainbow Dash then asked, "So his spirits are out of balance? Well what do we do to fix it? How do we get them back in balance?" Skye then said, "It's not exactly that simple Dash. A spirit is a very powerful, central, yet fragile thing."
Pyro nodded and continued, "After you went on the dragon migration, you must have said you were happier not being a dragon or something like that, which caused your spirit to shift to your pony side. This caused your dragon side to be over taken and dominated by your pony side. Now after being that way for such a long period, your dragon spirit was erased."
Spike couldn't believe what he was hearing. First of all he'd never be a real dragon and it was his fault. He then asked, "What does this all mean? What's gonna happen to me?"
The dragon king took a deep breath as he prepared to explain. "Well first off, now that the magic is affecting you stronger mentally, and spiritually, it will start to affect you physically. For starters you'll start losing you fire breath. It'll begin to get weaker and weaker until it finally stops. After that you won't be able to eat gems anymore because your teeth will lose sharpness and strength you normally use to eat them; and your stomach won't be able to digest them. Finally your growth will be affected. You're full size will probably be at least four feet tall depending if you're a two legged or four legged dragon. You probably won't be any bigger than a stallion if you're lucky."
Spike looked like he would never eat another gem again, for now he knew that soon he wouldn't be able to. His dragon life was going to be gone and it was his own fault.
Twilight tried to console him by saying, "Aw come on Spike, it's not so bad. I mean you'll be like us. Besides like Pyro said, you said you were happy not being like those dragons. You remember what they were like." The purple and green dragon nodded and said, "Well yeah, but now that I know what real dragons are like, I at least wanted to try and see what it's like being one. Now I can't even make that choice."
The little dragon made his upstairs to his bed dragging his tail along as he walked. Rarity then asked, "Oh he looked so heartbroken, still I believe you did the right thing telling him the truth darling." Pyro nodded and said, "Yeah but it makes my heart ache seeing one of my subjects in so much pain." "Are you sure there's nothing you can do for the little guy?" asked Rainbow Dash.
The dragon king shook his head and said, "Once your spirit is gone, it's next to impossible to get it back." They all sighed and held their heads low. Pinkie Pie who had been unusually quiet suddenly spoke up and said, "Well I'm heading down to the Sugar Cube Corner. I need to get rid of these bad vibes. You coming Conner?" The yellow dragon nodded and followed his semi-happy friend.
Everyone began leaving one by one until it was only Twilight and Pyro left inside. Twilight turned to the red dragon who was laying on her carpet curled up in a ball. Similar to what a dog would do if it were tired. The purple unicorn stepped next to her friend and said, "You did the right thing. Spike will get through this and we'll be here to help him." Hours passed and soon everyone was asleep, well almost everyone.
Later that night the dragon king's eyes opened and he began to make his way outside. Upon reaching the town square he held his up and let a super sonic growl that sent a wave of sound through Ponyville. The sound was only high enough for dragons to hear.
As the sound wave travelled through the town each of his friends woke up one by one and began to make their way towards its origin. Upon arriving they all looked to their leader who finally spoke up. "OK guys I'm guessing I don't need to tell you why we're all here."
They all nodded and Skye then asked, "But Pyro, how are we supposed to awaken Spike's dragon spirit? He already knows what other dragons are like, and he's already hung out with them and us." Razor stepped forward and answered his fellow general.
"That may be, but I scanned Spike's mind and saw that he doesn't know where he came from, who his parents are, or even what his real name is. Also while scanning his mind I also felt a strange energy coming from him." Pyro nodded and said, "I felt it too, but we can worry about that later. Right now we focus on awakening our friends dragon spirit once again, and the one way to do that is to fill in his memories. Once Spike realizes who he is and we tell what it really means to be a dragon his dragon spirit should awaken."
They all nodded showing they were in agreement. Ethan then said, "So what's the plan?" The leader of the dragon then replied, "Ethan, you and Razor will stay in Ponyville and keep the girls off our tails while we take Spike to where his egg was found. After we pick up the trail Conner, Skye, and myself will track down his parents and his home and awaken his dragon spirit with my ancestral energy. Are we all in agreement?"
They all nodded and replied, "SIR!" The dragon king then nodded and stated, "Then go and get some rest. We set out first thing in morning." With that they all made their way back to their respective houses to rest.
