//------------------------------//
// The Call of Service 
// Story: A dragon a Dozen 
// by Cobaltin 
//------------------------------//

“Is Cobalt back yet?” Inquired Spike to his sister, whom was looking out the window for his dragon brother as the sun just barely dipped below the horizon. She looked back and shook her head. 

“No, Spike, I don’t see him, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. How are you feeling?” Asked Twilight, trying to change the subject. Spike winced in pain as he was suddenly reminded of his concussion. 

“Agh… still pretty crummy. It’s slowly getting better though, the painkillers are starting to set in. Have you heard anything from the princesses about Cobalt’s Step-Dad?” Spike said as he slowly laid back down to relax his head and darted right back to the topic of his brother. Twilight looked back with unrest as she walked back to his bedside. 

“Yes, not much of it is good. But we’ll get into that more when he arrives,” exclaimed Twilight as she shot a quick glance behind her towards a large, darkened figure sitting on the couch behind her at the end of the room. She leaned in to Spike and spoke in a whisper “I don’t really know if we can say anything with ‘him’ in the room.” Just then, there was a knock at the door, which caught Twilight’s attention.

“Come in.” Twilight called out in Spike’s stead, and In came Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Look who we found in the Main Lobby.” Exclaimed Dash as she moved aside to let Cobalt duck through the doorway. Spike looked up in excitement as his brother walked in and greeted everyone, unaware of the figure in the corner. 

“Cobalt, you’re okay!” He exclaimed before his headache surged and he had to lay back down. “Agh, dammit! How did things go?” 

“Things went... alright. There’s still a few unanswered questions - actually; a lot of unanswered questions. But, I think it’s safe to say we won’t be getting any unwarranted violent visits from that particular Dragon again. I’m kind of getting a little irritated that I’m not getting any answers to all of this though, only more loose ends. But, I think I may have found someone who can tell us about our mother, Spike.” Cobalt sat down and exhaled as he finally had a chance to relax. Spike’s ears perked upon hearing the news about his mother.

“Our mom? What did you find out?” Spike asked enthusiastically as he slowly turned himself to face Cobalt, his tail thumping softly against the hospital bed in excitement. Cobalt huffed quietly and smiled at his brother’s excitement, bringing him a little bit of comfort.

“Nothing yet,” He responded, “But she was one of our mother’s close friends and she was with her since they were very young. Enough about that, though, how are you feeling, Poof?” 

“Dizzy, head still feels like someone’s bucking it every 3 seconds, but, I’m getting better.” Spike said with a trailing chuckle. Cobalt smiled and let out a small chuckle himself.

“Good. So, what did I miss while I was gone? And… has another dragon come by? It definitely smells like it.” Cobalt said with a grunt as he laid back on the sofa in the room. Twilight and Spike shot a quick glance at each other before Twilight began to speak.

“Well, I have a few things that might peak your interest. But, more importantly, someone’s here to see you.” Exclaimed Twilight as she stepped aside, letting a large figure get up off the couch on the other side of the room and walk into the light. Cobalt perked his ears in interest and watched the figure step into light, revealing a large, deep green dragon in military Fatigues. Cobalt took a quick look at the new stranger and immediately stood into salute.

“Corporal Cobaltin T.T. Sertingue, Tag I.D: 11564729-9957-A, sir!” The dragon smiled and saluted in return.

“At ease, Corporal. I have no doubt you know who I am.” Exclaimed the dragon as he and Cobalt shook hands.

“Absolutely, sir! Ace Nordin Avalon Telikoliath, Squad lead of Corsair squadron, the top Reaper division squad. It’s a true honour to meet you officially, sir!” Cobalt exclaimed with a powerful enthusiasm, almost like he was meeting a celebrity.

“It’s good to finally meet you, too, Corporal Sertingue. I’ve seen a lot of impressive things in your dossier, an Avery’s Crest and 7 distinguished service ribbons in 2 years of service, that’s not something you see every day. On top of that, it’s rumoured you’re one of the fastest fliers in the Reaper Division.” Exclaimed Ace Nordin Avalon as he guided Cobalt to the sofa and invited him to sit. Cobalt, like a hawk, watched Avalon sit down and immediately sat down on the other side of the couch as he was told. Spike looked on from his bed and he could tell that Cobalt was very excited, and nervous. Why, however, was something he couldn’t figure out. What was a Reaper Division? What’s an Avery’s Crest… Corsair? What did this all mean?

