//------------------------------// // Enter the Dragon King // Story: The Legend of Spike: Dragon Quest // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle watched as the figures backlit by the outdoor sunlight walked through the high, vaulted arches that led out to the balcony. She, Celestia, and Luna prepared their magic while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Spike took combative stances. When the figures crossed the threshold, they saw it was only Flash Sentry and his entourage of Pegasi guards. The squad walked down the steps of the altar and stood in a row before them. “Flash!” Twilight cried with relief as she canceled her magic and ran to her husband. She hugged him, burying her face in his chest. “Thank goodness you’re alright. I was so… Flash?” When he didn’t react to her embrace, she looked up to his face to see a vacant expression. “Flash, are you okay?” She waved a hoof in front his, but his eyes remained unfocused. She looked to the other guards for an explanation, but they all shared the same blank look on their faces. “What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked. She went over to one of the frozen soldiers and also waved a hoof in his face. “Why are they acting like this?” “It’s like they’re…” Rarity commented as she too observed their odd behavior. “...enchanted.” “The dragon-spell,” Spike announced, recognizing the enchantment. A little known secret about dragons is that they had the insidious ability to hypnotize their victims. Anyone who looked a dragon in the eye or even listened to their beguiling voice was at risk of falling under their spell. Before anyone else could question how this happened, the spellbound Flash Sentry stepped away from his wife and finally spoke in a hollow voice, “The Dragon King approaches.” Princess Celestia’s fears were confirmed; the Dragon King had in fact returned to Equestria. The normally calm and collected Alicorn Princess stiffened with unease as she heard a clunk coming from the balcony outside. It was the sound of wood striking tile accompanied by footsteps. The hypnotized Pegasi parted and stood at attention on either side of the room length red carpet, allowing the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Alicorn Sisters, and Spike to see the shadow of a horned figure darkening the archway. As the figure drew near, Rainbow Dash snorted and pawed at the ground with a hoof aggressively, chomping at the bit to attack at the unwelcomed guest. Before the cyan Pegasus could spring into attack, Princess Celestia whispered, “Rainbow Dash, you and the others get behind me.” “Huh? Wha...” uttered the Pegasus, confused by the order. “Applejack, if you please,” Celestia requested of the orange Earth Pony as she, Luna, and Twilight lined up at the base of the steps. “On it,” Applejack said as she clamped down on Rainbow Dash’s multicolored tail with her teeth, a preemptive move to prevent her overzealous friend from doing something she would regret, and pulled her back. “Hey!” Rainbow Dash protested, but was ignored as the Dragon King walked onto the head of the altar. What walked in wasn’t at all what everypony was expecting. Instead of the towering colossus, the dragon they saw before them looked like the teenaged dragons that Spike, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity had encountered during the Dragon Migration, being about the same height as a minotaur. His scales were purple and he wore a dark violet robe with high white collar with a yellow and orange fringe. From his neck hung a golden medallion with a ruby set in the center. His head and horns were covered by black wrappings, leaving only his face exposed and he held a wooden staff in his left claw that had been carved to resemble a dragon's head, complete with sparkling bloodstones for eyes. With every step he took, he would strike the tiled floor with the staff, creating an echo. The Dragon King looked at all of the faces before him, his eyes slowly panning left to right. His nostrils flared as he sniffed and then a forked tongue flickered out from between his fangs, tasting the air. “You all smell of fear,” he sneered with a deep yet strangely charming voice. His eyes found Fluttershy, who was shaking like a leaf. He grinned, baring his fangs at the frightened Pegasus, and said, “It is delicious.” Fluttershy gave a whimpering moan and swooned from fear, Pinkie Pie catching her before she collapsed onto the floor. “Dragon King Ryuo,” Princess Celestia addressed the robed dragon, taking in deep breaths to calm her already shot nerves. “Princess Celestia,” the Dragon King returned the greeting. “It has been far too long. And Princess Luna, I heard that you had returned. I welcome you back,” he said with mild surprise, turning to the younger of the two sisters. Luna stiffened when the Archwyrm spoke