Dragon Warrior

Hard stone chair, dark dank room with no exit due to a locked door. Yep, prison. Several eyes leered on Trixie and myself, yet all of them seemed to be... light-hearted. All of them had soft eyes and soothing voices, and none of them tried to water board us or anything. Frowning, I rested my head against the table, which was high enough that I didn't have to struggle.

“A Dragon born in Equestria... you aren't really a threat since you don't know the situation, but you are dangerous in general. Some of those Dragons are well-trained. You've got none, yet you both—a vegetarian Dragon and a showmare—made short work of them. The boss thinks you would be perfect in the war for peace,” a violet Dragon said.

“No,” was all I said.

Same thing I said before. I held my stance and waited for another response. The purple Dragon hadn't stated her name and I was waiting for that before I bothered to talk politics. Trixie seemed to be in a panic, her horn with a dent in it. I was worried more about the mental health of this mare than I was their interrogations.

“Come on, talk to us a bit. We're not gonna hurt you or anything. I just want to talk a bit, maybe get you to understand,” she said.

I glanced back over to her, scowling. “That's not proper etiquette.”

She seemed taken aback by what I said. She coughed once and glanced at the clock, seemingly pondering what to say. The whole room was giving off an awful smell, which slightly distracted me. Finally, she faced me and extended a hand to me, smiling.

“My name is Hoshi, and I'm a Coldwater Agent, fighting the habitual dangers,” she said.

I held my shackled hands up, hinting that I wanted them off. She glanced at the Dragons in the room and they shrugged. Hoshi then removed the shackles on me as well as Trixie, offering us food. Within minutes, Trixie was eating a bowl of steamed rice and vegetables and I was... rejecting meat, in favour of a few gems.

“I apologize for the prison treatment, but again, you kinda mutilated a few of our guys, and severely injured one. Nonetheless, they weren't supposed to attack you,” Hoshi stated, watching us eat.

We ignored her explanation, finishing what little food we had and both felt exhausted. The day started with me in the desert and ends with me in an old, crappy cell. I chewed on the diamond dust, savouring the flavour as nothing more than exquisite; I last had gems when... she gave me all of hers. I felt like vomiting and hitting someone as I thought of her.

“They did, and we had every right to retaliate the way we did,” I muttered, drumming my fingers on the edge. “Dunno why you're trying, we're just gonna be your prisoners until your stupid rebellion topples or whatever.”

“Trixie believes that she shouldn't be here. This is, technically, a declaration of war against Equestria. Trixie doesn't see what this has to do with her,” Trixie said, maintaining her higher attitude from earlier.

I won't tell her, but I do kinda like it when she keeps that attitude. It's more her, more identifiable than first-person. Disregarding those thoughts, I glanced back at the girl as she let us talk. Hoshi paused as we stopped talking since we both expected a response. Clearing her throat, she beamed once more.

“Okay, I'll explain a bit, if only to let you know why we're bothering with such tactics,” Hoshi said as she sat down at the table.

She folded her arms and frowned as she hummed, thinking of words. Trixie and I seemed disinterested... but there was nothing else to do, so I at least sighed, leaning in to focus.

“A species of animal native to Doragon are crystal creatures named simply after their diet; Crystovores. Unoriginal, but they were named in another time. What's going on is the mayor is attempting to wipe out all of their habitats in the nearby areas, exterminating the race.” She leaned in closer. “We are not the bad guys.”

Confusion washed over my mind as it did Trixie; both of us stared dumbfounded and shocked. The mere thought of it made me sick, bringing back memories of what Lockdown said. My species really is full of bastards... and Haruo is with this guy... this mayor.

“You're attacking Dragons,” Trixie muttered, most likely trying to rationalize this in the law's favour.

“We've tried peaceful protests, petitions, letters, conversations, interviews and it  has gotten to extremes. We had to act,” she said. “But that doesn't mean we don't feel for the ones we've hurt. We'll never live it down, so we cope and look towards the future.”

Silence took the air once more and I contemplated asking for more gems, if only to occupy my mouth while I thought. Trixie, ever the initiative one, spoke up quickly.

