The Storm Dragon Returns

by ShowShine

Some Odd Changes

Spike stood on a step stool in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He had a long day of helping more people and was getting ready for bed. He looked in the mirror and smiled, showing off his now clean teeth.

“All done!” Spike exclaimed. A sharp pain came from his right cheek, making him freeze. He looked at his cheek to see that one of his scales was peeling off. Under the scale, their was a red diamond shaped sore.

“Did I scratch my face by accident?” Spike asked himself. He shrugged it off and hopped off of the stool. He walked out of the bathroom and towards his room. He had eaten dinner and said goodnight to Tempest and Grubber. He entered his bedroom, only to be approached by Patches. She let out a loud meow and head butted Spikes leg. He let out a chuckle and picked her up like a baby.

“Hi Patches, are you ready for bed?” Spike asked. Patches stuck her tongue out and lightly pressed her paw against his nose. He closed his bedroom door behind him and walked towards his bed. He let out another chuckle and laid down on her bed, placing Patches next to him. Patches let out loud purrs and laid against Spikes side.

“Goodnight Patches, I love you.” He said as he continued to pet her head. Once she fell asleep, Spike closed his eyes. He listened to the sound of the wind blowing outside. There was a storm that was scheduled for tomorrow morning so the winds were picking up.

The wind sounded loud but peaceful. He started to nod off, finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Within in seconds, he fell asleep.

---

A young Spike sat on the floor with his back against a wall, covering his mouth. He was three years old and fearing for his life. He could hear the sound of hooves echoing down the hallway. His eyes were filled up with tears as he tried to make sure his breathing was quiet.

“Come out little dragon.” Storm Kings voice echoed. Spike could hear the hoofsteps getting closer and closer, making him whimper in fear. Suddenly, the hoofsteps stopped.

Spike dug his claws into his leg, trying not to make a noise. He slowly lowered his hand from his mouth and placed it on the floor. Before he could move, Storm King crept around the corner. He looked down at Spike and grabbed him by the neck.

”I FOUND YOU!”

---

Spike sat straight up in bed, hyperventilating. A crack of thunder came from outside, making him jump. He looked out of the window to see rain pouring.

“That was terrible. I completely blocked out that memory.” Spike muttered to himself. He rubbed his eye, only to see his hand was covered in red and purple diamond shaped sores. He looked at his arms to see that they were covered in sores too.

“That’s really weird.” He said. Spike hopped out to bed and walked over to his mirror. His whole body was completely covered in sores.

Was this another dragon thing or was it just a growing boy thing? A burning hot feeling started to rise in Spikes chest. His cheeks puffed up and a large gust of green fire shot out of his mouth. Spike quickly covered his mouth and backed away from the mirror. Now that’s never happened before.

“M-maybe I just need something to eat.” Spike shakily muttered to himself. He was probably just freaked out from the nightmare he had. Yeah that was it! His body was just reacting in a fight or flight instinct. Some food would make him feel better.

Spike walked down the hallway, sniffing the air. It smelled like Grubber was making pancakes. He walked down the stairs, not having any energy to slide down the railing that morning. He walked into the kitchen to see Tempest sitting at the table and Grubber cooking at the stove.

”Good morning.” Spike whispered. He blinked in surprise. His voice was perfectly fine a few minutes ago. Tempest looked up from her breakfast and gave a confused look when she saw Spike.

“Spike are you okay? Your skin looks...bad.” Tempest said, standing up from her seat. Spike looking down at the ground and shrugged his shoulders. Tempest put her hoof on Spike shoulder, making him jump back.

“Ow!” Spike exclaimed. Even though it was a light touch, it really hurt. Tempest jerked her hoof back and frowned.

“You don’t look to good, do you want me and Grubber to stay home with you today?” Tempest asked. Spike shook his head. He didn’t want to inconvenience anyone because he was slightly panicked.

“No no, I’ll be fine. I’ll just stay in today.” Spike reassured. Tempests ears flattened and she tilted her head. She was very worried about Spike.

“Fine, I just want to make sure to you’re okay.” Tempest stated. Before either of them could start anything else, Grubber walked away from the stove, holding a plate of pancakes.

“Breakfast is served.” Grubber said, placing the pancakes onto the table. Spikes stomach growled. Spike opened his mouth to say something but a large flame shot out of his mouth, burning the table cloth, the pancakes, and most of the table.

Spike clasped his hands over his mouth and took a step back. Tempest and Grubber looked at Spike with surprised looks on their faces.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’m going to my room.” Spike said before running off. He ran up the stairs, tears filling his eyes. Was he becoming a monster? He never lost control of himself like that.

Spike ran into his room and closed the door behind him. He wiped the tears from his eyes and let out a slow breath. Patches walked over to Spike, rubbing her head up against his leg.

