//------------------------------//
// Of Past Bloods and History 
// Story: The Dragon Lord's Guardian 
// by Little_Draco 
//------------------------------//


The Dragon Lord's Guardian



Of past bloods





A powerful chill ran down his spine, sending an uncomfortable wave dread into his heart upon hearing those words. 
His mother however, had restrained a roar that even when muffled, shook the ground beneath her. Small wisps of smog left her nostrils and her claws dug into the very earth itself. She was straining to contain her rage and her roar at the thought of creatures still alive again. She had dealt with a few a century ago but had scared them off, though these were griffins and ponies for hire, more than anything.
Spike, unaware of her past conflict with them, knew what strength she had, what power she held and what she would do if she ever saw them. He pressed himself close to his mother's leg in support, the same way Eliyinsa would do when rage is imminent between themselves. Feeling the arms of her son, managed to ease her feelings, along with her current location.

She managed to take a few deep breaths and lowered herself to the floor but her head remained up, as if vigilant. Though she briefly lowered her head as a quick bow to the King in front. "Forgive me, King Styr for my anger."

The king merely nodded in understanding. "Your anger is warranted and with reasoning. These 'Dragon Hunters' came to our forests about two weeks ago, seeking sanctuary in search of a new home."
"New home," Spike asked, still pressed against his mother in support. "Why? I mean, I get what they are but… there are areas in Equestria where they could find a home."
"Perhaps they no longer feel welcomed anywhere, Guardian Spike." Styr asked evenly. “They never seem to settle anywhere near for long.”
"What do you mean?"
"Since the joining of Equestria and its allies, the borders of many lands and creatures are no longer closed nor are they warranted. As the Princesses have allowed open trade between many species, so did the open relations with each creature. Ponies, Dragons, changedlings, yaks and many other species have joined together in Harmony. These hunters however are not as welcoming in the age of peace between your kind and the ponies, hence why they will not find sanctuary anywhere, if dragons will be found near there."

Zynthia silently stewed in anger, feeling the rage of a volcano ready to erupt but having it quelled by her son and her environment keeping her at bay. She had a reason to feel this and her justification would be confirmed by the king himself. Yet what she had assumed were just more mercenaries, was discredited as even the deer themselves were aware of how dangerous these hunters were.

Spike however was thinking more logically and more in tune with his pony side then his draconic. He knew that not everyone, especially certain groups, would not find peace right away with other species. That was a given but the sheer fact that there was a single group dedicated to hurting his own seemed so odd now. So then came the question of what to do with this information. Surely they could come to an understanding?

"Could we perhaps negotiate a peace with them?" Spike asked, surprising his mother in the process; he still held close onto her but he knew what he was asking.

Styr gave the bearest of sad smiles he had ever received, even for a stoic and mysterious species such as deers. "As much as I admire your ability to seek peace and harmony before others, young Spike, I implore you to know that they are not peaceful minded ponies. They have many generations of hatred in their blood to quell with simple words. As I stated, they have sought a land where they could live but also hunt any wandering dragons that come in their path."

"Then we should show them that we can be peaceful," Spike sternly stated. "I don't like the idea of having bad blood with ponies that will go after dragons because we had a history. I mean, how far back can they really be holding this hatred for?"

The king did not answer, for he glanced at Zynthia. Spike blinked, then slowly turned to look up at his mother. Confusion etched on to his face as he saw her face deep in thought, though she softened her gaze and looked towards her son. Her features turned sad and she leaned down towards him, enough so that she whispered, "Seraphina," then said nothing else.

It took him a moment to register what his sister had to do with anything but then, the name in of itself, not her, was the revelation. She was named after Saphira's stolen sibling, with whom her father believed it was the ponies who took the egg and killed it, having him destroy a village in the process.  

That was centuries ago…

A history and generations worth of hate passed on between pony to pony due to the actions of one and the other. These dragon hunters were the descendants of those that were attacked by Saphira's father. 

It was clear no side truly had a fault or a solid truth. Did ponies really take the egg? Did a dragon really have a strong lead to burn a village down? Who had the right for blood and who had the right to stay vengeful? Saphira seemed to have moved on, but her father, if he was still around, had too? Never came up…

Too many questions that built on top of one another and that was just history. What about tomorrow? What happens when they start to go after dragons in a town full of ponies? They would cause a strife and discord between a barely established peace that is still not even fully formed yet. 

No, he refused to let peace fall because there was a lack of attempt to try and secure it all. He snorted and crossed his arms.
"No, I think I will still try and make an argument. They need to know that what happened in the past shouldn't define what we are today. We are better now, much smarter and with leaders that can make a difference." He rubbed his mother's shoulders. "Regardless if we still hurt, we have to make it so we never have to fear one another in the future and worry for safety."

It was the one trait that both deer and dragon saw in Spike that others would not. His ability to see both sides and strive for a better outcome, not ignore it and move on. 