“That justifies none of your actions. Trixie believes that sacrifices to your mentality does not equal the sacrifices of those who lost family in your apparent raids,” Trixie said, hostility peeking through her voice. The Dragons seemed taken back by her response and seemingly contemplated. “But... the Mayor does have to find another way. I will help only if there is promises for zero casualties. Your goal shouldn't be this deadly to civilians or Dragons protecting the populace.”

“Very well. Although a Pony such as yourself doesn't have huge use, you do have vital use; the city is required to, by law, protect you, but that still leaves your friend.” Hoshi turned to me as I kept my stern glare, feeling a little weaker now that Trixie sided with the Coldwater Agents. “Spike, is it? There's been a bit of buzz about a prisoner from Bahamut; the youngest in the prison yet he was hailed as a saviour. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it? You match the description.”

I clicked my tongue in response and glanced away, wondering if I should spit out a witty retort. Killing the thought, I rolled my eyes and settled on a fixed, lazy gaze.

“I have a friend working for the Mayor and I trust him over you,” I responded.

Hoshi once again let silence take over. Thoughts ran as this seemed to be turning into a psychological battle and the more time we took to think, the more apparent it was that we weren't on top. She sighed, and seemed to drop the friendly facade.

“If your friend is the King's Knight, Haruo, he may be killed simply because he's the most dangerous enemy here, regardless of your friend's requirements to assist,” Hoshi stated. “Work with us and you can sort things out yourself, and maybe convince him to stop the mayor from going through with his plans.”

I scoffed, sliding the chair back and stood up, stretching my arms and legs and walked towards the wall. Leaning against it, I didn't give her a response.

“Fine. If you change your mind, just tell Brooster.” Hoshi pointed at a winged Dragon in the same body-covering uniform as his companions, save for the headgear. He was three times my size. I sniffed at it and Hoshi continued. “We will be heading towards a nearby habitat to stop a raze.”

She stood up and three of the four guards put on their headgear. Hoshi glanced over at Trixie who seemed unsure, if not a little scared. I pondered agreeing but I still had to think. So much has happened in a few days. I talked a lot of resistance but my stronger, more curious mind was reigning.

“You're a magician, we would love it if you could locate any gems,” Hoshi said as she motioned for Trixie to get up.

Trixie slid off the large chair and stretched her legs, several audible cracks sounding from her achy bones.

“Trixie doesn't know any gem finding spells,” she muttered.

I cleared my throat to get their attentions. At this point, only Hoshi, Brooster and Trixie and myself were present as the rest left to prepare. I didn't want to assist the rebels, but at the moment, I had to meet up with Haruo in order to get some answers out of him.

“I know a gem finding spell,”I muttered. “Someone I know created one.”

[*][*][*]

“Pastel, cyanide, ink, happiness, paint, sudoku, superhero, Equestrian Free Radical Chess Death Battle. All examples of things I pretended to do or be in order to ignore the pain or burning as I bid my time. It wasn't easy but I managed, and, well, I'm here. I know you must feel sorry, but I want you to know that I forgive you. I don't hold any malice towards you. You're the closest thing to family I  have... you're my mother, and I love you. Hey, please stop crying? Mistakes happen, I don't blame you. I don't blame Shining Armour . . . There there, let it out. It was hard for you too, and I'm sorry about that. Just... let it out. Get it out of your system. I'm sorry. Please smile a bit. Maybe talk about a book or something you read. Oh, you read nothing... I'm sorry. No reports from...  C... Celestia? Oh... I see. I'm sorry. I thought that... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I did it again. I'm sorry. Just by being me, I worried others and made everyone else sad. I'm sorry, please, s-stop c-crying, y-you're an adult, aren't you? Please... I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Forgive me, please? I can't ask for anything else. Oh, no, I didn't mean that... you... you'll understand soon. I'm sorry. Please don't forget about me. I love you, mom.”

[*][*][*]

A rickety wooden bridge snapped me out of my thoughts. I could always count on some environmental anomaly to disrupt my mental process. Sighing, I glanced out the flaps of the wagon as we seemingly approached a crystal-like area. Farther from the city than I thought, the ground seemed to have little dots and speckles of violet crystal embedded into it. Then chunks showed up. Then the ground turned into crystal with structures and odd trees here and there. The wagon was full of Coldwater Agents; ten or so along with Trixie and myself. We both wore odd uniforms matching them. As soon as I started to wonder why they needed a gem finding spell, I found my questions answered.

