//------------------------------// // A Vital Task // Story: Upheaval: Legacy // by Visiden Visidane //------------------------------// Upheaval: Legacy Chapter 1: A Vital Task It started with a familiar tingle around her unicorn horn, the gentle and persistent hum of a communication spell trying to reach her. Seethe Scale knew who it was. Long distance communication was a difficult spell to master, even for the veteran unicorns of the Legion. To reach her lonely, isolated lair with this spell, even from the nearest city, required a lot of energy. Among the few who could accomplish this, only one pony would ever do it to talk to her. Seethe Scale rose from her treasure pile, picking out the gold coins and small gems that inevitably got stuck in her fur and scales. She licked her lips and ran her tongue across her fangs to remove any bits of her last meal still caught among them. She smoothed out her unruly mane with a claw before activating the spell. A magical image of Prince Terrato’s head and shoulders appeared on the wall of the cave. The spell provided its own illumination, brightening the normally dark lair. The gold coins glinted and the gems sparkled. Terrato’s fiery mane, the lurid red of wrath dragon flame, added to the light. “Seethe Scale,” Terrato said. “It’s been a while.” It had been a while; twenty years in fact, since he gave her direct orders. Twenty years since she had been useful. For dragons, that was barely a minor wait. For a kirin, it was only slightly more bothersome. The years were a monotonous blur, the end of one barely distinguishable to the beginning of another. Nevertheless, Seethe Scale hoped for orders at last. Watching over the city of Wallforge and fighting off the very rare rogue dragon may serve Equestria, but every legionnaire stationed there did the same. A personal meeting with the prince entailed a task meant specifically for her, something only she could accomplish. She wanted such a task. She needed it. “Yes, your highness,” Seethe Scale replied. “I have an important mission for you,” Terrato replied. Seethe Scale’s heart quickened, but she kept her face impassive. She didn’t want the prince to see she was eager. That might appear that she was presumptuous enough to want him to do something. “I’m placing a young dragon under your care,” Terrato went on. “His name is Spike. He’s a little stunted given that he’s spent all his life with ponies, but he wants to aid his friends as best he can. He’ll need to be in fighting form. Among other things.” Seethe Scale suppressed a puzzled frown. Dragons did not merely grow with time. They needed certain triggers, certain environments, even certain meals. A dragon raised by ponies would certainly find it difficult to get what was needed to grow properly. But was she the best agent for this job? Her own journey with her abilities had been fraught with difficulty and had been taken almost entirely alone. And she was a kirin, not a dragon. “This won’t be a problem, will it?” Terrato asked. “Not at all,” Seethe Scale said. Of course it wasn’t. He was sending a dragon to live in her cave for a while. Dragons don’t live together. Her hoard, small as it was, looked vulnerable, tempting, individual baubles easily slipped between claws. Her gut refused the offer, but she refused its demand. It wasn’t going to be a problem. “Good,” Terrato said. “I’ll have him sent over. As for those other things...” Seethe Scale’s ears perked. There was more to this. Good. She could do more than be a nursemaid to a dragon hatchling trying to better himself. This Spike was not on the receiving end of a random bout of kindness. He had a purpose. And if he had a purpose... “Spike is the dragon that Himfadora has been waiting for,” Terrato said. “Offer him to her cause on the condition that he must inherit everything from both his parents.” Outwardly, Seethe Scale merely bowed her assent. The envy dragon, Himfadora, searched for a remnant of the long dead dragon queen and this hatchling was it. This hatchling of Reinfadora and Drellhadar would serve as a beacon for dragon dissenters against the Draco’dim. How much power he would actually have would be unsure, but he would hold influence. The prince’s aims were slightly clearer now. “I’ll get into the details as his time with you progresses,” Terrato said. “Take some time to observe him, see what he needs to improve. And Seethe Scale...I may want some use from him, but I need him alive and well.” His eyes narrowed. “Above all else, keep him safe.” Seethe Scale bowed again. She did not question why this Spike remained a hatchling despite the long period of time between his parents’ demise and his appearance now. The prince and his sibling held great magic. That was all there was to