Ch.20 - Your Kind Might Not Be the Best Kind
After writing the letter to let everyone at home know they were safe, Spike hurried up the side of the mountain. Reaching the top, he looked around and took in all the draconic glory around him.
Until one of the larger ones nearest him shot off a stream of flame right over his head, nearly knocking him back down the mountain side.
“Okay, let’s see if there are any other dragons that would be willing to teach me,” he mumbled as he got to his feet again. Looking around, all the dragons he could see around the lip of what was actually a volcano looked as approachable as the first one.
A noise that sounded like cheering drew his attention down into the crater below and Spike saw several other dragons, much smaller than those on the rim, playing a game of some kind. “Alright! That’s more my speed! And size.”
Hurrying down the crater, he found them in a circle, cheering on the two wrestling in the middle of it. “Um, excuse me?” He called out, loud enough to be heard in a momentary lull in the cheering. All the teenage dragons looked around, then down at him. “Hi, I’m Spike,” he continued into the silence. One of the wrestling dragons dropped his opponent.
Then one of the dragons snorted a laugh. “You sure it’s not shrimp!?” That got the other dragons laughing.
“He looks more like a peewee to me!” another dragon said, setting up another round of chuckling.
“Come on guys,” a third dragon said, stepping forward. He looked familiar, with the orange, black, and green scales and two large horns on top of his head. He almost looked… well, he’d tell Midnight about him after she found her own dad. “Seriously, I know we’ve got better things to do than pick on a hatchling.”
“You’re right, Long Spine,” a fourth dragon said, stepping forward, “he might just fly away, if he had any wings!” Again, all the other dragons laughed.
Long Spine rolled his eyes.
“Nah, he’ll just run back to mommy! I bet he still sucks his claw at night!” the first dragon exclaimed.
“No I don’t! I haven’t sucked my claw in months! And I got here all by myself, all the way from Ponyville!” Spike defended, puffing his chest out to try and look tough.
“Ponyville!?” The red dragon burst out, once again laughing along with the rest of them. “That explains it! I knew you were acting vaguely pony-ish!”
“And what’s wrong with ponies, Garble?” Long Spine growled.
“Oh yeah, I forgot how much you like ponies,” Garble sneered, “maybe you and little Spike here can hang out and talk about how much you love them!”
Long Spine leaned in, sneering in return and exposing his own fangs while the spines along his back quivered.
Garble leaned forward as well and the other teen dragons began chanting “fight, fight, fight!” loud enough that several of the adult dragons around the rim looked up in interest.
“Hey, look!” Spike yelled, trying to defuse the situation. “I came here to learn how to be a dragon! Can any of you teach me?”
Garble, Spine, and the others looked down at him.
“Well, that’s more like it,” Garble said, straightening back up. “At least one of you has the right idea.” Spine snorted but Garble pointedly ignored him. “First, you gotta prove you can be a real dragon.”
“Yeah? How?” Spike asked, suddenly not too sure he really wanted to know.
“To start things off, who’s up for a belching contest!?”
All the other teenage dragons roared in approval.
“I hope you know what you’re getting into,” Spine warned.
Spike gulped.
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Midnight chewed her freshly fried squirrel thoughtfully as she wound her way through the trees at the base of the mountain range. In her opinion the place where she and Spike had separated had too many dragons in sight for her to change and she was currently moving through the trees in order to find some place more discrete. Back in Ponyville she’d changed over the Everfree because exposing her true self as pony-sized made her uneasy. Pissing off a dragon as a wyvern might at least make him think twice before picking a fight. Pissing off a dragon like Rainbow did might end in the town burning down. Pissing off one here might end up with a completely innocent town feeling their wrath. No, she’d approach them as a wyvern and leave them as a wyvern. If she found her dad, it might be a different story.
Finally she came to a point where she hadn’t seen any dragons immediately over the cliff edges for a little while. Finishing her food, she bounded into the open and let the blue flames engulf her body, taking off immediately into the sky.
She’d gotten further along than she thought; the only dragons near her were a small cluster removed from the main gathering. Gaining a bit more altitude, she winged back in forth for a minute, indecisive about how to approach and address them without seeming threatening or demanding. Finally, with a snort, she angled towards them in a slow glide and tried to look as casual as one approaching a horde of dragons could be.
As she approached the group, none rose to meet her but they all looked up and growled at her, hunkering down further. Midnight elected to circle once before landing a length away from the nearest one, giving them space and trying to show she was no threat. Despite this, she still received nothing but hostile glares. “Hi,” she said, waving a wing claw at them.
All she got in response was a series of threatening growls. Apparently these dragons were even more hostile than the ones she met before. Great.
“I was just curious if any of you had seen another wyvern around here. Any chance of that?”
Again, she was only growled at. One of the dragons shifted themselves and Midnight caught the glimpse of eggshell between her legs. If she currently had ears they would have gone flat. Looking around she noticed all the other dragons were sitting with splayed legs and that they were all female.
In her attempt to make herself seem as peaceful as possible, she’d landed right next to a whole group of brooding dragon mothers and their nests. She might as well have landed next to a circle of males quarreling over a heap of gems and gold with a loud “howdy!”.
“Okay, I can see I’ve made a mistake,” Midnight said, taking a step back, “and I will rectify that right now by going away.” She took one more step back and was preparing to turn and fly off when a large shadow spread over and around her. Whipping her head around, her eyes became pinpricks as she saw what was descending towards her. ‘Oh, buck me…’ she whined as the largest dragon she’d ever seen landed right behind her, looking down at her curiously and blocking her escape.
She was half again as big as Spike had been full grown but she also had wings so large they put Midnight’s to shame. Her body was a light sky blue and her belly scales and insides of her massive wings were a light purple. The eyes that looked down at Midnight in curiosity were a bright sea green and her head was adorned by two horns, the same color as her belly scales, that first bowed in then out again. For the first time ever in her wyvern form, Midnight felt small.
