//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Tale of Two Dragons 
// by Kind of Brony 
//------------------------------//

	Those words had been buried deep in her heart, eating away at her soul for so long that she was almost amazed that she had finally spoken them. Watching Spike through teary eyes however, soon made her regret the admission. The young dragon's face had twisted up and she could tell he was fighting down a sob.
Amy felt guilty of the relief it brought when her view of his pained expression was disrupted by lavender forelegs turning him around and pulling him into a hug. Moving her eyes from his back up to the face of the one who was comforting her brother, the dragoness found herself being flooded with all sorts of confusing emotions.
Seeing those glaring eyes compounded the guilt she had already been feeling, but the image of this pony comforting Spike brought forth a very surprising feeling; jealousy.
What is wrong with you, Amy? You have no right to feel such things... and he wouldn't want to be comforted by someone like you, anyway.
The dragoness barely registered that she was being spoken to until after Twilight had started, "-could you? Does family mean so little to you that you can just abandon it?"
Turning away from the furious mare, Amy pulled her closer to her form and slowly made her way out of the door, "I know, you're right. I'll leave-"
"No! Don't leave!"
Turning, the dragoness was surprised to see that Spike was halfway across the room, hand held out to her. "Please, don't leave... You... You still haven't told me why. There has to be more to it than that, isn't there?" he asked, a look of desperate hope in his eyes.
Amy looked from him to the others in the room, noting Celestia apparently being content to sit back and watch events play out while Luna looked as if she wanted nothing more than to say something to her. Moving from them, her eyes once again fell upon the unicorn, and she had to resist the urge to flinch. Twilight Sparkle was glaring at her, one foreleg still extended towards the young dragon from when he tore away from her.
Looking down, Amy mumbled out, "It doesn't matter, and knowing won't change anything..."
"Stop saying stuff like that! Like you know what I need!" Spike yelled marching closer to the bigger dragon. "You don't know anything about me, so stop acting like you do!"
Amy was now staring down with wide eyes at the young dragon, feeling small under his fierce gaze. When she stepped back in response, Spike realized what he had just said and tried to apologize, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"No...No you're right," the dragoness interrupted before kneeling to be at eye level with him. "... Spike, you have every right to know of my... our past, and I shouldn't deny you that right... If you truly wish to know, then I will tell you," she said. And accept your hatred after.
"Y-you mean it?"
Seeing the light in his eyes caused her heart to clench, but she nodded anyway, "Yes, I will tell you of your origins... our parents, and why I... why you were left here at the unicorn school."  Amy then looked from Spike to the ponies, "I will tell you, and you alone."
Twilight looked about ready to protest, but Luna jumped up and spoke first, "Of course!" After that, the moon princess trotted out through the door behind Amethyst, slowing down as if to say something to the dragoness, but instead only giving a weak smile as she passed.
Amy didn't know if the lunar alicorn left because she wanted to remove herself from such a tense atmosphere, or if it was an attempt at garnering the beginnings of forgiveness, but she didn't really care. As it was, she was more focused on the other occupants of the room to care much about her future dealings with Luna.
"You can't be serious! You expect me to just leave you alone with Spike after what you did?!" Twilight demanded.
Any further protest was halted as a wing came to rest on her back. "Twilight, I know you wish to protect Spike from all that could harm him, but if you shelter him from every trial, he will never grow," Celestia said to her student before leaning in and whispering, "I fully believe we can trust Amethyst to not harm our young friend... Just as I believe both of them need this more than they know."
Twilight looked up at her teacher, the struggle to listen to the solar alicorn and desire to protect her surrogate little brother clearly visible on her face. "But-"
"It's alright, Twilight, I'll be fine," Spike said reassuringly, now looking at the unicorn with a smile. "I want this, I really do."
Face twisting up for a moment, Twilight finally slumped in defeat and sighed, "Fine, if this is what you really want, then I'll give you some privacy with her. However I'm not just going to leave you completely on your own; I'll be standing outside the door, so if you need me just yell, Okay?"
Spike turned back to Amy, who was now wearing a small smile completely out of place on her tear stained face. "Is that okay? If she stands outside the room, I mean? She won't listen in or anything, right Twilight?" the young dragon asked. Twilight hesitated only a moment before nodding her agreement. Spike smile grew a little wider, "See, she'll leave us alone. So... is that okay?"
Amy looked down into his hopeful eyes and knew she wouldn't be able to deny him this even if she wanted to. You're going to need real friends and family to comfort you after this, and I doubt you'll think of me as either when that time comes. "Yes, that's fine," the dragoness agreed. In truth, Twilight looked so much like Lorey at that moment of determined stubbornness that Amy doubted she would have been able to make the mare budge an inch if she had tried.
With that, the last two ponies left the room, Twilight whispering a warning as she passed the dragoness. Once they were gone, Amy used her tail to shut the door, never breaking eye contact with the smaller dragon or the silence that had settled between them. Without a sound, the dragoness shifted her position so she was sitting cross-legged and Spike picked up what she was doing, sitting with his legs out in front of him.
"... Sooo, what do you want to know first?" Amy asked hesitantly.
"Our family. Who are our parents? Do I have any other brothers or sisters? Where are they?" Spike rapid-fired, scooting forward a little in his excitement.
The dragoness was forced to lean back under the barrage of questions, but managed to keep composed and even forced a little smile as she responded, "Wow, wow, calm down little one, there's no hurry."
