Once Spike gave me the all clear that Twilight was asleep we started packing. I hadn’t been spending a lot of the money I made working for the Apples so I had plenty to prepare for this. Combine that with the dagger which was now clean and given its own sheathe and I was ready for the wilderness. Spike however didn’t seem to get the memo as his camping supplies consisted of a sandwich and the cloth he had used to wrap it up and tie it to a stick.

“Is that really all you are going to bring?”

“It isn’t that far, is it?” Rolling my eyes at his ignorance I pulled out a map of Equestria.

“Ponyville is here, and the dormant volcano that the dragons stay at during their migration is here.” I pointed to each place respectively.

“See? That’s really close.” He stretched between the two points on the map with his pointer finger and thumb.

“Ya, if we took a train maybe. Thing is we are walking. A walk that long will take a few days. Thankfully I planned a route that keeps us out of the most dangerous terrain like this snowy mountain here.” Spike looked at his small bag with embarrassment.

“Guess I better pack some more sandwiches.” He went off to find a larger bag while I waited by the door. After a few moments of hearing nothing but Twilight’s snoring I realized I still needed to write her a note. I went over to the desk she usually uses for studying and jotted out everything she needed to know.

Dear Twilight,

I promised Spike we would go camping before I left as sort of a guys hanging out thing. Don’t worry about him. He is quite capable of taking care of himself and I’ll be there to keep him safe as well. We’ll be back in about a week.

Don

Once the note was done I pinned it to the front door. I turned back around to see Spike with a modified saddlebag on his back.

“Ready?” He nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

The whole next day we headed out in the direction the dragons had gone that morning. Thankfully dragons have natural endurance even at Spike’s age and my time at Sweet Apple Acres had done wonders for my own physicality. We finally stopped in a small forest as the sun was setting. While Spike took out one of his sandwiches I set up the tent. As I finished, I noticed something moved out of the corner of my eye. Some bushes in that direction were rustling and that was all it took to scare Spike.

“M-m-monster!” He darted behind me and began shaking like a leaf. I just shook my head at how he was apparently some scary firebreathing beast and went to check on the supposed monster.. Turned out to just be a chicken. Or at least I thought it was a chicken at first but I’m pretty sure chickens don’t have bodies covered in scales.

“Cockatrice! Don’t look at its eyes.” Of course I had already done just that but I wasn’t worried. Part of how I spent my night training as a pony was learning about every hostile creature in Equestria and even a few beyond. Turns out there was a real easy way to prevent you from turning to stone.

I continued having a staring contest with it as it gave what I could only assume was a smug smirk with its beak. My feet had already gone numb when I drew my dagger and sliced its head off. The body ran around like… well, like a chicken with its head cut off before finally keeling over. As soon as it was completely dead the stone that had climbed up to my knees broke and I was free to move.

“You killed it.” I turned to Spike to see that he was much more disturbed by this then you would think a dragon would be. I took out a cloth and began wiping the blade while I spoke to him.

“Ya. If I didn’t I would be stone right now. Not only that but I can eat him for dinner instead of the disgusting fake meat I’ve had for the past year.” I bit my tongue as I thought about the terrible concoction. When I had told Twilight I was an omnivore she immediately made me Pinkie Promise I wouldn’t bring any meat into Ponyville. She then introduced me to the pony alternative to meat. Somehow it has all the nutrients meat does but is made of hay, which I don’t even have to tell you tastes awful.

“You don’t like hay burgers and stuff like that? I think they are pretty good.”

“That’s because you have nothing to compare it to. I guarantee if you try some actual meat you’ll never go back to that stuff. Plus you’re a dragon. Isn’t meat part of a healthy diet with you guys?”

“It is but… Twilight told me-”

“Spike, Twilight isn’t here. I know she practically raised you but that doesn’t make you a pony. Besides, that’s the whole reason we are on this trip isn’t it? So you can find out how to be a real dragon?”

Spike stared off into the forest while I started a fire. By the time he spoke again I had already scraped off all the scales and feathers from the body and was beginning on the meat.

