The Last Healing Dragon

by Gearsmash King

Chapter 26: White Ice And Blue Flames

"Brrrrr!" Twilight shuddered, feeling the cold, "How are you able to withstand this cold?"

"My skin is far thicker than your clothes." Lazarus replied as they sailed through the sky, "Plus, my size helps shield me from it."

The world around them was flat and frozen, covered by patches of fluffy white clouds and thick fog. However, they were fortunate because there wasn't any snowfall. They knew that time was something that they couldn't waste. The longer they stayed in the frozen north, the less time they had to save Luna. But, Lazarus was keeping a secret that he intended to share with his passengers.

Ooooonnnnn!

They all turned their heads to see what had made the soft sound. But none of them saw anything.

"W-what was that?" Spike stammered, turning his head in every direction that he could think of.

"That was the sound of a Frost Angel." Lazarus replied, looking ahead again, "Which is good, because that means that there are some mountains nearby."

Ooooooooonnnnnnnn!

Then Fluttershy saw something florescent come alongside them. At first it was hard to tell what it was in the fog, but after it got closer, she could make out it's features. The body was the same shape as a stingray's, but it was the same size as her, with a tail that ended in a diamond shaped tip. The wingtips also had tails, but these ones didn't have diamond tips at their ends. Fluttershy also saw that the creature had no eyes, or mouth. But it was a beautiful sight to see.

The others caught a glimpse at the majestic creature as well, before it darted away and back into the fog.

"Interesting thing about Frost Angels," Lazarus said, keeping his head forward, "they only ever show themselves whenever they're trying to warn another creature about any danger."

"Do you think that's what it was doing?" Starlight asked, her first words since leaving Canterlot.

"Yes. And, I think I know why. But I'll tell you when we're on the ground. Plus, I have to tell you all something that's been bothering me."

Then Lazarus saw the point of a mountaintop come into view and descended. Shortly after, they landed at the base of the mountain and were standing in front of a large cave opening. Icicles hung from the ceiling like large teeth, sharpened by the cold winds that blew through the cave.

"So," Starlight began, "what was that Frost Angel warning us about?"

"It was probably warning us about some Windigos nearby." Lazarus replied, turning his gaze towards her, "Those two are natural enemies, you know."

"And what's been bothering you?" Fluttershy asked, looking up at him.

"Well, that's the interesting part. One of you has been bothering me and I think it's time to talk about it."

The ponies and Spike looked at each other in confusion and concern. They didn't understand what he meant, but by the tone of his voice, it sounded very serious.

"Do we have time?" Starlight asked, her eyes darting around nervously as the dragon stared at her.

"Don't worry." Lazarus replied, slowly moving his tail into position, "This won't take long."

Suddenly, she felt his tail coil around her like a snake and grip her tightly. She wriggled and twisted as she tried to escape, but it was completely useless. The dragon's strength was too much for her, so she decided to give up and watch as the others looked at them with surprise.

"Lazarus, what are you doing?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked to see what was in front of her, "I know Starlight's spirit doesn't match up to ours, but that doesn't mean she's bad!"

"That might be true." Lazarus replied, glaring at the unicorn in his grasp, "But has anyone noticed that Starlight has been behaving a little differently lately?"

"Now that you mention it, I've noticed some change, but nothing to worry about."

"Have you ever wondered why?"

"Lazarus, what's the point of all this? Why are you putting so much pressure on her?"

"Because she's not Starlight."

Twilight's eyes widened in disbelief at those words. She was caught off guard by that statement because, in her mind, she didn't have a reason to think otherwise.

"W-what do you mean?" She protested, "Of course she's Starlight. Why wouldn't she be?"

"What did I say about what I did after my family was killed?" The dragon asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the unicorn, "And I'm asking you."

She was quiet for a moment, appearing to think about her answer.

"You said... Uh..." The unicorn stammered, "You said you buried your family and mourned their loss for several days. Right?"

"Wrong!" Lazarus growled, "I told my friend about my curse and what it does. Now, care to explain why you smell like an insect hive?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not a Changeling!"

"I never said that you were. I said that you smelled like a hive."

Her face scrunched and twisted as she realized her mistake, but she couldn't find an excuse that would divert the dragon's attention.

"I know the truth." Lazarus said, staring at her, "I know how Flurry Heart got to the Boneyard, and I know what you really are. Because I keep close watch over the ones I care about."

"How?" She asked, glaring at Lazarus, "You're never around and you can't be in multiple places at once."

"If you were my friend, you would know that I have more than bats as my eyes and ears in the woods. Why do you think there are so many crows there?"