Morning In Ponyville:
Spike awoke with a loud yawn and began to make his way downstairs where he was met with the smiling face of his dragon elder. He then said, "Morning Pyro, so what've you got planned for today?" Pyro looked to the side to see Twilight with her nose in a book.
He then replied, "Well Conner, Skye, and I were going to go look from some cool gems and we were hoping you wanted to come with us." Spike smiled and said, "That sounds cool." He nodded and said, "Alright let's go." With that both dragons made their way outside.
They then began to make their way towards the center of Ponyville, but as they walked, Pyro could see Spike was still bummed out about the news. He then turned ahead and saw his brother and Skye waiting for them. He greeted them saying, "Hey guys, you ready to go?" The two dragons nodded and Skye replied, "As ready as can be! Let's go!
With that the dragons were on their way. Spike followed behind them still wearing the same sad expression. It wasn't until five minutes later that he noticed that nothing around at the moment looked familure. He then said, "Uh guys, this doesn't look like a gem area. In fact there are lots of places to dig up gems around Ponyville."
The dragon king then looked to both his friends and said, "Look Spike, we're not really out here to look for gems. I just said that so Twilight wouldn't get suspicious." The little dragon then asked, "So what are we doing?" Conner then blurted out, "We're going to get your dragon spirit back!"
Spike's face lit up with a smile, but then went straight into a confused look. He then said, "Wait, but you guys I couldn't get my dragon spirit back." Skye stepped next to the purple dragon and said, "Actually we said it's next to impossible to get it back, but we thought of way that just might work for you." He then asked, "So what are guys going to do?"
Pyro answered, "We're going to find out where you came from and who your parents are?" Spike's eyes lit up like stars upon hearing this. For his entire life there was nothing he wanted to know more, and now he finally get the answers he craved. Spike then said, "But how, I don't where I came from and neither do any of the others. Not even in Twilight. I don't even think Celestia knows."
The red fire dragon responded, "Maybe she doesn't know where you came from, but I'm willing to bet she knows where your egg was found. That will give us a clue." He then asked, "But how are you going to find that out. The train stations the other way, and I'm not even sure she'd tell you." Conner stepped up and said, "Maybe not, but lucky for us we've got a dragon on the inside. Not only that, but Razor set up a psychic link between all of us. Pyro call in."
He nodded and thought, 'Jordan, can you hear me?' The dragon of thunder was currently speaking to Luna in her room. "It was around that time that my sister and I came back ready to face Discord with the Elements of Harmony, but I held doubts that they were going to work. My sister cured those doubts and urged me on until we finally faced him. I can't remember a time sense that I felt so doubtful." Jordan then said, "Believe me I know the feeling. If it wasn't for my brother always leading us into battle I don't if I would have had guts to go into half the battles we've gone into. But in the end you've just got to remember what you're fight for."
The princess of the night smiled at him and received a smile in return from the teenage dragon. It was then that Jordan heard his brother's words. 'Jordan, can you here me?' 'Pyro?' Luna then asked, "What's wrong?" He answered quickly, "Oh uh nothing. Could you excuse me for a moment, I have to go take care of something, but I'll be right back." She nodded and watched him walk out the door.
She then thought, 'What's with this feeling I have? Why do I feel this way when I'm around him? Could it possibly be… oh I don't know.'
Outside in the hallway Jordan called back, 'Pyro, what's going on? Is something wrong?' His brother answered, 'Don't worry, everything's fine I just need you to do something.' 'What is it?' He then said, "I need you to find Celestia's office and find her records for where she's previously found dragon eggs.' Jordan's only response was 'Oooook?'
With that the dark blue teenage dragon made his way through the castle to Celestia's office. He was about to head that way, when he saw the door open and pulled back. He then peeked to see it was Celestia herself who had come through the door and she was walking in his direction.
Thinking quickly he opened his wings and jumped into the air. As Celestia came he had just manage to use his claws to dig into and hold onto the wall. When she was finally out of sight he jumped down and headed in. He began looking through drawers, cabinets, and files to find what his brother was looking for. After about five minutes he opened a drawer in Celestia's desk and found a bunch of old books.
