Chapter V: The Calm before the Storm
“Oh this is bad. This is bad. So very very very very bad…” Twilight had been pacing so long that a small groove had begun to form in the floor. Ever since she’d woken from her fainting spell, she had been pacing and worrying incessantly.
“Twilight, it’s not as bad as you think it is,” Spike said to her as he sat on her bed, watching her pace.
“Not as bad? Not as bad? Spike, look at me! I look like a monster!” She flared out her wings without meaning to, as though to emphasis her point.
“You don’t look like a monster, Twilight,” Spike said for the hundredth time in the last hour as Twilight tried to force her wings down. “I actually think they look kinda nice.”
“Spike this isn’t a joke! The Princess is coming back to get us tonight! What if she sees me like this? Oh, she’s going to be furious…”
“Twilight, if they really bother you that much, then just cast a transformation spell on yourself to hide them.”
“A transfor- Spike, I don’t know that level of magic!”
“Says the filly who turned her parents into potted plants.”
“Spike, that was something totally different.”
“Well, it couldn’t hurt to try, could it?”
Twilight opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly shut it. Her horn began to glow, and there was a bright flash. Twilight looked back, hopeful… only to find the wings still attached to her back, now resembling a normal pegasus’s rather than a dragon’s. “Oh that didn’t work at all!” she cried in despair, stomping her hooves. “What am I supposed to do now?”
As Twilight despaired, Spike hopped off the bed and began walking toward her. “Just… use a spell to make them invisible or something. I don’t know.” He put a claw on her shoulder. “But listen Twilight. There’s something a lot more important that we need to talk about. You can Shout now. …Or, you should be able to at least. That’s what Yolvahdin said, right?”
Spike’s query brought Twilight back to the real world. “Yeah. That’s right.”
“So, why don’t we go up and see if you can Shout? We can worry about your wings later.” He patted her shoulder, but a small bolt of electricity formed in his hand, shocking her.
She jumped back. “Ow! Spike!”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “That keeps happening and I don’t know how to make it stop.”
She rubbed the spot where Spike had shocked her. “What was that?”
“Well, I think my magic came in, Twilight. Watch.” He held out his hands, and concentrated as hard as he could. “Errrgg!” Nothing happened. “Wait- wait, hold on. Let me try again. Grrrr… hhaaagh!” This time, something happened; sparks arced across his claws, bridging the gaps between his fingers.
It was small sign… but it was enough.
She took his claw in her hoof and inspected it. “Spike…” she said, incredulous. “That’s…”
“So, do you think you could teach me how to use it?”
“I… I don’t know, Spike. Dragon magic and unicorn magic might be completely different. You’ll have to ask the Princess when she arrives.” She released him. “We should probably get up top, find out if I can really Shout.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah. And I’m sure Thorn and Yolvahdin will be glad to see you’re alright.” The two headed to the surface. But as they were about to emerge from the ice, Twilight heard voices. She stopped, Spike stopping alongside her, and listened- whoever was talking kept their voices low, but Twilight was still able to make out what they said.
“…I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she heard Thorn say.
“You may be able to deceive the kiir, the key and even the Kulaas… but you cannot deceive me. I know who you are,” Yolvahdin replied.
There was a momentary silence. “…Then you must know why I’m here.”
“I have my theories, but perhaps you would be willing to enlighten me.”
“LAAS.” Another brief silence. “Maybe another time- we have guests.”
“Twilight, what’re we waiting for?” Spike asked. “…Oh, I get it. You’re still nervous about your wings, huh? Well I’m sure Yolvahdin and Thorn can keep a secret. Now get out there.” He pushed her out into the open, before following her.
The elder dragons looked to them. “Twilight, you’re awake!” Thorn exclaimed. He then noticed the new addition to her form. “…and you apparently grew wings while you were asleep.”
“Yeah, I… I guess I did. Hehehe…” She laughed nervously, and looked away as she ran a hoof through her mane.
“So it seems,” Yolvahdin said. “Star Swirl experienced a similar phenomenon when he awoke from his slumber.” The red dragon approached Twilight. “Surviving the sosmir is no small feat, young one. By surviving this trial, the way of the Thu’um is open to you. Now, stand tall, and allow the world to hear the thunder of your Voice.”
Twilight looked up at the red dragon, then looked to Spike. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry Twilight, it’s real easy to Shout. You just have to take a deep breath, and shout ‘Fus Ro Dah’ as loud as you can. Just make sure you’re not facing toward anypony first. Got all that?”
Twilight nodded, then turned away from the others. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and shouted as loud as her vocal cords would allow, “FUS… RO DAH!”
The blast literally knocked Twilight flat on her back. The ice beneath her hooves buckled as the absolutely massive shockwave passed, forcing it down and parting the waves before fading out far over the ocean. Twilight struggled to rise. “Ugh… my wing…” she groaned.
She never thought she’d say that.
“Whoa…” Spike said in awe. “Twilight, that was… amazing.”
“Indeed…” Yolvahdin said. “The strength of your Thu’um far surpasses that of the average dovah- it may rival even the strength of Alduin’s.” She looked down at the lavender unicorn. “Make no mistake, kiir- you are a dovah now, perhaps not in body, but most certainly in spirit. So before you depart from my care, I would like to bestow upon you one final gift- a title to designate your new status. From this day forward, you shall be known to dragonkind by the name… Qozul Strunkey.”
Thunder Unicorn? Twilight thought to herself. Seems a little… extravagant, but… She bowed her head. “Thank you, Yolvahdin.”
“It is an honor to call you my kin.” She looked to Spike. “If I recall correctly, you requested to train her in the Thu’um, Dovahkiin. Are you still willing?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I’ll take my leave, then.” She departed.
“Oh Twilight, that was incredible! When we face Alduin, he’s definitely gonna think twice about attacking when he sees that!” Spike said excitedly. “Don’t you think so, Thorn?”
“Uh… yeah…” the elder dragon replied hesitantly- it was surprising how little use Shouts were with a slashed throat. He sat down on the ice. “I think I’ll stay up here and watch you guys for a while.”
The three remained on top of the iceberg for many hours. Thorn watched as Spike taught Twilight every Shout that he knew- she breathed fire and ice, became ethereal, cleared the skies, sprinted faster than the wind (plunging into the sea just as Spike had), called a storm, summoned fog, and even slowed time itself.
Before long, the sun began to dip low in the western sky. As Twilight looked to Celestia’s orb, she remembered the Princess herself, and her terror returned. “Oh no, I forgot!” she cried. “Spike, you have to help me! The Princess could be here at any minute!”
“Try giving that invisibility spell a shot. It might work.”