to her, glaring daggers at him. His red eyes then panned over to Twilight Sparkle. “Oh, what do we have here?” Twilight Sparkle fought the urge to run as the tall figure walked down the steps to her and took a hold of her muzzle with his clawed fingers and studied her. “Another Alicorn? How adorable. Tell me, is this one yours, Celestia?” “No,” Celestia simply said. “No? Hmm… Oh well.” Uncomfortable with his claws on her face, Twilight slapped them off of her, causing the Dragon King to chuckle. “My, what a feisty little one.” “Enough of this, Ryuo! Release them at once!” the Solar Princess demanded, stamping a gilded shoed hoof. “As you wish.” At the Dragon King’s words, the collection of Pegasi blinked at looked around confused. “Wha… What happened?” Flash Sentry asked dizzily as he wobbled about. Seeing him coming to his senses, Twilight ran to Flash once more and hugged him. “Ponies. So easily manipulated,” the Dragon King scoffed. “You know, I thought the ‘King of Dragons’ would be a lot bigger than this,” Pinkie Pie whispered to Rainbow Dash as she helped a woozy Fluttershy up. “Would you prefer that I came as I truly am?” the Dragon King asked over his shoulder, hearing what the pink pony said. This caused Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity to quickly shake their heads. Dragon King Ryuo snorted black smoke and smirked before looking back forward, causing Rainbow Dash to growl. She really wanted to teach this lizard a lesson. “On second thought, you really rock the ‘evil sorcerer’ look,” Pinkie Pie nervously chuckled. “What do you want, Ryuo?” Celestia challenged, her patience worn thin. “I want him,” the Dragon King motioned to Spike, giving the younger dragon a mysterious smirk. “You must be Spike, the famous ‘Dragon Prince’ of Equestria. I have heard much about you and how it was you that annihilated Chrysalis. Most impressive.” At this, Twilight and Rarity stood fearlessly in front of their dragon. “You’re not going anywhere near him!” Twilight declared, driven by her motherly instincts. “He is MY Spikey Wikey!” Rarity adamantly proclaimed. “And he has no business with the likes of you!” “On the contrary, he and I have much to discuss,” the Dragon King contradicted. Stepping out from behind Twilight and Rarity, Spike faced the Dragon King. “It’s alright. I know why he’s here. You’re here for Aurum’s treasure, aren’t you? He warned me that other dragons would come.” The Dragon King raised a brow at the inquiry. “Look, leave everyone else out of this. ” “Is this what all of this is about?” Rarity demanded. “Treasure?” “So, Aurum the Golden has passed,” the Dragon King mused. “How unfortunate.” “Wait… You didn’t know about Aurum’s death?” Spike asked. “And that he left Spike all of that gold and jewels?” Pinkie asked before clasping her hooves over mouth after realizing what she said. “I do now,” the Dragon King grinned. “But that is not why I am here.” “Regardless of why you’re here or why you want Spike,” Celestia interceded. “You have threatened my subjects and invaded our kingdom! Or have you forgotten?” “I have not forgotten!” he roared, licks of red flame seething out between his fangs. “For thousands of years, I have not forgotten.” “Then why have you broken the pact?” Luna questioned. “Did I now?” the Dragon King cryptively growled, narrowing his red eyes at Celestia. There was something about his expression that gave her pause. It was a knowing look, like there was a terrible secret that the two of them shared. She began to fear that he discovered the truth. But how was it possible? Aside from her, nopony now lived who remembered it, and it happened during Luna’s banishment. “What are you talking about?” Luna asked for her sister. “Just last night, your forces laid siege to the town of Hawk’s Nest. The ponies and griffons of the town reported that three dragons attacked them unprovoked. Their homes have been destroyed and they are being treated for injuries as we speak. They say that something was taken from them. What did you steal?” “I was disarming my opponent before I made my move,” Ryuo vaguely explained, causing everyone to look around at each other in confusion. “Oh, so you do not know. I am disappointed, Celestia. To let such an important matter slip past you. How careless.” “That doesn’t change the fact you invaded Equestrian soil,” Celestia said, trying to retake control of the situation. “It was you who broke the pact.” “Oh, I was not the one who broke it,” he darkly told the Princess of the Sun. He then pointed one clawed finger at her. “You did.” Everypony looked to the white Alicorn, who flinched at the accusation. Hearing this claim, Luna scoffed, “Don’t be absurd. Celestia would never do such a thing.” “Would she not? There is your proof; a captive,” he announced, pointing back to Spike with an accusatory claw. The younger dragon cringed at all the unwanted attention he was receiving from the Dragon King. