//------------------------------// // Under a Pale Wing // Story: Like Something's Missing // by Icecane //------------------------------// The worrying commotion flooding through the sanctuary was both immediate and quite. In mere minutes, every dragon in the underground keep was within the library, all congregating near where the bronze dragon, Moruzund, had crash landed. Even the pony outsiders were among the first to stand with the ancient who held his own expression of shock toward the injured dragon. “Lord... Lord Serilex,” the bronze scaled dragon called, his heavy breathing impeding his speaking ability. His legs trembled as he tried picking himself up off of the stone floor, but halfway through the strength in the limbs gave out, forcing him back down. “What is it, Moruzund? What happened?” the ancient asked, not wasting a moment in moving by the dragon's side. Moruzund looked up at his master, his eyes holding a look of panic as he tried gathering what strength hadn't bled out of him already to speak. “I-I was flying the wastes... as you asked. Then.... then, out of nowhere, I'm attacked!” The dragons around them looked toward one another, holding what could only pass as worry for the scaled creatures, many of them remembering the day of the Devourer's attack. “Hold on,” Serilex murmured, as the wounded dragon had more and more difficulty speaking. Breathing into his claws, a green flame encircled the ancient's palms. Pressing the clawed hands against Moruzund's body, the flames crackled for a moment before fading against the scaled hide. Moments passed while the chamber delved into a thick silence. Then, the bronze dragon began moving his legs back and forth, and after just another passing second, he stood up. Though he was on all four limbs again, his knees were bent down terrible, the weakened muscle still strained under his weight. “Th-thank you... my lord,” Moruzund said graciously. Serilex nodded firmly as he waited patiently for the dragon to catch his breath. “Now tell me, what happened out there?” “I... I was attacked,” the bronze dragon continued, “I was sightless in that storm, I couldn't see where they were coming from. It was so quick... it felt as though I had a dozen drakes on me all at once, but... I saw him.” “Who?” “Palewing.” Hushed whispers carried through the assembled dragons, the name being familiar with many of them. “It was only... for a second,” the bronze dragon continued, “but I know I saw him hiding in that blinding blizzard. All I could do was try and fly away... to lose him in the storm. After I figured I had lost him, I was able to fly back here.” Hearing this, Serilex looked down at the floor in deep thought. “So those scouts were his,” he murmured, his mind working quickly. After several moments passed with the ancient's silence, he lifted up his head and pointed to a group of dragons. “Go to all of the entryways, stay there and guard them in case any intruders come through!” He turned his gaze toward the rest of the dragons staring at him expectantly. “The rest of you get down to the tunnels below, hide there and wait! Don't come out until I'm returned.” “No, Serilex,” Moruzund protested, trying to force himself to standing upright, “you can't... go out there alone.” “Go with the others and tend to your wounds,” the ancient said, showing the dragon a look that wasn't to be argued with. “I can't risk your lives in pointless battle, not if it can be avoided.” The dragons looked to one another worriedly in a moment of hesitation, but as they saw the ancient's unwavering stance, they did as they were told and began walking out of the chamber and into the connecting tunnels. Two dragons approached the injured Moruzund and aided him with following the others, joining the crowd and disappearing among the dragons. Serilex looked down toward Twilight and her friends, still holding their positions. “You go with them as well,” he said to them. “This upset is not a coincidence, of this I have no doubt.” “And what are you going to do?” the lavender unicorn asked. “To face this threat,” Serilex replied, “and prevent any more innocent blood from being spilled.” Without another word, the ancient's maw was illuminated by a translucent flame. As it was breathed around him, the crackling flame encircled the dragon, and within moments, he was gone. The five ponies turned toward the tunnel the dragons had taken, making their way toward them and to safety. Only Twilight stopped, looking back to keep her assistant close. “Spike, let's go,” she said, expecting to find the baby dragon at her side. The scholar gasped in surprise as she realized he wasn't. “Spike?” Twilight frantically looked about the chamber, seeing no sign of the purple dragon. “Spike?!” Serilex attempted to peer through the abyss of snow just outside of the sanctuary. Just as always, the veil created by ceaseless snowstorms was impenetrable by any form of sight. It was as cold as it ever was, even the ancient dragon could feel the chill burrow into his old bones. Looking up into the sky, white flames ignited within his mouth. Firing the spell upward, it took little time for the clouds to part and create a small clearing where the snow would not fall. The ancient dragon stood there in silence for some time, his eyes focusing on the snowy veil that was beyond the clearing he had made. “Show yourself,” the teal dragon shouted, his commanding voice carrying through the white wasteland, “I know you're out there, Palewing.” Serilex had to wait only a moment before he saw a figure emerge from the raging storm, a dragon flying toward him and landing several feet away. “Why, Serilex, it's been far too long,” the