Appledashery

by Just Essay

Oh Right, This Story

"Hrmmmff... blghblbhhgghhll..." Aatxe slept on the edge of his throne, rolled up into a rolly polly little ball of scales. "Hmmmfhghh... crusty jewels..." He snorted, producing a tiny column of smoke. His lips curved under shifty eyelids. "Hmmmffnngh... dipped in brimstone..." He pulled his claw up to his snout and sucked on a single thumb.

From the far end of the throne room—in the burning red aura of many-many lanterns—a pair of dragons zoomed up. They hovered in place, panting.

"... ... ...go on. Tell him."

"No, you tell him!"

The broodlings hissed with one another.

"You're the one who lost them!"

"No, I'm the one who bound them!"

"Not how I remember it!"

"How do you lose a horse that colorful anyway?"

"Look... just go up there... wake him up... and tell him."

"I-I can't do that!"

"What, are you afraid? Big Boss is a little pipsqueak compared to us!"

"I'm not afraid of Aatxe! I'm afraid of the big glowy death staff that Aatxe owns!"

"Oh for the love of—"

THUD! Four massive claws landed on the floor in front of two, causing both broodlings to yelp and hug each other in midair.

Snorting smoke and brimstone, Blood Fire leaned in, his big slitted eyes reflecting their shivering faces. "Does there seem to be a problem?" his bass voice reverberated.

"N-no! Bro! Not at all!"

"... ... ...only... uhm... just one tiny thing..." The other broodling smiled nervously at Blood Fire. "We... uh... j-just ran into a pony and a griffon."

"Did you eat them?"

"What, did you want a piece?"

Claws scraped towards them, showering their tails with sparks and flecks of mortar. "You two were on guard duty tonight..." Blood Fire exhaled into their trembling snouts. "Surely you caught them... and dispensed with their crunchy limbs."

"Griffons are crunchy?"

"Dude!" The other dragon slapped his skittish brother. "Shut it!"

Blood Fire sighed. "...they got away, didn't they?"

"Erm... y-yes..." The broodlings gulped.

"I see now that I have failed in properly training you both to fly fast..." Blood Fire grumbled.

"Not your fault, big bro!" One broodling gulped. "You're always busy in here... guarding Aatxe's stupid staff!"

Blood Fire exhaled long chains of smoke. "I know..."

The two younger siblings tared

Blood Fire caught them doing so. "Rrrrrrgh!" He lashed forward, jaws of white fangs snapping. "Go! Fly! Cover every square inch of the Castle! These invaders want only one thing and we need to silence them once and for all!"

"Yes! Blood Fire! S-sure thing!"

"Should we gather the others?"

"Mrmmmfff... no." Blood Fire shook his snout. "If I know the rest of the brood, you'll all just bump into one another in those cramped hallways. Go and resume your search while I... nnnngh... wake Big Boss from his cat nap."

"Sure thing! We'll get right on that!"

"Go! Go!"

Both dragon whelps flew out on heated wings.

Meanwhile, Blood Fire scuffled about. He stared down at the tiny infant dragon, then stifled a groan. Leaning in, he reached a claw over and tapped Aatxe's scales repeatedly.

"Big Boss... Big Boss..."

"Mrmmmfffnghhh... guhhh... mwap..." Aatxe stirred and yawned.

"I am sorry to wake you from your much important slumber, but we have a situation right now."

"Mmmmfff... no, Mommy... I'll... I'll wear the tiara later... heeeeeee..."

Blood Fire's eyes slits narrowed. He leaned back, tilted his jaws towards the throneroom's ceiling, and blew bright-white-hot flame. PHWOOOMB!

Aatxe's eyes popped open. With a high-pitched squeal, he leapt up onto the top of his throne, reached a claw out, and levitated the Flame Staff briskly to his grip. "Stay b-back! Invaders!" He waved the chaos shards around, trembling. "I'll turn you all into chickens! I swear it!" He gulped. "Roast you over an open... ... ...fire?" He looked up, blinking.

Blood Fire gazed down at him. "Hello brother."

"Bah! What is the meaning of this?!" Aatxe shook his tiny claw. "I could have turned you into a mountain of chickens! Or chicken eggs!"

"We have a situation," Blood Fire said. "Infiltrators."

"Is it the squirrels again?"

"Negatory."

"Pffft! Then why wake me up for that?"

"It appears to be the pony again."

Aatxe levitated the staff back and sat down on his rump. "Uh huh. So big whoop."

"And a griffon."

Aatxe paused, blinking. "...what would a griffon be doing here?"

"The only griffon who's ever laid eyes on the Flame Staff... is one who could only lay one eye."

"Yes... but how... how could he have found us?"

"I think it is worth an investigation, brother."

"I don't care what you think!" Aatxe spat. "I'm the Big Boss here! Momma arranged it that way! So I make the rules!"

"Very well." Blood Fire leaned back. "What do you propose?"

"... ... ..." Aatxe squirmed in his seat. "I... th-think you should go conduct an investigation."

"Mrmmmmfffnnngh..." Blood Fire stormed off with a swish of his massive tail.

Aatxe craned his neck after him. "And bring me some crunchy brimstone while you're at it! I'm famished from all that... power napping! Yeah..."

Comments

[Clawder]

Aatxe is one of those spoiled children who need some parental spanking...

I'd finish that phrase but we all know how the joke goes, don't we?

[destinedjagold]

...oh, right! I almost forgot this story, too!

[Sharp Quill]

Oh Right, This Story

Oh, right... it's almost as if this story got briefly unsung.

Snorting smoke and brimstone,

You know, that could be treated by going on a low-sulfur diet. (Brimstone is another name for sulfur.)

"And bring me some crunchy brimstone while you're at it! I'm famished from all that... power napping! Yeah..."

[Tim the Planes-pony]

For a second I thought you had forgotten about this story. Nice to see that isn't the case. In other news it seems the evasion plan worked this time.

[Mister Saxon]

So, what history does Romulus have with the dragons?

[MidnightReflection]

I want to see Spike leading all these dragons.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

6521502 Meh, this story is all 6's & 7's anyway. Also, are you sure it's not hydrogen sulfate?pleasedonthurtme

[Phoenix Kitten]

I like Blood Fire, the fact his voice is so deep it needs bolding just to translate to text.

[PropMaster]

I like this story. Glad it didn't get overlooked.

[Leftover of Saikano]

Oh, yes. The story in which Rainbow doesn't try to get Applejack.

[Appledash_Gurl]

Anyone else bothered buy the fact that this chapter has 999 words; couldn't make it an even number could ya JE?

Thats it, have a nice day!

=^-^=

[Hestia]

Well this is actually the only story I read

(Which reminds me that I need to finish the third Austraeoh book. Like seriously )

[Mister Saxon]

6522726 ...and the 4th, and the 5th, and the 6th, and the 7th...

[Aatxe360]

6521477

....I don't.

[Clawder]

6522946

Okay, for you... ehm... Aatxe:

Aatxe is one of those spoiled children who need some parental spanking but I guess her mother isn't there to do it!
*thug life cue music*

And it actually can be even worse: "But I guess her mother is too dead to do it!"

Pretty mean, right?

[FloydienSlip]

[Aatxe360]

6522992

Oh.

Correct on both points. Still got the belt when I was a kid.

I'm not offended at all.

[Clawder]

6523475

We all get the belt :(

[Lone Gazebo]

Hmmmm.... Romulus with history. Intriguing.

[zaponator]

Everyone is assuming Romulus has a history with the dragons. Maybe he was just bad at being sneaky when he scouted them.