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash turned the King Dragon’s gaze from him to her. “Back off, sulfur breath! Spike is one of us!” “Yeah, Spike isn’t a captive. He’s family,” Pinkie Pie cheerful added, hugging the dragon in question. “Then tell me, where did Spike come from?” the Dragon King asked, raising a brow. “Spike was given to me as an egg,” Twilight answered, stepping forward. “Before that, he was in the care of Princess Celestia.” “And do you know where she obtained the egg?” Twilight looked to Celestia, but the elder Alicorn looked ashamedly down at her hooves. Shaking her head, she answered, “No, I don’t.” “And yet you claim that he is ‘family,’” the Dragon King sneered, his words stinging Spike’s pony family, Princess Celestia most of all. “Pitiful. You truly are sheep: thoughtless, easily manipulated, and blindly follow your rulers.” “Hey! That’s offensive to sheep!” Pinkie protested, but no one paid heed to her objection. “I have a score to settle with the false idols you worship,” Ryuo announced. “They presumed to stand between a dragon and the spoils of his conquests. They humiliated me, forced me to relinquish my claim, and presumed to bound me to their ridiculous terms.” With each word, the King Dragon’s voice rose in intensity until he was seething. He gripped his staff, the wood creaking under the pressure of his iron grasp. At the height of his anger, the Dragon King closed his eyes and inhaled sharply through his nostrils, recomposing himself by exhaling. “But I am willing to ignore their past trespasses… for today. Instead, I have come for him,” the Dragon King said, referring to Spike. He then pulled an old scroll from his robes and unrolled it. There was an audible gasp and everyone looked to Celestia, whose eyes widened with recognition. “How…” she whispered. “How did I come across this? That is not important. What is important is that your ‘perfect’ Princess concealed the truth concerning the death of a dragoness and stole her only surviving egg.” The Dragon King snarled and threw the scroll at Celestia’s hooves, who stared at it in disbelief. Using her magic, Twilight picked up the scroll and read its contents. “You told me that it was an avalanche. A ‘natural disaster.’ Were those not your exact words? Did you think that you could conceal this from me!? Do you take me for a fool!?” “This… This says that there was a mining accident…” Twilight said, hardly believing what she was reading. “There was an explosion, causing a landslide. The rescue team discovered…” “A dragon’s nest,” Celestia remorsefully confirmed. ***** Princess Celestia stood before the still body of the dragoness. Her scales were pink and her spines were a minty green. Her eyes were closed and a tranquil expression was on her face. If Celestia didn’t know better, she would have thought that the female dragon was only sleeping. However, the poor dragoness’s body was buried underneath large boulders. Once word had reached Canterlot of the disaster, Celestia came at once to help with the rescue operation. Using her magic, she had cleared the debris sealing the trapped miners inside. After they were safe, Celestia went to inspect the damage the explosion had caused to the surrounding environment. The shock of the explosion had caused an avalanche, and to Celestia’s horror, she saw spines sticking out from the pile of rocks on a ledge just below the mine. Adding to her dismay was that when the rocks were cleared, she discovered fragments of eggshells alongside the dragoness. In Celestia’s mind, she could picture the dragoness awaking to the cacophony caused by the explosion and looked up to see the falling rocks. Knowing there would have be no time to flee, she would have tried to shield her eggs from the avalanche with her own body. Celestia was initially relieved to discover that all of the miners had survived, but that peace of mind was now lost. A mother had died trying to save her unborn children. Celestia bowed her head in respect of the dead, but a glimmer of color caught her eye. Looking further down the cliff, she saw another ledge. On it was a lone, purple egg with dark spots. Celestia gasped and quickly flew down to the egg. Maybe there was still time. Landing by the egg, she looked down at it with hope. She pressed an ear against the egg’s smooth surface and listened, but heard nothing. There was so stirring, no sloshing of embryonic fluid, and the egg was cool against her cheek. The egg was dead. To be certain, Celestia levitated the purple egg with her golden yellow magic to scan it for any sign of life. When her magic touched the embryo within, she found it underdeveloped. The genetic material was there, but never had the chance to form into a baby dragon. Either