“Well, I suppose the rumour is true, I am able to easily coast and reach supersonic speeds in level flight, but I haven’t been placed in a supersonic squadron as of yet. I find that a bit strange; they don’t usually like supersonic dragons in subsonic squads, it makes travelling in a formation difficult” Cobalt exclaimed as he twiddled his thumbs in his lap. Avalon nodded in accordance and laid back against the backrest of the couch.

“They don’t. Problem is, the supersonic squads require… places to be put in. Historically, we haven’t had large squads of supersonic Dragons for the sole reason that there are very few around. As a matter of fact, out of the 9 Reaper Division squads AND the entire might of the Combined Dragon armies, only 3 are supersonic. Fortunately for you, a bunch of places have opened up due to soldiers retiring and… other circumstances.” Exclaimed Avalon with a very strict ‘business’ tone to his explanation.

“Other… circumstances?” Cobalt asked in confusion. Avalon shot his eye to the smaller dragon and smiled slightly.

“Not important. What IS important, is that I want to get you out of a subsonic squadron and into a supersonic one. You fit the bill near perfectly, supersonic flight, outstanding service record, hell, you’re even an Alpha male!” Avalon stated with a bit of a chuckle, causing Cobalt to smile slightly and snicker a bit, himself. “There’s currently trials for all 3 supersonic squadrons; Thunderbolt, Mustang, and my own squad, Corsair, in the works. I am personally making sure that you get into my trials for my squad, I could really use a Dragon like you.” Spike had the perfect view of Cobalt’s face as they talked, and he watched as his older brother’s pupils grew exponentially in size as he heard Avalon ask him to join the trials. Cobalt’s eyes lit up like fireworks as the young dragon didn’t know which emotion to process first.

“I… you want ME to join Corsair?” Cobalt asked in complete disbelief, thinking to himself that this couldn’t be happening. 

“I do. We usually just send letters for your formal induction into the trials, but seeing as you’re the the son, or step-son, if this dragon on the stretcher here is to be believed, of the Grand Dragon Nitrius; I felt it much more suitable to offer the acceptance in person.” Avalon sat up and gave Cobalt a serious gaze. “I won’t sugar coat it for you, we deal with some really Screwy shit, Corporal Sertingue. I cannot, in any way, assure or guarantee your survival or return home. There are no ceremonies for being killed in action, and none of your loved ones are allowed confirmation of your death until your records are officially declassified. I want you to understand that the trials are very bodily taxing and mentally stressing, and more than 99% of those who try out for the top 3 reaper squadrons fail the test. My own squad is only looking for 2 members and we have something around 100 soldiers in and outside of the Reaper Division foregoing the trials. Most of them will be cut within the first week, those who are left will be slowly whittled down to 5 finalists and of those, 2 will be selected. Are you sure that you want to forego these trials as well?” Cobalt nodded furiously the second Avalon finished talking.

“Absolutely, sir. I am confident in my abilities and my chances of success.” Fireworks were going off in Cobalt’s head; the thought of being a Corsair had been a lifelong dream of his ever since his brother tried out (and unfortunately failed.) Avalon grinned and stood up, Cobalt standing with him.

“Then I congratulate you on your promotion, Whelp Nordin Sertingue. If you succeed the trials, your rank will be promoted to Nordin Basic. Should you fail the trials, your Corporal rank shall be re-rewarded to you and you will continue your service in the regular ranking hierarchy. You are to report to Gialliborn base on the 5th of Emberkindle at 0730 for registration. I have given you pre-approval for supersonic flight over civilian airspace to make your way there, give you some time to spend with family,” Avalon stated as he pulled a letter out of a pouch on his tail base and handed it to Cobalt. “Here’s the official letter, bring this with you as documentation of your acceptance into the course.” With that, him and Cobalt shook hands once more.

“Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you need,” Cobalt asked as he walked with Avalon to the door. Avalon stopped and turned to the younger dragon.

“Actually, there is. When you get in, I want you to do a full report on the attack that took place here two days ago. I want full details and the situation afterwards. Commander Spitfire’s second in command was up in arms in the fact that you refused wonderbolt escorts despite you actually complying with the treaty agreements. She knows that you made the right decision, but she needs a full report either way.” Avalon chuckled and shook his head. “Darn Featherduster hasn’t changed in 15 years,” he muttered under his breath before looking back at Cobalt and nodding. Cobalt Saluted and Avalon returned the salute before walking out of the room and taking off once outside with a wingbeat so strong it practically shook the whole hospital.