Unfortunately, that didn't work well for many races. The king gave a soft turn of his head to focus on Zynthia. "What do you believe then, Elder?"

Asking her almost got the immediate, "No!" from her, causing Spike to try and change her answer.
"Mother, I can try-"

"You can try and you will fail, son. I nor King Styr here do not doubt the amazing prowess you have to speak with your heart and convince others that peace can happen. We would not believe we would be in peace with ponies nor a great change in the lands that we have now because of you. And yet now we are trading goods with one another, interacting with each other in such a kind manner."

"I know that but I-" He was once again cut off by her, 

"But these ponies have centuries of hate, Spike. No history worth of hate for that, would be quelled by you trying to speak with them. They are hunters, they have no rules or etiquette of any kind when it comes down to speaking with us. You will not follow this through."

Despite knowing they have confidence in him, he knew they didn't hold belief that they would listen. If they were willing to kill teens, what's to say they would end him easily enough. He swallowed, remaining eye locked on his mother.

"I-I still have to try… for the sake of us all. Isn't that my role as a Dragon Guardian? To protect us from danger?"

He knew how to twist that well into her mind and heart but more so, it was a determined trait that she felt would lead to his downfall. 
"You… are not ready yet for that role, Spike and as much as I would love nothing more than to see your flourish and become the Guardian you were meant to be, you will not be able to face what they may do to you." She leaned down and pressed her snout over his head. "Please… please for the sake of your hoard and everyone else, let this go…"

Spike didn't push back, but rather leaned away to stare at her eyes, face still determined and conflicted with resolve for the matter.
"No, not as long as I can help it."

Waited breath and eyes locked, had stilled the world around them, determined who would submit first. Her will to protect him vs. his determination and hope to change the minds heavily weighed around them.

King Styr entered the stalemate and spoke sagelike to them. "Young Spike, if you so truly believe that you can speak to them and conceive a peace between them, then do so, but…" A dangerous glance from the mother dragon. "-Do so within the forest. They have yet to reach the forest's edge and my guides are still with them. If you approach, know that you will remain protected by the forests, so long as you reach them in time. They are twenty miles north of here and are about to breach the clearing."

Zynthia fixed the deer with a dangerous glare, but her son's quick to nod and accept that, had her flare her nostrils. "They will attack-"
"They will try," The king countered just as quickly. "But keep within the range and our kin will protect him, however just as you must give patience, so should they as well. If all you do is talk, then the forest will protect the one who remains neutral."

She hated that this was a dangerously close game that could get her son hurt or worse. Yet she couldn't stop her son's determination to prove that Harmony could prevail. He gave a bow to the King. "Thank you, King Styr. I promise that I will do my best to change their minds."

The king merely tipped his head slowly in return. "May your endeavors bear fruit and bring forth Harmony, Guardian Spike. Now, go quickly and reach them."

Spike turned to his mother. "Mother, please can you get Ember and Amy but hold them close by. Don't make them feel threatened." Without another word, Spike took flight and immediately headed north. She watched him go before looking back and the deer with ire. The king felt no fear nor regret, instead offering her more words.
"He may be the only to change centuries worth of hate and animosity for your kin. Trust… that you all have raised him to do what is best for both worlds."

She said nothing but snorted and opened her giant wings. Heavy gusts clouded the area as she took to the air and went to retrieve his hoard.





Spike continued to head north, flying as fast as he could, feeling the slight pull of his hoard back but feeling the eventual mental teather shorten. A quick glance back told him they were not far behind, no doubt being informed of the situation. Looking forward, he followed a trail that had been created by the trees until he saw a clearing opening and closing behind a large patch up head. As he neared, he saw from his height, at least four dozen ponies in close formation.

Even up here, he could see that they were all armored, carrying weapons and… even a few wearing clothing that could be seen with bones and scales.

Gulping, he steadied his nerves. 
'No turning back now,' He reminded himself. He flew a bit more forward ahead of the pack just before the clearing that would lead them to open plains for miles and miles without any shelter.

Passing overhead, he took a quick dive just shy of the forests' edge and waited there. He landed for their eventual arrival, hoping that what he could say, would say, could bring peace between them… or at least amicable terms. 

He watched as the forests shifted and moved as the group came up closer and closer, making his heart hammer with pace as they approached.

"Guardian Spike," A sudden call out from the forest. He turned to see a doe emerge from her camouflage state. "Our King has warned us of what you planned to do, but know we can only do so much if they wish to press an attack on you."

He nodded but answered confidently. "I just wish to talk, nothing more."

The doe said nothing but blended back into the forest, just as the first pony parted a tree and instantly saw him. Eyes met, Spike saw the pony in charge and the pony in charge saw him.