“I guess that is the reason I’m here. It also wouldn’t hurt to have some.” I just smirked and nodded as I continued to slice meat and place it on the hot stones by the fire. In the end I had wasted a good amount of what was edible with bad cuts but for my first time doing something I had only read about I’d say it went rather well.

My first bite was absolutely amazing. You never know how much you really love meat until you’re thrown into a pony world and forced to eat hay as a replacement. From what I could tell Spike was thinking the exact same thing as he nearly swallowed his slice whole. I’m going to have to take advantage of being out in the wild like this.

We finished off the meat in a blink of an eye. Turns out despite how the body looks nothing like a chicken it still tastes like one. I headed to my tent but Spike stopped me just before I got in.

“Um… if you happen to… find something else… could you share that meat too?” I knew it! Suck on that Twilight! Perfect meat substitute my ass. Though I was cheering like mad internally I only smiled on the outside.

“Sure Spike. I think after how good that was I’m going to try hunting a bit as we travel. If I find anything you’re welcome to some.” Spike jumped for joy at the promise of more delicious meat as I went to sleep.

* * *

The next two days played out rather similarly. The only difference was when we stopped so I could hunt a deer. Without a gun or even a bow I was forced to jump the thing with my dagger but I still had my more subtle magic to help. That night we ate about half the thing and I did a slightly better job skinning it. The rest I dried out on the hot rocks left by the campfire so that in the morning we had jerky to snack on.

We finally made it to where the dragons were staying, and it was more awesome than the fact Rainbow can break the sound barrier (but only because it creates a rainbow when she does). All above this massive rock formation dragons soared through the sky, some just gliding about while others waged battle against one another. There were many others sitting on the lip of the dead volcano as well but the best part was the inside. Gems and other treasures were stacked high in piles and multiple tunnels in the sides allowed access to the caves below.

Spike and I sat at the top of the lip looking over it all. For awhile it seemed like Spike wasn’t going to move as he gazed over it all in awe. Once he put himself together he started making his way over to a group of dragons that looked about my height. I took one look at the group and realized Spike shouldn’t be anywhere near them. I caught up and grabbed him by the head before he could get too close.

“I don’t think you want to talk to those dragons.”

“Why not? They’re smaller than the others so they’re probably closer to my age.”

“That may be true, but they’re also teenagers. Not only that but they seem to be the bullying kind and with someone as small as you they could do a lot.” Spike turned back toward them and yelped before I noticed a shadow standing over me. I looked up to see that one of the teenage dragons had come over.

“Hey look. The kid here has got a big stuffed monkey to play with.” He said that with as much sneering as possible and the others ate it up. I on the other hand was trying to get Spike away before I did something I’d regret.

Regret because I would expose myself to Spike, not because I would disembowel this prick.

“Come on Spike. Let’s find some older dragon that’d be willing to teach you.” Spike nodded and we turned to leave only to be blocked by another teenager.

“We’ve got plenty we can teach you. Lesson one: Everything you have belongs to us now.” He held out his claw and waited but the only thing I gave him was a glare as I picked up Spike and placed him on my backpack.

Once he was close enough to whisper I told him “If we have to fight let me handle it.” Another dragon dropped from the sky and landed next to his friend.

“Hey, do you not speak our language or something? Here, let me translate.” He made a bunch of monkey noises accompanied by pit scratching and jumping around as his friends laughed it up.

His act went on while Spike whispered back. “You’re going to fight them? But you’ve never fought anything before!” I didn’t respond. Instead I laughed as loud as I could. This stopped the dragon’s monkey business fast.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are. You make such a great ape I wouldn’t doubt if someone glued those scales on your fur.”

That pissed off the dragons fast. “You trying to say I look like a monkey?”

“Well I’m not saying your mother does, although it would explain where you got your monkey genes from.”

And that pushed them over the edge. “How dare you!” The dragon I insulted launched himself at me. It was immediately obvious how little he actually knew about fighting something that wasn’t covered in heavy scales as I ducked with relative ease. This sent him flying into the dragon behind me. I took that split second to toss the bag aside with Spike on board.