Cobalt nearly collapsed right there, the rush of relief washing over him as he stumbled back onto the couch in stupification.

“Did that just happen?” Cobalt said as the words practically spilled out his mouth. Spike wasn’t sure how to answer him, he didn’t understand what the hell just happened.

“I… I think so, yeah. What was that all about?” Asked Spike with a gentle cock of his head. Cobalt, staring holes into the wall adjacent to him, answered dryly, his mouth agape with disbelief.

“I just got accepted into Corsair trials, Spike. That’s-That’s what happened.” Cobalt turned to Spike with his mouth still hung open. “I just got accepted into Corsair Trials.”

“What the hay is a ‘Corsair Trial,’ Cobalt?” Asked Dash as she waved her hand in front of Cobalt’s face. Cobalt shook his head and nearly whimpered in a mess of emotion.

“Corsair Trials are for the most prestigious and elite soldiers to try out for the most decorated and feared military squadron in history. And the lead just came to my brother’s hospital room, and asked me to try out,” Cobalt said in the same tone, going back into a drone. Cobalt looked to Spike and laughed in an overwhelm of emotional outpour. “I think I should be the one in that hospital bed, I’m hallucinating things.”

“No I’m pretty sure we all saw it, I did at least,” Spike said with a smile “Though I’d check with everyone else, I’m not exactly the best witness right now as you could tell.” Cobalt, finally able to shake off his shock, chuckled a little nervously and smiled.

“Well, this is a series of interesting events.” Cobalt stated as he rubbed his eye. “He said the 5th of Emberkindle, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what that means-OW!” Spike said as he tried to sit up out of impulse and was met with throbbing head pains. 

“That would be the name for the month of July for Dragons, Spike.” Replied Twilight with a studious tone. “At least, that’s what the book says.” Cobalt turned back to her and nodded, giving her the thumbs up.

“So the 5th of July? That’s in 10 days!” Spike exclaimed in sudden realization. “We only have 10 more days together?”

“Yeah it seems so, but we’ll make the best of it! I’ll take you to the dragon city, maybe introduce you to some of my step-siblings, it’ll be great!” Cobalt said with an enthusiastic smile. Spike’s ears perked up in excitement, but as they did, the throbbing headache that responded reminded him of where he was.

“B-But Cobi… I can’t.” Spike said as his ears dropped like stones. Cobalt was confused at first, but quickly remembered where he was in the first place as well. 

“E-Even with dragon healing? Don’t you remember how long they gave me for recovery?” Cobalt said as he sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed. 

“It was a draconian doctor that gave him the diagnosis in the first place.” Chimed in Twilight as she walked to the other side of the bed. “He has to be here for at least a week and a half. He said if he were a pony, he’d likely be in a Coma for weeks,” exclaimed Twilight as she helplessly watched as both dragons slowly lost their excitement and grew sombre. 

“I-I’m sorry Cobalt, I can’t go… I really wish I could.” The room went silent, a slow creep of sombre slowly filling it.

“I bet you’d have heaps of fun on your own, Sugarcube, you can take Spike out to party when you get back.” Chimed in Applejack as she tried to cheer Cobalt up. Cobalt looked at her and gave her a slow shake of his head.

“That’s the thing, Applejack. This training takes years, 2 and a half to be exact. 1 year for training and a year and a half for a preliminary tour of duty should I get in. And because it’s spec-ops, I’ll barely be able to write home let alone visit. Gialliborn Base is nearly halfway across the world. I’d be flying at supersonic speeds to get there in a few hours, it usually takes weeks by cart. And if I get in, well… Nordin City is the most northern city on the planet.”

“It takes what!? Ah-Shit!” Exclaimed Spike as he practically jumped out of his bed, only to be pushed back down by his concussion. “I won’t see you for 2 years!? W-We just met, Cobi! I have so many questions I need to ask! I-I still wanna spend time with you!” Spike said as he started to get a little emotional. Cobalt looked back and put on a soft grin for his brother.

“Spike, it’s okay, I’ll be back-” 

“I don’t care! I want you here now! I-Isn’t there anything I can do to speed up the healing? Anything!?” Spike pleaded, looking up at Cobalt in desperation. Cobalt bit his lip in thought, his ears soon perking up as an idea crossed his mind.

