//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Of Age // by paleowriter //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Spike sat atop Twilight's back as they continued on their way to the coast, rubbing his sore feet. He'd made it several hours walking, but he just couldn't keep pace with the ponies for the long haul. He had to make the decision to set aside his dignity for the sake of getting to Rarity and Sweetie Belle sooner. That's all there was to it. "So do you think we'll see any more of those gargoyle things?" Scootaloo asked Rainbow Dash. The two of them were a little ways ahead of him and Twilight in the grass-littered dune landscape. Applejack walked up ahead as well. "I don't know, kid," Rainbow Dash replied. "Nothing we can't handle if we do, though, right?" She smiled at the filly, and Scootaloo jumped up to give her a high-hoof. It took her a couple tries to get enough air, and she kicked up some serious sand in the process. Spike had to shield his face. "Yeah, because we handled those critters so well before, RD," Applejack said, rolling her eyes at the pegasus's suggestion. "Hey, we did awesome!" Rainbow retorted. "No, we did awful. The only reason the things left us alone was because of that roar the girls did, and nothin' more." Applejack nodded in thanks to Scootaloo. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, was walking with Pinkie Pie farther back, since she and Applejack still weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye about her tagging along. Rainbow did a barrel-roll in the air over Applejack's head. "You're just jealous that you didn't kick as much gargoyle-butt as I did." "Oh, for cryin' out loud, it wasn't a contest!" Applejack tilted her head back, getting more irritated by the second. "Exactly what I'd expect the loser to say." Twilight sighed loudly, possibly in exasperation at Rainbow Dash and Applejack's arguing, which had been going off and on for several hours now. Spike wasn't quite sure. "If only I'd brought my books on gargoyles," Twilight moaned. "Stupid!" Nope, nevermind. She's sighing about her lack of foresight. Spike rolled his eyes upward, shaking his head. "Twilight, don't beat yourself up over that," he said. "You were thinking about getting to Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and the negotiations between the dragons and the sea serpents. You couldn't possibly bring every book in your library." "Oh wow, that would be so useful though, if I could! I need to learn a spell to do that…" Spike stretched a bit, smelling the ocean not too far from them. "Fluttershy, don't you know anything about gargoyles that could help us?" he asked, before Twilight got too carried away on her spell-learning tangent. "Only a little," Fluttershy admitted, walking alongside him and Twilight. "Probably more than us, though!" Apple Bloom said, trotting to catch up. "Could you teach us somethin'?" "Oh, I don't know…" Fluttershy shuffled her wings self-consciously. "No, that's a great idea!" Twilight said, turning her head brightly. "Come on, Fluttershy, go ahead and share what you know!" Pinkie Pie, who was somehow still bouncing even after a full day of travel, chimed in. "Yeah, come on!" She gave an extra-enthusiastic bounce, landing next to Fluttershy. "Well…if you really insist," Fluttershy said, taking a small sidestep so as to not be so close to the pink pony. Rainbow Dash flew a bit lower to listen in, and Applejack and Scootaloo slowed down their trotting to be closer to the conversation as well. "I'm afraid I don't know too much," Fluttershy said, "But I do know that gargoyles relate to rocks like dragons relate to fire. Gargoyles can breathe fire, too, just not nearly as well. Ever since Spike moved to town, I've learned that dragons enjoy eating gems in addition to collecting them. Since gargoyles are similar to dragons, I wouldn't be surprised if they ate rocks, given how much they seem to be tied to them. But that's just speculation, of course. I wouldn't presume to know that for certain." She paused her mini-lecture, and Spike thought back to the gargoyle he'd first met. That one definitely was interested in eating more than rocks. "Anything else?" Twilight asked, encouragingly. Fluttershy shook her head, her mane hiding her face even more than usual, as if she was shrinking back from her own outburst of information. "I'm sorry, Twilight. That's all I know." "Well, it's a heap of a lot more than what ah knew a minute ago," Applejack said. "Rocks, huh? That's somethin'." "They like rocks, do they? Oh, I'll give them a rock," Rainbow Dash said. "Straight to the face!" She mimed chucking a boulder through the air, and Scootaloo obediently burst out in laughter. "Yeah, that's right!" Scootaloo said. Fluttershy winced. "I don't know if that's the best idea, Rainbow Dash…" "Well, I think it's a great idea!" Pinkie Pie