“Shoal!” one of the brooding mothers snapped, “it’s about time! Do your job and get this thing away from our nests!”
“Easy, Sheen, she hasn’t done anything yet,” the large dragon, Shoal, said with a calming gesture, still looking down at Midnight.
“She got close to the nests!” another hissed. “If you were doing your job she wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near!”
“I have to eat, too,” Shoal said calmly, “AND find food for the lot of you as well AND keep an eye on the young ones. I have several important jobs that all demand my attention, thank you.”
“Then while you’re here do this one!” the first snapped, growling at Midnight again.
“Alright, alright, I’ll take care of it; keep your scales on.” She brought a massive claw up between Midnight and the others. “Come along, you’re not wanted here.”
Midnight only nodded and slunk away, keeping her head low in what she hoped was a sign of submission and respect. Once she was clear of the large dragon’s shadow she took off, hauling herself up and away as quick as she could, only for the shadow to cover her again. Looking up, she found Shoal above her, her large wings easily letting her keep up.
“A quick word, if you please,” she asked, pointing at a nearby mountain, half of which had been flattened into a plateau.
“Okay,” Midnight said with a gulp. If this devolved into a fight now, even just one-on-one, there was no question about who would win. At least this particular dragon was being nice about the whole thing.
“After I land, would you mind making a noise?” she added, and again Midnight nodded, puzzled.
Landing on the flattened area first, she noticed a pile of dead trees at the other end. Above, Shoal tucked her wings in and dropped, one leg landing hard on the pile and the trees breaking sounded just like bones cracking. Taking the hint, Midnight immediately set up a wail. “OH, MAKERS, WHY-HY-HY!? I WAS LEAVING!”
“Good enough,” Shoal said, coming down to rest on all fours, then down onto her belly. “Can’t have them complaining that I just let intruders go with a few words. Now,” she said, kicking some of the broken trees away to make the space more comfortable, “what is a wyvern doing at a dragon migration? I assume you know that dragons and wyverns don’t get along very well.”
At first, Midnight contemplated telling Shoal that she’d gotten lost, which seemed like the easiest and most acceptable excuse to give. However, something about Shoal, be it her manners, the way she held herself, or some other quality Midnight couldn’t identify, made her think that the truth would be the best way to proceed. “No, I mean, yes, I do know,” Midnight said, shifting uncomfortably. “I came because my dad said he’d be here.”
Shoal raised an eyebrow at this. “Rather odd for a wyvern to use a dragon migration as a meeting place. Why didn’t you question that?”
“Because… I was two at the time,” Midnight said, suddenly feeling very dumb, “and he made it sound like that was normal.”
Shoal stared at Midnight and the wyvern shrunk down even further. “Okay…” Shoal said slowly, “let’s say I believe that; why didn’t your mother tell you different?”
Midnight gulped. “Oh, because she’s a pony!” made her feel that would lead to more uncomfortable questions. “I, uh, see I’ve overstayed my welcome, I’ll just stop bothering you,” she said instead, making to crawl the rest of the way down the mountain. She stopped at the grating sound one of Shoal’s claws made as she clenched it, rubbing them across the ground.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said evenly.
“I…” Midnight said, trying to come up with a convincing lie. “I… can’t say,” she finally said, hunkering down flat against the ground.
Shoal eyed her some more, then grinned. “A runaway, eh? Don’t see many wyverns doing that. What clan are you from?”
“The Storm Clan,” Midnight said.
Shoal’s eyes grew wide. “Really? Is Firestorm still Patriarch? What about his son, Windstorm?”
That got Midnight’s attention. “Wait, you know Windstorm? He’s the one I’m looking for!”
“Really?” Shoal rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Without warning she leaned over and studied Midnight more closely, making humming noises to herself. When she finally pulled back, her grin had morphed from one of curiosity to one that reminded Midnight of Summer and the motherly smile she often gave her. “I can understand why Windstorm would come here himself,” she said. “However… I have not seen him in a very long time and he would have received as pleasant a reception as you have.”
Midnight’s head drooped. So, yet again, she was no closer to finding her father.
“Don’t despair dear; you’ll find him,” Shoal said, lifting Midnight’s chin with a claw which surprised the kirin-turned-wyvern. “He was always more adventurous than other wyverns. If he told you he would meet you here, I’m sure he had his reasons. Not sure why he’d tell you when you were only two but again, I’m sure he had a reason. For now I think it would be best, and safest, for you to head back home. I’m sure your mother is worried sick.”
“Maybe not sick, but yeah, I’m sure she’s worried,” Midnight agreed. “I’ll get into the trees and wait until night; I’ll be able to get away unseen then.”
“Very well. Before you leave, though, could I get your name?” Shoal asked.
“Midnight Storm,” Midnight told her.
Shoal nodded. “I wish you luck, Midnight, and hope you find your father soon.”
Midnight nodded back, “Me too,” then she slipped down the side of the mountain and into the trees.
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“Wow, that was a great party,” Spike said from where he laid on the ground.
Nearby, Garble belched. “Great, huh? Maybe by pony standards.”
Long Spine shot him another glare but didn’t say anything. He might be at odds with Garble, but that hadn’t stopped him from gorging on the pile of gems with the others upon Spike being “initiated” into their group, something Spike was still surprised he’d been able to accomplish.
The belching contest had ended in failure when he’d burped up a letter from Princess Celestia. Garble had gotten a hold of it before Spike could and had teased him about being pen pals with a “namby-pamby pony princess” before chucking the letter into a nearby lava pool. Thankfully it had only been a letter and not a package so he could write the princess back later and ask her to send the message again. He was also thankful that Twilight wasn’t there or she would have freaked out at a letter from the princess being treated as such.