it was a bad egg that the dragoness had pushed out of the nest or was knocked out by accident in its mother’s panic and died without its mother’s warmth. When Celestia’s magic touched the egg, a connection was made and she was whisked away into a vision. The moon with the silhouette of a mare on its surface was high in the sky, four stars slowly drawing closer to it. Then there was a flash of magic and the purple egg hatched, revealing a baby dragon. There was a foal, Celestia couldn’t determine if it was a colt or a filly, but she did see another flash of light and a cutie mark of a magenta, six-pointed star appeared on its flank; the symbol of the Element of Magic. Celestia came out of the vision and stared at the egg floating in front of her, processing what she just saw. The Alicorn looked up to the sky. It was nearly time for her to lower the sun and to raise the moon, the same moon where her sister was imprisoned. The four stars that would aid in her escape were still a great distance from it, but over the years, they have been making their way across the sky. At some point, maybe a few years before the return of Nightmare Moon, a gifted pony will come and hatch the egg. Looking back at the egg, Celestia knew it would require powerful magics to breathe new life into an underdeveloped dragon egg and cause it hatch, much more than a little foal should be able to summon. But this foal, whomever they may be, was destined to bear the Element of Magic. If anypony could hatch this egg, it would be them. Celestia knew that the most powerful of the Elements of Harmony could only be brought forth when all the other Elements were present. That meant that there must be others destined wield their power. “Luna,” Celestia spoke to the sky. Overcome with emotion, tears trickled from her eyes. She finally found the means to free her dear sister from the corruption of Nightmare Moon. At least some good would come from this tragedy. She would keep the egg safe until she found that chosen foal. But how to find them? She had a school for gifted Unicorns. Every year, many hopeful Unicorn foals came in hopes of being admitted into the school of advanced magics. Every applicant had to take an entrance exam to evaluate their magical prowess. Maybe she could use the egg as part of the exam. A terrible thought occurred to Celestia. A dragon had died within Equestria’s borders and she was taking the only surviving egg. If the Dragon King ever knew about this, he would surely retaliate, even if it was truly an accident. Long had Ryuo held a grudge against Celestia for his prior defeat, held back only by his word. This could set off a powder keg and it was only a matter of time before word of the dragoness’s death reached the Dragon King. He will be furious regardless, but maybe he could be placated if he thought it that was an avalanche that caused the mining accident and the death of the dragoness and not the other way around. Of course, the miners, the rescue team, and anypony else involved had to be sworn to secrecy and the Dragon King could never know about the egg. It felt dishonest to deceive him like this, but Equestria would be doomed otherwise, and not just from Nightmare Moon’s return. If Celestia didn’t do this, her sister would return from her banishment to find nothing but the ashes of what used to be Equestria. ***** “...and the egg is to be sent to my School for Gifted Unicorns to be used as part of the entrance exam,” Twilight finished reading the document. “I am confident that whosoever shall cause the egg to hatch shall be the pony destined to bear the Element of Magic. Signed, Princess Celestia.” Spike felt uneasy. He had always wanted to know where he had came from and who his mother (well… at least the dragoness who had laid his egg) was and if he had any siblings. His egg had been a dud and it was Twilight’s magic and life force that formed the baby dragon within and gave it life. However, hearing that his other “mother” and his siblings were dead made his legs weak and he sat down on his haunches, a troubled expression on his face. “You see,” the Dragon King broke the silence. “Princess Celestia should have never given you his egg. She took it for herself and used it as a piece in her little game. For this deception, I proclaim any agreement we had null and void.” “Please understand, Ryuo,” Celestia begged. “What I did was for the greater good. He was the key to saving Equestria.” “You speak as though it was of any consequence to me,” Ryuo glowered. “The problems of your kingdom are solely your own.” “How can you say that?” Ryuo looked over and saw it was Twilight that had spoken. Despite the shock of learning the truth of Spike’s origins, the lavender Alicorn still stood by her mentor. “Didn’t you hear what I just read? If it wasn’t for Princess Celestia’s gift of