//------------------------------// // A Dragon Knows // Story: The Great Parent Rescue // by Kaipony //------------------------------// "Psst," a small voice hissed. "Hey, guys. Psssst." It was Rarity who heard the sounds first and wearily pulled herself over to the cage bars and looked down through them. "Spike? Is that you?" She blinked the lethargy from her eyes. "Oh, thank goodness you're safe. How did you get away?" At the mention of Spike's name, the other ponies slowly gathered around. "I'm okay, for now. The guard that opened the cage didn't know his own strength and tore the door off. The other one looked really surprised and when he didn't grab for me right away, I bit him. Those guys really need to wash their hands more often." He looked worriedly at the assembled faces. "Are you all okay?" "I think so," Twilight answered for the group. She weakly tapped a hoof against one of the bars. "These cages are very much like the one I was held in onboard Tempest's airship. Magic doesn't seem to work on them, or through them. And until that weakening poison fades, I don't think we could even make much further than the cave entrance before we collapsed." "I know the feeling." Spike shuddered. "It was almost a full day before I started feeling stronger. At least they didn't give me any more of that stuff when we got here. I had no idea the stuff they used on dragons would also work on ponies." Spike wrung his claws together and rocked back and forth on his feet. "I didn't think of something like this would happen. What are we going to do now?"  "I don't know," Twilight sighed. "If this really is the same kind of cage the Storm King and his minions used, I'm not sure if I can break out using magic alone." "Maybe we can talk some sense into some of them?" Fluttershy asked in a plaintive, hopeful voice. The accompanying silence was enough of an answer that she shrank back down to the floor.    "Spike," Twilight began. "I need you to do me a favor. If you can keep out of sight, I need you to check on the rest of the captives. Make sure they're okay. And see if you can quietly get some of the dragons here to talk about what they've seen or heard. That might give us a clue on how to get out of this situation. We'll try to come up with a plan by the time you get back." Spike looked down at his claws. They were trembling. He took in a deep breath, held it, and then released it out his mouth. When he looked back up at Twilight, his claws were a little more steady. "Can do." He turned to leave, but Twilight reached out and stopped him with a hoof on his shoulder. "Spike, if it looks like you might get caught, I want you to run away." Twilight's eyes, glassy but steady, bored into Spike's eyes. "Run and find help. Don't think about anything else but getting away from here." She sniffed. "I couldn't bear the thought you getting caught. Again." "But what about my parents? They--"  "Would want you to do the same," Applejack added. "Trust me."  "One thing at a time." Twilight released Spike's shoulder. "First, we all get free. Then we move forward. Promise me." "Okay," he sighed. "I promise." Carefully picking his way around the central column, Spike moved back towards the small wooden bridge that spanned the stream. He kept to the flickering shadows created by intermittently placed arcane torches. The bridge itself was far too close to the small encampment that the Collectors had established, even though it was set up as far away from the dragon cages as possible. Luckily, the stream created by the runoff from the column was neither deep nor swift. It was cold, however, and Spike bit back a yelp as his legs seized for a moment at the shock of the icy water. Moving slowly, he slid across the stream and slunk along the narrow incline cut by the flowing water, back towards the ledge the dragon prisoners were caged on.      Crawling out of the stream, he shook the water from himself and crept up the incline. There were ten cages in total. Counting the shadows that sat within, Spike saw that only half of them were occupied. He continued forward till he was between the pens, keeping low to the ground and close to anything behind which he could hide if one of the guards came too close. In each of the five occupied cages were sights that brought tears to his eyes. They were dragons, but not dragons as Spike had come to know in his encounters with other members of his kind. These were not the aggressive, vibrant souls that he had come to know on his trips to the Dragonlands. Nor were they even the more subdued, but still bold and assertive, ones like Smolder. These were dragons that had been defeated in mind and soul. Their eyes were dull and listless. They sat in the corners of their cages like beaten animals. If any of them had once played pranks as adolescents or surfed down lava flows with reckless abandon, those days were long passed.  