The next test was tail wrestling, which was straight forward enough but since he was the smallest one there it was obvious that he’d lose no matter who he fought. Long Spine had taken pity on him and had been the one to challenge him. To Spike’s surprise the larger dragon had given up after a few seconds, saying that Spike’s tail had gripped his so hard that it cramped. He hadn’t thought he’d squeezed that hard. With buoyed confidence, Spike had challenged the only other dragon present close to his size, only for it to be revealed that this dragon’s size had all gone into his tail. He failed this test when his opponent had sent him sailing across the crater.
Third was King of the Hoard, which was a lot like King of the Hill, only the hill was a pile of gem stones. Again, Spine helped by keeping the larger dragons off Spike as they climbed but at the top Spike was able to get under Garble and Clump and trip them up, sending them down to the bottom. His brief reign as king ended when, in his elation at actually getting the better of the older dragons for once, he did a victory dance and slipped on a gem, sending him back down to the bottom.
The fourth and final test had been Lava Cannonball. With his massive bulk, Clump had been the clear winner even before Spike jumped, coating most of the immediate area in lava. At first the height had scared Spike away from the edge but, figuring that at least jumping, even if he didn’t make the biggest splash, would show them all he was still able to at least keep up with them. So, he jumped.
And promptly belly-flopped on impact.
To his surprise the teenage dragons all applauded him, saying there was no way a pony could survive such a thing. Thus a small ceremony was held followed by the gut-busting amount of eating.
“Stick with us, Spike. We’ve still got a lot to teach you about being a dragon,” Garble continued, giving Spike a quick punch in the shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Spike mused. “The way I feel right now, I could stay here forever.”
On Spike’s other side, Long Spine sat up on his elbows. “But don’t you have friends back in Ponyville? I’ll bet they’re waiting for you.” He sounded a little wistful.
Spike looked over at him and remembered what Midnight had said. “I guess so…”
Garble snorted. “Oh, please, enough of the mushy pony feelings already,” he said, getting up. “And I’ve got just the thing; I think Spike’s ready for a real dragon raid!” All the other dragons cheered in approval. “There’s a phoenix nest nearby full of eggs and we’re going to swipe’em!”
Any elation Spike felt over the idea of his first dragon raid evaporated. First, because if Garble meant the phoenix nest he thought he did, then they were going to end up destroying the only meeting spot he and Midnight had agreed on. If she had found her dad by now, then it probably wouldn’t be an issue but she also might not have, which lead to Spike’s second concern. He knew Midnight had a temper and Garble and the other dragons would probably make it flare up easily, which would lead to a fight and a good chance of drawing more attention to them than either he or Midnight would like. Finally, the phoenixes had been kind enough to let them use their nest as a meeting place and stealing their eggs would be the worst kind of insult.
“Aren’t you psyched to go on this raid?” Clump asked when Spike didn’t immediately cheer with the rest of them, shoving him to the ground.
“Yeah, totally,” Spike said as he got up.
“Alright then, let’s fly!” Garble said. He, Clump, and another dragon took off into the sky, which was quickly growing darker.
As they took off, Spike looked behind him and sighed in relief. He had no wings, so he had the perfect excuse not to follow them and not be part of the raid.
“Never seen a dragon so happy not to have wings,” Spine said, standing next to him and looking down with a friendly smirk.
“Aw, well, maybe I need a bit more practice before I head out on a dragon raid; wouldn’t want to mess up or anything.” He laughed nervously.
Long Spine’s smile sank into a frown. “Why do you want to learn how to be a dragon so bad anyway? You said you came from Ponyville; why not just stay and live with the ponies there?”
“Well, I am a dragon after all, and I’ve always wondered where I came from. Wouldn’t you want to know?”
Long Spine rubbed his chin. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense but after seeing how dragons act, you’re telling me you don’t want to go back?”
Spike rubbed the back of his head. “I’m… not really sure. I mean, just because one group acts one way, doesn’t mean they all act like that.” He thought back to how the Pillow Knights differed from the Cutie Mark Crusaders and how both groups differed from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “Just because one group is kinda made up of jerks doesn’t mean the rest are.”
The smile returned to Long Spines face, this time more wistful. “Yeah. You know, you kinda sound like a pony I used to know. She sort of said the same thing, how I was different from other dragons.” He sighed. “I really miss her.”
“She misses you, too,” Spike said, then covered his mouth too late. ‘Aw, crud! I wanted to wait and tell Midnight first!’
Spine arched an eyebrow at him. “What d’ya mean?” he asked.
“Nothing, forget I said anything!” Spike said, flashing Spine what he hoped was a winning smile. It wasn’t.
“Are you saying you know Forest Floor?” Spine asked, stepping closer.
“I-!” Spike started. Spine looked truly happy for the first time that day since Spike had met him that morning. Maybe he really missed Forest as much as she missed him.
Before he could make up his mind to tell Spine about one of the reason he and Midnight had come all this way, he was suddenly scooped up and flown away by Clump.
“Damn it!” Spine snarled, opening his wings and giving chase.
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Midnight gnawed on the wing of a turkey she’d found earlier. She’d found it, nearly tripped over it, actually, while thinking over the talk she had with Shoal. It had left her in what some would call a “brown study”. On the one hoof, the one hope she had of finding her father, the one lead she’d had for so many years, was a dead end. On the other, Shoal had possibly opened up another path and told her more about her own heritage than even her mother or the princesses knew.
Celestia had said that Firestorm was the leader of the Storm Clan last time she’d met them, and Shoal had said that Windstorm, her father, was Firestorm’s son, which meant that Firestorm was her grandfather. She wasn’t just a member of the clan; she was part of its ruling family; if that’s how wyvern clans operated, that was.
If Windstorm wasn’t here at the dragon migration, then she would find the Storm Clan. They would be the only ones who would know exactly where her father was, they had to be. Some, like Vinyl, had said that if he hadn’t come back after all this time, why bother chasing him down? He obviously didn’t want to come back. Maybe that was true and maybe she should forget about him. She had her own family now, a marefriend, and her mother and sister to worry about after all. Every time the thought began to take serious root, however, the few memories she had of her father would pop up. They were all happy ones and she remembered how warm and safe he felt. There was also the fact that wyverns valued family above all else, so she couldn’t believe that he would just leave them like he did without some reason.