“But Spike-”
“Twilight, it might not be the best idea, but it’s all we’ve got.” She opened her mouth as though to say something, but then shut it. Her horn began to glow- slowly, her wings disappeared, until only a pair of short stumps remained. “You got a little more to cover, Twi.” The stumps disappeared as well. “See Twi? Now it’s like you never even-”
Spike was interrupted by a brilliant flash of light. “Ah, good, you’re all here,” the Princess said. “A moment please- I want to speak to Yolvahdin about Spike’s progress.” The Princess disappeared beneath the ice.
Spike, Twilight, and Thorn were left in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. “So, uh…” Spike began, “…do you think Yolvahdin will tell the Princess?”
“I hope not,” Twilight replied. “She seems more interested in you though, Spike, so maybe it won’t come up.”
“Well, it’s not like you asked her to keep it a secret, you know…” Thorn said.
After another minute, the Princess joined them. “Well Spike, it seems that you’ve gone above and beyond even our most optimistic expectations. Yolvahdin isn’t easily impressed, but somehow, you managed.”
Spike scratched his head and looked away. “Oh, um… thanks.”
“I’m not the one you should be thanking, but I appreciate it all the same. Now gather round- we need to return to Canterlot.”
Spike hopped onto Twilight’s back, only for her to jolt, and small, pained gasp escaping her throat. “Ow, Spike…” she whispered in a mix of pain and irritation.
“Sorry,” he whispered back. “I didn’t mean to hit your wings.”
“You’re sitting on them! Scoot forward.”
“Is everything alright?” the Princess asked.
“Oh yes yes, of course,” Twilight replied quickly; Spike scooted off her wings and right up to the base of her neck. “Are you ready Spike?”
“
Yeah I’m ready are you ready?”
The Princess stared down at them for a moment, confused by their odd behavior. “If you’re done with your comedy routine…” she began, “then we should be off. Thorn?” The elder dragon approached. “Let’s go home.” Her horn glowed brightly, and the four disappeared in a flash of white light.
Once Spike’s stomach had settled, he realized they had arrived in the palace gardens. He hopped off Spike’s back, wobbling slightly as he walked. His whole body tingled. “Whoa… everything’s so… warm…” he said, mostly to himself.
“Hey Spike,” somepony said; the sudden voice from behind made Spike jump. “Twili. The Princess said you’d be coming back tonight.” Spike looked back to see a very familiar white stallion, though his new wife was nowhere in sight.
“Shining?” Twilight asked. “What’re you doing here? I thought you and Cadance were still on honeymoon.”
“We were,” Shining Armor replied. “The Princess brought us home. Literally- she teleported us here from Manehattan. She filled us in on what happened.” He looked up at Thorn. “Who’s that?”
“A friend.” She pawed the floor with her hoof, looking down. “Look, I’m sorry you got dragged into all this, Shiny.”
Her elder brother smiled broadly. “You kidding me? Why would I pass up a shot to help save the world? This is the kind of thing I live for, Twili!”
“Well it’s good to see the married life hasn’t slowed you down at all, bro,” Spike said, smiling- unbeknownst to him, Thorn smiled as well. “So, you fighting Alduin, too?”
“Nah, that’s your job. I’m just supposed to help you learn how to use a sword.”
Spike furrowed his brow in confusion. “Wait, what? Why?”
“It’s part of your training, Spike,” the Princess replied. “Even though your proficiency with the Voice has reached an acceptable level, there are still a number of skills you need to learn if you’re to survive your battle with Alduin- namely, the proper wielding of weapons and magic.” She gave young dragon a small smile. “But you can worry about that later. You should rest now- you’ll have quite a lot of work cut out for you over the next few days.”
Spike felt a gentle nudging on his shoulder. He brushed it away, rolling onto his other side- whatever it was, it could wait a few minutes. But he snapped awake when he heard a gentle, motherly voice say, “Good morning Spike.” He sat up, jumping when he found the Princess standing at the side of his bed.
“Oh uh… good morning, Princess,” he replied. “You’re here early.”
Without warning, Spike found himself being lifted out of bed by an invisible force. “Come on, up you go. You have a lot of work to do today.” He was set on the ground, and a large ruby was pushed into his hand. Spike ate it- spicy. As he ate, he had to run to keep up with the Princess as she left his and Twilight’s old room. “Where’re we goin’?” he asked, his mouth full of gem fragments.
“The sparring hall. You’ll begin today with weapons training.” The Princess and the young dragon snaked through the halls of the palace for some time, until they reached their destination. “Well, here we are. Go on in- I’ll be back in a little while to check on your progress.” The Princess departed, leaving the young dragon alone in the hall. He turned to the door, and stepped into the hall beyond.
Shining Armor was already waiting for him inside- save for a few practice dummies pushed to its edges, the room was otherwise empty. “Hey, there you are. Been waiting for you,” Shining said as Spike entered. His horn began to glow. “First, you’ll need this.” In a flash, a sheathed sword appeared in the air in front of Spike. Spike simply stared at the weapon. “Go on, take it.”
Reassured, Spike gripped the hilt and drew the sword from its scabbard. He was surprised by its weight- it wasn’t so heavy that he couldn’t lift it, but he’d never expected an actual sword to weigh so much.
“Heavy, isn’t it?” Shining asked. “I thought the same thing the first time I picked up a real sword. But you’ll get used to the weight soon enough. Now…” Shining’s horn glowed, and he levitated over a large log. “I want you to chop this log in half.”
“Alright.” Spike looked to the log. Then, he raised his sword and swung it with all his might.
The blade merely bounced off the log, clattering to the floor after the impact made Spike lose his grip. It didn’t even leave a scratch.
Shining brought a hoof to his chin as Spike retrieved his lost weapon. “Alright, first thing’s first: don’t swing with just your arms. You have to use your whole upper body. Try again, but this time, turn at your waist.”
Spike nodded, and drew his sword back, turning at the waist just as Shining had asked. Then, he swung the sword again. It sank into the wood about a third of the way- it wasn’t the clean cut Spike had hoped for, but it was a start.
“A lot easier now, right?” Shining asked. “Now, move your hands a little- your grip is off.”
Spike looked at his hands. “How can you be sure? You don’t even have hands.”
“Who’s the soldier here, me or you?”
“Fine, fine…” Spike fixed his grip. “Is that better?”
“Much. Now give it another swing…”
Spike spent the rest of the morning learning the bare fundamentals of wielding a sword, then both a sword and a shield. But after some hours, his practice was interrupted by a visit from the Princess. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt,” she said as she entered.
“It’s no trouble at all, your highness,” Shining replied. “What do you need?”
“Well… I need Spike. It’s time for him to begin the next part of his training.”
“Yes, Princess.” He looked down at Spike. “I guess we’re done for today, little guy. We’ll keep going tomorrow.”
Spike handed back his sword. “Right. See you then.” He followed the Princess out of the hall.
As the two walked down the hall, she handed him an emerald- mint-flavored. “Where’re we going now?” he asked.