“Why you!” The dragon in front of me was smart enough to not try the same move his friend had. That didn’t help him though as he tried to slash at me with his claws. His scales did nothing for his speed as I deftly dodged every swipe before finding an opening and pulling his leg out from underneath him.

One of the others had gotten back up and finally remembered they have the advantage of flight. He dived at me a few times with no luck until one of his friends came up from behind and held me in a chokehold.

“Hit him now Scale!” The flying one, now determined to be named Scale, dived right at the two of us. I couldn’t get myself free with my strength alone so I resorted to magic to make up the difference. A bit of telekinesis lightened my captor while I grabbed the arm around my neck. Just before Scale was about to hit I bent forward, using his friend to protect my back. I heard the dragon roar in pain before his grip loosened and he slid off.

With one of their friends on the ground the other two stopped, showing a bit of fear. I ignored them and walked over to Spike. He handed me my bag as he spoke.

“Don, that was amazing! Where did you learn to do that?”

I need a lie that won’t bite me in the ass later. “Well before I-”

“Hang on there!” I turned around to see the dragons looking madder than ever. “You think you can just insult us like that and leave?”

I spoke bluntly. “Yep. I obviously have the advantage over you, even with it being three to one.”

Scale just grinned at me as his two friends took a few steps to either side. “That may be true, but we have something you don’t.”

“And what’s that?”

“Fire.” In unison the three dragons breathed cones of flame. I didn’t think about my actions as I extended my arms out on either side of me. As the three streams combined I used magic to force the fire to swirl around me, creating a dome with Spike on the outside. I then began to syphon it, strands of liquid flame extending from the barrier around me. Each strand connected itself to one of my outstretched fingers or entered my nose and mouth as I used everything I could to absorb the magical fire.

When the dragons stopped I could see pure terror in their eyes as they looked upon me. Magical energy radiated from my being due to the overload of power. I could feel magic leaking from my eyes causing them to glow orange. With all the power I had absorbed I was in immense pain but it was only a second before I released it all in a mock dragon breath that engulfed all three of them.

When I was done the three of them looked rather burnt despite their scales. I took one step toward them and they fled toward the nearest tunnel. It wasn’t until Spike spoke up that I realized what I had just done.

“Don, how did you do that?”

“Spike, you can’t tell anyone what happened today.”

“But how in the-”

“You can’t. Tell. Anyone. I’ll explain it on the trip back but for now you should focus on learning about being a dragon.”

It was then that I heard something incredibly large land behind me, and judging from Spike’s expression I knew exactly what it was. “You mean a dragon like that?”

And what do you know it was a dragon, and not a small one by any standard. I’m pretty sure that this one could have eaten most if not all of me in a single bite. His green scales made his yellow eyes seem to glow and his breath made it feel twenty degrees hotter outside.

If this is how I die, then I’m not doing it scared shitless. With a smug grin I turned to Spike and said “Yep, exactly like that.” The dragon growled in such a way that it felt like an earthquake was happening. Everyone’s a critic.

“How did such a squishy creature such as you defeat our younglings? And choose your words carefully.” He accented this point with another growl. I just continued to be an ass.

“It was easy really. Your scales make you rather slow and magical firebreath can be easily manipulated if you know what you’re doing. Just be lucky they were smart enough to run.” I guess the dragon didn’t like my answer assuming his roar didn’t mean ‘good job setting them straight’. I still couldn’t give a fuck.

“You insult us by not only coming here and defeating our hatchlings in such a pitiful display, but you also bring a hatchling slave! Tell me why I shouldn’t crush you right now.”

“Slave? Are you talking about Spike here? He’s not a slave, at least not to me. I brought him here because he’s been raised by ponies his whole life and doesn’t understand shit about being a dragon. Ponies don’t have much on the subject since they tend to piss themselves around you.” That got a bit of a chuckle out of the dragon.

“Yes, they are rather squeamish. You however show a courage they lack. Either that or insanity.”

