Past, Present, and Future

by DragonShadow

12 - Welcome Home

Chapter 12: Welcome Home

Scales glittered like jewels in the darkness, standing before her eyes in the depths of the cavernous mountain. Her legs quaked and her breath halted as the beautiful, but terrifying creature turned its eyes toward her, its eyes staring right back into hers. She wanted to move, she wanted to scream, but she was petrified, even if she wasn’t trapped by the creature’s deadly-looking claws. She saw its jaws open, a lick of bright, emerald green fire building deep inside of its throat…

Zecora shot up on her bed with a cry of alarm, her heart racing in her chest. “The creature’s fire I see! It’s coming for me!”

“Zecora!” She felt a pair of warm, soft hooves wrap around her from the side, holding her gently, but firmly in place as she struggled to get away. “Zecora, it’s okay, the dragon is gone, I promise. You’re in a hospital in Fillydelphia.”

Zecora looked around quickly, seeing that she was, indeed, inside of a normal pony building. The atmosphere was calm and quiet inside of a darkness broken only by a candle flickering on the small wooden table beside her bed, and the pale starlight coming in through the window just over her headboard. The pony with their arms wrapped around her was a familiar filly with a beautiful velvet coat and piercing, intelligent eyes.

“Twilight Sparkle…” Zecora leaned heavily against her friend in relief. “I don’t understand. I thought that was my final moment in this land…”

“Thank goodness no… you’re still alive, you have my word.” Twilight Sparkle pulled back slowly with a smile, leaving her hooves on her shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re back to normal Zecora, I was starting to think we’d lost you forever…”

“Was I truly almost lost? Was my life nearly the cost?”

Twilight sighed. “In some ways, losing your life might have been better than what happened…” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t matter now. You’re better, and I need you with me to go find Spike to bring him home.”

“Oh…?” Zecora gasped and looked into her eyes. “You have come to believe what Princess Celestia told you?”

“I have, and I still need your help too…” Twilight’s hoof wrapped around Zecora’s. “I understand if you’re not feeling up to it, but I don’t know if I could make the journey to the dragon lands alone. It’ll be really dangerous and maybe you could use more rest, but…”

Zecora lifted her hoof to place it gently against her lips. “Do not doubt my commitment to you, Twilight. I will follow you anywhere, in brightest day or blackest night.”

Twilight smiled warmly around her hoof. “Thank you… my balloon is waiting outside. We can take it right to the dragon lands.”

Zecora nodded and rose from the bed with Twilight’s help, making her way out into the night toward the balloon waiting right outside the door. She felt like she was missing something, but as long as Twilight needed her company, it didn’t matter what she was feeling. She would do everything in her power to make sure Twilight Sparkle accomplished her mission. After all, that’s what friends were for.

___

Spike’s tail twitched against the sand as his eyes fluttered slowly open. Their fire had long since died and was now just a pile of black ash on the sand. Not even a trail of smoke existed to mar the sight of the sun’s powerful orange glow shining across the world from the far distant horizon.

Of course, the most beautiful thing the light touched was the dragon girl, still snoozing on the sand nearby. She must have been feigning sleep for quite a while, he was sure she’d passed out first. He had to wonder, what could she have been thinking about? He couldn’t keep the naughty ideas from creeping into his mind, drawing a probably perverted smile to his lips. She certainly had seemed eager to be with him, just as eager as he’d been to be with her. If she’d stayed up half the night just thinking about it, then maybe after he fell asleep she…

A devious cackle escaped his throat at the thought, much louder than he would have hoped.

“Mnguh…? Spike?” Pyralsprite lifted her head just slightly off the sand. Spike froze with one hand over his mouth, crossing his legs on the sand. He was afraid for a moment she would look over and see the proof of what he’d been thinking, but when she opened her eyes he was reminded that she couldn’t actually see anything. “You awake over there?”

“Um… yes, yes I am awake.” Spike sat up quickly.

“Is the creepy dude still around? I can’t even smell the bastard half the time…”

Spike glanced around the beach, seeing it empty except for the two dragons and the pile of ashes. “No, it looks like it’s just us.”

