Another Hatchling

by Tatsurou


Tallon IV: A Study of Dragon Growth, part 1

"So how much did Spike change from drinking the other canister of Phazon?" Pinkie asked.

"Not that much," Samus replied. "His claws and teeth got sharper, his muscles a bit more defined, and he got a bit bigger. Maybe an inch or two. Apparently, his body didn't feel the need to grow any further than that at the time."

"So he has some sort of subconscious control of how much he grew?" Twilight asked, fascinated.

"Had," Spike corrected. "It became conscious by the time we left Tallon IV."

"Why so soon?" Rarity asked, curious.

"Wouldn't have fit in the ship, otherwise," Spike joked.

"Does anyone care about spoilers but me?" Pinkie demanded.

"Verily," Luna agreed. "Can we please cut down on these side talks giving away advanced details?"

Samus chuckled. "Alright. Anyway, after that I took Spike back to the Chozo Ruins area..."


As Samus entered the Chozo Ruins once more, she noticed Spike staring around the place in awe. It took her a few moments to realize why. As much as she'd told him about the Chozo in bedtime stories, the ship and her Power Suit were the only Chozo crafting he'd ever seen, and the ship was technically second hand, as it had been made in a Federation outpost. Now he was witnessing the ruins left behind, and struggling to imagine the splendor of it before it had decayed. She smiled softly, as she didn't have to imagine, and idly wondered what his mind was conjuring for him.

A few burrowing Beetles leapt up to attack them, about twice the size Spike had been before drinking Phazon. Samus readied her arm cannon to fight, but found herself staring as Spike lunged in. Apparently, Phazon was full of energy but not very filling post growth spurts. At least, that's what she interpreted Spike's sudden and vicious mouth-first attack upon them, tearing them to pieces and devouring them.


Samus glanced around at the shocked expressions on the face of every mare present, save Fluttershy. "What?" Samus asked. "What'd you think those fangs were for?"

"Fruit juice?" Fluttershy offered quietly.

Samus wasn't sure if it was meant as a joke or not, but it caused quite a few titters around the table. Smiling, Samus continued the tale.


After Spike had devoured the Beetles, Samus led the way up around to another path. On the way, they encountered some War Wasps. While the spines that they fired were damaging to both of them, they had no more luck penetrating dragon scales than Chozo alloys. It did, however, make him angry, and the Wasps were too big to escape his claws easily.

"Mm, crunchy," he said after he was finished.


Everypony was staring at Spike again. "What?" he asked. "They were!"

"Certain types of insects are treated as delicacies in some of the further flung countries," Luna pointed out. "At least, they were long ago."

"Still are," Celestia admitted. "I've never developed the taste for them, personally."

"Is there anything you didn't eat on your journey?" Rarity asked, a trifle nauseously.

Spike shrugged. "When things try to kill you and you're a growing dragon, the instinctive response is eat them," he explained. "Couldn't stand the taste of Space Pirates, though."

As Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie gagged, Samus continued her story.


As they continued onward, there was a brief problem with a mostly blocked passage. Samus was able to get under it by shifting into Morph Ball, but Spike seemed to be stuck. "Any ideas?" Samus asked.

Spike looked at it for a time. "...I think I've got one," he said softly.

After a time, Spike's spade tail stuck out the end of the passage. "Pull," he said.

Grabbing it, Samus pulled. Spike slipped easily through the passage, as his body was easily able to fit through the narrow passage as long as he didn't move too much.

"Next time," he grumbled, "I'm burning my way through." He snorted angrily, his green fire shooting out, hotter than when he was smaller.

As they moved further, they passed through a chamber where the water in the floor and the fountain had turned to acid from all the toxins the mutated plants were releasing. Curiously, Spike reached towards it, but pulled back as a drop splashed onto him and started to burn. "Ouch!" Spike hissed.

Samus quickly pulled him away. "Did you seriously think you'd be immune to acid?" she demanded.

"...maybe?" he offered lamely.

Samus rolled her eyes. "Be more careful," she instructed.

As they went further, Samus made notes on what Spike enjoyed eating. Shriekbats were a special treat for him, as they were difficult to catch in his mouth without them exploding. If he managed, however, he reveled in the taste, describing it as an especially spicy curry. Reaper vines were more difficult to take a bite out of, but he found them deliciously fruity. He avoided blast caps, however, as he found their explosive spores unpleasant.

Before long, Samus was able to reacquire her Charge Beam. A few Oculus - eyeball shaped creatures in the walls firing laser beams - came after them, but Spike's fist was able to do enough damage to destroy them, as was Samus' charged shots. After that, they left the chamber.

They quickly made their way back to a Communications Port to remotely hook up with the ship.


"Communications Port?" Twilight asked curiously.

"They're remote transceivers that use the ship code I carry with me to lock onto my ship and transmit data back and forth," Samus explained. "It lets me record any collected logbook and map data, as well as access my ship's scanners for clues where to go next. It also replenishes my armor's energy for structural integrity."

"Like a save point?" Pinkie asked eagerly.

"Basically," Spike replied, as Samus hadn't actually played any video games.

"It also helps me in keeping a record of my journeys," Samus replied. "Marking good stopping points. Which is why I'd now like to break for lunch." Reaching up, she disengaged her helmet. "I've adjusted enough to planetary gravity that I can at least remove my helmet, and I'd like to give the food here a try."

"I'll get right on it, sugarcube!" Applejack said happily. "We can have more story time after lunch!" With that, she headed for the kitchen and got to cooking.