Inside a mountain, there laid a dragon, a big one.

The dragon snored loudly as he slept, this dragons name is Magma, and for almost a thousand years he’s guarded his horde from other dragons.

His experience is shown through the multiple scars and scratches from encounters with other dragons.

He woke up with a big yawn and he glanced about, he was hungry so he began to search for food.

And then he spotted something he never expected, a pony.

He was wearing a cloak that obscured his appearance, but he was big and stocky, strong looking too, with black fur.

“What is your business at my nest pony?” The dragon growled.

A dragons growl would be the intimidating factor for any pony, knowing their one breath away from being a charred corpse, but this pony was unafraid.

“I come for a piece of your horde, that is all,” The pony said in a deep voice.

The dragon raised a brow and then laughed “You come to steal from a dragon and say so to their face? Are you brave or just looking for death?” Magma asked.

“I seek a glowing gem known as the stone of arkah, hand it over and I will not hurt you,” The pony demanded.

The dragon laughed louder before getting up.

“Truly I’ve never met a pony this gutsy, you hurt me? What will you do?” Magma asked mockingly.

“I’ll break your arm and then damage your throat so you cannot breathe fire again,” The pony said.

Magma frowned “You draw my ire pony, to threaten me? I am five times your size,”

“So?”

“Well, I was looking for food anyways, I suppose cooked pony wouldn’t hurt,” Magma shrugged before approaching.

“Your making a mistake,” The pony said.

“Die,” The dragon breathed a gout of fire on the pony. The flame continued to burst forth for several minutes before ending… and the pony was unharmed.

“What?!” The dragon said in disbelief.

“Last chance, move,” The pony threatened.

“Never! I don’t know how you survived my fire but I’ll never let you have my horde!” Magma roared and lunged forward at the pony.

“You were warned,” The pony sighed.

Twilight walked through Ponyville, after having cleared the air with Applejack Twilight felt it was a good idea to continue her daily tasks now that there were no interruptions.

Well, there wasn’t until she bumped into Rarity.

“Oh sorry Rarity, I-” Twilight gasped when she saw Rarity’s horn flicker from white to black.

“Sorry dearie but do you know Spike's location? It is urgent!” Rarity pleaded.

“Last I checked he was at the Castle, but what is happening with your…” Twilight glanced around “Disguise?” She asked quietly.

“It is terrible! Without Spike being around me as of late my power is fading!” Rarity panicked.

“But it hasn’t even been a day,” Twilight said.

“It doesn’t matter, his love was so potent I could draw on it from a distance, and now that it’s gone dull I may be running a tad low, I gave most of my love magic to Sweetie Belle since she has school today, my precious schedule revolves around that bottomless love and now that it is fading our identities will inevitably be revealed,” Rarity panicked.

“Calm down Rarity, he’s just hurt right now, and frankly he has a right to be since you basically told him you were just stringing him along and using his love for sustenance,” Twilight Told Rarity while trotting towards the castle.

“I understand but what am I to do about it? I already apologized to the dear, perhaps offering him a huge horde of gems will get him to forgive me?” Rarity wondered.

“Rarity! Are you planning on bribing Spike into loving you again just to get love for yourself?” Twilight whispered harshly.

“No no… You don’t understand Twilight, without his potent love, me and Sweetie Belle will be revealed, then who knows what will happen?” Rarity said.

“You're going to apologize and mean it Rarity, if Spike wants to forgive you it’s because you’ve earned it,” Twilight firmly said before the two arrived at the castle.

Rarity's disguise flickered a few more times along the way and she stuck to Twilight's side to avoid being noticed.

“Ok ok! Just get me inside before somepony notices!” Rarity pleaded.

“Alright,” Twilight ushered Rarity inside and Rarity dropped her disguise and fell on her haunches panting.

“Hah…hah….hah, it is quite difficult to maintain a disguise on low love,” Rarity admitted.

“You need to find more ways to sustain yourself than just Spike, perhaps get a colt friend?” Twilight offered.

“No, too risky, once they find out there they go… it’s happened before,” Rarity said.

“Then find a way Rarity, Spike shouldn’t have to feel used,” Twilight said.

“I know…” Rarity said.

“Then talk to him, but from now on, don’t solely rely on Spike’s love for you,” Twilight said.

“Ok,” Rarity buzzed her wings and flew up the stairs and traveled up to Spike’s room.

“Alright, where is he?.... Ah!” Rarity spotted a room with a few stickers and decor befitting a young boy.

She approached the door and prepared to jump in and…. Suddenly Twilight's advice to be more sincere with Spike flashed in her mind and she coughed into her hoof and knocked on the door.

“Coming,” Spike's tired voice said and he opened the door and saw a changeling in front of him.

“Hello there-”

“Changeling!” Spike tried to slam the door but she stopped it.

“Spike! It’s me remember!?” Rarity cried.

“Oh, sorry Rarity, I keep forgetting,” Spike said opening the door again.

“How on Equus?” She raised a brow.

“No offense but most of you changelings look similar,” Spike honestly said.

Rarity huffed “Well! I-” She was about to scold him for that but then she remembered why she was there.
“I’ll let that slide, Spike I am here to talk,” Rarity said.

“Need more love from me?” Spike said looking sad.