This made her cringe even more as she realized that she should've paid more attention to her surroundings.

Then Lazarus brought Starlight closer to them as flames started to seep from his mouth.

"Show them!" He growled, "Show them what you really are."

"No!" She protested, crossing her forelegs in front of her, "I refuse to do anything you say."

"I was hoping you would say that."

His tail tightened around her, making the unicorn start to gasp. Tears started to roll down her face as her bones started to crack.

"Stop!" Fluttershy begged, terrified by what she was seeing, "You're killing her!"

"She'll only die if she doesn't submit and confess." Lazarus replied, tightening his tail even more.

Cra-Pop!

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" The unicorn screamed as a bone broke, "ALRIGHT!! ALRIGHT, YOU WIN!! JUST, PLEASE, STOP CRUSHING ME!!!"

Lazarus loosened his grip, but he didn't let her go. She gasped and heaved as she drew air into her lungs. But with every breathe she took, everyone could see the pain that appeared on her face. But then, Twilight noticed yellow liquid seeping from the unicorn's mouth.

"W-what's that?" Twilight asked, pointing at the liquid.

"That's blood!" The unicorn said threateningly, before green flames flashed around her.

This made Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike back away as they watched her transform. But Lazarus stayed fixated on her as she grew insect wings, sharp fangs, and her horn curved. Holes formed on her legs and her skin darkened, while her eyes lost their round pupils.

They stared at the Changeling and saw a smile appear on her face.

"Ta-da." The Changeling said in Starlight's voice.

Suddenly, Twilight's emotions changed from shock to anger, making her surge forward. But she was quickly held back by Fluttershy and Spike, keeping her from doing something she might regret.

"YOU THREATENED MY NIECE?!" Twilight yelled, trying to break free from her friends as they held her, "And to top it off, you've been running around our home, pretending to be Starlight Glimmer?!"

"Why should you care?" The female Changeling grinned, her voice changing to it's true tone, "You're not her mother."

"No, but I am her friend and teacher. Something you don't know anything about! Now, what did you do to her?!"

"It's funny to me, here you are, looking for a rare flower to cure a dying princess. Yet, you choose to waste your time asking questions about someone who's probably dead."

Twilight's horn started to glow furiously as those words entered her ears. But Fluttershy and Spike still didn't let her go, using as much strength as they could to keep the alicorn steady and stationary.

"Y-you're lying!" Twilight protested, tears forming in her eyes, "She can't be..."

"Dead?" The Changeling replied, smiling menacingly at the pain and sorrow that she could see in Twilight's face, "I'm sure she is, because the last I heard about her was that she was going into the mines. The same mines that you all hid that crate, but little did she know that she was being followed. So, one of our troops was sent to... deal with her. By now, she's most likely laying at the bottom of the mines in a bloody mess. So, tell me, Princess, do I look like I'm lying?"

Twilight didn't say anything as her rage finally reached it's breaking point. Without warning, she used her magic to push her friends off of her and pounced on the Changeling, knocking her out of Lazarus' grasp. Driven by anger and pain, Twilight started pounding the Changeling with her hooves.

"YOU!"

Pch!

"ARE!"

Pch! Crunch!

"A MONSTER!!!"

Pch, pch! Crack!

As fast and as gentle as he could, Lazarus reached out and caught Twilight in his claws. He pulled her away from the battered Changeling and held her against his chest as she squirmed and writhed with rage.

"Sh-she..." Twilight cried as she pressed her head against him.

"Ssshhh." Lazarus hushed, trying to calm her, "It's alright. I've got you."

"Aw, you poor... thing." The Changeling coughed, still smiling at them, "But, you... shouldn't be crying... for her. Instead... you should probably cry... for everyone in... Canterlot."

"Why?" Spike asked, brushing snow off of his winter clothing, "What do they-"

Belch! Fwoosh!

Everyone looked and saw Spike grab the scroll in midair, but he didn't read it aloud. Instead, his eyes widened as he started to shake in fear at what was on the paper.

"Spike... are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hoof on his shoulder and reading beside him.

But as she read the same words, her eyes widened as she spoke.

"To Princess Twilight,

Canterlot has come under attack by Changelings! Your brother and several other unicorn guards have managed to put up a shield around the city. But some have managed to enter and I fear that it won't last very long. I say this because it's not just Changelings that are attacking. The shield is being bombarded by blue orbs of lightning that are coming from a black cloud cover. This strange weather has covered over half of Equestria, but, according to several sources, the lightning seems to be the most active around Canterlot.

