//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Love Keeps Dragon On: The Return of Sapphire // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// Heavy metal parts scraping against each other followed by a loud slam pulled Spike from his magic-induced slumber. Though his ears had picked up the noise, his vision was still too blurry to get a clear feel for his surroundings. Most of what surrounded him came in shades of gray except for an icy blue figure sitting beside him, which he quickly identified as Sapphire. There was another dark figure partially obscured by set of opaque vertical rows, as if hidden behind a set of blinds. “Ah, awake are we?” a deep voice growled. “Good. Zog's gonna have fun with you two.” Spike knuckled his eyes to eliminate the blurriness. The blinds he thought he'd seen were actually the bars of a large portcullis keeping him and Sapphire contained in a small square cell made of gray stone. Spike recognized the dark figure behind the door to their prison as the dragon who'd cast the sleep spell on them. Seeing his prisoners roused, he showed his dagger-like teeth a malicious smile. “Nap time's over, kiddos.” As Sapphire rose from her sitting position and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, Spike kept careful watch on their captor. “What's the big idea? We haven't done anything!” Sapphire yelled. “On the contrary. Laying on a cliff overlooking this fortress with a pair of binoculars is pretty suspicious. I'd hate to be you two in a few moments. You're gonna wish you were still asleep.” “Is that right?” Spike lowered his voice to a challenging tone. Growling, the dark dragon stepped closer, those red eyes locked on to the young purple dragon. “We'll see how cocky you are when Zog's through with you.” Spike folded his arms across his chest in defiance. “I'm not scared of Zog.” “I truly wonder if you'll still be saying that once you meet him. In fact, I think I'll go fetch him now.” Saying nothing else, the guard turned towards the door, long arrow-tipped tail waving behind him as he exited. The shutting door sealed out the beams of sunlight that had once flooded in. Now it was darker in that cell than ever. Sapphire sighed through her nose. “What do we do now?” “I don't know.” Spike answered with a negative shake of his head. “I wonder,” Sapphire ran her palm down one of the bars keeping them contained in the cell. “I wonder if I could freeze these bars and shatter them.” Her eyes squeezed shut as she summoned the magic energy necessary to freeze the five-inch think iron bars keeping them imprisoned. After a few seconds, her lips parted to show teeth gritting in effort. She let go with a confused look pasted on her face. “That's weird. This has never happened before.” Sapphire shut her eyes again, grunting as she applied the sheer force of her will into the bars. The usual frigid air and blue glow that surrounded Sapphire's hands when she used her magic was still absent, however. Spike ran his hands across the bar in Sapphire's left hand to test it. “They're not cold at all.” Labored panting escaped Sapphire's muzzle as she opened her eyes once more. “It's no use, they're magic resistant.” Perhaps it was the dreary, depressive atmosphere or the dread of what would soon follow that made Spike shiver at a chill that surged through his body as Sapphire turned from the gate. She moped to the center of their cell and sat down on the cold stone floor. “I'm so sorry, Spike.” Sapphire's voice cracked as if she were fighting tears. “This is all my fault. I never should have talked you into this.” “Hey,” Spike said. He approached, watching Sapphire tuck her knees in close, wrap her arms around them and rest her head against them. Spike took a seat next to the curled up dragoness and put his arm around her shoulders. “You can't blame yourself for this. I would have come with you whether or not you asked.” A sniff sounded before Sapphire looked at him, blue eyes wide and glittering with tears. She wiped her face.“You would?” Spike stroked Sapphire's hair, allowing the long, soft strands to sift between his fingers. He'd hoped the gesture would help calm her down. “Well, yeah. I mean, I just let you walk away all those years ago. I wouldn't just let you go like that again.” Despite her inner anxiety, Sapphire smiled and leaned her head on Spike's shoulder. “You really are the sweetest dragon I've ever met. I just don't know how much longer I'm going to get to enjoy it. We'll probably be dead within an hour.” “If we are, I just want say that if I have to have someone lying next to me, I'm glad it's you.” Though Sapphire's presence was both warming and comforting, Spike still felt that chill of uncertainty work its way through his body. Sitting on the floor of that prison, embracing one another could be the last tender moment the two