Spike harrumphed and crossed his arms, "That's easy for you to say, you already know everything. I've been waiting my whole life for this."
Though she doubted he meant for them to, the young dragon's words stabbed her in the heart. "I-I'm sorry... I should have spoken to you earlier than this," Amy whispered. Not that I could have brought myself to come and face you to do so. I'm pathetic, if it weren't for the princesses' tea, I probably wouldn't even be able to do this much. At this thought, the dragoness looked to the kettle still sitting atop the coffee table. No! I am not going to rely on some chemical to get me through this... even if it would make it easier...
So focused was she on reigning in her emotions, that the dragoness didn't even realize Spike had become worried by her apology. Waving his claws, the young dragon frantically said, "No! I didn't mean it like that! What I meant was-!"
"It's okay, Spike. I know what you meant, and you were right to say it," Amy said in her best calming tone. It seemed to have worked as Spike settled back down again. Once she felt both of them were once again calm, the dragoness took a deep breath and spoke, "How about I just tell you our story from the beginning, yeah? That should cover everything."
The young dragon smiled a little and nodded, "That will work."
Amy thought on how she should go about telling him the story. "Well, we are the children of the magic dragon, Onyx and the winged dragoness, Orchid," she began slowly.
"Magic dragon?" Spike interrupted, "What's that?"
This caused Amy to blink a few times at what she perceived as an odd question before realizing the young dragon would have had no way of finding out about his kind. "That's what we are, Spike, magic dragons, just like our father," she said.
"Really? Why are we called magic dragons?" he asked before getting an excited light in his eye. "Can we cast magic like unicorns!? Oh, maybe Twilight can teach me the mustache spell so I can impress Rarity!"
The young dragon was about to go on, but Amy stopped him. "Hey, slow down, Spike," she said with a small smile, eliciting an embarrassed grin from him. "Magic dragons can't cast magic like unicorns... at least I don't think so," the dragoness began to explain, looking to be in thought for moment before shaking it off. "There is a lot of stuff that make us different from other dragons, but the most apparent is our fire. Our inner fire burns stronger and has other... special properties that set it apart from regular dragon's fire."
"But this is getting a bit off topic, isn't it?" Amy asked. In truth, she would have preferred the change of topic, but she knew what Spike truly wanted to know, and to tell him anything else would be another betrayal she would not allow.
"Oh yeah, but you'll definitely have to tell me more later," the young dragon stated, the tension having been slowly leaving his body as they continued to talk.
You deserve to know these things about yourself... I'll have to send you a letter later and hope you don't tear it up. "Well, anyway, Mother and Father were great parents to me growing up. Dad was actually an adventurer in his youth as well, before meeting Mom and settling down," Amy began, causing Spike to lean in with wide eyes. "I remember they were always nuzzling and kissing in front of me... and I would always tell them to stop being gross," the dragoness told him with a wistful look. "Dad always did things like that, teasing me and Mom... and Mom would always scold him for being immature. She was always putting up a serious front when Dad and I started to get out of hand, but she loved it."
She chuckled to herself, "Sometimes she'd even join in... I think that was when she was most beautiful; when she was smiling and laughing."
Amy continued talking about their parents, not noticing Spike's expression begin to slip from joyful to worried, and probably would not have if he did not speak up, "What about now?"
The vague question broke Amy from her reverie and she once again focused on Spike, "What do you mean?"
"You keep talking about how they were... What are they like now?"
"Oh," the dragoness mumbled, hands squeezing her knees, the action hid beneath her cloak, as she prepared to tell him what she knew he already suspected. "Spike... Our mother and father... died a long time ago..."
The young dragon's reaction upon being told his parents were no more wasn't what she expected. He only released a shuddering breath and squeezed his eyes shut, a few tears leaking from their edges. "I... I figured as much," said Spike after a few more deep breaths. He chuckled mirthlessly and added, "I'm not as sad as I thought I'd be... I guess it's hard to miss someone when you've never met them."
Those words hurt Amethyst more than she would have thought. "You would have loved them... They loved you," She stated with a sad smile. "They couldn't wait to meet you... None of us could."
Silence once again fell between them as they sat and let their minds drift to what-ifs and might-have-beens. It was Spike who broke the silence. "So, what happened?" he asked, voice sounding duller than before. When Amy looked hesitant to say, he added, "You haven't finished telling me yet."
The dragoness thought of asking if he truly still wanted to know, but she already knew the answer. "... There's a reason you've never heard of magic dragons. We are very much in the minority, Spike... So much so that even most dragons are unaware of our existence," she explained. "The sad fact is, people fear the unknown and what they don't understand... In the case of magic dragons, both tend to be true."
"... I think I know what you're talking about; there's a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest that all the ponies were afraid of, but when they got to know her, they stopped being afraid," Spike said with a tilt of his head, trying to figure out how this related to their parents. "Why can't the magic dragons just show the others that they're not bad?"
Amy's lips twitched up a little in response to the young dragon's innocence, but her features soon turned solemn again. "That's because there are not enough of us to do so; besides Dad, you, and myself, I've never heard of, let alone met another of our kind, not in all of my travels," the dragoness explained. "Tell me, Spike, what was it about the zebra that scared ponies?"
Spike, still absorbing what he had just been told about his people, didn't answer right away, and when he did, his voice was a little distant, "They thought she was an evil enchantress who was going to curse them."
