The Last of the Crocfolk

In Twilight's Castle - Next Day

Leatherfoot's POV

Leatherfoot awoke to the same crystal room he was in before. The same gods-forsaken place the Pony leader trapped him in. He slammed his fist on the floor.

"Damn it! I'm still here in the rats' nest," he cursed.

Conjuring his Claw-Blade, Leatherfoot started to go through some combat drills to train himself. As he trained, he went over different ways he could escape. The room didn't have any windows, so getting out that way was out of the question. The only way for him to get out was through the door. He didn't want to reveal his Claw-Blade just yet, in case they cornered him. He thought it would be better to catch them by surprise and use it to his advantage.

"I have to find some way out of here and get back to Motherswamp," Leatherfoot said. "But even if I do get out of here, how will I know which way to go?"

He wasn't good with directions and didn't know which way was south. He thought about interrogating another Pony to get directions, but they might blab to their leaders about him. He'd have to kill them to keep them quiet. Either way, he would defeat these creatures even if he died doing it.

...

The Main Six POV

Twilight and her friends were meeting with Professor Fossil at her office at Canterlot University. The kind professor was more than happy to see the Princess and Friendship and the heroes of Equestria in her own office.

"Your Majesty, what can I do for you and your friends today?" Professor Fossil asked.

"Thank you for having us, Professor," Twilight replied. "We came to ask you about a prisoner we've recently detained".

"A prisoner?" Fossil asked.

"Yeah. He looks like a large talking albino crocodile," Rainbow said.

Professor Fossil's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She lunged forward and grabbed Twilight's shoulders with a strong grip.

"Are you sure?! A talking crocodile?!" she asked.

"Uh, y-yeah," Twilight replied. "He doesn't speak our language and we can't understand him. I was hoping you know something about his species and how we can communicate with him?"

"Do I know something about his species?!" Fossil shouted. "I didn't know his kind still existed! Twilight, you have a living relic in your custody!"

"What is he, then?" Applejack asked.

"You have one of the Crocfolk with you!" Professor Fossil replied. "They were an ancient civilization that lived in Equestria long before Ponies settled what is now Equestria! But I thought they were extinct".

"Extinct? That may explain why we've never heard of them," Rarity said.

"How did they go extinct?" Twilight asked.

"Well, the Crocfolk had a great empire that spanned the vast swamplands to the south. There, they lived with several clans united under the Highcroc, or emperor," Fossil replied. "But once Ponies came to Equestria, they started to settle and drain the swamp. When the Crocfolk started to fight or try to negotiate, our ancestors reacted with violence. We started a great culling with the sole purpose of driving them to extinction".

The others were horrified to hear such things. The Ponies of the past had actually attempted genocide of an entire species for land.

"What about our prisoner? You think he may be the last of his kind?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe. I'd have to speak to him," Professor Fossil replied. "I managed to teach myself the Crocfolk language from deciphering texts found in their temples".

"Well, it would be great if you can translate his speech for us," Twilight said. "Although, given his aggression, he may not be too cooperative".

"If he's aggressive with you, that means that he must have every reason to hate Ponies," Fossil said. "What is he even being detained for?"

"He's killed a police officer in Manehattan," Pinkie replied.

The professor was shocked. A look of nervousness crossed her face. Twilight placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll be there with you to keep you safe," Twilight said.

The Princess's words seemed to calm the professor down. Indeed, they would be more than capable of protecting her should the Croc-kin prisoner get aggressive. Professor Fossil breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that does bring me quite of bit of confidence," Professor Fossil said. "Though, if I may make a small request?"

"What might that be?" Twilight asked.

"If I could, I'd like to interview him about his culture and race," Fossil said.

"You're more than welcome to try," Applejack said. "Though I'm not sure he's going to be talkative with creatures he hates".

"It's worth a try in my book," Fossil said before getting up from behind her desk. "Shall we be off?"

"Yes, let's go talk to our prisoner," Twilight said.

Lighting up her horn with magic, Twilight cast a teleportation spell and teleported them out of the room and back to the Castle.

Leatherfoot's POV

Leatherfoot had trained for a good half of the morning with his Claw-Blade. Once he was finished, he dematerialized his Blade and absorbed it into him. And his timing could have been better.

The door to his room was audibly unlocked and opened the moment he hid his Blade. From beyond the door was something Leatherfoot did not expect. A small dragon of all creatures walked through the door carrying a tray full of cooked fish. The dragon wore a smile on his face as he presented the Croc-kin warrior with the fish.

"Alright, inmate! Time for your breakfast!" the dragon said. "For your breakfast today, cooked rainbow trout".

