//------------------------------// // Episode 54: A Fine Line // Story: The Drake Six // by JNKing //------------------------------// The plus side to seeking out training from Astral was that Spike wasn’t going to have to do it alone.  For as he and Twilight approached Astral’s forge, they found Diamondback already in discussion with the green dragon.  Though, when Diamondback noticed Spike approaching, her gaze turned sour for a moment. Before Spike could react, however, she covered the sour gaze with a smile.  “Ah, my darling Spike,” she greeted, sweeping with a flourish and revealing a dark purple chest plate that had been concealed by an equally dark purple and white cloak. She posed, practically modeling the armor. “Lovely, isn’t it? Rarity and Astral worked tirelessly on it.”  Spike grinned and gave her a thumbs up. “It looks good on you.”  Her eyes sparkled merrily. “Of course, it would look better when I’m standing over my beaten foes. Speaking of which…” Diamondback turned back to Astral. “I hate to ask for more, my dear Astral, but, heh…”  “You’re looking for training too, right?” Spike asked, stepping up to her side. “Yeah, I was kinda hoping you could teach me a few tricks as well.”  Astral scratched his chin, thinking it over. “Well, this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taken on a couple of pupils…” Before he could shrug and say ‘sure, why not?’ Diamondback, however, tried to sweep Spike to the side. “Spike, darling,” she said with a practiced laugh. “You’ve survived this far, haven’t you? I daresay there’s not much Astral could teach you.”  “You kidding?” Spike asked. “I’ve only gotten this far because of you guys. I don’t want to be a burden on you.” He looked to Astral again. “And you were a Guard for the Dragon Kingdom, right? Surely you know ways on how to de-escalate a situation.” He glanced backward. “Like what almost happened with Ember and Thorax?”  The green dragon nodded. “You are right about that. If diplomacy didn’t help, someone would have had to make sure that they didn’t hurt each other.”  Diamondback tapped her cane against the ground, almost like she was trying to squash some invisible bug. Her voice came out gentle, but also hissing through her teeth. “It’s up to you, Astral. I don’t wish to be a bother… but it would be nice to see how the Dragon Kingdom Guards handled combat. Among… other things.” She cleared her throat importantly.  “First, I need to let Aurora know what I’m doing before I close up shop.”  He briefly left the two, but Spike and Diamondback only had a moment to glance at each other awkwardly before Astral returned, with two sets of training gear for them.  “Let’s get down to business,” he said with a smile.  ## A few minutes later, Spike and Diamondback were set up in a training arena.  Astral began with some simple martial arts. “The first thing you need to do,” he explained, “Is make sure you are loose enough to ensure fluid yet sturdy movement. There must be a balance when it comes to martial arts. Otherwise, you may end up injuring yourself, or allowing your opponent to get a hit on you.”  Spike carefully listened to every word Astral said, copying his techniques with careful precision. Though he noticed that while Diamondback copied his movements as well, there was a glower on her normally pristine face, and her eye kept twitching in impatience.  “Hey, DB,” Spike asked. “You okay?”  “Fine!” Diamondback snapped, before noticing her snappy tone and reeling it back. “Just… concentrating.”  Spike glanced at her body; though she had taken off her cloak, the purple chest plate remained. “Aren’t you worried about scuffing that?”  “Darling,” Diamondback said impatiently. “It’s armor. It’s there to protect you.”  “During basic drills?”  “It’s important to break it in; what use is it if I can’t move around and do basic fighting in it?”  Her words made sense, but her tone was strange. Spike went back to his forms, but he kept giving Diamondback a concerned side-eye.  Something was up with her. But he had to get stronger if he wanted any chance of actually helping her.  He had let fear and paranoia nearly lead him to spurning Thorax and Ember. And though he had taken on Diamondback in the past, he had also nearly lost himself to the Greed.  He couldn’t fight her that way again. He had to be more skilled. He had to be better.  ## In the next set of training, Astral stood in front of a chalkboard where he had drawn five animals surrounding a dragon.  “There are five basic styles of martial arts that you have asked to learn,” he explained. “Everyone has a different style that fits them best. Whether you’re as ferocious as a tiger, graceful as a crane, fast as a serpent, agile as a monkey or precise as a praying mantis.” He indicated each animal as he spoke. “The dragon style is usually reserved for those who are skilled in a little of each.”  “These techniques helped you against many foes, yes?” Diamondback asked curiously.  The green dragon nodded as he got some tea from a nearby fire. “Correct. Though I mainly use swords, the skills I have learned through Kung Fu have helped me capture several criminals back when I was part of the Kingdom’s guard service.” He offered some tea to his two students, both of whom accepted graciously.  