“Probably a little of both. Anyway, you think you could teach Spike here some things? We can only stay for a day but whatever you can teach him will be worth the trip.”

“Only a day? And will he return back to his life with the ponies after?”

“That’s his decision, not mine. I honestly think more time amongst dragons would do him some good but I didn’t want to risk anymore time since the pony who has been raising him is a bit high strung.”

He blew out some smoke from his nostrils. “I understand, but it is not my place to say what will happen.” He walked toward the opposite side of the crater, his huge steps putting him yards ahead of us in a few seconds. “Follow.” Spike and I looked at each other for a moment before I picked him up and ran after our guide.

Our walk across the volcano and into the caverns below was not met without some stares. I was used to ponies staring at me but when those eyes are now slitted and filled with the intent to kill even I felt uncomfortable. Thankfully whoever our new friend was seemed to be well known as no one made a move.

Eventually we got to a point where dragons no longer were standing idly around and instead seemed to be posted as guards. I also realized that we had been constantly descending and that it was getting warmer with every foot we did so. It got so hot that by the time we had arrived at our destination I was forced to use magic to turn my sweat into ice crystals just to keep cool.

The door we stood before was large enough that even if our friend was twice his height he wouldn’t need to duck. Two dragons stood on either side, each looking exactly like the other. Our guide spoke in some tongue I couldn’t understand to the two of them before turning to us.

“You will enter first. I will stay here with the hatchling.” I shrugged and took off my backpack along with Spike. I placed both in his outstretched claw and he gently took them over to one side of the tunnel. Before I could ask what was going to happen the doors began to slowly open as the guards turned cranks with their tails.

Inside I figured out why it was so hot. Turns out this volcano was still plenty active as I now stood in a room that hung on chains above a lava ocean. There was only one entrance and one path to reach the center of the room. There three dragons stood watching me approach. From left to right they were as follows: a purple scaled dragon with eyes that seemed to change color depending on the angle, an orange dragon with long spines and horns that curved wickedly, and a black dragon who had a scar across a white eye. I tried reading what they were thinking but with so little experience with dragons all I could get was that the two on the left were serious and the one on the right just realized something. The center dragon’s voice boomed in the echo chamber of a room.

“You creature stand before the elders of this dragon brood. Know that this is a rare honor for those that are not dragons and those who are given it don’t normally survive.”

The purple one spoke with a feminine voice much to my surprise. “You stand accused of attacking our hatchlings without provocation. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty. They mocked me and my friend, the hatchling I brought, and then tried to rob me. After I refused I insulted them and they attacked.”

The two who had spoken looked to each other as if to convey a message before the girl dragon returned her gaze to me. “Our hatchlings tell a much different story. They claim you were trying to steal from our hordes and that the hatchling was a slave. On top of that they gave you a chance to run and in response you attacked.”

“Are you really going to believe some bullshit a couple of teens made up to keep out of trouble? Besides, if I had attempted to steal anything wouldn’t there be gems in my bag instead of jerky?”

The orange one laughed for some reason. “Jerky? You mean meat? You don’t look like any carnivore I’ve ever seen.”

“Well I’m not, I’m an omnivore. Means I need both greens and meat in my diet.”

This brought the orange dragon pause. “I see… what of you Atrezal? You are the eldest yet you have yet to say a word.” Everyone turned to look at the black dragon on the right. His one working eye was locked on me, and for a moment I thought I had misread his emotions but there was no doubt about it. He’s terrified by me?

“The Destroyer… you returned… I… you will not take our lives without a fight!” The giant dragon leaned forward as he tried to crush me with one claw. I rolled but as soon as I was up again his other claw came down and I barely dived out of the way. Now with myself lying between both his claws he took his chance and grabbed me. Everything went dark as he held me in his hands but I had no time to adjust my eyes as I felt myself be lifted into the air.