“Back to your room. Twilight will help you get a better handle on your new magical abilities. Of course, I’ll be supervising to make sure nothing goes wrong.” The Princess stopped in front of a very familiar door and stepped inside- sure enough, Twilight and Spike’s old bedroom lay beyond. The lavender unicorn herself ran to and fro, a number of items used for magical training floating about her. “P-Princess!” she stammered. “I’m sorry! I thought I’d have everything set up before you brought Spike back.”
“It’s alright, Twilight. You may begin whenever you’re ready,” Celestia replied. Twilight nodded to her, before spending the next few moments finishing her preparations. She slid to a stop in front of the young dragon, trying to catch her breath.
“Now Spike… I know you’re probably feeling a lot of things right now…” she began. She seemed nervous at first, no doubt due to the Princess’s presence, but relaxed as she went on. “You might be feeling nervous or excited or maybe even a little scared… but when you’re working with magic, you need to push all of that aside. Magic is, by its very nature, volatile, and extremely dangerous. It takes years, decades even to fully master its power. But obviously, we don’t have that much time on our hands…”
Spike only vaguely listened to Twilight’s words- magic is volatile and highly dangerous, if not controlled it can and will destroy you, eagerness must be tempered with caution… blah blah blah, boring boring boring. Her little spiel was literally, word-for-word, the preface of the famous treatise On Magic, written by Star Swirl the Bearded; it could be found in almost every book even loosely related to the field of magic written after his death, in one form or another.
“…I know you’ve heard this all before, Spike, but it’s important that you understand it now more than ever. So with all that out of the way, we can begin the lesson.”
Finally… the young dragon thought to himself.
“We’ll start off with something basic, Spike. First I want you to lift up this-” Spike held out an arm, lifting up the orb set on the floor in front of him. As he moved his arm, the orb followed- he drew elaborate patterns in the air and made the orb orbit around him, all without laying even one talon on it. Twilight couldn’t lie; it was an impressive display, if a bit reckless.
He finished by tossing the ball high into the air, stopping it just a few inches before it hit the floor. “Show off…” Twilight mumbled. She then said out loud, “Alright then, we’ll move on to something a little more complicated. For your next step, you’re going to learn how to make a fire. First, hold out your claw.” Spike did. “Now in your head, picture a fire.” Spike closed his eyes, and pictured a fire in his mind. “Really imagine it Spike: the heat, the colors, the scent… spare no details.” Spike strained as he imagined the flame as vividly as he could, but as he focused, he could feel something… hot in his hand. He opened his eyes and looked.
A fire was burning right in the palm of his hand.
He yelped, shaking his hand and dispelling the flames. The flame didn’t actually harm him, but suddenly finding yourself gripping a burning flame would be enough to make anypony jump. He quickly composed himself. “Oh I… I’m sorry,” he stammered. He closed his eyes and focused again, reigniting the fire in just a matter of moments.
Twilight leaned in to inspect the flame. “That’s excellent, Spike! I’ve never seen somepony create fire so quickly. I think you’ve-” The flame suddenly flared up, almost reaching the ceiling and setting the tip of Twilight’s mane alight. She patted the flame out. “…Maybe we should work with a less dangerous element… like wind. Picture it in your mind again. Imagine all the traits of wind…”
Spike did as his teacher asked, picturing the only kind of wind that could be seen with the naked eye- a tornado. The cyclone’s roar, the swirling clouds, the wind whipping against his scales… all of these he imagined as fully as possible, and before long, a small vortex swirled in his palm.
“Alright Spike, that’s very good. Now take your time with this next part, there’s no need to rush. I want you to-”
But Spike didn’t wait. Instead, he thrust out his arm, unleashing a powerful gale that pushed Twilight back about a foot and scattered the room’s various loose items. “Oh this is awesome! It’s just like that book The Colt in the Iceberg! Now all I need are some arrow tattoos…”
“Spike, please keep your attention focused on the matter at hand,” the Princess requested.
“Oh… right.” He quickly conjured up another miniature cyclone. “What next, Twilight?”
The lesson moved forward from there, albeit much more slowly than Spike would have liked. Not helping matters was that Twilight constantly prattled on about the importance of taking things slowly. Didn’t she herself say they had little time to waste? But eventually, the Princess once again interrupted the lesson. “That’s a good stopping point for today, Twilight,” she said, standing up.
Spike closed his fist, banishing the small sphere of light he had summoned. “But Princess…” Twilight began. “There’s still so much I have to go over. I haven’t even taught Spike any transfiguration spells yet.”
“There are still five days between now and Alduin’s return- Spike has the time to learn. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish lowering the sun.” She began to walk for the door, but stopped. “Oh, I nearly forgot- here you are, Spike.” She levitated a diamond into his hands, before leaving.
“Aww, I hate diamonds…” Spike mumbled. “They always give me gas…”
“Come on Spike, let’s go.” She began to leave the room as well.
Spike followed, diamond in hand. “Go? Go where?”
“The library. We might not be able to practice magic, but the Princess didn’t say you couldn’t read up on it.”
“But Twilight, I’ve already read all your books on magic. You made me read them when you got all paranoid and wanted somepony to subdue you in case you ever lost control of your magic again.”
“Then you’ll read them again. Spike it’s very important that you understand the principles behind magic- if you do, then theoretically, no spell should be beyond you.”
“She’s right, you know,” another voice said from behind, making both jump. They looked back, to find Thorn following them.
“Oh, it’s you,” Twilight said. “So, where have you been all day?”
“Looking around the palace- it’s been a while since I’ve seen it all in one piece.”
Spike looked up to the elder dragon. “You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah.” The three entered the library, becoming lost amongst its shelves. “It was a long time ago, though. Well… I suppose it wouldn’t be too long for you, but…” Thorn shook his head. “N-Never mind. Don’t worry about it.” He put a claw to his temple. “Alright, where did we leave off last time?” The elder dragon fell silent as he tried to remember his last talk with Spike.
“Oh, strategy talk,” Twilight said. She began to back away from the dragons. “I’ll go find those books for you, Spike. You should stay and listen to Thorn.”
“Hold up Twilight, you should stay too.” She stayed. “You’ll be fighting Alduin, so you’re gonna want to hear this.” He sat down. “Oh, that’s right… Twilight, you started teaching Spike how to use magic today, right?”
Twilight sat down as well. “Yeah. Why?”
“Well I’m sorry to disappoint you both, but magic isn’t all that effective against Alduin. Most spells just bounce right off his scales.”
“What?” Twilight exclaimed, earning a few dirty looks from the library’s other patrons. She lowered her voice. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. I hate to say this, but we might have to put you in a supporting role, at least at first.”
“No way. I am not sitting on the sidelines. I told you that I was going to protect Spike, and that is exactly what I intend to do. End of story.”
“Then do that. Just be sure you don’t get yourself killed doing it.”
“What about you and me?” Spike asked. “What’ll we be doing?”
“Obviously, you’ll be leading the assault, Spike- you’re the only one who can bring down Alduin, after all. So it’ll be our job to keep Alduin’s attention away from you.”
