The Storm Dragon Returns

by ShowShine

Bury the Issues

Spike was not going to give Cozy Glow the journal. The more he thought about how much she wanted it, the more unsettled he got. He didn't know what she was going to do with it. For all he knows, she could use the journal for some type of ritual! And seeing how desperate she was to get it, he knew whatever she was going to do had to be bad.

He stared at Storm King's journal, his brows furrowing. Why did Cozy Glow want this so badly? It wasn't really worth trashing his room over. Did she know something he didn't?

"It wouldn't hurt to read a bit more." Spike muttered, plopping onto his bed. He flipped through the pages, hoping to find something of use. His eye landed on a particular page. Well, more like a particular word. His name.

Storm King wrote about him? Spike knows he shouldn't be surprised; he did work for him for years. It was just that Spike didn't realize Storm King would care enough to write about him. He flipped back a few pages, going to the beginning of the entry.

"I finished, my liege."

---

Grubber kneeled in front of Storm King, presenting a staff. Storm King excitedly wiggled his fingers, staring at the staff with a wild look in his eyes. He snatched it from Grubber's hands, twirling it happily.

"After all these years, I finally have it." Storm King grinned. This is what he had needed for years.

Storm King twirled a sleek, brown staff in his hands. The top of the staff was curved, almost as if the wood it was made of was still growing.

"Why did I have to carve that again?" Grubber asked, rubbing his sore hands. Storm King shot a glare at Grubber.

"Do you even listen to my monologues? And why do you look so tired?" He asked, eyeing his assistant. Sure enough, he looked disheveled. Grubber sleepily rubbed his eyes.

"Because you made me stay up until I finished that thing. What's the point of it, anyway?" He asked. Storm King dramatically flung the staff outwards, posing dramatically.

"This is the Staff of Sacanas! It's meant to absorb magic." Storm King twisted the vacant staff in his hand. "But it won't do any of that without the Sacanasion Crystal." He clutched the staff so tightly that it could've snapped.

"Hey, don't squeeze it so hard! It took forever to finish that!" Grubber shouted. Storm King snarled at Grubber, lifting the staff above Grubber's head. He swung down, preparing to strike. How dare he speak to him like that!?

Storm King's grip softened. Grubber wasn't worth all of this stress. He fixed his composure, straightening his armor.

"I'm back, my liege." Tempest bowed in the doorway. She peaked her eye open, seeing Grubber's confused and frightened look. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked. Storm King's eyes lit up.

"Did you get it? Please tell me you got it!" Storm King asked eagerly, his tail swishing with excitement. Tempest reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a gem. It was marvelous. Storm King snatched the gem from her hoof. It was everything he wished for.

"You did well, Tempest." Storm King praised. Tempest curiously inspected the staff. She had to admit Grubber did a great job on the details.

"I understand the gem, but why did you need a special staff?" Tempest asked.

"Why do you think we raided Mount Aris? I could care less about the Hippogriffs; I wanted the trees."

Tempest cocked her head.

"The...trees, sir?" Tempest hadn't been there when Mount Aris was raided. It was far before her time.

Storm King eagerly nodded.

"It was long ago, but the raid was needed. The trees there are strong. Strong enough to withstand large surges of magic." He explained, twirling the staff around. "It is a shame that the hippogriffs disappeared. They would've been an excellent addition to the armada." He reminisced.

The hippogriffs were fast. Faster than any pegasus he had ever seen. Storm King sighed. It was all in the past now. He needed to start looking toward the future.

Storm King gazed at the glowing crystal in his hand. He placed the crystal at the staff's top, watching as it glowed. Despite it not being activated, he could feel the power. It was like electricity in his hands.

"Now that you have the staff, what's the next step?" Tempest asked. Storm King hummed to himself.

"Well, the staff will take a few days to charge..." He began, "That'll give you two ample time to get to Equestria." Storm King explained. Tempest nodded, standing straight.

"You heard him; let's get moving! We can make it to Equestria in two days' time if we leave now!" Tempest commanded the Storm Creatures. The Storm Creatures saluted, following Tempest out of the room.

Storm King plopped onto his throne, watching his subjects leave the room. For the first time in years, he was alone. No guards, no assistance, just himself.

He mindlessly swung the staff around. Now that he had the staff, he could do whatever he wanted. Power, riches, a larger army; he could have it all. Storm King knew what he wanted to do after he ruled Equestria.