Amy gave a small nod and said, "And that was from simply looking and living differently from them. What do you think would have happened if this zebra did have special or unique powers unfamiliar to the ponies?"
The young dragon tilted his head and thought for a little while. "... I don't know, but maybe they'd think it proves them right?" he said, unsure of his answer.
Amy once again smiled, "That's a good guess, and yes, that very well could have happened... And in the case of magic dragons, did." The smile dropped from her face as she elaborated, "As I understand it, other dragons saw our special powers as something to be feared... and unlike ponies, dragon instinct drives us to lash out against what we fear, not run and hide from it."
It was clear by his widening eyes that Spike had begun to put the pieces together in his head. "B-but, when I met other dragons at the migration, none of them said anything about me being a magic dragon," he stated, thinking about how much danger he had inadvertently put himself in by going to where he would be surrounded by winged dragons.
Amy shook her head and said, "Not many dragons even know what we are anymore, most just thinking us malformed or crippled, or sometimes, not thinking anything at all when they see us. From what Dad had told me and what I've managed to discover myself, the... conflicts, between normal and magic dragons happened a long time ago. So long ago, in fact, that it's only the oldest dragons that know of them." The older dragon's expression darkened as she added, "I suppose we should be grateful that elder dragons don't tend to be very social, or we'd have a lot more trouble breathing down our necks."
"So, i-is that what happened to our parents?" Spike asked. "Is that why you left me in Equestria? So I'd be safe from dragons who would want to hurt me?"
Amy didn't answer his question, instead looking to the ceiling and quietly saying, "It happened not too long after mother laid your egg... We were all so happy at the time. Mom loved babies, heheh, she used to joke that her baby girl was growing up too fast, so she was really looking forward to having another one to dote over. And Dad? Dad was just ecstatic to have someone new to tell all his old stories to... I used to pretend they were boring to get back at him for always teasing me."
She sighed before letting her head drop down to look to her hands. "Even though we lived far away from those places dragons would traffic most frequently... away from those places most rich in minerals, we were content," the dragoness told him with a sad smile on her face before her claws clenched and the smile turned into a snarl. "Until that fat piece of phlegm came and ruined everything!"
Spike was now leaning back with his hands pulled close to his chest, "A-Amy, are you al-"
"If Dad would have just done it when he had a chance! If Mom wouldn't have stopped him, they could have lived and we could still be a family!" Amy continued, her voice having steadily gone from a whisper to a roar. Spike was now scooting away from his sister, frightened by her shining fangs and the fire whipping out between them. If it wasn't for the tears and pain mingling with the fury in her eyes, the young dragon would have run from the room.
"What's going on in there!? Spike are you okay!? Say something or I'm coming in!" Twilight yelled from outside the door.
Amy jerked her head towards the door before her pupils dilated from near invisible slits to what they were before her episode. Coming back to the present, the dragoness whirled her eyes to Spike and widened upon seeing the fear clear on his face.
"Spike!?... I'm coming in!"
The young dragon finally registered what the unicorn said and quickly yelled back, "It's okay Twilight, we're fine! You don't need to come in!"
The brief sound of hooves dissipated before Twilight said, "Are you sure?"
There was so much concern in those three words that both dragons flinched in unison. "Yeah, I'm fine really... Amy just got a little... worked up, is all." Spike said as he glanced back at the dragoness in question.
She looked away, feeling the shame flood her cheeks in response to losing control of her emotions like that. I guess the tea is starting to wear off. Her musing was cut short by Twilight's voice, "... Okay then, just remember I'm out here if you need me."
With that, the two dragons listened as the hesitant hoof steps became somewhat distant before coming to a stop. It was Spike who spoke first, "Do... do you want some of the princesses' special tea? I mean, even if they... lied, about what it was or whatever, it still may help you relax."
It seemed the two shared more than just blood, but Amy shook her head at the offer. "No thanks," she replied, before looking at the young dragon. "I'm okay... really," the dragoness assured when he looked about to insist. "I'm sorry you had to see that... I don't know what came over me."
Spike shook his own head, "You don't have to apologize, I understand... Well, I mean, I don't really, but you were remembering something painful, so I can understand getting upset."
Amy couldn't help but chuckle when the little dragon started to backpedal his words. In truth, the dragoness felt oddly lighter after her outburst, and that was a little confusing to her. Ignoring that for now, she asked, "Do you still want to hear the story?"
She kind of wanted him to say no as this wasn't something a child should be told, but she knew she had no right to deny him his history, not even the darkest parts of it. When he nodded his head and sat back down in front of her, she began again, "It started when a dragon by the name of Flem found us in our cave. The thought of him still disgusts me. He was vile, fat, and arrogant, fitting his name well."
Amy felt the anger start to build, but she quickly doused it and went on, "Though Mom and Dad wouldn't tell me what was going on, I had an idea. Dad had told me about the hardships our kinds had endured, and from Flem's words, I knew we were in danger. Dad had been scouting the surrounding areas after that, hoping to find a new cave for us to live in..."

~8~

Amy sat across from her mother, watching the dragoness breathe an occasional puff of fire onto the egg's surface as they both silently munched on gems. Orchid had told her daughter that this technique, while not furthering the process, would keep magic from seeping from the little life behind the shell.
"Do you think Dad will find some place for us to go this time?" asked Amy.