dragon said, his tone one of familiarity. “A millennium or two if I'm correct.” The scales adorning the dragon's body were a flawless white, being matched in color by his soft underbelly, making it difficult to see where one ended and the other began. Most noticeable about the ancient dragon were his wings. Besides the abnormally wide wingspan he had, the webbing of the wings were transparent, so much so that it could be argued that there weren't any at all. But Serilex's narrowing gaze wasn't focused on how the dragon looked. “You're a fool to have come here alone, Palewing. Doomaught couldn't destroy this sanctuary, you won't stand a chance.” Palewing scoffed at his fellow ancient, frowning for a moment before developing an expressionless demeanor. “You assume so much, my task is to simply act as an emissary and collector.” “Then why are you here?” Serilex demanded, making the abrasive tone he held as clear as possible. The white ancient frowned once again before answering. “Quick to the point I see. Well then, I'm here for the child.” “What child?” the magical dragon asked, his feigned ignorance as bad as it was intended to be. The white dragon's lips curled back, showing his sharp fangs. “You know the one,” he snarled. “The one born from the egg that escaped Master Razormaw's grasp all those years ago. The one you had taken away to the southern lands. My drakes have already spotted it, as well as it's traveling companions, close by. And I know they visited that pathetic base of their ancestors I destroyed all those years ago, I can smell their stench all around it. The child's here, you can't hide that. So I give you two options, either surrender it to me now, or face Master Razormaw's wrath.” Serilex shook his head toward his fellow ancient, his gaze filled with pity. “These are truly sad times when an ancient bows to another in servitude.” Surprising to the wingless dragon, Palewing's reaction was one of amusement, as if he had just told a joke. “Funny,” he said, “I believe the last time I heard that was from Spiral, right before I ended his miserable life.” “What?!” the teal dragon gasped in his disbelief. “No, that's not true, he would never fall to the likes of you!” “Really?” Palewing asked coyly. “You would have to have been there I suppose. It was much easier than I had thought, just had to throw him into the lava pits. Wouldn't you know it, he didn't survive.” A deep, unnerving chuckle escaped the dragon. “What kind of a dragon can't survive a little magma? Truly a pathetic creature, much like your own kind.” “Enough!” Serilex snapped, baring his sharp fangs as his face twisted into a primal fury. Palewing merely chuckled once again. “Did I strike a nerve underneath those pretty scales? Then again, you two were rather close.” Lifting a claw, the white ancient began scratching his chin in thought. “What's the word mortals use for it these days? 'Friends' or some other nonsense.” With a flap of his wings, the ancient hovered in the air before the magical dragon. “Such sentiments are pathetic for dragons to hold. And since you're so eager to die, I'll have to tell the Master how there's one less ancient for him to bother with.” With a great display of agility and aerial grace, Palewing spun himself in the air. The long wings on his back swept up the small flakes of ice at his feet and sent them into the air around him. A flurry of snow swirled around them all, blinding Serilex for a moment. When the snowflakes fell once again, returned to the blanket of white on the ground, the magical dragon looked out to where Palewing once was to see that he was no longer there. A low growl formed in the back of the dragon's throat, showing his great annoyance to his fellow ancient, obviously hiding within the storm around them. Keeping his gaze sharp, the teal dragon slowly trudged through the snow. Every sound, no matter how insignificant, was focused on, the crunching of snow beneath his feet, the whistle of the chilling winds as they blew around him, even his own angered breathing. But it was his agitation that impeded his ability. With his calm demeanor struck away by the provoking words of his fellow dragon, the ancient was unknowingly following the plan laid out for him. As Serilex walked through the frozen wastes, his senses were focused on finding the white dragon as he hid within the sea of blending white. Much like with Moruzund, the dragon would wait and strike from out of nowhere, leaving his opponent confused and unaware. It was by this that the magical ancient made his movements, readying himself for an attack at any side. Despite all of this however, the teal scaled ancient was unaware as he walked through the snow that a large mound next to him had a pair of piercing eyes. Serilex had no time to react as a clawed hand shot upward from the snow and seized him by the neck. Fully rising from the ground, having camouflaged his body perfectly in the matching white snow, Palewing eyed the ancient with a large smile. “Gotcha.” Yanking the teal dragon forward, Palewing forced Serilex to the ground. The moment his underbelly brushed against the chilling snow, large, curved pieces of metal sprang up from within the mounds of white flakes. Only a moment passed as the metal bars curved upward and connected to one another, wrapping around the magic dragon and holding tightly around his body. There were four arched bindings that were wrapped around the ancient. Two were pressed against his body, directly over his legs and preventing him from running, while the other two locked his tail and neck in place, completely immobilizing him. An intense fire crackled within Serilex's maw, ready to attack