They Never Knew

by SilverEyedWolf

The Begining

They never knew how old I was. They all assumed that because I was newly hatched, I was the same as newly-born, same as a baby. I was conscious long before she hatched me, before her magic stirred my physical body. I was awoken when that princess stole my egg, planning to hatch me into some twisted creature she could use as a bodyguard. Luckily, her sister saved me before the evil one could begin weaving her twisted spells over my mind. We “spoke” very briefly, and agreed that I was to be kept somewhere safe until the right person came along to take care of me.

After a small amount of time, I was awakened by the sounds of trumpets and cheers. The good one had apparently found the lair of the bad one, and banished her to a place where she could no longer harm anyone.
I sat, locked away in a plain box behind the princess’s throne, for over a thousand years after that. Some of the time I spent awake, listening in on the goings on of the court and the gossip of the maids and such. That quickly became dull, and I went into a hibernation state for a great many years. The princess would prod at my mind every now and then, making sure I was alright.

Then, about ten years ago, she woke me up for my true purpose. “I think we’ve found the right one,” she used her mind to tell me. Unknowing what to feel, I just sent back a general affirmative feeling. I’ve been told that after that my box was taken to the teaching wing of the classroom, but the only thing that I received from the outside world was noise. I was set upon an unknown surface, and there I sat in silence for some time.

Eventually I heard the rustling of pants legs as three more people were ushered in. I immediately sensed the magic of one with the Blood of the Old in them. It frothed, like a river of blue electricity. They were all whispering between themselves as they walked in, much too quiet for me to hear across the room. They all went silent, and I heard the sound of the princess’s gown over the floor.

“I cannot tell you how glad it makes me to see you all here,” she started, her soft voice seeming to come from everywhere above me. “I have waited long to find one as your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle. She is one of the few who could accomplish the task I am to set her, and the only one I know of who has the pure heart I require.” I heard a laugh, and I could hear the smile on her face as she said, “I will not take your heart, small one. You will keep both it, and the reward I am about to give you. I am sure you will earn it.”

I heard a scratching sound from beneath me and felt a slight rumble. “This is an old item, a precious tool, but still only a tool. The only way this will work is if the skill to use it lies inside you.” I heard a whisper, and a collective gasp from the people in the room who hadn’t been expecting the reveal. The tiniest voice I’d ever heard spoke. “But princess, I have my own wand, though I’m sure it’s not as good… You don’t have to give me such a very nice one…”

“It’s quite alright dear; these two items are best kept together. And besides, no-one else could use this one, as long as I’m right about you. And I’m almost certain I am…” The princess almost whispered the last bit, sounding very thoughtful.

“I’ll try my very best, princess.” The little girl sounded very firm. I suddenly realized that she was the person who I felt the magic within. I physically strained, and managed to shift within my shelled enclosure. I’m pretty sure she heard me, because I heard her stop breathing for a couple seconds.

“Yes, Twilight, there’s something else inside the box. That is the first time I have ever heard him move…” I heard another whisper (I’d figured out that these whispers were the sounds of my box being opened) and I felt myself moving in space. I felt myself shift, and then being sat down.

“What sort of egg is that, your highness?” asked an older, male voice. I guessed it to belong to Twilight’s father, and that the last presence in the room must belong to her mother.

“You’ll find out very soon, I promise you Mr. Sparkle.” I could hear the smile in her voice. “Now Twilight, hold your wand, like so… very good, wrist a little looser… now, concentrate on these words…” I couldn’t hear what the princess said to her at this point. “Now, concentrate as hard as you can on those words, and let’s see what happens.” I shifted once more, trying to press my ear against my shell.

I almost immediately regretted doing so, for my shell began to glow. I’d never seen any sort of light before, and the new sensory input was a little too much for my poor eyes. I moved away and covered my eyes as best I could in the cramped darkness. “Go on dear, say the words aloud and complete it!” The princess sounded excited, and I started to get so myself.
Then, my world cracked. My shell was so old, that it almost dissolved as it peeled itself away from me. I pushed with my tail, flexing my back and breaking the rest of my enclosure.

