Bound by Scales

by FrostTheWolf

1- Instincts

        Family. It’s a strange word. Almost foreign to me if you think about it. My friends in Ponyville tell me a lot about their parents, grandparents and a lot of other things. But to me, my personal family and what it is remains a mystery to me.

        My name is Spike. Number one assistant of Princess Twilight Sparkle. She and I have known each other for a long time. Years to be specific. Twilight told me I was hatched from an egg on the day she received her Cutie Mark. I don’t doubt that though. I’m just puzzled by something. If I was hatched from an egg… then how was my egg originally created? I know that older female dragons lay their eggs with their males someplace safe, but if that’s the case…

        Who originally laid my egg? Maybe Princess Celestia knows. I’ll write a letter to her about the topic once I finish my list of weekend chores.

        “Oww… My head.”

        When my eyes were slowly beginning to open and my body was beginning to come around, I began to think I was in some kind of dream. There were too many things that I was seeing that didn’t make sense at all. I wasn’t in a hospital room or anything like that when I woke up, but in some sort of underground cave. The surrounding walls were covered in dust & cobwebs along with having vines and tree roots sticking out of the walls.

        Markings were all across the walls, containing pictures of numerous things I could not recognize. Almost like ancient cave paintings that Cavemen would do. However, they weren’t paintings, but carvings. That though, did not cause me to flip out in that moment.

        It was my right arm. It was no longer the same. What used to be tan skin and nails had now completely changed to scales and claws. It was quite a shock to take in and if you were like me right now, you would have a bunch of thoughts and questions bouncing through your head. Like if this still was a dream or not.

        That question was answered sooner than I thought when I cringed in pain after stepping on a vine that had thorns across the outside of it. I almost tripped over it, but it was then that made me realize something. If this was a dream, then I can’t get hurt. I wouldn’t be able to feel pain. I just felt it rocket through my foot just now because of the vine… Which meant one thing. All of this was not a dream at all. It was real.

        “Holy crap, where am I?”

        That was a very good question. Nothing here looked or even felt familiar. Truth be told, all of this that was happening was giving me flashbacks to Alice in Wonderland. Now, I’m wondering what kind of Rabbit hole did I fall through to end up in this situation? But what I can make out in this dark cave is a way out. A passageway that wasn’t covered in thorny brambles and wooden twigs. So, I followed my instincts and began to walk towards it. I picked up a torch that was lit and used it to light my way through the tunnel as I looked at more stone carvings on the wall. This time, they contained Symbols that I haven’t seen before, but seemed familiar. When looking at them though, I can start to make out what these carvings were.

        I was looking at something that resembled a dragon. It’s appearance and body types changed consecutively and I can recall and read each one. Drakes and Wyverns were only a couple of the ones I saw, but another thing that caught my attention was that different kinds of dragons could be recognized by their scale pelts or hides. The color of a hide represented the element that the dragon could control and breath.

        When I leave the hallway though, I entered a much LARGER cave that was littered with various items, trinkets, books, and even weapons like swords, spears, and warhammers. However, this was only for a short second when I felt a gust of wind blow out the torch I was holding. The biggest surprise though was when something moved out from under the pile of items as they began to fall to the ground and a chandelier above ne was lit ablaze. My eyes widened.

        In front of me was a HUGE dragon with Onyx scales and Teal colored claws. The same color of scales and claws as my new right arm. I backed up and almost panicked a little at first glance, tripping backwards over a sword that was on the ground at my feet.

        As it loomed over me, I thought that this behemoth of a beast was truly going to kill me… That was… until it spoke.

        “Easy there, youngling. I did not mean to startle you.”

        That… left me speechless. This dragon… could talk? I personally don’t even know how I can process something like that! The best way I thought to handle this was to simply pose a question. “W-who are you? Where am I?”

        “My name is Revaan,” It replied, loud, but in a calming manner… or at least it tried. “And you are in the temporary home of my cavern. There are a LOT of things that I might have to explain to you, but first… What is your name?”