Luna still hasn't improved and time is running very short. But we need as much assistance as possible if we are going to drive the Changelings away. As for the black clouds, we've heard strange sounds originating from inside. It isn't thunder, but whatever it is, nopony can get near it without being injured.

I wish you the best of luck on your journey. But, please hurry, otherwise, we might not be here when you return.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria."

Everything was quiet for a moment, before they heard a laboured sound.

"Heh, heh, heh." The Changeling chuckled, life slipping out of her bruised and broken body, "Tick, tock... tick, tock. What... are you afraid of? The monsters... or the clock? Tick... tock... t-tick..."

Then the rise and fall of her chest stopped as the Changeling's life ended. But no one mourned her passing, they were still too shocked about what the message had said.

"We have to go back." Twilight said as Lazarus let her go, "We might be able to stop them."

"But if we do that," Fluttershy replied, "then we won't be able to save Luna."

"They need our help. If we leave now, then we could save as many ponies as we can, before the shield breaks."

"We've come too far to turn back. We have to keep going."

"They. Need. Help. Do I need to be any clearer?!"

"But we can't just leave when we're so close."

Finally, Lazarus decided to settle their argument, before it started.

"Enough!" The dragon growled, causing both ponies to stop and look at him.

The entrance to the cave echoed with the sounds of their conversation. They were still outside, but since they started talking, no one bothered to enter. But time was indeed running short and they had already spent more time discussing the situation, than needed. Now it had turned into bickering and Lazarus was done with it.

"If you want to go back," he said, looking at all of them, "then go back. But, Fluttershy's right, we're too far to turn and abandon our quest. I'm not stopping you from leaving, but I am stopping you from doing something you'll regret."

"And what's that?" Twilight asked, still fuming about the Changeling and the message.

"Destroying your friendship."

All at once, Twilight's expression changed, as did her emotions. Instead of anger or sadness, she felt a sense of guilt because, in a way, she wanted to go back for her own intentions, not everyone else's.

"I know that you're the Princess of Friendship and you have family in the city," Lazarus continued, "but you have to understand that they'll follow and accept whatever decisions you make. If memory serves me correctly, we already had this conversation. And right now, you only have two choices."

He held up two claws as he continued.

"One; you could keep arguing until you get fed up enough to leave, regretting whatever you said."

He lowered one claw, before going on.

"Or two; we all could keep moving forward and face the danger together, when we return. The choice is yours to make. But I'm not going to wait any longer."

With that, Lazarus turned and made his way into the caves, leaving the others to decide their next actions.

"Come on, Twilight." Fluttershy said as they watched Lazarus go deeper into the caves, "Even if you were to go back, it would be a lot harder to beat them without Lazarus."

"But," Twilight replied, "I might be able to-"

"Twilight, listen to yourself. It almost sounds like you don't think your brothers shield will hold again."

"They broke through it last time. Of course, I'm worried that it'll break again."

"Last time, he was by himself. This time, he has help. I'm sure he'll be able to keep it from breaking as easily."

Twilight went silent as she rolled the words through her mind. But her mind was having a conflict with her values. In her mind, Twilight knew that Fluttershy was right. Shining Armor and the other unicorn guards could hold the shield, until they got back. However, her family values were telling her that she had to go.

But then Twilight felt something poke her through one of her saddlebags. This made her open it and take out the only item that would cause such a disturbance.

As she turned Celestia's crown in her magic, Twilight had a realization.

"Every decision that she made," Twilight said, looking from the crown to the caves, "was either difficult or painful. Sometimes both, but they were always for a good reason. I'm no different."

"Then, what's the plan?" Spike asked, looking up at her.

She looked at him, then looked at Fluttershy before giving a small grin. Then she turned toward the cave and quickly trotted inside, followed by Fluttershy and Spike.

"Lazarus!" She called, making her voice echo, "Wait up!"

"Move faster!" He called back, "No time for waiting!"

Quickening their pace, they caught up to him. Then Twilight wrapped Spike in her magic, before both her and Fluttershy flapped their wings and landed on Lazarus' back.

"Light, please." Twilight requested, floating out Luna's star and watching it shine brightly.

Lazarus wasn't running because he didn't want to outrun them if they decided to join him. But since they had and they decided to ride on his back, the dragon broke into a hard run. Fortunately, the cave was large enough to allow such action, but he still had to be careful because it was still icy and slippery, even with his claws digging into the floor.

"How far do we have to go?" Fluttershy asked, watching icicles pass by them.

"The ice lily garden is deep within the caves." Lazarus replied, skidding around a wide corner, "Unfortunately, so are King Tiberius and Queen Frozette."

