//------------------------------// // Ch:3 Ice and Snow // Story: Dragon Quarry // by Mimkage //------------------------------// “Back before the rule of King Sombra there once lived a large village of unique dragons. It was said that they have lived in the Arctic North even before the empire existed. For many years the crystal ponies and, what we called them back then, earth dragons lived in peace as the Crystal ponies searched for gems in the mountains for the dragons to harvest for a share of the wealth. It was a very beautiful relationship that survived many generations until…” An old mare, seemly so fragile that just touching the poor dear would likely bruise her, spoke. Cadence, Twilight, Spike and said old mare sat together in the palace library around the jade statue that sat in the center of them. “Until?” Asked Cadence, paying very close attention to her. “When Sombra came into power all the dragons just vanished. No pony knew what happened to them nor was anypony brave enough to find out.” Twilight tilted her head slightly. “Wait. If the dragons were so closely tied to the Crystal Empire, then why aren’t there any books on them?” “King Sombra destroyed them; burned them up in a black blaze.” This angered Twilight, her wings poofing up as she placed her hooves on the table. “What? Why!” “Well, it’s just a rumor but it’s said that the dragons were responsible for the creation of the Crystal Heart. They gave it to our first queen as a gift to thank her for helping them thrive on gems. Seeing the joy and gratitude of the dragons lite up the souls of the Crystal ponies, filling their own hearts with joy and this, mixing the power of the light of both species, the heart began to beat and thus became the magical artifact we have today. Sombra, the one who wanted us all to forget the existence of the heart all together, thus destroyed all books having any mention of the dragons in hopes that none of us would be able to find them and have any chance of making another.” The elderly pony looked up at the Jade statue, touching is softly with her shaky hoof. “But seeing this statue now depicting said dragons… it makes me believe that perhaps it was more than just a tall tale. Judging by the gemstone she’s carved into I’d say this is empress Jade, the dragon who was said to be in charge at the time of Sombra’s rule. I wish I could tell you more but that is all I can remember in my old age. Judging by how long it’s been I doubt any pony could add more I’m afraid….” Princess Cadence shook her head, smiling at the old mare. “No no, it’s fine. You’ve been a great help, thank you.” Cadence gave her a slight bow to her, making the old mare blush a bit and bow frantically in return. “Oh my, no p-problem at all your highness.” “Tell your daughter thank you for telling you to come see us and tell her I said she’s been doing an amazing job keeping the castle clean.” “Yes, of course. See you another time, your highness.” The mare steps down from her seat, leaving the library with only Twilight, spike and Cadence. They were silent for a moment, thinking about what the mare just said. “Well… that’s surprising.” Cadence giggled slightly, using her magic to surround the statue and lift it up into the air. “That’s the understatement of the century. To think there might have been a village full of dragons here once.” Cadence begins to walk off, taking the statue with her. Spike, who was clearly lost in his own thoughts instantly interjected. “W-where are you taking that?” He asks, nearly falling off his seat only to have Twilight catch him with her magic. “Well I’m going to put in on display. It’s too beautiful to just hide it away in a closet.” “B-but… did you not just hear what that old lady said? There’s a whole village of dragons out there! We have to go see them!” His voice echoes in the large library, Cadence just standing there without even turning back to look at him. “Spike… It’s better if you don’t chase this.” Both Twilight and Spike look at her, confused, but Spike’s expression began to turn to frustration as he ran towards Cadence. “Why not!” Cadence looked back at him, wearing a sad expression as she spoke to him. “Because Spike, even if there is a village of dragons out there I can’t just send a group of ponies into the Artic North! It’s beyond dangerous! Even Celestia and Luna couldn’t combat the hazardous weather for long. What do you think would happen if we did try and chase this myth?!” Meekly, feeling like a child getting scolded, he spoke out in protest. “B-but…” “But nothing Spike, the answer is no! I’m not going to risk the lives of my subjects just to chase something that might not even exist. That’s final!” Cadence said nothing else as she slammed the doors of the library closed; leaving only Spike and Twilight inside. Silence gripped the room, leaving the two just standing there as Spike tightened his claws into a fist. A tear fell down Spike’s face as his emotions boiled inside. Twilight's hoof steps echoed in the room as she approached him. “Spike?” He didn’t reply; just stood there with his body trembling. “I know you want to find out about this but Cadence is right. It’s just too dangerous, please understand.” His claws loosen, flopping to the sides of his body as he kept his back to Twilight. “Yeah, I understand.” With that he made his way to the door, trying his best to keep his face hidden from Twilight as he opened it. “I’ll be… in my room.” The door closed softly behind Spike as he left. He walked down the halls, ignoring anything and everything around him from objects to the odd pony or two still in the castle. The moment he reached his room he opened the door slowly, the hinges squeaking as he entered, and closed it behind him. He leaned against it, looking up as he fought back the urge to cry. But he couldn’t fight it, his heart was just to crushed by the reality of the situation. Tears trickled down his purple cheeks as he slides down into a sitting position and sobs silently to himself. How he wanted to know, he had never wanted to know something so badly as he did right now but the knowledge of doing so would result in somepony getting hurt was more than his child-like mind could handle. “Mmm what a pity. Poor pony’s pet can’t go against their say… Actually no, pity isn’t the right word. Pathetic’s more like it.” Spike knew that voice, he didn’t even jump at it as he looked up at the