Maybe that was why? Had something happened back at wherever the clan had been? If that was the case, was there a chance he was still there? It was as good as a guess as thinking he was here. Better, even, because if he wasn’t there either, at least she’d be able to meet her grandfather. Hopefully, that would give her what she wanted out of this years-long obsession: closure. Even if Celestia and Luna didn’t know where the clan was, surely some other nation of the world knew? Cadance was out among them; maybe she could ask? Maybe they could convince Firestorm himself to come to Equestria, or for Midnight to go to them? It would be faster by train, it would only take her as long to get to where ever they found them as it had to get here.
Mentally, she pulled the brakes on her line of thinking. Yes, that was a reasonable thing to ask the princesses to look into but it would take time and working herself up wouldn’t help thing go any faster. Besides, she still had business here. Since moving around in her wyvern form would draw too much unwanted attention, she would have to try sneaking around the mountains and hope she spotted him. Or, if he had the time, Spike could inquire after him and arrange a meeting.
Finally tiring of the bland taste of bone in her mouth, Midnight spit out the bone and tore into the flame-cooked flesh of the bird, pulling away a nice mouthful of meat. As she chewed and wondered if a small camp fire would draw unwanted attention, several shadows crossed over her. Looking up into the evening sky, she saw four small dragons, well, relatively small, they were still bigger than her, fly by overhead and land a little ways away from the phoenix nest.
That was odd; what would they want down here and why so close to the nest?
Covering her catch with some branches, she slipped silently closer to the nest. As she got closer she could hear voices and one sounded like Spike’s. When she finally reached the nest, she stuck her head carefully around a bush and was amazed to see Spike not only taunting the two magical birds, but throw a rock up into the nest. There was an audible *thonk* and both phoenixes popped up out of the nest, looking exceptionally pissed off. Before Midnight could jump out and intercede, both birds dived down at Spike and chased him off into the woods.
‘What the TARTARUS was he THINKING!?’ Midnight wondered, watching them go. She’d chase after them, but only after the phoenixes chased him for a little longer. She didn’t know why he’d done what he did but facing the consequences for his actions would be a good teacher. She was about to turn back and finish her meal when three of the dragons she’d seen before flew out of the bushes and approached the nest.
The one on the middle, the leader, if she had to guess, chuckled at first, then let out a confused sound.
“What the…?”
“The eggs have hatched,” the skinnier one said.
“What do we do now?” the fatter one asked.
The leader smirked. “We take the hatchlings, of course!”
The phoenix chicks, which had been silent before, chirped in fright. Before the dragon leader could grab one, something from behind hit him in the back of the head.
“So this is how big, bad dragons spend their free time? Kidnapping defenseless babies? No wonder wyverns don’t like you.”
Garble whipped his head around and found another smaller black dragon, or was it a pony, hovering behind them. “Who the heck are you?”
“The one who’s going to kick your scaly butts back to mommy if you don’t leave those chicks alone,” she growled.
Garble snorted. “I’d like to see you try,” he growled back, him and the other two closing in on her.
Midnight opened her mouth and let out a torrent of blue fire right into their faces. It didn’t hurt them, but it did blind them enough that Garble didn’t see the two rear hooves coming until they connected with his face. Flying back, he slammed into the tree and hit the nest, crushing part of it and making the rest begin to come apart. Midnight wormed her way past the other two dragons, kicked Garble away from the nest, then lowered a wing to the chicks still inside. “You don’t want to stay here,” Midnight told them. Having seen her fight the dragons to protect them, the chicks quickly hopped on and Midnight took off in the general direction the parents had gone.
Garble snarled as the other two helped him get back into the air, watching the dragon-pony-thing fly off with the chicks that were supposed to be theirs. “Get ‘em!” he roared, launching off the nest and, followed by the other two, gave chase.
Unseen in all the fracas, one last unhatched egg fell out of the crumbling nest.
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It wasn’t the fastest Spike had ever ran, but he was booking it pretty good. Even so, both phoenixes were right on his tail, beaks snapping angrily. “Is it… too late… to say… I’m really sorry!?” Spike huffed.
In his effort to placate the fiery birds, he took his eyes off the dark path and tripped over a rock, hitting the dirt hard but allowing the phoenixes to shoot by overhead. That didn’t distract them for long and they quickly came arrowing back for him. Ducking his head back down into the dirt, Spike waited for the inevitable pecking. It never came. Instead, a heavy pair of thumps came from either side of him.
“I know he threw a rock at you,” Long Spine called out to the phoenixes, “but he was a distraction so three other dragons could get to your nest and steal your eggs.”
The phoenix parents stopped a few feet away, hovering as Spine quickly got their attention.
“If you hurry back you can still get your eggs away before they take off with them,” he insisted.
Both phoenixes looked at each other, considering, when they all heard a series of loud, frantic chirping. The phoenixes squawked and shot off in the direction of the chirping.
“Well,” Spine said as he watched the phoenixes fly off, “you got lucky. I know you’re trying to learn how to be a dragon, but you should have known better than that. Didn’t the ponies who raised you teach you better?”
“Yeah,” Spike said, pulling himself up. “I guess I was just trying to get it over with so we could all go back and I could slip away once the others were asleep. I’ve had enough of trying to be a “real” dragon; I’ll stick with being the pony kind.” He smirked. “I know Midnight will be happy to hear that.”
“Who’s Midnight?” Spine asked.
“Somepony very important that I want you to meet,” Spike said, beginning to walk back the way he’d come. “Hopefully we can catch her back at the nest… if there’s anything left of it for her to find, that is.”