“There might be… But, I can’t do it. It’s too advanced for me. Dax, on the other hand…”  Cobalt remarked as he started to walk towards the door. “I’ll be back in the morning, you guys stay here and make sure Spike gets his rest!” Cobalt said as he quickly zipped around the door and down the hall.

“D-Dax? What can he--W-What!? Cobalt, Wait! GAH! FOR PONY’S SAKE!” Spike cried out as he started to tear up from the pain. 

“Where in the name of Celestia is he going?” Asked Applejack as she poked her head out the door to watch Cobalt Burst out the front doors and take off like a rocket; his backdraft almost blowing the doors off their hinges and shaking the plants violently. 

“mmh… I think I know. Don’t worry, he’ll be back.” Exclaimed Spike as he rubbed his forehead slowly. “He didn’t even get to hear what was happening with his step dad.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, Spike.” Twilight said as she shook her head in slight disbelief of what just happened. “It’s probably better that he doesn’t know right now, anyway. He seems really happy. I’m sure he’ll find out from his siblings.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Hey, speaking of siblings; Applejack, is Bloom alright?” Spike inquired as Applejack retreated back to the room. 

“She’ll be fine, Spike, it was only a few minor injuries.. I’d like to know why she was up there in the first place, though.” Applejack stated with a bewildered scratch under her hat. “Do you have any ideas, Spike?” Spike’s ears perked at the question and he suddenly became nervous, unsure if Bloom had even told her sister yet.

“A-ah, well, I think they just wanted to get a better view of the race is all.” Responded Spike with a slight blush. Applejack sighed and shook her head.

“Sometimes I really worry about her…”

“Hey, c’mon Applejack. She’s done pretty well for herself. I mean, she’s really taken a huge part of the farm off your hands and she seems to know what she’s doing.” Responded Spike, slightly confused by Applejack’s sudden shift of pace.

“It’s not that, Spike. She seemed troubled about something over the past few months and every time I try and ask her about it, she seems to deviate from the question. I reckon something happened to her that she’s not wantin’ to get out. Even Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo are tryin’ to avoid me and it has me worried. I just hope she hasn’t gotten herself into somethin’ she can’t get out of.” Applejack said with a sombre undertone. Spike suddenly felt ashamed that he lied to Applejack about Applebloom, not that he didn’t feel bad already. But it didn’t seem like his place to break it to her about them, and from what it looked like, she hadn’t. Spike debated on what to do for a little bit as an awkward silence once again filled the room, only to be broken by the doctor walking in.

“I’m sorry, Girls, visiting hours are over. Spouse and immediate family are the only ones that can stay after hours.” The doctor said as he walked over to Spike’s bedside and pulled out a bloodletting needle from the cupboard. “Besides, we have to take a couple blood samples to make sure that there’s no hemorrhaging or scarring and then take Spike for an MRI. I’m pretty sure you don’t wanna see that.”

“Sure thing, take care, Spike.” Dash said as she caught the door just as it was about to close “Don’t go hitting any more flagpoles with your noggin, okay?” Dash teased, to which Spike blushed a bit in embarrassment.

“Heh, yeah I should probably look after that.”

“Take Care, Sugarcube.” Applejack followed as she walked closely behind Dash, giving Spike a quick smile and tip of her hat before she closed the door behind her.

Spike sighed and settled back into his bed as the doctor took his arm and parted his scales to look for a place to set the needle. He couldn’t stop thinking about Cobalt, Applebloom and Applejack, Dragons, his mother… everything. It was as Cobalt had said, no answers, just more loose ends.

“You okay, Spike?” Twilight remarked as she trotted up to her brother’s side. “You seem lost in thought.” Spike looked over to her and winced for a second as the doctor pushed the needle into his arm and started to take a couple blood vials.

“It’s… complicated, Twi. In about a month’s time, everything just got flip turned upside down. Everything I knew, or at least, thought I knew, seems to be thrown out the window. Cobalt is at the centre of it; he has managed to simultaneously give me answers to questions that I’ve wanted answers to for years, and at the same time created thousands of new ones. Ones that I don’t think I’m going to hear answers to for a very long time by the looks of it. I-I don’t know how to process this.” Spike said as he turned his head back and just stared up at the ceiling. “How can someone I just met completely change my life in a matter of days?”

“You mean like when I first came to Ponyville?” Twilight remarked studiously. Spike’s eyes widened quickly at his sister’s remark, quickly starting to draw parallels in his head.

