Prologue: The End
Prologue: The End
It was done.
The dragon set down the piece of charcoal he had been using on the stone floor, and stood up straight to inspect his work. The circle had turned out rather well, he thought- the runes and incantations on the edge, and the lines and geometric shapes near the center were exactly where they should have been. These details were important, for the circle the dragon had drawn was no ordinary circle- in fact, it was a very special structure, one that any unicorn worth their salt would be able to identify.
The dragon had drawn a magic circle, a structure needed to cast some of the most advanced spells the world had ever known.
He had been working on this circle for several years now. Well, not actually working on the circle itself- that had taken only a few days. Rather, he’d spent most of that time researching, poring over what few books and scrolls had survived, and searching through his memories for even the tiniest scrap of information that could help him. But he had to admit, he was taking a big risk- until this day, he had never in his life attempted to cast a spell with a circle. And despite all his research and calculations, all of this was still only theoretical- there was no way to know if it would work until he actually tried.
He wished she was still with him. She would know if he was doing this right. She knew everything.
…But she was gone now.
Satisfied, the dragon moved on to the next step. He picked up a small satchel lying nearby; opening it, he reached in and began to set its contents along the outer edge of the circle. A brilliant-cut ruby, a small handful of dried saffron leaves, a candle made from beeswax, the teeth of a manticore, a chunk of raw, unrefined iron ore, dust from a mummified body, and a bonsai tree; one-by-one, the items were set on the outer edge of the circle, until all seven were in their proper places.
Some of these items would have seemed rather unusual to the average pony, and the procurement of all had been especially difficult. But the unique properties the items possessed made them absolutely essential if he was going to do this correctly. He checked, and he double-checked to ensure everything was in order, which it was.
Everything was finally ready.
There was just one thing he had left to do.
Stretching his aching shoulder, he turned away from his work and left the crumbling great hall, the entrance to this once great palace… and where all of this had started. The rugs and tapestries of the hall had long since rotted away, leaving the walls and floors bare, their stonework cracked and chipped; from time to time, there would be a faint rumble and a small amount of dust would fall from the ceiling, as the husk of a building strained to support its own weight.
The dragon passed through a great arch where two grand, golden doors had once stood. A cool night breeze passed over his scales, soothing the ache in his shoulder just a little bit… though in truth, such distinctions as “night” and “day” no longer existed.
The sun had long since been extinguished, having died with its master. For that matter, the moon was gone as well, having been put out for even longer. The only light in this world came from the countless stars scattered above, or from the small handful of fires the dragon had lit. But on this particular “night,” no stars could be seen overhead. And the dragon’s shoulder had been aching ever since he’d woken up. He knew what it meant- it would rain soon. He was so used to the weather just… happening now that he could hardly remember a time when it was scheduled.
He should get this over with.
With ease, the dragon traversed the shattered courtyard that lay just outside the grand hall. Near the heart of this courtyard rested the skeletal remains of a dragon much like himself. Rage flared in his heart as he passed it by; he hocked, and then spat on the bones of his own kin… of the one who had taken everything away from him.
The dragon left the courtyard and entered what once had been the palace gardens, navigating through dead trees and broken statues. He knew the path he walked by heart- he’d walked down it every day for the last ten years. Before long, he came to an overlook near the garden’s north edge. Many years ago, a pony could stand at the edge of this overlook, and allow all the natural beauty Equestria had to offer to wash over them. But even now, with its darkened and scorched landscape, the view was magnificent in its own, twisted way.
But the dragon didn’t come here for the view.
At the edge of this cliff stood a stone slab that he had carried here from the ruined palace. The slab was simple, if a bit rough around the edges, with but one feature on its smooth face: a name. Specifically, the name of the pony buried beneath it, carved into the stone with the dragon’s own claws. The dragon sat down in front of the slab; for a short while, he was silent, wringing his claws, trying to build up the courage to speak.
“…Hey,” he began, his voice low. “I guess it’s been a while since we talked, hasn’t it?”
There was no answer.
There never was.
“Do you remember that… project I’ve been talking about?” he asked.
Silence.
“…Well, I finished it.” He took a deep breath. “I’m finally gonna do it. I’m gonna go back, and I’m gonna make everything right.”
What would she have said now, if she’d known what he was going to do? The obvious came to him- endless warnings about tampering with the past: don’t touch anything, don’t talk to anypony, don’t do this, don’t go there, don’t touch that.
Even now, he could still hear her voice so clearly.
The dragon hung his head. “Listen, I have to tell you something. I… I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my promise.” Many years ago, the dragon and his pony friend had vowed that they would never leave each other. Technically, he supposed she had already broken the promise by… dying; but even then, he had stayed right here, coming to this place every day to be close to her. “You… aren’t upset, are you?”
There was no reply.
The dragon wondered for a moment if she would have supported what he was doing. Well, even if she didn’t, he still would have gone through with his plan; even if the spell ended up teleporting him into a volcano or turned him inside-out or just outright exploded him, anything would have been better than just sitting around moping.
Then it hit him- this is exactly what she would have wanted. For him to go out, to fix what had been broken… or die trying.