“Burn in lava for your crimes you demon!” Oh hell no! That’s not happening! I placed my hands on his palms and let loose electricity. Though it was only a small shock to him it was enough to loosen his grip so I could climb out. Once out I ran up his arm toward his head. He desperately spat fire at me but his lack of focus made it easy to redirect or absorb the small projectiles. With one magically enhanced jump I leapt from his upper arm to his snout and shocked him again. He reeled in pain but I held on to his spines until he swung his head low, allowing me to roll to the ground with only a few bruises for my trouble.

Atrezal looked ready to go for round two until his orange companion yelled so loud I thought the volcano might erupt. “Enough! Atrezal, this is not how our system of justice works. You know this!”

“You don’t understand Halvium. This is the Destroyer. The one from the old tales of when dragons aided the other races to defeat a being who spent years using dragons like slaves.”
I facepalmed as I remembered that very same detail of the last Overlord’s history myself. Looks like your lessons didn’t stick too well Gnarl, not that I’m going to tell you that. Suffering through it a second time would be even worse.

The two other dragons went from stoic and proud to shocked beyond belief. “This is him? How can that be? The stories speak of one whose eyes glowed with power, one who lead an army of creatures breed to serve his will, one who could slay the mightiest of dragons in one on one combat. There is no way this soft thing is him.”

“But it is him! I have only ever seen one creature that could instill uncertainty and fear in my heart just upon looking at him and this is it. This is the one who took my eye in the war so long ago!”

I cleared my throat which surprisingly got their attention. “Sorry to disappoint but I’m not him, at least not in mind. My predecessor, as I now refer him to, is now locked away in my mind. I am still the Overlord, or the Destroyer to you, but I’m no longer the bloodthirsty savage I once was.”

This seemed to calm them down but they still were on edge. The girl dragon spoke before her companions. “Then why are you here? What do you intend for the dragons?”

“I’m here because I have a dragon I’m friends with that doesn’t act like a dragon. The damn ponies have been teaching him to be soft and cuddly. The kid actually used to wear a frilly apron and have a crush on a posh pony before I came along.

“As for what I intend for the dragons, as of right now nothing. My biggest threat is the princesses and the artifacts that were used to defeat my predecessor. If anything I would be willing to discuss a truce between us.”

Atrezal was still fanatical. “Don’t listen to him Zerana. He only aims to lead us on the path to death. We must-”

“Atrezal! Silence!" Halvium’s booming voice silenced the older dragon instantly. “You may be the eldest but that does not mean you represent all of us. This matter will be decided by all three elders as is tradition. I will not remind you of this again.” Atrezal nodded in response as Zerana continued.

“What do you expect to gain from this truce?”

“Not repeating history would be nice. During the war in which the last Overlord was defeated he easily had ten minions for every creature on Faust’s side. Out of all of these the most formidable was obviously the dragons. Without you helping Equestria it will be much easier to take over.”

“I see, and what would we gain of this truce?”

“How about I let you out from underneath the strong hoof that is Celestia?”

Halvium growled. “What do you imply Destroyer? Are you saying we live under the rule of ponies?”

“They don’t rule you per say, but they do limit you. I imagine there was a time before the alicorns when you used to run free, feasting upon anything you see fit. Now you must be careful in pony lands because if you happen to harm any of Celestia’s precious ponies…” I ran a finger across my throat.

“You think we fear the princess? Ha, if I wanted I could take her with one claw tied behind my back.”

“Nice bluff, but you aren’t fooling me. After all, you were the one who led the dragons in the Dragon Wars about eight hundred years ago. Despite pony books lacking information about what dragons can do they certainly don’t miss the details when it comes to one of the bloodiest battles Equestria has remaining in its history.” Halvium was completely speechless by what I knew. Since Atrezal had taken to glaring with his one eye it was Zerana that spoke.

“You claim that you can defeat Celestia, but what about the fact her sister has returned?”

“A small issue. I still have the element of surprise and that is all the advantage I need.”

“And what of that which sealed your predecessor away the first time?”

I gritted my teeth as I thought of how long I had been searching. “I can’t find out where they are. Everything I know points to a tree that grew from the place the artifacts were buried but no one seems to know where it is.”

