"Hey, can I at least get some water?"

"Silence lizard! You should be grateful you weren't killed the moment we caught you. So do us all a favor and shut up."

The armored pony that had the clear look of just another soldier pony said as he threw a cup of water at Spike. The contents spilled all over him, but enough was in the cup for him to drink using his long tongue despite being chained. He didn't mind the treatment as over the years it was just a response some ponies had when encountering him for the first time. It gradually faded as he stayed and worked anywhere, but considering how isolated this place seemed, it wasn't going to get better anytime soon.

It was boring waiting for whatever it was they wanted to do to him or for whoever was in charge. To pass the time Spike just blew smoke into different shapes, he had tried to sleep until they were ready only to have the guard wake him by poking him with a spear through the bars. It didn't hurt him as much as it just annoyed him. As he released some smoke in the shape of a fish, he watched it climb into the air and out the window that was located higher than he could reach. The guard had stopped harassing him by this point just watching Spike as he made all kinds of shapes from his smoke. He looked amused, but there was still some form of hatred in his eyes whenever he looked back at the source of the forms. Uncomfortable was the closest word that came to Spike's mind without seeming too vulgar.

Once the fish had disappeared, and Spike was getting ready to blow another, he heard the sound hooves stomping down the stairs. It seemed that the time to find out what was going to happen to him came, and not a moment too soon as whatever passed for the sun here set. He propped against the wall opposite of the bars to watch as three more guards came into view with a pony he thought could pass for a pig leading them.

The pony in front was fat, and it was just the word to describe him as sweat could be seen coming down from his forehead. He wore robes that reminded him of the pictures he saw ponies wear during the age before the sisters. They were flamboyant and needlessly adorned with gems anywhere that buttons would be located. What fur he could see of the pony was a dark brown and his short mane, which was apparently suffering from genetics, was a slightly graying black. As he stood in front of the cell, the pony whispered something to two of the guards, and they opened the cell. Immediately, they charged forward and tackled Spike to the ground applying the full force of their weight on him so as to stop him from moving.

"So, this is the dragon that Sun Spark found by the wall?" said the fat pony sitting down as another guard brought a chair for him to sit. "A lot smaller than I thought he would be, aren't dragons supposed to be large frightful creatures with wings? He looks more like a giant gecko than a dragon."

"I get that a lot, though, I wouldn't be talking about how others look when you seem like the product of a pony breeding with a hog. I would offer you some slop, but I'm a little preoccupied at the moment."

The guards that were holding Spike down stifled a laugh along with their counterparts behind the large pony.

"Well, I can see that you at least know our language which, while a surprise, is not exactly a pleasant one. But, enough formalities, I have some questions for you beast."

"The name is Spike, and I don't answer questions to ponies that won't take common courtesy into practice and skip a proper introduction."

The pony huffed and raised a hoof, a motion that signaled Spike's living constraints to slam him on the ground and stomp. It knocked the wind out of Spike, but he was relatively unharmed with the otherwise lethal force the ponies had used on him.

"Lord Swain is what you shall address me by beast, and you shall only speak when I need an answer. Is that clear?"

Spike struggled to catch his breath as the weight of the two guards made it difficult for him to take in much air. "Crystal, Lord Swine."

"Impudent beast, though, I hardly expected much from a giant gecko. Listen well beast; there have been some deaths of late in my land, and each of those deaths resulted in one or more of my subjects to be reduced to smoldering piles of bone and flesh. The investigation has been going on for a full month, and while the deaths are few and far between, I have reason to suspect that you have something to do with them."

"You think that I murdered these ponies? I've only just arrived; there is no possible way I could have been the cause of any of them."

"I have no reason to believe you've only just arrived in my land. All I do know is that one of my subjects found you earlier today. There is also the fact that you only just "arriving" here is without a doubt a blatant lie." Lord Swain said as he took a sip of the water a guard had brought him.

"A lie? What are you talkin.. agh."

Before he could finish what he was saying, one of the guards on top of him stomped again as he noticed Swain raising his hoof. The act was starting to irritate Spike more than he thought as he couldn't even defend himself against the accusations.

"It matters not, whether you are responsible or not. My subjects are in a state of panic and with your presence comes a perfect solution. The fact of the matter is that the deaths have resulted in ponies burned alive. A dragon is capable of breathing fire, and from what my guard tells me, that is indeed a fact."

Spike took a moment to look behind Swaine at the guard that was keeping an eye on him before the Lord arrived to see a sly smile. There was no way he knew about the deaths or the way they had occurred, but he did regret trying to pass the time the way he did.

"Wonderful, betrayed by my boredom. Not the first time this has happened."

"Boredom or not, my subjects want justice for the loss of life. They are in such a frenzy that they could care less whether you are the actual culprit or not. Frankly, I would have been happy if the guards had just killed you when they first caught you. That way it would be much less work on my end."

"You're going to execute me aren't you? Don't I at least get a trial or something? That is not what I call justice. Besides, if something happens to me there are at least five different Princesses that will undoubtedly seek revenge of some sort."

The room had gone quiet and for a moment Spike thought he would be released immediately, only to have such hopes crushed when everypony erupted in laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"You are beast. Five different Princesses? That is the single most entertaining thing I've heard in all my years. There are no Princesses here fool, in this land I rule. The only pony I answer to is the Chancellor of the Earth Pony tribes. There has never been any royalty in these parts for generations."

Spike was speechless, and his mind was racing as his captors continued to laugh. These ponies had no idea who the Princesses were, much less who it was they were accusing of murder. He thought the village isolated, but to be so out of touch with the rest of Equestria was insane. How had they not known of the arrival of Celestia and Luna?

"Hold on! You said before that my arrival today was an obvious lie. What did you mean by that?" Spike asked while trying to process how such isolation was even possible for so long.

Lord Swaine stopped and composed himself. He signaled the guards, and they immediately quieted down as well. "Since you've entertained me so, I suppose I can answer your question."

Spike waited for the Lord to continue, watching as Swaine was obviously enjoying making him wait for the answer.

"You see beast, the reason why your "arrival" is a lie is that the hole you supposedly crawled out from leads to nowhere. It's an empty cave that could barely fit an average pony. All that awaits at the end is a wall of Obsidian Ice and a nest of snake-bats, truth be told I'm surprised you even survived as they hold some of the deadliest poison known to ponies.

"Of course, it's a dead end and obviously it wouldn't be complete without dangerous creatures inside. Fuck, I should have known better than to accept this job."

Author's Note

Wow, a chapter released sooner than I expected. Seriously, I didn't really think I would work on this story as soon as I did. I don't mind it, and I'm sure those of you that are interested in the story certainly don't mind at all. With that said, part 1of the opening arc is up and as to when it'll end not even I know. (Disclaimer: I know when It'll end)

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please leave a comment or critique below as any critique helps me grow as a writer. Have a great day!