//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Love Keeps Dragon On: The Return of Sapphire // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// A surge of sweet flavor danced on Spike's tongue as his teeth sliced through the flesh of the Chameleon Fruit. It wasn't crunchy like an apple, but soft with the juicy texture of a peach. His eyes flew open. It was almost as tasty as gems! Juice ran down his chin and he licked it off with gusto. "Wow! That's delicious!" he exclaimed before taking another bite, exposing the fruit's core from one side. Sapphire bit off a piece of hers and shared a similar reaction. Her blue eyes went wide in delight as she chewed. "That is good!" She wiped a claw across the sweet juice on her lip and licked it off. Turning the Chameleon Fruit around in his paw, Spike finished the last of his with a big chomp. Only the core remained, which he set down on Lucky Charm's checkout counter. As he smacked his lips to savor what flavor remained, he looked himself over from tail to the tip of his claws to see if the changes had taken effect. Alas, his scales were the same shade of purple they'd always been. "How long does it take to work?" Spike wondered out loud as Sapphire finished the last of her fruit. She placed her core next to Spike's and Lucky scooped them up, depositing them safely behind the counter. As if in answer, Spike felt a mild tingling at the tips of his hind feet. It worked its way to his heels and started to climb up his shins. Looking down, Spike watched the tingling areas lose their color as the darkness worked its way up his body, as if an army of black ants was covering his entire body from feet to head. Spike turned, watching Sapphire experience a similar transformation. If she was as bewildered as he was, her eyes didn't show it. Now they could both easily pass for Shadow Dragons. “Hey, it worked!” Spike looked himself over, extending his forelegs in front of him and twisting his wrists. Sapphire twisted her neck to get good look at her backside to be sure it also turned black. “Sunset, what would we do without you?” "Remember," Lucky said, "the effects will only last for a few hours, so you must act quickly." "We'd better get going, then," Spike said, turning for the door as he sidestepped an ancient suit or armor on a display rack. Sapphire nodded in agreement and followed. "I'm going, too!" Sunset Breeze shouted. Sapphire turned around and shook her head. "Not this time, Sunset. I want you to stay here with Lucky." "Hey, I'm a store clerk and magical item aficionado, not a fillysitter! There's a reason ponies my age don't have foals." The aged lines on Lucky’s face creased with disapproval as Sunset hung her neck and pouted. "Maybe we should bring her along," Spike said. A torch seemed to light up in his head as he rubbed his chin. "You have an idea?" Sapphire asked. "We'll pretend like we've just captured her and are going to put her to work at Zog's fortress. It'll help cover our disguise." Beaten, Sapphire sighed and shook her head. "I suppose. She'll just follow us even if we tell her to stay here." "She wants to rescue her parents, I understand where she's coming from. I would have done the same thing for Twilight when I was Sunset's age." Sapphire scratched the back of her neck with regret in her eyes. “I would have done it for my parents, too.” “Yay!” Sunset trumpeted and gave a little hop. “How are we going to pull this off, though?” Sapphire asked. She put a claw over her mouth in thought. “It’s not like we can just knock on the front gate and ask them to let us in, even with our disguises.” There had to be something in Lucky’s shop they could tie Sunset up with, Spike thought as he sorted through a box that stood on a plain wooden table. It was full of dusty trinkets, most of which even somepony as knowledgeable as Twilight Sparkle probably wouldn’t know what to do with. A colorless amulet. An old coin faded with age. One spell book Spike guessed could have been as old as Princess Celestia, its pages yellow and rigid and crusty between thick, worn covers. Good thing Twilight’s not here to see this. She’d have a fit to see a book in this condition. Growling, Spike pushed the box aside. Nothing useful in there. Spike tilted his head. A braided noose had been snugly hidden between that box and the one next to it, now exposed. He gave it a tug, revealing more of the rope as it snaked its way from between more boxes stacked on the back of the table. At the end of the rope was a strange wooden mask-like object that resembled some of the heirlooms Zecora kept in her hut. “Ah, good eye there, my boy,” Lucky said from behind the counter. “That there’s an enchanted relic of zebra origin. It’s said to ward off evil spirits. I’ll let you have it for two hundred bits.” Spike grunted in frustration as he struggled to untie the knot that had been looped around one of the mask’s eye sockets. “I don’t want the mask-thing, I just want this rope!” As if he couldn’t believe what his guest was saying, Lucky drew his head back, smile vanishing. “That’s just a dirty old rope, nothing special. I forgot I even had that in here.” The smile