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Midnight shot through another pair of short trees, making the dragons in hot pursuit lose ground again by going around and over them. She was keeping the distance, for now, but she wasn’t a marathon flyer and she didn’t want to fly too far away and risk losing the phoenix parents. Speaking of which, she hoped the two of them weren’t punishing Spike too much. They should be coming back to check on their chicks any time now.
As she weaved through another pair of trees and looking back to see how close the dragons were, she miscalculated the trees beyond them in the dark and nearly bowled right into one. Snapping her wings out like air brakes just in time, she hit the tree with her hooves and pushed off, getting back on track. The chicks chirped loudly and Midnight felt hot breath on her tail. Another quick look back showed the lead dragon almost on top of her, the few seconds she had to slow down were enough to let him get close. Midnight put on a burst of speed and began to whip her tail back and forth, hoping the blade at the end would make him think twice.
Just then two fire balls burst out of the trees and shot between the dragons and Midnight, making the dragons fall back again. Both adult phoenixes got into formation with the kirin. “Take them!” She said, meaning the chicks, “I’ll hold them off!” They nodded, and the chicks hopped over to their mother’s back. Once they were off, Midnight flared her wings again, letting the phoenixes shoot by. Her plan was to let the dragons run into her, giving the phoenixes enough time to escape. As it turned out, dragons were much sturdier than she realized and they just plowed right through her.
“Get the birds!” the leader yelled as they knocked her aside.
Falling into a bush, Midnight groaned as she pulled herself up. Getting hit by the dragons was like getting hit by that bolder all over again. As she got out of the bush, there was a bright light and the sound of three heavy objects hitting a tree. “Serves them right,” she muttered as she trotted back to the nest. Hopefully Spike would be back there by now.
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Spike and Spine looked up at the ruined nest and a hole began to form in Spike’s stomach. The phoenixes hadn’t been doing anything to anyone, and he’d helped Garble and his cronies ruin everything for the rare birds. “I hope they got away,” Spike said.
“Me too,” Spine agreed, looking around. “Are you sure this Midnight is half dragon, half pony? I really don’t think such a thing can exist.”
“Believe it, buddy,” a gruff feminine voice called out from behind them. Out of the darkness came… Spine had to rub his eyes… came a black creature that had the body parts of both a dragon and a pony. “And I’m part wyvern, not dragon.” As she came up to them, she looked down at Spike. “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Spike said sheepishly. “I also think I’m ready to head back home.”
“Yeah, me too,” Midnight agreed.
“I guess that means you didn’t find your dad?” Spike asked softly.
“We’ll talk about that later,” Midnight told him, then looked back up at Spine. “Your buddies are stuck in the trees back there. While you go get them we’ll get out of here, unless you’ve got a problem with that?”
“They’re not my buddies,” Spine said before Spike could say anything. In fact, something had just caught the younger dragon’s eye. “And as for you leaving, I want to come with you.”
Midnight arched an eyebrow. “Why? And why should we let you?”
“Spike said he knows someone back in Equestria, someone I’ve wanted to see again for a long time. At the end of this migration myself and all of my year-mates are going to be considered adult dragons and be sent off on our own. I was going to look for her then but to heck with it; it’s not like they’ll really care if I leave a month or two early.”
Midnight looked at the dragon more closely. The bright orange color was familiar, as was the black belly scales, and those two large horns on the top of his head reminded her of…
Before all the evidence solidified in her mind, Spike let out an exclamation. “Hey, I found something!”
Both Midnight and Spine looked over to see the younger dragon holding and intact yellow and orange egg with not a blemish on it. “Looks like there was an egg left,” Spine said, moving over to examine it.
At that moment, Garble and his two lackeys landed nearby. “Damn it, I hate it when they get away!” Then he noticed Spike and what he was holding. “Hold it! You stole an egg!?”
“Well, I, uh…” Spike sputtered.
“He didn’t steal it Garble, he found it,” Spine said, “and he’s giving it back to the parents.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever Mr. Pony-lover,” Garble said, “come on Spike, smash and prove you’re a real dragon!”
Midnight growled loudly, baring her fangs and whipping her tail. Without needing to protect phoenix chicks, she was free to actually fight the teens.
Garble only snorted at the display. “And after you smash it, we can show her what happens when you mess with dragons.”
The two lackeys laughed and began to chant “Smash it!” Spike looked from Garble, who was smiling expectantly and dangerously, Spine who shook his head, and to Midnight, who was still crouched and growling. At first, he actually considered doing it, just to shut Garble up so they could try and leave without a fight. Then he realized that by doing so, he’d be no better than Garble, a dragon that reminded him of a smaller version of his greed growth self, something he still looked back on with shame.
“NO!” he finally shouted. “It’s just a defenseless egg, even more so than those chicks you chased after, and I’m not going to let you hurt it!”
Garble growled. “What did you say?”
“He said “no” Garble,” Long Spine said, getting between Spike and them. “And I’m not letting you harm it either.”
“Like you can take all of us on yourself,” Garble snorted.
“He won’t have to,” Midnight growled, jumping next to Spine. “And trust me, I’m no push over.” Blue fire began to burn at her hooves as the two groups growled at each other.
Spike was wondering just how far he’d have to run again to avoid Midnight stepping on him when a loud crash came from behind him and what felt like an earthquake trembled through the ground. Everyone present stopped and looked back towards Spike.
And then up.
And UP.
Towering over them, high enough that she would have blotted out the moon had she been standing a little more to the right, was the unmistakable form of Shoal, looking down on them all with an unreadable expression.
The three opposing teens and Spine gulped. Spike looked ready to faint. Midnight wilted and her fire went out. Shoal had been imposing enough when Midnight had been a wyvern. Back down in her normal kirin self, it was like looking at a living mountain.
“And what are you all doing out here?” She asked in a surprisingly motherly tone. “the migration isn’t over yet.”
“W-W-We were j-j-just on a raid,” Garble stammered out.
