//------------------------------// // 05 - Tale of the Savior // Story: Past, Present, and Future // by DragonShadow //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Tale of the Savior Equestria was kind of a strange place, with many different climates within fairly short distance of one-another. After leaving the Everfree Forest, it took Spike and Pyralsprite only a few days’ journey to end up in a desert. The two dragons took turns carrying each other and Pyralsprite’s wings made decent work of the landscape, but she couldn’t go too fast with Spike in tow, and he simply couldn’t walk very fast, no matter how little she weighed on his shoulders. There was everything one might expect a desert to have; cactuses, tumbleweeds, lizards scurrying about from rock to rock, and a set of train tracks running across the land leading away from the direction of Ponyville. It looked familiar too, somehow, but Spike couldn’t quite place his claw on it. He heard Pyralsprite yawn from over his head, with her long, but narrow body coiled around his neck and shoulders. “That was so refreshing.” “Heh, have a nice nap up there? Glad to hear it.” Spike beamed. “You haven’t been out very long, though, you can get some more sleep if you need it.” “And miss this amazing weather? Not a chance.” Pyralsprite’s wings opened and flapped mightily at the air, lifting her easily from his shoulders so she could flutter like a leaf to the sand beside him. It was a hot, sunny desert day. The kind of day that would have a pony sweating and crying for water, but to a couple of dragons it was soothingly warm. “Yeah, it was pretty nice out here last time I was…” Spike gasped. “Aha! I know exactly where we are! We must be near Appleoosa!” “Apple-whatnow?” Pyralsprite cocked her head curiously. Spike hopped up in excitement. “Appleoosa! It’s a pony settlement in the flatlands around here, I know some friends there. Do you think we have time to stop by?” “Have time? We’re not actually on our way anywhere in particular.” Pyralsprite smirked. “One of the perks of true freedom, Spike. We can do whatever you want for as long as you want.” “Alright! Then let’s head into town and say hi!” “Lead the way.” Pyralsprite turned to follow him with a lazy smile as he charged forward, following the train tracks. Spike wasn’t sure why he was in such a hurry. Pyralsprite was right; he didn’t have any responsibilities anymore, he had no reason to be anywhere by any time. They were just meandering towards the dragon country, because that was where Pyralsprite wanted to go. Wait, now that he thought about it, that begged another question. “Hey Pyralsprite… if the dragon country is on the Eastern edge of Equestria, how did you get all the way to Ponyville in the West?” “I flew,” Pyralsprite replied carelessly. “I wanted to know what Equestria was like, so I decided to wander around. I stayed away from ponies, though, until I ran into you. They say ponies don’t care for dragons very much.” “I guess that’s kinda true,” Spike agreed. “The one time a dragon besides me appeared in Equestria, Twilight and the others had to go shoo it away.” “Huh… isn’t that interesting?” Pyralsprite smirked a bit, but fell silent. Spike got her meaning though… and while he didn’t like it, he couldn’t really argue with it. It just made him feel sick to his stomach. Instead he turned his focus to following the train tracks the rest of the way in silence. He forced his legs to slow down a bit, walking at a more leisurely pace. In Ponyville he’d always been running around everywhere to do something or other, but Pyralsprite was right, he had nowhere to be. He could afford to slow down and give his stomach a rest. Despite the slow pace it wasn’t much longer before Appleoosa came into view in the distance. The small dusty town hadn’t changed a bit since the conflict between the settlers and the buffalo had been resolved. The happy settler ponies wandered back and forth across the streets, while dancers entertained themselves and the onlookers with their performances. It was very different from Ponyville, but also vaguely similar, somehow. “This is it. Looks nice, huh?” Spike asked. “I’ll take your word for it.” Pyralsprite smirked. “Oh… uh… s-sorry…” “Forget it, I’m teasing you.” Pyralsprite smacked his side with her tail, then took off running toward the town. “Come on, if we’re going let’s go!” “Heh, I’m right behind you!” Spike took off after the dragon girl, his stubby legs struggling to keep up. He didn’t arrive at the town border too much after her though. A couple of the ponies passing by the edge of town gave them looks of surprise, but nopony tried to stop them as they made their way into town on the dusty road. “I like this place. It’s warm, and smells like apples.” “I thought you didn’t like organic food.” “I said it smells like apples, not tastes like them.” Pyralsprite smirked. “So where are we headed?” “Where are you headed? You’re headed to happiness my friend!” A stallion in a brown vest suddenly leapt out in front of the two dragons. “Because you just wandered your way into Aaaaappleoosa!” “Braeburn!” Spike jolted forward to greet the stallion. “It’s been a long time!” “It certainly has, and I’m sure you’ve been wanting to come back!” Braeburn