However reluctantly, Frostbite found himself making some space in his cavernous chamber for his new ‘friends’. He decided to leave the initial entrance they took frozen over just for more insurance, as he put it. Quantum Tech thought that he may not have known his own strength as a dragon, because despite him being correct to assume that ice did indeed melt over time, in the time that had passed between their initial encounter and now, it was as rigid as ever with structural integrity she never could have imagined even in the Frozen North’s most frigid glaciers. It made her worry how he’d quickly break it down for them. Dragons were certainly known for their seemingly impossible feats of strength, but the brainy filly often wondered what made them possible. Frostbite’s ability to breathe ice rather than fire made the very nature of the dragons’ existence seem deeper than ponies gave them credit for.
Fire Fight was at work cooking up a stew for everypony. The cold air made it a bit more difficult to keep the fire lit, but it was a minor inconvenience. He was accompanied by Shadow Shroud who was sharpening her kunai as they were finally starting to become dull. “It’s been a little while since we’ve had you’re stew, hasn’t it?” she said.
“At least it feels like it has. It wasn’t that long ago that we bailed from the Great Horn Temple. A lot has happened since then, even within a couple of days.” Fire Fight said.
“An ice breathing dragon notwithstanding.” Shroud said.
Fire Fight chuckled. “Yeah. Can’t wait to see how Quantum explains that one!” Stirring his stew, his weariness from the nightmare he’d had crept back into his thoughts as did the startling symbolisms he’d been subjected to. What was he foreseeing, or was it just stress? The fake Shadow Shroud was what frightened him the most. Why her? It was one thing to see his mother turn into an ice sculpture, but for something to assume the guise of his now closest friend and attack made him wonder what he was truly up against. Would he and the Battle Foals have to return to Equestria simply to deal with this unknown evil? And if so, would he be able to establish their independence? It made him wonder the purpose of his journey overall. “Shroud….”
“Hmm?”
“Look, I…..I’m sorry this is all taking so long. I just wanted to save other shunned foals. I wasn’t expecting half the things that have happened to us up until now, least of all this whole ice monster business.” Fire Fight said.
Shroud put her kunai away and put her hoof on his. “Don’t be. Sometimes the journey itself is more important than the actual goal. We’ve accomplished far more than I think we could have anticipated that few else probably could have. Who can complain?”
Fire Fight managed to crease a little smile. Mulling over the unexpected adventures he and his friends had made him realize just how much their actions would make a difference in the long run, and even if none of their those great exploits were planned for, he was content knowing that he’d found a higher purpose in his quest. “Yeah. You’re right. And it looks like we’re about to clean up another mess far out in that wasteland.”
“Where we’ll hopefully <ahem> build our homestead, as our resident gunslinger would so eloquently put it.” Shroud said. “Speaking of whom, where’d he gallop off to?”
“Probably somewhere where he can hide from Quantum Tech.” Fire Fight said.
“Quite the contrary.” Quantum Tech calmly approached them. “He seems to trying to make conversation our reptilian
acquaintance, so I thought I’d let him be. He has a way of passing his mellow disposition onto his peers, so perhaps Frostbite will less inclined to lash out at us.”
“Yeah, being frozen solid is kind of a drag. Trust me.” Fire Fight joked, inciting a giggle from the two fillies. “Speaking of him, what’s your take on his ice-breathing?”
Quantum Tech cleared her throat. “Well, as you may know, there is sadly little known about dragons, much less their biological functions and affinities. I somehow doubt they even know much about themselves, but I could be ignorant. One theory about how they breathe fire that I’ve had for some time is that they perhaps have an organ similar to an air bladder in a fish that contains flammable gases that are produced as a result of digestion. Afterwards, something would spark those gases and cause them to ignite, resulting in their fire breath. Obviously, they would have to have some form of inner layering to protect their innards from incinerating.”
“But what would cause the needed spark?” Shroud asked.
“That’s what troubles me. Perhaps it has something to do with their diet of gems and ores.” Quantum said. “But I cannot even begin to imagine how any living organism could generate ice in the manner that Frostbite does. Nitrogen is prevalent within living things, and incredibly low temperatures will cause it to freeze into a liquid, but that is the only theory I can concoct, and even so I cannot discern how that would happen without…”
“Without…..magic?” Fire Fight inquired.
“I know full well that’s conjecture on my part, but unless I can get Frostbite to cooperate and allow me to gather sufficient data, I can only do so much. Not to mention this ‘frost venom’ that he claims to possess.” Quantum said. All the three could do was mull over the possibilities as another conversations took place, the scent of the simmering stew soothing their sinuses.
Frostbite had been keeping to himself on the other side of his chamber, largely ignoring the activities of his unwanted guests. It was one thing being a black sheep amongst dragons, but having to house ponies simply because he agreed to ally with them was nothing short of frustrating. He was used to being alone, but Kickback saw fit to try and keep him company, and approached the icy drake. “Howdy, partner.”
Frostbite leered down at him. “What do you want?”
“Well, yer all by yer lonesome over here. Just thought Ah’d see how y’all were.” Kickback said.
