• Published 11th May 2018
  • 4,218 Views, 299 Comments

Journey of the Noble Dragons - closet brony 77



after a long deliberation with himself, spike decides to take up the noble dragons up on their offer to return to his parents. But in doing so he sets off a series of events that will throw equestria into disarray

  • ...
14
 299
 4,218

princess pony panic

“Thanks again Shy for helping me out around the farm today” said Applejack, moving the last barrel of apples into the barn.

“It’s no trouble at all Applejack. I just wonder why Twilight and Spike never showed up” the shy nature lover replied.

That detail had been a tad odd, before Applejack went home after the party she asked Twilight if she and Spike could help out with a few chores around the farm. Being the good friend that she was, Twilight accepted. But as Celestia’s sun rose up over the horizon, neither of them ever showed up, even though Applejack waited an hour for them to come. Forcing her to ask Fluttershy for help, since everypony else was busy with their own lives.

Fluttershy then noticed a purple speck coming from the distance “wait, I think that’s her now.” Fluttershy said, pointing in the direction of her gaze.

As Twilight got closer, Applejack immediately noticed three things: Twilight had come alone, Spike wasn’t riding on her back or flying next to her which again was weird considering the princess had said she’d bring along her assistant to help; secondly, the bookworm looked very, very distressed. A look she had seen before when Granny Smith had lost her in everfree when she was just a filly; lastly, Twilight was coming in fast, too fast…Twilight quickly began to spin out of control and went into a nosedive. She impacted into the dirt, hard, creating a rather large crater even relative to her size.

The orange earth pony rushed over to her friend and helped her back on her hooves, dusing her off. “Twilight! Are ya okay?! Ya took one heck of a spill there.” asked Applejack, seeing that her friend was crying an awful lot. But rather than moans of pain, Applejack ended up being on the receiving end of a long winded babbling.

“OHMYCELESTIAAPPLEJACKYOUHAVETOHELPMESPIKERANAWAYWITHSOMESTRANGECREATURESANDIDON’TKNOWWHEREHEISANDI-” her ramblings were quickly cut off by a firm slap to the face.

“Sugarcube, calm down. Ah can’t understand a word that you’re saying, now tell me what happened.” said Applejack in a calming tone.

In response, Twilight opened up one of the saddlebags strapped to her sides and held out a rolled parchment with her magic. Applejack plucked it out of the air and began to read it; her first expression being confusion, before turning into shock and then sadness.

Fluttershy gazed at the note over her friend’s shoulder and right away tears began to well up in her eyes. The bleeding heart simply couldn’t believe what she was reading; one of her closest friends, someone she had known and cared about for years, had ran away to Celestia knows where.

Applejack handed the scroll back to Twilight, the farmer pony trying her hardest to hold back the tears that so desperately wanted to escape her eyes. “Get the rest of girls together, we need to talk about this” Applejack said.

Fluttershy and Twilight took off in opposite directions, but with the same intent in mind. To figure out what they’d do now that the little brother of their group had gone missing.

***********

While the mane 6 were off to a hectic morning, the baby dragon we all know and love was having a much more peaceful one. Snoring the day away on a log covered with soft moss acting as a mattress.

Currently Spike was having his favorite ice cream mountain dream, skiing mouth first down a hill of mint chip. Only for something long and sharp to jab his cheek, he waved at the air trying to swat away the invisible force only for it to double up on the pokes.

“Cut it out, I’m trying to gorge myself here” said Spike, only to snap awake when the force shoved him off the log he was resting on, into the hard dirt. Quickly spitting up the dust that he had accidentally inhaled in his surprise, Spike looked up to see Saphria looking at him with an extremely unamused expression.

“So sorry to interrupt your dream about filling yourself with over sugary frozen creme.” Saphria said sarcastically. “But we can’t just sleep the day away, we’ve got places to be Artair.”

“She’s right dude, we’ll have plenty of time to chill out in Vlemm, but right now we gotta move.” Connor said, tossing spike a ruby the size of a baseball.

The annoyance within the baby dragon instantly melted away at the sight of that large, juicy gem which he quickly devoured like a starving animal. Patting his belly in satisfaction afterwards.

Griffith moved to pick spike up, only for the baby dragon to swat him away when he realized what his brother was trying to do.

“Hey I’m perfectly capable of walking all by myself. You don’t need to carry me.” Spike said.

“You sure? I don’t want you to fall behind big bro.” replied Griffith.

“Griffith, the whole reason I came with you guys is so that everypony would stop babying me. I’m only a few years younger than princess Twilight, I’m practically a teenager for Celestia’s sake” Spike shot back in annoyance.

