//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: A Dragon's Duty // by CalebH //------------------------------// “Hey dweeb, what are you making all that noise for?” The voice shouting down from the living quarters of Friendship castle squeaked and groaned like an old windmill. Still something in it sparked Spike’s memory and cut off his laughter before it had a chance to start. As his head turned up the staircase the butler was quick to scramble into his path. “You stay back monster!” he shouted. Spike winced inwardly. As much as he’d heard that word thrown at him, as thick as his scales had gotten it still stung. He cooly regarded the gryphon before him. His black feathers stood on end and his legs quaked slightly. He was afraid and ponies, or gryphons, did stupid things when they were afraid. “How many times am I going to have to tell you to shut up?” Spike glanced up the staircase again. He knew that voice from somewhere but it looked like he would have to let it go until he could calm his new butler. He slowly stepped to the side until he had made it to his spot. His neck curled partly around the room until his head settled onto his headrest. His body and tail curled around with the tip of his tail coming to rest beneath his jaw. The gryphon had settled somewhat but he still stood defiantly at the foot of the stairs and glared at Spike suspiciously. “Alright new guy,” Spike said, “Calm down before you start molting and let me explain how this is gonna work. My name is Spike, I’d give you a list of titles and awards but me and the girls pretty much got a blank check on all of them almost a century ago. The point is that I’m your boss.” “S-spike?” The gryphon spoke as he visibly quaked. “Spike The Dragon, Mister The Dragon, Sir Spike, Etcetera ad infinitum,” Spike said with a lazy roll of his hand. “The one that’s important to you is Steward of Friendship Castle, although ‘big boss man’ will also be acceptable.” “Big Boss Man?” “I like the reverent awe but try not to sound so scared. If you haven’t noticed the whole ‘dragon’ thing has me more than covered in the ‘fear’ department,” Spike said gesturing to himself with a claw. “Anyways being the Big Boss Man when I come through you are supposed to scramble to look like you’re working hard instead of just standing there.” “But…” “Now I know I scared you and I’m—well I’m not exactly sorry about that, it was pretty funny. But if we stand around discussing it every time somepony plays a prank on you then we’ll never get anything done. Plus you’re the new guy so y’know, take your lumps. It brings us together and makes us family and all that good stuff.” “But you’re a dragon.” “Yes.” “…” the gryphon said gesturing to Spike. “…” Spike replied stoically. “…” the gryphon said again with a broader gesture at Spike. “…?” Spike countered with a raised eyebrow. “But you’re a dragon,” The gryphon insisted. “And you’re a gryphon. What’s you name by the way?” Spike asked. The gryphon took a moment to compose himself, collecting his beak from the floor and straightening his ruffled feathers. “My name is Gregory Ebonfeather. My family has served the palace at Gryphonstone for generations and it is my honor to serve this castle while my elder siblings manage the palace.” “That’s great new guy. I’m sure they’re a lovely bunch. Who’s upstairs?” Gregory hardened his stance from the formal posture of his introduction into something more protective. His lion tail flicked behind him in agitation. “Who wants to know?” the voice called from the top of the stairs. Standing on the landing was a truly ancient female gryphon. The lion portion of her body had faded to a mottled grey with age and the snowy feathers of her eagle half held a silvery sheen. Beneath a powdery pink plume two golden eyes stared at Spike intensely. “Looks like the pet lizard finally grew up.” “Grandmother!” Gregory exclaimed. “I’m nopony’s pet. Now who are you?” “Are you sure you aren’t,” The gryphon said with a smirk. “Wasn’t it that pink-maned pegasus who thought she was a bird, or maybe that flip flop, Dash. What about that purple unicorn…” “Gilda,” Spike growled. “You’ll speak better of the dead or you’ll join them.” Spike felt something pushing against his chest. In his anger he hadn’t realized that he had stalked across the room and up the first few stairs or that every angry breath was puffing more black smoke into the room. “Sir Spike I insist you cease this at once!” Gregory shouted desperately as he tried again to push the dragon off the stairs. “If you take another step towards my grandmother I will be forced