piped up. "I mean, if they come near my family's rock farm, I'll…I'll…well, I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be PRETTY!" She snorted and Spike had to hold back a giggle. "Alright, girls, let's all calm down," Twilight said. "Besides, look! We're here!" Rounding a bend, they finally arrived at the ocean. Everypony oohed and aahed. Spike gaped at the serene scene in front of him. He'd never seen anything quite like it before. Waves washed gently up onto the sand. The lowering sun in the western sky made the beach twinkle a little, and the ocean itself completely dark. The ponies walked forward, their hooves sinking slightly in the sandy terrain. The evening breeze pulled at Spike's back, seeming to tug him towards the black ocean waters. It just goes on forever. Wow. I mean…wow. But just as he was about to whistle at the sheer size of the sea in front of them, Apple Bloom screamed like he'd never heard her scream before. Spike held on tight as Twilight jerked to the left. "What is—?" Twilight began to ask, but then let out her own horrified gasp. When Spike's eyes fell on what everypony was shrieking about, he clutched at his chest. A ways down the beach, Sweetie Belle's tiny form lay motionless in the sand, surrounded by that of a huge purple serpent. The creature wasn't moving, either. Rarity was nowhere in sight. "SWEETIE BELLE!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shouted, racing across the beach. Everypony else was quick to follow. Spike held onto Twilight's mane as she galloped, panic making his heart clench in his body. Sweetie Belle! Oh no. No, no, no. She has to be okay. She has to be okay. Oh please, let her be okay! Rainbow Dash got there first, with Fluttershy just behind. The two of them knelt down next to Sweetie Belle, feeling her head and neck. "She's unconscious, but okay!" Rainbow said. "At least I think so!" Twilight skidded to a halt next to the two pegasi and Spike leapt off her back, squeezing past Pinkie Pie to get close to the filly. "Is she breathin'?!" Applejack asked, busting through them all. "Oh my gosh, her tail!" Fluttershy gasped. "The poor dear!" "Tail? What tail? I don't see any tail—oh! Oh my gosh!" Pinkie Pie threw her hooves over her mouth. "It's been completely burnt off!" It really was burnt off. In fact, much of Sweetie Belle's hindquarters were burnt. Spike swallowed, looking around as Fluttershy and Twilight worked to dress the scorch marks on the little filly's flank. "Do you think she's got her cutie mark under there?" Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. The two huddled together, holding one another tight with tears in their eyes. Beyond them, the huge serpent no one seemed to care to mention lay, with his…mustache in the sand. Mustache? "Rainbow Dash, do you see Rarity anywhere around here?" Spike asked, wondering if he was just hallucinating the facial hair from panic. Rainbow Dash flew back up into the air and immediately zipped around several laps of the beach. She came back and landed, shaking her head sadly. "No luck," she said. Spike slumped his shoulders. "Well…just because she's not here, doesn't mean she's not safe," he said out loud, more for himself than for anypony else there. "Yeah…" Rainbow Dash trailed off, not looking Spike in the eye. Spike wrapped his arms around himself, digging his claws into his scales. She's okay. Rarity has to be okay. She HAS to be. Wherever she is. "Hey…we know him!" Pinkie said, interrupting Spike's thoughts and poking at the huge purple serpent. "Oh wow, we do!" Twilight said, magically tilting his head towards them to get a look at his giant face. "It's the mustache guy from the Everfree Forest!" Okay, so apparently I'm not hallucinating. How did a sea serpent get a mustache?! Aren't they supposed to be like dragons, but from the water? How is this fair? "He's burnt, too, oh my goodness!" Fluttershy noticed, flying over to examine his back, which was blackened like Sweetie Belle's flank, and Spike retracted any thoughts of jealousy. Next to him on the ground, something sparkly caught Spike's eye. He walked over and dug through the sand a bit to discover a golden platform-looking thing, with straps. "Hey, anypony know what this could be?" Before anyone could answer, Sweetie Belle started to cough. Spike abandoned his discovery and raced back over to her side. "Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "You okay?!" Scootaloo asked. The filly fluttered her eyelashes open. "R-Rarity?" "Not here, kiddo," Applejack apologized. "How're you feelin'?" Sweetie Belle shot to her feet, falling almost as soon as she stood. Spike tried to reach for her, but he wasn't quite fast enough. Collapsing in the sand, the filly struggled to get back up. "Rarity! No! Where am I?! Stef'an?!" She turned, getting assistance from Rainbow and Fluttershy to stand back on her hooves. Spike