“Oh?” Shoal’s gaze fell on Spike. “And what is a hatchling doing out here with you? Taking a hatching out from under his mother’s wing is an even more serious offense.”
“We didn’t!” Garble argued.
“Oh?”
Midnight gulped. They were both already planning to leave and if Shoal brought him back to the nesting mother dragons, getting him back would be almost impossible.
“Ma’am!” she finally called out, getting the great dragon’s attention. “He’s with me! We both came from Equestria! His family is back there!”
Shoal stared down at her for a few seconds, then lowered her great bulk down so that her massive head could come even with the ground to see her better. Midnight stiffened as the enormous eye examined her. She could feel the heat of Shoal’s breath and it was impossible to ignore the one-story-tall fangs.
“I see,” she finally said, “but he did come on the migration.”
“He was curious about dragons, since ponies don’t know much about them,” Midnight explained. “He understands a lot better now and his family would be worried if he doesn’t get home soon.”
Shoal seemed to consider that. “I suppose if he has no family here, then he may go back with you, if Equestria is indeed where you’re heading to from here.”
“Yes ma’am,” Midnight assured her.
“That’s settled then.”
“Hey!” They all looked over at Garble, who’d found some of his bravado again. “Why does Spike get to wander off with… whatever that is?” he asked, motioning at Midnight.
“Because he doesn’t belong here,” she said, then looked down at the youngest dragon present, “in a good way.” She looked back up at Garble. “You do, however, so get back up to the volcano where you belong, or I’ll tell your mother how you not only got caught on a raid, but also how you failed to get anything from it. She might decide you need to stay with her until the next migration.”
Garble and the other two were immediately in the air. “Yes ma’am! We were never here!” With that they were off like a shot back to the volcano. Shoal chuckled, then looked down at Spine. “That goes for you too, Spine.”
“With all due respect, I’d like to accompany Spike back to Equestria,” Spine said as respectfully as he could.
“Oh? And why’s that?” Shoal asked, genuinely curious.
“I… Spike still has a lot to learn about being a dragon and it’s clear that here isn’t the best place for him to learn. If I go back with him, I can teach him and the ponies about us.”
“An interesting proposition,” Shoal mused, rubbing her chin. “You do know that if I catch you, I can’t just let you go again; that’s part of the trial of adulthood.”
“Yes,” Spine said, hanging his head in defeat.
“Are you sure you caught us?” Midnight blurted out.
They all looked at her. “Excuse me?” Shoal asked.
Midnight gulped again but continued. “Are you sure you caught us? It’s late and you might be so tired that you thought you saw six of us out here but really only saw the three. I know I don’t see things clearly when I’m tired.” She really hoped she wasn’t crossing a line. If this Spine was the Spine they’d been searching for, then Midnight couldn’t leave without him either, and they couldn’t wait around for the migration to be over.
Shoal continued to look her over for another minute, enough time for Midnight to really start sweating. “I came out of a century-long nap before the migration started, so I doubt I’m that tired,” she said, making Midnight’s stomach drop. Then her lips broke out in a wide grin. “That said, stranger things have happened and those infernal nesting mothers are running me ragged, so I suppose I’m liable to miss a thing or two. I can’t very well give permission if I didn’t see anything.”
She bent close to Midnight again, examining her.
“Uh, thank you,” Midnight said, uncomfortable at the newest inspection. It was like she was trying to examine her very being.
“For what?” Shoal asked, finally pulling up and away.
Midnight made to respond, then stopped when she followed. Nodding at Shoal, she motioned for the other two to follow her deeper into the trees.
Shoal watched them as long as she could. Once they were out of sight, she let out a pleased snort. “So interesting, Windstorm. Then again, you were the most interesting of them all.” The smile was quickly replaced by a frown. “Where are you, little Windy?”
-----------------------------
“You’re kidding,” Spine said, flopping onto a rock in disbelief.
They were a good ways away from the migration now, there being no more dragons flying over head they could fly straight out. While in the air, Midnight had confirmed that this Spine was indeed the Long Spine they’d been looking for and she’d explained everything to him. Forest’s pregnancy, Ember, their moving to Hallow Shades, her finding them, their moving to Ponyville, everything.
“No I’m not,” Midnight said with a yawn. Even with the nap she’d taken earlier that day, she was tired all over again, mentally and physically, and the thought that they were going home at least partially successful made her content enough to just nod off right here. “And I’m living proof of it. How else can you explain what I am?”
Spine nodded slowly. “So, she’s not angry, that I wasn’t there?”
“Not at all,” Midnight said. She looked over at where Spike had waddled off to and saw he was already asleep, the phoenix egg held tightly to his chest. With the need to get out of there right then, there wasn’t any time to try and find the phoenix family and return it. Oh well, Ponyville would just have to have another odd resident. Like they weren’t used to it by now. “How could she blame you when neither of you expected it and you were already gone? And how was she going to find you to tell you?” She shook her head. “Trust me, when she sees you, she’ll be the farthest thing from mad and Ember will be over the moon.”
“Ember…” Spine said, then snorted a laugh. “Oh Forest…”
“Something wrong?” Midnight asked, settling into her own place to sleep.
“No, it’s just that the dragon lord’s daughter is also named that. Officially, that means no other dragon can be named Ember. His decree.”
“That’s stupid,” Midnight mumbled. “And any way, she’s a kirin, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Spike told me the real reason you came,” Spine said, “I’m sorry you didn’t find your own father.”
Midnight waved a wing. “Found new lead. Forget it now. Talk in morning.”
Spine nodded and said no more, allowing the kirin to fall into the first real deep sleep she’d had in a week.
He found it difficult to let sleep take him. He was going to see Forest again, he was a father! Midnight had described Ember for him but he couldn’t wait to see her for himself. Midnight had said it had taken them about five days to get here the way they traveled. Going back, the way they wanted to travel, would take about two, maybe three if they hit bad weather. Spine smiled. They’d be the two longest days of his life.