the white ancient with a powerful spell. Before he could even release it, another metal ring was clamped around his muzzle, keeping it shut. Palewing examined the captured wingless dragon quietly for some time. Then, his lips quivered as he reared his head back and cackled in his amusement outward. While his captor was busy congratulating himself, Serilex struggled against his bindings, realizing that the old bars felt very familiar. “Surprised, huh?” Palewing said, unable to hold back a grin as he watched the teal dragon fight back vainly. “It's the same trap that we used to capture you the first time, all those many years ago. Of course this is new,” he tapped the ring wrapped around the dragon's mouth, “but we can't have you using that mystical fire of yours. You wouldn't believe how difficult it was bringing this here all the way from the old lands. But Master Razormaw wanted you alive, to make sure you got what you deserve.” The white scaled dragon leaned down toward Serilex, looking at him directly in the eyes. “Do you remember those old days, Serilex? Locked away in the darkness for so long? Kept barely alive only so you could offer what little amusement the Master saw in you?” Serilex's eyes widened at that, remembering those horrible years as a prisoner. “Oh, but don't worry about reliving any of that,” Palewing reassured. “Master Razormaw has already decided you won't be his pet any longer. No, you'll be his dinner for the night instead. He's awfully curious if a wingless ancient tastes any different than a normal flightless freak, and I'm more than happy to help provide him the chance to find out.” “Leave him alone!” cried out a voice that the white dragon didn't recognize. Serilex's eyes widened in a panicked shock as Palewing's darted toward the source, seeing a small, purple scaled dragon appearing from behind one of Serilex's spines, having been hiding there the entire time. A smirk twisted itself on the corner of the large dragon's mouth as he eyed Spike with a great mirth. “Well isn't this something. I expect for you to be hiding away with those other freaks, yet here you are, presented to me like a gift. Now, not only will I give the Master his meal, he'll get an appetizer to go with it.” Spike soon regretted his outburst as the large dragon was upon him. Palewing leaped toward the small dragon, his claws out and ready to catch him. The scaled assistant yelped in his fright before diving off of the ancient's back and into the snow, the thick layers of icey flakes cushioning his fall. Though it allowed him to escape the dragon's initial attack, the sense of escape only lasted a moment as the dragon jumped at him again. With a mighty crash, Palewing landed just next to the dragon. The loud thud of his landing knocked the assistant off of his feet. Spike trembled in fear as the large dragon loomed over him, slowly approaching him like a predator readying to make the final strike to it's prey. With nothing else to think of, the little dragon scooped up a large pile of snow, formed it into a ball and threw it at the ancient. Not expecting the strange means of defense, Palewing was caught by surprise as the snowball struck him in the eye. A roar of annoyance and agitated pain erupted from him. “Why you filthy little pest!” he growled, swiping his razor sharp claws at the baby dragon. They missed Spike by mere inches, instead cutting into the ground underneath him and throwing the small dragon back to crash into the still bound Serilex who continued to fight against his bindings. Spike was left with nowhere to go, with a trapped dragon behind him and an angry, vicious one in front of him, the young assistant could only stare at the approaching dragon, paralyzed with fear. “You pathetic little whelp!” Palewing snarled, crashing down onto the ground with every step he took. “Such a fearful little speck of a creature, at least a true dragon infant would attempt to defend itself until the very end! But look at you, you and your entire race are nothing but worthless reptiles with fancy fire tricks! You don't even deserve to hold the glorious name of dragon!” Palewing was now before the small dragon, barely a few feet separating them as the ancient held a gaze of death in his eyes. “That is why all of your kind, every last one of you, will be wiped clean form the world! You're not dragons, you never were!” Spike blinked. As he looked up at the ancient who was mere moments from ending him, Spike could only stare blankly at him, feeling every ounce of fear within him disappear. “No... you're wrong,” Spike said, his emerald eyes locking in place with that of the ancient's. He stood up, raising his chin high in defiance to the imposing dragon. “I once thought that dragons were only creatures to be feared and respected by all others because of how powerful they were. I thought that dragons were only to be known for their wings, flames and gems. I thought that I was less of one because I didn't have wings, and because I was nice like the ponies who I live with.” Spike shook his head. “But that's not what makes a dragon. Dragons aren't a single creature repeated to behave like all the others, like wild animals. We aren't meant to behave like that at all. Serilex showed me how dragons are capable of wondrous things if they were only given the chance, unlike you and your kind! All you want is death and destruction, while all others either want to learn or be left alone! I can't believe I once thought of dragons the same way you do... But now... all I want is for my kind to someday be seen the way I've learned to see them now, even when there are those like you who will only see us as monsters.” Spike