Zerena grinned. “Then it seems we have one more thing we can offer you in exchange for you promising to leave the dragons alone. The location of the tree.”

“What?!”

Halvium spoke up next. “Yes, Atrezal here has mentioned this tree to us and we all know the location. In exchange for your vow to not attack the dragons without provocation we will tell you where your greatest threat lies.”

I can’t believe this! I CAN’T FUCKING BELIEVE THIS! Inside I was doing the happy dance to literally end all happy dances. Finally, the bane of my evil existence could be removed! “Deal. I will not bring any harm to the dragons and once the princesses are dead and burning on a stake you are free to do as you wish. In exchange you will not fight against me and you will give me what I need to finally assure victory.”

“I believe it is time we brought this to a vote. I for one believe this is an excellent idea. It removes not only our current problem with the Destroyer’s return but also gets rid of the princesses. I vote yes.”

Atrezal spoke next. “You are both insane! As soon as he gets the chance he will kill us all. I vote no and demand that he be executed immediately.”

Zerana just shook her head with a grin. “Sorry Atrezal, but you know how this works and my vote is yes. Two to one means the motion passes and the agreement is now law. And may I remind you that even you are not above the law.” Atrezal seemed absolutely furious at this development but managed to keep a lid on it. Halvium called out to the guards outside.

“Send in the hatchling.” I watched the huge doors open once again and Spike walked in. Once he was standing with me Halvium spoke once more. “Your friend here says you know next to nothing about what you are. Is this true?”

“Y-ya. I was hatched by a pony and since then I have lived with them.”

“Then while you are here we will teach you as best we can. Should you wish to stay with us instead of returning to the ponies you are more than welcome. The charges against your friend have also been dropped and he is welcome to stay with the brood for as long as he wishes.” The dragons all got up at once. Zerana kneeled down to Spike so he could climb on.

“Come along hatchling. I will be the one to teach you.” Spike looked at me for an answer and I just waved him off. Once I did his face lit up with joy and he hopped on top of Zerana’s head. Right behind her was Atrezal who didn’t take his eye off me until he was at the door. Once the two were gone Halvium bent down to my level while I asked him something.

“Atrezal isn’t going to be a problem is he? Though I’d hate to admit it if you hadn’t intervened I would be dead right now.”

“Yes, I could sense your power during the fight which was why I was so skeptical of what you are. I still have doubts but very few know of the old stories who were not there themselves and that is enough proof for me. As for Atrezal, I wouldn’t put it past the old bat to try something even if it meant banishment or even death. I believe it would be best for you to stay with me while you are with us.”

“Fine by me. We have some things to discuss anyway.” With that I leapt onto his head. I was disoriented a bit as he rose back up to his full height but once things leveled out I was fine. It wasn’t until we were out of range of the guards that Halvium began speaking.

“I have another proposition for you, one that my fellow elders would no doubt be against but part of it will be asking for your silence. Before we speak of that though I must give you what you were promised in council.”

“So where is the tree? I’m going to take pleasure in uprooting it.”

“Tell me, do you know where that battle took place? The one in which your predecessor was sealed away.”

“It’s the Everfree Forest right? That’s why the plants and animals there are all different from the rest of Equestria.”

“So you do know, though no dragon knows it as this ‘Everfree Forest’. Here we call it The Land That Never Dies. This is because when it first came to exist after the war the dragons attempted to burn it away. Not only did this not work but the forest itself seemed to come alive and drag a few of our own into the depths. We have never found their corpses to this day.”

“Interesting story and all, but what does this have to do with the tree?”

“The artifacts, as a symbolic gesture, were planted in a small cavern in the middle of the battlefield. At the time the forest did not exist so they believed it would be a safe place for them to be stored. Years later when the area was overgrown and filled with dangerous wildlife they attempted to collect the artifacts so they could be moved only they disappear within, never to return.”

The battlefield? So that means… FUCK! “Wait a minute. So you’re telling me I’ve been living next to the artifacts for nearly a year!?”

