//------------------------------// // Trapped and Spiked // Story: Draconic Troubles // by Davesknd //------------------------------// My Little Pony does not belong to me! It belongs to Hasbro and is supposed to sell toys. And let's thank them for that, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see it for free! There were many things on Rarity's mind. The most dominant and least ladylike was -HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BUCKING MIND?-. -You should be glad, I can´t banish people to the moon!- was a close contender right after -Did that flattening mess up my mane?-. But none of them left Rarity's lips. She wanted to say all of them and a lot more, but seeing Spike at the bottom of the stairs, quivering, claws chewed on and tail still a little damp from sucking on it. It vaporized her anger. The little dragon looked pathetic. *He is a baby! Half our age at most!* She thought quietly *We forget it, because he talks, walks around and can dig up gems for hours. But he is a baby dragon. Just wait for his sleep time or... throw in another dragon to get some perspective.* "Spike, Twilight asked me to give you this." Rarity stated with a gentle smile, levitating the letter out of her saddlebag. "Could you be a dear and send it to the princess? She said it was important." "Of course, Rarity." The dragon answered quietly and forced a smile. A few of his own scale fragments were visible on his teeth. "Is it... the battle plan? A request for additional guards and the SAM-launchers? Or maybe a call for Princess Luna to dust off her Nightmare Moon armour and show up here to bring some divine judgement?" "Something like that." Rarity answered, glad her element of Harmony allowed a little fib from time to time. "Nah, sugar! It´s a request for that book of dragon anatomy, so we can look up how to lift his tail and kiss that dragon where it counts!" Applejack blurted out in Rarity's head "Oh! And Mrs. Fussy here will be holding that whole laudation thingy!" "Why did she stress that?" Rarity asked in a mumble "And why does she call me like that in my own fantasy?" "Because even in your fantasy, everything has to be all perfect like!" Applejack answered. "Quiet!" Spike overheard the unicorn. He took a nice and deep breath and... blew. A puff of hot air left his mouth. "What is it?" "Heh... whenever I get really nervous, my fire starts to get smaller." Spike admitted "When I get angry, it's hot as nothing else, but being scared... luke warm air." "Oh... do you need some time?" Rarity asked, unsure how to tackle this problem "Maybe a glass of water? Or relax a little before you try again? Some reassuring talk?" "Sorry, that hardly ever happens to me..." "I'm sure it happens to a lot of dragons?" Rarity offered. This was more awkward that it should be! Finally, after some light cuddling, Spike managed to deliver enough flame to send the letter. "Now, Spike, I think we should sit down, have a tea and relax." Rarity said gently "Right after we disarm any other traps in the library. It´s not as if those would work on a dragon anyways." "Yes, you are right. I was just so paniced after I got that answer from the Princess, I started doing things without thinking of consequences..." Spike admitted, twisting his tail between his hands. "Answer? Did Twilight send another letter?" "No, I sent one. I wanted to return to Canterlot while that other guy stayed here." Spike explained "But the Princess just sent this back." He handed a scroll over to Rarity. "Dear Spike" Rarity read aloud "I understand that you are worried about being discovered, but sadly I cannot allow you to return for the time being. I will require regular reports on the situation, possible damage, needed resources and other details. I expect one every three hours. If one report fails to reach me, and be it only a note, reading *all clear*, I will personally come and see into the situation. I know that you must be scared, but I know you well enough to have faith in your sense of duty and courage. Please, do not disappoint me, Spike. Yours Princess Celestia of Equestria PS.: I have included the items you asked for. I hope that they really are for Twilight's research and not for turning the library into a death-trap! PPS.: I fear, I can't send you the tactical warhead. We apparently have not invented one yet. Sorry." Rarity looked at him with a sympathetic smile, ignoring the part about heavy arms smuggling. "So... you are stuck here." She said, unsure "But I don´t get the problem... can you explain it a little better? What is it with that neutral ground? And why do you have to hide?" Spike sighed and sat down. "Neutral ground is supposed to be a resting and meeting place. You can´t just claim it. If you want to, you have to offer another landmark to be used from your own turf." The dragon looked up "I own Canterlot and I won ´t give that away! Maybe Manechester, but NOT Canterlot!" he sighed "Sadly I haven´t put a claim on Manechester yet. But if that guy can travel