“The crystovores hide when non-crystovores enter any area they inhabit. We need a gem finding spell since our last Unicorn was assimilated by rabid Changelings posing as Crystal Ponies,” Hoshi explained, adjusting a helmet.

Trixie's eyes widened a bit and she seemed a bit shaken by the info dump. She laughed awkwardly as she attempted to play it cool, much to my amusement.

“Haha, that Pony must have been weak or something. W-won't happen to the G and PT, haha nope,” she stuttered out, drawing three pairs of eyes.

Trixie turned to face the back of the wagon, fumbling with her hooves in the dimly lit back half. Several Dragons up front yanked the cart and had subtly gotten quieter. Nobody spoke and the only sound was the light wind blowing the loose flaps of the cart and the steel wheels crushing diamond dust atop the crystal Earth.

Sitting next to me was the larger, intimidating Brooster. He  had a mean gaze fixiated on the dim light, watching a fly zip around the 15-watt bulb. Brooster seemed to growl. An eye shifted towards me and I stood my ground, not averting my gaze. I simply furrowed my brow and glared back at the brute. A brief staring contest occurred and neither of us blinked for several seconds.

A sudden jerk in the wagon caused us all to slow. I was pressed up against Brooster, Trixie across the wagon pressed up against Hoshi. A sudden stop jerked Trixie and I back, almost causing us to fall over the back end of the wagon. All eyes turned to Trixie as the showmare reoriented herself, fixing the hat she insisted she wear. A black uniform with a starry blue hat seemed to make her stick out, but it was part of Trixie nopony could change.

“We're here. Ten minutes ahead of schedule, thirty minutes to the arrival of the Corruption Officers,” Hoshi stated, standing up. Everyone out, Brooster, you burn down the cart. We'll fly back after we've gotten the CO's.”

Everyone cleared out of the cart, Trixie and myself sharing a nervous look as we timidly touched the ground. I had never seen this kind of ground, even in the Crystal Empire. It wasn't slippery as I had thought, instead having an odd grip on my feet that seemed to have more traction than normal dirt... almost sticky. Frowning, I glanced around. Looking at Hoshi, I stepped over to her.

“Out of curiosity, what do these things look like?” I asked.

“Imagine a bipedal canine figure made of crystal and half your size,” Hoshi responded, glancing towards a large expanse of crystals.

Glancing over the land, there was something shaped like a small volcano made of crystals; it was perhaps half a kilometre high. There were numerous holes spotted in the sides and I almost dropped my jaw.

“D-do you Dragons eat this or harvest this or something?” Trixie asked, giving it a once-over.

“Sometimes, yes. We can also hunt and kill the crystovores for food. It's perfectly legal, but the government is going to wipe out the whole habitat. We can't have that and we'll do our best to keep the casualties down. I can't guarantee as anything can go wrong, but we'll try,” Hoshi said.

Several Dragons set fire to the cart, a rainbow of colours coming from the flames. It quickly burned down and I could feel the heat. Only Trixie showed discomfort, having to turn away from the heat.

“Trixie wonders what she's supposed to do,” she muttered, sitting down on the ground.

“Hoshi wants Trixie to find crystovores,” Hoshi explained. “The Corruption Officers have a magic-using Dragon that can find the crystovores. They're gonna try to exterminate them and preserve most of the area since there is no successful agent to gas them. Most likely, they're gonna detonate the area and destroy most of the supplies the creatures gather. We're gonna find out where they are and surround the area.”

Another Dragon stepped forward. “I stand guard and notify when the officers arrive before retreating into the structure. We intercept them and either capture them, send them away or take them down if Haruo shows up.”

“I know Haruo, or I know him a bit... can't I talk to him? Surely we can work something out? I mean, he's not a bad-bad guy,” I said, losing my confidence as I talked.

“You can try but if it comes down to it, Haruo is the only one we truly have to consider killing over capturing,” Hoshi muttered.