He began moving them as he read their titles. "Hmmm let's see here uhmm... 'Spells of the ages', no. New spell formula's, no. Huh, 'Elements of the Fallen?', Check that out later. Hmmm Royal Family Tree. Aha! Dragon Egg Recovery Locations, finally." After finding what he was looking for, and putting the books back in Jordan was about to leave, but he decided to check out one of the books.
He then picked up the one that was labeled 'Royal Family Tree' and decided to take a look. "Can't hurt to learn a little more about this place. Huh, King Solaris, and Queen Artemis…these must be Celestia's and Luna's parents. Heh, here they are right here. Huh? Well, well, well looks like Celestia has an extra branch. Well she is immortal, it shouldn't surprise if she hasat least one kid." Jordan turned the page and found something very odd.
He then said, "Huh, that's weird, some of the pictures missing? Hold on… this guy looks familure. And the branch is still going. OH MY GOD. I can't believe this. Pyro and Celestia, they're… they're… oh boy. Should I tell him, how can I not? Wait, why hasn't she said anything about this?"
Jordan then heard the door open behind and looked to see it was Luna who had opened the door. She quickly asked, "Jordan what are you doing in here?" He responded, "I've got a better question." He then kicked the book over to her and she saw the page as he asked, "Why have you been hiding this?" She sighed heavily and looked up at him with guilty look.
She then said, "Look Jordan, I know I have no right to say this, but you can't tell him yet." "I can't keep this from him, he's my king, and my brother. Not only that, he has a right to know." She responded and said, "I know, I know but if he finds out now it could be disastrous." The thunder dragon then asked, "What are you talking about?"
The princess of the night spoke, "You see you and your friends arrived here for a reason. Centuries ago, we received a prophecy that you and the others would arrive to save Equestria from an unknown threat. That's why we've been pushing Pyro to learn magic more quickly, so that he'll be ready. If he finds out now it may jeopardize everything."
Jordan was beside himself and said, "(Huff) Luna listen he's been through a lot and I don't know if I can do this." "Jordan please you have to trust me." He turned to her and asked, "How can I?" Luna stepped forward and pressed her nose against his surprising him. She then shifted forward and placed a light kiss on his cheek.
Jordan was left stunned and dumbfounded by the action, and upon coming back to reality he faced Luna. As they're eyes locked and the embarrassing blushes faded, Luna said, "These past few months have been wonderful thanks to you and I realized that I… that I had feelings for you. I just didn't know how to tell you. Jordan, please trust me and I promise you that we will tell him someday and if we don't then… then you can."
Jordan looked into the alicorns eyes that sparkled like stars. He was quickly mesmerized by them, and responded, "Alright, I won't tell him... at least not yet. I promise." She smiled at him as he said that and placed her head over his shoulder as she whispered, "Thank you."
It was at that time that Pyro called to his brother again and asked, 'Yo Jordan, did you find it.' The thunder dragon responded, 'Yeah, I got it. Hold on a second.' He then pulled away from Luna and said, "I've gotta take care of something, I'll meet you back in your room." She nodded happily and began to make her way out. Jordan then took a look in the dragon egg book and began reading.
He then called back and said, 'Here are the coordinates for the eggs found in that year. It looks like of the locations is way out in a different terrain then where the others were found. As a matter of fact, it looks like this egg wasn't in any dragon territory at all.'
Pyro then thought to his brother, 'Thanks man. You really helped us, talk to you later.' The dragon king turned to his friends and said, "Ok I know which way to go. Everyone stick close, and follow me. Spike you get on Skye's back, it'll be a lot easier if we fly." The little dragon nodded and hoped on the wind dragon's back.
The dragons took off towards the sky flying to their new destination. After about an hour Pyro finally spotted the area that Jordan had spoken of. The area was a large forest full of trees with large open grassland where they could land and rest.
The dragon king looked around and scanned the area. Once he used all of his senses to make sure the area was clear he turned to the others. "We'll rest here for about five minutes. After that, according to the Jordan's coordinates we head north from here further into the forest."
Everyone began lay down and cozy into the grass as the warmth of the sun bathed their scales in its warmth. Conner decided to take in the sights of the area and jumped into a tree. Skye found a nice soft patch of grass where he lay down and listened to the sounds flowing wind. Pyro found a nice open dirt ground where he decided to lie down and soak up some solar rays.
