//------------------------------// // Fear Within Part 1: A Struggling Recovery // Story: Dragonfire 🐲 Enter The Dragon Hero 🐲 // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// In the south of the Anhui Province, which lies to the east of China, is the magnificent Huangshan mountains, standing tall and proudly, among an endless sea of clouds. Training himself in solitude, atop one of the mountains, basking in the morning sun is Spike himself. The young Dragon Prince was practicing his strikes, kicks, jumps, all the while spinning a long bo staff, around his waist, arms, and shoulders, like a true student of kung fu. *Beautiful Chinese Music - Bamboo Flute* Spike's ears perked up to the sudden sound of a bamboo flute playing its melody across the wind. Setting his staff down beside him, slowly sitting down on the soft grass beneath him, Spike closed his eyes, letting the haunting music play over him, while breathing in and out to a smooth and natural rhythm. Spike felt himself more at peace, as he felt his mind being cleared of all conflicts and stresses, with his whole body growing still. 'This is just what I need,' Spike thought himself in content. After the debacle with Fear Haunter was resolved, Spike needed some times to himself; after all the grievance the metahuman had put him and his friends through. Now, having found peace, the young prince felt his troubles at ease. Or so he thought.... "Oh my, not running away from home, are you?" Spike frowned, scowling at the sound of Fear's voice. "Is the duty of the Dragon Prince becoming too overbearing for ya?" "I'm not running away from anything," Spike replied. "But I do want you TO GO AWAY!!!" In a burst of green fire, Spike shifted into his dragon form, and breathed a stream of green fire in Fear's way. The metahuman disappeared in a puff of green fire, "My, such a bad temper," Fear taunted. "So like a dragon." Irked, Spike continues his fiery assault on the metahuman, who continues to disappear in puffs of smokes. "Perhaps there is a reason dragons like you are so feared. You all have a fiery temper, so powerful, that you could easily lay waste to an entire city. Your Dragon Lord friend, Ember, is the perfect example." "You are not fit to speak her name!" Spike snarled, as he hurled a fire shuriken in the metahuman's way, exploding into puffs of smokes upon impact. "I will not let you besmirch the names of all good dragons!" "I don't have to," Fear replied. "The ponies and other creatures have already done that, you know. How dragons, including your own dragon friends, are just as greedy and power hungry as the griffins. How you have enough fire powers to destroy life. How you will be nothing more than the embodiments of destruction!" Knowing what Fear was trying to do, Spike took a deep breath, as he calms himself, "That only shows what you know, Fear," Spike frowned. "But not what me and everyone else knows! Not all dragons are like that! Sensei Mako is one such example! He was a hero to both Equestria and Dracasia! He was a legend! Just ask his niece, and a close friend of mine, Mina!" Fear could only laugh, "Oh, but that's just it," He cackled. "There's only one of him. And even he, was not enough to stop the ponies from accusing his fellow dragons, during the fire snail incident. Whose to say that you won't be any better? Who knows? Maybe a crime has been committed, and you will be framed for it. And when that happens, there will be no one to vouch for you! Not even your own mother!" "As if!" Spike spatted in defiance. "Don't believe me?" Fear asked, before everything around Spike suddenly changed into a big courtroom scene. Spike finds himself shackled in dark chains, as he was being held in place, on the stand, with his Aunt Luna standing before him, levitating a mallet in her aura. All in attendance are the Elements of Harmony's Bearers, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and a group of royal guards who had their spears at the ready. "Hail in peace to all sentient beings!" Luna spoke in a booming voice. "In the name of the great lawgiver, McCarthicus! This tribunal is now called to order! We sit in judgement over Spike Draco, for crimes and atrocities against the magical community!" With her horn glowing even more dark, the chain around Spike's body began to glow, as they burned his skin, while forcing him back in human form. "Spike Draco! Also known as the Dragon Prince! Prepare to meet the following charges!" Standing by her side, Somnambula appeared with a long scroll, as the Egyptian pegasus reads, "Let it be known, that you stand before the court, accused of mass murders, out of cold dragon blood!" "WHAT?!!" Spike exclaimed. "That's absurd!" "And how do you plead?" Princess Luna asked. "Not guilty! What else?" Spike asked. "Why would I ever murder someone?" "We have reasons to believe that you've actually murdered, some pony," Luna replied. "Murder someone?!" Spike scoffed. "Like I'd ever do that. Why would I ever want to kill someone?" "Someone whom you've had an argument with, perhaps?" Somnambula replied, before she reads. "As the evidence have shown, you did willing unleashed a full wrath of your dragon power, upon Prince Vladímir Blueblood!" "WHAT?!" Spike asked. "Why would I do that? I admit, he's a jerk and all, but still, I'd never do anything like that!" "Then why is, when we found his corpse, it was all burnt, and it had traces of your human DNA, and magic residue all over?" Somnambula asked. "I-I-I don't know!" "Irrelevant answer!" With that, Somnambula continues to read the charges, each sounding more absurd than the last. "The death of Fancy Pants, for fraternizing with Fleur-De-Lis! Zephyr Breeze for flirting with Rainbow Dash! Angel Bunny for rabbit mischiefs. Granny Smith for her long-winded, boring lectures. And the death of Princess Cadence, for defending Prince Blueblood." "We will now commune on the verdict," Princess Luna said, as both she and her councils exchanged opinions with each other, before they concluded, "In the name of the great law giver! This tribunal finds you, Spike Draco, GUILTY!!" Spike's eyes widened in disbelief, as Twilight and her friends walked up and stood over Spike and looked down at him in disgust. Twilight was the first to speak as Princess Celestia stood in the darkness with her