let the little filly lean up against him, putting an arm over her protectively. "Is he okay?" Sweetie Belle squeaked, trying to get over to the sea serpent. Spike held her back, not sure she should really be walking anywhere yet. "We think so," Twilight said carefully. It was getting dark, so Twilight lit one of their traveling lanterns and hovered it overhead. "Sweetie Belle…what happened? Where's Rarity?" Sweetie Belle turned to face the unicorn, the tears in her big eyes reflecting the lantern light. Then she said seven words that punched straight into Spike's gut. "They took her! The dragons kidnapped Rarity!" The first thing Rarity saw when she opened her eyes was the backside of a huge, red dragon. Her eyes slowly focused, and then she noticed the thick metal bars separating her and the beast. Then she realized she was the one behind the bars. Resisting the urge to bolt upright, Rarity took a long, quiet breath, and willed her mind to go back through the events she could remember leading up to her current predicament. The cold ground throbbed against her temple, which felt a little sticky. Blood, she supposed, shuddering at how badly her coat must be stained from it. The memories worked through her brain one at a time, and she winced involuntarily, recalling Sweetie Belle and Stef'an diving underwater. She could only hope Stef'an had gotten her baby sister to safety. Rarity took another deep, quiet breath and lifted her head ever so slightly off the rocky floor of her prison cell. She was near the mouth of a cave—these reptilian types do love their caves, don't they? Rarity observed—and evening light poured in like a pale silk blanket. The red dragon stretched a bit, scratching at its side. Rarity wondered if it was meant to be her guard. If so, she felt a little surge of pride. The dragon grunted and Rarity froze in place. She wasn't sure she should let on that she'd woken up. Maybe if they thought she was truly passed out, she could find a way to quietly escape… "So you're up," the red dragon said. It turned its head over its shoulder to glance at her and Rarity held back a groan. How did it know? The dragon grinned slyly. "Never question a dragon's hearing." Rarity nodded. Her legs remained folded up underneath her, and between her scrunched posture and the caked blood on her face, she couldn't remember a single time in her life when she's felt so completely vulnerable. The dragon shifted its shoulders, cracking its back. "Rojo would've been upset if you'd died. Glad you pulled through." Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Rojo was the one who hit me." The dragon shrugged. "All the same." Then it turned to face back out the cave. Rarity's mind raced. They wanted her as a hostage for one of their lost eggs—for Spike. But there was no way she was going to let them use her like that, so she simply had to come up with a plan to get out of here. She briefly entertained the notion of kicking up a fuss like she had done with the Diamond Dogs, but she doubted that simply being annoyed was going to be incentive enough for the dragons to give up their chance to regain a lost egg. Or rather…a lost Spike. Oh, Spike! Oh no! You'd better not find out about this. Oh, that will not end well. Not well at all. Rarity pulled her hooves to her mouth, covering the gasp she wanted to let out. That noble little dearheart would trade himself in a minute for me! I cannot let that happen! Quick, Rarity…what else do you know about dragons? Greed…pride… An idea hit. Perhaps not a terribly good idea, but it was an idea all the same. "Excuse me," Rarity said gently, doing her best to keep the shakiness from her voice. She had to try something. "But I couldn't help but notice how your scales catch the setting sun so perfectly." The dragon turned back to face her, staring at her shrewdly. Rarity continued, her expression completely innocent. "Back home I'm known for my skills as a fashionista, and seeing as we have some time to pass, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing some scale-polishing tips with me? I simply must know what you use to create that luminous shine." The dragon continued to stare at her, and Rarity wondered if she'd hedged the wrong bet. Perhaps not all dragons were as easily flattered as Spike and that ruffian that Fluttershy had rid Ponyville of ages ago. But then the dragon buffed its claws up against its chest, and snorted out a bit of smoke. "Heat treatment," the dragon said. "Keeps the scales looking young." "Oh, I see," Rarity said. "Intriguing! I'm Rarity, by the way." She climbed to her feet, a little woozily, and held out one hoof. "Moxie," the dragon replied, using two claws to reach through the bars and shake her hoof. "And let me tell you, it's so nice to have someone finally notice my scales. It takes forever to cook them up to this level of shine, but does my mate