grinned. “Haha, well it’s not on the top of my to-do list, but I thought it would be nice to see some friends again.” Spike glanced around. “Hey, um, you don’t know where Little Strongheart is, do you?” Braeburn blushed softly. “W-well, I may…” “You may?” A feminine voice approached Spike from behind. Spike turned to watch the buffalo girl approach with a wry smile on her lips. “I think you know exactly where I am, considering we’ve spent all day together.” “W-well yes, I just didn’t know if you wanted to keep telling ponies that…” Braeburn coughed. “These aren’t ponies, these are revered guests.” Little Strongheart closed her eyes and bowed her head respectfully at the two dragons. “It’s good to see you again, Mister Spike.” “Yeah, it’s good to see you too!” Spike approached the buffalo girl to give her a brief hug around the neck. “It’s nice to see you hanging around in town too, you guys must be getting long great after the whole orchard incident.” A blush spread across the buffalo’s cheeks as she responded with an even wider smile. “Things have been pretty great, and they’re even greater now that we have not one, but two honored guests in town.” She looked back over Spike’s shoulder. “Oh!” Spike blushed and backed away with a sheepish grin. “R-right! This is my new friend, Pyralsprite! She’s travelling with me across Equestria towards the dragon lands.” Pyralsprite saluted lazily with one claw. “Yo.” “It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Pyralsprite.” Little Strongheart approached the dragon girl to give her a deep bow. “This must be a blessed day to be visited by two dragons at the same time.” Pyralsprite gave a toothy grin and puffed out her chest. “Well, it’s nice for someone in this country to acknowledge how awesome we dragons are.” Little Strongheart giggled softly. “For my tribe, dragons are revered as saviors and protectors.” “Saviors?” Spike’s eyes widened. “Dragons are saviors?” Little Strongheart responded with a solemn nod. “Oh yes, it was a dragon who saved my tribe generations ago.” “That doesn’t sound very draconic…” Pyralsprite noted in a soft voice. “If you’d like I can tell you the story, but it’s kind of long. We should go someplace more comfortable.” Little Strongheart flashed Braeburn a warm smile. “Could we go back to your place for a while?” “Oh! Of course! Everybody follow me!” With an energetic wave of one hoof Braeburn led the way through town, past the curious gazes of the other ponies until they reached one of the larger buildings near the center of town, though it was still pretty small compared to Canterlot standards, or even Ponyville standards. Spike and Pyralsprite followed the pony and the buffalo into the comfortable house. Little Strongheart walked right in like she was well-familiar with it… in fact there was a strangely familiar look on Braeburn’s face whenever he looked in her direction, but Spike didn’t have time to dwell on it too much before Little Strongheart took a seat on the cushions in the living room and beckoned the others closer. Little Strongheart smiled at her audience as they moved into the living room and curled up on the cushions in front of her. “Please take a seat and relax. In my tribe storytelling is one of our most important traditions. It’s how we’ve maintained our history for far longer than many of the other races. We remember times from before the princesses, and before writing, even.” “We dragons remember that too.” Pyralsprite huffed. “It’s not that impressive…” “Well I for one would love to hear the story!” Spike rocked back and forth excitedly. “A dragon hero… it sounds amazing!” Braeburn smiled politely. “I think we’d all like to hear it, Strongheart. You know I love hearing you tell any stories.” “Heh… thank you, Braeburn.” Little Strongheart smiled at the stallion with another soft blush, then turned back to the dragons. “Well, it was so long ago now I can’t even tell you when… before Equestria, before the three pony races started to conflict, possibly even before the three of them formed their own nations… there comes the tale of Kindfire the Savior.” ___ Long before the ponies came to this land to found Equestria, the buffalo were everywhere. Our stampeding trails wound the length and breadth of the continent. We were the guardians of the land, many and powerful… but not united. My tribe was one of the largest on the continent, controlling the west, right around what is now known as Ponyville and Appleoosa. We were mighty and fierce protectors… but we were not magic. One day a powerful daemon appeared in the buffalo lands and began to terrorize the tribe folk, killing buffalo without reason or warning. Their spears fell like blades of grass and their horns snapped like twigs against its magical hide. When asked why it was attacking them, the daemon said only one thing. “Because I’m bored.” For days the buffalo attempted to fell the daemon, but it only laughed as it slaughtered the tribe folk with reckless abandon, until one day as the buffalo approached the daemon, the laughter stopped. “I tire of this.” The daemon said. “You buffalo have grown boring.” The chief of the tribe, Chief Proudheart, responded. “Are you going to leave us be?” “No,” said the Daemon. “Since I have no more