to ask you to leave.” Spike looked once again around the smoke filled room. On top of the stairs Gilda looked down at him with fear and shock written across her face. Against his side Gregory still tried in vain to push him to a less threatening position even as he trembled with fear. “I—I,” Spike stammered as he backed away. “I should leave.” He turned and bolted down the passageway. He could feel his spines gouging the ceiling as he went. After slamming through the door he spread his wings and took to the sky. He headed straight to the Everfree, where all the other monsters lived. Dizzy and Fruit made their way towards the castle, Fruit’s face still dripping water from the quick dunk she’d put it through. It wasn’t every day a screech was heard coming from the castle and so the pair decided to investigate. While they approached they saw Spike slam through the outer doorway. He didn’t even seem to see them as he quickly flew off towards his cave. “Oh great,” Fruit groused. “You follow him, I’m going to make sure everything’s okay here.” Dizzy nodded beside her before taking to the skies in pursuit of the dragon. Fruit galloped to the castle. As she was opening the doors a dark blur bowled her over. “Oh dear,” A voice said above her as she took stock of her new position on the ground. She felt her hoof gently taken hold of by a scaly claw and briefly wondered if there was suddenly another dragon in town. “I am terribly sorry miss. I completely failed to watch were I was going. Are you hurt?” Fruit looked up and realized that the dark shadow above her was not some long lost cousin of Spike’s but a gryphon, and a handsome one at that. From his stately black feathers to his soft yellow eyes Fruit found herself somewhat overwhelmed. “Fine, just fine,” She heard herself sigh. “This is absolutely inexcusable of me but there is an urgent matter I must attend to. I’m afraid I must leave you at the moment.” Fruit watched the gryphon turn around, noticing that the charcoal fur of his lion half nicely complimented the black of his eagle half. He spread his magnificent wings and the lean muscles across his back made themselves known. “Oh my,” Fruit said to herself as he faded into the distance. Slowly she picked herself up and brushed the dust from her coat. She chided herself for behaving like a blushing filly as she made her way into the castle. As she neared the throne room she began to notice a slight darkening of the ceiling above her. As she entered the throne room she noticed the ceiling was stained nearly black with smoke. “It’s a small miracle that coloring isn’t permanent,” She said to herself. At the sound of a sniffling sob she jerked her head around. At the base of the stairs was a shivering mess of grey feathers. “Stupid,” It said to itself as it banged a scaled hand against the ground. As Fruit approached she saw that it was another gryphon. Fruit had learned that gryphons could live decades longer than ponies but even then this one was nearing the end of its life. Her feathers were greyed but healthy. Her fur hung limply from her body with wrinkles showing across her body. “Stupid,” the gryphon said again. “Why can’t I ever make a good impression here?” Fruit cleared her throat gently. A pair of puffy golden eyes peered up at her. “I’m sorry,” the gryphon said as she let Fruit help her to her feet. “My name is Gilda. I’m supposed to show ponies around their castle and keep it looking presentable but here I am crying like some birdling not even out of its nest.” “What happened?” Fruit asked as she began guiding the elderly gryphon to a nearby sitting area. Gilda gingerly eased herself into an overstuffed armchair before responding, “It was just supposed to be a joke.” “This idiot holiday.” Fruit growled to herself. “Pardon?” “Nothing. Go on.” “Spike has been a good friend of a good friend for as long as you’ve been alive. I just—I wanted to remind him of all the good times our friends had, all the great pranks they pulled. Instead I guess I just reminded him of how sucky this all is.” “What is?” Fruit asked. “Rainbow Dash may have lived half a world away but she was still my oldest and best friend. Those six ponies did so much but that dragon was always there to keep them going. At Dash’s funeral there were only a few of them left and they were all inconsolable except Spike. He just held onto the others with this look on his face like…like he was counting every second he had left with them. At least I only outlived one best friend, he outlived six. “He had every right to want to kill me after what I did. I