“Tch. That’s rich. You seem like a lone wolf yourself.” Frostbite growled.
“Well, Ah might be the silent type, but that don’t mean Ah don’t care about others.” Kickback said.
Frostbite felt a little vexed at Kickback’s attempt to make conversation, but he had more dignity than to threaten someone he’d formed an alliance with, so he decided to humor him for now. “Yeah, yeah. Spare me the sappy talk and get to the point.”
“Well, there ain’t really a point to get to. Just wanna have a li’l chat is all.” Kickback said.
“There’s nothing to chat about.” Frostbite said.
“Nothin’? There’s plenty to chat about, partner.”
“Stop calling me that!” Frostbite demanded. “And like what?”
“Well fer starters, what’s it like bein’ a dragon?”
Frostbite rolled his eyes. “As if a pony could know. We’re so different, it’s not even funny. Not like it could be funny.”
“Ah beg to differ, partner.” Kickback said, earning him another leer from Frostbite upon calling him ‘partner’. “We eat, sleep, and make friends with one another, don’t we?”
“So does everything else on the planet, genius.” Frostbite said. “And us dragons don’t make ‘friends’. We just make…..groups….I guess.”
“Ain’t that the same thing as friends though?” Kickback asked.
Frostbite mildly gritted his teeth. “You’re just trying to tick me off, aren’t you?”
Kickback shook his head. “Not at all, partner. Ah just figure since we’re gonna be ridin’ together fer a li’l while, we oughta get to know each other a li’l more. Just what friends do.”
Frostbite huffed. “Well, you know plenty about me as it is. I’m a dragon who was somehow born with ice breath rather than fire breath. Got it?”
“Well, there’s gotta more than that, but maybe now’s not the time. Sorry if Ah bothered ya, Frostbite.” Kickback said before walking away.
“Tch. Whatever, dude.” As Frostbite watch kickback calmly walk towards the other foals, he strangely found himself unable to be mad at the desert dweller. Was it his mellow disposition that tamed him, or….what was this unfamiliar warmth he felt churning it his chest?
Somewhere else in this chilled cavern, an even colder-blooded predator found herself quietly observing her friend while organizing her arrows. Bullseye was still pretty bitter about her claw-induced hypothermia, but she opted not to beat up Frostbite for the risk of Fire Fight getting on her case. Apart from that, she seemed to be silently appointed as Crazylocks’ babysitter, which she had no qualms with. Said mutant filly was busy using her unicorn horn to play some weird mix of solitaire checkers with a bunch of loose rocks that broke off the walls and ceiling during their scuffle with Frostbite.
“Mistress Kleeze and the Duchess of Cheese hereby declare their rule over the land Macaletamytha. Never! They have been unfit to bear mold since they’re microphone tribe overtook their bathrooms!” She went back and forth between her normal voice and a goofy voice to distinguish between the two ‘sides’ as she continued her nonsensical political banter.
Watching her play made Bullseye crack a little smile, one void of wicked thoughts or malicious intent. “Hehe. Freak.” she said softly. Two of Crazylocks’ rocks struck together, and a chip from the collision fell to Bullseye’s hooves. She picked it up and realized that she could sharpen her arrows with it, so she did just that. “Best kind of freak.”
In a somewhat isolated corner of the cavern were Tidal Wave and Spiral Galaxy. The latter had found herself a quiet spot to rest her head with all that had just happened, and the former saw fit to check on her. “Hey, Spiral. You doing ok.”
Spiral smiled upon seeing her friend approach her. “Yeah. I didn’t exert my mind as much as I have in the past, and I was underground, so I’m gonna recuperate pretty quickly. Thanks. How about you?”
“Yeah, I’m good. We’re about to trek through a wasteland with some kind of monster hiding in it, but I’m good.” Tidal Wave’s voice was a little shaky.
Spiral giggled. “A little scared, are we?”
“What? I can’t be nervous? You think after what happened at the harpy lair, I’m suddenly fearless? If anything, I learned to be more aware of my surroundings.” Tidal Wave said.
“It’s cool, Tidal Wave. I think we all are. But we’re one step closer to sealing our freedom! Isn’t that exciting?” Spiral said.
Tidal Wave happily chuckled. “I guess all the effort really will be worth it in the end.”
Spiral nodded. “It sure will!” she said. “Hey….Thanks….”
“Huh? For what?”
“For…..being here and all. The others have been great friends and all, and they’ve helped me control my power, but you’ve been a huge help. It feels nice to be able to talk to somepony. Things couldn’t have been easy for you either.” Spiral said.
Tidal Wave found himself slightly blushing as he creased a smile. “Oh! Yeah. No problem.” He was surprised when Spiral pulled him in for a gentle hug, which he happily returned.
Turf War, Air Slash and Valkyrie found some room to spar with one another with Greensprout monitoring them. They decided not to unleash their power for the risk of potentially causing a cave-in and kept their bouts to one versus one. Turf War was especially careful to not smack the ground with his hammer as he and Valkyrie exchanged blows. Being both shield-wielders, their duels were a little less awkward than what they had with Air Slash, not that they didn’t have fun sparring with their dual wielding comrade, who was thoroughly enjoying the exercise.