ever comment on them? No. Typical male flyboy, he is. Cares more about showing off in front of the others than spending time with me and his egg. Then I get stuck on guard duty, to afford volcano-care for the baby." Oh my…so it's a female! Rarity could run with this. Absolutely. "My word, that sounds awfully insensitive of him," she said. "Leaving a lady such as yourself to do all the work." "I know!" Moxie replied. She heaved her massive body further into the cave and plopped down next to Rarity's cell. "And you wouldn't believe what he said last week when I asked him to spend one day in to egg-sit." "What did he say?" Rarity asked, sidling up next to Moxie. "Tell me everything, dear." If she played her cards right, Rarity held a small hope she could yet get away before Spike learned of any of this. After Sweetie Belle had finished explaining what had happened, Twilight asked Spike to write a letter to Princess Celestia. His handwriting had never been shakier, ever since the day he'd first learned how to hold a quill. All the while, writing out the details of the missing dragon eggs and the broken treaty, Spike could only think about Rarity. He had to do something. He had to find her! He couldn't let the dragons hurt her. Spike sent the letter with a whoosh of his green flame, and sat back on the sand, watching the stars begin to come out. Three stars near each other twinkled especially bright, and Rarity's cutie mark surfaced in Spike's mind. He put his head in his hands and shook. Somehow…I'll save you…I will… "And uh…by the way, Spike?" Sweetie Belle asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Yeah?" Spike asked. A wave crashed up against the shore, almost reaching his feet in the sand. He scooted back a ways to join the others, who sat around the unconscious form of the sea serpent. "Well…I don't know how exactly to put this…" the filly continued. "But…the whole dragon egg thing…we kind of think that maybe you—" "Please," a voice said from behind them, cutting off Sweetie Belle's confusing rambles. "Let me explain." Spike scrambled in the sand, spinning around. That voice—that's—! "Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed. Spike's eyes were wide, watching as the alicorn landed on the beach. Everypony bowed, and Spike did as well, even as he had to scoot even farther up the sand to escape the incoming tide. "Not now, really, it's alright," the princess said, walking forwards towards them. "Please. Stand." Slowly, each pony got back on their feet. "What are you doing here, Princess?" Twilight asked. "Is everything alright?" "I'm afraid everything is not alright." The princess's face was grim. In the dark of the evening, her very body seemed to melt into the sky above her, leaving just her stony, serious eyes to look at each of them in turn. "I bring terrible news. Gargoyles have invaded Equestria." "Oh my!" Fluttershy gasped and Pinkie Pie leapt backwards in shock. "We've got to go help!" Rainbow Dash immediately flew up into the air. "Wait!" Princess Luna held out a hoof. Her tone was so commanding that it stopped Rainbow Dash mid-flap and Pinkie Pie mid-bounce. "We just received your letter telling us what has come of Rarity's peace negotiations. I had to come at once. There is much that needs to be attended to, and much I need to personally…er…come clean about." "Princess?" Twilight took a tentative step forward. A cool night breeze pushed her mane across her forehead. But Princess Luna didn't look at Twilight. Instead, she turned her attention to Spike. "Spike…young dragon associate of Twilight Sparkle. Friend of the Equestrian Royal House. I am sorry for not telling you sooner." She dipped her head, almost shamefully, and Spike was at a loss as to where this was going. Sweetie Belle, however, gave her two filly friends a look. Based on her expression, and on what Sweetie Belle had been trying to say moments before, Spike began to formulate a seemingly impossible idea. Hold on…stolen dragon eggs…sold to a pony many centuries ago… "It was a different time," Princess Luna continued. "And I was a different pony. Or rather, I wanted to be. I let jealousy guide my hoof, and it's only since I've reawoken that I realized who you were, Spike." "So you were the pony that traded with the sea serpents?" Spike asked, putting the pieces into place. The sea continued to slosh, creeping up towards his feet, like the sensation inside him crept up towards his heart. Luna nodded, looking at him with great significance. "Yes." Spike swallowed. Everypony was watching him now. Twilight had eyes the size of the full moon that had just begun to rise over the ocean. "And that would make me…" Spike trailed off, wringing his little clawed hands together. "Yes, Spike," Princess Luna confirmed. "Your egg was taken from the dragons over two thousand years ago. You are what the dragons are looking for."