Resigning myself to the events that had happened, I faced Trixie as all Dragons seemingly turned to her. She glanced around, smiling. The attention-loving Trixie surfaced for a moment and she seemed to gain her confidence back. A brief moment to vent and the simplicity of the mission; that coupled with the fact that I could possibly convince Haruo otherwise, she lost most of the tension in her stance.

“Trixie needs to know when, then she can try that spell,” she boomed, spinning to face the structure.

“I gotta say, that spell is genius, Spike; who taught you it? It's far better than anything we've seen,” Hoshi asked as we moved towards the structure, watching the wind blow the cart's ashes away.

“Her name...”

[*][*][*]

“Spike, what would you consider a good name?” she asked.

I pondered for about two seconds before responding with my usual child-like demenor.

“One that's distinct, memorable and one that can be associated with the owner,” I responded.

“So, Spike for a Dragon with lovely spikes,” she responded, levitating an object onto a mannequin.

[*][*][*]

“Rarity, for a one-of-a-kind Unicorn. She developed the spell and refuses to teach it to others simply because it's how she got her Cutie Mark. I feel sick already, but this can't get any worse,” I muttered, spitting on the ground.

A brief silence hung in the air broke only by stepping. A set of hooves clacked against the glass-like ground yet it felt as if my foot sunk a bit into the purple foundation.

“I'm sorry, Spike. If it's any consolation, I will not be using this spell after today,” Trixie stated.

We entered a rather large opening to the structure and immediately, we saw the setting sun's light refracting off the crystal structure. An odd, ambient glow lit the entirety of the inside making it brighter than outside. Deeper in, however, it visibly got darker.

“How did you convince this Unicorn to teach you the spell if it's so personal?” Hoshi asked.

Glancing back, I saw that one Dragon standing by the entrance just behind a larger crystal. Facing forward, I adjusted the goggles on my head before pulling them over my eyes. They had night vision, but I didn't truly need them unless we stayed here for several more hours.

“A promise,” was all I said.

Seemingly accepting it, Hoshi nodded and Trixie stepped forward. Her horn started to glow as she concentrated. We stopped walking a moment as the showmare struggled with conjuring up the magic. Trixie grit her teeth and started to sweat a bit before the sound of proper, flowing magic buzzed lightly. She lost all signs that she was straining and her eyes opened. Trixie stood up more calm and relaxed.

“W-woah, Trixie feels a tugging leading further into the structure; not only that, but Trixie can feel where it forks and can even sense where crystovores are under. This is a rather advanced magic,” Trixie said. “Trixie wonders why the fashionista didn't use this spell during her first visit to Ponyville.”

“Well, it had to be fair, right?” I asked, elbowing her.

She playfully rolled her eyes and once more the whole group started to move forward. After a few seconds, we saw a branch as well as some different landscape. The purple crystals had a light gradient into red and orange in these areas as we went deeper, giving it an odd atmosphere. I also felt strangely empowered by the surrounding structure, as if my own magical flame would be amplified by this place.

“Trixie, can you tell us how close we are?” Hoshi asked.

Trixie and I seemed to be the only ones letting our eyes wander. Trixie stopped for a moment and once more attempted to focus.

“Um, Trixie thinks there's a massive cluster about fifty meters away from here, thirty-five degrees southwest from where I'm facing. I can feel a hundred or so large and small... things resonating with the spell shifting around with several others converging on their location,” Trixie said.

We all glanced towards where she mentioned. Hoshi whistled and I thought back to more innocent days.

“Wow, that spell is amazing. I didn't know it was that specific when we tested it,” she said, lightly clapping.

“It wasn't extensive, and it was on gems with the magic sapped out. Equestrian Gems typically have magic in them like everything but here... it's like the very presence of Dragons saps out magic,” I noted, glancing at the shining crystal beneath us.

Each step us Dragons took, the crystal beneath us grew darker around our feet while slowly darkening all around. The ground beneath Trixie, however, seemed to subtly change colour and brighten up more than before. Trixie was truly amplifying the magic around us... I merely took it.

Did that affect Twilight's magic? Did my presence cause them difficulties with casting spells? I wondered, feeling a pang of guilt ring in my mind as I contemplated the meaning.