“This is how you felt?”

“Well, maybe not as strongly; I mean I didn’t find out that I have a long lost brother and that I was more than 750 years old. But my life changed quite a bit that day. At the time I didn’t really know how it was going to affect me, but what mattered wasn’t so much how it was going change me, but what I did with it. You’ll figure it out, Spike, you’re a smart dragon. And I do have to say, after talking with Cobalt, I know you’re in very capable hands.” Twilight settled her wings a bit as she spoke, the memories of her first day in Ponyville rushing in once more. Spike laid there and thought about what she said, smiling softly and taking a deep breath.

“I’m so glad you guys reconciled, I don’t know what I would have done if you two hated each other--Actually, can I ask what you guys talked about?” Spike said as he looked over to his sister. 

“Well,” She began, “He asked me if I was still mad at him, to which I replied no. I wasn’t really as mad at him as I was worried that he was… taking you away from me.” Admitted Twilight shamefully as she looked down and away in a mix of shame and embarrassment. 

“Cobi? Take me from you? Why would he ever want to do that?” 

“I never thought that he wanted to, Spike. I thought that because you were so enamoured with finding out what it means to be a dragon, you’d end up going back with him. And then I heard from Applebloom that you two were… well, long story short there was a lot of build up and you know how I like to bottle things up before I get a little… crazy.” She said as she tried to find the right words, to which Spike shot her a glare disbelief.

“A little?”

“Okay, maybe more than a little.” Twilight admitted with a quiet laugh. “Anyway, he explained to me that it was nothing like that. He had no intent on ever taking you away from me, actually, he seemed very opposed to the idea of you living around him at all.” Spike scowled as he suddenly became confused.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, when I told him what I thought was happening, the first thing he did was very sternly refute the idea that he wanted you to go live with him or anything of the sort. I believe he mentioned that he didn’t want you to be around his step father. That’s an entirely different conversation for another time, but, I think he’s actually afraid to show you to his step-family, or his stepfather at the very least. I can’t help but feel sorry for him, really.” Twilight trailed off. Spike had the same feelings as his sister on that topic. He never really had concrete parents, but at the very least his adoptive family treated him well. He couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have someone you were to look up to as a father treat you like he didn’t want you. 

“I dunno, Twi, I don’t think I’d be able to split from you just yet. I mean, after I tried figuring out what it meant to be a dragon all those years ago, I came to the very sound conclusion that I’m not moving until I’m sure I’m ready,” Spike said as he slowly turned his head to her and spoke. Twilight chuckled softly and shook her head.

“You always have a home with me, little brother. By the way, you seemed a little jumpy about the topic of Applebloom, do you know what’s going on?” Spikes ears perked suddenly and then folded back as he thought about what to say.

“I… well, I’m going to need you to promise not to say anything to Applejack, at least not yet,” Spike remarked, to which Twilight nodded.

“My lips are sealed, promise.”

“Okay. I… Well, she’s apparently taken a pretty significant liking to me. And it’s been bothering her for a long time; dragons and ponies aren’t really known for their romantic interactions, at least as far as I’ve heard. But uh… well we’re trying something out and seeing if it’s gonna work. I don’t personally have high hopes, she’s really unsure about everything, but I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong.” Spike blurted out as quickly as he could so he didn’t chicken out. Twilight blinked in confusion for a moment, taking time to process. She let out an impressed ‘hmph’ and raised her brow. Spike looked down and away slowly as he continued. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell her, Applebloom needs to say it, and I don’t want to force it out of her. I realize it’s a bit of a doozy.” 

“It’s definitely an interesting situation. I would talk to her about telling Applejack, though, you know how much she cares for her family. As for me, it isn’t much of a surprise to me that you would probably try dating ponies, you’ve been around them for so long, and, you know, Rarity.” She said with a smile, to which Spike replied with a somewhat embarrassed scowl and frown. Meanwhile, the doctor finished up his blood samples and set them into a little holding pouch on his saddle. He then unlocked the wheels on Spike’s hospital bed and started to pull him from his spot.