Spike suddenly felt a powerful wave of dread and coldness hit him like never before. It was like staring into the abyss of anger, rage, and pain rolled into one on a single pony. The very air itself around him was radiating it but his presence  was truly haunting. It was perhaps this reason that he now truly had a reason to fear this pony more than any other he has faced in his life.


This pony was tall and well built, almost like Big Mac but… without kindness raised or nurtured in. Unlike his bright red coat, the leader was a dark red with a large scar over his face. His body is hidden by decorated armor and clothing made of dragon scales and bones. His cloak was made of red scales that looked heavy, but no doubt he carried it with purpose, over his body that almost completely covered him. His hooves had bones molded into boots that almost went up to his knee joints. He had a blackened sword to his side that shined nothing like Spike had ever witnessed before. The material itself was not known to him but it looked sharp enough to possibly hurt him…
Lastly, he was not the only one decorated as such as the group that came behind him also seemed to carry their own version of sorts. Pegasi and unicorn alike with some even wearing the skulls of young dragons on their heads.

Spike shivered and it took all of his will power and might to remain grounded, even as the leader himself stared at him. He stopped in his tracks, making all those behind him to do so too. 

The leader saw it was just him, alone but was doubtful about it. He turned to his second in command, a deep violet pegasus mare wearing a cloak and had a crossbow by her side. “Stay here, it could be a trap.” He then looked back at him. “On my signal, take him out.”
The mare gave him a grunt and he moved forward. As he did, Spike audibly heard his heavy steps on the ground, the earth itself quaking at his very presence. At ten paces, he matched Spike almost on eye level, though the glare of orange eyes met the softness of emerald ones.

“Why are you here, lizard?!” He barked at him. A common slur that he had heard many times, but this one felt like it targeted his species as a whole and not him directly.
Spike swallowed and remained distant. “I-I came to talk.”
The earth pony stayed with a fixated glare on him. “There is nothing to talk about! You lizards do not talk, you are mindless monsters!”
Spike stood his ground. “Please, I just want peace between our kind, so that the hunting of dragons ceases. I know the past is filled with regrets but we should be able to move past this! We have good relations with Equestria!”
A snort left the pony. “We have no ties with that land in centuries. We care not for the politics or who the buck is in charge or what monster attacks it.” Spike blinked at hearing this. “As far as we are concerned, that whole lot could burn for all we care!”

It struck his nerve that a pony was so cold about a peaceful place. Did he even care that he was talking about his own kind?

Spike pressed on the issue. “Ho-How can you not care? Your Equestria-”
“NO! WE ARE NOT EQUESTRIANS!” He barked, almost taking a few steps forward, his tail almost cracking in the wind. He waited for a moment, but saw nothing happen. With a hiss, he stayed focused on him, “The bucking princess whorse of Equestria can impale herself on her own throne!” Spike held back in both shock and sudden rage to hear his mother soiled in name. Outside of villains, he never knew a pony could take such a name and spit it like venom. “She didn’t care about us before! She doesn’t care about us now! What would we do to her if we got close enough!” Another crack of his tail but nothing happening, further irritating him. Spike witnessed what happened behind him but focused on him. “That bucking princess is as useless as the rest of your kind! When we asked for help in retaliation, she shunned us! When we demanded help in rebuilding, she denied us! And when we vowed to do it ourselves, she exiled us! So that fascist cow with her false crown can die with the rest of your useless kind!”  

Spike was seriously wanting to hurt this stallion but that would only prove his vengeance to be justified and warrant more hatred. He tried to remain calm and gave a low warning growl. “I ask that you refrain from talking about Princess Celestia like that. She was our savior, she is our leader and she has taken care of all her ponies-”

“KEEP YOUR LIES TO YOURSELF, YOU BROKEN EGG OF WASTED SCALES!” He slammed both of his hooves hard on the ground enough to crack it as he reached behind for his large sword. The moment he pulled it, the gleamless light didn’t pass Spike’s eyes and he saw that the black of it was not just because of the material, but of the stains that were left behind from his other victims. Despite how polished and clean it looked, the blemish and the… smell of dried blood remained, as a new fear took hold when the smell hit him. The distance of ten paces now seemed like point blank as the sword tip pointed at him, making him freeze with fear. 

It was at that moment, his mother and both Ember and Amy landed right behind him, becoming instant assistance for him as they all released a roar at the one pointing his weapon at them.

The pony remained where he was, fixated on them, and showing absolutely no fear at the difference in numbers. His eyes remained forward and despite the sudden back up, the drake himself still seemed bent on trying to reason with him, even with the worst slurs and insults he just threw at him. “Look, I know our pasts can’t be helped but we are trying to create Harmony here! We have already allied with the griffins, hippogriffs, changedlings and yak! We dragons are not trying to start anything or provoke others to attack us! We have nothing to gain!
Spike was begging at this point but the three dragons that were growling at the pony were not helping his case.