reappeared as he cupped his hooves together. “It’s yours for ten bits.” “Sheesh,” Spike grumbled as he finally got the rope loose. He dug around the pouch full of bits Twilight gave him the day he left Ponyville and placed ten coins on the counter. “Capitalism is alive and well in Buckington.” Lucky scooped up the coins and Spike dropped to a knee, wordlessly slipping the noose over Sunset’s head and around her neck. “Hey!” the filly shouted and struggled when Spike tightened the loop. “What’s the big idea? I can hardly breathe!” “I’m sorry, Sunset, but we have to make this look as convincing as possible.” Sunset looked up at Sapphire with pleading eyes. Clearly, the young pony wasn’t enjoying having to play the part of prisoner. “I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Sapphire said. “It has to look real or it won’t work.” Stiff-lipped, Sunset took a deep breath of courage, eyes focusing. “I think we’re ready,” Spike said. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Sapphire agreed. She pivoted towards the store owner, still behind the pay counter. “Thanks, Lucky!” “Yeah, thanks,” Spike said. “Those Chameleon Fruits of yours just might give us the chance we need, and I’ll get that Dragon Spice for you.” “Much obliged!” the old pony yelled after the dragons as they left the store. “Always happy to serve young folks!” Once outside, Spike cocked his head in perplexity. At the edge of the village, two pony soldiers clad in silver armor and both carrying spears stood still as statues. That is, until Spike approached and one of them drew forward, his weapon lowered and ready to use in a heartbeat if need be. He took one look at the filly tied to a rope and made his judgment as he looked back up and Spike and Sapphire, the spear tip inches from Spike's neck. The other guard had had Sapphire in a similar position. "Hold it right there, dragon! Your pony-napping days are numbered! By the authority granted me by Princess Celestia, I'm placing you under arrest." Spike felt the cold steel of the spearhead touch his neck. "One move and you two are shiskebab, you understand me?" "It's me!" Spike shouted, holding his arms to the air. When the fierce glare in the soldier’s eyes didn’t change, Spike continued. "Take it easy, it's me! Spike!" The soldier lowered his weapon, his face shifting to a look of curiosity. "Spike? What happened to you? With those dark scales, I thought you were a Shadow Dragon." "That's the whole point," Spike answered. "We're in disguise so we can sneak into their fortress and free everypony. What are you doing this far from Canterlot?" "Celestia ordered troops to all the villages bordering the Dragonlands. She's been on edge ever since she got the letter you sent her." "With dragons involved, I don't blame her," Sapphire said. "Who's this?" the soldier asked, motioning to Sapphire with his head. "She's an old friend,” Spike explained, smiling. “Don't worry, she can be trusted." "Are you a Shadow Dragon, too?" the soldier asked. "No, I'm an ice dragon," Sapphire replied, shaking her head. The soldier looked down at Sunset Breeze. "Then why do you have this filly tied up? Surely you can't be thinking about bringing her along. It's far too dangerous for such a little pony!" "Those mean dragons took my mom and dad and I'm gonna help get them back!" Sunset shouted. “We’re pretending we’ve captured her,” Spike explained. “I’m hoping it’ll convince them to let us into their fortress as one of their own.” "Well, if Spike says you're trustworthy, then that's good enough for me,” the soldier said to Sapphire. “Good luck to you. The sooner you get everypony back, the sooner we can go home!" “Yeah, we better hightail it,” Spike said. “Lucky said the effects of the Chameleon Fruit won’t last long. We’ll fly to Zog’s fortress.” Sapphire kneeled down in front of Sunset, extending her forelegs to her. “I’ll carry you, Sunset.” Sunset breeze climbed on Sapphire’s lap. She wrapped her forelegs around the little filly and gave Spike a look of determination. He gave one back and both dragons nodded. It was now or never. Equestria’s lush greenery faded into the dull, desolate Dragonlands as Spike and Sapphire flew in a hurried pace towards Zog’s fortress. There was no time to look at the scenery, not that there was much to see and it wouldn’t have broken Spike’s heart if he never had to come back to this country again. When Zog’s fortress appeared in the distance, Spike and Sapphire lowered their altitude below the ridge of a mountain overlooking the stronghold, using it as cover so they wouldn’t be seen. Both dipped several feet from the ground and rounded the mountain until the fort came back into view. Spike folded his wings and dropped to his feet. Sapphire and Sunset landed beside him, at which point he took hold of the rope still tied tightly around the filly’s neck. “This is it,” Spike said. His heart was already pounding as he took a deep breath to ease his nerves “Ready?” “Ready,” Sapphire replied. “Let’s do it!” Sunset said. Spike bit his lip. There were only two likely outcomes to this plan; one good and one disastrous. After steeling his nerves, he led