“Well, we’re off to get your MRI, Spike, you ready to go?” Spike looked at the doctor and nodded slowly.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

~~

Cobalt flew swiftly just above the treeline of the forest, the sound of rustling in the branches kicking up behind him. The backdraft from his massive wings caused a stir in the tops of the trees as he bolted by close to the speed of sound. His mind was pulled between flying, the fact that he was requested to go to training for the top Special Task Force squad in the military and his brother, whom he would have to be separated from for at least a year before he could see him once again. The initial excitement of the moment was over, and the second thoughts started to creep in. This meant a lot, this meant that everything that he had hoped to show his brother would have to wait for years, and just as he started to really get comfortable with everything that has happened to him over the past month or so. But this was a dream come true for him, a dream he didn’t even get to express with his brother because of everything that had happened the whole time he was there.

Cobalt landed with a thud at the magic entrance of the Temple, quickly walking down the long, dimly lit hallway before knocking on the door and waiting for it to slowly creak open so he could come inside. He quickly headed to the upper floor of the Temple, where he found Dax going over a few texts in the study.

“Master? May I enter?” Cobalt asked quietly as he peered his head between the door and frame. Dax shot his attention up to his pupil up and smiled warmly.

“Of course, young one. What brings you to my temple at this hour?” Dax inquired as he put the book he was reading down and got up from his place to greet Cobalt with a hug. Cobalt returned the embrace before grabbing his teacher’s hand and pulling him towards the door.

“I need your help.” He said as he tried to pull Dax from the study. The Elder dragon chuckled and stayed put where he was. 

“Heh hold up, young one, where are we going?” Dax said as he turned Cobalt around to ask him. “Deep breath, keep your composure.” Cobalt stopped and looked up at his teacher, doing as he was told. He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, calming himself down.

“Spike was hurt a few days ago, and I was hoping you could perform your healing magic on him so that I can take him out to the city before I ship out.” Cobalt stated calmly. Dax raised a brow and cocked his head in interest.

“Ship out? I thought you didn’t have to go back from leave for another 6 months.” Dax questioned as he started to walk out the door with Cobalt, going down the stairs and towards the alter. 

“Well… yeah I did, but then I got  a visit by a Reaper lead, and he gave me this:” Cobalt stated as he pulled the letter from his tail satchel and handed it to Dax. The older dragon took the letter and read it over slowly, his face dawning difference expressions as he read on. As he finished, he smiled proudly and brought his student in for a tighter hug.

“What an opportunity for you, my student. I am very proud of you, and I have no doubt that you will succeed. However, remember that this is a very big responsibility, and a very challenging task. It is almost certain you will not return the same dragon you are now. Physical attributes aside, the things that you will go through should you become part of the squadron are certain to challenge the way you see things in life. I would hope that I have taught you enough to understand how to handle such situations should they be thrust upon you.” Dax slowly sat down on the bench before the altar, Cobalt following quickly, shifting a bit uncomfortably as he started thinking about what his teacher had just told him.

“I… I have been juggling those thoughts for the last hour or so. I mean, I’m not going to back out now. I’ve always wanted to do this, ever since I was still soft on my belly scales. Well, what young dragon didn’t want to be a Corsair at one point, right?” Cobalt twiddled his thumbs nervously as he spoke, justifying both sides in his mind as he explained. “But, at the same time, I’ve seen those guys around base. They look so… blank. And they sure don’t talk much. They mostly take care of the stuff the military deems too dangerous or can potentially have too much ‘collateral damage,’ so there’s no ceremonies or even recognition of their service outside of Command and the other reaper squadrons. And usually the stuff is bad, like, real bad.” Cobalt sighed in defeat as he leaned against Dax, who put his arm around the younger and smaller dragon. “I was so happy when Ace Nordin Telikoliath told me. Now? I don’t know anymore.”

“Do you really want to go for this trial, my student?” Dax asked as he looked down at the perplexed young dragon. Cobalt looked up at his teacher and nodded slowly.

“I do, I really really do.”

“Then your heart knows what it wants, it’s a matter of getting your mind to agree.” Dax said as he ruffled the young dragon’s hair. “And I presume a lot of what your mind is unsure on is your brother?”

“Well, of course. I’ve gotten about a month in on knowing my brother that I hadn’t known existed for all my life and now my dream comes knocking at my door while I’m trying to make up for… a ridiculous amount of lost time. If it wasn’t for him I’d be so much more certain on my decision. I… I don’t want to back out of this, hell, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. But, I need to have Spike at the very least and spend a good couple of days with just him. I-I want him to see nothing but Dragon culture, and I want it to be an experience I can recall upon anytime I think of home. The Gods know this is going to be very hard, I know it’s going to be very hard. And I’m going to need something to keep me going. If it’s going to be anything, it’s going to be him.” Cobalt leaned back against the Marble Bench and sighed deeply. His ears flickered a bit as he remembered a few other things as well. “Dax… what will this mean for me and the choir? I mean, I just joined.” Asked Cobalt as he looked up at his teacher, whom looked down and chuckled deeply.

