SpikeDad

>Enjoying the lava tunnels of your home.
>Aw yeah, that sweet sweet liquid earth.
>Nothing beats a good old fashioned soak in the lifeblood of your lair.
>Still you think you dozed off in here the lava's almost solidified when you take notice.
>With a grunt you feel the semisolid stone crack and shift revealing glittering purple scales and  bright yellow horns that crest your head.
>Stretching your wings and snapping your tail you work out the old kinks feeling bones and joints twitch back into place.
>Letting out a small burp of flames you yawn before sleepily dragging your bulk up to your lair, you wonder if your mate had managed to find those gems in your hoard.
>Still it fills your hearts with pride at how she dotes over your little nest egg.
>You'd just have to make sure he doesn't wind up spoiled too much by his mother after all.

>Another turn and then a leap across the cavern should take you to your ho-
>Its dark.
>Pure tar like blackness.
>Narrowing your eyes you inhale deeply before pooling the mucus in your throat feeling it mix with the gas.
>It's been awhile but, with a hacking cough you spit the fireball to illuminate the cave.
>Nothing.
>It's gone.
>Your Hoard.
>The gold, the gems, the lost treasures of ancient kingdoms given in tribute and some taken by force!
>ALL OF IT GONE
>You see red, but clamp down on the red rage with an iron will.
>How could-
>Your mate.

>Your bulk sends tremors through the earth itself as you hurry through the tunnels and the secret ways to the nest.
>Please be fine please be fine please be fine please-be-fine-please-be-finepleasepleaseplease...
>In your haste you knock a portion of the tunnel down with your shoulder as you find the nest finally.
>Another fireball sent through the air and...
>There curled around the nest of obsidian glass is you-
>NO.

>Flames escape your maw despite you clenching your jaw as you come close.
>The flesh has been picked clean by scavengers, so you don’t know how they kil-
>There poking just out of the eye socket.
>Extending a claw out you gingerly pick up the small stick of metal.
>It looks almost like a toothpick to your size…
>Squinting your eyes you bring it close sniffing the metal.
>Blood
>Iron
>Coal
>Magic…
>A deeper sniff this time as the scent tickles your nose with its barest essence.
>PONY MAGIC!?

>Those miserable creatures!
>Always poking their noses into things!
>Wait your son…
>Carefully nosing past your mate you can still smell your nestlings scent, it is still strong.
>Ingraining it deeply into your brain you pull away before looking over your mate a final time.
>She deserved better…
>Not this.
>Never this.
>Feeling the throb deep inside your hearts you let the heat pool deep in your gullet before swallowing it done.
>The heat pulsates angry at being denied as you hold in your sorrow before with a roar of fury you open your maw as a purple beam ignites bathing your mate in its power.
>Plasma burns eagerly at the dragonbone devouring the remains of your mate in a funeral pyre fit for a dragon.
“Goodbye, Cinder…”

>Watching as the bones slowly dissolve under the heat you look up to the ceiling before tearing into the rock with your claws.
>If the mortals wish to trifle with gods, then you will bring your wrath on them.
>First however to find your hatchling.
>Earthquakes herald your arrival like some primordial titan before you burst forth from the ground the friction caused from your digging enough to melt the stone into magma to ooze like a wound.
>Stretching wings that darken the sky you let out a bellow of triumph feeling the wind upon your scales once more.
>One beat, a few trees are uprooted.
>A second beat, some fleeing birds are scattered.
>On the third you finally take off and begin your search.
>You will find your son.
----
>Distantly you notice the landscape had changed since you had last been in the sky.
>The air tasted differently as well, more carbon, more ash upon the wind.
>You approve.
>Might have something to do with those volcanos over yonder as you hover in place.
>”WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”
>Turning your head to the roar you see a potential rival approach covered in dirt and debris that slowly falls off.
>Growling under your breath you turn to ignore him sniffing out the air currents for your son.
>He must be alive.
>He must.
>”DON’T IGNORE ME HATCHLING!”
>The blue eye sore is rapidly annoying you.
>Wait, there off to the east.
>A whisper of your so-

>You’re blind sided as you shoved out of the sky.
>”PAY ATTENTION YOU WHELP!”
>Catching yourself you catch the thermal before looking for your son’s scent.
>It’s gone.
>Your blood boils at the hindrance as you regard the annoying loud mouth.
>”I DEMAND AN APOLOGY! YOU DROPPED A TECTONIC PLATE ON ME!”
“You made me lose the scent.”
>”WHAT?”
>You don’t have the patience for this.
>Opening your maw you let the flames course through your mouth catching the blue eye sore.
>You’d hope that wasn’t enough to do him in.
>Happily he proves you wrong as he dives out of the flames soot covered before charging at you with murder in his eyes.
>Roaring out in challenge you lower your head to meet him head on.
>With a crack that thunders across the landscape you lock horns with the fool.
>Faint burning lines run along your throat where his horns had scrapped you, but you have him now.
>Horns locked in place you viciously yank your head where a snap is heard.

