"No! Please no!" cried Sweetie Belle.
A burst of tears exploded from the young filly's face as the ferocious dragon grabbed her in his claws.
The angry beast held Sweetie Belle tightly. His claws pressed hard against her chest as she strained to breath.
Standing atop a massive pile of gem stones, gold, and priceless artifacts the dragon roared.
"It was you," growled the dragon. "I know it was you! You led her away to help him! You led her away to help that monster - and now - and now she's gone!"
"P-please forgive me!" screamed Sweetie Belle. "He needed help, I thought she of all ponies could help him! If I knew he was capable of murder I would have never - "
Without provocation the dragon crushed Sweetie Belle's chest in his claws. Sweetie Belle's eyes clamped shut and she clenched her teeth in pain. Her back legs contorted as the pressure upon her tiny body rapidly increased.
The sound of cracking bones echoed throughout the cave as Sweetie Belle's rib cage was shattered and compacted between the dragon's fingers.
Under the pressure of the dragon's grasp Sweetie Belle's broken ribs punctured through her skin and vital organs. Blood oozed from compound fractures in her chest as her body was slowly released from the dragon's grasp.
From the dragon's open claw Sweetie Belle slumped to the ground falling into a puddle of her own fluids. Dying, the tiny filly lay on her side. Her eyes and mouth open in a state of shock.
As Sweetie Belle made her final gasps the dragon grabbed her once more. Holding the bloodied pony in the air by the tail the dragon stared into her dying eyes. He could see it - the pony's entire life quickly flashing before her eyes - he could see it all.
Through the pony's eyes, the dragon noticed himself. He was within her memories. Then he saw her - the purple-maned white unicorn Rarity - the pony he had once loved. The flash of Rarity's image within her dying sister's eyes seemed to last forever. Then the flashes stopped. Sweetie Belle's head hung down limply. She was dead.
As he held the lifeless body in his claw the dragon noticed a blood red tear forming in his eye. Angered, the dragon raised his arm and slammed the lifeless body onto the stone floor. The carcass split open spewing organs and bones throughout the cave.
The dragon wiped the tear from his eye.
"What more does it take!?" roared the dragon. "No matter how much I steal! No matter how much I kill! I will never be satisfied!"
Enraged the dragon charged into his pile of treasures. He slammed his feet and tore his claws into the pile, ransacking it. With angry kicks and punches the dragon destroyed the pile, sending priceless artifacts and gold smashing into the walls of the cave. Then suddenly the dragon stopped.
At the bottom of the pile, under all the collected gold, gems, and valuable treasures - was a card - just a simple white paper card. Hesitantly, the dragon picked the tiny object up in-between his giant claws. He turned it around. It was a photograph.
"Rarity," said the dragon, "you shouldn't have listened to your sister. You should have known there was no way to save him... to save... me. The Spike you once knew is dead. This monster is now all that remains." ~END