“Mmm, good…” Pyralsprite moves toward him, half walking and half slithering over the sand until she reached his side, her body coiling up against him as her cheek pressed against his chest in a gentle nuzzle. “Thanks for the gemstone last night… I really was hungry…”

“You’re welcome…” Spike blushed softly and slipped his arms around her, holding her body gently against his. “You were awake the whole time…?”

Pyralsprite nodded. “Mmhmm.”

“So you… heard everything I said?”

“Mmhmm.” Pyalsprite smiled with a blush on her cheeks. “Did you mean it?”

Spike replied without hesitation. “Of course I did. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t…”

“Heee…” Pyralsprite grinned an even wider toothy grin. “We should be able to make it back home before nightfall… then we won’t need to worry about anything separating us. You can live in my cave with me.”

“That sounds really… really nice, Pyralsprite.” Spike pulled her up his body slightly to give her a more comfortable peck on the lips. “I can’t wait to see it…”

“Then why should we wait?” Pyralsprite grinned and slid off of him smoothly, dropping into a low stance with her wings spread wide to her sides. “I can carry you the rest of the way, just hop on.”

“Get on you? Heh…” Spike blushed. “That sounds… inviting.”

Pyralsprite stuck out her tongue playfully. “Just make sure whatever position you choose lets you hang on in flight.”

“Hehe, will do!” Spike charged forward and slung his leg over her back, mounting her just in front of her wing joints so he could lean forward across her neck, wrapping his arms around her. “Okay, I’m ready!”

“You better be!” Pyralsprite launched into the air, pumping her wings against the air to send them spiraling straight up into the sky.

Spike gasped and clung on tightly as they spiraled higher and higher. He had ridden Pyralsprite through the air off and on during their trek through Equestria, but she had never gone up this high before. The winds beat fiercely at his body as if trying to tear him free from her while the dragon lands spread out smaller and smaller far below him. Spike knew Pyralsprite was made for flying, she could take it, but he couldn’t help a lump in his throat regardless.

“We’re going r-really high…” Spike gulped. “Are you sure we’re gonna be okay? I mean… isn’t it hard for you to smell anything from here?”

Pyralsprite shouted back over the wind. “Are you kidding? I’ve spent my whole life here! I could find my way around with noseplugs! Hah!” Pyralsprite whirled through the sky and turned inland, suddenly streaking over the forest like a glittering white bullet. Spike could only hold on and admire the speed at which the forest beneath them whizzed past, disappearing into a vague green blur. Pyralsprite seemed much more energetic now than she had been since they left Ponyville, in fact Spike could see her wings pumping super hard to keep them airborne.

Spike reached around her head to cup her chin worriedly. “Hey, if you need to stop and rest soon, we should! I don’t want you to hurt yourself!” He gulped and spoke more softly. “Or me…”

Pyralsprite turned her head slightly. “I have faith in you, Spike… don’t you have faith in me?”

Spike thought about that for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah, of course I do. I’m just worried is all.”

“I know my limits, I’ll let you know if I hit them! But the way I’m feeling right now, it’ll probably be a while! So hang on and enjoy the ride!”

True to her word, the flight lasted a really long time. Whirling and looping energetically through the sky. Spike felt like a backpack dangling from the dragoness, but his grip was tight, and it wasn’t long before he began to relax and enjoy himself. It was like having his own personal roller coaster, and she sure did seem like she knew where she was going. This was so much different from riding in Twilight’s balloon, so much more exhilarating.

Spike jumped and nearly lost his grip when a white burst of light appeared beside him with a pop. “For shame! Riding the girl so blatantly in public. Did Twilight not teach you discretion?” Discord shook his head and clicked his tongue in disapproval, keeping pace with them easily lounging on his back in the open air beside them, as if the rapid pace they kept was nothing at all.

“Gah! Discord!” Spike tightened his grip on the dragoness. “Don’t do that! You almost made me fall!”