The pony finally saw that he had no chance and managed to quickly look behind him.

All of his allies, all of his ponies, had been wrapped up by vines or held down by the forest, with three deer standing near the clearing. All weapons were thrown or destroyed, by the forest itself, with the pegasi grounded and the unicorns having their horns held. A growl left him as he saw his forces imprisoned and held by the deer. 

He snapped back to the dragons who had yet to attack. In fact, it seemed because his group was bound that they were not attacking, as to not provoke the deer of the forests to restrain them all as well. “Please, I beg that you let this go! We don’t want to hurt anypony here! We just want to make sure that no dragons and no ponies are killed anymore. There doesn’t have to be a war!”

The leader snarled, as he kept his blade ready to strike. “We are well past that! You stupid lizards killed my ancestors and left us to death! You are lawless monsters unbounded by anything! You go where you please, take what you like, eat, kill and more! How many more villages and families will you take and leave foals without families!? How many more will die in pursuit of your hoard or greed?!” He demanded with heavy ranchor. His breathing was heavy, his snorts strong and he began to stomp his hooves in preparation for an attack.

Zynthia all but growled as she spoke but withheld her own rage to end the pony. “I have lived for centuries pony! I have never taken an innocent life before! The actions of one dragon should not dictate the rest of my kind!” Even with what she knew and had dealt with dragon hunters before, she never killed them, even when they tried to hurt her. It actually hurt worse for them all knowing who was responsible for their existence. Both Zynthia and Ember refused to say it outloud nor portray their emotions for it.

Spitting on the ground, he stomped his hoof. “Your lies mean little to me, giant snake!” 
“Please-”
“Enough!” He yelled. “I have no more words for you! Either attack me now and end this or so help me the moment I can, I will end your lives! I will cut you down and strip your scales to the bones!”

The rage radiating off him was so poisonous that Spike felt weak with how much he conjured it, but his hoard and mother were starting to fail in their restraints to attack him. They huffed in flames, claws digging into the ground and ready to strike as well. Spike quickly recognized this was a feint to get him to attack, so the deer had no choice but to free the others to defend themselves. The drake desperately wanted to change the mind of this pony but that blood boiled with so much rage that he knew  of nothing else. 
It was hopeless and hurt him to leave it unresolved. ‘D-Did I fail?’ Was his thought, feeling like the failure to create peace was unsuccessful. 

Yet, there was almost no time to decide as the pony took a leap at him, sword in mouth and ready to strike. Time slowed as the pony’s eyes burned through rage, as he swung to strike Spike's head. 

In those fleeting seconds, Spike only saw the pure, unbridled wrath of the pony, Tartarus-bound to snuffing his life and those around him. 

But he didn’t make it halfway before vines snapped from the forest, lunging at him and holding him in the air, mid swing, leaving the pony struggling violently. His sword fell onto the floor, freeing his mouth, freeing his mouth to yell profanities and curses at him, becoming incoherent rants of rage filled bile. A vine soon wrapped around his snout to shut it down, causing muffled yelling until he settled down.

All dragons were caught off guard by this, realizing that this conflict was over for now. That nothing else could be done here unless more provocation from the dragons. The doe from earlier came forward and quickly spoke. “We are keeping them at bay but I ask in the name of the king you please leave. This has caused enough disturbances and we need to hide the forests from them soon. They will not be allowed back.”

Spike felt distraught at his failure, unable to grasp that his first attempt to negotiate peace as a Dragon Guardian, has possibly furthered the blood feud between them. He heard his mother call to him with her giant wings opening. “Spike, we are leaving… NOW!” With a growl she took wing and was up in the air in seconds. Ember and Amy looked at him, almost begging for them to leave as well. A sigh left and he nodded, making them both take to the air.

He turned back to the pony and saw that he was not just leering at him, but almost demanding that Spike die on the spot. His posture was not of defeat but rather poised and ready to strike at a moment if given the chance once more. In those eyes, what he had hoped to see was just some lost soul with redeeming qualities, was instead of a pony wanting to end everyone of his kind, standing on top of their corpses and yelling to the world of his victory over them.

He then looked at the sword that had fallen and glared at it. Approaching, he made his way to it and picked it up by its handle, looking at the weapon that had taken so many of his kind. The main blade was black, not reflecting any light upon its surface, with both sides sharpened to levels he has never seen before. The hilt, obviously made for ponies, however was still made out a different material that he hadn't seen before. It was dark gold, crafted with odd insignias on the bottom while the middle swirled with grips of pony teeth. The bottom hilt held a red gem that seemed to be dull at the moment. Once in his claws, Spike then looked up at the leader and held it out.
“This has to end peacefully… for both of our kin’s sake.” The leader said nothing, continuing to glare at him with eyes demanding he ‘Die' on the spot.