would ever share. He couldn't stand the thought of Sapphire being tortured if it ever came to that. Whether or not the guard was bluffing, he didn't dare guess. His heart had been torn in two; part if it wished he was safe back in Ponyville, with Twilight and all his friends, but the other half was glad he could be there to comfort Sapphire in what might be their last moments. The situation seemed hopeless. There were too many other dragons to make an escape, the bars to their cell were magic-resistant and far too thick and sturdy to destroy. In the off chance they could break free; they wouldn't get far if the whole fortress was searching for them. Grunting sounded from beyond the portcullis keeping them in. Spike stood and turned to see what it was. The prison was still, empty however, except for his pack, which had been brought in and was now resting against the wall. Spike tilted his head curiously at the backpack sitting against the wall of the room. Strange as it was, he was sure he saw it shaking. He kept watch for a few more seconds as the zipper to the main compartment undid itself and a small head with a long blue mane peaked out. “You jerks! You really were gonna just leave me back there!” “Sunset?” Spike asked, watching the filly climb out of her makeshift shelter. “How long have you been in there?” “Since that first time you guys stopped.” “Wait,” Sapphire interjected. “That was clear back in Equestria! You've been in there for the last three hours?” “Well, I kinda fell asleep.” "I can't believe they didn't check that backpack," Sapphire said. "Guess they were overconfident." Spike scratched the back of his head in utter perplexity. “'Kinda?' How do you fall asleep inside a moving backpack?” Sunset's shoulders rose in a shrug. “I dunno, I just did! That blanket in there is really soft and comfy. Come on, you guys! This is no time to be playing 'Cops and Crooks!'” Sapphire's eyes darted with panic. “Sunset, this is serious! You have to get out of here. The guard could be coming back any second!” Sunset looked up. There was a stack of crates sitting against the stone wall that was just high enough for her to climb on. About ten feet up was a large wooden shelf bolted into the wall, with another crate sitting on it. One hop landed her top half on the first crate. The filly's hind legs writhed for a moment as she struggled to get herself atop the crate until she finally pulled herself all the way up. A second hop to the second crate. Then a third. With youthful, catlike agility, Sunset made her way up the pile of boxes until she could reach the shelf. She squeezed behind the crate and the wall to hide. Just in time, as sunlight once again filled the prison. Their dark-scaled captor had returned, still wearing a sadistic grin. Sunset peeked her head from behind the crate to watch. Funny. This dragon wasn't nearly as big as Sapphire warned her they were. Only six feet tall at the most. Certainly not bigger than a tree or a house. “You two are very lucky. Zog's busy at the moment. I wouldn't worry, though. Don't think you two are going to be leaving. Heheheheh.” A golden object on the dragon's belt caught Sunset's attention. A metal ring with many thin, jagged items dangling from it gleamed in the sunlight. He had the keys to their cell! Sunset pulled her head back behind her hiding spot and ran her hoof through her mane. There had to be something she could do. She poked her head out again. The dark dragon was standing just under the shelf. It gave the filly an idea. The crate was at least three times larger than Sunset, but that didn't stop her from pushing with all her might, eyes squeezed shut with effort. Despite this, her struggles were to no avail; the box hadn't budged. Dumb crate! Why do they gotta make these things so heavy? Sunset's chest expanded with a deep breath before she jumped up to prop herself between the wall with her hind hooves and the crate with her fronts. Slowly, the filly's body stretched and the crate inched across the shelf. The dark dragon had just enough time to look up before the crate crashed down on his head and splintered into a thousand pieces. Broken wood decorated the floor. Many slabs of rock and stone that were stored in the crate scattered about the room. Hey, that's why it was so heavy. It was full of rocks! “Nice going, Sunset!” Sapphire cheered as she watched the young pony hop down the series of crates and remove the keyring from the downed dragon's waist. “Now get us out of here!” “Not so fast,” the filly answered, her voice dripping with shadiness. “I want an apology.” “We don't have time for this!” Spike yelled. “Say it!” Sunset teased, twirling the keyring around her front hoof. Groaning, Sapphire wilted. “Ok, I'm sorry.” “For...? Sapphire did a facepalm. “For leaving you behind.” Finally, Sunset smiled. “Apology accepted.”