just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone but I only did the opposite.” “Spike never wanted to kill anything,” Fruit admonished, “And he’s never been alone. How Princess Twilight went was hard on him but Dizzy and me have been there through all of it right by his side. He may be insufferable and childish but he’s my friend and I’m not leaving him alone anytime soon.” Gilda squeezed Fruit’s hoof tightly in her claw. “Thank you,” she said. Fruit eased the gryphon back into her chair. “I’ll make some tea,” she said. Spike could sense them coming. He had learned a while ago that dragons had a certain sense of awareness in their lairs. He had known about the pegasus and gryphon following him since they landed outside his cave. Rarity would have thought it in especially poor taste not to rise and greet his guests but at the moment Spike didn’t care. None of the lamps around the cave had been lit and so when Dizzy and Gregory walked in the lantern they held was the only source of light. “There he is,” Dizzy said. “The rare and mysterious Grumpasaurus Rex, or Grumpious Rexious.” “Miss Doo?” Gregory said hesitantly. “Now the grumpasaurus can seem a right bugger at first,” Dizzy said, adopting a fake accent. “Miss Doo please do not get any closer.” Dizzy paused midstep and let out a breath. “Spike is not scary,” she said in an even tone. “He will not hurt me. He may be angry but that doesn’t mean he stops being Spike.” Gregory stepped forward and put Dizzy behind one of his wings. “Miss Doo it is bad enough I let you accompany me into this cave. Spike may be friendly to you when he feels like it but the dragon I saw was just that, a dragon. I will not have you getting eaten on my behalf.” “He’s right you know.” As he spoke Spike took a single step into the light. The lantern reflected off his emerald eyes making them shine with an intense yellow as his claws gleamed dully below. “I try so hard to be careful but what happens when I lose control?” A single brown hoof approached Spike’s snout. “What happens when I stop being Spike and I’m just ‘The Dragon’?” “Boop!” Dizzy said as her hoof made contact with Spike’s snout. “Dizzy, you shouldn’t…” “Boop!” “Dizzy!” “Boop!” “Stop that!” “No,” Dizzy said before booping Spike defiantly again, “Not until grampasaourus goes away and Spike comes out to play.” “Dizzy I can’t trust myself…” “Boop!” “Fine, you’re on,” Spike growled as a wing came around and scooped Dizzy up. Spike’s wing folded in, pinning the wriggling pegasus against his side. “Alright new gu—No. Gregory? No. Greg…yeah. Alright Greg, what did you come here for?” “Wha?” Gregory stood gaping at the dragon with a squirming pegasus tucked under his wing for a moment before answering, “Oh! Yes, my grandmother asked me to follow you and apologize for what happened.” “Tell her that I should be the one to…” “Boop!” Spike let out a sigh. “I guess I should probably tell Gilda myself.” Spike followed Gregory out of the cave. Once he had made it into the sunlight he lifted his wings and dumped Dizzy onto the ground. He turned his head and stuck his tongue out at her before lifting into the sky. As the pegasus settled across his back midflight Spike couldn’t help but think how lucky he was to have such good friends. Princess Shimmering Heart’s shod hooves clicked against the polished flagstones of Canterlot Castle. Her heavy gown swished against the floor with each step she took forward. Lessons drilled into her since becoming an alicorn guided her every move and expression so that nothing betrayed her demeanor. “My niece it is truly a joy to see you here again. It has been far too long since I have seen you.” Princess Shimmering Heart’s eyes traveled up the raised dais. Before reaching her adoptive aunt’s face they spied a JoyBoy tucked away where her aunt thought nopony could see it. No doubt it was still humming merrily away with the theme of some long forgotten game. “Aunt Luna,” she said smiling, “it has been far too long and longer. I hope that my business will not keep me from visiting you.” “What business would that be?” Princess Luna asked. “Prosperity,” Princess Shimmering Heart said with a wistful sigh. “Our fields are heavy with grain as our vaults are with gold and our homes with family. My ponies lack only one thing and that is what I mean to give them.” “You have been our strong allies for generations, ask and if this thing is within my power I will see it granted.” “A prince. My ponies would have one who is noble and strong take up Shining Armor’s mantle and a place as my groom.” “My niece,” Princess Luna said with a