foresight, the entire world would have been in jeopardy! Nightmare Moon. Discord. Tirek. If we hadn’t discovered the Elements, they, along with a number of other villains we’ve faced, would have conquered the world or worse!” “They were no threat to me. If they were, I would have slain them,” the Dragon King dismissed, causing everypony blanched at his claim. “All that matters is that I am no longer bound by the pact, and you no longer have the means to stop me. Your Princesses...” He waved a claw in the Alicorns’ direction. “Even with their combined strength, they cannot defeat me. I was young and tender when we first did battle. But now I am old and strong. Your army…” He waved to Flash Sentry and the Pegasi. “Insignificant compared to the might of mine. And most importantly, you no longer have the Elements. Scorn! Cobalt! Mire!” Three of the dragons perched over Canterlot took flight and headed towards the balcony. They were same three dragons that had attacked Hawk’s Nest and had intercepted Flash Sentry’s team before they could stop the theft of the Tree of Harmony. The red dragon was carrying the magical, crystal tree, flanked by the blue and green dragons. “The Tree of Harmony!” the Element Bearers exclaimed when they saw the dragon’s plunder. The six Elements of Harmony sparkled from the branches of the tree, each one of them a gem resembling their respective Bearer’s cutie mark. Pinkie Pie’s Element of Laughter was a balloon-shaped, baby blue sapphire. The ruby lightningbolt was Rainbow Dash’s Element of Loyalty. Fluttershy’s Element of Kindness was represented by a pink sapphire shaped like a butterfly. Applejack’s Element of Honesty was an Apple-shaped gem ironically colored orange, and Rarity’s Element of Generosity was a four sided amethyst. The magenta gem six-pointed star in the center of the tree was Twilight’s Element of Magic. “What have you done!?” Luna yelled. “Ryuo! We need the Tree of Harmony!” Celestia tried to reason with the Dragon King. “It maintains the order that keeps our world in balance! Without it, everyone and everything will be in danger, including you!” “I would be inclined to believe you…” The Dragon King then leaned closer to Celestia and scowled. “... if you were not a thief and a liar! Without your precious Elements, the lot of you are powerless to stop me!” “That does it!” Rainbow Dash broke free from Applejack’s grasp and bolted at the King of Dragons. Before anyone could stop her, the Wonderbolt swung a hoof at the Dragon King’s scaly face. Instead of wiping the smug look off of his face, her hoof made contact with the wooden staff he was carrying. Before Rainbow Dash could take another another swing, The Dragon King used his staff to flip her out of the air. She landed with an “oof” at the Dragon King’s feet and grunted as the butt of his staff struck her, sending her sliding across the tile like a hockey puck. “Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted as she helped her friend off of the floor. Taking Applejack’s hoof, Rainbow Dash got up and growled. “Come on, girls! Formation!” Twilight ordered, prompting her friends to stand by her to activate the powers of Harmony. They closed their eyes and held the heads up high as they waited for the Rainbow Power to be bestowed upon them. The six Elements glowed brightly on the tree, their magic coursing through the branches. The red dragon holding the Tree of Harmony squinted his maroon eyes at the light and the blue and green dragons backed away from it cautiously. Even the Dragon King seemed nervous. The six mares waited, but nothing happened. Opening their eyes, they saw that the rainbow colored light emanating from the tree was flickering. Twilight could sense that the tree was losing power from being uprooted from its place in the heart of the Everfree Forest. The blue and purple crystal surface was already losing its magical glow and luster. Seeing that the all powerful magic of the tree was waning, the Royal Alicorn Sisters charged their horns, ready to blast the robed dragon with their magic. “I would reconsider that course of action. Behold.” Turning with a swish of his violet robe, the Dragon King pointed to the large windows that overlooked the city. A deep, rumbling noise emanated from the Dragon King’s throat and his pupils narrowed to thin slits. Outside, the dragons straightened themselves and stood at attention, their pupils also becoming slits. The Alpha Dragon raised a claw and his subordinates reared the heads back and breathed streams of dragonfire into the air in a spectacular display. The air rippled and shimmered from the intense heat and the ponies in the city below screamed in terror, believing that their time had come. Each dragon’s fire was a different color, making the light from the flames paint the city in a rainbow. It would have been beautiful if