Spike looked down at the sword, placing it flat on his palms to avoid any slicing of himself and tried to ignite it but his flames were snuffed almost instantly, causing him to jerk back in response. He was baffled which earned a hard, dark muffled chuckle from the pony. He tried again to destroy with fire but witnessed the blade absorbing the flames themselves within itself and the gem at the bottom hilt glowing like his fire had been captured and stored eternally. His palms felt like an icy cold grip had inwrapped him when his flames were pulled, so much so that almost had him drop the blade.

Fear and panic gripped Spike, dreadful tales conjured in his mind as he realized how many dragons possibly have died trying to spew fire at the pony only for the sword to be blocking or absorbing the flames before reaching its target. The scent of blood suddenly became stronger and he felt like he was holding the most dangerous item meant to end dragons. A killer was in his claws and the pony who wielded laughed through the vines as he watched realization cover the drake.
The muffled response from the pony was coherent enough for him to understand it with only one word leaving him…

“MANY!”

Their armor… dragon scales and bone, worn like… trophies. From big dragons… to young whelps that were yet to be fully grown, adorned their bodies. These ponies, these… hunters had no heart for what age or size of dragon they killed. They did so because they could and would succeed if given the chance.

The reality of Death itself was close and the pony before held no regret or remorse or fear, forcing Spike to step away in retreat.

“Spike!” He looked up to see his loved ones hovering for him and before he looked back at the pony, through confusion and anger, but also… disappointment, filled over with sadness. To himself. But he turned that around quickly and knowing he could not leave this with him any longer, Spike took the sword and opened his wings. The sword felt heavier but with a small struggle, he took to the air and followed after.

The pony only watched as they took his sword, disappointed… but uncaring. 

Spike gave a final glance down to all those ponies still held by the forest and felt a wave of sickness consume him as he now realized that it was not just ponies, but families down there too. Foals were with them and also had been carrying weapons too. He squeezed his eyes shut and ignored that and pushed forward, trying to head out as quickly as possible.




The doe approached the red pony, who glared at her. She held no emotion that she could be exploited by. With a tone, she spoke to him. “You will be let go and then you will leave. Your tribe will continue to walk out and leave to never return. If you do return… you will not like your chances of survival compared to facing the dragons. Is that clear?” While the threat sounded queer coming from the deer, it held weight.

He held onto his rage but knowing that there was little he could do, he bowed his head in surrender. He would rather die then bow his head to those filthy wyrms but the deer have so far been more acclimating then others in years, hence he still held more respect for them then even ponies they have met. She nodded and slowly the vines became undone with the doe walking backwards, camouflaging once more as the trees parted to guide them the way out.

His second in command quickly came up to him. “Are you alright?” She asked in concern, pressing her frame against him, holding onto him tightly. 
He turned to his mate and nodded, pressing his head to her side in concern as well. “Are you?” He asked back, slowly reaching down to her lower frame.
She unfurled her cloak and showed her rounded belly, signs of her coming young, both of them rubbing it gently. Hoping that the unborn foal within was uninjured. “Yes, they only wrapped my legs, wings and shut me up before I could fire the shot… I couldn’t even warn you.” She gave a grunt as she felt weary from it but was mostly untouched and painless. “I had the shot.” A regret but not the first one today when it came down to a dragon’s life. She recovered herself and shifted, staring down angrily at her broken crossbow.

While he should be thankful that they didn’t harm his future foal, it didn’t help that now… they were once more exiled from a place. They needed to find a new home to live in, somewhere in secrecy and for them to rest before his foal would come.

“Come on then, we best leave now. We should make it out to the plains of comfort before Nightfall.”

A tribe of ponies walked out of the forest, four dozen at large and slowly growing each year. It was difficult to find a place to rest when the world changed around you, offering peace and prosperity but also allowing aliens and creatures of every kind into that era. Where beast and pony can live together, where Harmony and Friendship could quell the heart to a new age.


A new age they… would never be part of.





A volcano erupted at the Dragon Lands. It happened often enough that most ignored it as they saw that it was a new form of land to mess with. New lava rivers to surf on, new gems that flew out to take and the smell of rich sulfur and pyroclastic clouds to rub your scales on for that clean shine.

 	Yet another eruption happened in the Dragon Lands but this was not a volcano.

This was the former Dragon Lord, Torch erupting…


The giant of a dragon was currently on a rampage as he began to destroy a volcano. He smashed and punched his way through one of the smaller ones, but one he felt like he could do without. His roars were louder, his rage stronger and his fire brighter.

Upon hearing the news of ‘Dragon hunters’  and the near deaths of not just stupid teenagers but also Spike, he went on a rampage to tear something apart. The smarts of most dragons would tell them they should leave the giant of a dragon be. The more intellectual and passive dragons watched from afar as the Elder tore the volcano a new one.