"I'm sure he will, don't worry, dear," her mother assured. the young dragoness could tell Orchid was saying it just as much for herself as for her daughter. Her parents had argued that morning after Flem had left about who would be the one to search for a new home. Mother claimed her wings would allow her to cover more ground and that Onyx would serve as better protection for their children. Her father, on the other claw, stated that finding a gem rich area required being at ground level and that he had the better nose for finding them. In the end, Orchid acceded to the point that finding a safe place sooner was the better plan of action. Regardless of whether or not a place was found, they had agreed that they would be leaving that night.
Amy had finished the last gem in her pile and was now twiddling her her claws. "... This is all my fault, isn't it?" she said not looking at the widening eyes of her mother.
"What do you mean, dear? I can't imagine you being at fault for anything that's happened recently," Orchid questioned.
"That dragon wouldn't be so mad at us if I had wings like a norm-"
"Stop right there, Amethyst!" The dragoness nearly yelled. "There is nothing wrong with you! wingless or not, you are an amazing, beautiful, intelligent dragoness, and if others can't see that or won't even try, than that is their fault! Not yours!" Orchid's outburst shocked Amy, and she was know staring at her mother with wide eyes.
Taking a deep breath and softening her expression, "Sorry for raising my voice, it's just, I've heard enough of that sort of talk from your father when we first met and I'd rather not hear anymore of it." The larger dragoness chuckled, bringing a claw up to rub affectionately at her daughter's head, "I suppose you really have taken after Onyx; always trying to shoulder the blame and troubles of others."
A broad smile spread across Amy's face and she puffed out her chest, really only registering one part of her mother's words. "Of course I'm like Dad! I'm going to be a great adventurer just like him!" the little dragoness announced proudly. "In fact, I'll be even greater than Dad! Then everybody in the world will see how great magic dragons are and we won't have to hide anymore!"
Orchid would have said something in response to her daughter's ambitious goal, but stopped upon hearing heavy footfalls approach from the cave entrance. At first, she thought it was her mate returning and she rose to meet him, but she soon noticed something off with the sound, and seeing the shadows cast by the setting sun confirmed her fears. Amy didn't notice this and started moving to the entrance to greet her dad.
Before the little dragoness could make it more than a few steps, she was halted by her mother's claw and the whisper, "Get behind me Amethyst."
As she did what her mom asked, Amy could hear a voice, "This the place Flem?"
"Yeah, this is where the freaks were, and their spawn," answered a familiar voice.
Upon hearing the fat dragon, Amy could feel her anger rise, but the knowledge that he was not alone caused greater fear.
"Enough talkin', let's get ta the killin'!" said a high-pitched voice with undertones of mania.
The little dragoness felt the last rays of hope to leave her as a forth dragon gravelly chuckled and said, "You couldn't kill a pony, Zaz, just sit back and let me handle this... I have a score to settle with that wingless freak, anyway."
Orchid notably tensed as the first of the intruders came into view, but the sight of him set her daughter a bit at ease.  A white and silver dragon with an unimpressive build came scurrying into view. The dragon was scrawny and barely came up to Orchids chin. Amy felt even better when the dragon saw her mother and skidded to a halt before skittering backwards.
Unfortunately for her rising hopes, the scrawny dragon backed into a tree trunk sized, dark-red foreleg. "Get off, Zaz," growled the giant as he pushed the dwarf, causing him to fall on his face.
Amy had never seen such a big dragon in her life; even her father was half a head shorter, and not nearly as burly. The giant's broad chest was a slightly lighter color than the rest of him, and was proportional to his huge arms, though the lower half of his body did not share this trait. His waist was less than half the width of his torso and his hind legs were pitifully small, leaving the front to provide most of the support. The little dragoness would have laughed at him if his huge muscles couldn't squash her like a bug.
"Now now, Rath, be nice to our little brother," said the smoother voice of the third dragon to enter, Flem following behind him. This dragon was the most normal looking of the group, fitting best with what a dragon should be. His whole body spoke equally of strength and confidence. He shared similar red scales as Rath, but his chest and spines were orange. all in all, the dragon would have been quite attractive if not for the malice barely concealed behind his teasing smile.
Orchid growled, bringing the new dragon's attention to her. "What are you doing here, Malick? Onyx and I just want to be left alone," she said with her fangs showing slightly.
Malick chuckled and moved to stand in front of the others before saying, "Ah, Orchid, you're as beautiful as ever I see. How have you been keeping these last few years?" looking around the cave, he added, "And where is our wingless friend?"
The dragoness showed a little more of her fangs and repeated, "What are you doing here?"
Malick gave a theatrical sigh and shake of his head as he said, "It seems Onyx's impatience has rubbed off on you; you're not even willing to catch up with an old friend." When Amy only growled in response, some of his real emotions began to show. "We would have been perfectly content to leave you and your mate alone... if not for one small detail," he said as he directed his gaze towards the little dragoness behind her mother's leg.
"Yeah, one freak was already too many, and now they're multiplying!" exclaimed Flem angrily.
Orchid directed her gaze towards the fat dragon and hissed, making him flinch back. "Neither my daughter nor Onyx pose any threat to you, so just leave." she said.