it wasn’t for the horrifying fact if the dragons were aiming down the entire city would have been destroyed that instant. The Dragon King then lowered his claw and the dragons aimed their heads at the city, ready for another blast of fire. Seeing the imminent danger her subjects were in, the golden yellow aura disappeared from Celestia’s horn followed by the blue aura surrounding Luna’s. With the Alicorns standing down, the Dragon King’s rumbling growl ceased and the dragons stood at ease once more. The terrified citizens uncovered their eyes and warily peeked around, wondering if they were still alive. “Now that is a pity,” the Dragon King sneered. “How now shall you challenge me? I have the weapon. I have your ‘precious’ Elements. And now…” The Dragon King narrowed his eyes at Spike. “Spike shall come with me.” Hearing this, Spike’s friends put themselves between him and the Dragon King. Once again, the Dragon King’s pupils became razor-thin slits as he muttered the deep, bass growl. Spike’s green eyes widened and his own pupils contracted as a strange force took a hold of his mind. His mind started to go blank, being replaced by the irresistible mental commands of the Alpha. Come to me, the voice in his head commanded. Spike legs shook and began to move on their own. “Spike?” Rarity asked, stunned as she watched her husband submissively walk towards the Dragon King, his head bowed. The alabaster mare stood in front of the brainwashed dragon and placed her hooves on his right shoulder, trying to stop him. Despite her best efforts, the much larger dragon kept on walking. Determined not to let the vile brute take her husband away from her, she pushed harder against him. The only thing this accomplished was that she was being pushed back across the floor, her hind hooves skidding across the tile. “Spike! Somepony help me!” Joining her, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy also tried to stop Spike. Pinkie and Fluttershy latched onto his hind legs while Twilight held onto his tail with her magic. Applejack used her strong, tree-bucking legs push against the center of his chest and Rainbow Dash shoved against Spike’s other shoulder. “Spike! Listen to us!” Twilight said as she strained to pull Spike back. “You have to… fight it!” “He’s messing with… nuh… your head!” Rainbow Dash grunted. “Spike, please stop!” Fluttershy began to cry. “Don’t let him take you from us!” Pinkie pleaded as she was dragged across the floor. “Consarnit!” Applejack muttered. “You gotta fight it, pardner!” “What’s it… look like… I’m doing?” Spike groaned through gritted fangs as he tried to stop himself, his body shaking as he tried to regain control. Concentrating, he summoned all of his willpower and pushed back against the force compelling him to move towards the Dragonlord. As he did, the voice in his head quieted until Spike pushed it out of his mind. Free from the Dragon King’s telepathic control, Spike’s knees buckled and he panted as he nearly collapsed like a marionette whose strings were cut. “You… broke free… No dragon can resist my command,” the Dragon King stated, blinking in disbelief. Resuming his deep, rumbling growl, the Archwyrm once again tried to take control of Spike’s mind. Spike once again cringed at the mental assault, but found it less intense than before. On the other end of the mind battle, the Dragon King found his hold on Spike spilling and the young wyrm was able to shake it off once more. There was something special about this young wyrm, and it only confirmed the suspicions of the intrigued King of Dragons. Grinning, the Dragon King whispered, “Interesting…” There was a feral roar and the ponies ducked as Spike leaped over their heads at the robed dragon. Determined not to let the Dragon King take over his mind again, Spike charged at the smug, draconic autarch. Green flames erupted from the sides of Spike’s maw and his pupils contracted into razor thin lines in his bloodlust. He could faintly hear his friends trying to call him back, but he was set on taking the Dragon King down. As Spike raced across the ceremonial hall, the Dragon King raised a claw that was surrounded in his flame colored magical aura. Before Spike could pounce the Dragon King, rings of purple, blue, and red magic materialized around Spike’s body and closed in on him, constricting his body. Spike uttered a startled yelp as he fell to the floor, limbs locked. He tried to move, but his bodied felt as though he had a staring contest with a cockatrice. He recognized this spell. Aurum had used it on Spike as part of his training to become a dragon mage. All he had to do was concentrate and break the bonds that weighed him down. But it would take some time, time in which the Dragon King could use to retaliate. Lying on the cold floor, Spike managed to roll his green eyes up at the staff