“And what are you going to do?” Twilight asked.
“Simple- I’ll be the bait.”
“Thorn that’s crazy,” Spike said. “If the Princess-”
“I’ve squared off against Alduin more times than I care to remember,” Thorn interrupted. “Trust me, I’ll be fine.” He mentally added, If I killed him once, then I can do it again. He began to stand up, massaging his temple. “Well, we all know our roles in the battle to come, so I’ll just let you get back to… whatever you were doing.”
“Hold on Thorn, that can’t be all,” Twilight said. “I mean, you’ve fought Alduin; what does he normally do when you fight him?”
Thorn sat down again. “Well, Aduin usually starts off with some sort of offensive Shout, tries to separate his targets from one another. Then, he’ll take to the skies and call in a storm to pin them down and keep them from regrouping…” Thorn spent a considerable amount of time covering every possible action Alduin could take during their battle, and how to counter it; by the time the elder dragon had finished, a librarian approached to tell them that the library had closed a few minutes before, but that she didn’t want to disturb their discussion.
As the three exited the library, Thorn said to Spike and Twilight, “Well, I suppose this would be a good place for us to meet up again tomorrow. I’ll see you then.” He slinked away.
“Where do you think he goes all the time?” Spike asked, as he and Twilight headed back to their room.
“I have no idea…” She suddenly stopped, knocking a hoof against her head. “Oh, I’m an idiot… I forgot to grab your book.” She paused for a moment. “…Oh, right. I can just do this.” Her horn glowed, and she poofed in a book with a worn black cover. She levitated it into Spike’s hands. “Here you go.”
Spike looked at the book pushed into his hands. On Magic. Goody.
“Now I’m not expecting you to read the whole thing,” Twilight said, “but I want you to read the section in chapter four on offensive spells. It’ll help you understand tomorrow’s lesson better.”
Spike read as he walked, knowing the route between the library and Twilight’s room by heart. He flopped down in his basket, not taking his eyes off his assigned material for even a moment. Not wishing to disturb him, Twilight summoned another book from her library and began to read as well. For some time, only the occasional sound of a turning page breaking the silence until…
Spike set his book down. “Twilight? I’m finished.”
She looked up from her book, eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re done already? Did you actually read it?”
“Twilight, I’ve read this whole thing.” Spike held up the book for emphasis. “Four times, no less.”
Twilight opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again, her ears flattening against her head. “…You make a convincing argument.”
Spike sat up in his basket. “Twilight? Can I… confess something?”
She set her book down and looked at him. “What did you do?”
He looked away. “Well, I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just… I’m worried. Everypony keeps telling me that I can beat Alduin, and you and Thorn and Shining have been helping me out, but… I don’t know if I can do it. What if… what if I fail?”
Twilight snapped her book shut and set it on her nightstand. For a long while, the room was silent. Then, the lavender unicorn asked, “Spike, could you come here for a moment?” Spike climbed out of his basket and approached Twilight’s bed. As soon as the young dragon was close enough, she wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him close.
“Listen to me. When Alduin comes back, we’re gonna go out there- you, me, and Thorn. We’re going to fight him, and we will win. You hear me? Alduin will not win this. I won’t let him.” She released him, and climbed beneath her sheets. “It’s getting late. You should get some sleep. Goodnight, Spike.”
He hopped into his basket again, and pulled the covers over himself as well. “Goodnight Twilight.”
That was the routine Spike fell into for the next several days. After waking and breakfast at dawn, Spike’s weapons training with Shining Armor commenced in the guards’ sparring hall. At noon came lunch, and Spike resumed his magic training with Twilight right after, the Princess supervising. At sunset, he switched to strategizing with Thorn and Twilight in the library. When that was done, he and Twilight would head back to their room to read up on magical theory, and spend a few moments together to reflect on the day before going to bed.
“Spike, widen your stance.”
“What? My stance is fine.”
Shining Armor swung his sword at Spike; the young dragon blocked it with his shield, but the force of the blow knocked him off his feet and onto his rear. Before he could rise, the guard captain pointed the tip of his sword at his chest. “Obviously, it wasn’t,” he said.
Shining took his sword away, allowing Spike to rise to his feet. “A fight isn’t just about attacking or defending, Spike. Your footing, your center of balance, how you stand… all of these can be just as important as swinging your sword. We’ve talked about this.”
“I know, I know. But it isn’t like I’ll be fighting Alduin in a swordfight, you know.”
“I do. But a proper stance is still very important. It keeps you from being knocked off balance easily, and lets you to react quickly to your opponent’s actions.” Shining raised his sword. “Now, show me your stance.”
Spike assumed the stance Shining Armor had shown him. “Widen your legs.” Spike did as he was asked. “Alright, now bend your knees a little.” Spike did. “That’s better.” Shining swung his sword at Spike again, and the young dragon blocked with his shield; he was pushed back a little… but remained on his feet. “You see?” Shining asked. “Isn’t that better?”
“Yeah,” Spike replied. “Better.”
“Alright.” He smiled. “Now let’s see what else you’ve got.”
“Come on Spike, concentrate. The magic missile is one of the most basic offensive spells. It’s not that hard to cast.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Twilight- you’ve been using magic since before you were born!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
“Ever heard of prenatal casting? Mom and Shining told me you were using all kinds of magic when you weren’t even born yet.”
“Spike I don’t really think that’s an indication of magical skill…”
“That’s not the point, Twilight. The point is you’ve been using magic for your whole life- I haven’t. What you might think is easy… might not be so easy for me.”
“Okay then. But keep trying.”
“I am, but all that happens is I make lightning.”
“Keep trying.”
“I don’t know about this, Twilight. Maybe I should be focusing more on defensive magic.”
“Why would you say that?”
“You remember what Thorn said, right. Alduin’s almost completely invulnerable to magic.”
“Well invincible or not, you still need to learn how to control your magic. It won’t exactly help us if you go for a killing blow and end up accidentally hitting me with a fireball. And besides, ‘almost’ doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘completely.’ Maybe you can cut open a hole in his scales, or maybe his inside isn’t as invulnerable as the outside… But, you did bring up a good point. I should teach you a ward spell- it might help protect you from Alduin’s Shouts. …You know what a ward is, right?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Good. Close your eyes.” Spike did. “Now, I want you to picture in your mind… a shield…”
He watched the small camp in silence. Its inhabitants remained were fast asleep, unaware of the death that lurked not ten yards away in the darkness surrounding them. Only five remained in the group now, but coming here, even during the night, posed a tremendous risk to him- the group still held the Dovahkiin, and two of the most powerful joorre the world had ever known.
Suddenly, he saw one of the sleepers stir. He ducked down so as not to be seen, and observed as a pony stood- he realized it was the yellow viingkey, the bearer of the Element of Kindness. She walked away from the camp and into the surrounding woods, jumping at every small sound, at every stray branch that brushed against her body. He followed her silently- no small feat with the thick underbrush and the trees packed so closely together.