-----------------------------
It did indeed take them two days of near constant flying to get back to Ponyville. Fully rested and able to use thermals again, it was no problem for Midnight and it was made even easier by her and Spine sharing Spike between them. They even flew over the ocean for a little bit in an effort to make as straight a line possible to home. They came back over land in sight of Manehattan, Midnight’s eyes lingering for only a little bit on her home town before turning her eyes back South-West to her new home. Her real one, and every pony there that made it so.
No pony stopped them or even came close as they flew by. Maybe that was because they were too high, soaring above the clouds, or maybe it was because they looked like a couple of dragons and everyone was afraid to come near them. That was alright; the less they were interrupted, the sooner they would get home.
Midnight found it kind of odd that Spine hadn’t said anything about her wyvern heritage but then she never had a problem with him being a dragon. From what she understood, dragons thought that wyverns were snobbish pansies that needed others to get by while wyverns thought dragons were selfish brutes that cared only for themselves. Spine and Shoal were prefect examples why such generalization was wrong and, in Midnight’s opinion, that was a good thing and were prefect examples for Spike to follow.
The sun was getting low on the second day when they finally saw Ponyville, the familiar sights of town hall and the fields of Sweet Apple Acres filling Midnight’s tired wings with enough energy that she felt she could have kept going around the world for it. They’d come in a bit too much to the East and would have to skirt around the edge of the Everfree but that was fine by Midnight; they would come in right over her house and surprise everyone. Despite what they said, with Spine in toe, both she and Spike agreed surprising everypony with their return would be worth any rebuke.
When her home came into view, Midnight had Spike hop over to Spine and she rushed ahead. Clearing the cliff behind her house, she saw Sapphire lugging a couple bundles of wood from their supply room cut into the cliff face and her heart soared. She had missed her so much. Her and Squeaks and Windrunner and Honey and everypony else. With that happiness also came a small bit of mischief and she suddenly wanted to give Sapphire the happiest shock of her life. As quietly as she could, she dove down and landed a little bit behind Sapphire. The pegasus dropped one of the bundles as Midnight landed, perfectly covering the kirin’s landing.
“Darn it! I don’t know how Midnight carries so many at one time,” she grumped as she bent down to gather it up again.
“It helps to have wing claws and a bigger back,” Midnight said, stifling a giggle.
The other bundle dropped as Sapphire froze, then stared up at the kirin, eyes wide.
“Missed me?” Midnight asked.
Sapphire just stared at her for another few seconds, then Midnight found herself being half strangled as Sapphire did her best to wrap every bit of herself around her and cover her face and muzzle with kisses. Makers help them, she really was like her mother.
“More than you know!” Sapphire between kisses. “We just got Spike’s letter two days ago! We didn’t expect you back for another two weeks!”
“It’s a story,” Midnight said, finally getting Sapphire to sit down with her properly and share a long, deep kiss. “I’ve missed you just as much, if not more. I can’t wait to see everypony again.”
“They won’t be able to wait to see you both either.” Then she noticed the lack of green and purple in their midst. “Where’s Spike? He didn’t stay behind, did he?”
Midnight shook her head. “No, he’s with our newest resident.” She looked up and Sapphire followed to see another draconic form descending towards them, Spike waving from his back.
“Is that…?”
“Yep, we found one dad at least.” Midnight kissed her again to keep her from asking any more questions about fathers. “We need to let everyone know.”
“Right.”
“Sapphire, do you need help?” Honey called as the side door swung open. “I told you it wasn’t-” she stopped short at seeing Midnight out in the yard. “Squeaky!” she called, immediately disappearing back into the house.
Like an orange and cream lightning bolt Squeaks shot out of the house not a minute later and impacted Midnight hard enough to almost knock the wind out of her. “Mommy!”
“Oof! I’ve missed you too, baby girl!” Midnight said, picking her up and giving her the biggest, tightest hug she could as well as several kisses. Sapphire hugged them both.
Windrunner and Honey quickly followed the young thestrals out and after greeting her as well, ran and flew off to tell everypony else. Spine and Spike had landed and were standing off by the shed while the kirin and her family stayed wrapped in each other’s hooves and wings. For a moment Midnight contemplated waiting for everyone inside but figured it would get cramped soon enough and if she knew Pinkie, she’d have a “welcome home” party ready to go as soon as they got back. It would be easier to have it in the yard.
While Windrunner shot off into town, Honey ran across the road to Forest’s and Ember’s home first. Ember shot out the door on Honey’s heels while Forest came out at a more reserved but still clearly anxious pace.
“Midnight!” Ember asked as she skidded to a halt next to the older kirin. “Did you find him!?”
Midnight smiled and nodded towards Spine. “You and your mother tell me.”
Ember looked over at the dragon and made her way over at the same pace as her mother, clearly not sure how to approach him.
Spine clearly didn’t know what to do either. His gaze kept switching from his daughter to Forest and back again. Ember was the first to reach him so he finally settled on her.
“Hello, Ember. Midnight’s told me a lot about you.”
Ember nodded. “Hi, are you my dad?”
“Well…” he trailed off as Forest approached. “Forest.”
“Spine.”
“It’s been… a while.”
“Yes.” Forest reached out and gently laid a hoof on Spine’s hip. “You’re really here.”
“I am.” The hoof was joined by another and then Forest had her forelegs around him. Spine bent down and embraced her as well. Both had tears in their eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” Forest said, choking back a sob. “Spine, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Midnight and Spike told me. So I’m really…?”
“Yes,” Forest confirmed, then turned to Ember. “Ember, sweetie, this is your father, Long Spine. Long Spine, this is your daughter, Ember.”
“He’s really my dad?” Ember asked, looking up at them both eagerly.
“Yes,” Spine said, “I am.”
Ember squealed and hopped up, hugging both her parents for the first time.
Still over by the shed, Spike sniffled.
