Trial by Kinship

by Metool Bard

The Rescue of Reconciliation

The alarm bell echoed throughout the caverns as Diamond Dogs, Rock Lobsters, and oxen scrambled every which way. Some were trying to find the intruders; others were evacuating because of the fire Pepito mentioned. This caused even more confusion, as no one had their story straight.

"That alarm is meant for intruders!" one ox said to a Rock Lobster. "We must find them quickly!"

"But Señor Pepito said that there was a fire!" the Rock Lobster argued. "We have to get to the tatzulwurms and escape while we still can!"

"Look around you, man! There's no fire here!"

"But Señor Pepito wouldn't lie about—"

"Screw Pepito! Are you going to believe him over your own—"

The argument was cut short by an explosion bursting through the wall. A small amber flame flew past both the guards.

"See, I told you there was a fire!" the Rock Lobster yelled, pointing frantically at the flame.

The ox snorted. "That doesn't mean anything! It could just be the intruders distracting us!"

"Hey, fellas!"

The guards spun around towards the wall, only to be met with two apple pies smacking them square in the face. As the dust settled, Braeburn and Big Macintosh trotted out of the hole. They were followed by the antlion and the rest of the posse.

"I still can't believe this plan is working so well," said Flint.

"Well, of course it is," said Trigger. "Thanks to our hungry friend here, no one has been giving us any trouble. Isn't that right, boy?"

The antlion rasped in responce as it grabbed the discarded apple pies with its mandibles.

"Alright, it can't be much farther now," said Spike, turning to Ocard. "Which way?"

Ocard's eyes closed for a second. "I feel my symbiotic partner's presence to the west of us," it said. Its flame then flickered. "Odd. I sense her presence getting, closer."

Toro chuckled. "That sounds like Señorita Needles alright. I knew she wouldn't take this lying down. She must've found a way to escape herself."

"Well, what're we waiting for?" said Steel, preparing his bow. "Let's go meet her and get the rest of those dragons free!"

"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh concurred.

Ocard flew deeper in the cavern with everyone else following its light. The antlion used its mighty mandibles to bore through the narrower passageways, and Toro assisted it with his own paws. Any opposition was quickly dispatched by the antlion's petrifying breath, Flint's claws, Toro's brute strength, or Braeburn's apple pies. It wasn't long before Ocard's flaming body began burning brighter and brighter. The sound of clambering hooves could also be heard just barely over the alarm bells.

"She's here!" Ocard exclaimed. "This way, hurry!"

Ocard darted out into the cavern faster than before, making it difficult for the posse to keep up. In its excitement, it didn't look where it was going and rammed into something.

"Needles!"

A concerned voice rang out as Ocard recovered its senses. When its vision came into focus, it found itself staring right at Needles, who has also just recovered. Both of them yelped and jumped back in shock.

"Wh-what the heck are you doin' here?!" Needles yelled.

Ocard blinked. "If I may answer a question with a question, why are you so surprised by this?" it inquired. "We are connected, you and I. Of course I would be drawn to you."

Needles massaged her temples. "In case you forgot, I have no idea who or what you are. Now unless you have some good news for me, I'd better be on my—"

"Hey, I think I can see Little Strongheart up ahead! Let's get movin', fellas! Yee-haw~!"

Needles looked up, and Little Strongheart stopped in her tracks and turned around. Sure enough, the entire posse had arrived. Needles's jaw dropped.

"I-I don't get it," she said. "H-how'd you get here so fast?"

"We dug our way here," answered Toro, dusting off his paws.

"But what about those hounds guardin' the underground tunnels?"

Trigger smirked. "It turns out it was in our best interest to help your antlion friend after all."

"Well, whatever the case, we're just glad you're here," said Little Strongheart. "These dragons have gone through enough suffering. Needles, we should go back and—"

"Whoa, whoa. Hang on. I'm tryin' to figure this out," said Needles, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So, you guys ended up savin' that critter, and it helped you get here?"

"It was all my idea, my dear Needles," said Trigger with a bow.

Needles's eyes went wide. "Your idea? You really thought this thing would help you after I accidentally summoned that fire dragon and hurt it?"