“Nono….yes, but I am also hoping to clear the air between us,” Rarity said trotting into his room.

“What’s there to clear, you’ll keep stringing me along and you get all the love you want,” Spike said with a small sense of bitterness.

Rarity winced “That…It is understandable that you are still hurting over that, but you must know that-”

“You did it for you and Sweetie Belle, I know,” Spike said.

“Darling…” Rarity felt sad that nothing she was saying was comforting him.

“I understand, I still care for you Rarity it’s just, I need time before I can do so like before,” Spike said.

“But Spike, without your potent love-” Rarity caught herself “Look, ask what you wish of me, just please give me another chance,” Rarity asked.

“...A date,” Spike suddenly said.

“Come again?” Rarity said having not heard him.

“I want to go on a date to see if you really mean it when you are trying to say that you truly care about me instead of what I can offer,” Spike said.

“Spike, I would love to…but… your so young,” Rarity said.

“It’s either a date or nothing,” Spike said with his arms crossed.

“Ok, darling, I won’t make it as though I don’t want to spend time with you, I’ll simply need to find an open date on my work schedule and we’ll be off.” Rarity said assuredly.

“Ok,” Spike said.

Rarity nodded and got up.

“May I…take a little, just as energy for the rest of the day?” Rarity asked.

“Alright,” Spike said.

Rarity drew some love energy from Spike, not enough to hurt him but enough to satisfy her.

“Thank you darling, I suppose I’d best leave you to your day,” Rarity said taking her leave.

“Bye Rares,” Spike said

Rarity exited the room and nearly ran into Twilight.

“Oh, hello,” Rarity sheepishly said.

“You and Spike are going on a date, right?”

“That was the request, yes,” Rarity said

“Don’t break his heart Rarity, that’s all I ask,” Twilight said.

“I understand darling, I should be going now,” Rarity put up her disguise and trotted away.

As Rarity left, she couldn’t help but remember what she sensed back there.

Spike’s love was still dwindling…

Pinkie bounced through the bakery, she hoofed the plate of muffins to Derpy and used her tail to knock a plate of cupcakes onto another table without any of them falling over.

The ponies cheered as Pinkie delivered their desserts.

She had a sundae in hoof and bounced repeatedly without spilling it, somehow.

As she approached the table and was about to set it… suddenly she stiffened.

“Huh?...” Pinkie turned away inadvertently keeping the sundae away from the colt who tried to snatch it.

“Hey!” The colt said.

“I only felt this… a long time ago…” Pinkie’s tail twitched rapidly before deflating.

“He’s coming,” Pinkie whispered.

“Pardon me Mrs, Pinkie, but you still have my sons-” Pinkie darted away leaving the sundae to spill over the table.

“MY SUNDAE!” The colt whined.

“Pinkie! Get back here!” Mr. Cake called after Pinkie.

“Emergency! Gotta go!” Pinkie said before darting out the door.

“Ugh…” Mr. Cake sighed before turning to see an irate mare and her crying son.

“Uhh, I’ll make you a new one, be right back!” Mr. Cake galloped to the backroom.

The forest around the cave was burnt up and trees were smashed, a boulder was split and there were craters in the ground.

And laying in one of the craters with blood pouring down his face and his arm twisted at an odd angle was Magma, twitching in pain.

“Ugh….gah….” Magma wheezed.

The pony looks like he had a minor injury and his hood is damaged but is otherwise unhurt, dusted himself off.

“This could have been avoided,” He said.

“What are you?... there’s no way you're a pony!” Magma said struggling to get up without using his broken arm, but he fell back down.

“I am a pony, however, I owe this power I possess to my master and my parents, if you’d had stood aside I wouldn’t have had to injure you so much,” The pony said trotting into the cave and exiting with a glowing yellow gem.

“Give that back! It’s mine!” Magma bellowed.

“It never belonged to you, you came across it by chance,” The pony trotted towards the edge of the forest.

The dragon managed to stand again and he began charging.

“I won’t let you leave with my favorite gem!” The dragon lunged.

“Oh, that reminds me,” The pony sidestepped his lunge and darted forward faster than he could react.

“...I did promise to damage your throat didn’t I?” he punched the dragon right in his throat with enough force to launch him against a tree.

The dragon coughed blood and writhed on the ground giving choking noises and holding his neck.

“The blow isn’t lethal, but I just ruptured the organ in your throat that produces protective mucus so you don’t burn your throat, you’ll never breathe fire again, not without damaging your throat, use this as a lesson to not take any prey lightly, good day,” The pony trotted away.

After leaving the injured dragon behind he pulled out a pendant and uttered a few quiet words.

The pendant gained an eye.

“Have you succeeded?” A female voice asked.

“Encountered a hostile, minor injury, but I have it,” The pony said.

“Good work, now get back here, Lord Vel misses you already,”

“You know he’s just eager to hoof me my next assignment,” He sighed.

“I know, but I like to think he misses you, goodbye for now,” The female voice said.

“Goodbye Mother,” The stallion said before the eye on the pendant closed.

“Master Arma will be pleased to hear we have the first sigil, perhaps he’ll even let me see my sister this time,” The stallion hoped.

Author's Note

Here's the next part, I apologize for the long wait, finding an editor was difficult. 😅

Anyways, hope you enjoyed some action and drama.