it. One question tugged at her though. Spike’s connection to Reinfadora was easily obvious in its usefulness, but what would his connection to Drellhadar serve? The malformed one had no recognizable influence. Quite the opposite, dragonkind hated him. He was a hideous creature that had somehow gained a place by Reinfadora’s side even though he nearly never showed his face outside his laboratories. Inheriting whatever legacy he had scattered throughout the Western Barrier Land might actually diminish this Spike’s potential, but, perhaps, what Drellhadar worked on in his lair may be worth it. Seethe Scale frowned. Perhaps her perspective was not even correct with this. Perhaps, Reinfadora’s influence wasn’t the main goal to begin with. Perhaps the prince only played power games with dragonkind only for what Drellhadar accomplished. Such speculation could come later, however. For now, Seethe Scale had to prepare. Her cave was not much compared to a typical dragon’s lair, but she was only half dragon and an unattractively small lair ensured that she didn’t have to be bothered by young, brash dragons stupid enough to think they could bully her out of a potential home. Her hoard was modest, the sort one might find in the vault of a particularly wealthy Barrier Lands noble. That was fine as well. Seethe Scale was still enough of a dragon to need a hoard, but she did not need an excessively large one. Half dragon instincts or not, however, she wasn’t going to part with a single coin or bauble that she had acknowledged as part of her hoard. Not to an entitled Draco’dim, and not to some pony-raised hatchling with a pedigree. She had to gather a few things: torches perhaps, in case this Spike still had trouble with dark caves, some soft things if he was used to beds. They will go eventually, but having them for transition should help. Perhaps she could hunt down a few coins and gems so he could have a little hoard of his own. That might encourage him not to take from hers so she wouldn’t have to eat him. Then there’s food...she supposed, he could just subsist on gems. This was what was likely his pony friends relied on to sate his appetite. Seethe Scale ran a claw through her own hoard. The cold metal and stone felt good on her scales. She picked out a particularly large sapphire and looked at it. No. His first meal should be a statement. He was still a pampered Heartland hatchling who was raised by ponies. His well-meaning foster parents tried to protect him from some of the more savage realities about his kind, but their efforts had stunted him as well. He was sent to her, not just so she could babysit him. The prince’s intentions were quite clear. She was going to bring him to her world. And she wasn’t going to spare him. So meat it was. Winter would make hunting a bit difficult. Many animals had already dug into their dens to hibernate or fled to warmer climates. The ursans had been taking a more cautious approach with their patrols lately. Otherwise, she could swoop down, scatter one, and carry a few slightly scorched pieces back to her cave. Perhaps she’d find an ordinary bear still gorging itself just a little longer before hibernation. No, bear might be too tough. She’d have to settle for something smaller and tenderer. This hatchling probably hasn’t developed all of his teeth yet. Seethe Scale spread her wings by her lair’s entrance, letting the fleeting rays of the winter morning’s sun warm her scales slightly. The Western Barrier Land’s winter landscape looked as it always did each year. The firs were dusted with white, the ground was a snowy expanse, thin wisps of black smoke rose from the nearby city of Wallforge’s many, many chimneys. She sniffed the air, thankful not to catch the whiff of either dragon or pony. She had more important tasks now than slaying criminals or fending off intruders. She did catch the far off scent of potential quarry: boar. Not a bad start. Hopefully it was a young one, or has young. She could start the hatchling with something that easy and work him up: young boar first, then adult, then something like a bear, or even an ursan. Eventually he’d have to try dragon. Perhaps she could squeeze in pony in there too. It was harsh, even cruel, but he had to understand. With that last thought, Seethe Scale took flight, the draft from her wings blew back the loose snow from her cave’s entrance. It was best that she met this Spike face to face first, and then plan out his stay. All she could hope for at this time was that he proved to be cooperative, more for his sake than hers. After all, in the end, the prince’s task would be fulfilled. She’d ensure that no matter what kind of hatchling Spike was. Spike could only choose to make things easy or hard for himself.