Eventually, she came to a small clearing, and looked around nervously. “Oh, this is so embarrassing…” she said to no one in particular. “I wish we were closer to a bathroom…”
She took her eyes off of him. Taking the opportunity, he approached silently and whispered into her ear, “Drem yol lok, mal key.”
The viingkey seized, falling stiffly to her side with a tiny, almost inaudible yelp. He could see that her eyes were squeezed shut, her mouth wide as though she were screaming… but no sound emerged from her throat. She rolled onto her back, bringing a hoof to her gold necklace- the pink butterfly gem flickered for several moments, before going dark. She began to push herself away; he followed, until her back met a tree. She stared up at him, paralyzed with fear, a large dark spot appearing on the ground beneath her.
The viingkey cried, burying her face in her hooves. “I’m sorry…” she wept. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
He brought his face right up to her. “Why do you apologize?” Her lips moved as she tried to reply, but again, nothing came out. Her voice returned after a moment. “Please…” she whimpered. “…please don’t eat me.”
He should devour her. He knew this. But for some reason, the thought of inflicting pain on the viingkey… troubled him. He pressed his nose into her chest, pinning her against the tree… not that she would have gone anywhere, paralyzed with fear as she was. Then, he dragged a talon on his wing across her side, leaving behind a deep gouge; she gasped, but could not find her voice to scream. He pulled away, watching the blood pour from her body; she pressed her hooves against the fresh wound, as though they would somehow stem the flow of blood. She would be dead in a matter of minutes.
The viingkey began to cry again. Her breaths became shallow as her body turned deathly pale. “I’m sorry…” Her voice was nearly inaudible. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
With every moment that passed, the breaths of the viingkey grew fainter, and fainter. Before long, they stopped entirely, her face forever on the verge of tears. He tried to turn away, to leave, but something kept him rooted. It didn’t feel… right, to simply leave the viinkgey like this. He looked around, before spotting a small flower growing at the base of a young oak. He picked it, and slid it into her mane.
For a reason that he would never be able to adequately explain even to himself the act felt… appropriate.
With that, he spread his wings, and disappeared into the darkness of the night sky.
Thorn awoke. He sat up, bringing a claw to his temple. For ten years, he’d had to watch his friends die, from both Alduin’s perspective and his own. The others had suffered such horrible deaths- Alduin cutting Twilight’s throat and impaling her on his tail, Rainbow Dash being partly devoured, Pinkie and Rarity getting caught in the cannon explosion, Applejack burning alive… but why did he show mercy to Fluttershy? He’d searched through Alduin’s memories countless times, but it seemed even the black dragon himself couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer.
The dark purple dragon climbed out of bed and left his room. He wouldn’t be going to sleep for a while- a walk would help to clear his head. His mind reeled as he walked through the palace corridors, their walls and floors intact, lined by endless amounts of paintings and tapestries. He passed a few guards on their nightly patrol who stepped aside as he passed, though whether it was out of respect or fear he was uncertain. He wandered aimlessly through the palace, from its highest spires to its deepest, dankest cellars, but his mind would not rest no matter where he went.
Thorn finally stopped at north edge of the gardens and sat, unmoving. It was… surreal, seeing everything bathed in the soft light of the moon again. There was an empty space in front of him, but when he closed his eyes, he saw it, saw the name carved on its surface. He slowly brought up his claw, expecting to meet the hard stone, but instead found only air.
“Hey.” Thorn couldn’t help but shiver- the Princess being alive once more was something he still wasn’t quite used to. “Trouble sleeping?”
He sighed. “…I buried her here. Did you know that?”
She sat down next to him. “Is that so?”
“She always told me how much she loved the gardens. They were her favorite part of the palace… after the library, or course. I would’ve buried her there, but… well, there wasn’t enough library left to bury her in.”
“…What about the others? Did you bury them here as well?”
Thorn drew his knees against his chest. “No. In those days, we were always right on Alduin’s tail- we couldn’t afford to take them back to Canterlot so we just… buried them where they fell. Except for Luna. After the moon fell there wasn’t anything left for us to bury.”
The Princess spluttered- it was the first time he had ever heard her do so. “Did… did you just… the moon…?” she stammered.
“Yeah. We’d chased Alduin to some city on the other side of the desert behind the Swayback Mountains- never learned the name…”
The masked stallion dragged his hoof across the asphalt, creating a long trail of sparks. They ignited a thin wisp of fire that exploded into a massive torrent of flame when the red stallion thrust his hoof forward, toward the massive black dragon that had landed in the street. Alduin simply walked through the fire, unharmed, before seizing the stallion and crushing him in his jaws.
But in the blink of an eye, Spike appeared before him. Alduin dropped the stallion in his mouth and snapped his head forward, jaws wide to seize his new quarry. Spike fearlessly batted the black dragon’s head aside with his shield, before, slicing at his throat. The wound drew a small trickle of blood, but wasn’t the killing blow Spike had expected, (and hoped for). And the young dragon paid dearly for his miscalculation; Alduin spun, slamming his tail against Spike’s body and sending him flying into a neighboring building. The black dragon inhaled deeply, but his concentration was interrupted when several magic missiles ricocheted off his scales. He looked to see three angry alicorns approaching him, their horns alight.
“YOL… TOOR… SHUL!” The burst of fire tore down the street, but came to a halt once it struck Twilight’s ward. She charged, inhaling deeply before she Shouted back “FO… KRAH DIIN!” The dragon barely even flinched when the blast of sheer cold struck him. “WULD… NAH… KEST!” With a great thunderclap, the young alicorn found herself nose to nose with the black dragon. He snapped his jaws at her- the ward Twilight threw up just in time held his jaws at bay… but not his wing, which shattered the ward and knocked Twilight onto her back. He lunged forward, but Twilight heard Spike Shout “IIZ!” Alduin’s jaw was instantly encased in ice as the young dragon charged past her.
The black dragon spotted the Dovahkiin. He reared back, the ice encasing his mouth slamming against the asphalt, but Spike dived out of the way… directly into the path of Alduin’s wing. “FEIM!” The wing passed through Spike; seizing his opportunity, he raised his sword and left a deep, ragged wound in the black dragon’s wing. The ice surrounding the dragon’s mouth shattered as he roared in pain. The hate in Alduin’s gaze was palpable as he looked down at Spike. “Pahlok joorre,”he growled. He reared back…
But before he could Shout, a glowing tendril wrapped around his neck, and yanked him onto his back. Ahead, Spike saw Celestia and Luna, the tendril terminating at the elder sister’s horn. Alduin quickly righted himself and spun again, his tail extended. Spike and Luna ducked beneath the attack; Twilight was not so fortunate, and she was batted through the upper floors of an apartment building. The movement also yanked Celestia through the air, and she slammed against another building. The tendril faded as rubble piled on top of her. The black dragon pounced on the princess of the night; her horn began to glow, but he gripped it in his claw in an unbreakable hold.