Sapphire and Sunset towards Zog’s fortress. The first obstacle soon came into view: a sentry posted at the front gate. Spike could see the metal of his poleaxe gleaming in the sunlight, for a moment wondering if the blade of that weapon would be the last thing he’d ever see. The guard raised his free arm. "Halt! State your business!" "We caught this little pony snooping around here," Spike replied, shifting his tone to one deeper than his normal speaking voice. He gave a tug on the rope, which caused Sunset to stumble forward a bit, proving this point. "I say we put her to work with the rest of 'em." The guard kneeled down in front of Sunset to observe her more closely. "Awful small, isn't she? Doesn't look like she could handle very much. Hardly worth keeping if you ask me." "We'll work her to the bone," Sapphire replied, mirroring Spike's deep tone of voice. "Teach her a lesson." "Wait a second, I haven't seen you two before." The guard stood up and held his poleax at the ready. "Who are you?!" "We're new recruits," Spike said. Despite his anxiety, he placed his heels together and slammed a fist into his chest with military poise. "Hail Emperor Zog!" "Long live Zog!" Sapphire shouted. "Long live the Shadow Dragon Empire!" The guard narrowed his gaze, inspecting Spike and Sapphire closer. "A couple of young dragons were taken prisoner here yesterday but they escaped. A male and a female." "What did they look like?" A nervous pang twisted inside Spike's gut even as he asked that. If he blew their cover... "A purple dragon and a light blue, probably an ice dragon. Escaped into the forest southwest of here. Our sentries gave chase and annihilated the place." "You're not joking!" Sapphire said. "I saw it myself. I don't think so much as a flea could have survived that." "Right," Spike answered. "Whoever the escapees were, they're surely done for now." "I suppose that's true," the guard replied. His gaze remained solid, but his arms relaxed a fraction. "Still..." "Do we LOOK like a purple and ice dragon?" Spike asked, sensing the guard still held onto a bit of doubt. "No, you look like Shadow Dragons. Like us. I just didn't think Zog would stoop to using child dragons." Shaking his head in what Spike chose to interpret as disbelief; the sentry lowered his weapon. "Well, might as well put that little one to work with the others." With his free hand, he pushed on the large wooden gate. It creaked in protest as it opened, revealing the fortress courtyard. Again, Spike tugged on the chain he held Sunset by. "Get in there, pony. Now!" "Move it!" Sapphire shouted, kicking dust at the filly's rear end in a threatening display. "Stupid dragons!" Sunset yelled, shooting a glare at each of the three reptiles. "You're all a buncha meanies!" "Don't make me angry or you'll regret it!" Sapphire shouted. With Spike leading Sunset in, the disguised dragons strode into the courtyard, trying to appear like belonged there. Still, they couldn't help but pause when they saw the chained line of ponies along the wall, with one dragon watching them closely. Spike counted fifteen ponies in total. Many of the captives were drooped and lethargic, as if they hadn’t eaten or slept since they got there, tempting Spike to want to free them Daring-Do style. He shook the impulse out of his head, their mission came first. Sunset let out a gasp and Spike followed her shocked gaze to two pegasus ponies, both wearing looks that showed worry and surprise upon seeing their daughter in this Celestia-forsaken place. "It's them!" Sunset hissed, just above a whisper. “I know,” Sapphire whispered back. “Be patient.” “But they’re chained up, and-“ “Shhh.” Spike put a claw over his mouth. “Just keep playing prisoner. If we screw this up, we’re burnt toast.” “What’s the plan?” Sapphire asked, looking around at all the other dragons in the courtyard. Spike could see her shaking. He didn’t blame her. This was their chance, and they likely wouldn’t get another one. Sunset nodded and looked back to her parents. She mouthed a message to them, after which they visibly relaxed. Spike did as well, but not much; he kept an eye on the other shadow dragons, especially the one in charge of the ponies. “Ok,” he said suddenly, “I’m gonna see if I can’t get Mr. Slave-Driver over there to surrender his post to me. Once he’s out of the way, we’ll take it from there.” Sapphire nodded in confirmation and looked to the evil building that loomed over them. “Gotcha. I’m going to head inside the fortress and see if I can’t find a bag of that Dragon Spice Lucky wanted. I’ll meet back up with you once I get the goods.” “Alright,” Spike whispered. Looking into Sapphire’s eyes, he felt a moment’s desire to kiss her, just in case it would be their last time. He’d never seen Sapphire’s eyes so wide or so blue and he knew then she was as scared as he was. “Good luck.” Sapphire returned his smile. “You, too.” No more words were exchanged as both nodded in understanding; they both knew any more chat or idling would draw suspicion among the sentries. Spike watched as Sapphire headed off to handle her part. He trusted her instincts and knew she'd get the job done as