“Okay, whatever you say Artair. But if you can’t keep up then I’ll carry you no matter what you say” the toolsmith said, handing Spike his duffle bag.

The group began to move through the thick foliage, Saphria taking the front and using a pair of kunai blades to cut through branches and vines that got in their way. It was a bit slower than their dash away from Ponyville because of this but they couldn’t risk accidentally stumbling into some poison joke or a manticore taking a nap, as Connor pointed out. But at least the trees and bushes provided cover from any prying eyes so they didn’t have to worry about being spotted.

“So Griffith.” Spike said, trying to break the silence “what exactly are mom and dad like?”. Ever since he left, one of the many questions on Spike’s mind were what his parents would be like; he had heard they cared a lot about him but were they really good dragons? For all he knew his father could just be a watered down version of Torch, Ember’s dad.

“Oh they’re great, the greatest parents a drake could ever ask for.” said Griffith “first there’s dad, a tough and firm ruler who makes all the big decisions for the clan, he’s a pretty intimidating guy when he’s on that throne of his…even I feel small in front of it.”

Spike’s heart began to drop in his chest out of disappointment ‘great’ the baby dragon thought to himself ‘I guess he’s gonna be just like torch’

“But once he gets off of that chair” Griffith continued “he becomes a whole different dragon, just a big, scaley, pushover that wants to befriend everyone! He spends most of his free time just hanging around the enclave, having fun with the other dragons, organizing activities for us. He just radiates jolliness and it’s highly contagious. When you see his smile you couldn’t help but crack one of your own”

“And mom?”

“Mom is the sweetest dragon you’ll ever meet! She’s incredibly gentle and kind to everyone; always being the first to volunteer to help them out with whatever problems they might be having, great or small no questions asked. She also bakes stuff, all the time, for any reason or no reason at all. She’s not just our mom Artair, she’s basically the mother of Vlemm enclave.” Griffith.

“For once I agree with you” remarked Saphria, hacking through the thick vines “if it wasn’t for your father pushing me to train harder. I may not be the highly skilled warrior that stands before you now.”

“I think that part is debatable.” Griffith said under his breath

“Do you want me to beat you up again Griffith? You know I can.” Saphria shot back at Spike’s younger brother.

Right then a faint scream seemed to travel past them.

“Did you guys hear that? Or did I just eat some bad berries?” asked Connor

“Yeah I did, but I don’t think we need to concern ourselves with it. We’re here to get Artair home safely, not stop to help every single creature we come across who happens to be in distress.” Saphria said, marching forward.

“She’s got a point.” Spike said. “The girls probably can handle it anyway.”

**********

Back in Ponyville a few onlookers had gathered outside of the castle; moments ago a loud and shrill yell came from inside the confines of the crystal walls, followed by a crystal chair being hurled through of one of the windows before shattering on the ground below.

Currently standing in front of the remains of said window was Rainbow Dash, Huffing and puffing like a raging steam engine. The very moment she heard the news that Spike had ran away from home, ponyville’s resident athlete was sent into an uncontrollable rage; the chair that now laid broken at the base of the Castle of Friendship just so happened to be on the receiving end of that rage.

“THAT LITTLE JERK!!! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS DOING THIS TO US?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, still seething with anger.

The others didn’t give any sort of reply as they were all preoccupied with their own problems.

Fluttershy and Twilight were both sobbing their eyes out; Starlight trying to comfort the former but maintaining a sad mood nonetheless.

What few ponies knew was that Spike and Starlight were actually pretty good friends, she even considered him her third best friend (next to sunburst and twilight of course) for him to just up and abandon them like this, just because he felt like he was living it their shadows; it cut deep, almost like she lost Sunburst all over again. But she had to be strong, her mentor needed her.

Pinkie Pie wasn’t faring much better; when Applejack first came to her with the news that ponyville’s resident dragon had vanished, the party pony assumed it to be nothing more than a bad joke at first; even when she arrived at the Castle of Friendship to see tears gushing out of Twilight’s eyes, she still remained in denial and merely thought that Spike was playing hide and seek. As the rest of her friends were wailing in anguish, Pinkie Pie was seeking high and low for Spike, getting more and more unhinged as the search went on; trying to desperately cling to the notion that Spike would never ever leave them in a million years.

Rarity had done one of her textbook dramatic faints onto a couch; when she came to, she hoped that it was nothing more than a nightmare but Applejack’s forlorn expression said otherwise. She simply couldn’t believe that her sweet, innocent, Spikey-Wikey would run away from home. Sure, he had left during the great dragon migration but they were still with him then, watching him from afar. But this was different, this time they didn’t know where in Equestria he was or who he went with, they had no idea whether or not he was okay. Soon enough Rarity turned on the waterworks and cried into Applejack’s shoulder, not caring that she was completely ruining her makeup; right now all she could think about was her poor Spikey-Wikey being lost and alone with nopony to protect him.