Saphira, Eliyinsa and Zynthia watched as the dragon wreaked havoc with Amy, Spike, Ember and their new little sister watched in front of them. Seraphina giggled and clapped her claws at the destruction, delighted at seeing a display of power, unaware of the reasoning behind his anger. Zynthia would have been doing the same, had she not been more inclined to watch someone else lose their anger rather than her. A great deal of stress she personally inflicted on herself for not doing something about other hunters in the past.

Spike sighed, unable to handle how today had gone. Ember leaned on his shoulder to show her concern for him while Amy snacked on some gems as she watched the show.

They hadn’t spoken since the event and after telling them all about the Dragon Hunters to the Elders. It was enough to trigger Torch and his rampage but they still have enough details to disturb them all.

Saphira was feeling it most of all, bearing the weight of her father’s actions centuries ago and despite her heart having such rage and thoughts of vengeance on ponies, it seemed as though the past continued to return in the most enduring of ways. Her mate was reliving her of that pain and weight, as he unleashed Tartarus around him, taking those feelings she had and dealing it himself in her namesake. 

It was almost kinda romantic in a way. She was not a vengeful dragoness and she was not violent nor even easily angered. Long ago did she become known as the ‘Peaceful Elder,’ which is also why she hadn’t taken on the title for it because she didn’t wish to become burdened with such duty. It led to a life she couldn’t be a part of anymore. Her daughter becoming Lord and her son Spike, are the reason she once more took the mantle. Her only regret now was wishing she could have prevented her father from causing his issue to resurface centuries later. Her century free had her mind warped to her more pacifistic nature of today.


Blacktip, having heard the rampage from miles away, arrived shortly, saw the dragons around watching Torch rampage on their own. Undisturbed by the sight as it was not the first time witness Torch destroy a volcano, he turned to them and queried, “I… supposed there is some… undelightful news that has been brought to him to warrant such wrathful destruction on a volcano?”
No one knew how to answer him, because they were not sure how to, so it was left to Amythest to quell his curiosity. 
“So some stupid teenagers nearly got killed by dragon hunters in the forest not far from here. Spike went to confront them and try to talk to them about peace and Friendship. It didn’t work out and he nearly got attacked by them.” She paused smartly as not to mention the deers. “We kinda backed him up. Also, these dragon hunters have been around for like centuries and what not, so who knows how many they have taken us out in that time.”

Blunt, to the point and without much care, that was Amethyst Maar in a nutshell. With no baka’s given to how she put it or laminated to anyone else’s specifications. A reasonable trait that few found quirky on and enjoyed from time to time.  

Blacktip blinked, saw no objections or corrections from the others which had him even more curious. “I see.” He responded simply, though disturbed slightly at the thought of lost dragons over the centuries. Dead or missing dragons were nothing new since many sought gloriousness in some form or ventured to extreme situations that had them kill themselves or dying, but having a fair amount of them ended by hunters now plagued his mind. He then looked on as Torch went on. “I don’t suppose that we should be worried then?” Whether sarcastic or not, no one called it out.
Spike leaned his head away from Ember to look at him, showing the eyes of a defeated drake. “They were… warned off to not return or head this way. I failed to try and talk to them and now…” Another sigh. “Now we need to figure out what to do. They have weapons that can harm us and they've been doing it with ease to our kind. They are not even Equestrians or part of the system, so it's not like we could report them or have guards searching for them. Even my mother or the other princesses could help us out if we wanted to.”

Blacktip was more intrigued by said mention of weapons capable of harming them. “Any chance you know what kind of weapons they have been using? That seems more interesting than the hunters themselves.”

All dragons minus Saphira turned to him, casting him with looks of questioning his sanity or his reasoning for asking such a horrible question. This warranted him to get logical and correct their stares. “It would be best to understand how they have been hunting us successfully for the last few centuries and perhaps find a way to deal with it. In hindsight, we must know our enemy and how they do so to avoid more casualties in the future. Besides, all of us here know how difficult it is to pierce our scales with just regular swords and bows. They have to have some different methods in order to force us to bleed. I have no doubt you all know that a spear thrown by a yeti at Spike couldn’t hurt him, so it burns my mind to know what can.”

Amy answered with a mid chew of her gems. "Spike brought back a weird looking sword that kinda looks like something outta your… what did you smarty dragons call it? 'Dungeons and Ogres' game or whatnot?" 

"Ogres and Oubliettes,' Amethyst." Blacktip corrected her. He then turned to Spike. "You have a sword of theirs?" 

Spike felt dirty and disturbed by the sword but opted to ignore it in pursuit of having knowledge on how they have been hunting dragons. Perhaps even learn how to stop them once and for all without any bloodshed. Nodding, Spike stood up along with Ember to follow. “Yeah, I got it and it has a mess up feature that ‘eats’ or drains fire.” As he led Blacktip back to the cave, the others remained, only because they were not sure themselves of how Torch would react more so if they knew they had brought the weapon that ended many Dragon lives.