The three Sparkles gasped again. I pushed myself over and pushed myself onto my hands and knees, and opened my eyes. “This, Twilight, is one of the last friendly dragons known to the kingdom.” I opened my eyes slowly, letting in the light slowly. The room was actually quite dark, lit with only candles. The first thing I noticed were the scales and claws I was staring at. I wiggled my own hands, and watched the claws dance on the table.

I slowly moved my head, feeling the spikes along my back and neck. I took my first look at the woman who had kept me safe for so long. Her hair, so long it almost reached the floor, was a mix of blonde and silver. The strands mixed in such a way that it was very hard to differentiate where the blonde stopped and the silver started.

She had a beautiful smile, but what I noticed most of all about her face were her eyes. They were grey, and beautiful, and so very sad. They weren’t dead, they were so full of life that it almost made me smile, but I could tell she was so very sad. I felt tears in my eyes and moved over the rest of her quickly, taking in her slenderness and improbable height. She stood at least a foot taller than Mr. Sparkle and a foot and a half over Mrs. Sparkle. I didn’t find anything special about them, so I sat up and looked around.

“Where…” I tried to start, and then coughed when nothing but smoke came out.

“Don’t try to talk yet,” said the princess. “I’ll have to teach you…”

“Where is she?” I asked haltingly, pushing out smoke but still making words. The princess’ eyes widened, and then she smiled and pointed behind me. I tried to turn around, but I wasn’t very stable yet and just ended up falling on the ground. I heard four feet step back, and four feet run to me. The smaller ones reached me first, and as she helped me up I turned to look at Twilight Sparkle.

Her dark hair concealed a lot of her face, but I could still see her vibrant, purple eyes. They were wide, and looked a little scared, but her mouth was set and her arms were tugging on mine, trying to help me up. I put my legs beneath me and pushed, putting my arm against the table to brace myself.

I then discovered something awful; I was tiny. I stood a foot less than Twilight’s height, who stood at around five feet. I stretched my neck, as it was a little stiff from breaking my fall. I looked up at the princess, who had been the second person to rush to me. The two elder Sparkles had moved away, almost touching the wall. “Your highness, is he… safe for Twilight to be around?” The princess made a face at Twilight and I, then spoke aloud to the father. “Of course he is, she wouldn’t be this close if he wasn’t. I would have stopped her.”

I looked up at them and took a breath, feeling my lungs stretch. My eyes were a little fuzzy from disuse. All I could make out was a couple of tallish figures, a brown blur beside a slightly shorter blue one. I blinked rapidly for a few seconds, trying to clear the dust from my vision.

They were trembling. The two elders, shivering in the corner like a couple of colts. I looked over at Twilight, who smiled nervously at me. It was hard to believe such a courageous filly had come from those two, but then I supposed to myself that heroes come from all kinds. I looked over at the two and cleared my throat.

“I swear,” I tried to start. I ended up coughing on some smoke, Twilight holding me up through the fit. “I swear… that I would never… hurt your Twilight…” I said haltingly, summoning the language from my memories of the last years.
The parents stared at me, eyes wide. “I… believe you.” Twilight’s mother stared at her husband, as though she hadn’t understood the words. He nodded to his wife. She looked me in my eyes, and apparently saw something within. “I… will trust you too,” she told me. I bowed my head. “Thank you.” I’d managed this last bit without any coughing, a huge achievement for me.

I was tired from the excitement though, and I sat heavily on the floor. Twilight kneeled beside me quickly, knees hitting the floor almost as soon as I had. “Are you alright?” I nodded, smiling. “He’s just tired, dear,” Celestia told her. Twilight nodded, then sat beside me, arranging her skirt carefully.

I took the moment to look at all of us with more care.

Mr. Sparkle was wearing a simple brown affair, an earthy tweed suit with a blue tie. Mrs. Sparkle wore a simple blue gown, some shades darker than his tie. They made a cute enough couple, reasonably attractive people in their own ways. They both shared very dark brown eyes, though Mrs. Sparkle’s seemed to glitter in the light. Both shared Twilight’s black hair, her mother’s in a long braid and her father’s medium hair split on the right side. Confident I could recognize them, I turned to the younger Sparkle.