“Spike? Why are you crying?” Midnight asked.
“I don’t know!” he cried, pulling a tissue out of his travel bag and blowing.
Midnight rolled her eyes and went back to covering the two most important ponies in her life with her large wings, keeping them as close to her as she possibly could.
It was so good to be home.
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I thank you for the writing of this. I've enjoyed a lot of this series, and the first one especially. As i've kept reading, its just, stopped holding a place in interest. The start of this sequel is still solid, still enjoyable, but it just devolves for me as it goes on sadly.
I wish you the best in finishing, but this is where i get off.
It liveeeeeeees!
Yay! New chapter.
This is really sweet. While one father was not found, another was. Really wasn't expecting that, but a nice surprise.
Very well done as always! Glad to see Ember get to meet her dad!
He does not... at least this time there is one nice dragon around
'
Probably... and you might have another half sister on his side, we'll see
9196994
9197012
I only promise to try
Nice to see some dragons represented in a good fashion. This way Spike doesn't think his entire species is full of jerks.
Also, really liked the inclusion of Shoal. Great chapter for those scenes.
Belching contest! Buck yeah!
Good chapter, here's a candy corn
Welp, next chapter something bad's going to happen. Maybe someone dies. I hope it's one of the foals. No one ever kills off the foals.
9197235
I thought you liked the chapter!? Why would you give me the most disgusting candy ever made if you liked it!?
9197303
Everyone. Everyone dies and that's how Equestria was unmade
9197418
But I love candy corn
9197419
Don't tease a good time and not deliver it :P
9197420
Then you can have all of it, including all my share
9197706
OK then here are some smarties
Cutest orange and cream colored lightning bolt ever!
Also I really wish you hadn't reminded me of Spike's belly flop Ink. That stings like
just thinking about. *flops onto the floor and winces* Ow, I think I landed on my crossbow.
Dude this story has had me absolutely hooked for the last two years. I love your work and I always look forward to the next chapter. Every time you release a new one I can't help but drop literally everything to read it twice. Thank you so much for writing such an amazing and beautiful tale. The characters, the pacing, everything just feels so RIGHT to me. Easily top 3 favorite series on the site for me.
Oh also please tell midnight im a HUGE fan! and that to never stop nibbling on sapphires ears! (mostly because it drives her crazy and you know it, also very entertaining for us readers here)
9197714
Better
9197866
Thank you; it's fans like you that keep me wanting to write this story, even when I have possibly the most stressful year of my life.
Now that you seem to be back in the groove and don't need me harping on you, there's a certain pair of ears that need nomming
9196821
I can understand that. I've read a few stories myself where I start off hooked and then eventually I just go "why did I like this again?"
I'm glad you enjoyed the ride for as long as you did. Maybe next time, if there is one, I can keep your interest all the way through.
Too bad we missed to see Rarity's hissy fit over Garble and the gangs. I'm sure Midnight would tease Rarity about that for months to come.
img00.deviantart.net/e96b/i/2012/080/c/c/the_namby_pamby_princess_by_niban_destikim-d4tg406.jpg
two chapter that are perfect.
exultant righting .
Great chapters. Glad to be seeing more.
9200921
I'm sensing that you're a little upset Shiro. But you're caught up now so that's good. That and it would be nice if that didn't happen again wouldn't it?
Dash is curious how dragons and ponies have foals together. Spine and Forest demonstrate.
Because randomly perverted Dash.
Ponyville is going to become a veritable multicultural hub if the new and varied immigrants keep dropping in to stay.
9203654
Quick! To the Moth Cave!
9209506
They're on to us!
9210267
So with two kirin, two dragons, a few families of thestrals, at least one hippogryph, I think Ponyville is just about ready for its own Butcher's shop. Or a restaurant with meat dishes.
9222335
Ok I just wanted to say something because of the A.N. that said something about a episode eventually proving you (and therefore all other fics wrong) cause the show said otherwise
All caught up and waiting for more.
9228935
I think that is a sound observation.
Spirit was my favorite movie growing up and still remains one of them to this day
9210267
only one man can face this peril!
Thank you for making this. More please? :)
to the author - What...you updated this story & i'm reading it three months later!
at least night knows that she apart of a 'ruling family' of dragons along with ember finally meeting her dad long spine & forest got her husband back.
midnight's gonna need a bigger house or build a freaking hotel for wayward lost creatures & families! discord would cause chaos there like episode with cadence & twilight. wait a second...is discord already free from stone in your universe?
also like didn't include rarity telling those idiots off was a great scene in show although wasn't needed here & the mane 5 jumping to spike's rescue!
love the addition of Shoal she put garble and co. in their place & a cool dragon hope we see her again in the future.
hey! ya don't need to explain yourself (the blog you posted up how many weeks ago explained it perfectly) you're not a robot.
remember i'm here for you and listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkrk3lFVuQE
9330630
Midnight's already added an expansion to her house back at the beginning of the season. Originally Ember and her mom was suppose to move in, but Ember would have stayed in the same room as Squeaks and Forest would have moved into Sapphire's old room, so there's still three unused bedrooms on the second floor of Midnight's house.
No, Discord isn't free in this AU (yet) but Midnight is going to have her hooves full with another chaos being eventually
Glad you like Shoal, she may come back
Thank you for the support and I appreciate the song
9331016
i'm replying nine hours later...hope you don't mind;)
thanks for the explanations. i'm glad to know Shoal will make a reappearance, yay!
no problem man. i always know and find really great songs from musicals or otherwise!
So when is the next update thought i would ask because you said in a blog that you wanted it done before the new year ?
Spike has feelings! Of course they're gonna run rampant without reason except for Ember and Long Spine's reunion.
Why didn't they let the Princess know about this excursion, I wonder
Also cue the solar nuke from orbit on the little red stain
Don't go outside for a bit, you're too young for that
We're not doing that out here
Maybe later
The author's notes raise suspicions