Tiny pink flames appeared on Ocard's cheeks. "Oh dear. I thought I had a harrowing nightmare just before I awoke."

Needles did a double take. "Wait, you were the giant fire dragon?!"

Ocard sighed. "I am still baffled that it took this long for you to summon me; more so that you don't know anything about who or what I'm supposed to be."

Little Strongheart furrowed her brow. "Needles, I think that's your fire elemental. Nova told me that all Dragon Magi are given one at birth so that they don't stray from their noble path."

Needles paused before glaring at Ocard. "Well, you certainly did a bang-up job of that, didn't ya? Thanks to your stupid advice, I managed to get captured!"

"I simply told you to focus on what was most important to you," Ocard countered. "I'm not omniscient."

"That makes two of us," Needles growled. "And why didn't you ever come out before when I needed ya, huh?"

"Is it my fault that you didn't know how to summon me?"

"W-well, no. I guess not. B-but why did you have to fly off the handle when I did summon ya?"

"The only reason for me to lose control of my flame is for you to lose control of your emotions."

"Oh, so it's my fault then?"

"Perhaps. Or maybe the fault is my own. Or it could be both of our faults. Or neither."

Needles folded her arms. "Okay, now you're not makin' any sense."

"The point I'm trying to make is that what's done is done, young mage. At this point, does it really matter who did what?"

"It matters to me," Needles snapped. "'Cause I still feel bad for what I did. Or, what you did. Or somethin', I don't know anymore."

Trigger frowned and walked up to Needles. "Needles, we cared for this creature and nursed it back to health. That's all the reason it needed to help us. You shouldn't fret over such things when they don't matter. Especially since we should really get going."

Needles blinked at Trigger. "H-huh? Trigger, I— What's gotten into you?"

"We can discuss that later," said Trigger, holding out Needles's parasol. "For now, you dropped this."

Needles stared blankly at the parasol, unable to process what was happening. Finally, she reached out and grabbed it.

"Thanks, Trigger," she said with a smile. "I owe you one."

"Like a kiss? Ehheh... Eh— ow!"

Needles rapped Trigger on the head with her parasol. "Don't push your luck," she scolded. "Now c'mon, we'd better get movin' before—"

"Hey, there they are!"

Needles was interrupted by guards swarming in from all sides. She groaned and palmed her face.

"Don't worry, Ms. Needles! We can handle these jokers!" said Steel, setting one of his arrows alight. He then started fiddling with his bow again as the poachers surrounded the posse. Suddenly, tatzulwurms burst from the ground and ceiling, further boxing them in.

"This really has to stop happenin' to us," said Braeburn, obscuring his eyes with his stetson.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh agreed.

As the others launched into combat, Spike looked up at Steel and stroked his chin in thought. "Hey, Steel?"

"Kinda busy right now, Mr. Spike. C'mon, I just wanna make sure my bow doesn't—"

"Why do you use that bow, anyway?"

Steel blinked. "Why? Um, to contribute something to the team that only I can do."

"So, you're being different for the sake of being different?"

"Well, that's not exactly how I would put it, but—"

Spike sighed and shook his head. "Dude, you're trying too hard. If you wanna help out the Dragoons, do it in a way you know how. There's nothing wrong with just being yourself."

"But I'd just be doing the same thing as Flint," Steel complained. "There has to be something only I can do."

"That's really not a big deal," said Spike with a shrug. "If there can be more than one apple farmer and more than one party pony in the world, there can easily be more than one dragon who fights like you do."

Steel stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm. I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Mr. Spike."

With that, he took off his quiver and threw it and his bow to the ground. Flint's eyes went wide.

"What the heck, Steel?! I've been telling you to do that for ages!" he shouted.

"No, you've just been calling me an idiot," said Steel frankly. "There's a difference."

Flint sputtered a bit before sighing in exasperation. "Alright, you got me there. Maybe I should tell you what you're doing wrong instead of just saying that you're wrong. Now will you please help us get out of this mess?"

Steel smiled a toothy smile. "It'd be my pleasure."

With that, the two dragons flew towards the nearest tatzulwurm and bathed it with their flames. The tatzulwurm roared in pain and retreated back into the hole from whence it came. With the entire crew working in tandem, the guards were quickly dispatched.