She had pale skin when compared to her parents. When combined with her dark hair and bright eyes, it seemed to give off a low light, highlighting her almond eyes. She wore no make-up, and some might have said she was plain. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Remember that I’d just seen the Princess for the first time, and you’ll realize the impact.

She smiled and reached her hand out, and I cautiously reached out my chunky claw to her delicate hand. “This must be what… people mean when they say…” a small cough from me, “when they speak of pianist’s fingers.” Her face flushed and she wrapped her fingers around my digits. “Very nice to meet you…” She frowned and looked to the princess. “His name is Saelcane…” Celestia herself frowned, though her eyes sparkled. “You know, I cannot remember his true name at the moment. Maybe you two should decide between yourselves?”

Twilight and my eyes met, and she slowly put her hand on my shoulder and ran her hand up my neck, over my spikes, to the top of my head. “How about Spike? It’s very accurate, and sounds much better than Scale or Claws.” I smiled as best I could and nodded. “Spike… it is then.” My voice was still raspy, but I was getting the smoke under control.

Celestia laughed, and Twilight’s parents frowned. “Is Spike really a good name for such an ancient and majestic creature as a dragon?” Twilight’s father asked this directly to the princess. I laughed and said, “Yeah, real majestic here on the floor.” Her parents flinched and her father bowed his head. “My apologies,” he muttered.

Celestia rolled her eyes, causing Twilight to giggle once again. Her face drew serious, and she straightened to her full height.

Her voice deepened, gaining a little more authority and weight. “Now comes something that must be done out of necessity. It will be the cause of some pain to you Spike, and that I regret deeply, but it must be done.” She turned to the parents. “You two must be absent during this process.” She held up her hand when they opened their mouths to protest. “I’m sorry, but this will be something very personal. Only three can witness. I’ll even be sending my guard out.” She nodded at the royal guard, who bowed and opened the door for the Sparkles.

She turned to me and Twilight. “Twilight dear, you have a choice. You can join your…”

“I’ll stay here, with Spike,” she interrupted. The princess nodded, as though this was expected. She walked over to a cabinet in the wall and started pulling out supplies. She looked over to the unmoving Sparkles and frowned. “Leave.”
The word was uttered with such finality that both parents paled and hurried out of the room. The guards bowed and closed the door behind them as they left. Celestia sighed and started putting the stuff she’d pulled out away, leaving only a piece of chalk on the table.

“Twilight, what I’m about to do is a very old piece of magic. Power was not meant to be weaved this way, which is why Unicorns switched over to their wands. Before that, any person with the knowledge could use this old magic. At one point, long before my birth, someone performed a spell so intricate that nearly no one could even live long enough to finish the preparations for it.”

She looked into our eyes, putting away the last of the objects and picking up the chalk.

“It changed the very essence of magic, making it so only those who were born with the gift could use it. Wands appeared from some corner of the world, and that’s how magic as you know it came about. Before that,” Celestia held up the chalk. “We used chalk, circles, and runes.”

She pulled a thin, long stick from a corner and attached the chalk to one end. She used a wand of ivory at her hip to move the table to a wall, then put it back in its holder. She put the tip of the chalk to the floor, and in one movement made a perfect circle around herself. At a very quick speed she started flicking the chalk back and forth over the floor. Strange figures appeared on the floor as she moved, marking the inside and outsides of the circle.

After a minute or so she finished, then stepped out of the circle. “I need you in the center, Spike. Please be careful to not to smudge anything, or I’ll need to start all over.” I leaned forward and pushed on the floor with my claws. My muscles were still fairly weak, so I needed Twilight’s help to get off the floor.

I hobbled over to the circle, and walked around the sigil to the thinnest concentration of runes. “Princess, may I step in?” Celestia nodded. “Just don’t be in there when I start the spell.” Twilight gingerly stepped over the markings, then helped me step over. I thumped down in the middle, very careful of the letters that seemed to dance around the circle.