There was an ear-shattering snap. Luna cried out in unspeakable agony as blood flowed from her fresh wound.
Alduin tossed the horn aside and looked down at her. Spike charged him again, but the black dragon simply seized the Dragonborn with his tail and tossed him away. “So, you must be the Kulaassevulon,” he said. “I’ve heard the tales that have been told of you, and I must admit, upon finally meeting you… I’m rather disappointed. It’s difficult to imagine that you fought Celestia to a standstill. Hmph, no matter- you stand against me, and so you shall fall.” He reared back, and sank his teeth into her exposed chest.
Celestia emerged from the rubble, just in time to see Alduin tear open her sibling’s chest. It was the last thing she saw before her heart exploded in rage.
Without any conscious thought on her part, she charged, a fearsome roar tearing out of her throat, tears of fury flowing down her face. Alduin breathed a long stream of fire at her, but it proved utterly ineffective against her ward. The black dragon reared back, but the Princess leapt onto him, stabbing her horn into his neck. She stabbed and stabbed and stabbed as a seemingly endless stream of profanity and curses left her mouth, too enraged to cast any spells, to do anything other than inflict as much pain on her enemy as physically possible.
But Aludin easily seized the Princess in his jaws, and slammed her against the ground. Then, he spread his wings and took flight. Spike sprinted up the street to the Princess’s side and Shouted after him “FO… KRAH DIIN!” but the icy plume missed its mark. Twilight fired a tremendous bolt of lightning from her horn as she also raced to join Celestia, but this too was evaded. As she rose to her feet, Celestia’s horn crackled, and another glowing tendril shot out of it, wrapping around Alduin’s body. “Do you really think I’m letting you get away that easily, you bastard!?” she shouted up at him. But what she saw in the sky next to him made her freeze. The tendril dissipated, and Alduin became lost in the night sky.
“Princess, what’s the matter?” Spike shouted. “Alduin’s getting away! We have to stop him!”
“Spike, look,” a stunned Twilight said, pointing a hoof to the sky.
“Twilight we don’t have time for-” His words stopped when his eyes fell on the moon.
When the night had begun, the moon was merely a white sliver. Now, it was full, a burning, fiery red… and grew larger with each passing second.
The moon… was falling out of the sky.
“Dear… Aura…” Celestia stammered. As the moon fell, she stumbled back, trying to formulate some kind of plan. Twilight rushed up and tugged her teacher’s leg. “Princess come on! We have to get out of here!”
“There… there’s no time! Get down!” She dived protectively on top of both Spike and Twilight, throwing up a magical barrier for extra protection. The impact came not seconds later. It was like a punch in the gut, completely winding all three despite the barrier. Spike watched as the world was consumed by fire; so bright were the flames that they momentarily blinded him. If anypony screamed, the others wouldn’t have known- their voices were lost in the sound of the world breaking apart. Spike and Twilight held onto the Princess for dear life, and in return she held them. Celestia’s horn glowed brightly as she maintained the barrier holding the hellfire at bay; but she would shield them with her own body if it meant they would be safe.
The world trembled and shook for what felt like both an eternity and only a few brief moments. But mercifully, it came to an end. The crushing grip the Princess held on her students finally loosened, and she fell to her side, gasping and coughing. Twilight and Spike struggled to breathe as well- the air was choked by dust and ash. “L… lo… LOK!” Twilight sputtered- the dust was forced back, giving the three a brief respite. Twilight and Spike looked at each other, nodded wordlessly, and Shouted together, “LOK… VAH KOOR!” The impenetrable black cloud surrounding them rolled back to reveal…
…nothing. The city that had surrounded them not moments ago… was now completely, entirely gone. As Twilight looked around, it took several moments for her to process where they were now.
A crater. The three now stood in the basin of an unimaginably massive crater.
Spike dropped to his knees, his shield and sword clattering against the ground. He took off his helmet, as though somehow that would dispel the sight before him. “Did… did that really just… happen?” he stammered.
A pained groan from behind caught their attention, and the two looked back. The Princess tucked her legs beneath her, and tried to stand. But after only a few moments, she fell back onto her side, unable find the strength to do it. As she lay, gasping for breath, she hacked and coughed, drops of red escaping from her mouth.
Twilight was at the Princess’s side in the blink of an eye. “Hold on Princess,” she said, her horn glowing, “you’re gonna be fine.”
“No…” Celestia replied weakly, spitting up a small amount of blood. “No I won’t.”
Spike rushed to the Princess’s side as well, a white glow appearing in his claw. “Come on Princess, don’t talk like that. We’ll heal you up, and then you’ll be just fine, you’ll see.”
“Were it so easy…” The Princess inhaled deeply. “I’m afraid using that much magic all at once has taken a terrible toll. I fear I don’t have much time left.”
“Don’t say that…” Twilight’s eyes shimmered. “There has to be something we can do…”
“And there is. Could you… bend down a little for me, Twilight?” Twilight did as the Princess asked; when she was closer, the alicorn leaned up to touch their horns together.
There was a blinding flash of light when Celestia touched her horn to Twilight’s. When the light faded, Spike’s jaw dropped at what he saw. The Princess was… smaller now, being no larger than Twilight; her mane and tail were no longer their usual glittering multicolored selves, but instead a solid pink, and hung flat instead of waving in the air freely. But it was the changes to Twilight that stunned Spike most of all- she was huge, statuesque, her horn was longer and sharper, and while they retained their usual coloration, her mane and tail glittered and flowed as though caught in a breeze.
Twilight looked down at herself, at the changes to her body, a horrified expression spreading across her face. “What… what did you do?” she stammered.
“What I’d always intended to…” the Princess wheezed in reply. “Granted, these aren’t exactly the- gah! … the circumstances I’d intended, but this is the day I’ve been preparing you for since I took you on… hah… as my student.”
“But Princess-”
“I’m not the Princess anymore, dear. You are.”
Tears began to spill out of Twilight’s eyes. “No… no, please…don’t leave me. I- we need you…”
Celestia gasped. “…Come here for a moment.” Twilight bent down; Celestia whispered something in her ear, but Spike couldn’t make out what she said. Twilight pulled back. “You have everything you need now, Twilight. The rest is… up to you…” The rise and fall of Celestia’s chest became less and less pronounced, and after a few moments, it ceased completely. Then, Spike and Twilight could only watch as flakes of ash began to rise from her lifeless body, as though consumed by invisible flames, until all that remained were bones.
Twilight let out a choked sob before biting her hoof to silence herself. Wiping her eyes, she turned away. “Come on Spike.” Her voice wavered uncontrollably. “We need to leave.”
“But what about the Princess?” Spike asked. “We can’t just leave her like this.”
