//------------------------------// // Return to the Tribe(Paid in Full) // Story: My Little Dragon // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// “Spike, my faithful student, please come in.” The voice was loud, like always. “Thank you, Ma’am.” Spike kept his sensitive ears folded against his head as he stepped into the cavernous room, each step sounding a sharp click against the polished stone tile. He looked around the familiar room, relishing in the comfort he had not felt in the last two years. The room was dark, but it was always dark. A single shaft of sunlight, shining through a hole in the ceiling and falling to the floor in the center of the chamber, was the only source of illumination. Spike sat down in front of the light, keeping out of the illuminated circle of stone tile. There was a soft chuckle ahead of him, issuing forth from the darkness at the end of the chamber. “Now, now, there is no need for such formality; I called you here merely because I am glad to have you back.” Spike nodded. “Of course, Ma’am.” Spike kicked himself mentally for his slip. “I mean, your highness.” What was once a chuckle became a roaring laugh. There was movement in the darkness, a shimmering coil of power, at once raw and refined. It seemed to glow with an inner light as it approached the light at the chambers center. Spike watched as it got closer. He was one of the few who did not fear seeing this display. Most beings would be cowering on the floor, if not soiling themselves, but Spike merely watched. A smile formed on his face when he saw the first glint of sunlight bouncing off a scale. His smile as it was followed by another, then another, then another. Then, she stepped into the light. She towered over Spike, then again she towered over pretty much everything. She was the tallest of the dragons, as well as the most powerful, and she looked the part. Scales clad her serpentine form, each hardened plate having the appearance of polished alabaster. Her wings remained at her sides. Were she to spread them, they would hit the chamber walls before stretching to their full width. Her antler-like horns glowed slightly, as did the fur and spines running the length of her back. Unlike her pale-colored horn, her fur and spines shifted constantly, giving the appearance of an ever-burning, pastel fire. She coiled up in the center of the room and looked down at spike. “Your highness is even more formal than Ma’am, just Celestia will do nicely.” “Of course, princess.” There was silence in the chamber as the two looked at each other, blinking every so often. Something in the moment snapped. He ran up to the solar dragon before him and wrapped a hug around a toe. “Oh, it’s so good to be back! I missed you the entire time.” She couldn’t reciprocate the gesture, as her claws would certainly flatten the young creature before her, but she moved the very tip of her tail and draped it over Spike’s shoulders in a close approximation. “As did I, Spike. As did I.” The tail uncurled from his shoulders and pushed him back. “Let me get a good look at you.” Celestia lowered her head, moving it left and right as she inspected the smaller being’s appearance. “My, how you’ve changed these last two years.” “Aw,” spike scratched the back of his head, “I haven’t changed that much, have I?” “Of course you have, military service tends to do that.” A plated claw reached out and tapped a floor tile. The stone surface rippled for a moment, like a puddle of water. “I assure you, it is definitely for the better.” Spike stepped over to it to find a perfectly polished mirror where there had once been stone. For the first time in two years, he got a chance to really study his reflection. He did look pretty good. At least, about as well as a pony can be expected to look after two years in the Draconian Military. He had put on some muscle, not too much, but more than he ever would have in the library. His mane, the same emerald green color as his eyes, had grown quite a bit longer. He’ll have to take the time to trim it one of these days. His horn had grown as well. He didn’t know if that was normal or not, so he made a mental note to ask if he ever met another pony. His coat, purple and smooth, covered most of his scars. Most. He had one visible scar, and he made that one scar count. It was a combination of a slash mark and a burn. No fur grew around it, leaving the old wound clearly visible on his left shoulder. He was one of a group of dragons that completed the basic training. Dragons come in all shapes and sizes, some even smaller him, and they all have different abilities. This makes military evaluation and training a highly individualized process. Sometimes, a dragon will disagree with another’s promotion. In such cases, known as challenging rank, there is a process that must be followed. Five minutes, one rule, no deaths. Of his group, he passed with the highest overall score. He wasn’t as strong as half of the dragons there, or as physically tough as any of them, but he had magic and a quick mind. Tactics came second nature to him, and he could find a way around most obstacles. If he couldn’t, he found a way through them, and that included the dragon that challenged his score. His name was Fire Flash. Befitting his name, he had scales of bright red and orange. Also befitting his name, his claws dripped flammable oil. He wasn’t particularly large, as dragons go, but he was still three times as tall as spike. He was also ridiculously fast, and his wingspan gave him an impressive capability for flight. It was that speed and flight ability that proved his downfall. A quick cloaking spell on a rock and a dodge at the last moment, and no dragon ever challenged him again. Looking back at it though, Spike wished he had dodged at the second to last moment. It’s not that he minded the scar, scars were respected by dragons, especially if there was an interesting story behind them, but apparently his supervisors saw the fact that he waited too long as a sign of courage and gave him an immediate promotion. He soon found himself under the wing of General Ice Heart, and things just got crazier from there. But that’s all over now, now he’s back in Dragartha, capital of Draconica. His two years of mandatory military service are over and he has no plans to go anywhere other than the library ever aga- “It’s really too bad that you have to leave again.” The sound of Celestia’s voice broke Spike out of his nostalgic reverie. He stared up at his teacher, not quite sure if he heard her correctly. For a few long moments, the only sounds in the chamber were breathing and the crackle of a mirrored tile returning to its original state. Celestia blinked, eyelashes as long as Spike was tall created a light breeze from the sudden movement. “Didn’t I mention? Your two years isn’t up for another two weeks.”