The tantalizing smell of fresh cooked fish hit Leatherfoot's nostrils like a sack of bricks. His mouth began to water at the sight and smell of these plump fish. Leathrerfoot grabbed the fish in his claws and hungrily scarfed down the fish, picking his teeth with his claws upon finishing.

"Whoa, you sure enjoyed those fish!" the dragon said happily. "Glad you enjoyed them. I cooked them with my own fire breath".

Something about the positivity of this dragon confused Leatherfoot. Once he was finished with the fish, he gazed at the dragon with confusion.

"Who are you and why do you live with the Ponies?" he asked.

"My name is Spike. I live with Ponies because I was raised by them," Spike replied.

"What?! They raised you?! A mighty dragon?!" Leatherfoot shouted. "You should be ruling these creatures, and yet you feed me like a common servant!"

"Well, I like to think of myself as more than just a servant. I'm more like a worthy assistant as well as the Princess's adopted son," Spike said.

"You actually like Ponies?! How?!" Leatherfoot demanded.

"First of all, please calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you or something. Also, they're really nice people," Spike said. "They're heroes who fight for friendship and harmony".

Those words stung Leatherfoot's heart more than Spike could ever know. Leatherfoot could feel his blood boiling and his anger rising. He jumped up and stomped on the ground in fury.

"'Friendship'?! 'Harmony'?!" he bellowed. "Where were those lovely words when my people needed to hear them?! These creatures know nothing of friendship! They're monstrous genocidal horrors on four legs!"

Leatherfoot's rage caught Spike off-guard. He threw his hands up and took a tentative step forward.

"Look, I don't know anything about your situation, but Princess Twilight and her friends are truly good souls," Spike said. "You may even come to like them yourself once you get to know them".

"How can I believe that when their kind is the reason that I am the last of mine?!" Leatherfoot asked with tearful eyes. "Whenever I see them, this boundless rage boils in my chest to the point of physical pain! Until I find the ones who took my people from me, my anger will never see relief".

"Well, if you need any help with that, I'm sure my friends will be more than wiling to help," Spike said placing a claw on Leatherfoot's wrist.

"Thank you for your offer, dear Spike," Leatherfoot said calmy. "But I just can't trust Ponies."

"You can trust me. I'd be willing to help you," Spike said.

A look of deep sadness crossed Leatherfoot's face. He looked like he was struggling with every painful emotion one could name. He took a small step towards Spike.

"I can tell you're a good dragon, Spike. I'm starting to like you. Truly," Leatherfoot said. "But I won't get a lot accomplished stuck in here".

Leatherfoot then lunged towards a shocked Spike.

...

The Main Six POV

Twilight, her friends, and Professor Fossil all made it the Castle without any difficulty. They group then made their way up the stairs to the room where they were detaining the Croc-kin prisoner.

Spike was supposed to be standing guard outside the room, but he wasn't there.

"That's weird," Twilight said. "Spike was supposed to be standing guard out here".

"Maybe he's in the bathroom," Pinkie suggested.

"Eh maybe" Twilight said.

But before Twilight could open the door with her magic, the door burst forward off its hinges. The door flew forward knocking Rainbow Dash out the sky and sent her to the ground in a painful heap. Rainbow screamed in pain from a broken and bleeding wing. The others turned back towards the room to be greeted with a grim sight.

The Croc-kin was holding Spike with his left arm and had a strange blade in his right against Spike's throat. No doubt about it, the Croc-kin was holding Spike hostage. He glared at the gathered Ponies with the fiercest anger any of them had ever seen.

"Here's what's going to happen," the Croc-kin said in the Ponies' language. "You're going to set me free, or I'll kill your dragon friend here and now".

"Y-you can speak our language?" Professor Fossil asked.

"Shut up!!" he shouted. "What's it going to be, me or Spike?"

Twilight and Rarity charged their horns with magic while Applejack and Pinkie Pie prepared to rush him. Fluttershy was tending to Rainbow's injuries. But the Croc-kin simply pressed the edge of his black blade against Spike's neck, drawing a trickle of blood. The sight made the Ponies back off instantly. The Croc-kin grinned.

"Okay, you can leave. Just don't hurt Spike!" Twilight begged.

"Good. But I prefer a little insurance to make sure you won't follow me to detain me again," the Croc-kin said. "Let this be the day you lost Leatherfoot, the last of the Crocfolk!"

The Croc-kin Leatherfoot ran carrying Spike all the way down the stairs and out the door. The others were helpless to do anything about it. They couldn't follow them without risking Leatherfoot hurting Spike. For now, they had no choice but to trust that Leatherfoot wouldn't hurt Spike and release him once he was far enough away. This was not a good day for the Ponies.