he led Sunset to the dragon guarding the ponies. The shadow dragon fixed his gaze on the newcomers as they approached. Spike stood erect and confident when he stopped in front of the guard, matching his stare. “You’re relieved. Got another prisoner, too." "Already?" The dragon looked at the position of the sun to check the time. "Hmmm. If you say so. I could use a break. I can tell you're new, so listen up. Don't let those ponies get one inch on you. Keep 'em under your claw, got it? Zog wants them to understand the order of things." With that, the dragon took the keys that dangled from his belt and placed them in Spike’s waiting palm. Spike gave a salute and clicked his heels together. "Sir!" After the guard disappeared inside the fortress, Spike’s chest heaved and compressed as he sighed in relief. So far their plan was working, but he was tingling all over from the potential danger. Here he was like a bee in the middle of a hornet’s nest, wondering just how long he could stay there before the workers saw through his disguise and started stinging. He’d only hoped Sapphire was faring as well as he was. “Sunset!” the female pegasus said, the chains connected to her shackle chinkling as she nuzzled her daughter. “What in Equestria are you doing here?” "We’re here to save you,” Spike explained for Sunset as she hugged her father. “Keep your voices down and act natural.” Some of the ponies who overheard shot disbelieving glares at Spike, and he could feel their justified resentment. Why would a dragon, a Shadow Dragon no less, want to help them? They probably thought it was some sort of trick. “Don’t worry,” Spike answered with a reassuring smile, kneeling down to eye level with the ponies. “I’m a friend of Princess Celestia’s, and Twilight Sparkle’s my mentor.” Those names seemed to ease the ponies a bit. "There's a mine a couple miles from here where they're forcing us to forage for raw materials,” the unicorn mare chained behind Sunset’s mother said. “We can make our escape there." "Alright. Let's get you out of here. Just play along." Spike stood up. He looked to the front entrance of the fortress, wondering how Sapphire was faring. He didn’t have to wonder long, as a dark-scaled dragon slightly smaller than the rest emerged and was heading his way, a simple sack resting on her shoulder. If that wasn’t proof enough it was Sapphire, Spike could pick out those blue eyes anywhere. As Sapphire approached, Spike dragged Sunset Breeze to the rear of the line and removed the rope, afterwards locking a metal shackle around her neck. “There’s another dragon coming,” Spike said with a smile. “She’s a friend of mine, you can trust her.” “She’s really nice,” Sunset whispered. As part of their act, Sapphire saluted Spike upon reaching him and the chain-gang of ponies. “What’s the situation?” she asked. “We’re headed for the mines,” Spike said. “We’ll escape from there.” He took a deep breath of courage. Up until now, it had been the easy part. The actual escape was sure to be much riskier. “Everypony ready?” “I was ready to leave this place the second I got here,” Sunset’s father said. Spike turned to face the front gate. "Let's go, ponies. Move!" he snapped as viciously as possible. The ponies played their part well, Spike thought, sulking and scowling as the earth pony at the front of the line turned from the wall and towards the gate, the rest keeping up behind him. "Get your flanks in gear," Sapphire said in a venomous tone. She positioned herself on the other side of the ponies so she and Spike flanked the chain gang. "Don't try anything funny." The sentry at the gate tilted his head in confusion as Spike, Sapphire and the ponies approached. Spike felt his heart sink. On the other side from him, he watched Sapphire’s throat constrict nervously. "Where are you taking these ponies?" the guard asked. "To the mines. Zog's orders," Spike answered as sternly and with as much military professionalism as his anxious frame could muster. The guard’s eyes narrowed questioningly. "I wasn't notified." "You dare question your emperor?" Spike asked. It wasn’t the best answer, but he was desperate for an excuse. "I wouldn't. Have you ever seen Zog mad? It’s not pretty." Sapphire let out a rueful chuckle. "Yeah, bad things happen when Zog gets angry." "I can't argue with that. Make sure you work those ponies hard. Don't let any of them slack off, not even the little one." It was such a relief to Spike to watch that gate open, he nearly broke his routine by taking a deep breath of relief. “Understood, sir!” With a salute, he and Sapphire marched the ponies out of the courtyard. How good it felt to be out from between those walls! Everything was going to plan. The only thing left was to make their escape through the mines. Then Spike’s mind started to race. What would the repercussions be even if they succeeded? It would only be a matter of time before Zog and his dragons learned the truth, and then what? Would they launch a full-scale attack on Equestria? No, the dragons wouldn’t be that dumb, not against Celestia and her seemingly infinite power as an alicorn. At least, Spike HOPED they weren’t that dumb.