Spike was a bit surprised at how laid back the others were being. He walked over to his fire dragon friend, who cracked an eye open upon hearing footsteps. The young dragon then sat down and leaned against the elder dragon's side as he took in a deep breath and let a hard sigh.
He then asked, "So dragons chill and goof off too?" "Yep." "Even on missions?" "Yep." Spike sighed and said, "Pyro listen… what if we don't find anything? What if what we find is something we don't like? Maybe it'd better to just turn back now."
The dragon king opened his eyes and looked ahead as he said, "Look Spike, if we just worry about what might happen, all we're going to do is psych ourselves out of what we enjoy in life. Life is a continuous changing thing with a number of twists, turns, and unforeseen possibilities."
Spike listened but he still felt nervous about this whole thing. Pyro then said, "Listen Spike, if we don't take chances in life, we don't get anywhere. If what we don't find anything that means we weren't meant to. If we don't like what we find, we turn away. But if we find something that can help us, than the journey was worth it. You have to have faith that things will work out." The purple and green dragon decided to takes his friends and advice lay back and relax. After a few seconds, sleep took them both into its warm embrace.
After a few minutes everyone had woken up and gathered back together, they were on the move towards the location the thunder general had given them. Pyro was on point leading the others and making sure to stay vigilant. After a while of walking the dragons finally stopped.
Spike then looked and all they saw were trees, bushes, and a rocky ledge. He then asked, "This is it? This is where I was found? This is the spot?" The red dragon stepped next to him and said, "No… according to the coordinates Jordan gave me… you were found… over there." Spike looked ahead and narrowed his eyes until he saw a large cave in the distance.
The dragons made their way towards the cave to check things out. Spike then asked, "Well you guys see anything?" The dragons scanned the area to find any all remnants of dragons in this area.
Skye was the first to find something and called out, "I found dragon claw marks one the floor and walls!" Conner then said, "There are few burn marks on some of the trees around here too!"
Spike then asked, "So what does this all mean?" Pyro stood next to him and said, "It means there were dragons around here all right." Skye began investigating the cave, taking in all the sounds, sights, and smells he could to narrow things down.
He then said, "Not dragons… dragon. Only one dragon lived here, probably a male nomad claiming this territory for himself. And from the smell of it, I'd say its definitely Equestrian. The marks on the tree and in the cave were probably so he could mark his territory and find his way back here." Pyro then asked, "How long ago was he here?" The wind dragon took a close look around the cave and examined the claw marks on the wall.
He then stated, "It's strange, but the time periods of the claw marks on walls don't match up. There appear to be time gaps. Like he stayed here for a while, then disappeared, then he suddenly came back, and disappeared again."
The dragon king thought for a moment and then said, "This may actually explain a few things." Conner turned to his brother and asked, "What do you mean?" "I have a theory, but I'll have to test it. Spike, you stay here."
Pyro then walked into the cave and sat down in the middle of it. He then called upon his ancestral energy and let the energy radiate from within him and shine all over the cave. The three dragons watched as this happened and ass the golden energy reached the edge of the cave a strange light appeared at the back of the cave that began to take form in the shape of an arc.
Spike then asked, "What is that?" Conner then said, "It's a portal… but to where?" Pyro then said, "Guys, I had this all wrong. Spike this is where your egg was found, but not where it was born. You were born, wherever this portal goes. Your father was the dragon who lived in this cave, but I'm guessing he left and met a female on the other side. Meaning you're only half Equestrian dragon, your other half… well… what do you say we go find out?"
Spike thought for a minute. He looked towards the direction Ponyville was in and thought about his friends. He knew that there was a possibility that if he went through there, he might not come back, but he also knew that this was something he had to do. He had to find out the truth for himself and for his future.
The young dragon nodded and walked forward towards the portal. The teenage dragons all smiled and made their way through the portal. As they finally came through to the other side, they were all-star struck by what they saw.
They had been transported to what looked like a dragon utopia. From what it looked like they were underground inside a completely inactive volcano. The dragons had built caves into the sides of the volcano and deep caverns underground to live in. A bright light suddenly caught all of their attention and they turned around to see a giant white crystal in the middle of the volcano.