“My Student, don’t you worry about such things. You’re the son of the Great Mother, If you have a shred of her musical talent, you’ll catch up just fine. Speaking of which, why don’t you put yourself into music more? It seems to be something you love, and you’re indeed very talented in it. I’ve heard you play your guitar late at night, and it’s breathtaking the way you work with it while you hum to yourself.” Dax remarked softly as he gently pet Cobalt’s head. Cobalt blushed slightly and kicked his feet.

“Y-you’ve heard that? I… I dunno, I just don’t think I’m that good. And well, you know how much of a nervous wreck I become in public. At least with the choir, the focus isn’t entirely on me so it’s bearable.”

“Not that good? Nonsense. You play two different parts on one guitar using your tail. How did you ever learn to do that, anyway, young one?” Asked Dax as he got up and began lighting candles at the alter. Cobalt smiled a bit as he started to remember back years ago, when he first picked up the guitar.

“Well, I had a lot of time on my hands when I was alone in the palace. My brother used to let me stay in his room for the day because he didn’t want me going around Nitrius or getting into trouble. He had an old acoustic, still does, that he used to play for fun and at the time I was too small to play it normally, so I would just use my tail tips to pick the strings while I held the strings with my other hand. As I got bigger, I started to play it the right way and added my own style to it. And, well, when you pretty much play the guitar 10-12 hours a day, nearly every day for 15 years, you learn things very quickly.” Cobalt recalled happily as the images of him being barely big enough to hold the guitar, let alone play it and then showing his brother what he learned later in the day danced through his mind. 

“Tail TIPS?” Dax inquired with a raised brow. Cobalt giggled and lifted his tail into view, the tail emblem popping open and two smaller and thinner tail tips branching off in separate directions. “Ah, right, I forgot. Another supposable ‘Side effect’ to your egg being sealed for over 700 years.” Dax stated with a smirk, to which Cobalt stuck his tongue out to and giggled, before leaning back against the bench once more and staring up at the ceiling.

“Jeez, I was 8 years old when I first started fiddling around with that guitar. Time seems to have sped up a whole lot since then. It’s strange to look back after all that and see where you’ve come. Hey, speaking of which, I had an Idea of what Spike can do while I’m not around.” Cobalt said as he looked down at Dax, whom just finished lighting the last of the many candles. 

“What did you have in mind, young Alpha?” Dax inquired as he sat back down on the Bench, right next to his pupil. Cobalt leaned into the larger dragon, and settled in as Dax wrapped his wing comfortingly against him.

“I was thinking since Spike really hasn’t been able to figure his element out or even anything dragon-related even after all these years, you could give him some of the same training you gave me?” Cobalt asked with a slight yawn. Dax let out a little hmph of thought, realizing he hadn’t even thought of such a thing, though he really should have.

“That sounds like an interesting idea. One that I’m sure he’ll be more than interested in taking up. I, for one, am more than happy to do so if he’s okay with it. You should definitely pitch the idea to him when you get the chance. Now, what was that about me taking care of an injured Spike?” Dax asked as he got back on the original topic.

“Heh, Poof somehow managed to smack his head against the only metal object on a cloud coliseum. He has a decent concussion, now. The doctor said he has about two weeks before he can leave the hospital, even with dragon healing. It’s going to take something much stronger to heal him, and I was hoping you had something?” He asked with a hopeful spark in his eye. Dax chuckled deeply and nodded.

“I can certainly give you a hand with that. I’ll prepare the ingredients for the spell tonight and we’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Dax stated with a gentle smile. Cobalt threw himself on the larger dragon and hugged him tightly, catching Dax off guard momentarily. 

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Any time, my student. Now, I would love to hear some of your wonderful guitar playing while I prepare, do you think you can do that for me?” He asked as he got up, pulling up the smaller dragon with him. Cobalt blushed and nodded.

“Of course, it’s the least I could do.” He said as he walked with him back upstairs for the night. The sound of gentle guitar playing soon started filling the entire temple with a gentle echo and creating the illusion of warmth and tranquility as it rang beautifully through the air.