“Gramps?”
The sound of water droplets echoed in the silence, dripping from the roof of the moss covered infirmary into a large bowl. Punchin sat on a bed of moss, allowing a purple dragon with black frills treat her wounds, placing a salve on it to soothe it. Sard laid next to a window, looking outside to watch a group of young dragons play. Hearing her voice, he simply lowering his head down slight and replied to Punchin.
“What is it, Punchin?” He asked, keeping his gaze away from her and to his kingdom.
“What’s wrong?” Hearing her reply made him sigh, closing his eyes as he laid his head down on his arm.
“I am just thinking.” He was clearly avoiding the question but he should know better; there was no way to hide from Punchin. As the purple, nurse dragon finished her work, placing a bandage on Punchin’s side, Punchin thanked her and jumped from her seat. She made her way over to Sard, placing her hand on his arm which prompted him to open an eye to look at her. Her expression was oddly soft, delicate, a face she rarely wore. Seeing it seemed to resonate something inside Sard as he snorts a bit and decides to finally speak up.
“It has been a very long time. In all honesty I had lost all hope of ever seeing any trace of Mother ever again. However, seeing young Spike now. It’s very shocking to me to say the least.” He looked out forward, his eyes slightly squinted as he spoke. “His eyes, they are her eyes. The same eyes of a loving dragon who would play pranks on her guards when she was bored; who would tell stories to the whelpings to help them drift to sleep; who would always scoff down the green gems first because she loved them.”
He spoke in a soft tone, smiling as he did as he reminisced on all the times he spent with his beloved leader. It held such joy in his heart, the memories he treasured so. But as he thought his soft smile turned into a frown. A growl emanated from his throat, rumbling softly as he continued.
“But Spike is not Mother. Unlike her, who had the well-being of her kingdom, her children, in mind and in heart, Spike’s interests I fear may be elsewhere.”
Punchin tilted her head, petting his cheek slightly to calm him only to notice his eyes grow watery.
“No bath can wash away the smell of ponies. He may be dragon in body but he is pony by heart, that is clear by his reaction to Celestia’s actions. I fear he may desire to return to them either because he cares for them or for answers. I cannot allow that.” Punchin’s eyes squinted as she listened to him.
“Why?” She asked, giving him a serious look. He took a moment to respond, gritting his teeth and shivering as his eyes glued tightly shut. Memories of Sombra’s horrifying face, his action, the memory of seeing his home in ruins and many of his fellow dragons hurt or even dead flashed in his mind with the final memory being of Celestia, towering over him on the side of the ice cliff, her face blurred out, with Spike’s egg in her hooves.
“Because if he leaves there is a chance he will tell the ponies of us, where we are. They could come here, harm us again. Destroy our home like Sombra did before.” The more he spoke the more he shook, his eyes opening to reveal his pupils dilated in fear. “All that destruction, the way they hurt us, they took Mother away from us.”
“Sombra took Mother away from us.” Sard lifted his head, staring down at Punchin with a look of disgust and confusion. Punchin continued to speak, rubbing Sard’s arm.
“Gramps, whenever you tell the story you always say it was Sombra who did those horrible, soulless crimes. I don’t blame you for hating the ponies so much after one of them would do those things to us and I agree that Celestia’s a snake for altering history. But it’s been over a thousand years.”
Punchin looks up at Sard as she speaks, seeing his expression of disgust only grow more as she spoke.
“Look, I’m not defending them, not at all Gramps but I’ve been in the castle. Ever since I have become your right hand dragon you’ve been sending me on recon and well they don’t seem all that dangerous. I just don’t understand why you keep sending me there if the point is for us to stay hidden.” It’s then his expression turns from disgust to concerned. He glances to the side, a growl coming from him again as he hesitated to answer.
“Because I want to know something.” With that he calmed down, looking out the window again at the playing dragons as he spoke. “Canterlot is so far away that, without the Crystal Empire it would be impossible to reach them through the snow and considering that the Empire was under Sombra’s control at the time how did Celestia make it to the quarry?”
This surprised Punchin as she had never even thought of that. His words confused her.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“It would take a day at least for somepony to reach the Quarry back then but yet, the yolks of mother’s eggs were still wet. In the temperature of the quarry they should have been dried out in an hour or two so that meant Celestia and Luna were already on their way or…..” He paused, an angry look filling his features.
“Or?” Asked Punchin, trying to get him to talk.
“They were already nearby. If that were the case, then why did they not come sooner? Is it possible they too had a hoof in Sombra’s actions? If so it would make sense, why they erased us and the empire from history. Or at least it did. Now the empire has returned but according to you Sombra was destroyed and the empire loves Celestia and Luna.”
“Then letting Spike go back and ask them himself makes perfect sense in this situation. If anyone could get answers, it’s him.” Said Punchin, replying to Sard only to have him yell at her.
“No! I cannot allow that! What if they did work together with Sombra. If they found out that we’re still alive who knows what would happen! I cannot and will not put my children in such danger!” He growled at her which simple aided to angering her.
“Then what will you do if he does decide to leave. Spike is Jade’s son and even if he wasn’t you know as well as I that you wouldn’t do a THING to harm him. You’re not that kind of dragon!” Sard slammed his tail, standing up and glaring down at Punchin. Her words clearly enraged him as he snared out his next words.
“I am the Emperor and protector of the Stronghold! I will ensure the safety of my dragons no matter what I must do. You will go and convince young Spike to stay here. If you fail, then I will not hesitate to do what is necessary to defend this place!” With that he leaves the infirmary, sliding his tail right and left as his feet slam against the ground heavily. Punchin stood there, watching him leave with her hands balled up in fists. Her teeth grit as she looks to the ground and mumbles to herself before leaving herself.
As this happened Spike finally left the Egg Chamber where Sard and Punchin had left him. He kept his head down as he walked down the long, cold halls of the giant green gemstone castle. His mind was still heavy with thoughts. As he walked down the hall he saw Sard exiting a room and walk down the hall a bit further down. After a few seconds Punchin followed suit, noticing Spike. She tried to perk up, going up to Spike to pet him.
“Hey there po-…. Spike. How you feeling?” She asked, trying to get him to perk up a bit. But he insisted in keeping his head down.
“You wanted to show me something…. Right?” He asked, his voice shaky and sounding like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. Hearing it made her look to the side, seemly more hesitant now to do so. So instead she thought of a way around it.
“Actually… I have a few things to do first as Gramp’s right hand dragon.” That’s when an idea came to mind. “Hey, why don’tcha tag along? Then I can show ya what it means to be a real dragon.”
She didn’t really give him time to reply as she scoped him up, jumping out a nearby window. Sard watched them as they left over his shoulder, a sad and confused expression on his face as he continued to walk.