Discord put his hands lazily behind his head. “Given that you have two flying creatures right here I daresay that’s not really a big concern of yours.”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Spike growled. “Where the heck did you go last night? I thought you wanted to journey with us?”

“Journeying with you is one thing, but I see no reason to sleep on the sand when I have a perfectly fine bed at home. Besides, I was somehow getting the feeling you two might want to be alone.” Spike narrowed his eyes. “Call it a hunch.”

“Ugh, that’s it, I’m gonna try to lose this jerk!” Pyralsprite exclaimed. “Hold on, Spike!”

“Oh, you are on, girly!” Discord whirled to face forward, his small body flashing brightly until it came back into view in the form of a third little dragon, with deep brown scales, a pair of impossibly tiny wings the size of Spike’s hands and a body that was somewhere between Spike’s bulky one and Pyralsprite’s serpentine coils. His mismatched horns continued to stick out the top of his pointed head, however. “You’ll lose Spike before you lose me!”

“You’re on, jerkwad!”

“Oh… crap…” Spike gritted his teeth and grasped his claws together around Pyralsprite’s neck moments before they suddenly turned into a fast nosedive straight for the trees. “Aaaaaargh!”

They vanished into the tree line, moving at a breakneck pace through the branches, which whipped and snapped off against their strong scales. Discord was keeping pace easily right beside them, but surprisingly he looked like he was playing fair, ducking and weaving through the branches as he flew alongside the two little dragons. Pyralsprite’s lip curled into a growl and she went even lower, weaving between the thick trunks now.

Several groups of insects buzzed angrily as they passed, whirling into motion behind them far too late to attack their aggressors as Pyralsprite suddenly lurched skyward again. Spike could feel her breath coming in deeper gasps, but she didn’t slow down as they rose once again above the tree line. Discord continued to pace them with a bored yawn, raising his dragon claws to cover his mouth.

Discord looked at his wrist. “Are we finished with this little race? You must realize that you simply can’t evade me.”

Pyralsprite snarled, barely able to breathe through her panting. “Are you trying to convince me to stop because you can’t keep the pace? Is that it?”

“Oh, well, if you’re offering I could use a rest.” Discord suddenly flipped over slowly through the air, landing lightly on Pyralsprite’s back just behind Spike. Spike yelped as they suddenly began to dip, Pyralsprite’s hindquarters leading the charge back toward the ground.

Pyralsprite shrieked. “Aaaahhhhhh! Get off get off get off!”

“Pleeeeaaaaase!” Spike half-sobbed.

“Pfuh, I thought you said you two weren’t babies…” Discord suddenly lifted off of Pyralsprite’s back again, allowing her to whirl around in the air, catching the breeze with her wings to stop their descent, but not their momentum. They streaked forward until her wing clipped the ground, sending them into a fast spin across the hard rocks.

They finally came to a rest in a tangled heap of limbs and coils, groaning and trying to get their heads straight as Discord approached with a disarming smile on his newly draconic face. “You might want to be more careful in the future.”

Pyralsprite grunted. “I hate you… I really hate you…” she took a deep breath. “And I really, really hate you.”

“Ughn… that was a hard landing… what happened to the grass?” Spike stood up slowly, disentangling himself from Pyralsprite as he did. He stumbled to his feet and shook the feeling back into his limbs as he straightened, looking ahead for the first time.

“Whoa…” Spike’s eyes widened as he looked up slowly. The mountain before him reached easily into the clouds… no, not a mountain, a volcano. A very violent, very active volcano. The land around the base of the volcano was scarred by the magma that was, even as he watched, sliding down toward the countryside. In the side of the mountain were more holes than he could count, like a massive anthill where the hill was leaking magma and the ants were gigantic, terrifying, fire breathing dragons that were taking to the sky and landing at their own dens as he looked on. The volcano even scarred the air around it, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky, which were strangely localized right around the cone rather than spreading out across the landscape.

“Welcome home, Spike.” Pyralsprite smiled despite her fatigue and soreness, moving up close to his side. “This is Fire Mountain.”