Applejack of course was deeply saddened by the news but refused to show it, after all strong mares didn’t cry, no matter how much she wanted to let the tears flow. A few years after Spike had arrived with Twilight, he had become somewhat of a pillar of the community; just like the apples did. He was always there to crack a sarcastic joke or help out a friend when they really needed him. He was honest and dependable, just like her. Now that he’s gone, Applejack felt like a piece of her was now missing, leaving a void within her soul that couldn’t be filled.

All of a sudden Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves down onto the cutie map so hard it nearly cracked, almost immediately everypony went silent and gazed upon the look of fury that painted the athlete's face. She looked as if she was ready to kill somepony.

“OKAY LISTEN UP! JUST SITTING HERE AND CRYING WON’T DO US ANY GOOD! WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING” shouted the blue pegasus.

“But what darling?” asked Rarity, trying to clear the smeared makeup off her face.

“I say we go out there and we get our friend back.” replied Rainbow Dash

“B-but” Fluttershy stuttered out “Spike said that in his note that he didn’t want us to look for him”

“SCREW WHAT SPIKE SAID!” Rainbow Dash snapped at her best friend. “OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT SPIKE’S JUST A BABY DRAGON?! HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR HIM! HE CAN’T EVEN PROTECT HIMSELF, FOR ALL WE KNOW HE COULD BE LYING IN A DITCH SOMEWHERE, BLEEDING TO DEATH! DO YOU GIRLS REALLY WANT THAT ON YOUR CONSCIOUS?!”

Twilight looked up from her hooves and adopted a look of resolve “she’s right! As Spike’s friends and guardians, it’s our job to make sure that he’s safe! We can’t just forget about him, he needs us!”

Starlight frowned “are you really sure about that Twilight? I mean from what you’ve told me, Spike’s done an awful lot for equestria: winning the gauntlet of fire, reforming the changelings, saving you from a comic book villain, and saving the crystal empire twice. I think he can take care of himself” but as the voice of reason, she was cursed with going unheard.

“Well then what are ya’ll waiting for? Let’s get Spike back home!” Applejack said, bucking open the double doors and leading the charge while the rest of her friends followed behind. Leaving a stunned Starlight behind.

A loud clattering sound came from the adjacent hallway and Starlight turned around to see Pinkie Pie trying to pry a crystal vase off of her head.

“OKAY SPIKE, THE FUN’S OVER! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!” Pinkie Pie said with an extremely uneasy tone, slightly muffled by the vase.

Starlight just shook her head in response and started off towards her room. “*sigh* I can already tell this is going to be an interesting day. Which means is the perfect time to stay inside and take a nap”

**********

“Wow, they really let this place go didn’t they?” Connor remarked, looking over the ruins of the castle of two sisters.

Night had begun to fall over the everfree forest and the dragons knew perfectly well that even beings as skilled as them wouldn’t be able to survive a night out in the open of the hostile and unforgiving environment that surrounded them. That and they were exhausted from their trek, so they had no choice but to find shelter in the nearest pony made structure which happened to be the Castle of Two Sisters.

“I’ve read so much about this place, so many vital debates and history making events occured within these very walls” said Yam “it’s so sad to see it in such disrepair.”

“If it makes you feel any better, the library was still mostly intact when I came here with Twilight. I think most of the books are still there” Spike said

Almost immediately Yam let out a gasp and rushed up the stairs so fast she was nothing more than a blur of blue and white. Saphria just rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle

“Typical Yam, always obsessing over texts. We’re probably not going to see her until tomorrow. Anyway, we should all get settled in for the night. I’ll take first watch to ensure nobody stumbles upon our camp” said the ninja dragon.

Griffith nodded in response and proceeded to lead his older brother as well as his nature loving friend deeper into the castle while Saphria climbed up to one of dilapidated towers for a good vantage point.

The first day had gone smoothly enough, no major incidents or injuries. But there was still a long journey ahead, a lot could happen in that time. Especially since they were escorting the lost prince of the noble dragons, who just so happened to be a close ally of Equestria’s greatest heros and the princesses.

‘I swear to Bahamut this had better be worth it in the end.’ Saphria thought to herself.

Soon enough the calming effect of the sounds of life within the forest, combined with the physical exhaustion of staying up so late and sitting still for so long begun to take it’s toll on the poor dragon and she began to drift off to sleep.

Only for her eyes to immediately snap open at the sound of a loud whooshing sound.