The first two looked at Spike with far-off gazes that went straight through him without saying a word. When Spike asked the next dragon about his health and the layout of the cavern, the prisoner told him to get lost, lest the Collectors see him colluding with an escapee. It was the final pair that gave Spike some information. The first of the two dragons explained that the Collectors fed them a mix of what they called "pony food" every other day, with the occasional gem thrown in for those that followed all instructions and progressed through mandatory behavioral retraining lessons at an acceptable rate. Between feedings, they were let out for a short time to stretch and walk around, always under the influence of an extra dose of enfeeblement potion.  Most surprising to Spike was what the second dragon told him of the vault. Inside it, the Collectors were said to have stored all the profits they made from selling shed scales as well as the growth potions they used to encourage faster shedding. Apparently, their entire operation was paid for by the sale of scales to markets outside of Equestria. It was where they also kept their store of poison darts and other equipment. Spike made sure to let the informants know that the ponies he was brought in with were there to help, but the pair would not believe him. He was about to make his way back towards his friends when the second dragon pointed towards a dim corner that curved out of view off toward the furthest end of the cave.  "There are two more back there," she whispered. "I think they've been here the longest." Spike gave his thanks and went slinking back down the incline and along the wall towards the rear of the cave. The final cages were a pair that had been pushed a distance away from the occupied cages. They sat alone near to one another in the deep indentation behind the third, and furthest in, limestone column. There was only a single torch set into the wall between them for illumination. Each one held a single dragon. Within the cage on the left sat a male dragon with dull blue scales. A pair of stubby grey horns swept backward from above each eye ridge and ended in a blunted point. His frame was gaunt, but with a hint that once strong muscles had wasted away to a ghost of their former strength.  In the opposite cage was a lithe female dragon, her supple frame also showing signs of minor malnutrition and neglect. That did not take away from her rose pink scales and delicate green fins that cascaded down her back and tail. Their eyes, both green, stared listlessly at the floors of their cages, but something else caught Spike's eye as he crept forward. Each of them had their tail stretched out through the bars towards the other, with each tip entwined around the other. Keeping to the deeper shadows, Spike crawled around the edge of the cavern wall into the alcove and poked his head up over the lip of the first cage's base. "Psst," he hissed. "Psst. Hey there." "Hmm?" The male's eyes refocused, and he looked down at the small dragon that was trying to get his attention. "What?" He took a second to react and then frantically glanced around the area. "Are you crazy? Get down, kid." He waved Spike away. "How did you get free? What was all that noise and yelling?" Disregarding the plea for caution, Spike stayed put. "It's okay. I don't think they're looking too hard for me. But listen, my friends and I are here to help. We've been looking for the Scale Collectors so we can free their prisoners. And, because my parents were captured, like you guys, back when I was still an egg. I-I was really hoping to find them or at least find a clue about where they might be." The older dragon snorted. "If this is a prison break, I think your plan needs more work." "Yeah," Spike admitted, scratching his head. "We hit a little snag, but we're working on a plan. I just wanted to check on everyone first." He glanced between the two older dragons. "What are your names, and why are you all the way back here? I didn't see any other dragons off by themselves." "I'm Flint, and this is my mate, Scintilla." "They keep us close together, but not close enough," Scintilla said. "When they caught us, they said we were going to be part of some kind of experiment, but nothing's happened since that day." "How long ago was that?" Spike asked. Flint made a sound like the grinding of teeth. "Years." "I'm so sorry." Scintilla pushed her snout through the bars and squinted in the dim light at Spike. "What friends did you bring? We heard something that sounded like another bunch of ponies, and the trap at the entrance going off. Did the Collectors lock them up too? Are they rivals or something?" Shaking his head, Spike moved from the first cage to the second. "I'll explain all that later. Listen. I can't get you free by myself, but if I can