After staring at the crystals the teenagers and their pre-teen pupil had finally realized that the other dragons were watching them. Spike looked around at these dragons and saw that they were a separate breed from the Equestrian dragons he knew, but were very similar to Pyro and the others. These dragons were very large, their bodies were dark shades of color, their tails were long and whip like, their wings at least twice the size of their bodies. But the most surprising feature of these dragons were the large jewel shards embedded in their chests that reflected the color of their eyes. These jewels shined brightly in the dark and focus was drawn to them given their dark colored bodies.
As Spike walked around a feeling to take place in his heart. He couldn't help, but feel that he had been here before. Pyro then said, "These are the mystic dragons." The young dragon then asked, "The what?" He then said, "These dragons have special powers like we do. They all breathe fire like equestrian dragon, but their fires are magic and can do many mysterious things."
The wind general stepped next to the little dragon and asked, "Well Spike, how do you feel?" He looked around and said, "I feel like… I … like I've been here before. It feels like… I know this place. I, I don't how to describe it, but it feels like whenever I'm Twilight or the others. Like an empty space has finally filled in my heart."
As he spoke those words Spike's chest suddenly began to glow a bright green color. He then asked, "What's going on?" Conner quickly said, "Your dragon spirits been sparked!" Skye then said, "If Pyro acts now he can fully awaken your dragon spirit, but you have to be sure this is what you want Spike."
The purple and green dragon looked all around and then back to his friends. He thought back to his experiences with the dragons from his world. All his life he had feared, and resented his kind. All he ever heard about dragons were how ferocious they were, how terrifying they were, how greedy they were, and how bad they were. Now he had finally met dragons who were kind and friend like him, but they had strength that he did not. Now more than anything he wanted to be like them and protect what he cared about. He had to do this for him, not anyone else. Spike had made his decision.
He then said, "I do want this. I'm a dragon and it's about time I started acting like one. Not just for myself, but also for my friends. … I'm ready."
Pyro nodded and summoned his ancestral energy forth. His energy began to radiate with Spike and the white crystal behind him. The golden glow summoned the attention of all the dragons who watched in awe. "Now Spike, awaken your dragon spirit, and reclaim the power of your ancestors!"
The dragon king then opened his maw and blasted Spike's still glowing chest, which revealed the hidden green shard, which had been inside him all along. Spike's body began to change and finally the light died down.
As the light faded everyone took a look and the new Spike. Now that his dragon spirit had fully awakened his body had changed to meet the needs of his new spirit. Spike had changed into four-legged dragon like the others and had grown to height that he was only a foot shorter than them now. He now had muzzle that was shaped like Pyro's and the others; a bit of square shaped, with two white fangs poking out. That wasn't the only change, for now he also had wings on his back along with his spikes that traveled all the way down to his tail, which was now shaped like a stone spearhead. The spikes on his head grew larger and larger until they reached the spike on his head, which had turned backwards and was now a very sharp fin like blade positioned perfectly at the top of his head. Spikes paws were now much larger and while the front were shaped like similar to a Pyro's and others his back paws were shaped more like a t-rex foot (with four claws instead of three of course). His claws were not his usual pointy purple fingers, but were now very large, sharp, white claws that looked like they could tear through anything. The biggest change however was the giant bright green gem that was now embedded in Spike's chest proving that he was one of them.
Spike was new and improved and he liked what he saw. He began looking himself over and touching his face to check out the new him. He then said, "It's me. This is me." They all nodded to their excited new companion. He then said, "So this is what it is… to be a real dragon." Pyro nodded and said, "Congratulations Spike, you're one of us. And them."
Spike then asked, "Well now what?" Ethan then said, "Well, I'd say it's about time we find your parents." Spike's eyes widened in shock upon hearing those words, and he could only think of how he would react when he saw them. He then asked, "But how do we find them exactly?"
Their fire dragon leader then pointed to the large white crystal behind them and said, "That crystal over there will show you anything you want to see. All you have to do is use it." The new dragon gulped and walked towards the crystal slowly. He then raised his paw above the crystal, but stopped just before touching it. Conner placed his paw on his friends shoulder and said, "Its ok Spike, like you said, you're ready."
Spike smiled and finally placed his paw on the crystal getting to pulse and glow white. An image of a large cave near a waterfall came into view upon its surface. Pyro then said, "Look over there. That's the place, let's go." Spike then asked, "Wait, how am I gonna get down there?" Conner then pointed to the purple dragons back and said, "You've got wings dude, use em."
