Tale of the Nether Drake

Prologue

"...Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes, I have no choice..." the dragon said as he walked over and began to gather his gear off the old wooden table.

"But you can't possibly hope to do it all alone! the blue unicorn frightfully said. They'll kill you on sight!"

"I have to do this..." he said, taking a deep breath as he looked around his cave.

This makeshift shelter had been his home for the past several months, adorned with scavenged furniture and old, rusty tools and utensils. It was dark inside save for just one small magical lantern that had been serving long past its expiration date, kept working only by the unicorn's abilities with magical devices.

"Why though? All of your friends... they're dead. They're dead and they can't be brought back... why can't you see that?" She pleaded, looking up to him with tearful eyes. "I don't want to be alone again..."

"I'm already dead inside without them," the dragon said, grabbing his sheathed sword and securing it to his back. "I don't know why I was brought here, nor do I know how, but..." Admiring his shiny shield with a crescent moon decorating it, he slowly slipped it onto his back, just over his sheathed sword. Making sure both pieces of equipment were secure, he said, "...I just know I have to fix things. I have to find a way back and stop all of this from happening."

He slipped on his gloves and began to secure his belt with accessory pockets when a magic force stopped him from buckling it onto him. He turned to see the unicorn with worn gray hat and cloak on her shed a tear, her eyes wide as they seemed to plead with him not to go. The dragon looked down, unable to bear looking into her eyes while they were filled with so much sorrow.

"It has been twenty years..." She said almost as low as a whisper, taking a couple steps towards him. "I don't even know if there is hope for our world now, but we have to try... we can make things better, at least for us! If I can just figure out how to make the soil around here fertile and usable again, then we can plant food, and maybe we'll find some other survivors, and we could start from scratch, right here."

"You know that won't work... you don't have the same powers as you used to."

"So what!" She cried, stomping her hoof as more tears slowly made their way down her face. "I may not be as great and powerful as I used to be, but I still have some magic left in me! And it's a lot better than your plan, what with going out just to get yourself killed trying to raise the dead... it doesn't make any sense! Why do you keep thinking you can fix things!"

"Because they told me I could!" The dragon snapped, a growl in his voice. He paused, taking a look as the mare did not step back, but simply displayed her objection in silence with the expression on her face. After a few seconds the dragon sighed, closing his eyes to recompose himself. He leaned forward and gently grabbed a hold of the sides of her face, feeling his claws on her rough, unwashed coat.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly brushing his claws against her.

After a few seconds, she replied, Well, if that’s what you truly believe...”

"What?"

"If that is what you truly think will fix this world, then I won't stop you... neigh, I shall support you in your decision. I just pray to Celestia that you're right..."

The dragon smiled softly, pulling the top of her hat off to reveal her surprisingly shiny silver mane. Her hair fell daintily over her the side of her head and curled after reaching past her chin. She moved her face closer to his, her tears stopped but the streams on her cheek still present.

"I won't let you down, I promise... I can fix this, Trixie."

The mare said nothing, instead leaning up to him and pressing her lips to his, kissing him fully as she closed the distance between them. The dragon hesitated at first, and then returned the kiss fully, allowing her tongue to slip into his mouth. His long tongue slithered around hers as it traveled into her mouth, their lips rubbing together as the dragon gently stroked her mane. After several seconds the dragon pulled back, slipping his tongue off of hers.

"I have to go..."

"I'll miss you...!"

"I'll miss you too, Trixie." The dragon pulled his arms away, looking down to check that his utility bags were secured on his belt and filled with everything he needed.

"Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know... not in this time, at least," He began to walk towards the entrance of the cave, his surroundings growing darker as the lantern's light became distanced from him. "Perhaps if I make it back, I can stop all of this before it ever starts." He walked for another minute, Trixie trailing close behind him as they reach the entrance to their cave.

He took a long look at the land around them, the red sky painting as grim a scene as it truly was. The forest that hid the cave was dead, all the trees charred black from fire as the ground was a mix of dark gray and brown. The air was hot and would burn the skin of a pony if they were out there too long, but his scales were tough enough to resist. The only smell present was a varying mix of old dust, charred remains of something once alive, the ghastly smell of sulfur, and occasionally some smoke from somewhere nearby.

The cave was on the side of a mountain with the remains of the forest spread for miles around, the large ruins of some city in the distance. There was no sun in the sky. There were only the occasional streaks of red and orange light, acting similar to auroras as they feathered across the light crimson sky. There were no birds, and there were no clouds. The only source of water came from underground where a small reservoir was pumping up steam which would be captured and cooled for drinking. Other than that and the few plants remaining alive inside the cave with help from artificial sunlight, everything around them was dead and uninhabitable.

"Be careful, Spike... I love you," Trixie said, looking up to him with a soft smile, tears once more dripping down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Trixie. And don't worry, I will set things right again, I promise."

"You make it sound like this is all your fault..."

"In a way, it is," Spike shrugged, taking the first steps away from the cave as he readied himself for the long trip ahead. "None of this would have happened if I would have just died that fateful day.”

“No, Spike... maybe it's your father that should have died that day instead.”