windowsill where the cloaked figure from before sat. In their hand they held a flower encased in black crystal, allowing it to glitter in the light. Spike didn’t say anything, he just looked up at them with eyes stained red from tears. “Sensing his coming defeat by the hooves of the Princesses of Equestria, the evil pony King Sombra thus cursed the Empire to vanish into obscurity and from reality. Ponies and their complex leads them to believe that the only crime he committed was against his own kin; never knowing that that wasn’t all he had done. But of course, can I blame the princesses from erasing the very history of the empire from knowledge? After all, they aren’t blameless… not in the least.” They stood, walking toward Spike’s little doggy bed next to the larger, comfy, plush bed meant for Twilight. “I thought you left…” Said Spike, standing up and wiping his tears away as he looks up at the stranger. “Ha! I’ve been in this castle the entire time. Snuck into an open window after you guys lost me in the garden. I swear these ponies have no defense what so ever.” They kick the little bad, plopping down into Twilight’s bed as they look down at Spike. “Oh…” Spike walked up to them, seemly still sad as he came up to them. “Why?” “Why do you think?” He instantly stopped, taking a step back as the memory of the trouble they caused before rushed back to mind. The cloaked figure took notice of that, laying back in the bed. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna try and kidnap you again. I got a few bruises from those magical blasts.” They hold the flower up to their face, sniffing it. “Not fun really.” Spike just looked at them, wondering what they wanted. “Then why are you here?” The figure chuckles, sitting up. “I guess you don’t want to know more about Empress Jade and the Earth Dragons. I’ll just take my leave then, get out of your mane Pony pet.” With that they were off, lingering by the window for a second before bolting off. It took a second for Spike the catch up but the moment he did he ran to the window after them. He could see them running off at top speed down the courtyard. His thoughts rushed a million miles a second as he fidgeted. “Hey! Freeze in the name if the Princess!” Guards chase after the figure, spotting them instantly as the bolted. They didn’t stop, running towards the empire’s boarder. Instantly, Spike made up his mind as his impulse took over. He jumped out the window after the cloaked figure as fast as he could. Unknown to him, Twilight was with cadence in the throne room talking when suddenly. The guard protecting them was the one who noticed the cloaked figure and was one of the guards chasing them now. Twilight watched as they chased them, her eyes widening as she sees Spike book it after them. “S-spike!?” She instantly flew after him, quickly catching up with him. “Spike! Stop!” He ignored her however, something compelling him to just go. His heart pounded in his chest as he went onto all fours and began to run faster than he ever had before. Something about this just felt... right as he moved faster and faster. However, he could not get away as Twilight uses her magic to grab Spike from his tail and pull him back. His claws dug into the crystal floors in an attempt to defy Twilight but she was to powerful. The cloaked figure, who quickly noticed this stopped in their tracks and roared loudly. The sound of the roar unlocked something deep in Spike’s heart, an instinct awakening deep within as his eyes dilate. Suddenly he breathes fire, engulfing himself with it and turning himself into a wisp of magical smoke. This shocked Twilight, causing her mind to panic, as she did not know what to do. The wisp flew down further down the road, rematerializing Spike into his original form. He groans, shaking his head as he regained focus only to find he was now next to the cloaked stranger. At that moment, the stranger leaped out of the Empire’s boundaries into the Arctic North and booked it off into the snow. Spike, now more hesitant to follow thanks to seeing Twilight just stood there for a moment as he watched the guards and Twilight run towards him. He felt terrible for doing this, but he knew he would not be satisfied unless he got the answer he desired. Therefore, with a heavy heart, he jumps out of the force field and battled the icy cold as he ran after the stranger. Twilight attempted to jump out after him only to have somepony grab her tail and pull her back. Cadence held her back with all her might as Twilight pushed against her. “Cadence! Let me go!” she cried, desperate to follow Spike. However, Cadence refused to let her go, keeping her from leaping away as Spike vanished into the distance. With her tail still in her mouth, Cadence tried her best to reason with Twilight. “Twilight, stop! It’s too dangerous!” She kept fighting; trying to go after him but soon gave up, plopping down to the ground. “But...Spike...” He ran and ran and ran, fighting the bitter cold that assaulted him as he followed the footprints left by the stranger. Soon, he had gone so far the empire was no longer visible but he did not care. He had to know, he needed to know, besides, if he went back now Twilight would be furious at him so he just continued. “B-brrr.... s-so cold.” White puffs of fog left his mouth with every breath, his body trembling. The cold nibbled at him, making his skin feel numb. He stopped, looking out in the distance for any sign of where the stranger went only to see nothing but white fog and blinding snow for miles around. Even the footprints he followed had been swallowed up by the ice and snow; leaving him stranded out in the middle of the winter wasteland. Therefore, he just kept walking forward, hoping to bump into something only to feel his body get colder and colder. He could not find his way back nor could he find the stranger so he instantly regretted this decision. Soon, he could not even move anymore, his muscles tightening from the attack of cold around him. Giving into the cold, he collapsed into the snow, curled up into a ball as his consciousness began to fade. From the fog, the cloaked figure appeared before him. Spike looked up at them, his vision blurred as they looked down at him. “Hu, pony life made ya soft. Couldn’t even take 10 minutes hu?” With that Spike passed out; the last thing he remember was the stranger picking him up and carrying him off.