Though they all started saying something in response, Malick's voice rose above and silenced them all, "That, is where you are wrong, Orchid. For you see, even if Onyx, or your spawn do not have any intent to harm true dragons, the same cannot be said for those down the line. The wingless sort are simply too dangerous, to allow to return." Taking a step forward, he continued, "It is a sad truth I'm afraid, and even more so that you had to give yourself to one of their ilk. Such a beauty could have had a long, fruitful life if only you would have chosen one of your own kind instead of Onyx."
Some of his humor returned and he extended his wings, displaying their impressive size, "I suppose these would turn you off of such a thought, though, hmm?"
Zaz started shifting from leg to leg. "Enough talkin' let's kill'em already!" the scrawny dragon whined.
"For once, I agree with the shrimp. Let's get started already," Rath rumbled.
Looking to Flem and seeing him nod in agreement, Malick let his wings fold back to his sides and sighed, "Always so impatient... Fine, get to it, it will be entertaining, and the look on Onyx's face when he arrives will be quite the sight."
With that, Rath threw himself towards the dragoness with a roar of rage, which changed to anguish as Orchid whipped her tail through her pile of gems, sending sharp stones into the huge dragons eyes. "Amy! Take the egg and hide!" her mother commanded as she met Rath mid-charge.
Hesitating only a moment, the little dragoness swept the egg to her chest and started running deeper into the cave. Once she had made it further into the shadows, she hid behind a stalagmite and turned her attention back to her mother. Amy had to restrain herself from squeezing her sibling when she saw the large, red dragon throw her mother off of him and start rubbing furiously at his eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Zaz leapt onto Orchid's back and started biting and clawing at her neck and shoulders.
With a cry of one part pain and two parts fury, the dragoness slammed her back into the cave wall, crushing her attacker against the unforgiving stone. As the scrawny dragon slid from between her wings to lie dazedly on the ground, Orchid was suddenly slammed into the same wall Zaz had been smashed against. Unlike him, however, the aggressor did not let up.
Rath moved his face closer to his pinned victim, giving her a clear look at the blood seeping from his closed left eye. "That was dirty trick," he growled. "That freak's rubbed off on you."
Orchid tried to break free, but the forearm pushing harder on her neck stopped her, earning a chuckle from the red dragon. "You have fight, I'll give you that much," Rath commented before letting his eyes wonder down her form. "Onyx is one lucky freak to bag such a fine dragoness. Can't imagine what you saw in him," the red dragon said and then chuckled. "Maybe you just need to be shown what a real dragon is like."
With that, he let the claw not restraining his victim begin to run across her chest, eliciting a startled gasp and increased struggling from Orchid. The building force on her neck did not lessen her thrashing, just as her attempted attacks on Rath didn't seem to deter him from his fun.
Amy watched on, frozen by fear and helplessness, wishing for something, anything to save her mom. Just as the disgusting dragon lowered his claws between Orchid's thighs, the cave brightened before Rath was struck by a beam of white light. The beam picked the massive dragon up for a second before pushing him across the floor, his heavy body leaving a shallow trench in the rock.
The moment slowed for the little dragoness as she took in the scene before her. Orchid collapsed to the ground in a combination of shock and relief. Tearing her eyes from the freed dragoness, Amy looked to Rath, and saw a rare sight; the vile dragon was frantically rolling on the ground and screaming, flames sticking to the spot where the light had struck him. The answer to how dragon scale could be burning was answered as she began to make out the details of the impact spot. Where he had been struck, the skin and scales had been blown away, leaving the flesh and fat below to fuel the flame.
As Amy took this in, time returned to its normal flow, and she jerked her head to where the beam had originated. Along the way, she saw Flem pressed against the wall in terror, and Malick grinning maliciously. Finally, her eyes fell upon a sight that made her heart both soar and freeze; her father, mouth closing after his attack and a look of pure hatred on his face.
Malick whipped his head around, smiling even wider as he began to say, "Onyx! How nice of you to-"
"MALICK!" was roared as the black dragon collided with his enemy, forming a rolling, black and red ball of fangs and claws. When the two hand come to a halt, Onyx was staring down at Malick with murder in his eyes, while Malick stared back in kind, all traces of mirth gone from his features.
Seeing his brother under the bigger, wingless dragon, brought Flem from his terrified stupor and he joined the fray, shoulder tackling Onyx, his obesity serving to help in the task. Before they came to a stop, Onyx already had his new opponent in a headlock and was choking the life out of him, not intending to stop this time. Flem was saved from suffocation as Malick breathed a cone of fire into both their faces, using the distraction to deliver a sucker punch to Onyx's snout.
A groan pulled Amy's attention from her father's fight to her surroundings, where she saw Rath attempting to stand on shaking legs, the fire finally out. He was doing this on three legs, as his burn stretched across his left shoulder, side, and even onto his chest. Hearing the groan again made the little dragoness realize Rath was not the cause, and she soon found herself staring at the dazed eyes of Zaz.
The scrawny dragon returned her stare for a moment before he realized who it was he was looking at. When he did, his eyes came fully into focus and a smile pulled at his lips. Amy was terrified as Zaz jumped to his feet, got into position to pounce like a cat about to kill a mouse, and came flying at her.
Before he made it more than half a body length however, Orchid came down onto his back, slamming him, once again, to rock. This time, he did not go unconscious, and instead tried to bring his head around to bite the dragoness. Looking up for a moment, Orchid said one word, "Run!"