        He was polite enough to tell me his name. So I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to tell him mine. “My name is Ken Ahkrin.”

        The Dragon smirked a little as he looked back at me. “An interesting name you have. Your last name means “courage” in my native language. But enough talking about myself, I see that you have questions that need answers.

        “Y-yes… Do you know why I’m here?” The question might’ve sounded pathetic, but it was the only thing I could think of. This was one creature who had decided not to eat me alive and actually talk to me, so I thought he would have some answers of some kind. Revaan himself, closed his eyes as I felt a heavy sigh from him.

        “Ken, you are now a Scalebound. You and I have forged a pact. A bond that affects both you and me. Your newfound arm is proof of that,” The dragon said, nudging a talon in the direction of my right arm. “It also means that our Souls are connected.”

        “Connected? How so-?” Before I got the chance to ask, Revaan used one of his claws and scraped himself on the chest. A moment later, I felt a surge of pain bolt through the same area.

        “Oww… What the HELL was that for-!?”

        “You asked for the way the connection worked and I demonstrated it to you,” The Dragon deadpanned. “If you get hurt, I get hurt. If you die, I die too. That’s how it works. But it also means that there are some newfound abilities I can be able to teach you how to control in due time. I am very fortunate to have you as a partner, Ken.”

        Now I was less angry and more… confused. “You are? Why?”

        “The inscriptions along the walls have told you about the multiple species of dragons and how there are only certain kinds left in this world. However, I’m the last of my kind. My mate was killed in battle and the egg of our child was gone shortly afterwards. I was hunted because the Onyx Kin were the only ones who seeked peace with the neighboring species”

        “I-i’m sorry to hear that,” I told him, trying my best to be sympathetic. “Do you think there’s a chance that your child is alive?”

        “Their Lifesource has not left this plane of existence, but there are a lot of things that I don’t know.” Revaan replied. “All I know is that it’s a boy and it’s scales match the same colors as my lover. Violet and Green.” The dragon soon readjusted himself while looking down at me. “But if we are to help each other, you must know how to defend yourself first.”

        “Defend myself?” I asked, a little puzzled.

        “Yes. If you and I are to survive, then I must teach you how to fight. Pick up the sword at your feet and we can get started.” Looking down, I grabbed the swords scabbard and strapped it on my back. Adjusting it accordingly, I drew the sword and took a moment to feel it in my hands before firmly gripping the handle. Revaan instructed to me that losing the grip of your weapon in a fight could provide an enemy time to try and harm me. Once I got the grip down and started bending my wrist, I looked back at him and he grinned, pleased with my obedience right now. “Now, let’s start with the basics.”

        As he said this, I tried my best to adopt a proper combat stance. But after Revaan told me that it wasn’t necessary, I just focused on the attack patterns he was teaching me. Left to right, Right to left. Up, Down, All around. It felt like the rhythm of a song.

        Speaking of which, now was when I realized that I still had my headphones. Maybe I’ll check them to see if they still work later.

        Redirecting my focus, I was instructed to add movement to my attacks. Strength was one thing, by if used correctly, my agility and stamina can be a lifesaver if used correctly. Following his instructions, I applied those movements to the strikes he recently taught me. I was beginning to get the hang of this, but in the back of my mind, I knew that not everything would be this easy.

        That was when Revaan did something. I think it was his claws or something along those lines, but whatever the case may be, the dragon took some suits of armor that were lying on the ground and began to reanimate them, having them come to life. But the one thing I noticed now was that all these new opponents he controlled were on four legs instead of two.

        “Umm… just what kind of opponent's am I actually facing?” I ask.

        “Most of the intelligent lifeforms on Equus are Quadruped. There’s the Equine population, the Griffons, Centaurs, Yaks, Changelings, Deer, Caribou. The List goes on and on, but the most likely one you’ll encounter though is Equine.”

        “What kind of Equines are we talking about here?”