Spike sipped his tea thoughtfully. “Any foes in particular?” Spike asked.  “No,” Diamondback said, though her eyes didn’t meet his and she didn’t drink her tea. “Just curious.”  Despite her words, she trained with a strange sort of intensity. Her normally regal features gained a more animalistic quality as she trained with the next set. And her blue eyes shined with something that reminded Spike disturbingly of the Greed.  “Diamondback,” he said gently. “Something’s going on with you. You need to talk about it.”  “What I ‘need’,” Diamondback snapped, “Is to be better than I have been.”  Spike narrowed his eyes, glancing at the chest plate again. “Is this about what happened during Torch’s dragon challenge?”  Diamondback froze, her rapier inches from her target dummy’s chest. “...No.”  Spike sighed. “I don’t need an Element of Honesty to…” “Spike, please!” Diamondback barked, taking a massive breath. “I’m just concerned that I haven’t been at the top of my game. After all, Sh…” she coughed and cleared her throat. “I mean… the Dragon Challenge wasn’t the only obstacle that we’ve had difficulty with. The changelings? Remember that? I noticed you eventually became a ‘guest’ of one of their cocoons.”  Spike winced at the memory. “Yeah…”  Diamondback gripped his shoulder. The gesture seemed to be meant as a comfort, but the way her talons dug into his shoulder dissuaded his assurance.  “We need to be better,” she insisted, patting his shoulder, and going back to Astral’s sets.  Spike exchanged a worried glance to Astral.  “Don’t worry,” Astral said. “This could also help as a type of therapy. It will also allow those who have burdens to speak about them. Back to your exercises, young dragon.”  Spike obeyed, but still looked at Diamondback with concern. “If she gets aggressive… I want to be able to help. I want to be able to protect you and Aurora.” He looked down. “I don’t know if I’m capable of that yet.”  “Just admitting that allows me to see that you are getting better,” Astral replied. “Have faith that things will be alright. You can help others, Spike. You just need to believe in yourself. I took longer than those I was training with before I was let into the ranks, but I made it.” He smiled gently at the younger dragon. “You will too.”  ## As they completed the third set, Astral brought in a set of 3 bamboo staffs that were standing vertically.  As soon as he had set them up, Astral flew to the top of one pole, and stood on the tips of his right clawed foot. He stood perfectly still. “This next set will test your balance,” he explained. “It’s okay if you don’t get it at first, but I would like you to attempt it.”  Before Spike could begin, an indignant scoff escaped Diamondback’s snout. When he turned to her, she couldn’t hide the light of indignation in her eyes. Astral flew back down to look Diamondback in the eye. “Do you have something you’d like to say, Diamondback?” he asked. “Because if so, now would be the best time before I continue this lesson.”  “I’m just curious if this was a massive help against Shade Fang,” Diamondback replied curtly.  Astral’s eyes narrowed. “So, that’s what this has been about.”  Spike, however, grinned. “I was right,” he said. “You have been hung up on losing to Shade.”  Diamondback’s eyes briefly widened in panic, before she turned to Spike with that animalistic glower. “Spike, y-you don’t know what you’re talking about.”  “Just say it,” Spike insisted. “It’s okay; you’re among friends.”  “Oh-ho, am I?” Diamondback asked. “After I rushed on ahead while you helped Star Wing’s new playmate? You didn’t once think that I was only out for myself?”  Spike blinked at her. “I… thought you were trying to stop Shade.”  “OF COURSE I WAS!” Diamondback boomed. “It’s not like I… WANTED the Bloodstone Scepter. It’s not like letting that Princess have it wasn’t the right call.”  “You know,” Astral mused, grabbing two practice swords and tossing one to Spike. “Sarcasm is for when you want to say the opposite of what you are saying.”  With a bestial roar, Diamondback swung her rapier at him.  But Spike jumped in. With an inverted holding of the blade swung sideways, he deflected Diamondback’s strike. “Diamondback, calm down!” he insisted.  “I AM CALM!” she screeched, striking at him again. “ISN’T THIS WHAT WE SIGNED ON FOR, SPIKE?! TO GET STRONGER? TO TRAIN? ISN’T THAT WHAT I’M DOING?!”  Spike deflected her strikes, but was forced backward. “T-This is just a little more intense than I was expecting,” he stammered.  “Did the changelings take it easy on you?” Diamondback seethed. “Do you think SHADE took it easy on me?!”  Her next strike knocked his sword away and Spike hit the ground, holding his arms up in one last meager attempt at defense.  “ENOUGH!” Astral shouted. “You are going too far!”  Utterly unhinged, Diamondback rushed at Astral and battered him with attacks. Though Astral held his own, Spike flinched as each blow forced him further back.  Spike had to step in. His heart was pounding in his chest. The bitter taste of fear coursed through his mouth.  