>Ah the sound of a challenger in pain.
>Flailing limbs batter at you as the dragon tries to ward you off clutching the stump from his broken horn.
>You’d finish him off, but a rumble in your gut reminds you that it’s been a moment before you had your fill of gems or meat.
>Rather than eating one of your own, however distantly related, you’ll let him live with this lesson for now.
>Turning away you start to fly before a hint of warmth splashes across your back.
>Arching your head back you see the last embers trail off from the now one horned dragon.
“Am I supposed to be impressed?”
>The rage on the dragon’s face was funny judging by how purple he was turning, still you can’t let an insult like that stand.
“Allow me to show you true flames.”
>Breathing deeply you pull on your flame before holding it.
>Oh look, he’s rushing you trying to stop you.
>How cute.
>You release your breath then purposefully missing the dragon by a hair.
>The purple beam rushes out into the landscape before the explosions soon follow.
>Oh dear, he’s falling now.
>His scales must not have been as thick as you’d thought.
>With a earth shattering thud the dragon falls to the ground before you look towards the east.
>You can just make out the sea from up here.
>Your son must be across the ocean.

>Crossing the ocean was just as tedious as you recall in the past.
>Though your able to sate your growing hunger by diving down to skim the surface of the waters before flash boiling the water away and cooking the fish inside.
>A minor snack, you’d have prefered to dive deeply and enjoy a whale or two to truly sate yourself.
>Still family comes before anything else.
>Wait there on the horizon, you can make out land!
>Finally.
>Though there appear to be many mountains clustered together for some reason near the sea.
>As you come closer you find that the mountains gleam like the brightest veins of silver.
>Those aren’t mountains, they are some mortal building!
>Truly mortals are so industrious when they aren’t scheming to steal your hoard.
>That reminds you that you’ll need to gather another hoard soon if nothing else than to help your son grow strong.
>As you try to recall the latest stockpiles of gold might be located in the world above you barely notice the formation of flying mortals that are scattered by your passing.
>Flying as you are you follow the scent of your son slowly finding the scent growing stronger the further inland you go.

>Soon the fake mountains fall away as your stomach rumbles again.
>Dratted thing you already fed it back at the sea.
>Still you are feeling rather peckish.
>Coming across a gorge you finally notice something familiar!
>Wyrms!
>Wonderful!
>Diving down you let out a scream of delight as you crash into the earth feeling it shatter under your weight and the wiggling cries of the wyrms fill the air as you pluck them from the stones.
>Hrm, chewy.
>A nice selection as well judging by the size and plumpness!
>It’s as your slurping the last one up that you notice a trailing rainbow acting in the most bizarre fashion.
>It stops before you revealing itself to be another mortal.
>Rolling your eyes you go back to your meal before it flies in front shouting at you, “What’s the big idea messing up the place?”
>You breath in ready to simply blow a puff of hot air to dispel the flying pest when you catch a strong whiff of your son on the mortal’s body.

>Snapping your claw up you snatch at the rainbow only for it to dart away with a gasp.
>”Hey! Claws off buddy!”
>Growling you attempt again.
>”Hey!”
>Annoying mortal, you will answer my questions.
>Darting away with a snap of its wings the mortal clops it’s hooves together, “Alright pal you earned this!”
>Speeding past your claws the rainbow starts to throw blows against your hide.
>You can barely feel it through your scales, growing quickly frustrated with the mortal you attempt to smack itself against your skin like one would an errant mosquito.
>”Ha! Missed!”
>Smack.
>”Missed again!”
>Smack. Smack!
>”Boy you sure don’t learn fast do you?”
>That annoying scratchy voice is quickly growing on the list of things to burn.
>It’s when the rainbow suddenly flies up and pokes your eye that you lose your temper.
>You don’t need it alive, just mostly alive.
>Whipping your head around you let the flames loose around you in a wild manner!
>”Hot! Hot! Hot!”
>Finally.
>However instead of staying still and trying to put itself out the rainbow flees back to a minor settlement trailing colors and smoke.

>You begin to fly after the mortal, if that is where it lives.
>That might be where your son is.
>Despite yourself you can feel the anxiety and eagerness build in your stomach.
>You’re close.
>You can just feel it.
>Just as you arrive outside the settlement near a rather tasteful looking meal sprouting out of the ground you find an odd sight.
>Six of the mortals including the rainbow one had arrived with-
>Your hearts stop.

>You begin to fly after the mortal, if that is where it lives.
>That might be where your son is.
>Despite yourself you can feel the anxiety and eagerness build in your stomach.
>You’re close.
>You can just feel it.
>Just as you arrive outside the settlement near a rather tasteful looking meal sprouting out of the ground you find an odd sight.
>Six of the mortals including the rainbow one had arrived with-
>Your hearts stop.