"How do you know these two? Are you friends with them?"

"Let's just say that we've met once before and don't really see eye-to-eye. We don't hate each other, but we don't like each other either. With luck, they'll let us take what we need and be gracious enough to let us leave without trouble. However, that might be less likely to happen now."

"Why?"

"Because we're trespassing in their home and, as I said before, they don't take kindly to intruders."

Suddenly, they were approaching a point where the tunnel turned into what looked like an enclosed slide. However, this didn't make Lazarus slow down. Instead, the dragon tucked in his arms and legs, before sliding down the frozen slope. This made his passengers stiffen their bodies and brace themselves against the momentum that came with every corner and drop of the ride. In a way, it was a little fun. But, considering their reason for being there, they weren't able to enjoy the ride as much as they wanted to.

"HALT!!" A masculine voice boomed, echoing off the ice walls, "YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON SACRED GROUND!!"

Without hesitation, Lazarus dug his claws into the ice and began to slow down. But he didn't stop because he know how close they were and the end of the slide had come into view. Only when they got to the end, Lazarus finally stopped and stood up. However, the only thing they come see was a wall of ice and no other way to go. It may as well have been a dead end.

"STATE YOUR BUSINESS!!" The voice boomed again, causing Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike to cover their ears.

"We have come here to seek an ice lily!" The dragon called, his voice echoing.

"WHY WOULD YOU COME THIS FAR FOR A FLOWER?!"

"It's for my daughter! She has been poisoned and an ice lily is her only hope!"

The voice was silent, making them believe that whoever was talking, was thinking.

Crack! Hiss!

Suddenly, the wall began to split apart like doors, revealing a large chamber that dwarfed Lazarus' cave.

"ENTER!!"

They obeyed and went into the chamber. Everywhere they looked, they saw ice. The walls, pillars, and floor all gleamed and showed their reflections. While on the far end, two thrones, that looked like they had sprouted from the ground, sat empty and waiting for their rightful occupants. There were even long, sharp icicles that hung from the ceiling, making Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike feel uncomfortable.

"Get under me." Lazarus said, casting a glance at the icicles.

With little hesitation, they got off of his back and took refuge under the dragon as he walked further into the cold throne room. When they were halfway across the room, another door opened and two creatures entered. But when they saw what the creatures were, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all shuddered in fear.

"Hold it right there!" One of Windigos ordered, making Lazarus stop and stare at him.

Shortly after, two more Windigos floated through the doors. But these two were different from the others. They were bigger and appeared to be more regal, while on their heads were crowns made of ice.

"Lazarus," the King said, taking a seat on his throne, while his wife sat next to him on her own, "it has been a long time."

"Almost two thousand years." Lazarus remarked, bowing his head respectfully with the ponies and baby dragon still under him.

"And I see that you've brought guests."

Lazarus brought his head back up to them and saw that the King was smiling at him.

"However," he chuckled quietly, "if memory serves me correctly, aren't ponies afraid of dragons?"

"W-we are afraid of most dragons." Twilight said, intimidated by the creatures in front of them, "But Lazarus is-."

"I don't recall asking you to speak, pony! You will hold your tongue, unless spoken to!"

Twilight immediately ducked behind one of Lazarus' arms, while Fluttershy and Spike did the same, hiding behind his other arm. But Lazarus remained unyielding to the Windigo King, because he wasn't interested in having a long conversation.

"You should show some respect when another Royal is present, your Majesty." Lazarus huffed, causing clouds to sail out of his mouth.

This made the King get up from his throne and float effortlessly to the dragon.

"Who do you think you are, Lazarus?!" He whooshed, causing a gust of wind to blow through the room, "You are no Dragon Lord! You are nothing more than a mere Guardian to woodland animals!"

"I wasn't talking about myself, Tiberius." The dragon replied, lifting an arm off the ground and revealing Twilight, "I was actually referring to her."

Tiberius looked down at the alicorn and grinned coldly.

"The pony?" He began, lifting his gaze back to the dragon, "You must be joking."

"I can assure you that she is royalty." Lazarus argued, glaring at the elemental being.

"Really? How so?"

"Because I've seen her prove her worth in power and strength. Not to mention, everyone who has ever met her, has shone nothing but the highest respect for her. In my opinion, that makes her worthy of the role of a Princess."

At this point, Queen Frozette had risen from her seat and approached them. But she was focusing more on Twilight, than Lazarus.

"What is your name?" She asked, sounding gentle but stern.

"T-Twilight Sparkle." The alicorn replied, taking a step back.

"Have you ever been addressed as Princess?"