need for you, I will leave you to die.” As suddenly as it appeared, the daemon left, leaving only a veil of magic that puzzled the tribe. It wasn’t until long after the daemon was gone that they discovered the truth. The buffalo could not gain sustenance, nor could they fall asleep. No matter how much they ate, their stomachs would not fill. No matter how long they lay still, their eyes would not close. The entire tribe was doomed to die of starvation and sleeplessness. Some even tried to leave, to escape the magical veil, but they discovered they were trapped within it. There was no escape. Several days later, a dragon appeared. Weak and tired, the buffalo tribe still tried to stand against the fearsome beast. “We are tired and weak, but we will not allow you to harm us without a fight,” said the Chief. “We will fight to our end, if we must.” The dragon was puzzled. “Why are you tired and weak?” “A daemon has cursed us all. He has taken our appetite, so we cannot eat. He has taken our sleep, so we cannot rest. We will surely die soon.” “A coward’s curse,” said the dragon. “I will not allow you to perish in such a manner. I will defeat the daemon.” The dragon left, and soon, above the tribesfolk, the battle began. For seven days and nights, as the buffalo grew too weak even to forage for food, blood and fire rained from the sky. The roars of the dragon and the growls of the daemon silenced the birds that usually sang their songs in the morning. For a week, there was nothing but the sound and stench of the battle raging overhead. If Hell could appear in this world, this was it. At last, the buffalo were shocked when the cursed mist vanished from the air. Again they could eat, again they could sleep. The dragon had emerged victorious… but not unscathed. Before the tribe could even begin to celebrate, the dragon plummeted from the sky in a veil of fire, hitting the ground like a stone in the center of the village. The dragon was still alive, however faint the life energy was, and the buffalo dedicated themselves to seeing the dragon well again. The dragon did not move or eat, sleeping the sleep of the nearly-dead for weeks on end. The buffalo, emboldened by the dragon’s will and sacrifice, only grew stronger in its presence. Many had been lost against the daemon, but those who remained were strong and vigilant in the shadow of the dragon, a reminder that true goodness still remained in the world. Then one day, when the buffalo awakened, they found the dragon was gone. They didn’t know where it went, nor where it came from. They did not even know its name, but it was decided that one without a name was doomed to be forgotten, and it would be a sin for the savior to be forgotten. The dragon would be made a member of the buffalo clan, and given a name to be forever honored and remembered. So the legacy of Kindfire the Savior had begun. ___ Little Strongheart smiled down at the two little dragons, who were gaping at her in unified, slack-jawed awe. “Ever since Kindfire saved our people, we have always revered dragons as paragons of righteousness… and you didn’t let us down either, Mister Spike. You helped us resolve our conflict with the Appleoosans peacefully.” Spike blushed deeply. “Aw come on, I hardly did anything… all I did was tell you not to trample Rainbow Dash, and she did the rest…” “Still, if it wasn’t for your wisdom in doing that, we might have done something we would have regretted forever.” “Something I think we all would’ve regretted forever.” Braeburn nodded with an encouraging smile. “Thanks from those of us here in Appleoosa too, Spike.” “Awww d-darnit…” Spike’s blush only deepened when he noticed Pyralsprite’s head turned toward him, only to jerk away when he glanced in her direction. “W-well either way I’m just glad it turned out the way it did instead of much, much worse.” With a cough he decided to change the subject quickly. “Anyway, wow, that was an amazing story Little Strongheart, and you told it so well.” Little Strongheart grinned. “Thank you Mister Spike, storytelling is extremely important in my tribe, it’s how we remember our history.” “Y’know they sell pens and pencils now.” Braeburn noted with an innocent look on his face. “Don’t HAVE to remember everything through stories.” Little Strongheart just rolled her eyes. “I see no reason to change a tradition that has served us well for all this time.” Spike wasn’t paying attentinon to the exchange, tittering to himself giddily as the story ran through his mind again and again. “A dragon hero… when I get bigger again, I want to be a dragon just like that! I wanna use my strength and magic to help creatures in need!” “That’s very noble of you, Mister Spike, and I have no doubt you’ll do just that.” Little Strongheart told him with a bright smile. “Hehehe…” Spike giggled to himself as thoughts of being a massive and mighty dragon facing down an evil spirit flittered through his mind. He’d never seen an evil spirit, of course, but he imagined it to be red and covered in smoke. That was probably close enough. “It’s getting kind of late,” Braeburn noted from the living room window, where the sun was rapidly fading down past the horizon. “The lands around here can get mighty cold in the middle of the night. Do you