>A small dragon, little more than a whelping, was standing amongst the mortals with determination across his face.
>The shimmer of purple scale so much like your mate, the green fins you could easily recal on your own body.
>Your son.
>YOUR SON!
>Ivory whites snaked out to save your son, only to be met with a shimmer of mortal damned magic!
"RETURN MY SON!"
>"S-son!?" Echoed the ingrates, but you saw your chance.
>With draconic might you shattered the shield claws gingerly, oh so gently, lifting your son.

>There was much screaming, while you would enjoy the terror of the mortals you had more pressing matters.
>A lair, you needed a lair, it was the only way to be certain.
>Already you were high in the sky eyes keen for potential.
>Which allowed you to notice the irratants following behind.
>Snarling you beat your mighty wings sending the mortals spiraling.
>Steam escapes your nose in a snort of approval.
>In the sky you resumed your search soon finding a suitable location, a dormant volcano by your reckoning.
>You can still hear the faint sounds of screaming, glancing to the source you see it's your son, your wings strain themselves in your hurry.

>The mountain had been formed from the earliest era's of Equestria, it has seen dragons, earthquakes and even gods fight before it as it stood the test of time.
>Venerable age bought little aide upon your arrival, great furrows of stone were carved as you landed.
>"Let me down! Let-me-dohohohwn!"
>Scenting the lair with your flame you kept a tight grip upon your son, once the cave was secured, then you released your son.
>Jumping away your whelp whirled on you holding up his claws in a closed fist. >This is what you were afraid of, silly whelp, how're you going to rend your foes with your claws closed?
>"I-I'm not afraid of you! Why'd you take me away from my friends!?"
>You keep your console for now as you settle your bones upon the ground for a better look at your son.
>His scales could do with a wash, not to mention the paunch round his belly, he hardly looked to have been fed properly!
>The first you can fix at least.

>"Wha-hey! Put me down!"
"You're dirty, hold still."
>"Gee I wonder why that is!"
"You don't clean yourself, of course."
>"I most certainly d-EUUGH!"
>You're not enjoying this either whelp, just what have you been rolling in for such a horrid taste.
"Why did you roll yourself in oil? Where did you even find a barrel of the stuff?"
>"Oil? That's lotion for my scales you, you big dummy!"
>A short burst of flames convinced your son to hold still, nowhere near him of course, but it settles the point.
>"Why are you doing this anyway," Your son stiffened suddenly, "You're not going to eat me are you?! I taste awful you said so yourself!"
>Ancestors perserve you, your son is an idiot.
"You're dirty, I'm cleaning you, now be still."
>"For what?!"
"Your health."
>!
>Oh that was a vile one, head turned away you spit the foul mess.
>Instead of normal spit, however, you saw a globula of flames fly out to splatter and burn upon the stone.

>"Oh, that's nasty. Wait, why do you care?"
>A few more scrapes, then you draw away observing your work.
>Your son looks himself over though still damp, but near sparkling.
>"Huh, alright I'm clean...ish, now what do you want from me?!"
>A lick of flame escaped your son's mouth and you can't help but smile.
>So young, yet already his breath is strong.
>If only you were still here Cinder
>"Answer me!"
>Bit of your rage too from the hard kick he gave your claw.
>"Ow!"
"Son."
>At your word your son froze in his frantic hopping to look up at you wide eyed.
>"What did you call me?"
"My son I-"
>"Oh no! I knew I didn't mishear, but you don't get to come into my home, mess with my friends and then claim your my father!" your son exploded in rage climbing up your claw then lunged to your arm.
>"No! I refuse, I've already had one dragon claim that! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me an-"
>The mountain began to quake, your son stumbled off your arm onto your claw, you very queitly asked in a reasonable tone.
"Who claimed to be your father, young one."

>"U-uh, said his name was Sludge?" Your son stammered out and you carved the name into your heart.
"Sludge."
>"Y-yeah, so can you stop with the tail, I don't think this cave is going to handle it for much longer."
"Thank you, young one, I will keep that dragon in mind."
>"Look I know he was a jerk, but you don't have to."
"I don't have to, but I will, for now know this truth. You are my son."
>Knees shaking your son still has courage to stare you in the eye asking, "Oh yeah? Prove it!"
>Thoughts raced through your mind, what could you do or even say to him, then inspiration ran you through.
>Instead of words you closed your eyes and began to hum...
[spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTlY8lXZaE0[/spoiler]

>Of times long ago, of creatures so young, of the charge your kind once held.
>You hummed the lullaby of your mate even as tears began to fall.
>Eyes open once more to see those same tears on your sons face.
>"That, that song...how do I remember that song?"
"Your-"
>You cough to clear your swollen throat.
"Your mother used to sing that song to you as an egg, please."
>You bowed your head, you who had slain titans, monsters and even godlings, begged, "Please believe me."