        “Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, and Alicorns. However, the last one is extremely rare.”

        Dear god, what have I gotten myself into?

        “PAY ATTENTION!!!” He roared, redirecting my focus as each of the suits charged at me. Rolling to the right, I struck the first set of armor with a vertical slice and kicked another one. I had to use my sword to defend myself as they attacked me a few more times. But one by one, I defeated them and the armor turned into piles of ash and dust.

        “Very good. But there’s something else I need to teach you,” The Dragon told me, pushing a bow and a quiver of arrows across the floor to my feet. “How you defend yourself from afar is just as important as up close. For that, you need to learn how to use a bow.”

        Picking up the weapon, I pulled an arrow out of the quiver and connected the know to the bowstring. Taking a deep breath, I pulled back the string and let it go as the arrow flew and collided with a target on the wall. “Seems simple enough.”

        “Quite, but the types of arrows range from incendiary to explosive and even specially crafted Frost arrows. It all depends on the circumstances,” The dragon now loomed over me as he drew another deep breath. “Now comes the interesting part… your powers.”

        I looked at him in confusion as I looked at my dragon arm. “Powers?”

        “Yes. You have obtained some unique abilities for being a Scalebound. For one thing, your Dragon Arm allows you to grapple onto enemies and pull them to you or you to them. But that’s not the only thing. There’s also your dragon armor form-.”

        “Whoa whoa whoa… Armor?”

        “Yes, It’s only temporary, but it provides a significant increase in your offensive and defensive capabilities. We don’t need to practice this now, But I would like to show you how to properly use your arm.”

        I put away my bow, which my arm had fade away while I placed my sword back in the scabbard on my back and stretched my arms. “Alright, I’m up for it. Is there anything specific though that you want me to start out with?” I asked Revaan as he readjusted himself.

        “Yes… But we should start with some smaller targets first. How your ability works depends on the size of the target.” He motioned his claw to one set of armor I bashed earlier. “Something around your size or the size of a normal pony or griffon you can pull with enough force. Anything bigger like my size you would pull yourself to them with the same amount of strength.

        I asked if the ability focused on an object’s weight and the reply I got was a nod of the head, answering my question. To practice, I used my arm to pull a sword that looked similar to mine off of the wall and into my hand. Satisfied, I placed the sword across my other shoulder and adjusted it accordingly.

        Man, I can get use to something like this.

        “Very good. I believe it is time that we leave this place.” Revaan told me, lowering himself as I climbed onto his back. The dragon arched backward and breathed a huge fireball that burned a hole through the brambles and roots above us as they turned to Cinders and Ash. It created a big enough hole for Revaan to soar through and the dragon didn’t hold back at all. He spread his wings, and pushed forth off the ground, sending the two of us into the Air. When my vision was clear again, I was now looking at a huge continent of land that was widely spread out at first glance.

        “Welcome to Equus.” He replied to my gasp of shock. I was spellbound by what I was seeing as he swooped into the barren canyon below. “I believe it’s time to make our presence known.”

        I asked him what he had in mind and all the dragon did was smirk and let out a piercing roar that rocked the entire cliffside that we landed on. The roar was so loud, I thought it could stretch out for miles. I could only think of a few words to muster as I looked back at him. “Well, that was… impressive.”

        “Indeed it was, but that was not for show.” He explained, “The roar was meant for me to locate the temple I once called home. However, there’s just one small problem.”

        I looked at him, a bit puzzled. “What kind of problem?”

        “It seems that my home has a bunch of… unwelcomed guests.”

        Folding my arms, I looked back at him. “Hang on, am I to believe that one roar didn’t just find your home, but also found the creeps lurking in there?”

        “Yes. The Temple’s presence and what’s inside is something all Onyx dragons can feel.”

        “Like Sonar. Neat.” I thought before getting closer to him. While doing so, I felt something across my foot and looked down to find something… interesting. It was a spiral ankle brace from it’s appearance. Almost like the one that girl Zinnia wore in Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. However, picking it up provided a different result from what I expected.