Halvium let out a hearty chuckle. “So it seems, though it makes some sense. Even though the forest is made by your power it has its own spirit now. The tree lies in the center, and no one of any race has ever returned from entering the core of that land.” What he said did make some sense to me. Sometimes when I went for a walk through the forest I would get the feeling I shouldn’t go a certain direction or that I should turn around. I never bothered to go against that instinct as there was never a reason to.

“Are you saying the forest is actually alive? Like it’s sentient?”

“It seems so. What goes on with that forest simply does not make sense anywhere else in the world and that is the only explanation I have been able to come up with.” We finally stopped our trek through the caverns as we came out of a cave on top of the volcano. I could see the bully dragons were back out though they avoided eye contact with me as much as possible. “Would you mind if we flew for a bit? I must admit it has been awhile since I have stretched my wings.”

Flying? Oh sweet Faust’s godly ass I could kiss this dragon! I’d hate to admit it but ever since I turned back into a human it’s been really hard not being able to fly. Some days I would step outside and instinctively try to spread my wings only to be harshly reminded I have none. Whenever I watched Rainbow Dash or even Fluttershy I would get an itch where the wings once connected with my spine and no amount of scratching would satisfy it.

“Halvium, I'd be more upset if you didn't take me flying.” That brought a chuckle out of the dragon as he opened his massive wings. In a single flap he was airborne with me hanging on to one of the spines that lined his head. Once we were high enough he leveled off and I no longer needed the support. I closed my eyes and let myself take in the feeling of weightlessness as Halvium spoke over the wind.

“I’m surprised you were so willing to fly. Most ground creatures are too afraid of gravity to enjoy the skies.”

“I was stuck as a pegasus for awhile. Though everything about it was as terrible as you can imagine, flying was absolutely amazing.”

“Ah, so you’ve got the flyers envy now. I believe you will be most interested in my proposal than.”

Wait, is he saying he can give me wings? “And this proposal is what exactly? You said the other elders wouldn’t approve but that was about it.”

“Yes, they wouldn’t approve because it would go against what is normally allowed. We have deemed in the past that dragons such as your friend have the right to live as they want. No brood ties them to his fellow kind. As such, dragons like him tend to become more… soft for lack of a better word.”

“Hang on. There are other dragons like Spike?”

“A few. I know of one such dragon in service to Celestia though he is used more as an easy way of sending letters then as a guard. There are others who were hatched one way or another and they have all become aliens to us. Though I know it is their choice, I can tell, just like your friend, that what they are doing makes them weak and I will not stand for it.

“So what I propose from you is this: Convince the hatchling to stay with us. I don’t care what you have to do. Use diplomacy, use deception, or even kill the ponies that watch over him. Whatever it takes I want him here.”

I thought about it for a moment before speaking. “That all sounds good and all but you haven’t mentioned what I get from this.”

“In exchange for the hatchling staying with us our truce becomes an alliance. I will speak with Zerana about it and get her to agree so that when it is voted upon it will pass. With an alliance we will not only remain peaceful with you, but you may call upon us to help in your fight.”

A dragon army! Or better yet a dragon to fly around on! “That sounds like a fair deal though I don’t think I will be able to convince him in the one day we will be here. If he returns later will that work?”

“That is fine but you will not get your alliance until then. Now enough of politics. I would like to hear how- hang on. What is that?” I looked over the side to see a bunch of dragons gathering around what looked like a bunch of ponies and a torn up horrible costume. Please don’t be who I think it is.

When we got closer it was made obvious by the rainbow mane on one of them that it was three of the ponies from home. When Halvium landed the crowd parted for him to walk forward. He then leaned down so he was right in their faces. Before he could say anything though they noticed me riding up top.

“Don!? Why are you on a dragon? We need to get out of here!”

I just sighed and facepalmed before sliding off Halvium. I walked around in front of him so he could see me. “I’ll take care of this. Just tell the dragons to back off for now and if you can go find Zerana and Spike.” Though he seemed hesitant at first he nodded. While he spoke to the dragons, I turned toward Twilight who looked somewhere between incredibly mad and absolutely scared out of her mind. “What are you all doing here?”