head held down in shame. “I can't believe you would do something so cruel. I saw you as my closest friend. You helped me get through so much. You bring shame to me, to my title 'the Princess of Friendship,' to Canterlot, and to the royal family.” "Twilight! I didn't do it!" Spike replied. “No point of denying it, varmint! You're getting what you deserved!” Applejack, spoke as she looked down at him. “I actually believed you were different from the other dragons, but I was wrong. You're nothing but a savage beast!” Fluttershy spoke as she gave Spike her stare. "You're not that cute puppy anymore! I wished you would be put down!" "Here here!" Rarity agreed. "Go die in hell!" Pinkie scowled. "Can we get this over with?" Rainbow asked. "I'm sick and tired of looking at him!" Finally, Princess Celestia stood before him, with her eyes glowing green, and purple smokes trailing, "You're no son of mine!" With that, Princess Celestia fired a powerful spell on Spike, in which the Dragon Prince once more felt something snapped inside of him, "ENOUGH!!!" He roared, as he began to see red, and he unleashed a devastating storm of fire upon the ponies around him. When Spike finally came to his senses, he looked around him, horrified to see the burning corpses of the dark apparitions of the ponies, who were once his friends. "What have I done?" Spike frowned. "A job well done, that's what!" Fear cackled, appearing before the dragon, in his demon form. "Face it 'Dragon Prince.' The worlds are better off without dragons, without the Dragonfire, and withoutyou." With the dark chains snaking around him, Spike was restrained in place, as the metahuman raises his scythe in the air, "Time to fall down!" He growled, and strikes Spike down. Meanwhile, back in Equestria Equestria was coated under a blanket of Luna's night. But all of that changed instantly in the blink of an eye, when Celestia's sun slowly rose up, over the horizon, shedding its light across the land, with the night sky retreating. In her room, within the Friendship Castle, Twilight woke up to the ray of Celestia's light, shining down on her. Getting up from her bed, Twilight stood, basking in the light of her mentor's sun, stretching her legs, and wings, before in a flash of pink mists, she stood in anthro form. Getting down on the floor, levitating some books, Twilight skimmed through some pages, specifically the ones on the stretches recommended to start the day. Meanwhile The sun slowly rose up in the east, casting its light on New York. Many of the tall buildings all stood tall as they blocked the bright lights from striking smaller buildings, shielding their occupants within, from the sun's penetrating lights. This, however, doesn't stopping two certain occupants. Peewee was sound asleep, on his perch, when his body suddenly starts to radiate an aura of yellow, as if he can sense the rising sun. Blinking his eyes open, the phoenix violently shook his head, shaking the sleep off of him, while giving his wings a few flaps, before he flew off his perch, and into the room of his owner. Peewee flapped his wings as he slowly came for a landing, on top of a huge mound that's draped by the long sheet of fabric and cotton. Peewee looked curiously at the mound, before he clamped his claws on the blanket, and with a flap of his mighty wings, the phoenix lifted the blanket up, to reveal Spike, in dragon form, curled up in a coil. The young dragon was groaning, slightly shaking, until his pet phoenix lets out a loud screech, startling the boy awake. "BWAH!!" Spike screamed, as he fell out of bed, and on the floor. Getting up, rubbing his sore head, Spike groaned, "Thanks for the wake up call, Peewee. I really need that," He muttered, before he took notice of himself. "What the-" Spike looked all over himself, to see himself in dragon form. "Huh, I must've transformed while I was sleeping," With that, Spike concentrated in his powers, before he changes back in human form. "That's better." Later, he was just doing the same stretches Twilight was doing, back in Equestria. Afterwards, he was practicing his old martial art forms, so as to keep his skills sharp and memorized. [Snap - I've Got the Power] After the exercises were done, Spike quickly fixed himself some pancakes, toasts, and orange juice for breakfast. Peewee flew over and snatched one of the toasts off its plate, before taking it back to his perch to eat. Later, Spike was practicing his strikes on a Chinese Fighting Dummy, so as to feel the rhythm of his fighting stance, enhancing his muscle strengths, speeds, and reflexes, and to further his coordinations. Then, Spike was up on the roof of his apartment, where he was spinning a long bo staff, and performing some rolls, jumps, and steps to go with his swings. Peewee was also there, flapping his wings as he flies around the city, enjoying the morning air, and the sun's rays, shining down on his crimson feathers. The bird kept on flew through the streets of New York, around the buildings, while shedding off some of the sun's rays on the people, who all looked up, marveled at the beauty of the bird. Equestria After she was done with her stretches, an excited Twilight got out her long to-do list, and instantly teleported in an empty room. "Spike! Wake up!" Twilight said eagerly, walking over to the bed. "We've got work to do! It'll be just like old-" However, upon a closer look, Twilight blushed upon seeing an empty bed. "Oh right," She smiled meekly. "Spike's back on Earth, in New York City," She sighed sadly, levitating a quill up, crossing out the activity that reads: 1. Wake up Spike. Twilight walks out of the room, and finds herself greeted by Starlight Glimmer, and Sunset Shimmer. "Morning, Twilight!" Starlight greeted. "Oh, morning Starlight!" Twilight returned the greeting. "Morning Sunset! Sleep well?" "Yep!" Starlight smiled. "Another new day, free of monsters, and crazy metahuman like Fear Haunter, and I'm full of pep!" "How about you, Twilight?" Sunset asked. "Oh, you know, sleep well," Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Like a baby," Twilight chuckled, which both Starlight and Sunset find to be awkward. "Right," Twilight began, wanting to get out of that awkward moment. "Well, gotta go!" With her horn coated in a purple aura, Twilight was gone in a flash.