get my friends out we can all help. They're really good in tough spots like this, but can I ask you a question before I go?" He gripped the cage bars and peered up at the female dragon, flickers of hope smoldering in his eyes. "Like I said, my friends and I came here mostly because we're trying to track down my parents. They were captured years ago. I've been in Equestria ever since." He lowered his eyes. "I...I don't even know my parent's names or what they look like." His gaze sought that of the dragon looking down at him, and he noticed something in her eyes. Some small spark that started small but quickly grew into an inner light. "My name is--" "Spike?" Scintilla whispered breathlessly. She clasped her claws to her mouth, a squeaking gasp escaping between her talons.  Over in the other cage, Flint stood as tall as the cage height would allow. He grasped the bars and stared at the little dragon. "What did you say your name was?" "Spike," he responded hesitantly. "That's my name." He looked at Scintilla and back to Flint quizzically. The latter was breathing rapidly through her nostrils and, to Spike, looked very much like someone on the verge of tears. "That's weird. How did you know..." His voice trailed off, and he looked more intently at the color of their scales, the colors of their spikes, and their eyes. They were green. Just like his. "Wait."  The smoldering hope he felt grew brighter and brighter as two words fought to claw their way up from his heart, but caught in his throat. Emerald eyes danced with an inner fire as that growing flame of understanding built into a great upwelling within Spike's chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Spike swallowed, wetting his throat as it tightened with emotion.  "Mom?" Glistening eyes pleaded with Scintilla, whose own emerald eyes trembled with exuberant acknowledgment. The young dragon's head swiveled towards Flint and found the older dragon quivering with barely contained energy. "Dad?" "Son," Flint croaked. He reached through the bars, straining his arm to its limit, and brushed a claw over Spike's wing just as Scintilla reached down and stroked the spikes on the back of the young dragon's head. A spark seemed to jump between the three of them. And there, in the dimness of the cave and the bleakness of their situation was burned away by the light of a blooming, brilliant inner flame. "Mom! Dad!" Spike cried, no longer caring to keep his voice suppressed. "Son!" the two dragon parents exclaimed together. They were too far apart to embrace him simultaneously, but Spike ran to each of them in turn and ardently embraced them as best he could. "Is this real?" he asked, releasing his father and rushing back to his mother. "I mean, is it really you?" "It's really us," Scintilla gushed. "Oh, my little Spike." She held him as close as the cage would allow, clutching her son to her chest. "I've missed you so much," she wept. "I'm so sorry I lost you." "Mom," Spike wept. "I...I thought I'd never find out who you were." He pulled away enough to wipe his nose across an elbow and look over at his father. "I thought I'd never know either of you." "I've dreamed of this day, every day, for a very long time," Scintilla continued, crystalline tears in the corners of her eyes. "I always knew we'd find each other someday." Spike wiped away his own tears and fought to control his breathing. "I've never seen you. Either of you. I never even knew your names or what you looked like, but..." He placed a claw against his chest, over his heart. "I know it's true. I feel it inside me." Flint beckoned to his son and laid an arm around Spike's shoulders. "That's because a real dragon can sense family," he said proudly. "Even family that's been apart for a very, very long time. You can feel it inside of you. It's like--" "We just belong together," Spike finished for him. "Like...there was always this little fire inside that refused to burn out, but wouldn't grow any bigger. Until now." "Exactly!" "This is incredible. This is amazing. This is--" "You go that way!" a distant voice rang out. It was Cutlass. "Move around that side and we'll meet in the middle." Another call, this one indistinguishable, called back. The sounds were getting closer. "No!" Scintilla gasped. "Spike, you have to run," she insisted. "You have to get out before they find you." "But I-I have so many questions. How did you get captured? How long have you been here? Did you lose my egg, or was it taken from you? And there's Ardent Bloom. She looked at me like she already knew who I was the moment I got here." "We'll answer everything if we can, but not right now," his father instructed. "We've only just found each other, and I'm not about to see you wind up like us." "But there are other dragons here too, and my friends." "Those ponies?" Scintilla stepped back as though Spike had