//------------------------------// // Reading About the Past // Story: The Storm Dragon Returns // by ShowShine //------------------------------// Spike held a hot cookie sheet in his hands that had chocolate chip cookies on it. He poured the cookies on a large plate and dropped the cookie sheet into the sink. He turned on the sink and quickly started to wash it. Spike had taken the day off from helping people to clean his entire house. He has also made snacks and sweet tea for Cozy Glow. She was going to be over any minute. He had to be a good host. “And I’m done!” Spike exclaimed, drying the pan. He put it in a cabinet next to the sink and picked up the cookies, placing them on the dining room table. On the table, there was a pitcher of sweet tea and Storm King’s journal. He hadn’t read anything else from it since he had gotten it. The doorbell rang, making his ears perk up. “She’s here!” Spike exclaimed. He walked out of the kitchen and walked to the front door, which was a few feet away from the kitchen exit. He opened the door to see Cozy Glow standing there with a smile on her face. “Hi Cozy Glow, welcome to my house.” Spike greeted happily, letting Cozy Glow into the house. She looked around with a marveled look on her face. “Your place is so nice.” Cozy complimented. Spike smiled. “Thank you. I set up snacks.” Spike said, leading his guest to the kitchen. Cozy gave a look of surprise when she saw how much Spike had set up. She sat down in a seat, grabbing a cookie. Spike sat down next to Cozy Glow. “I’m so excited to learn about the history of a villain!” Cozy Glow exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. Spike tried to share her excitement and gave a large smile. The smile felt and looked fake. He was usually good at hiding his emotions. “I’m excited too,” Spike said. He sounded more nervous than anything. Before Cozy could say anything, Spike grabbed the journal. He opened it, making Cozy Glow bounce in her seat even faster. She was really excited about this. Spike looked down and started to read the page. “I’m so close to taking over Equestria I can almost taste it!” Storm King stood in his airship laughing loudly. His arms were stretched upwards and his leg was perched on a black wooden box. “What are you doing?” A male voice asked. Storm King looked down to see Grubber standing there. He glared at his assistant. “I told you not to interrupt my dramatic laughing!” Storm King shouted angrily. Grubber gave him an amused look. “Well I’m sorry about that, but I found another place for you to take over.” Grubber said sarcastically. Storm King broke out into a grin and kicked the box. The wooden box hit the wall, making it shatter into tiny pieces. “Where is it?” He asked excitedly. Grubber walked over to a nearby window and pointed. “I redirected the ship when I found it, we’re about to land there.” Grubber stayed pridefully. Storm King pressed his face up again the glass, very excited to take on a new land. His face twisted in confusion when he saw an isolated frozen land. He turned around and looked at Grubber with a confused look on his face. “Grubber what’s the name of the place I’m taking over?” Storm King asked. Grubber put his hand on his chin, thinking for a few moments. “The Crystal Empire.” Grubber stated proudly. Storm King's face quickly turned to anger. “Grubber, the Crystal Empire has been missing for almost a thousand years! Why don’t you know that you’re way older than the Crystal Empire itself!” Storm King shouted angrily. Grubber shrugged his shoulders. “Do you think I pay attention to anything that goes on? Before I met you, I was hibernating.” He stated nonchalantly. Storm King glared at Grubber and looked back out the window. While they were talking, they had landed on the frozen ice land. “At least check it out, maybe theirs a small town here.” Grubber encouraged. Storm King threw his head back and let out a loud sigh. He rolled his eyes and looked back down at Grubber. “Fine, but I won’t enjoy it. If anything goes wrong I’ll kick you out of the moving airship.” Storm King threatened. Grubber rolled his eyes, knowing that was an empty threat. Storm King opened the doors to the airship and looked around. He stepped out into the cold. The ground was hard and icy but also coated in snow. It was windy, making Storm King squint. His ears perked up he heard a thud from the side of the airship. He turned around, only to see nothing. It might have just been the wind throwing something at the side of the ship. This place was abandoned. Storm King walked inside and closed the door behind him. “There’s nothing there. Hoist the sails!” Storm King shouted. Grubber ran off, going to tell the Storm Guards to fly the ship away. Storm King dramatically sat down on his throne. He watched Grubber as he ran out of the room. Storm King let out a sigh. That was a waste of time. Spike gave a look of confusion. That was the end of the entry. Something about that wasn’t right. Grubber made a mistake that wasted Storm King's times and he didn’t even get punished. He didn’t even get a slap on the wrist. “What’s wrong Spike, you look upset?” Cozy Glow asked. Spike realized that his scales were flattened again his head and he had a large frown on his face. “I’m not upset, I’m just confused. Storm King is usually violent and will hurt anyone that gets in his way. He didn’t even hurt Grubber for wasting his time.” Spike explained. Cozy Glow tilted her head. “You sure do know a lot about Storm King. Do you study him?” She asked. Spike shook his head. “No, but I used to work for him.” Spike stated. Cozy Glow let out a gasp. “That sounds so cool!” She exclaimed. Spike shook his head. “It’s not that cool. Storm King was a bad person and abused anyone who worked for him.” He explained. Just thinking about it made Spike feel sick. Cozy Glow must have noticed Spikes discomfort because she put her hoof on his hand. “Well if you need to talk about anything, I’m here for you.” Cozy Glow said in a soft voice. Spike gave a small smile. “Thank you.” He said gratefully. Maybe she wasn’t too bad.