“Fire Mountain?” Spike asked absently.

“Dragons aren’t known for their imagination,” Discord chimed in helpfully, drawing a warning hiss from Pyralsprite.

“They’re all flying dragons…” Spike blushed. “What about dragons without wings?”

“Don’t worry about it, these are just the external caves. Inside the mountain are all kinds of tunnels and caverns for dragons who can’t easily make it up the side. Not that it matters to you, right? You’re staying with me, after all.”

“Heh, right.” Spike smiled, finding himself unable to look away from the sight before him. It was so terrifyingly beautiful. “It sure is something… I don’t think any pony has ever seen anything like this.”

“For good reason.” Discord stroked the beard that appeared on his chin just to be stroked. “The heat even this close to the mountain could cook a pony alive.”

“Wow! Really?” Spike looked down in surprise. “I didn’t even notice! Is that why you became a dragon? Because you can’t normally stand the heat?”

“Oh, I’d survive, it’s just that fur gets all sweaty and sticky and eeeewe. Besides, a draconequus such as myself walking freely into a dragon den is just begging to have a bad day.”

“Gee, I can’t imagine why dragons wouldn’t like you,” Pyralsprite huffed.

“Hey, come on guys, let’s try to get along here.” Spike smiled brightly and clasped his claws together. “So where is your cave, Pyralsprite?”

“It’s near the bottom, actually. Come on.” Pyralsprite turned to walk down into the bowl-shaped valley, leading her two companions toward the volcano. A tendril of lava snaking its way right past them went completely unnoticed. “Only the oldest and most powerful dragons live up near the cone, the Patriarch actually lives inside of it.”

Spike cocked his head curiously. “The Patriarch?”

“The oldest, most powerful, and most respected dragon in all the dragon lands. If we have someone you can think of as our ruler, he’s definitely the guy.”

Discord pursed his lips. “Funny, last time I remember running into the dragons they had a Matriarch.”

“Matriarch? No, the Patriarch has been in power for as long as I can remember, and as long as any dragon I know can remember.” Pyralsprite shrugged. “I don’t doubt it though. Whoever can prove themselves the strongest dragon is the one who earns the respect of the rest. I can believe there have been other leaders before the current Patriarch. He probably killed whoever they were.”

“You mean the fight to be the leader is a fight to the death?” Spike gulped.

“Well yeah, that’s why nobody challenges the Patriarch unless they’re sure they can win. There would be fights for leadership every other day if it wasn’t to the death.”

Discord cackled. “How efficient and chaotic at the same time. I can appreciate that.”

Spike shook his head unsurely. “I don’t know, Pyralsprite… simply making your leader whoever is the best at killing? Is that really the most important quality in a leader?”

“He earns his position and the respect of the other dragons. It’s because of dragons like him that we survive, and flourish.”

“There’s that word again…” Spike mumbled.

“What was that?” Pyralsprite demanded.

“Nothing, nothing…” Spike shook his head. “I’m sorry, I’m just still trying to wrap my head around all this. It’s so new and different… nopony would ever imagine trying to challenge Princess Celestia for the throne. Everypony wants her there because she’s a good ruler.”

“Well things are no different here, the Patriarch is in power because he’s a good ruler too. Only… y’know, others would want to be ruler if he wouldn’t eat them.”

“Literally?”

“Sometimes.”

“Ewe…” Spike shuddered.

“I’m sure you’ll come to understand as we settle in. Speaking of which, that’s my cave up there.” Pyralsprite led the way up to the base of the volcano, gesturing up towards a smaller cave entrance twenty feet off the ground. The mountain wasn’t too steep to climb this far down, but it would definitely be more convenient for a winged dragon.

“Looks cozy. Won’t you need a bigger one if you get bigger, though?”

“If I need more space I’ll make more space. It’s my cave, as long as I don’t tunnel into someone else’s home I can do what I want with it. Do you want a lift up?” Pyralsprite lowered herself closer to the ground.