“Stop,” Hoshi's voice said, stern and loud.

The whole group froze on the spot and Trixie's spell dissipated. The showmare seemed visibly exhausted, but she quickly regained her energy. She seemed to be in an even better mood than before. I glanced down at the crystal structure and felt an odd tugging at my chest; something reminiscent of exhaustion... as well as empowerment. Like the crystal landmass around me was draining me physically while enhancing me magically.

“We'll split here and cover each exit. We know where they are and we need to make sure that we can protect them. Trixie, you head down to where they are along with Brooster and do your best to guard them to make sure that the Corruption Officers don't get them should they get by us. They may be expecting us to be here,” Hoshi stated, setting a hand on a blade.

Glancing over at it, I admired the design briefly before shaking it off and facing Hoshi. Gulping somehow got her attention as she looked right at me, giving me a tiny smile to calm me down. It worked for about a second before an unsettling feeling set in. This exhaustion and empowerment felt strangely familiar. Hoshi's smile vanished just as soon as it came in and she leaned in closer, whispering. By this time, Trixie had already started moving down, accompanied by another Dragon.

“Spike, you stick by me. If it comes to it, you and I have to face Haruo; we are not to engage in combat no matter what. We hide even if the enemy runs by. If Haruo passes by, then we jump in. As promised, I'll try and take him down without serious injury or death... but if it comes to it, I will strike to kill in order to defend my own life,” she said sternly.

It was at this point I noticed Hoshi and I were entirely alone. There was nobody else with us and I felt that exhausting yet empowering feeling return. She caressed my face, snapping me out of my trance and I glanced at her eyes. It was an almost motherly smile and her touch even felt warm. It wasn't her usual forced smile from before and I had a brief flashback to the face of someone I had grown oddly attached to in that prison... even if she never outwardly called me a friend. She shared all her details with me that she didn't have to and stuck by me, even giving me advice. Seeing her body laid on the ground with a small grin, blood coming from between her teeth and tears in her eyes... it brought some to my own. I grit my teeth and clenched my eyes shut, feeling my muscles tense and my hands curl up into fists. I shuddered violently and I felt her hand tug me a bit closer. For some reason, this stranger was hugging me. It was warm and I couldn't help but return the hug. I was stupefied and confused.

“You're so young... and already having been through so much. I'm sorry for my kind,” Hoshi whispered softly. “Please, I want you to smile a bit more. You're by no means a fighter Dragon. You just want peace... it's what I want too. My family is all gone... I've got nothing left. I know you must have at least someone left. Try and stay strong. A world where you don't fit in is awful, yet you've lasted this long. You... really could be a great peace warrior, Spike.”

The tears started flowing freely as this one stranger understood me more than anyone else in my whole life. Estranged and cast out by the society I grew up in, I never truly fit in yet this Dragon, that I've shared no details with other than the fact that I grew up in a Pony society, picked apart my whole life and what I've been avoiding doing simply because I didn't believe I could. I felt my knees wobble but I held them up and quietly sobbed, feeling so many pent up emotions flowing out.

“Please, please don't let us believe you're a killer.”

“T-they left me i-in prison. My own mother le-left m-m-me... I l-loved them, I thought—” I found myself unable to continue as Hoshi ran her hand down my back. Simple yet comforting.

“The race of the Dragons... we're not exactly the best but we learn compassion overtime from our meetings with other nations. It's the young that pick up the most,” Hoshi stated. "Right now, we have to be strong for those that can't. We have to protect these creatures, and—”

“AIR RAID!” a Dragon's voice shouted.

Hoshi and I both blinked for a moment before the entire structure lit up numerous colours. Roars sounded out and flames invaded the tunnels. Massive flames of many colours cascaded the walls and several explosions sounded out. Hoshi dived forward, pushing me with her and shielded my body. The ceiling cracked and shards of crystal dropped. The whole area shuddered as colours flashed. My ears buzzed from it all.

Several small shards and chunks of crystal dropped from above, pelting my face like falling clumps of snow. Hoshi rolled off me and crouched, moving up the shattered-hallways quickly. Glancing up, I spotted a large part of the ceiling gone and just through a hole in the top of the structure, I saw numerous Dragons flying above. There were objects in their claws that were dropped; each time one impacted the ground or structure, a sound of magic was heard before exploding.