“I’m sorry Patches, I’m not going to let you stay with me. I don’t want to hurt you.” Spike said, picking up Patches. He opened his bedroom door and placed Patches outside before closing and locking the door.

He let out a sigh and walked over to his bed, laying face first into it. If he was becoming a monster, he might as well lock himself in his room forever. It would be better for everyone involved. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he hurt anyone else.

“Spike, are you okay?” Tempest asked through the closed door.

“Please go away!” Spike shouted. His eyes widened. He didn’t mean to yell. He sounded so mean and angry.

“Me and Grubber are going to leave the house for a while to give you some alone time. Send me a letter if you need anything.” Tempest said in a soft tone. Spike didn’t want to answer. He didn’t want to yell at her again. Soon, he could hear her hoofsteps walking away from the door.

Was he being punished for destroying Storm Kings statue? It would make sense. Storm King studied a lot of magic so he probably casted a spell on himself that if anyone harmed him, they’d be punished.

“I deserve this anyway.” Spike whisked to himself.

---

Spike hung upside down from his bed, kicking his legs in the air. He had been in his room for hours, still refusing to leave. He knew Tempest and Grubber weren’t home but he couldn’t risk leaving. Patches meowed loudly outside of his door, demanding love and attention. It pained Spike that he couldn’t pick up his cat and cuddle her.

He had accidentally burn some items in his room from his random fire burst and his whole room smelled horrible. Apparently smelling terrible was apart of the curse Storm King gave him.

He listened to the rain hitting the window, closing his eyes. This is how his whole life was going to be from this point on. Trapped in his room and listening to everything outside through a closed window.

Spikes scales started to burn and itch, making him sit up in bed. He started to aggressively scratch his scales. He looked down at his body to see that is was glowing red.

“This is a nightmare!” Spike exclaimed, scratching himself. Suddenly, all of the itching stopped. He looked down to see that his sores were a very faded purple.

“Was that it? Is it over?” Spike asked himself. His legs started to rapidly turn into stone, making his eyes widen. This is how he died. The stone traveled up his body and quickly reached his neck. Spike closed his eyes tightly, letting the stone cover his head.

This was the end for him. He had destroyed Storm Kings statue so now he was turning to stone. That was a fair punishment.

The stone around Spike started to crack and fall to the floor. The stone chipped away faster and then there was a bright light. Spike gasped for air, clutching onto his chest. He looked around him to see that the stone was gone.

“I’m...alive?” Spike asked himself. That was very odd. He didn’t smell bad anymore and his scales didn’t burn. He looked at his body, only to spot two wings. He blinked in surprise.

“I got wings?!” He asked in surprise. Spike always assumed that Storm King had cut off his wings when he was a baby so he didn’t escape.

“All of that wasn’t a punishment, I was just growing.” Spike said in realization. He broke out into a large grin. He didn’t have to isolate himself to the world. He rushed over to his room door and unlocked it. He swung it open and looked down at Patches. Spike picked Patches up and cradled her like a baby.

“I’m so sorry for leaving you alone for so long!” Spike exclaimed, nuzzling his cat with his cheek. Patches purred happily, loving the attention she was getting. Spike let out a sigh of relief and looked back at his wings. It was time for flying practice.

---

Tempest and Grubber walked into the house, both soaking wet and cold. Grubber shook his body off like a dog, getting more cold water on Tempest. She grimaced and pushed Grubber a few inches away from her.

“Gross you got your dirty fur water on me.” She said in disgust. She looked up at the staircase. “Spike we’re back!” Tempest shouted. Their was a loud crash from upstairs.

“I hope he didn’t break anything.” Grubber said. They both walked over to the stairs and made their way up, hearing another loud thud. They reached the top of the stairs, only to see pillows, blankets, and cushions covering the floor.

Spike flew out of his room with a football helmet on, touching the ceiling. He wobbled a bit before crashing into a wall. He fell onto a blanket and let out laugh.

“Woah did you get wings?” Grubber asked in amazement. Spike sat up and nodded his head.

“Yeah, I got them a few hours ago! Isn’t it cool?” Spike asked, fluttering his wings. Tempest chuckled.

“I didn’t think you’d grow wings.” Tempest stated.

“Neither did I.” Spike said happily. He gave a large grin. He was just happy he wasn’t becoming a monster.

Comments

[Comickook]

Again, really good job on the latest chapter. Took a while, but was definitely worth the wait. Love the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places. Really good spin on THIS version of Spike's going through "the Molt". Yeah, I could see where he would initially think this was the Storm King punishing him from beyond and that flashback was quite nerve-wracking. I wouldn't be surprised if Tempest and Twilight eventually mention that they had to fight off a roc a few times.

At any rate, I'll definitely be looking forward to more of this.

[PonyofEntropy]

Nice update.