“Y-Y-You take c-care of her. I can’t… I just can’t…” She fell silent, shuddering violently.
Spike buried the Princess alone. When he was done, Twilight raced off to the edge of the crater as he struggled to keep up. But Twilight began to slow down as time passed, until eventually, she was barely moving at all. Then, she fell to her knees. Spike came to her side. “Twilight, are you okay?” he asked. He received no answer.”Twi?”
She let out a choked sob. Then another. And before long, Twilight was bawling. Not merely crying, sobbing, or weeping, but bawling, like a foal. Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck. “Hey, it’s… it’s okay…” he said to her, not entirely believing himself. “We still have each other. And-”
Twilight pounced on him, throwing her forelegs around his body, pressing her lips against his. All he could manage was a surprised “Mmmph?” before they toppled to the ground, with her on top of him. Spike was too surprised to push his mother surrogate off of him, to kiss back, to do anything other than stare up at her in stunned, wide-eyed silence.
After what felt like forever, Twilight pulled away. “S-S-Spike…” Her voice was a whisper as countless lines of tears streamed down her face. “I… I need… Hold me. Please.”
“Twilight…” he began, “I don’t think that’s-”
“Spike…” she sobbed. Her tears dropped onto his face like rain. “Please… I… I need you right n-now. Please Spike… please…”
Spike stared up at her, his heart breaking as he saw the pain and hurt in Twilight’s eyes. He relented, wrapping his arms around her neck. “It’s okay Twilight. I’m here for you.”
They kissed. Then, they kissed again.
When Spike awoke some time later, he found Twilight already awake, sitting with her back turned to him. The air was still, but her mane flowed as though caught in a breeze. “Twilight?” he asked, rising to his feet.
…I’m okay, Spike,” she replied. Her voice was completely flat, dead. “And I’m sorry about… what happened last night. I was weak. But I won’t let it happen again.” She stood. “We need to get going. The Prin- I mean, Celestia asked us one last favor.” She began to walk away, and Spike hurried to join her.
“Twilight and I… we never did get a chance to talk about that night… about what it meant.” Thorn looked down sadly as his claws.
For a long while, Celestia said nothing, merely processing all the information she had been given. “So, you… and Twilight…?
“She needed someone to… be there for her. To comfort her. And I was all she had left.” He looked over at the Princess. “I suppose it was fair- she did the same for me after we lost Rarity. Well, not… that, but… y-you get what I mean.” He was silent for a moment, and then looked over at her. “…are you going to them about the portal?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Spike,” the Princess replied quickly.
Thorn saw right through her lie. “Oh, but you do. You told Twilight, and then she told me.”
Celestia sighed. “…with any luck, they’ll never need to know. But if the situation becomes… unfavorable, then I’ll tell them, but not a moment before.”
“Fair enough.” He stood up. “But if you don’t mind me asking, what sort of circumstances would you call ‘unfavorable?’”
“If Spike- if you can’t kill Alduin… if he escapes, then I tell them. But not a moment before.”
“Twilight?”
The lavender unicorn let out a small yelp, dropping a large stack of books right on top of her. “Oh, I’m sorry!” the voice said, and the pile of books levitated off of Twilight. “I didn’t mean to surprise you.
Twilight looked to the source of the voice; her jaw dropped when her eyes fell on a pink alicorn. “…Cadance?”
Cadance smiled broadly, before lowering herself down. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs… awake…” she began to sing, but trailed off when she realized Twilight didn’t intend to join her. She stood upright. “I guess now isn’t really the time for that, huh?”
Twilight turned back to the shelves. “I heard you came back with Shining, but I haven’t seen you around at all. Where have you been all this time?”
“I’ve been asking around, trying to see if there’s any way I can help, but so far… nothing. Anyway, what are you doing here, Twilight?”
“I’m getting a few books about magic for Spike. To supplement his lessons.” She traced her hoof across along a line of books. “Cadance, I um… I’m really sorry that we interrupted your honeymoon.”
“It’s fine- this isn’t the first time Shining’s job pulled him away from a date. It’s just something I’ve learned to accept.”
“Well if you want, once this mess is taken care of, you and Shining could come down to Ponyville and my friends and I could make it up to you.”
The alicorn furrowed her brow. “…Are you hitting on me?”
“W-What? No!” Twilight stammered, her face turning bright red. “I just… it was only…”
Cadance laughed. “Oh Twilight, I was just kidding.” She picked up a few more of the books Twilight dropped. “I just wanted to cheer you up. You seem stressed.”
“Gee, I wonder why that could be? It certainly can’t be because in five days a dragon bent on destroying life as we know it will return and that another dragon who I’ve raised since I was five might get killed trying to protect us from him. Nope, that can’t be it.”
“Come on Twilight, it can’t be that bad. I mean, Celestia told me how you and your friends brought down Discord, how you freed Luna from Nightmare Moon’s control. Spike will be fine.”
“Those times were different, Cadance- I had my friends with me. Spike has to face Alduin alone.”
“What are you so worried about? You’ll be with him. And Spike’s learning from the best. Besides, you remember all those bedtime stories, the ones with an ancient prophecy about a hero rising up to vanquish the darkness, don’t you?”
“I do…” Twilight looked up at Cadance. “But those are just stories. This is reality. We don’t have a guaranteed happy ending here. Spike could-”
Cadance put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, and began stroking her back. “Twilight, don’t think like that. Things will… they’ll work out. You might have to fight for it, but you’ll get your happy ending. You’ll see…”
But as Cadance’s hoof ran down Twilight’s back, she felt… something, and Twilight’s strange shivers made her suspicious. One quick spell was all that was needed to dispel the illusion.
“Twilight? Are those-” she began as she stared at Twilight’s back.
Twilight stuffed a hoof into Cadance’s mouth, silencing her. “Oh hey would you mind carrying some of these to my room?” She quickly pushed a whole stack of books into Cadance’s forelegs as her horn glowed, her wings slowly disappearing. “I need to get back there before Spike finishes his lesson with Shiny.”
“Twilight…” Cadance began. “What happened to you?”
Twilight set her books down. “…It’s a long story. But before I tell you, you have to promise me that you won’t tell anypony about it, or about what you saw here. Especially the Princess.”
Cadance set down her books and sat down. “What could be so bad that you have to hide it from Celestia?” Twilight didn’t reply. “Twilight, come on- I’m your friend.” Twilight continued to say nothing. She sighed. “Alright, you have my word that I won’t tell anyone, including the Princess.”
Twilight turned around, and sat down as well. “…It was a few days ago, after the Princess brought Spike and me up north to begin his Voice training…”
Spike flopped into his basket, exhausted. His arms and legs were sore, and his brain felt as though it were ready to burst. “Rough day?” Twilight asked- she sat on her bed, reading a heavy book with a badly worn cover.
He merely grunted in reply.
“That bad, huh? Well alright- you don’t have to do any reading tonight.”