“SPIKE, HIGHTAIL IT OUT OF HERE! THEY'RE BLOWING THE WHOLE PLACE!” Hoshi's voice shouted from afar.

Her voice was soon heard screaming before another explosion blocked out the noise. It was impossible to hear at this point and I prayed my eardrums survived the incident. From behind, I felt hooves push me forward and I instinctively started running, avoiding falling chunks that tattered the charred hallway-turned-trench. Trixie darted out ahead of me, her eyes narrowed as her magic made a shield around us, the whole thing flashing every time a larger chunk of crystal fell on it.

We served our ways around piles of debris, the odd body, much shrapnel as well as blades and pieces of the Coldwater Agent uniforms. Mine was cut rather badly by pieces of debris; Trixie was still in one piece, her hat merely looking a bit dusty. This mission... we could only hope the crystovores could escape lest we die.

Many bodies fell around us and a quick glance behind us revealed the large, volcanic-shaped crystal structure collapsing in on itself. Many Corruption Officers flew in the air, none of them carrying explosives. Instead, they focused on taking down or arresting the remaining CA's. Upon reaching where the entrance originally was, I saw the body of the one standing guard there, numerous shards of crystal lodged into his gut from what I presume was their weapon. Even further ahead, Hoshi had a gash in her side yet was entirely restrained along with many of the CA's that came to the site. The rest were all dead or still being apprehended in the skies. Neither of them noticed us, most likely due to our size and we ducked down, her shield spell deactivating.

Just as we did, they flapped their wings and numerous agents flapped their wings, taking off into the skies with the prisoners in tow. Trixie and I both grit our teeth, glancing as the rest of the Coldwater Agents were caught or killed. Several Dragons lingered in order to continue dropping explosives that they seemed to get from a pouch. Magical; they were effective in countering the structure of the crystals.

One bomb was detonated near Trixie and myself, us most likely blending in with the purple crystal ground. Chunks of crystal were sent flying along with bits of shrapnel. Trixie managed to get her shield up in the brief second she had but not before the force shoved her back a bit... while it violently forced me back. The concussive force almost shattered Trixie's shield yet she held out until the explosive vanished. She slid into the rather large crater, cringing from the burning in her hooves even through the uniform as well as the exhaustion.

My body felt limp as  I was tossed back, impacting what must have been a pile of debris. I didn't stop there as I felt each individual gem I collided with. Foot after foot I went further into the stack until I felt a ton of weight against me as well as gems falling from a short height, tossed into the air by me impacting the pile. My body felt weak and memories of being tossed and slammed by a Dragon God rung strong. It was merely a week ago, but good holy mother of God, did it seem like just seconds.

Outside, Trixie glanced around, shouting my name to no avail. She ignored the fact that she could draw attention to herself and frantically glanced the area, crawling out of the crater as she did.

“SPIKE!? SPIKE!”

Another Dragon landed next to her that we, or at least I, could recognize. Haruo sniffed the air and his expression softened. His armour wasn't the same as the Corruption Officers, bearing a more majestic and royal design as well as having a much more elaborate shape.

“Trixie? I thought... where's Spike!?” he asked, looking around frantically.

“WHAT IS THIS!?” Trixie shouted, her horn sparking all over.

Haruo gulped a moment and stuttered trying to speak. “W-well, our mission was to erase the contamination entirely, including the land. It's a severe loss, but orders are orders.”

Trixie angrily stomped over to Haruo who simply stood his ground as his face sharpened a bit. He seemed to register Trixie wearing the apparel of his enemy and instinctively, he placed his hand on the hilt of his blade.

“There were DRAGONS IN THERE! And myself, and those creatures... you killed many! And for what!? Trixie may not know you and may not know what Spike saw of you, but right now, she thinks you're a pathetic excuse of a Dragon who blindly follows orders rather than doing the right thing!” Trixie spat on Haruo's foot to which he briefly glanced down. Trixie grit her teeth, refraining from growling.

“Trixie, just calm down and we can explain things back at HQ,” Haruo said in a quieter voice.