laugh, “I told you once that Equestria’s stallions would go to war for a chance to marry you but surely you must know that I was exaggerating. Declare yourself open to suitors and they will flock to you at your convenience. You need not leave your throne.” “There is one who would not come, who would not think himself a suitor. My ponies want a prince who is noble and strong. I love them dearly and so I would give them a prince who is all they ask and more. I would give them a prince who is a hero.” Princess Luna was the first to crack. “S-spike?” “Sir Spike is his preferred title in Equestria I believe, but yes Spike,” Princess Shimmering heart said with a smirk. “Shimmer this is serious, Spike has managed his instincts admirably but he is still a dragon,” Princess Luna pleaded. “And what’s wrong with that? His list of titles rivals even yours, he holds lands and wealth and he has experience being a protector of the Crystal Empire as well as an administrator. There is no more eligible bachelor in all of the world.” “To any other mare all of that is true, but you know better than any what a dragon’s greed can do to your city. I don’t want to see anypony get hurt.” “He has been lauded and pampered in my city before and has never had any problems. You should have more faith in him.” Princess Shimmering Heart said. Princess Luna hung her head. “You are right,” she said. “I see that you have given this a great deal of thought but please, do not tempt Spike’s nature. It is something he cannot hide and he cannot hide from. From what scattered dreams I can see it hurts him more than he lets on. I do not want to see him get hurt either.” “I will try auntie, I promise. But love is a battlefield and I will have to take some risks to win him over.” “I know you would never try to hurt him,” Princess Luna said as she descended the throne. “He is… Spike is fortunate to have caught your eye.” “Auntie are you crying?” she asked. Princess Luna brought her niece into an embrace. “Am I not allowed to be proud of you?” She said in a strained voice. That morning the kitchens were ordered to leave a cart of ice cream and wine in the Night Princess’s chambers. I’ll show you, I’m a big pony!” Shining Armor shouted back at his sister. He was a big pony, and he was named after a king -or something like that- and, and…and he wasn’t afraid to go in any stupid cave! He squeezed himself into the narrow entrance until he finally spilled out the other side. He picked himself up, admiring how he didn’t even cry when he cut his knee and continued into the cave. The light spilling in from the entrance lasted ony a turn into the passageway. Shining Armor stood there looking at the last rock he could see. He could go back out the cave but then Gleaming Shield would make fun of him for not staying longer. He spread his hooves and scrunched up his face. At first all that came out of his horn was a few errant sparks until it finally started to light up brightly. Take that Gleamer! He thought to himself. I’m in the cave and I did the night light spell. With his way now lit Shining Armor cantered proudly deeper into the cave. He came up to what looked like a pool of water. Instead of giving off a reflection or letting him see through it the pool was just black. “What are you?” He said as he poked the pool with his hoof. At his touch it seemed to flinch. Instead of flowing back like a pool of whatever-it-was should it started building itself up until it stood taller than Shining Armor. As it kept growing up past him Shining Armor started backing away. As it grew it began changing shape. It grew legs, wings and a long tail. Bone-white teeth, claws, and spines started sticking out of it. Once he realized what it was Shining Armor could only stand and watch as every nightmare he had ever had about dragons seemed to take shape right in front of him. The beast took a single step towards him, its wickedly curved claws coming an inch away from his face, and Shining Armor’s spell fizzled and the colt bolted. He ran back to the entrance in the dark screaming at the top of his lungs. As he squeezed himself through the narrow opening he felt something like a freezing fog settle over him. He desperately breathed the freezing and heavy air until he finally popped out of the cave and into the light. Black fog came out of his mouth with each breath and slowly drifted back to the black cave entrance. When he finally seemed to have gotten it all out he lifted his head up to look at his sister. She stared back at him with wide, terrified eyes. “Don’t tell mom,” the siblings said in unison.