This is what he had feared happening with Ember and Thorax. A fight breaking out between his friends, with him unable to do anything about it.  Have faith.  Spike’s fists clenched as Astral’s words came back to him.  You can help others. You just need to believe in yourself.  Spike breathed. “I believe… in me.” He stood and retrieved his practice sword. “I believe…” “Tell me,” Diamondback was roaring as she forced Astral into a corner. “Is this how Shade beat you the first time? Did you honestly have anything in your roster that could beat him? How did you defeat him back at the Kingdom, Astral?! Tell me! TELL ME! TELL ME!!!!”  “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Spike boomed, before using Astral’s harai waza technique. Diamondback’s rapier was knocked from her grasp, and she was flung towards Astral. As Diamondback was knocked into Astral, he swept her feet out from under her with a low spinning kick. Together, Spike and Astral sent Diamondback sprawling. As she hit the ground, her chest plate burst apart…  …revealing the ‘X’ shaped scar Shade had left on her.  “NO!” Diamondback shrieked, covering the scar with her wings. “DON’T LOOK AT IT! DON’T LOOK! DON’T…”  Spike and Astral stayed back as she scrambled back into a corner, curling into a ball as her screams turned to whimpering tears.  “Don’t…” she sobbed. “Don’t…” Her words devolved into inelegant blubbering.  “Diamondback,” Spike said gently, “It’s okay.” He sheathed his practice sword and carefully approached her. “I’m your friend.”  “You shouldn’t be,” Diamondback sobbed. She covered her face. “I’m sorry, Spike. I’m so sorry.”  Spike gazed at her piteous figure and sighed. “You really wanted that Bloodstone Scepter, didn’t you? It’s okay, you can tell me.”  She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have wanted it… for the reasons I had.” She gazed up at him sadly. “I always talked about how friendship is the greatest treasure, and yet…” She looked up. “When I saw that scepter… when I saw what Torch could do with it… the Greed closed over my heart… and all I could think about was getting it… for myself.” She looked down. “I left you… Jackknife… Star Wing, Phoenix, Swift, Astral, Aurora and Ember. When I fought Shade… I was only thinking about myself. Taking the Bloodstone for my own.” She hunched down. “I’m a terrible Dragon Guardian. A horrible friend.”  “But it worked out,” Spike offered. “He didn’t get the Bloodstone. Ember did.” “Because you gave it to her, Spike,” Diamondback said gently, gazing up at him again. “The Element of Generosity chose me… but in that moment… when you gave the Scepter to Ember rather than keep it for yourself… you showed more generosity than I.” She shook her head. “It was a… good thing… that Shade beat me.” She winced. “But I didn’t want to believe that.” She looked to Astral. “So I came to you. I blamed Shade… I wanted to beat him. But not to protect my friends…” she shook her head. “But because he took away the chance for me to have what I wanted.” She dropped her wing and let the scar show fully. “I deserve this… not your teachings. Not the secrets on how to beat him.” She lowered into a bow. “I’m so sorry.”  Astral got down on her level. “Listen,” he said. “That attack Spike told you about? Back when the changelings had us prisoner? I did that out of anger towards Shade. He did something that made me snap, and I decided I was done with letting him live to face the consequences of his actions. But the attack drained me. Otherwise, I would’ve torn him apart with my bare claws.”  Diamondback sighed and sat back. “And I wanted that,” she admitted. “I wanted to do the same thing to him.” She gazed at her claws. “But how can I trust myself with such power, when anger and greed so easily sway me from who I’m supposed to be?”  “Talk to Aurora about it,” Astral recommended. “She can explain it better.” “And in the meantime, try to remember something else,” Spike noted. “We’re not flawless. We both fell to the Greed before. More than once. And yet we both came back.”  Diamondback gazed up at him.  “We recognized our failings, and strove to do better.”  Diamondback lowered her head. “But I failed,” she noted. “I fell to the Greed again, and even now I’ve fallen to Wrath.”  “So, are you going to lay there and mope about it?” Spike asked, offering his hand. “Or are you going to get up, recognize where you stumbled, and strive to still be better? Because in my opinion, that’s the best way to overcome it.”  Diamondback gazed at Spike’s hand for a moment. But after gazing into his eyes, she managed a sad smile… and took his hand.  He helped her up and pat her shoulder. “Astral,” Spike asked. “D’you think you can give her another shot?”  Astral grinned. “Yeah. Besides, this could count as therapy. It’s at least better than yoga.”  That got a genuine laugh out of Diamondback. Spike smiled and turned to Diamondback. “C’mon,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot to learn.”  Diamondback chuckled softly. “That’s the great thing about life,” she mused. “We never do stop learning.” “That’s true,” Astral agreed. “That is true.”