He stood up, and embraced the slab. “Well, I guess this is goodbye then. I… I loved you. …I love you.” Small droplets began to fall onto the slab, but no rain fell from the sky. “I just wish that I had the chance to tell you that, before… before…” He didn’t finish. He never would.
He let the slab go. “I’m sorry. But I need to get going.” Wiping his eyes, he turned away from the slab, and began the long walk back to the palace.
He wished he could have brought her flowers.
He passed through the courtyard again, spitting on the draconic skeleton as he passed it, and reentered the great hall. He came to the circle and looked it over one last time, taking a deep breath.
This was it. Ten years of poring over books, scouring his memories, and searching crumbling old ruins had finally led to this moment.
He stepped into the circle, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind, as he’d been instructed. Then, he began to concentrate, calling upon the power that dwelled inside him, unaware of the glow emanating from the circle beneath his feet. The glow became brighter, and soon small bolts of electricity began to dart across the circle. But the dragon paid no attention to it- his mind was focused elsewhere. A powerful wind began to blow in the hall, snuffing out the fires the dragon had lit. The bolts of electricity grew larger and larger, shooting across the whole room as a pure, intense white light began to shine from the dragon. The wind howled, the electricity surged, and the light became blindingly bright… but the dragon stood at the heart of it all, eerily calm as he concentrated, feeling the energy flow out from him and into the circle, swirling and raging, until…
There was a blinding flash of light, and a great clap of thunder.
After a moment, the wind died down, a few stray sparks of electricity dispersed, and the room’s various loose articles fell still as the world was silent once more.
The dragon was nowhere to be found.
Outside, rain began to fall. It fell to the earth and soaked into the scorched soil. It fell into ruined houses and flowed through broken streets. It washed over the slab, long lines of raindrops streaming down its face like tiny rivers. But the name scratched into the stone remained legible, even through the raindrops streaming down its face. Even after ten years, the name remained just as clear as the day it had been carved. The dragon had wanted to make sure that the name remained, no matter what- he was fairly certain the slab could have been hit by a meteor, and that name would remain legible.
That name, which meant more to him than any other.
That name…
“Twilight Sparkle”
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Let me get this straight.
Spike time travels back to the past to "fix" an impending dragon menace that will shatter Equestria as we know it. He will also be using the Dovah language.
Yep, that's enough. Here, have this.
talkandroid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/seal-of-approval.jpg?3995d3
Dragonrend may be problematic.
Awesome :3
I was reading the description and at the end I could help thinking to myself FUS DO RAH!
Great work so far, I'll be tracking this.
Dude....Fuck Yeah!
Ive been waiting for this for a while :D, awesome!.
FUS RO DAWESOME
364644 I can't help but agree with you there, sir. Then again, he may be able to use it. Because he has been hit so close to home with the death of Twilight, he may actually have an idea of what it is like to be mortal. He also has a hatred for the one that has done her in, and as such, might be able to pull off using Dragon Rend. If one were to look back into Skyrim, you'll notice that if you were to use Yol, your character does not get hurt by the fire from his or her own shout. Using this principle, it is possible that Spike could very well use Dragon Rend, and survive, because shouts have been seen to be harmless to the one using them. Just my two cents
Well fuck that chapter ending depressed me a bit
but very good overall
365028 You make some very good points there. I don't think it would hurt him as much, but I don't think that he would actually be able to gain a true understanding of the Shout itself. After living with Twilight, he probably understands better than another dragon could, but the true essence of mortality? I don't think he would be able to feel that, at the deeper level needed for a Shout. Then again, that's just my thoughts on the matter.
365146 I feel that I should point out that (at least for the context of this story) all dragons, while exceptionally long-lived, are still ultimately mortal.
So no Dragonrend.
img.ponibooru.org/_images/9d1d18ceba795d855dc1689a9fb4db3f/39462%20-%20absurd_res%20artist%3Akurokaji11%20crying%20fluttershy%20high-res%20sad.png
365163 Well, there is that solution.
This is pure epicness and a great prolog. Favorited, traked and thump up.
And Spike shall use telekinesis to shoot cabbage into buckets.
366343 Just because you brought that up, I'm now going to somehow work that into the story.
367102
Spike became the most powerful dragon by trying to shoot a cabbage off of a building and into the bucket
Good idea and Great writing so far! Please continue the adventure!
The bonsi tree got me off gard.
Hmm, changing the timeline to save lives... I'm sure that Dr. Whooves won't be very happy. anyway great story thus far, I eagerly await the next chapter, although I do wish it to be a bit longer next time. Keep goin and stay golden^^
This.....this has the makings of a truly epic story.
chzbronies.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-brony-manly-tears.jpg
MY TEARS
367102 I saw one guy in Skyrim who became 'The Potato Bandit'. For every Item he stole he would replace it with a potato.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Twilight_crazy.png
Interesting. Continue reading!
I came on here, hoping to finally find a good crossover of the two. Imaginemy delight when this was front page! This looks good, I will continue reading.
Also, am I th eonly one who kept repeating the skyrim theme in their head the whole time?
For some reason I'm thinking Spike is going to end up causing the desaster he's trying to stop by the sheer act of going back in time to stop it. But I read too much TV Tropes, so yah...