Spike looked to his back and flexed his wings out. He then watched the others as they flew down to the floor below. He then said, "Ok Spike, you can do this. You're a dragon now you can figure this out. Just start off easy and gently glide down."
Spike opened his wings and jumped off the edge gliding after the others. He almost list his balance a few times, but managed to straighten out and follow the others. Finally they all landed and made their way behind the waterfall. Behind the waterfall they found a large cave with a door inside. Pyro was about to knock on the door, but turned to Spike as he asked, "You ready?" He nodded and Pyro finally knocked.
A large black female dragon with an amethyst colored gem and matching eyes came to door. She then said, "Yes? Your Majesty… what do I owe this honor?" Pyro knew this dragoness very well. Her name was Aria and she was very gifted warrior and her fire had the ability to form neon on anything it touched."
Pyro smiled and said, "Lady Aria forgive the sudden visit, but I believe I've found something that belongs to you." Pyro stepped aside revealing Spike who was trying not make direct eye contact. She then replied, "Forgive me sire, but I don't understa…" Aria stopped in the middle of her sentence as she began to get a good look at Spike.
She leaned in closer and felt that there was something very familure about this young dragon. She then leaned in and asked, "Um may I?" He nodded and held still as she took in his scent.
Upon doing so her eyes shot wide and she gasped as she reeled back in disbelief. She knew this scent all too well. It was the scent of the egg and the child she had lost.
Spike blushed and looked into her eyes, which were full surprise, confusion, and disbelief. The lavender dragon stepped forward looked up to her once more. She removed her paw from her maw and leaned down to look him in the eyes. She then asked, "Is… is it really you?" He smiled and nodded to her.
She reached out to touch his face, and he moved his head into her warm paw and nuzzled it as he took in her scent. He knew this scent the same scent he smelled from inside his egg and on his egg shells; the scent of his mother. Aria shed tears of joy as she said, "You're alive… you… you came back. My little one… I thought I'd lost you."
She pulled him into a hug, which he returned by standing on his back legs and wrapping his arms around her neck. He responded, "I always wanted to see you... to meet you, and I never… I never thought I'd be able to. Mom, I'm so happy to finally meet you." "Shhh, shhhh it's alright I'm here. I'm here."
Aria then stood up and said, "Oh you're… your father. Aaron, come here!" Suddenly another dragon came out, but this one was an Equestrian dragon like Spike. Another dragon stepped into the open and asked, "Yes Aria, what is it?"
She smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes as she said, "We have guests." Aaron peeked around her to see a group of young dragons in their doorway; and one of them he recognized right away. He then said, "Your majesty it's great to see you. What brings you here?"
Pyro chuckled as he said, "You may want to ask her?" Aaron saw the tears in her eyes and asked, "Aria what's wrong, why are you crying." She then, "Sweaty look." Aaron looked at the young purple dragon who was staring up at him in awe in his eyes. Aaron then thought for a moment, 'Hmm something about that young dragon seems… familure.'
Aria then said, "Aaron it's him." The black male looked at his mate with a confused look and then back to Spike and finally he pieced it together. "Oh my God. Can it be? Is it really him?" Aria nodded and said, "He smells just like the egg and his age matches up. It's our son."
Aaron worked hard to control himself and hold back his tears as he bent down to his son. He then asked, "Uhhm, what are you called now?" Spike looked into the eyes of his father and said, "My names Spike." His father smiled and said, "A fine name for a young dragon. Hello Spike and welcome home."
Spike could no longer hold himself back and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. His father returned the gesture and so did his mother. Soon the three dragons looked just like a family. The sight before them warmed the dragon king and his generals, and they all smiled as they watched.
After a while everyone sat down and began to talk. Spike's parents began to explain what happened. Spike sat lay down next to his parents as they began to tell their tale. Aaron then said, "It was terrible. These strange demonic creatures led by ape like monster had invaded our world. Their leader called himself Ares." Pyro then said, "The god of war."
Aria nodded and said, "When they invaded all males and any available dragons were called in to fight. Than included me and Aaron, but we… we didn't want to leave our egg alone. There was a hidden chamber where all the eggs were being held and guarded, but our instincts told us not to take Spike there. It was then that I remembered the world that Aaron came from and asked him to take your egg there."