After a good forty-five minutes of clanging metal, the three sheathed their weapons and went to Greensprout for treatment. They had sustained some bruises and a few cuts from being just barely hit the blades of their swords, but despite being flea bites to them, Greensprout made quick work of their scars. “You three sure like to play rough.”
“What kind of warriors would we be if we did not?” Air Slash said.
“Pretty sure that’s called masochism, dude.” Valkyrie said.
“I don’t know ‘bout that, but everything been tryna kill us so far ain’t played nice, so I’d say we got a fair trade off.” Turf War said.
“If only things could be easier in the long run.” Greensprout said. “But I must admit that this ‘city’ that Frostbite described has me curious. Who or whatever is creating these machines must have some purpose for doing so.”
“Likely not a good one, I’d imagine.” Air Slash said.
“Them things ever pop up b’fore in Griffonstone, Val?” Turf War asked Valkyrie.
Valkyrie shook her head. “First I’ve seen of ‘em, and if their coming from somewhere next door just beyond the natural border, then they must’ve started popping up just recently.”
“Frostbite did say that they have been incurring his cavern for the past week or so, so that must be the case.” Air Slash said.
“But what could have provoked them to awaken now? They’re inorganic, so I doubt Zebota and I could provide good input.” Greensprout said.
“Guess egghead’s gonna have some time to shine.” Valkyrie said.
“Word.” Turf War said. “Yo, on some real s*** though, thanks for helpin’ us out, Val.”
Valkyrie smirked. “Well, I’m not necessarily helping you guys out per se. If Griffonstone’s in danger, I’m always ready to answer the call; we just happen to be going in the same direction, but I won’t complain about getting roped into you guys’ playtime. You’re alright.”
Greensprout giggled. “Well, it’s still nice to know that we have you as an ally.”
Solemnly sitting by the frozen entrance to the chamber was Zebota accompanied by Shrapnel. He was calmly meditating while his beast quietly watched. Being sensitive to his master’s powers, he could tell that they were weak, and they both knew why. Zebota exited and meditation and faced his friend. “Shrapnel, I will be without strong connection to Nature whilst we are exploring that forsaken land. I hope that you will fight with your utmost strength as the rest of us would. Even with our friends to help us, we will be at our most vulnerable.”
Shrapnel lowly purred and nuzzled his master’s head. “<We are servants of this planet, master. If she can endure a scar on her body, it shall heal. As long as the land endures, so can we>.”
Zebota gently smiled. “And whatever has infected this wound, we shall cleanse it.” He calmly declared.
After a little while, Fire Fight summoned everyone over for their stew. His cooking skills continued to please as they dug in as blissfully as they have before. Unsurprisingly, Frostbite had left himself out of their banquet and was content to feast on the many gems that lined the halls of the mine tunnels. Fire Fight noticed that he glanced over at them a couple of times and got curious. “Hey Frostbite, you want some stew?”
Frostbite leered at him while chewing a gem. “No thanks. I don’t eat that stuff.” He said as he talked with his mouth full.
Shadow Shroud noticed for a split second that Frostbite’s nose seemed to scrunch open a little. “Well, okay.” She teasingly wafted the stew’s aroma towards her. “<sniff> Aaahh. More for us.”
Frostbite could sense her intent to taunt him and frustratingly glared at her. The stew did smell good, but his pride hindered to his desire to sample their cuisine. How he overcame, he’ll never know, but in that instant, he found himself walking over there. “Ok, fine!”
Fire Fight plated some for him. “Cool! Hope you like it!”
Frostbite just about swiped the plate from his hoof. “Thanks…” he mumbled as he found a seat next to Kickback, who politely tipped his hat to the drake. As everyone else gingerly dined on the stew, Frostbite stared down at his plate. It was nothing like he’d ever eaten amongst his own kind; dragons normally just forage or hunt for food and eat it as is. They’ve never thought to cook it, much less get creative with it. But even though it was foreign to him, that delicious aroma was very welcoming, and the other chowed down on it contently. He took a deep breath and dumped it all into his mouth.
Everyone else was more surprised than they should have been that he did so, but the way he happily chewed on his grub was enough to let them excuse him, even Quantum Tech. “Good stuff?” Spiral asked.
Frostbite looked up at them and quickly swallowed and tried to act calm. “Uh… Y-Yeah. It’s….pretty good, I guess.”
“There’s plenty for seconds if you want some.” Fire Fight said.
“Yeah? Well, hang on a second.” Frostbite excused himself briefly and came back with a few gems in his hand, and Fire Fight had already plated some more for him. Frostbite took his gems and crushed them, sprinkling the shards onto his stew before consuming it. Even he didn’t want to admit it, they could tell that he was enjoying his exotic meal with a touch of his own home. Their relationship with Frostbite might have been a little rocky, but they were confident that they could eventually call him a true ally.