“Us? We’re here to get you and Spike! You had no right to take him without my permission.”

“And you have no right to keep him away from what he is. What if I decided to never remove that anti-magic ring I put on you? How would it feel to remove the one thing that makes you a unicorn?”

“That’s different. I never took away what makes Spike who he is!”

“No, you just never gave him the chance to have it in the first place.” The two other ponies just watched in shock as we argued. I think both of them had seen us get mad a total of four times and never at the same time or at each other.

“Don, this isn’t up for debate. I’m the one who is responsible for him so I will decide what is best.”

“He isn’t a pony no matter how much you want him to be one. You all like having your destinies predetermined, to have your lives set out in front of you. The other beings of this world are different though. We like the idea of being free, to do as we wish, to dream about doing anything we want. If anyone here, including myself, was ever given a choice to have my life set in stone by a butt tattoo, they wouldn't take it.” I watched Twilight’s horn began to glow but she stopped when a dragon came up behind me. Looking up I saw Zerana slowly bending down. Spike jumped off her head as soon as she was low enough.

“Spike!” She ran over to him and nuzzled him more than was necessary. “Oh I was so worried. You are never going anywhere like that again. Now come on, we have a long trip home.” She started walking away until she realized Spike wasn’t following and turned around. “Spike? Come on.” He seemed conflicted at what was happening and unfortunately that meant he looked to me for an answer.

“I can’t choose this for you Spike. This is your decision alone.” That just made him freak out even more as he looked between the Zerana and Twilight.

“Spike, we need to get going. The trip back to Ponyville is long enough without you standing here.”

Zerana blew out some steam from her nostrils. “Is this pony forcing you to leave hatchling? If so, I’d suggest she change her tone.”

Rainbow being all about loyalty wasn’t going to take that threat. “You better back off or I’ll sock you right in the nose!”

I can already see where this is going. “Rainbow, if you think Zerana or any of these dragons wouldn’t torch you where you stand then you better realize that quick.”

Rarity, despite how rustic the trip here was, still looked like she had spent hours doing her mane. “Don, why are you siding with those ruffians?”

“Because I made a promise to a friend. That promise was to help him figure out his heritage and what being a dragon is about. If you honestly believe that dragging Spike out of here will magically make everything return to normal then you have another thing coming.” I turned to Spike. “Like I said, it’s your choice. Whatever you want to do I’ll follow you.” That seemed to calm Spike down for a bit as he looked at the ground.

“I… I want to stay and learn. At least for a day like we originally planned.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” I turned to Twilight to see she was absolutely shocked by this. Spike saw this as well.

“Twilight, don’t worry. I’m still coming back home and I’ll still be Spike. I just want to figure out what I am.” Though there were tears in her eyes she nodded and then slowly turned away. As she passed by the other two they turned to follow. It wasn’t until they were out of sight that the dragons went about their business. Spike went back to what he was doing with Zerana while I walked over to Halvium.

“I thought for sure I would have to fry that pony when she insisted the hatchling come with her. It seems that you not only got rid of them but you also forced the hatchling to make the decision. Now he is closer to staying with us.”

“That was the plan. The only real tie he has to the ponies is with that mare. She’s practically his mother though it seems like he takes care of her more than the other way around. The more independent he becomes, the less he will feel obligated to stay. However I’m hoping that he will make the decision without any further influence as I have something I must do after this trip is over.”

“Very well. You seem to understand the situation better than I.” He rose his head a bit and sniffed the air. “It seems it is almost time to feast. Would you care to join us?”

“Depends. Is it crystals or meat?”

“Both, though you more than welcome to your share of either.”

“Sounds good to me. Have I told you about the hay substitute ponies use to replace meat?”

“No but already I feel the need to gag.”

“Well let me tell you how right you are.”

Author's Notes:

Here's the biggest chapter yet as sort of a "sorry I can't update as frequently" present.