Saphira had leaned on Eliyinsa for support as her mate continued on, well into the evening. The black dragoness rubbed her head back in support, wings wrapped around her middle and gentle waves of mental support were given. It was the first time she felt the weight of her past come upon her and even more so, the fact her father had created these Dragon Hunters, in the first place.

How ironic fate was centuries later…





Spike went over to a hidden corner and grabbed the black blade from its hilt where he brought it over to Blacktip. The green drake instantly smelled the dried blood stained on it, causing him to lift a brow. Once he brought it to him, he lifted it up for the taller green dragon. "Try to avoid touching the blade, I think it's meant to harm us in any way. Grazing on it will possibly cut you too or poison us or something." He hadn’t tested it but he felt like something like that would be a thing.

Despite his bigger size then Spike, Blacktip carefully reached out and grabbed the blade by its hilt and studied it. His eyes scanned and scrutinized the blade in the finest of details. As he did, Spike pulled back, as if the blade itself was cursed and allowed the older drake to scrutinize it. The more he was near it, the more sick he felt.
This was the opposite for Blacktip as he twisted and turned the blade, examining every detail and every inch of it. From its pointed tip to the ashy coating, to black of its own material. The hilt weaved with golden carvings and swirls held by teeth. The gem at the bottom was the most eye-catching part, having him study it immensely. His eyes grew wider, his teeth showed and his tail twitched in excitement.
"Interesting," He muttered, causing both Ember and Spike to be disturbed by this.
"What… is so interesting about a blade that can hurt dragons, Blacktip?" Ember almost snarked angrily.

He turned to them. "Forgive my excitement on such a bleak thing, but I am more interested in what went into it, rather than what it was used for. I am astounded that nothing like this has been used or seen before. The crafting of it seemed to be more amazing then anything else I've seen in a century."

"What is it made of?" Spike asked, now a bit more curious but remained distant.
"That’s the billion bit question Spike and while I hate the idea of what it's used for, the blade itself is a combination of multiple things that are used to help… we'll fight us in fascinating ways."
He displayed it out for them, both approaching to take a closer look at it. "As far as I can tell, it's made of four different materials that help those who wield it harm us.
"First the blade itself is not metal, but rather an alloy of rare substances. I can only speculate what it is, however it is not common on the periodic table or used in daily use by ponies. As I studied at one of the universities, this is outside the  table by a margin. Artificial, unnatural, or other means remain to be seen. Second, the blade itself is coated in 'Phoenix' ashes!"

Both Ember and Spike went wide eyed hearing this. "Phoenix ashes, as in they kill phoenixes too!?" He almost wanted to roar at this but Blacktip shook his head ceasing his rage.
“No, as it's impossible to really kill those little fire birds permanently. In fact, you got a better chance of them killing you before you could even try. No, what we have here is the remains of phoenix ashes after it had been reborn. See, when a phoenix dies, it leaves ashes-”
“-so its form rises in its own ashes and is whole once more,” Spike finished almost confidently. “Yeah I know how it works, I had raised a baby chick after… well a group of dragons wanted to destroy a phoenix nest.”

The larger green drake cocked his head. “Who-
“They are already punished and we’ll leave it at that,” Ember answered hastily, though she seemed annoyed with that past subject. “Moving on,”

“Oh… of course. Well. So the blade itself, a different alloy, the coating in ashes, is the other remains of the phoenix that didn’t go back into it. There are always remains of it but they still carry some of its magic, hence the coating of most of the blade. The only disturbing part is that our blood seems to further improve the fire absorbing or resistance for it over time.”
“The hilt itself… well it's more of a conductor than anything. With nothing astonishing on it other than the intricate design on it, the hilt was made to be held and then transfer flames from the blade into this gem without the wielder touching the fires themselves, and then there is the gem…” He turned it around and showed the still glowing orb at the bottom. “This is the true treasure of this blade. Now while it seems to be an ordinary jewel, it is actually a powerful and possibly magically infused gem designed to hold a large amount of fire within it.”

Spike saw that his flames had been captured by it and it felt so weird when it happened. It was like being snuffed out by his natural fire but… like doused with icy grip on his palms. He remembered the numbing cold it left him with.

“How is that possible? Isn’t Starswirl’s theory on infinite space storage only possible with a large amount of magic holding onto it or possibly dangerous if left open?”
“That was only through holding physical matter at a molecular level as well as living organisms by squeezing their molecules on a subatomic level breaching the space in between spaces. Because physical matter tends to be bigger than the particles like you and I, it would be disastrously dangerous and impossible with a large amount of matter condensing and shifting to sort through. Another thing to consider is that matter can’t be destroyed, only changed, hence why even trying to get rid of ashes and molecules is impossible even at such miniscule levels, thereby making it dangerous if condensed so quickly. Lastly, while the need for magic would be grand, fire is an elemental, formless, massless force in the universe that can pass certain spaces or pass through an infinite number of barriers, even theorized to be able to be nanometers in size if conducted properly to-.”