“Thanks.” He looked up at her from his basket. “What’re you reading?”
“A book written in the dragon language. The Princess let me borrow it.”
“What’s it about?”
“Actually, I’m not reading for content. I’m just looking for words.”
Fighting against his aching muscles, he climbed out of his basket and sat on Twilight’s bed. “Why? You planning to make up your own Shouts or something like that?”
She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. It’s just… well, the Thu’um-” The room shook. “…sorry, the Voice isn’t like any kind of magic I’ve ever seen before. It seems like all you need is one word, and then reality itself is at your mercy. And dragons have been using it for… thousands of years, and we never knew…”
“Well I’m sure the history behind all this is fascinating…” Spike hopped off the bed. “But let’s try to stay focused on the present. You can study the Voice all you want after Alduin is gone.”
She closed the book and set it on her nightstand. “I guess you’re right.” She climbed beneath the covers. “I’ll see you in the morning, Spike.”
He flopped into his basket again, not bothering to cover himself- the spring night was more than warm enough for him anyway. “Goodnight Twilight.”
“Goodnight, Spike.” She blew out the candle on her nightstand, plunging the room into darkness. Spike rolled over and closed his eyes, but the constant creaking as Twilight rolled and shifted in her bed kept him awake. After a few more minutes of shifting, he finally asked out loud, “Everything alright, Twi?”
“Yeah… everything’s fine.”
Silence. “…Do you want me to sleep with you in your bed tonight?”
More silence. “…I would like that.”
Spike slid across the floor, and struggled to rise to his feet. He picked up his shield, and took a firmer grip on his sword. “Again,” Shining said. Spike nodded, and raised his shield. He and Shining circled one another, before the unicorn finally made his move. He swung low, but Spike blocked the blow with the shield, and delivered a strike of his own, one Shining parried with ease. Seeing his chance, Spike bashed Shining with his shield, making him stagger. The unicorn was wide open…
But Spike hesitated. And it provided Shining the perfect opportunity to recover, and strike back. With a powerful blow, Shining knocked Spike’s sword right out of his hand, before pointing his own at Spike’s chest.
“Spike, you can’t keep hesitating like that,” the unicorn said. “If you hesitate like that in your fight with Alduin, you’re as good as dead.”
Spike called his blade back to him. “But… I-I don’t want to hurt you, Shiny. I might not look like it, but I’m a lot stronger than you are.”
Shining tapped a hoof against his practice armor. “Spike, this armor has so many protective spells cast on it that it would take you a whole week to unravel them all. You couldn’t hurt me if you wanted to.” He raised his sword. “Now let’s try this again.”
Without waiting, Spike charged ahead. Shining parried his first swing, and the second, and every one that followed, but Spike’s relentless assault prevented him from returning any blows of his own. But Spike couldn’t keep up his strategy forever- every swing of his sword was just a little slower than the last, and that difference began to build rapidly. Finally, Shining seized his opportunity and struck- Spike blocked, but the force of the unicorn’s swing threw him off balance, and left him completely exposed.
Shining raised his sword. Spike did the only thing he could think to do, and swung with all the strength he could muster.
The force of Spike’s blow broke both Shining’s sword and his own in half. Spike’s blade embedded itself deep in the wall of the room, while Shining’s spun in the air before sinking partway into the ceiling.
Shining Armor looked down at his broken blade before sheathing it. “You really need to stop doing that,” he said. “At this rate, we won’t have any swords for you to fight Alduin with.”
Spike sheathed his broken sword as well. “Sorry.”
“Remember what I said, Spike- a battle isn’t just about strength. It’s about control. Waiting for the right moment to strike.” Shining summoned another sword for both Spike and himself. “Let’s try this one more time.”
“…but Twilight taught me a spell that makes a magic leash. Can’t I use that?” Spike’s question floated down the row of bookcases, reaching the lavender unicorn’s ears. She peered through the books to the small table where Spike and Thorn were seated.
“And then what? Pull Alduin down yourself? Get serious, Spike,” Thorn replied. “Alduin weighs fifteen times as much as you do, at least. If you used that spell, you’d just end up getting dragged around until you hit something, and that’s in a best-case scenario.”
“But-”
“No buts, Spike. And no leash spells. As long as Alduin’s in the air, your best chance of taking him down is with Shouts.” Spike grumbled. “Look, I know it’s frustrating, but that’s just the way it is. Dragons who can fly have an advantage over the ones who can’t. And unless you manage to sprout wings in the next couple days, you need to keep the-” His eyes suddenly fell on Twilight. “Oh, Twilight. I thought you left.”
“Not just yet. I need to borrow Spike. Can I? It’s important.”
“Sure, go ahead. I was just finishing up with him anyway.” Thorn looked down at his younger counterpart. “Remember- keep the fighting on the ground. If you were meant to fight in the air, you would have been born with a pair of wings. And do you remember that Shout I taught you before we came back here?”
“Yeah, yeah…”
Thorn jabbed a talon in Spike’s direction. “Show me.”
Spike took a deep breath. “…FEIM!” Spike flashed a ghostly, translucent blue for a few moments, before returning to normal.
Thorn nodded. “Good, good.” He let out a small groan as he stood, rubbing his temple with a claw. “We’ll talk more strategy tomorrow, Spike. See you then.” And with that, he left.
Twilight approached Spike. “Hey Twi,” Spike said. “You find any more books for me?”
She lowered herself. “Hop on.”
He did as Twilight asked, but once he was on her back, he began to ask, “Twilight where’re we-” Her teleportation spell cut him off mid-sentence. He screamed into the void before he found himself in the sparring hall once again. His stomach gurgled. “Urgh… going…” he finished.
As he climbed off of Twilight’s back, Spike noticed the hall was almost completely empty save for two items: a wooden bucket at one end of the room, and a pile of cabbages in the other. Spike stared in confusion. “Twilight, what is all this?”
Twilight didn’t reply. She simply walked over to the bucket, and lifted it up with her magic. “Pick up one of those cabbages, Spike.”
Spike could only stare at the lavender unicorn. “…You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Now pick up the cabbage.”
“Twilight, this isn’t a joke!” Spike shouted. “Alduin is coming back in four days! How in the name of Celestia is throwing around cabbage supposed to help me beat him?”
“Spike, I’ve noticed during your training that you have serious trouble with accuracy. I could teach you every spell I know, but if you can’t make the magic go where you want it to, it won’t help. This’ll help you become more accurate. …You understand that, right?”
Spike grumbled in response, not entirely convinced. “You know…” Twilight began, “…the Princess and I used to do this all the time. N-Not as part of my training or anything like that- it was just… for fun.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. It was our little secret. …Well, one of them anyway.” She waved the bucket. “Now come on. Pick up the cabbage.” The young dragon bent down. “No no. With your magic.” He held out his claw, levitating a cabbage a few inches away from it. Then, he threw it toward the bucket.
He missed.