He was going to kill Spike. That damned dragon cost him so much over the years. If he hadn't been such a coward, he could've taken over Equestria years ago.

Storm King wasn't an idiot; he knew Spike was purposefully messing up his missions. It was so obvious! There was no way Spike suddenly got worse at his missions. He grasped the staff so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Oh, how he hated that dragon. All he wanted to do was wring his little neck. Ooo, yes, that would be satisfying. He just wanted to-

---

Spike tore his eyes away from the page. He couldn't stomach to read anymore. The next page and a half were gruesome, overly detailed descriptions of how Storm King wanted to kill him. It made Spike feel like he needed to vomit.

"Cozy Glow can't read this." Spike muttered. The last entry felt too personal. He didn't want Cozy to see how much Storm King despised him. Hell, Spike didn't want to know how Storm King thought of him. He knew Storm King hated him, but he didn't know it was this bad.

His heart hammered in his chest, and the world felt dizzying. Spike needed to get rid of this journal. He couldn't let anyone get ahold of it. But he couldn't just destroy it; he didn't know what kind of spell Storm King put on it. For all Spike knows, he could've cursed this journal.

Spike looked out the window, peering into the backyard. The grass was freshly cut, perfect for digging. The backyard was perfect. No one would think to look there.

The dragon opened his bedroom window, launching himself out. He wobbled in the air, trembling from panic. He hovered over the backyard, scanning the grass. Spike glided to the ground, landing much harder than he meant to.

He didn't have time to find a shovel; he had to get rid of this journal now. Spike dropped to his knees, beginning to claw at the dirt.

Spike dug until his hands ached. He kept digging until the hole was deep enough to fit himself in.

"I think this is deep enough." Spike panted. He picked out the journal, staring at it one last time. This was for the greater good. He dropped the journal into the hole, listening to it hit the uneven ground with a 'thump.'

Spike began to shovel the dirt back into the hole with his hands. His hands were sore and throbbing. He was sure that he had cut his hands on a few rocks. Spike smoothed the dirt out, making it look flat as possible.

"That should grow out in a few days." Spike commented. He stared at the patch of dirt. It stood out in the perfect green yard. Even though the journal was buried, he still felt uneasy.

Spike shook his head. He needed to snap out of it. Everything was fine now; he had no reason to be upset. Spike flew back through his bedroom, closing the window behind him.

He stared at his hands. They were covered in dirt and blood. He couldn't go to bed like this; he was a mess! Spike slowly walked out of his room, looking down the hallway. It was eerily dark.

"You're fine, Spike; Storm King is dead." He reassured himself. Despite this, he still felt like he was being watched. It was as if Storm King was looming over him. Spike shook his head, walking into the bathroom. He was fine.

Spike turned on the faucet with shaky hands. He shoved his hands under the too-hot water. He watched as the dirt and blood rinsed off of his hands. His hands trembled under the water. Spike grumbled. Why couldn't he calm down? He fixed everything; it should all be fine now!

An idea popped into his head. If he couldn't calm down, he knew something that could help. Sure, it was embarrassing, but it might work.

---

Spike stood at the foot of Tempest's bed, fiddling with his hands. Tempest slept soundly, snoring softly. He was nearly 12, it was embarrassing to have to run to his mom for comfort. He carefully crawled under the covers, trekking his way to the top. He squeezed in between Tempest's forelegs.

She was warm and comforting. Spike hadn't slept in the same bed as her since he was a little kid. As embarrassing as this was, Spike couldn't help to feel comforted. He pressed his ear against Tempest's chest, listening to her heartbeat.

Just like that, he could feel all of his anxieties melting away. Spike sighed happily, closing his eyes. For the first time in weeks, he felt perfectly safe.

Comments

[Wild Stallion]

Ouch! Poor Spike! Something tells me this isn't going to be the end of it though. Not by a long shot.

[Comickook]

Whoa. This was some downright emotional reflection on Spike's part. But, yeah, I could see where Storm King would be that furious about Spike messing up his missions that often (and catching on that Spike was doing it on purpose). And even though Spike doesn't know why Cozy wants that journal so badly, he DOES know that she wants it badly enough that giving it to her is a very bad idea. Unfortunately, I doubt that burying the journal is going to do much good. But I DID appreciate Spike curling up to Tempest, even with the acknowledgement of how embarrassing it is.

Anyway, the exchanges (in the flashback), characterizations and future chapter set-up are well done and I'm definitely looking forward to more of this.

[The Sandwich Guardian]

Good story, hope to see it continue!