just brandished a weapon against her. "Friends?" She looked to Flint for support. "Ponies are no friends of dragonkind," Flint said harshly, releasing his son. "They're the ones who locked us up and have been filling our heads will nonsense. They've kept us apart all these years. How can you trust them?" "But Twilight's taken care of me like I was family ever since she hatched me with her magic," he retorted, a tone of disapproval breaking through his more joyous emotions. He edged away till he was out of reach. "Her parents and brother took me into their house and gave me a place to live and grow up." He began counting off names with his talons. "Pinkie has never forgotten to throw a party for my birthday. Fluttershy has always had a kind word for me whenever I've felt down." He chuckled to himself. "It might sound weird to think that Rainbow Dash pranking me is a good thing, but she does it because we're friends. There's Applejack, who volunteered to help me with my plan to lure out the Scale Collectors. And Rarity is just..." His words trailed off with his attention as his eyes, and a little grin betrayed his feelings. "Wonderful." Spike shook the daydreams out of his head before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Listen, I know dragons are tough and stubborn and don't back down from a fight." He pulled himself up to his full height.  "But you know what ponies are? Loyal. Compassionate. Creative. They don't abandon each other, even when their own freedom is in danger. I'm a dragon, but inside, I'm also a pony." He planted his heads on his hips. "I came here to rescue you both and that's what I'm going to do, but I'm not leaving anyone, or anypony, behind."      "Hey! What are you two up to?" Cutlass appeared from around the stone pillar that kept Flint and Scintilla's cages shielded from most of the cavern's view. She wore a disgruntled frown like a mask, her eyes shifting between annoyance and anger. More disturbing was her saber. She held it tightly in a wrapping of crimson magic, floating along at her side, rather than secure in its scabbard.  Spike immediately dropped to the ground and crawled into the shadows behind his mother's cage. The two older dragons turned to face the Scale Collector. Flint sat and crossed his arms as Scintilla shifted slightly to place herself between Cutlass' view and her son. "It's none of your business," Flint growled. "We are--" "Just talking," Scintilla interrupted. "You know, it's, um...our anniversary." The male dragon's eye ridges shot up, and he snapped a surprised look over to his mate. "Anniversary?"  "It's your what?" Cutlass deadpanned. "Well," Scintilla stalled. She let her wings droop to either side of her. "Judging by how often our dinner arrives, I figured that today is our anniversary. Or close enough." Cutlass floated her saber up Scintilla's cage and tapped it against the bars, eliciting a prismatic ripple across the anti-magic metal. "I don't care. We brought in a runty dragon today. He managed to escape by biting one of the guards. We know he's hiding around here somewhere. Have you seen him?" Both dragons shook their heads. Cutlass' half-lidded eyes bored into Scintilla's and then shifted to Flint. Both dragons flinched but did not look away. "If I find out you're lying," Cutlass continued, "it's going to get a lot worse for the both of you." Flint's lips peeled back, exposing serrated fangs. "Keep threatening my mate and I'll--" "Call out if we see something," Scintilla finished. She coughed, loudly, and cleared her throat before looking over a Flint. He crossed his arms again and sighed deeply. "Right. What she said." "Whatever," Cutlass grunted. "Just keep quiet unless you see the little troublemaker. If you helped out, we might even throw in a few extra gems to snack on as a reward." Cutlass twirled her saber and stalked off around the other side of the pillar, towards the other dragon cages. "Haven't you finished checking them all yet?" she yelled at someone before disappearing into the gloom. Scintilla turned to Spike as he scuttled over to watch Cutlass leave. She reached out and gently placed her claws on his shoulders. "Spike, please. Forget us and just run. Knowing you're free would give me enough strength to withstand a lifetime of imprisonment." "You don't have to be a hero for us," his father added, keeping a close watch on where Cutlass had gone. "You've already proven how brave you are by just coming here." "No." Spike squirmed out of his mother's grasp. "I know Twilight and my other friends are usually the ones who figure out how to get us out of trouble, but I came up with the plan that got us in here, and I'm pretty sure it might be my fault that we got caught. So that makes this my responsibility. I'm still small, but I'm not a kid anymore. Plus, I think I have an idea on how we can get out of here."