so far that he needs to rest up, he has the resources to get Ponyville and kick me out." "And you don´t think that he would take it, even though you remain unseen?" "No. He had to call in a meeting of the surrounding dragons. Offer a landmark, wait for their acceptance..." Spike shook his head "This is much more effort that you might think. You don´t do that to get a place, you can already stay in." "Just to humiliate you?" "And to keep me away from my friends..." Spike added. Rarity bit her lip lightly. "Don't get me wrong, darling... but are all dragons so..." "I don´t know!" Spike answered in annoyance "How should I? I never met one! I was completely raised by ponies! I called that nurse in Canterlot "mommy" for years!" he sighed again "It's nothing special either. The eggs usually get abandoned. Since we live so long, it's the only way to keep us from turning into enormous Parasprites." The last sentence was a punch to the stomach for Rarity. Everypony had heard some bedtime stories of the evils, dragons did to ponykind. She had discarded them as blown out of proportion, when she met Spike. But this was how they treated EACH OTHER? "Say, why don't you disarm the other traps, you made!" the unicorn said and nudged Spike lightly "I will go and make us some tea." Spike looked at her sadly. "Come Spike... your traps wouldn't work on a grown up dragon anyways." The little dragon nodded and got up. Rarity watched him go to the basement and was back in thought as the sound of triggers being sprung and things slamming into other things reached the floor, she was in. "Poor guy." She said quietly "No wonder he is so eager for attention. All that showing off, announcing and the extra work he does for Twilight." A louder slamming sound pulled her back to reality. "SPIKE! Are you all right?" she shouted, galloping to the door. "I'm fine!" Spike answered, reaching the top of the stairs, even though an... anvil? "Where did you get an anvil from?" Rarity asked perplexed. "A bunch of Pegasus movers dropped it on Twilight a while ago. Amongst other hilariously heavy stuff. They were sorry and demanded that she kept the anvil... since everything else broke." Spike explained while scraping the object in question off his face. Apparently it swung right into him and he decided to carry it like that, slightly imbedded in his skull as it was. "Are you hurt?" "Nah... It's just metal." "Your kind is quite... sturdy." Rarity commented as she walked towards the kitchen. "Oh... well, I do eat stone." Spike answered. *And you can shove over a diamond dog twice your size, hold another one in a death grip like a crocodile and all that after hours of digging.* Rarity added mentally. "Say Spike... I never thanked you for how valiantly you defended me when we ran into those pillaging pups!" Rarity said suddenly. A little praise would cheer him up. She really didn't feel like having him depressed during tea. "The whatnow?" "The kidnapping canites!" "Who?" Spike asked, mimicking his junior assistant perfectly. "The diamond dogs!" Rarity sighed, sad that she rarely had a chance to use her more sophisticated language. "Oh, those guys!" Spike exclaimed "Well, it's not as if it worked out in the end. But I couldn't let anything untried." Rarity turned and walked into the kitchen to prepare some tea water. As she returned to the main hall, Spike was busy doing something on a window. "Oh, please, you were most knightly." She said "But I wondered... you had ample time to bite, claw or use fire on them. Why didn't you do that?" Spike turned and shook his head vehemently. "Rarity, please! I really wanted to save you, but I am not a complete psycho! I can chew diamonds! I didn't break a claw after hours of digging! Besides the taste, those guys would have been like butter!" he sighed "That is a line, I don't want to cross! EVER!" Rarity nodded and gave him another smile. "That is very noble of you, Spike!" She said "You can be proud of yourself for such restraint!" Spike giggled a little and beamed as he approached the last trap. This one and he could have tea with RARITY! He just realized how awesome that was. Feeling happiness rushing through him, he opened the shutter. Looked, as if turned to stone for a second. Closed it. Turned around and winced quietly, both eyes closed painfully. "Is something wrong?" Rarity asked. Spike kept quiet, opened the shutter again. Closed it. "What is it?" Spike looked extremely awkward at her. He pointed at the shutter. Rarity wondered silently and walked over to him. With a slight glow of her horn, she opened the shutter. Her eyes went wide and she closed it again. "I didn't find the sugar." She said, completely emotionless. "It's in the" "Why don't you go and fetch it while I take care of what I just saw and what we will pretend has never happened afterwards?" Rarity interrupted the young dragon, her voice unchanging. Spike nodded and left for the kitchen. There were many things on Rarity's mind. But all involved the ball gag, she just saw!