"Hoo-wee! We never had a run this good before!" Needles hollered. "Now c'mon! We've got some dragons to save!"

The posse quickly made their way through the caverns until they happened upon a large, open room. The room had multiple doors marked with different signs. One of them said "Prison" in sharp letters.

"We're almost there, amigos," said Toro. "Let's get moving!"

"Not so fast, big brother!"

Isabelle charged out of the corridor with Pepito right behind her. She stood in front of the door with an angry scowl.

"Isabelle, we don't have to do this," said Toro, aiming his cannon. "You can wash your paws of this whole thing and let us through."

"Now why would I ever want to do that?" asked Isabelle. "Don't you realize how much fame and fortune I'd be giving up if I let you have your way? I don't want to be known as the stupid girl who chases her big brother all over the Mild West and never catches him."

"I'm finding it hard to believe that kidnapping dragons and forcing them into slavery is a better alternative," said Little Strongheart, glaring at Isabelle.

"If there's a choice between infamy and obscurity, I'll choose the former," said Isabelle bluntly. "That's what my brother did when he became an outlaw, after all."

Toro snorted. "I understand now, Isabelle. But this is not the right way."

"Was it 'right' of you to leave the pack?!" Isabelle snapped. "Was it 'right' of you to take on a life of crime for the sake of making a name for yourself?! If being 'right' means you fade into obscurity, then I'd rather be wrong! And now, I am going to end this! ¡Pepito, convoca a los tatzulwurms!"

Pepito shook his head. "No."

Isabelle's eye twitched. "Come again?"

"I no want to do this anymore, Señorita Isabelle," said Pepito frankly.

"¡Ésa es Señora a tú, imbécil!"

"Not anymore," said Pepito. "You say we no hurt young, old, or sick. You say we only get healthy and strong dragons. You lie. We should stop before we in even bigger trouble."

Isabelle let out an angry snort. "You spineless coward! You knew the risks when you took this job!"

"What, you lying to my face?"

Isabelle's cheeks began to burn. "That does it! Once I'm through with my big brother, you're next!"

She took out her weighted lasso and hefted it over her head, swinging it around and around. Toro narrowed his eyes and stared down the sight of his cannon. Trigger drew in a deep breath, ready to light the fuse. Isabelle noticed this and scoffed.

"Oh, isn't this precious. A big showdown between us," she said. "Just like old times. And speaking of which, you're probably going to miss. Again."

Toro smirked. "Not this time, little sister. Señor Trigger, fire!"

Trigger obeyed, and the cannon erupted. The blast didn't even come close to hitting Isabelle. Isabelle laughed.

"Ha! You see? Just like I told you!" she howled. "You missed again, big brother! Just like you always—"

She was interrupted by the sound of an explosion behind her. She spun around and gasped. The cannon blast had caused one of the other passageways to cave in. The passage in question was marked "Gemstone Horde."

"M-my gems!" she bellowed, turning savagely to Toro. "What have you done?!"

"I've taken away your ill-gotten gains, little sister," Toro proclaimed. "After all, they aren't your gems if you're not there to claim them."

Isabelle sputtered. "W-well fine! I'll just call my guards and—"

"You mean the ones who are unconscious, or the ones heading for the hills?" asked Flint.

Isabelle clenched her paws into fists. "Laugh while you can, big brother! I still won't let you pass! I'll start a new horde with the dragons I caught, and you can't stop me!"

"Why? Because I miss?" asked Toro. "Well, let's just see about that. Señor Trigger, if you would."

Trigger complied. Toro's shot once again missed Isabelle completely.

"See? You missed again!" Isabelle scoffed.

Toro smirked. "Or did I?"

Isabelle blinked. "Um, yes. You di—"

"Look over there."

Isabelle turned to where Toro was pointing, and her eyes bugged out. The cannon blast sailed right through a corridor marked "Weapons Cache." A split second later, there was a series of explosions coming from deep within the cavern. Isabelle's face flushed red as she stomped her feet in anger.

"I hate you, big brother!" she howled. She then leapt up onto the wall and began digging her way through. "You haven't heard the last of me!"