Amy's legs moved on their own, the command finally telling them the proper reaction to facing death. She ran deep into the cave. She ran from the sounds of fighting. She ran from the roars of pain and hatred. She ran until she couldn't run another step, and then she collapsed, sobs racking her body as she hugged the purple egg to her chest.

~8~

"... When I got a hold of myself, I was still too tired to go any further into the cave. Luckily, there were plenty of divots torn out of the walls from Mom and Dad digging up gems. I found the deepest one I could and hid inside of it," Amy said. "It was the most terrifying moment of my life... not knowing what was happening, whether or not I'd see my parents again... if I'd survive."
As she had told Spike the story of their past, the dragoness had found herself feeling as she had back then. The fear, anger, saddness, and helplessness had flooded back to her, and she subconsciously snaked her arms around her torso and hunched over because of it.
Amy jolted when she something wrap around and press against the top of her head. "W-what are you doing, Spike?" the dragoness asked, though she didn't move to pull away.
Spike tightened his hug, though it was a little awkward with her spines in the way. "I-I don't really know. It just looked like you needed a hug... so I gave you one," he answered in a mumble.
The two remained silent for a moment before Amy began to giggle. "You've certainly grown to be quite the sweet little dragon haven't you?" she asked, shifting her head up so one laughter filled eye was staring at him.
Cheeks growing red, the young dragon huffed and backed away. "Yeah, well, I was trying to help," he grumbled, folding his arms and looking away. The attempted tough front was only made cute by the bright blush, and the sight caused Amy to laugh even louder. Blush blooming more, Spike grumbled, "Maybe I shouldn't try if you're just going to laugh at me."
Getting control of herself, the dragoness took a few deep breaths and said, "Phew, sorry for laughing, and thank you, I needed that." When the young dragon didn't stop pouting, Amy's expression sobered a little. "I mean it, Spike, you really did help me, and I wasn't laughing at you... I was just thinking how proud Mom and Dad would be of you."
This got Spike's attention and he turned to her. "R-really? You think so?" he questioned.
The dragoness gave him a small smile and said, "Definitely, You're kind and caring... Even though you hardly know me, even after I..." swallowing thickly, she went on, "You still try and comfort me, that's something not many people would do, let alone dragons... Never lose that kind heart, Spike; in one as strong as you, it will change the world for the better. I know it."
The young dragon was left stunned by her words, and he pointed at his chest, "M-me? Strong? No-"
"Yes," Amy interrupted, "You are strong, and you'll grow even stronger in time." To drive the point home, she added, "You may even be the one who redeems the magic dragons someday."
Sitting back down, Spike asked, "You really think so?"
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Neither seeing nor hearing anything but truth in the dragoness, he breathed, "Wow..." before smiling, "Maybe we can do that together."
Hiding her wince, Amy spoke, "Hey, how about I... I finish the story before we start making any plans?"
The air seemed to grow heavy at this, and Spike gave a rigid nod. As hard as it had been up to this point, the dragoness knew it would only get harder from here on out. She wanted to stop, after all, Spike already knew what was going to happen, just not the details, and she could tell herself that he was too young to hear them. But she knew that wouldn't be enough for him. Already, she had seen the fire in his eyes, the indomitable spirit that Mother, Father, and, she'd like to believe, she herself all shared, that would never let him take the easy way out.
Taking a deep breath, she once again started to share with him their story, "I can't tell you much of what happened while I was hiding. I can't even tell you for how long, really, but I can tell you what happened next..."

~8~

Amy had started blowing, small, stuttering puffs of fire onto the egg as she waited hopefully for her parents to be okay and to come find her. The act of tending the needs of her sibling helped keep her mind from wandering to darker thoughts. It felt as if she had been huddled in this hole for hours, and she was becoming anxious.
For this reason, when she heard the sounds of something big lumbering into her part of the cave, she almost leapt out to greet who she hoped was her parents. Just as she was going to, a weary voice spoke up, "M-Mailck, come on, let's go already. We've taken care of the freak and traitor, let's just leave."
Flem's words froze the young dragoness, and the egg began to fall from her shock slackened fingers. Luckily, there was something to terrify her into pulling it back to her chest. "Shut up! That little brat is still around here, and we're not leaving until she's dead! Do you understand me!?" Malick roared at his brother, all traces of lightheartedness gone from his voice. 
"B-but, Zaz is hurt real bad, and Rath is pretty messed up too. Rath may be able to handle it a little longer, but Zaz isn't going to last if we put off getting him help," the fat dragon tried to reason, before breaking out into a fit of wet coughs.
"Hmph, coward, do not try and hide your weakness behind that of others. I'm going to put an end to that bastard's legacy tonight, and you're going to help," said the older dragon, cold fury lacing his words.
Flem, it seemed, had more of a backbone than one would expect, as he didn't drop the subject, "If not for your brothers, than for yourself. Malick, those wounds are grievous and must be treated immediately. Is ensuring one little hatchling's death really worth your life?"
Amy could hear Malick growl, "After we've just seen what her father was capable of? Yes."
"But she's all alone; she'll die without us having to lift a claw. Let's just leave her to her fate and be gone from this wretched place," the obese dragon pleaded.
"Listen, Flem, I decide what we do, and I say we are- Argh!"
"See, brother! You can hardly stand as it is! If we wait any longer to seek treatment, it may be too late!" Flem nearly screeched.