“No thanks, I think I can manage. I should be able to get home myself, if I’m gonna live here.” Spike smiled and approached the mountain, pulling himself up onto the first rocks on his way upwards.

Pyralsprite nodded with a wide smile. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She took off from the ground and fluttered up to the cave to wait for him. Discord hovered lazily into the cave past her head as Spike pulled himself up foot by foot until he reached the cave entrance, slamming his claws into the rocks with a grunt to pull himself up the sharp drop-off right outside the entrance.

Spike grunted as he pulled himself over the edge with Pyralsprite’s help. “Thanks, whew… that was a bit steeper than it looked from down there.”

Pyralsprite grinned. “I knew you’d make it anyway! Come on! I can’t wait to show you my hoard!” Spike gasped as he was tugged quickly into the cave. Pyralsprite’s fire flew out into the air ahead of them, small fireballs that cleanly hit several torches lining the walls and lighting the way. “I’m used to having company,” she cut off Spike’s next question. Several more small fireballs shot across the innermost cavern, much larger than the rest. The torches they hit burst into far brighter flames, the golden light shining off of… an empty floor.

“Um…” Spike scratched his head. “Where’s your hoard?”

“What?” Pyralsprite sniffed the air in front of her, then froze. “Discord you jerkface! Did you take my gemstones!?”

Discord clicked his tongue disapprovingly from where he was hovering in the air, lounging on his back. “So quick to suspect me. Why would I ever take your jewels? I have no need of them.”

“Grrrr…” Pyralsprite growled and lurched forward, putting her head to the ground to sniff around the floor. “I can still smell them, they weren’t here that long ago…” she rushed back and forth across the cave like a bloodhound tracking her prey, her nose taking in every inch of the cave until she neared the entrance, sniffing at one particular spot.

Her head shot up from the ground with a growl. “Lemonsnout! I-I can’t believe it! My best friend snuck in while I was gone and stole my hoard! No dragon steals another dragon’s hoard!”

“Hey, calm down!” Spike slipped his arms around her torso in a gentle hug. “Going and yelling at someone isn’t going to help. I’m sure it was some kind of misunderstanding. How long were you gone?”

Pyralsprite was shaking under his grip in barely suppressed rage. “Four weeks, but that has nothing to do with it! This hoard is still mine, and he has no right to it!”

“Then let’s go calmly tell him that, I’m sure we can get this cleared up calmly and efficiently.”

“I hope so, for his sake! Or he’s getting a thorough nostril cleaning! With fire! Get on!” Pyralsprite shoved herself under Spike’s legs, then took off toward the cave entrance while Discord waved them a lazy goodbye from the center of the room. Spike barely had time to throw his arms around her neck to keep himself in place before they shot out the cave entrance into the open air, just barely weaving to one side to avoid a much larger dragon just flapping toward his own cave.

The dragon growled up after them in irritation, but didn’t bother them as they moved partway further up the mountain to another, much larger cave. Pyralsprite landed on the outer edge of the cave, letting Spike climb off of her back before beginning to march inside.

“That jerk is going to get it…”

“Hey!” Spike threw his arms around her to hold her back. “Remember… calm… I’m sure it has to be a misunderstanding.”

“Calm, right… yeah…” Pyralsprite took a deep, cleansing breath, then flared her wings open and screamed into the cave. “Lemonsnout you thieving cheat! Get your sorry tail out here and talk to… me…” Pyralsprite trailed off as the sound of claws crunching into solid stone echoed out towards them.

The two little dragons could only stand and wait as the crunching noises moved toward them. It wasn’t long before brilliant golden scales began to glitter in the sunlight at their backs, covering a dragon easily ten times their size, and as fierce as any Spike had ever seen in his life. Its long snakelike body was very much like Pyralsprite’s own, only far, far bigger, and the giant wings wrapped around the long form only added to its apparent girth.

“Lemonsnout… you’ve changed…” Pyralsprite almost seemed to shrink away a bit.

“Yes, I did.” Lemonsnout sneered and took one more crunching step towards them. “You didn’t change at all though. I guess you wouldn’t. You did run away for a reason.”