Spike then asked, "So what happened?" His father replied, "Ares army attacked early came at us from nowhere. He sent in small squads of his demons and warriors to attack us here. The remaining guards and soldiers fought back the best they could and so did your mother. While they were busy doing that, I used the crystal to open the portal that brought me here. As I went through two demons ambushed me and knocked me through the portal. I managed to break free and placed your egg beyond the cave while I fought them off. I managed to force them back through the portal and killed them. I was about to go back and check on you, but even more of them were coming. So I had to make a choice, either I closed the portal and save you and my world. Or leave it open and chance getting back to you. I made my choice and you know what happened. I'm so sorry Spike, if I had just fought harder than…"
Pyro stopped him and said, "You did the right thing Aaron. You saved Equestria and your son." Spike followed up his friend's statement and said, "He's right dad, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm just glad I could finally come back home and see you."
Aaron then continued, "After I sealed the portal we fought for 2 whole days as hard as we could. Until finally Pyro and his army arrived and wiped out the demons. Pyro himself defeated Ares and drove him from our world. After a while we tended to our wounded and mourned our lost ones. Ironically it seemed that our instincts were right. More than half the eggs had smashed or broken leaving many parents grieving. After I told your mother what happened she grieved as well, but now you're back."
Aria then nuzzled her son's cheek and said, "Our son has come home and look at you. You've grown into a fine young dragon just like we hoped you'd be. We're very proud of you Spike." "Thanks mom."
Pyro then said, "Well thanks for having us, but it is getting a bit late and we should probably head back now. We'll see you around Spike." Spike stopped them as he said, "Actually, I was thinking about that. Mom, Dad listen I know I just came back, but I've lived in Equestria all my life. It's as much my home as this place is and my friends are just as much as my family."
Aaron then finished for him, "You want to go with them." Spike nodded and said, "I'll come back to visit you guys all the time I promise. We can catch up and hang out and you can teach me about this place and the dragons here."
Aria nodded and said, "We're going to hold you to that. We'll miss you son and we'll see you when you get back. Pyro please take good care of our son." He nodded and said, "No problem mam, it is my job after all." She giggled and said, "Yes I suppose so."
With that Spike took one last look before waving goodbye and taking flight along with the others. As they flew through the portal they all gathered up together and smiled at the newest member of their group.
Spike smiled and said, "Wow, I can't believe I'm finally a real dragon." Pyro shook his head and stepped forward as he said, "You were always a real dragon Spike, you just needed a little help to realize that."
Conner then said, "Uh guys I think I speak for all of us when I say that we probably shouldn't tell Twilight about this." They all nodded accept for Spike who asked, "Why's that?"
Skye answered, "Well dude she very protective of you and is always doing what she can to make sure you're safe. Not only that, but if she knew about your new form and that we lied to her about it, there's no telling what she might do. Besides it would be better if we left her and the others out of dragon business."
Spike nodded in agreement and replied, "I guess you're right." Pyro stepped next to the purple pre-teen and said, "Well if that's clear, your going to need an allies, a secret identity, or second name."
Spike looked at his body and then at his claws. He then said, "Ok, I think I got it. From now on, I'm Slash." The others smiled and nodded agreeing the name fit pretty well.
Pyro then said, "Alright boys let's role. I think we're all over do for some rest." With that the dragons opened their wings and took off over a nearby cliff gliding over the clouds. Spike looked at his wings held them up and did exactly as the others did and before he knew it, he was off the ground.
He started flapping like crazy and managed to catch up with the others. He swayed and tilted back and forth before finally straightening out. He then said, "Thanks for waiting up you guys."
Pyro turned to Skye and nodded and he nodded in return as he flew next to Slash. He then said, "Hey you know what?" He turned to him asked, "What?" Skye snickered and said, "You're flying. Ha, ha, ha!"
Slash looked down to see he truly was flying. He gave his wings and couple of flaps and took off gaining speed as great big smile appeared on his face. He had always dreamed of flying and now he finally was.
Pyro flew ahead of the others and said, "Alright guys let's go home." With that all them took off towards Ponyville full speed ahead.
Well everyone that was chapter 9, I hope you liked and please leave your reviews and give me some ideas for new chapters, and if you got an idea for a chapter or have your own OC you'd like to put into a Chapter 11 send me the details in your reviews. I'm ready and waiting. Next Time: Chapter 10 – Second Star to the Right.