“Oi!” Ember snapped at both of them, causing them to turn to her. “Enough with the smart talk or whatever you call it and get straight to it! Not all of us know what the baka you two are talking about!” She hated feeling dumb, especially being the only dragon around. At least with Amy around, she could pretend to know what they are saying and feel better.

Both males blinked at her, before looking back at each other and shrugged. “Well, regardless the gem can hold a larger amount of flames in it. How large, we would have to test it.” He then looked at a button which he believed to be a release for the flames but held off on pushing it. “This would definitely need to be scrutinized and checked on multiple levels.

“Whoa, we are not keeping this thing!” Ember barked almost angrily, wanting to rip the blade from Blacktip’s claw. “That thing has killed Wistala knows how many of our kind! We should throw it into the hottest volcano or in the middle of the ocean to make sure it can’t be used on us again!”

Spike wanted nothing more than to get rid of it, but when he looked at Blacktip, he seemed hesitant. He frowned at his teacher. “You don’t think we should get rid of it?” He half asked, still disturbed at the logical side of Blacktip.

The larger drake looked at the blade and then at them. “While I agree this thing needs to be destroyed, I have to ask you something that may or may not help us in this scenario.” He paused and set the blade to the floor and sat on his haunches. “Did this… dragon hunter, when you took his blade, did he yell or demand it back? Did others have one too?”

Spike and Ember thought about it and realized that while the other ponies didn’t seem to have a weapon as such, the deers destroying them, the leader of the group didn’t scream or yell for it. Not that he could with a vine in his mouth, but it seemed almost like an inconvenience. He shook his head, “No, well he couldn’t really do much as he was… a bit tied up. The others had… crossbows or net catchers, mostly traps. The leader held the main, big sword here.” A pause and he closed his eyes as he remembered their armor. “They also wore… our bones and scales as armor, a few did have bone swords. But… uh we destroyed most of them.” He had to go back and thank King Styr for their help in destroying those weapons.


Blacktip cocked his head, his red eyes studying him for a moment and then back down at the blade. “Then it is an assumption for now, that this may not be the only weapon he carries. Perhaps there are more weapons they carry or they know how to construct more. The crossbows and nets and such might be replaceable, but the arrow tips or bone swords will hurt us greatly. However the sword itself, for what is worth, may be replaceable. This encounter may force them to make more.”

Both Ember and Spike shivered, as a powerful chill ran down their spines and held powerful implications. The one weapon was enough to hurt a single dragon or two. Imagine if a large amount of ponies had these in their arsenal. Swords, spears, arrows and more ready to kill dragons.

What could be done if word got out that dragon hunters are killing any wandering dragons in the world? What would this peace that they have just established with Equestria and other territories do this peace they have just started? 

The past was meant to stay in the past, yet it seemed more and more continued to surface. Not just with his past but with others and since his training began, Spike was now not so sure what his true purpose or duty as a Dragon Guardian was to be if the world kept trying to push him down further and further.

The downtrodden look he saw on both younger dragons, which had him gently raise their chins up with his claws. “Hey, it is not all bleak. Know this, while they may have this advantage, we will have our own. We now have an idea of how they can harm us, but perhaps we can find a way to counter it and defend ourselves with it!”

Both dragons blinked and looked up at the green drake. “What are you saying? That we can find a way to beat them? Blacktip, we don’t want to harm them and prove that all of this was in the name of peace if they get hurt or killed.”

“No, but if we can’t beat them, we will beat their means for making weapons and perhaps even show them that we are not the dumb, violent creatures that they think we are! We will show them that we will not fall to their blades but neither will they fall in flames. Instead, let them figure out that eventually it's either Harmony or remain isolated.” He paused and leaned down to pick up the blade from the hilt. “Now, while I can’t fully diagnose it and find out how this blade was made, perhaps I know a few dragons who do and where we may be able to counter them with it.” The blade was placed over a nearby bedrock to be displayed.

Spike cast a questionable gaze at Ember then back at him. “A dragon who could figure out how to make these dragon-killing weapons?” He received an excited nod from Blacktip. “And where is that?”

With a big smile, he turned back to them and snapped with his other claw to summon a newspaper with his fire. “Perhaps you’ve heard of the town Spike, but never been. It's a little place in Fillydelphia where our kind has been living there for almost a century now successfully without many incidents.”

Leaning in towards the newspaper, showed a large black and white photo of Blacktip along with… LUNA? As well as a bunch of other dragons surrounded by buildings, the caption reading,

“Celebration in Dragon Town after the Mysterious Fires Case is solved by Princess Luna and Blacktip!”