Trixie headbutted him in the gut, knocking him back a few feet as her horn put a lot of pressure on a rather soft spot in his armour. He staggered a moment and drew his blade a bit, showing a few inches of the sharp metal as he remained ready to pounce, glaring at Trixie.

“SPIKE is in there! Your explosives just launched him in there and he's probably broken or dead right now!” Trixie bellowed.

Haruo's expression shifted for a moment before he clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. He sighed heavily, eyes aiming downwards as he spoke softly.

“Progress requires... sacrifice,” he muttered as if he didn't believe his own words.

. . .

I blinked, seeing myself laying in a small pocket in the pile of debris. Looking around me, I saw strange crystals that seemed to move like bipedal dogs. They shuddered and let out soft cries as they held up the massive debris, allowing me room to move. They all stared at me, glowing brilliantly even as the light in them flickered. I reached over, ignoring the pain in my arm and pet one creature. I felt a stronger sensation in my body; exhaustion yet empowerment. As I did, the little crystovore's eyes softened and his glow returned to brilliance as he also seemed to grow stronger. He stopped shivering and continued holding up the ceiling. They were only about a few inches shorter than myself.

Yet... one by one, several of them stopped moving, their glow fading to the point where they looked like regular crystals molded into those shapes. Their beady red eyes closed and some of them fell limp. Some of the crystovores had little shards of multi-coloured crystals in their bodies and even whinnied as they were silenced for good. I watched them die. I watched a species have one of its habitats destroyed and their brethren die. My eyes widened as I realized the toll this air raid had on the citizens and my eyes briefly watered once more. My own body started to shudder as I felt anger swelling up in my body.

Images of bodies coated in fire raining down from the sky flickered in my mind... agonized screams or even worse... the lack of no screams. Just hunks of meat that slam into the ground, charred and unrecognizable even with dental. Innocents, inmates and varied species all dropping dead. It infuriated me and I felt a fire start in my chest. A purple glow surrounded my body and the few crystovores still alive seemingly absorbed some of the aura into their bodies, gaining all of their strength back. The crystals around us started to glow and it seemed like the crystovores that took my magic filtered it and gave it back... as if it ate it and the waste was somehow beneficial to me. I felt more refined and stronger, plus my temper wasn't as bad as it was... back then.

I let out a scream, making sure my anger was well-heard. Pushing myself into a crouching position, I pushed off the ground as hard as possible. I launched upwards, crashing through the debris yet feeling no pain. My pain from before vanished as the magic flowed and I felt myself feeling like the Power Pony, Zap. Debris was flying as I propelled myself from out of the pile, feeling a warm heat coating my body. I reached the apex of my jump, throwing my limbs forward to brace for the landing.

My feet connected with the ground and I felt the crystal crack and shatter a bit. A small indent was formed and as I opened my eyes, I noticed that there was a warm, green and purple flame emanating from my body. My own draconic magic, expressed by my flames, seemed to mix with Twilight's. Out of each little scale on my torso and arms came a short flame that constantly seemed to burn. I felt my magic burning up yet it was also constantly being empowered. The ground below was starting to glow brightly... and I felt that odd sensation from before again. This area was affecting the magic... and I was glad.

Glancing up, I stood up straight and saw Haruo and Trixie staring at me, the Dragon seemingly in the middle of attempting to draw his sword. His expression seemed to flash with worry for a moment as his eyes narrowed. He stood up taller, letting his sword slide back into his hilt. He seemed to know why I'm riled up... so I'm glad he didn't bother asking.

“Spike, calm down. We don't need this,” he said, his voice having an edge to it.

“Need it!? APPARENTLY, we do otherwise those creatures wouldn't have died. The rebels wouldn't have had to die. NOBODY HAD TO DIE!” I shouted, darting forward.

Pressing off with my feet, I had gotten a fast dash and was already just in front of Haruo. Rather than take the hit, I felt a fist slam up against my jaw, clamping my teeth shut as I attempted to roar. I groaned as he side stepped, letting me tumble to the ground. Rather than wait to stop, I allowed my instincts to take over. Time seemingly slowed down and when I found myself rolling onto my front, I pushed up with my hands and feet. I launched myself several feet off the ground so I stood. I slid to a halt just as Haruo has already closed the distance between us. His blade swung upwards towards me and I kicked my foot outwards, foot hitting his wrist. He didn't drop it but it twisted the blade enough so that the flat end slapped me in the gut, the edge poking me.