        “For those of you in need, whether it’s in a fight or you just need some advice, I am here. Merely hold this trinket and call my name and I will be there. I am Zinnia. I am a Draconid. I am the Delta Guardian!”

        Interesting… Maybe I’ll try this out later once we get settled in the temple. Placing the token on my upper left arm since I rather not have it caught up in my jeans, I turn to Revaan. “Where to, big guy?”

        “Actually, just below us.” Unexpectedly, Revaan seized me with his claws before he leaped down. Letting me go of me after that, I soon noticed a bug like equine walk out from an opening in the side of the cliff. She had a Autumn like mane and tail with a grey body. Looking at me, she soon tried to compose herself.

        “Who are you two?” She asked, calm but also serious. A few other equines showed up, some bug while a few others looked… normal. They carried spears and swords in their hooves, but I didn’t draw mine despite temptation.

        “Easy there, my friend and I don’t mean any harm.” I said, ushering them to calm down. All that did was got the equines in the armor to start rasping, freaked out or shocked by our appearance. All this did was got the first bug equine to glare at them, menacingly.

        “ALL OF YOU, SNAP OUT OF IT AND SHOW SOME RESPECT!!” It yelled, causing all of them to step back and stand down. “I really apologize. Some of my guards… can be either completely stupid or scared at times.”

        “It’s okay. May I ask for your name, miss?” I ask. Revaan added on to what I said, saying that we’ll tell her our names once she told us hers.

        “My name is Maple Leaf,” She told us. “I’m the one in charge of our small community.”

        “Community?” Revaan asked. “I thought a changeling was in charge of a swarm?”

        “Not for me and a few others. We’re outcasts. A bunch of us were casted out of the hive because we didn’t believe in the same ideals as Queen Chrysalis. We just thought that peace between species could be had without the need for violence.” She said before clearing her throat. “That was a few years ago. This city in the cliffs is the only place we could call home-.”

        “City?” Revaan interjected, almost raising his voice.

        “Easy there.” I heeded to him, ultimately leading to him sighing deeply. “Maple, I’m sorry to hear about what you had to go through. My name is Ken and he is Revaan. And this city you are referring to… was once his home.” Maple was surprised to hear this, but interested to say the least. Welcoming us in, the changeling soon introduced me to another pony named Mystic. The mare was a unicorn with a vanilla coat and a Azure mane and tail that was trying to solve the secrets of the temple. Intrigued by the pony’s attempts, the dragon went on to help reawaken the temple as Maple showed me around town. Soon, we came to a building that she called her home and had allowed me to stay in. I thank her for her kindness as I took off both of my swords and then my jacket. Around then though was when Maple noticed the spiral band on my upper shoulder.

        “What’s that?” She asked.

        “Honestly, I’m not sure.” I told her, slowly taking it off. “All I remember is that it belonged to someone named… Zinnia I think-?”

        A black dragon’s head with entire galaxies in it's scales shot out of the floor, causing it to ripple like water. It looked around before locking on to me, or more specifically, the band around my arm, and seconds later it opened it’s gargantuan maw and spat a young woman wearing a crimson leather bra and dark purple skinny jeans, a pair of black combat boots covering her feet and matching fingerless leather gloves on her hands. Large, leathery, dark purple wings sprouted from her back with  black, bone-like armour along the spines.

        Alongside her was another girl with forest green skin and dark red hair, her eyes a shining gold. She wore a simple white button-down shirt tied off to reveal her midriff and a pair of light blue tights under a white skirt, simple white flats on her feet. Blue vines seemed to be wrapped around her upper arms.

        The first girl lay there for a second, eyes closed, before speaking. “I hate you sometimes,” she said, facing the general directions of the drake. “You know that, right?” The drake snorted in response, spitting a black leather jacket with a white fur collar at her. “Yep. You know.”

        All I could to stare at her in disbelief. What… The hell… just happened?