Amy heard the elder dragon suck in a breath through his teeth, before loud thud was heard and Flem gasp. "Fine, we'll leave, but we if we hear any word of wingless dragoness in the world, I'm going to kill you," Malick promised.
After a few more gasps for air, Flem answered, "Y-yes, brother I understand, but do not worry, she will no doubt die here. Of that, I am sure."
With a final few unintelligible grumbles, the sounds of retreating footsteps reached the young dragoness and she was once again left alone with her unhatched sibling. She wanted to rush out and find her parents right then and there, to prove the words of the two vile dragons wrong, but her father's teachings told her to wait. After a perceived eternity, Amy was sure that the intruding dragons were gone and crawled from her hiding spot.
The little dragoness ran as fast as she could, stumbling multiple times, but managing to keep herself moving. As she neared the entrance she noticed there was little light remaining in the cave. It was in the darkness of night that she came a large mound that had not been there before. Amy slowed for a moment as her eyes used starlight to identify what she was seeing. "MOMMY, DADDY!" she screamed in horror and ran to her still parents.
Laying atop Orchid as if to shield her was a motionless Onyx, head side by side with his mate. Orchid herself was on her side, as motionless as the dark dragon. The little dragon sprinted to them, tears in her eyes and egg still clutched in her arms, not slowing down even when she stepped in something cool and sticky. She ignored everything but the two dragons in front of her as she continued to scream to them, "Mommy, Daddy, please wake up! We have to find you help, or-or some of those plants you told me about! Please just open your eyes!"
Her pleas did nothing to stir the two, even when she had begun pushing up on her father's eyelid to open it, balancing the egg with one arm. "P-please, y-you can't leave me. I-don't know what to do," Amy cried as she sunk to her knees, paying no heed to the blood splashing up on her. She laid her face on the egg, her tears washing trails of dust from its surface.
"A-Amy... Is that you?" came a soft whisper. The young dragoness gasped and whirled to the source of the voice. "Mom!" she exclaimed as pulled herself closer to Orchid's face. "You're alive!"
There was only a shallow breath at first, but it was soon followed by another whisper, "Amy, a-re you okay?"
"I'm fine, b-but Dad isn't-" She began to answer before sob interrupted her.
Upon hearing her daughter's distress, Orchid's eyelids parted slightly. When she caught sight on her weeping child she began to inch her arm up. "Hush, child... You'll be alright," she said, running a claw across Amy's spines.
Tilting her end into her mother's soft caress, she cried harder. "B-but w-what about y-you? T-tell me w-what I'm I s-supposed to d-do?"
"Amy, you have to listen carefully, dear. Can you be strong for me?" the dragoness asked, arm splashing down into the blood pooled underneath her. When she saw her daughter nod in response, she let her eyes flutter shut again. "Good... Is the egg safe?"
"Y-yeah, I have it here," Amy answered, holding the egg out a moment before returning it to her chest. "I've been taking care of it," she added before blowing a puff of fire onto it. "I've been feeding it fire, s-so don't worry about that. Just focus on getting better, o-okay?"
Orchid couldn't help but chuckle at the young dragoness lecturing her. That only lasted a moment, however, before she began talking again, "Amethyst... I-I'm sorry, but I won't be getting better."
"But-!"
"Amy, listen!" She interrupted before a cough did the same to her. "... Please, listen... You need to leave the dragon lands... Take the egg with you and find somewhere safe" Orchid told her.
"... But where? How am I supposed to live without you or Dad?" she begged.
"You can do this, Amy... You remember what Onyx taught you... You know how to survive," the fading dragoness answered. "Your father's stories... he spoke of friends and... and companions," she went continued, voice growing quiet. "You are a wonderful little dragoness, and I'm sure there are those out there who will help you."
Amy nodded again, but realized her mother could no longer see her, "I... I'll try."
"No... You'll do it... I know you will... You'll live, and take care of the little one... You'll both... live..." Orchid said with her last breath.
Amy came closer to her mother's face and put a claw on her large muzzle. "M-mom?... Mom... Please... please don't leave me... I-I can't do it, I need you with me! Please come back, I don't want to be alone!" Despite her attempts at shaking Orchid awake, the dragoness did not stir. 
Sobs rang off the stone walls hours into the night before eventually weakening to sniffles, and eventually growing silent...

~8~

"...I stayed with them for nearly two days before thirst drove me from their sides," Amy told Spike. Her voice had followed the rest of her and had become drained of emotion. She had also run out of tears a few minutes ago, leaving the stains to dry under her bloodshot eyes.
Spike, it seemed, still had tears to spare, his flowing freely from his eyes. "I'm sorry... for what happened to you," the young dragon said as he wiped a forearm across his wet face.
Amy looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "What for? None of what happened was your fault," she told him. "...I know that now..."
Not hearing the mumble, he said, "That never should have happened. Mom, Dad... and you, didn't deserve it."
The dragoness chuckled, though it was a hollow sound. "People rarely get what they deserve... but that is neither here nor there. The story is not yet finished," she said. In truth, though telling of the demise of their parents was hard, telling him what she had done would be even more so, and she had to force herself to go on. 
"After I had left our parents, I made my way out of the badlands, avoiding every dragon I came across while surviving off of gems I either found or pilfered from the hoards of others," Amy said, a wry smile spreading across her face. "Admittedly, I found some satisfaction in that. Even if they weren't the dragons who killed our parents, I liked to pretend they were... The thought that anyone of them could be willing to hurt me for not having wings helped too."