Pyralsprite jerked fully upright again. “I did not run away! I went on a journey of self-discovery!”

“And what did you discover, exactly? Did you discover how soft and weak you are?” Lemonsnout cackled.

“Sh-shut up!” Pyralsprite growled. “This isn’t about me! You stole my hoard, I know you did, and I want it back!”

“Like I said, you ran away.” Lemonsnout sneered. “You abandoned it, so it was fair game.”

“I did no such thing! I told you I was leaving for a while, and I told you I’d be back! Give back my gemstones right now!”

Lemonsnout’s claw lifted from the ground and flew right towards Pyralsprite. The dragon girl reared back in alarm, but didn’t have time to dodge as it came down, crashing into the mountain ledge around her, the claws digging almost a solid foot into the solid rock. Spike’s heart leapt in his chest, but he could still see her wiggling under his claw, a sign that she was still alive, at least.

“Or what, Pyralsprite?” Lemonsnout lowered his head toward his claw, peering between the sharp talons with a toothy grin on his lips. “Are you going to tell the Patriarch? Go running to someone who isn’t a spineless pushover to jump in and defend you? Tell someone who actually has some semblance of respect?”

Pyralsprite sniffled from under his claw. “Lemonsnout, stop… we were friends, why are you doing this all of a sudden…?”

“Because I learned what it means to be a dragon.” Lemonsnout shorted smoke under his claw, making Pyralsprite explode into a coughing fit. “I know what I am, and I am proud of what I am. I command respect now. Unlike the sniveling snake that came back from her ‘journey’ just as pathetic as ever. To think I was just like you…”

“Respect?” Spike finally stepped forward, his determination to hold back and let Pyralsprite deal with her friend finally breaking. His claws felt like they would punch holes in his palms, being squeezed into such tight fists. “Don’t you say that word! I have no respect for you whatsoever!”

Lemonsnout’s eyes flared open and his head whirled to face Spike, as if noticing his presence for the first time. His head was larger than Spike’s entire body, but he wouldn’t let himself back down or shrink away.

“Spike… don’t…” Pyralsprite reached for him from under the claw.

“You will respect me.” Lemonsnout moved his head closer to Spike, baring his teeth.

“Not until you do something to earn it!” Spike’s fists trembled in rage. “You’ve mocked and bullied a girl a fraction your size and you want respect for it!? There’s nothing to respect about you!”

Lemonsnout growled deep in his throat, his head moving toward Spike. He could see the flames licking at his lips, a warning sign of aggression. “I have power over you and the snake. Power is respect.”

Spike narrowed his eyes. “Not to me.”

“Then I’ll teach you the error of your ways…” The dragon reared back, then opened its jaws, bringing its head down like a snapping rattlesnake.

“Spike!” Pyralsprite shrieked, but Spike was already taking a deep breath.

The emerald green flame exploded into the air in front of him, flying straight down the far larger dragon’s gullet. The dragon’s snap came to a whipping halt, flying wide of Spike in its desperation to stop the searing flames that were now ripping through its body. It stumbled back away from the two little dragons, freeing Pyralsprite as it stumbled into the side of the mountain with a thunderous crash, furiously coughing and trying to shake its head clear.

It tried to stumble back, but it went too far, one hindclaw slipping off the edge of the cavern’s entrance. The dragon yelped in pain and surprise as it slipped off the edge, yowling as its body rolled down the jagged volcano-side all the way towards the ground, where it landed with a sickening thunk on the solid stone.

Spike ran to the edge of the ledge in fear, but he wasn’t too high up to see the dragon still breathing on the ground. Hurt, but alive. Spike froze when some of the other dragons around the base of the volcano looked down at the unconscious Lemonsnout in surprise, then looked straight up at Spike. He was ready to run if they tried to take revenge, or bring him to justice, but the dragons simply laughed and continued on their way, stepping over the wounded dragon on the ground.