"I trust that I haven't," said Toro with a snicker. He then turned to Pepito. "Ay, muchacho."

Pepito titled his head. "¿Sí?"

"Ocúpese a mi hermana para mí. Todavía creo que hay algunos bueno en ella, apenas pues hay bueno en usted."

Pepito smiled and nodded. "Haré apenas eso, señor. Podemos nos encontramos otra vez bajo mejores circunstancias."

"Quisiera eso mucho," said Toro with a tip of his sombrero. "Hasta luego."

Pepito nodded and took out his staple traps. He then used them to create a makeshift ladder in the wall and climb after Isabelle.

"We haven't much time left, amigos," said Toro gruffly. "Vamanos."

The others nodded and ran towards the prison, all while the explosions echoed behind them.

***

Nova was shaken from her meditation by the sound of collapsing rubble and faint explosions. When she opened her eyes, she saw Needles and the others running towards her.

"And here they are," she said, turning to the other prisoners. "Brethren! Our saviors have arrived!"

The other dragons turned to the posse. Some of them raised skeptical eyebrows.

"Aren't these dragons just kids? What can they do?"

"That purple one doesn't smell much like a dragon, either."

"Well, I guess it's better than being cooped up in here."

As the older dragons muttered amongst themselves, Spike was a bit disheartened by their comments. Needles sighed.

"Look, we don't have time to worry about that," she said. "This whole place is comin' down, and we need to get y'all out of there."

"But how?" asked another dragon. "These bars are fireproof, and our limbs are shackled."

Needles smirked. "That can be easily solved."

She then gave a whistle, and the antlion charged forward. It grabbed two of the bars in its mandibles and snapped them both in half. After doing this two more times, there was a hole big enough for the dragons to walk out of. Flint and Steel flew to each of them, using their claws or what was left of Steel's arrows to unlock the shackles.

"Right, that's everyone," said Needles. "Now, let's burrow our way to the surface!"

The antlion roared and plowed through the cage. The posse and the dragons followed behind it as it cut its way through the earth with its mandibles. Finally, as the hideout collapsed behind them, they burst from the ground and to the surface.

"Yee-haw~! We did it!" Braeburn cheered.

"Yeah. We did, didn't we?" said Spike. "It was tough, but we managed to pull through. And the best part is we've got nothing else to worry about."

As soon as he said that, time appeared to freeze for everyone. When it resumed, they found themselves entangled in a series of heavy nets. The dragons roared in anger and pain.

"Wh-what's going on?" yelled Little Strongheart. "W-were they prepared for us?"

"Those ingrate poachers? No, they weren't. I, however, was."

All eyes turned to a sweet yet sinister voice before them. Sure enough, there stood Maggie and Jacques, surrounded by beasts of all shapes and sizes. Jacques had his rifle at the ready while Maggie just folded her arms and smiled a wicked smile.

Spike groaned and palmed his face. "Me and my big mouth."

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

Woo! A good case of successful action. Final boss still remains, though.

Looks like, by the other dragon's reactions to Spike, that Spike's conflict hasn't been resolved. Even though he's already helped Needles and Trigger (and Steel and Flint (indirectly)), looks like there's more to his story and role than that, and I'm pretty excited.

If Maggie doesn't just capture them all and the story ends there.

[OmniFox]

The universe really loves to screw with Spike.

[Metool Bard]

5633197 To be fair, he made it a bit too easy this time around by enacting Murphy's Law. That and he's certainly not going to take this lying down.

[OmniFox]

5633328 Oh Crap! The minute Maggie sees Spike......make that second she sees him......you got to put that in the next chapter.

[Limescale]

Poor, poor Spike. So wise in mind yet still so lacking in common sense.
Ah well, he managed to take everyone this far so he should be able to help them get out of this too!

[ShadowLDrago]

Needles folded her arms. "Okay, now you're not makin' any sense."

Wise old mentor types rarely make much sense until much later.

"Yeah. We did, didn't we?" said Spike. "It was tough, but we managed to pull through. And the best part is we've got nothing else to worry about."

GODDAMMIT SPIKE! You had to jinx it, didn't you?