two need a place to stay?” “We’ll live… but it would be nice to sleep in a warm bed.” Spike shivered at the thought of sleeping outside. They’d been travelling for a few days, and spent several nights outside, but it was hardly his idea of comfortable. “Well then we have no choice but to make you stay here with us.” Little Strongheart nodded without even asking. “And we won’t take no for an answer.” “We? I thought this was Braeburn’s house,” Spike smiled wryly. His smile turned into a soft blush when the pony and the buffalo looked off in different directions with a soft blush. “Oh my gosh… are you two… dating?” Little Strongheart spoke quickly. “We’re trying not to tell everyone around… not everyone is really okay with it yet. Chief Thunderhooves would explode if he found out I was dating a pony.” “Yeah, our people are at peace with one-another, but that don’t mean they’re ready to be quite that close.” Braeburn sighed. “Still, I couldn’t just not ask her out because of that.” Spike jumped in. “Don’t worry! We won’t tell anyone! We definitely don’t want anyone to explode, do we Pyralsprite?” “Nuh-uh,” Pyralsprite agreed distractedly. Little Strongheart grinned in relief. “Thank you, Mister Spike. I knew we could count on your discretion and wisdom. Come, I’ll show you both to the guest room.” She turned to head into the back, with the two little dragons close on her tail. “Thanks again, Little Strongheart.” Spike moved into the small but comfortable room to hop up onto the single bed against the wall. “We really appreciate it.” Little Strongheart just smiled. “Don’t mention it, thank you for honoring us with your presence. I’ll have some gemstones ready for breakfast when you wake up in the morning.” “Mmmh, that sounds amazing! Thanks again!” Spike grinned and waved gratefully as the buffalo girl turned to leave the room, closing the door firmly behind her. “Gosh, I’m so glad we came here. It’s nice to spend a night cozy in a warm bed instead of curled up out in the cold desert. Who even knew the desert got cold?” “Yeah, funny…” Pyralsprite approached the bed to hop up onto it beside him. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet since Little Strongheart told her story.” “I don’t think that was real.” Pyralsprite shook her head. “Stepping in and sacrificing themselves to save a bunch of weak mammals? For nothing? What kind of dragon would do that?” Spike frowned. “I would do that if I could. Why, what do you think a real dragon would do?” “Leave the mammals alone or demand their respect for saving their lives.” Pyralsprite shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense.” “But the dragon has their respect… that’s why they’ve honored him, and all dragons, for all of this time.” “It’s just… not the same.” Pyralsprite growled in frustration. “I don’t even know how to explain, it’s just something you gotta see when we get there…” “Yeah, okay… fair enough… I didn’t spend much time in the dragon country before, I guess I can’t really say anything about it until I spend a lot of time there.” “Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have an easy time adapting.” Pyralsprite climbed up the bed to the pillow, plopping down onto it with a sigh. “Ah, now this is the kind of bed a dragon could get used to… I don’t know how you slept in that basket for so long.” “I was just… used to it…” Spike shook his head to force the sudden wave of memories away. “Hey, uh… I just realized, there’s only one bed here.” “I’ll keep my claws to myself if you will.” “Er… yeah, of course I will. It’s a big bed, anyway.” Spike couldn’t help a blush though as he scooted further up toward the head of the bed, resting his head on the single pillow beside her head. The bed was more than big enough for both of them to stretch out without touching each other, unless she decided to spread her wings, but still he couldn’t help a hot blush that spread across his cheeks. He hadn’t slept in bed with a girl since he really was a baby… “I’ll try to keep my claws to myself, anyway,” Pyralsprite gave him a toothy grin. Spike chuckled through his blush and slapped her side lightly with his stubby tail. “Down girl, I barely know you.” Pyralsprite’s grin only widened. “Okay, okay… let’s get some shuteye, then.” She settled down onto the mattress, her long, sinuous tail snatching the blanket beneath them and flinging the top over them, where they could pull it up around their necks. Spike took a deep breath and settled into the pillow, his eyes wandering over to where Pyralsprite lay close by, her body coiling underneath the blanket until her tail was resting near her lips. Spike couldn’t figure her out. The idea that she’d come all the way across Equestria without talking to anypony was kind of silly, especially if she was just ‘wandering’ like she said. If she came to Equestria to explore it, why not talk to the ponies who lived there? Oh well… he had no reason to distrust her, really. Besides, it really was nice having another dragon to talk to… and a cute girl dragon who seemed to like him at that. He was sure his blush was deepening, but he didn’t care. She was fast asleep… and it was time for him to settle down too. They would have a lot more walking to do come morning… To Be Continued