“Nobody’s going to help him?” Spike muttered worriedly. “He could be seriously hurt…”

“S-Spike…” Pyralsprite coughed behind him, finally pulling his gaze away from the fallen dragon and back to her. The dragoness was still coughing up smoke, but she had a look of stunned admiration on her face. “That was… incredible…”

“Incredible?” Spike turned fully toward her. “I could have seriously hurt that guy…”

“He deserved it; he was being a royal jerk.” Pyralsprite stood and approached him, her eyes sparkling red even brighter than usual. “To think we were best friends before I left… I didn’t think he would change so much in such a short time.”

Spike looked down slightly, then approached her to slip his claws around her shoulders. “Come on, you look like you need to get back to your cave and rest.”

Pyralsprite smiled. “It’d be simpler to rest in your cave.”

“My cave? I don’t have a cave.”

“You do now.” Pyralsprite turned toward Lemonsnout’s cave. “I told you, the stronger dragons live higher up the mountain… the stronger dragons are the ones who beat other dragons for their caves. You beat Lemonsnout, fair and square… this cave is yours.”

“I don’t know… it just doesn’t feel right… where will he live?” Spike rubbed the back of his neck.

“He’ll figure something out. Or he’ll leave. Frankly I don’t care which anymore.” Pyralsprite huffed and turned to head inside. “Besides, he stole my hoard first, all you did was take it back… with interest.”

Spike wanted to keep arguing the point, but Pyralsprite really did look like she needed the rest. So he let the issue die and turned to follow her into the much larger cave, where he could smell a large pile of gemstones that made his mouth water.

He wasn’t at all sure that he was liking what he could see of the dragon lands. Dragons fighting with one-another over leadership, beating each other out of their homes, and just walking past their injured companions, as if being hurt and thrown off the mountain was a regular occurrence. It sat wrong with him, but he had promised Pyralsprite that he would try to adapt, and she was right that Lemonsnout had done all of the provocation. Spike was just defending himself, and his girl, and a lot of the gems in this cave had been stolen in the first place.

Yeah, Lemonsnout had been a jerk. He couldn’t judge this place because of one jerk… he had to keep an open mind.

And apparently keep his eyes open.

To Be Continued

Comments

[DragonPony]

That was a great chapter, Spike first day in the schoolyard and he is already saving girls and beating up bullies lol. . Too bad it is clear Spike is not going to understand their mindset. I do want them to to share a moment (Without Discord popping in at the last moment. But it is looking like the next time it might be Twi popping in and breaking them up lol)

[TeddyUrsa]

That's it spike open up a can of magical dragon whoop ass on that asshole save yo girls on move on up in this world

[SpikeSupreme13]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww yeeaaahhhhh, Spike Da Dragon's moving on up in the world,
Having a cave, with a lady, and Munching on some badass gems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Love this chapter to pieces and I cant wait for what happens next!!!!!

[DARKPHANTOM13]

Looks like Spike is moving up in the dragon world even if it doesn't exactly sit right with him. Thankfully he has his girl to make thing better. Though with that kind of thing word tend to spread. Spike might have to get into more fights before Twilight gets even close to the dragon lands. And this brings up the question of Pyra's backstory. Maybe another dragon who can't or won't go through greed growth?

[KARLOS1234IFY]

4054035 >>4054149 4053813 4053662
The dragons remind me of the K row gain from the Mass Effect series.
Fighting for land , dominance , superiority , and females.
They would fall under the category of being a Blood Knight

[panzerbrony]

my one question is since Spike defeated a more powerful dragon would his physical appearance and magical properties evolve or will he stay the same?

[ArchAngelGundam]

Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.

[Lord Olympius]

My money is on that the Matriarch was the leader before Patriarch. And that the Matriarch is Spike's mother and she was the Patriarch's mate, sister, or mother thus giving Spike a dramatic connection to the Big Bad.

[Arachne the weaver]

4128054
Beating the living hell of someone doesn't necessary mean that you're mature. . . except if you're a pokemon

[redmar]

It's a good thing that ponies don't kill each other for leadership. Otherwise they would be ruled by types like King Sombra.