carrying dragon. The Dragon King looked triumphantly down at the paralyzed dragon and raised a claw. Spike braced himself for the excruciating pain that was sure to follow. A feminine gasp caught his attention and he struggled to move his paralyzed head to see that Rarity was being pulled away from the others and floated across the room, levitated by the Dragon King’s magic. The alabaster mare flailed about and uttered cries of protest until she reached the outstretched claw of the Dragon King. “What do you think you are doing!? Release me at once!” Rarity demanded as the Dragon King’s clawed digits closed around her neck, dangling her over Spike’s frozen form. The Dragon King held the struggling mare over Spike, making sure the dragon at his feet saw what he had in his clutches. “...Rar…” Spike strained to say, doubling his efforts to free himself. “You care for her, do you not?” the Dragon King asked Spike in a low, threatening tone. "Then I will take her along as well. To keep in trust until we shall meet again." Looking up at the Princesses, Element Bearers, and Royal Guards, he held Rarity out in front of him. Rarity curled her limbs up against her body, helplessly hanging from the scruff of her neck while the Dragon King continued in a loud, authoritative voice. “Listen well, all of you. I grow weary of our little game. I have been merciful by not burning your miserable kingdom of insects to the ground. I could retract that kindness if you desire.” To drive his point home, he shook Rarity slightly, who whimpered. “No! Please, don’t hurt her,” Princess Celestia begged. “Fear not. No harm shall befall the damsel,” Ryuo told them before looking back down at Spike, who was still working on breaking the spell placed on him. “Provided that Spike here surrenders to me and declares himself my loyal subject.” “Don’t do it, Spike!” Rarity shouted from the Dragon King’s grasp. “He will surrender to me if he wishes for you to be returned to him,” threatened the Dragon King. He looked Spike in eye, holding the stare before turning away. “However, I am not without reason. Therefore, I give you one week to decide.” “Rar…i...ty…” Spike weakly said, raising a shaking claw, red and purple sparks of restraining magic crackling off of the scales, as the Dragon King walked back onto the balcony with his wife. “Let her go!” Twilight Sparkle shouted as she and the others ran to stop him. They came to a stop when he suddenly spun around. “I return in seven days and I shall finish what we began ages ago. I shall unleash my vengeance upon your nation! Your cities shall burn, your castles shall fall, my dragons shall feast upon the ponies, and we will take your treasures for ourselves. Equestria will be nothing more than a memory,” the Dragon King unyieldingly declared as he stood on the balcony. He then pointedly glared at Celestia. “That gives you a stay of execution. Until then, farewell!” In an explosion of dragon magic, a fiery tornado swirled around the Dragon King and Rarity. The ponies backed away from the magical vortex, shielding their faces from the intense wind that it generated. From within the swirling magic, they saw the silhouette of the Dragon King grow. They watched on in horror as the shadow ascended far above them and took on a more imposing shape. The tornado of magical aura dissipated with the flap of mighty wings and the true form of the King of Dragons was revealed to them. The ponies backed away from the dragon looming over them, Fluttershy fainting once more from seeing her greatest fear realized. Even Celestia and Luna were intimidated by the Dragon King’s overwhelming size. He had grown considerably since they had first met. “Come, we return to Charlock Castle,” came the thunderous voice of the Dragon King. At their king's command, the red dragon began to carry the Tree of Harmony away from the balcony. The white orbs hanging from the branches swayed and one of them broke off, landing on the balcony with a clatter. It bounced and rolled along the tile until came to a stop at Twilight's hooves. When the red, blue, and green dragons flew away with the Tree of Harmony, the rest of the dragon army followed behind them. Spitefully, the Dragon King flapped his wings to disorient the ponies before him. As the Dragon King took off, Spike managed to break the magical bonds that had been placed on him. The red, blue, and purple seals of ancient magic flew off his body like shattered glass. He ran to the balcony, where his friends were collecting themselves off of the floor. High above them, Rarity could be seen in the spaces between the Dragon King’s fingers. “Rarity!” Spike called out to her. “Spike! Help me!” she shouted from her scaly prison. Her voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of flapping wings and faded as she was carried away over Canterlot Mountain.