The smile faded from her lips when the young dragon only became sadder at her words. The dragoness sighed and went on, "I eventually found my way to Equestria completely by accident and, after a few more days, I made it to a little settlement at the border... Thinking back, I can't even remember the name of the place, or the pony who helped me. When I first entered town, the ponies there just kind of ignored me; used to seeing all sorts of creatures from living so close to the fringe of their kingdom I guess."
"There was one pony though, who did see me; she was a kind mare who took me in for the night, fed me, even ran me a bath," Amy said, frowning a little. "I still feel horrible for not remembering her name, but I wasn't really in the best state of mind then, and I didn't stay for long. I had asked the mare where we were, and once she told me I asked her to tell me everything she could about Equestria. That was how I learned of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns; her son was attending, I think."
"I had been feeding your egg with what fire I could, but in the end, I could only manage to keep it from losing anymore magic while I traveled," The dragoness explained. "I knew it would take a lot more magic than I could muster on my own, so decided to take you to the place with the most magic in the kingdom."
"With a map provided by the kind stranger, I traveled across Equestria, and, well, the long and short of it is that I arrived at Canterlot," her expression soured a little as she continued, "At the time, I figured the suspicious stares were because, the few times I was seen, I was stalking through alleyways... Now I'm not so sure."
She shook her head and got back on topic, "Well I went to the school... I tried to just give them your egg in the hopes that they would you in without question, but I guess I wasn't really thinking straight. Of course, my appearance and request stirred up more attention than I could deal with, and I panicked... So, I set the egg down and ran."
The room was silent, neither occupant making a sound as one stared at the other, and the other stared at the floor. Finally, Spike tilted his head and asked, "That's it...? Y-you left me so that I could be hatched, right? Why are you so guilty about that...? You didn't have any other choice."
Amy was stunned for a few seconds before she grimaced. What's wrong with me? He's right in front of me, and I'm practically lying to him. Even now I wrong you, Spike. "No, I had a choice... The reason I ran away when the ponies started to call in officials was because... because I was afraid they'd make me stay with you," the dragoness confessed.
She lifted her head in time to see him blinking as if slapped. "...W-why?" he managed to stutter through the shock and confusion.
Amy began to blink rapidly herself, though hers was caused by tears she didn't know she had left. "... Because, the truth is, at the time... I-I hated you," the statement hung in the air.
"Wha-"
"I was just so torn up and confused, and I didn't know how to handle what had happened," the dragoness interrupted, the words flowing out of her in a torrent, "At first, when the sadness began to leave me, it was replaced with hatred towards those monsters that had taken Mom and Dad away, but soon... it started to grow... I began to hate myself for not doing anything, for being born as I am." Now, the emotion that had left her earlier started flooding back, and she was filled with self-loathing and guilt.
"I hated Mom and Dad for leaving me alone, and... and I even started hating you. I starting blaming you for our parents deaths; that if Flem hadn't seen your egg, then he wouldn't have brought his brothers to kill us, even though it was because Dad and I were wingless that brought them. I thought that if you weren't there, I could have helped Mom and Dad, ignoring the fact that I would have only gotten killed," as the dragoness confessed her crimes, she fell forwards onto her palms, cloak spreading out around her and the hot tears of shame falling from shut eyes to pool on the floor.
"At one point... I-I even thought of killing you, of dashing your egg against the ground. But when I did, I remembered Mom's last words, and how much both our parents cared for you, and I felt disgusting for even thinking such a horrid thing," she said, no longer being able to stop herself. "When I left you at the school, I didn't even know if pony magic could hatch you... I could have been leaving you to your death, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from you... from the memories you brought me, and I didn't care how."
Amy, slowed a moment and started taking deep breaths, "... As time passed, the hatred I once felt began to turn to worry, and soon after, guilt. I had abandoned you in a foreign land, and so many thoughts began to go through my head. Had you been hatched? Were you still alive? Were they treating you right?"
"It had gotten so bad, I had planned to come back for you... until I saw the paper," the dragoness told him, followed by a strained chuckle. "The ruler of Equestria taking on a new student is a big deal after all, and news of it reached even outside of Equestria. It was by chance that one of the newspapers found its way to me, and the picture nearly made my heart stop. Imagine my surprise when I saw a baby dragon being held in the front hooves of a little unicorn filly, sitting next to Princess Celestia herself."
"When I read the article, I knew I had no right to come into your life; you were being raised by the princess and her student; nurtured, fed, and protected from anyone who would dare harm you... And what did I have to offer you? Nothing. After what I had done to you, I had no right to even see you... so I swore never to come to Equestria, and to let you live a life Mom and Dad would want for you... Safe and loved." Finished telling the young dragon why he had been left in the Pony Kingdom, there was only one thing left to say to him, "And now you know why... Why I have no right to call myself your sister... Because... I'm the monster who left her little brother with no regard for his life or the final wishes of her mother..." 
For ten years she had kept these things locked away inside her heart, never letting them see the light of day and hiding them from the world. Amy had feared what revealing her dark past would do, and, when she looked up, she knew those fears were well founded. The dragoness stared at Spike's anguished features, and could tell he wanted to say something, but every time he tried, a sob tried to escape from him instead. Closing her wet eyes once more, she bowed low the little dragon on her hands and knees and said, "I am so sorry, Spike, for everything..."