What It Means To Be A Dragon

by FluttershyLover55

Chapter Ten:The Truth In A Lie

What It Means To Be A Dragon
Chapter 10-The Truth In A Lie

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville, as everypony went about their own business, whether they were heading to work or nowhere in particular. Spike got out of his basket and stretched, his back popping, as he sighed in satisfaction. Spike couldn't remember the last time, he had slept this well. A tantalizing scent invaded his nose, causing him to nearly float down the stairs in pursuit of it. He stared in wonder at Twilight, who was cooking pancakes in the kitchen, flipping them magically.

"That's weird, Twilight NEVER cooks! Is today some kind of special event? Actually, now that I think about it, how did I get back home? I think I was on a journey, of some sort." Spike concluded, mentally. "Hey Twilight, how did I get here?" Spike asked.

For some reason, his memory was foggy, and he didn't remember finishing the quest, or what it was even for.

"Well, Spike, you should know better than me, but you finished the journey, and that's all that matters." Twilight answered, without turning her attention away from what she was cooking.

Spike was sure that something was off, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "Uh, is today a special day or something? You don't usually cook, that's MY thing." He pointed out.

The unicorn transferred the pancakes to some plates and turned to face the dragon, as the plates of food floated over to the dining table, settling on its surface. She grinned, obviously excited for whatever reason. "Silly, Spike! Don't you remember what today is? You're the one who set it up! Today, you're going to choose who, out of me and our friends, you love the most, and want to spend the rest of your life with!" Twilight giggled and sat down across from Spike, who had chosen a seat at the table.

"Of course, I remember! I was just testing you, Twi." Spike lied, having no memory of it, but deciding to play along for now.

The cooking was surprisingly good, considering that the unicorn usually, burned anything she attempted to cook. The rest of the day was spent with all of the six mares, one at a time, being the assistant to them in whatever they did.

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All of them gathered at the Library, for a party organized to thank Spike for his help. Sometime during the party, the dragon was going to tell them who he loved. They all got in line standing side by side, awaiting his decision.

Spike took a breath, before he spoke. "Don't get me wrong, I love you all, but there's only one that I love more than family. That pony is you, Fluttershy." He said, pointing to the shy pegasus.

She gasped in surprise, as the others sighed in disappointment, making her way over to him. She attempted to kiss him, but Spike lightly pushed her away.

"No!" He shouted, startling those present, the hurt apparent in the eyes of Fluttershy.

"What's wrong? I thought you loved me?"

"I'm not sure. I think that I might, but this is wrong. It's ALL wrong! Something's been off all day, and I finally figured out what it is. You're not the real Fluttershy, this Library isn't real, and this isn't the real Ponyville! The only explanation is that this is all, just a dream!" Spike concluded, the word 'dream' echoing, as it was the magic word that he needed, his ticket to getting out of there.

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A creature that had been closely observing him jumped back, as his eyes snapped open.

"What? You're the first one, to ever break free of my control on their own! Until now, I didn't realize that it was possible." It hissed, obviously not pleased with the current situation.

Spike's eyes narrowed, in recognition of the creature that stood before him. "Queen Chrysalis, you're the reason that this mine was never finished, aren't you!" Spike looked out of the green cocoon-like pod that he was in, and all around were other ponies sleeping in pods.

"You are correct, young dragon. I've been keeping them here, to feed off of their love. Yours, however, is stronger than I expected, so I am not sure how to proceed." Queen Chrysalis admitted.

She was a unicorn with a black, hole-ridden body and a blue mane. Her eyes were black, with green irises. She presented the dragon with, a fang-filled grin. "I won't make the same mistake twice, I assure you. You won't make it out of here alive, and if by some miracle you did, the only way out is the way you came in." She started to laugh, but stopped, upon seeing his face.

The way he was looking at her, suggested that he knew something she didn't. His prison was covered with flames, and as the smoke cleared, he stood there amidst its remains. He smirked in triumph, as she stared in awe at the dragon.

"Sorry, Chrysalis, but your plan is about to go up in flames."

"You ignorant, little pest! It's game over for you!" Chrysalis shouted, as Spike floated into the air, surrounded by a malevolent green aura.

His windpipe was cut off by the increasing pressure being applied by the 'Changeling Queen', with the magic of her horn. All of a sudden, a ferocious roar shook the cave, before it began to collapse, and fire rained down all around it. Chrysalis' focus was lost, allowing Spike the chance to escape.

A huge dragon had broken through the side of the mountain, and was currently, bombarding the cave with fire. The smoke soon became too thick to see anything, and Chrysalis was nowhere to be found. Spike barely had time to react, as he was grabbed by the dragon and thrown upon its back. He was terrified, and clung to its scales for dear life.
Soon, they were out in the open air on the other side of the mountain. It was then, that the dragon spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.

"You're lucky I came in, or you would've been done for."

"About that, I'm grateful and all, but why did you save me? The only other dragons I've met, weren't as nice as you seem to be." Spike remembered, back when he went on the 'Great Dragon Migration' and met those rude, other dragons.

"Forgive me, Spike, for not coming in, sooner. I heard your scream, and hurried to save you. You see, my name is Riptide. My duty is to protect you, the 'Chosen One'."

Spike's mind, was a jumbled mess of questions that he could barely sort through to ask. "You called me the 'Chosen One', but how do you know my name? Just what, was I chosen for? What am I destined to do?"

The blue and white dragon chuckled. "All of your questions will be answered, later. Prepare for landing, the Badlands village is right below us."

Spike had no time to prepare, as the dragon's wings folded to its sides, causing them to drop out of the sky like a stone, heading towards the building below.