held up his claws, eying them intently as he looked deep inside himself for the power he needed. “And that, makes me more of a dragon than you!” Feeling the fire burning deep inside of himself, Spike breathed into his outstretched hand. A dark grey sliver of flame flowed from his small mouth and wrapped around his claws. As the dark flame crackled in his grasp, Spike turned to Serilex, and with one swipe of his claws, struck the metal arch that trapped him. The bindings on the ancient were engulfed in the same grey fire, crackling with a powerful magical force. Then, the flame slowly faded away as the metal bindings forced themselves open, freeing the dragon ancient. “No!” Palewing snarled in a blind fury, his eyes almost burning with hatred as they focused on the small dragon. “You miserable wretch!” The white scaled dragon ancient swung his claws down on the infant dragon. Spike held up his hands and braced himself to be crushed, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see the claws stopped mid-swing, held in the grip of Serilex as he rose out of the trap he was freed from, the wingless ancient's face contorted into a rage that threatened to engulf the attacker in a storm. With his free hand, he grabbed onto the metallic muzzle that was wrapped around his mouth and broke it off. “You won't lay a claw on him!” Serilex growled, his eyes burning with a deadly fury. Palewing had little time to pry his hand free before he felt the grip on his wrist tighten. The young dragon assistant below flinched as he heard the loud sound of bone snapping. It was quickly drowned out by an ear-wrenching roar of pain that boomed through the sky like thunder. Palewing swiped at the wingless ancient with his other hand, missing the target entirely but causing Serilex to release his hold. The white dragon saw his chance and took off into the air, his large wings speeding him away from the area, knowing his wingless counterpart couldn't pursue him. As the ancient ran, Serilex simply stood there and watched as he flew further and further away. The teal ancient's eyes narrowed as he looked down toward Spike. “How about I give you a demonstration of the more powerful spells?” Without waiting for an answer, Serilex reared his head back. Bright yellow flames crackled between his lips as the fiery spell was contained for its needed length. Then, with a single breath, the flames were spewed forward in a powerful stream of fire. The yellow flames shot through the air at amazing speeds, faster than anything the assistant had ever seen. Reaching high up into the sky, the blaze disappeared into the thick layer of clouds ahead of them, leaving no sign that they ever existed. But then, Spike's eyes widened in amazement as the clouds began to move. They swirled in the sky like a whirlpool as bright flashes of yellow crackled through them. Just as it began to intensify, a giant bolt of lightening shot down from the center of the cloud mass. It trailed downward until the strike disappeared behind the mountains. For a moment, everything became still, then an intense light flashed across the sky like an explosion. Adding to it, the two dragons could hear a mighty roar shudder through the air before dieing down into silence. “Come, Spike,” Serilex said, lowering his tail for the baby dragon to climb onto and reach his back. With Spike safely on his back, the ancient walked forward into the wintery wasteland. They didn't need to travel far before they came across a deep impression in the snow. Just a few feet away from it, Palewing was limping away. His injured wrist was still evident, the white dragon having to hold the arm up as he tried moving, unable to put weight on it. It wasn't the only limb that sustained damage, one of his back legs being twisted at an unnatural angle. Even his wings were now useless, one of them dangling limply at his side, a blackened scorch mark around the base of it. Palewing turned around to see Serilex before him, the ancient gulped noticeably as he tried to back away from the magical dragon, seeing the building rage frozen onto his face. “Now... now, Serilex, just... just calm down for a moment,” the white scaled dragon pleaded. But teal ancient said nothing, only coming closer and closer toward the injured dragon who continued in his attempts of escape, putting even more effort in concealing his fear. “Come on now, I-I know you, Serilex. You're not going to cut down one of your own kin, right? That's just not you.” The teal dragon stopped, eying Palewing decisively. “You're right,” he said, his anger giving way to his normal demeanor. “It's not in me to end a life unless deemed absolutely necessary. And for you, Palewing, since you're injured, I'll even return you home. But, I wonder, what will your 'Master' do upon realizing you've denied him his meal?” Palewing's eyes widened as his face began to quiver. “What?! No, no no, please, Serilex!” But the ancient was given no longer to beg, he was soon consumed in a translucent fire. The blaze encircled him until there was nothing left. All that escaped was one last roar before the flames died out and Palewing was nowhere to be seen. For some time, Serilex and Spike simply stood there. The ancient's calm stance was only broken by his thick breathing as the cold winds pounded against them violently. Then, the teal dragon took one, long deep breath and released it with a low burning flame. Upon ending the breath, Spike could feel the tensed muscles across the ancient dragon's body relax and soften, reflecting his outward appearance of peace perfectly. “Thank you, Spike,” Serilex said, his tone the epitome of sincerity, “you've made me very proud.”