“Hurry dear, it’s catching the magics without me,” Celestia urged the young girl. Twilight started out, then hugged me and left the circle. Her skin felt so warm and soft against my scales. Thinking about it now, I’m almost crying.

“Now remember Spike, this will hurt a bit. Again, I’m so sorry, but it’s necessary.”

I nod, then think. “Wait… what are we even… doing?” Celestia shook her head. “The runes already dance, time’s almost up.” She put her arms out in front of her, almost like she was pushing on a wall. She began to chant, in some unknown dead tongue.

“మరియు ఈ విషయాల్లో నేను పాత మృత దేవతలు యొక్క ఆత్మలు, పెద్ద సార్లు మర్చిపోయి దయ్యాలు, ముందుకు మీరు కాల్.” I felt a pain in my back, almost a searing heat that burned and stung, like ants. “తన సుదీర్ఘ చనిపోయిన వాటిని అన్ని మ్యాజిక్ తో,” I arched my back, unable to control myself anymore. The pain was almost unbearable, and Celestia was sweating from the exertion of whatever magic she was casting. “శాంతి, తన జీవితం తన జీవితం సభ్యుడికి ఖర్చు చేయవచ్చు కాబట్టి, ఒక పాము నుంచి ఆ నడక రెండు కాళ్ళు ఒకటి ఈ తీరును మార్చండి..”

The spell ended, and I collapsed onto the floor. The circle, markings and all, had left the wood I laid on. My fingers spasmed as a last wave of pain spread from the top of my head down, this one colder than anything I cared to imagine. I panted, breathing great lungfuls of cold air. My arms didn’t feel as weak, and I easily rested there, on my hands and knees.
I shivered, and felt my skin tighten and flex with the contraction of warmth. I looked at the back of my hands, now so pale. I reached over with the other, touching the warm softness of the new skin. I reached up to where my spikes used to be, and ran my fingers through shoulder-length hair, fine and soft.

I sat back on my heels, and looked straight up into the tired eyes of the princess. She had a sheet in her hands that she wrapped around my naked form. I clasped it around my neck, grateful for the warmth. I noticed something, and before she could straighten I reached a trembling arm up to her face.

I placed a hand on her cheek and used my thumb to wipe away a tear. I moved my hand down slightly and used the same digit to wipe away a small trail of blood leaking from her nose.

She grasped my hand and smiled, then stood upright, still holding me. She turned to Twilight, who was standing silently nearby. She held out a hand, and the young girl took the woman’s hand. Celestia pulled her gently closer to me, and I used her support to stand on shaking legs.

I held out my arm to Twilight, and she gently took my hand in hers. A small spark struck between our hands as the three of us were connected. I realized that I stood at Twilight’s height now, and then my knees buckled and the world went dark.

Comments

[Dartagnen]

Love the story.

[KARLOS1234IFY]

This is interesting.

[Barbara]

Hmm...

Ooh!

Pfft...

[BlitzKrank]

First Chapter down, and i cant stop reading. LOVE the writing style, and ill be following the story carefully, but I must voice one annoyance: You have two people speaking in the same paragraph. Example:

“Where…” I tried to start, and then coughed when nothing but smoke came out. “Don’t try to talk yet,” said the princess. “I’ll have to teach you…” “Where is she?” I asked haltingly, pushing out smoke but still making words. The princess’ eyes widened, and then she smiled and pointed behind me. I tried to turn around, but I wasn’t very stable yet and just ended up falling on the ground. I heard four feet step back, and four feet run to me. The smaller ones reached me first, and as she helped me up I turned to look at Twilight Sparkle.

Should be more like:

“Where…” I tried to start, and then coughed when nothing but smoke came out.

“Don’t try to talk yet,” said the princess. “I’ll have to teach you…”

“Where is she?” I asked haltingly, pushing out smoke but still making words. The princess’ eyes widened, and then she smiled and pointed behind me. I tried to turn around, but I wasn’t very stable yet and just ended up falling on the ground. I heard four feet step back, and four feet run to me. The smaller ones reached me first, and as she helped me up I turned to look at Twilight Sparkle.

Just a suggestion! Over all, 9/10!