"Many times, but I sometimes prefer if I'm just called by my name."

"How interesting."

The Queen stared at her in silence, before turning away and picking several shimmering, white flowers from an icy pond. She held them gently as she returned to the group.

"I can see that there is most certainly a princess' spirit in you." Frozette said, smiling at Twilight, "But nothing can be achieved without payment."

"Anything." Twilight replied, containing her joy as she looked at the flowers, "Name your price."

"I noticed that you have a crown hidden in your saddlebags. What say you? The crown for the lilies."

Twilight reeled back as the offer floated through her mind, but she knew that it was respectful to abide by them. She watched as the Queen floated to her and presented the bouquet of ice lilies. However, it wasn't her crown to give away. But, after a moment of thinking, Twilight levitated the crown out of her bag and presented it to the Queen.

"We were only here for the ice lilies anyway." Twilight said, wrapping the flowers in her magic and giving Frozette the crown, "If the crown is what you want, then it's yours."

"Very good." Frozette said with a grin and giving her the lilies, before turning to their guards, "Be sure to escort them out."

"Of course, your Majesty." One of the guards nodded.

With that, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike got on Lazarus' back, before they started to leave. Once they approached the slide, Lazarus dug in his claws and started to climb as fast as he could. Thankfully, the slide wasn't very steep and when it reached a point where he had room, Lazarus floated over the ground and towards the top. The Windigos followed closely behind, until they saw the mouth of the cave and stopped. They watched as the wingless dragon sailed out of the cave effortlessly and scooped up the lifeless body that they had left outside of it.

As quickly as he could, Lazarus accelerated back to Equestria. Or more specifically, Canterlot.

"Do you think we'll get there in time?" Fluttershy asked, concerned about what they were barreling towards.

"We'll get there." Lazarus replied, stripping the Changeling of her supplies, before dropping her body, "But when we do, be ready to fight. If there's one thing that I know about fighting, it's that your enemy will always look for any disadvantage that you might have and use it against you. Whatever you do, don't let them get the better of you. Am I clear?"

He glanced back to look and saw all three of them nodding their heads. But, he knew that it wasn't going to be that easy. After all, in the entire time that he had lived in Equestria and known about the ponies, he had never seen them get into a large scale battle. However, he had confidence in their abilities.

Shortly after, the world around them became dark with black clouds. This made Lazarus descend below and fly under the cover. Rain pelted his passengers as they flew onward. But as they got closer, they could see blue flashes of light appearing in the clouds.

"There it is!" Spike called out, pointing ahead.

Twilight and Fluttershy raced to Lazarus' head and stared in horror at what they saw.

In the distance, Canterlot was still being shielded, but the shield was starting to crack and was on the edge of shattering.

"Lazarus, hurry!" Twilight pleaded, lightly stamping her hoof on his head.

"Hang on!" He said as he sped through the air and towards the battle.

Author's Note:

Hey, everyone.

Sorry if the last part of this chapter seems rushed, but I got caught up in other things. However, we're still not done yet. Obviously, we've still got the battle to go through and one other chapter, plus an epilogue. Yes, I know I'm giving off some info that some might consider spoilers. But, it's okay, because I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen in those.

By the way, the next chapter is going to be far longer than any of the previous chapters. So, don't expect an update on the average schedule. But keep an eye out, because it's going to be fantastic.

Hopefully, you are still enjoying the story.

Comments

[Meadow Feather]

7444463 Maybe

[Gearsmash King]

7444670 Hate to break it to ya, but no. Lazarus has the body of a regular dragon, but as I described, he uses his magic to fly. Granted, Chinese dragons would be what you picture off the bat, but that wasn't what I had in mind when I created him. Sorry if you're disappointed.

[Meadow Feather]

7445126 Oh I'm not disappointed, in fact I'd be disappointed if it was the other way around. Sorry Chinese dragons normal dragons are better Also if he is wingless wouldn't that make him a drake? img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/aPD6vLQ_700b_v2.jpg (sorry if I'm wrong it's been like a month or two since I've last read this fic and I have bad memory the last chapter I read was 19)

[Gearsmash King]

7445142 True, wingless dragons are called drakes. But as you can see by their size and considering Spike is called a "dragon" through out the show, even when he was fully grown, I figured this would fit Lazarus a little better. After all, he's fully grown, very old, and very strong.

[forrest yuchnitz]

7474578 im not bothered per say its just that was an important part of her life that she seemed to have forgotten

[Gearsmash King]

7474686 I fixed it. And you're right, it kinda was a big deal in her life. But I kept it short because I wanted to stay on the point of the speech.