Saphria hoped into a battle ready position and tried to locate the source of the disturbance. Her eyes eventually landed on the form of a blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane, currently walking towards the entrance to the castle. Leaning closer she could barely make out what the mare was saying.

“If I was Spike and I was running away, the Castle of Two Sisters would be the first place I would hide. Man I wish I thought of this sooner, he’s probably been here the whole time”

Saphira's eyes widened. This mare was obviously looking for Artair with the intent of bringing him back home by force. Which meant that a search had already been organized and there were other ponies out looking for him, that made this whole mission a lot harder now that they would all have to be even more careful to stay out of sight. Snapping out of her thoughts she saw that the mare was about to enter the castle, Saphria couldn’t let that happen. So she leapt off her vantage point and, using several acrobatic moves, landed safely in front of the pegasus who jumped at the sudden appearance of the dragon.

“Halt!” Saphria shouted, pulling out two sai “state your business. Along with why I shouldn’t kill you.”

“Who the heck are you?” the pegasus replied.

“None of your business. Now I’m going to ask you again: what are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for my friend. He ran away from home and I need to bring him back, so you can either help or get out of my way” the pegasus said, advancing forward.

Saphria roughly shoved the mare back, “or I could stop you right now.”

Saphira's opponent narrowed her eyes, “wait a second, you know where he is don’t you?”

The ninja laughed in response “nothing gets past you does it? See I was dispatched by a very specific group to retrieve the one you call Spike and return him to where he belongs.”

“Where he belongs?” the pegasus said in disbelief “Equestria is his home! He belongs here with us! Now get out of my way before I make you!”

Pointing her sais at the blue pony, Saphria grinned and said “well then, what are you waiting for? Bring it!”

The pegasus immediately charged and landed a solid blow to Saphira's chest, catching her off guard.

‘Woah, she’s much quicker than I anticipated. I’ll have to adjust accordingly’ though the purple dragon, just barely dodging a left hook. ‘Keeping her at a distance won’t work since she’ll just keep rushing in faster than I can get away, so I’ll have to keep this close quarters and let her come to me.’

The pegasus threw out a kick straight towards Saphira's head; but the dragon merely stepped aside, grabbed ahold of the hind hoof, and used it’s momentum to easily toss the pony into one of the castle walls.

The mare shook off the blow and rushed in again, but once more Saphria dodged to the side and struck another blow in the pegasus’ shoulder blade. Oddly enough it didn’t hurt at all.

“What was that, a poke?” mocked the blue mare.

“No, it was a nerve bundle in your wings, might not have hurt but you’ll be grounded for quite some time” Saphria said

The pegasus looked at her now limp wing, trying to lift it back up only to fall back down to her side. Gritting her teeth, the pegasus ran directly at the dragon; failing to realise that was exactly what the ninja was banking on.

Doding to the side again, Saphria swung out her sai and landed a deep cut into one of the pony’s hind hooves, forcing her to the ground as blood began to trickle out. The pegasus looked up at her attacker with an expression of pure unbridled hatred. The mare lunged only to be caught mid-air and then knocked to the ground with a headbutt, a black eye starting to form.

Saphria formed a toothy grin as she kneeled down to the pegasus “you are strong and quick my friend. But you fight inexperienced, nothing held back, which left plenty of openings for me to strike; let this be a lesson for next time, if there is one.” and with that, Saphria roughly kicked the pegasus in the face, knocking it out cold.

“Hmmm. if she wakes up before we all leave, she could run off and get help. I’d better make sure she stays put” said Saphria.

The dragon then picked up the mare and dragged her over to a nearby tree, pulling down a few vines she tied up the pegasus before stuffing a gag made up of a few stick in her maw. The pegasus beginning to stir at the actions.

“There.” said Saphria, dusting off her hands “that should hold you for the night”

The pegasus began to struggle in response; letting out what was likely a string of explicit words, garbled by the gag.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure one of your friends will come for you tomorrow morning, after we’re long gone. But until then, you’re staying put.” Saphria said.

As she walked back inside the castle, she saw that Connor was coming down the main stairs.

“Oh hey Saphi, Griffith said it was my shift now. You can go and get some rest” said the orange dragon.

“Thank you Connor”

“So anything happen during your shift?”

Saphria looked over her shoulder at the pegasus who was trying in vain to break her bonds before turning back towards Connor.

“No, nothing at all. It was fairly boring to say the least”

“Bummer man, I was hoping for some action. Ah well, take care now.” Connor said as he climbed up to the vantage point.

For now, the group would rest peacefully within the ruins of the once mighty castle. But come the next morning it would be pure and utter chaos not just for them, but for their pursuers as well.