Haruo attempted to thrust forward gently yet I grabbed the blade and stepped to the side, yanking the sword. He went with it and I brought my knee up, hitting him in the gut. He still didn't drop it and that's when I felt his superior strength kicking in. He yanked it back, twisting the blade as he did. It sliced my hand up a bit, causing some flesh to hang loose. After a moment, a purple aura surrounded it and the wounds were healed. I still felt my self getting exhausted but the magic continued pouring out of me, seemingly endless. My body ached and begged for a rest but I pressed on.

I jumped back as Haruo stumbled, composing himself shortly. I felt a bit nauseated from the exhaustion and just as I saw Haruo dart towards me, I saw a faint spark from over his shoulder. I closed my eyes and heard a bang. My eyelids didn't shadow the light and I randomly dove to the left, rolling as I did. Haruo grunted and when I opened my eyes, the light was gone replaced by smaller fireworks. Flattening my feet, I stopped rolling forward and slid while crouched, swinging my left arm in a backhand motion. A solid purple aura shaped like a fist stretched out, reaching further than I could and impacted Haruo right where he was headbutted by Trixie and kneed by me. The third hit seemed to do something as his blade finally dropped, clanging against the ground as he tumbled backwards.

Pressing off with my feat, I took into the air and swung my legs so I did a side flip. I bent my knee and leaned over mid air, causing me to fall towards him knee-first. Haruo regained his composure just in time and left hand supported by his right caught my knee. His fingers clenched, wrapping around the whole leg and he effectively had me in his grip. The little flames coming from my body didn't seem to hurt him too much, but it did darken the colour of his scales.

My other leg dangled as the pressure around my knee started to really hurt and Haruo gritted his teeth. A cyan aura surrounded his hands and seemingly tried to pry open his fingers. Trixie shortly dropped to the ground, allowing herself a moment to rest as she exhausted her source.

“Spike, stop, the, fighting,” Haruo spat out, pausing on each word. “We don't... have... to fight... let me ex-explain,” he said, his face reddening as his voice became raspier and more like he was restraining anger.

I growled in response, reaching down with my hands and squeezing my claws around his wrists. His eyes winced as it seemingly caused the same pain... or rather, discomfort that I felt. Our eyes locked and a brief staring contest occurred. Once more, images flashed in my mind and I remembered what was the primary issue. Who Haruo was, what he did for me and what he was trying to do. Involuntary or not, I still knew this Dragon, and I still didn't feel right attacking him like this.

Flames retreated back into my body as my anger disappointed. My grip loosened until I let my arms dangle at my sides and merely settled on wincing as his grip now started to hurt. His expression softened and so did his hands; my knee now ached from the pressure and I leaned to the side, allowing my other foot to be placed on the ground. He released me and I stumbled over, panting heavily as full-exhaustion assaulted my mind. It was at this point I realized my uniform was completely gone, most likely burned off. Feeling like a fever was in full swing, I laid out on my side and allowed my limbs to rest. I felt like jelly.

“S-Spike, we're not... hah, we're not a perfect species. We never will be... I'm sorry,” Haruo said, heavily panting as well.

“Trixie believes that... that you two making up so fast was the most convoluted thing since Blueblood learning how to be a gentlecolt,” Trixie responded, merely gritting.

The showmare stood up, walking over to us two Dragons as we laid on the ground, exhausted. I simply couldn't move without feeling stiff and sore.

“Haruo, you... argh, you better explain everything before I get my strength back,” I muttered, feeling that fire in my chest flicker.

My eyes flashed over towards the rubble, seeing several of those crystovores slowly climbing out of the debris, carrying several bodies. I winced, feeling saddened. It reminded me of something... an old story about Griffon children in a wartorn nation having to bury their own parents because of the chaos and conflict. Wonders about my own species flickered briefly as I shook my head, quickly dissipating the thoughts.

A fault in our species... imperfect beings... scourge of the world... the beast the knight slays... a Dragon.