Is it the impossible that motivates me?
Twilight stared blankly at the dragon sitting across the table from her. For a few seconds, she remained motionless with an intense frown of concentration on her face.
Suddenly she threw her hooves into the air, giving a loud and exasperated groan. “That didn’t tell me anything at all about his name! I’m just as confused as before!”
“Whoah, Twilight, calm down,” Spike said, holding his claws up defensively. He waved his wrist in a circular motion. “His name is actually just Gorath. Those extra bits at the beginning? Those are his titles, Twilight.”
The alicorn’s expression returned to a blank look. “They’re...titles?” she blankly asked.
Spike nodded. “Yeah. He only has two, but they’re very important to him.”
Twilight frowned slightly, mostly out of curiosity than anything. “What are they?” she asked.
“The first one is ‘Mal’,” he began. His claws did that same waving motion, as if they would help explain his meaning. “It’s hard to explain as there’s no direct translation - but it roughly means ‘strength’ or ‘mighty’.”
Twilight found herself leaning forward eagerly. This was information that had never been recorded in the history books, at least not in any official capacity. “So, his name roughly means…” she began, but hesitated, letting Spike finish her sentence.
“Gorath the Mighty.”
She nodded in understanding. A title like that definitely made sense for a dragon like him. “That’s still leaves ‘Al’,” she added.
Spike pointed one of his digits, not in any particular direction, though. “It’s from an old language during his youth. It apparently died out with the pony who gave him that title.”
Ancient history? Long forgotten languages? Now Spike was speaking a vocabulary she understood! She leaned even further forward, ears perked and her eyes with with an inquisitive curiosity.
“It means ‘friend’.” Spike said. The frown returned slightly on Twilight’s face. Was that a hint of sadness she detected? “He only lets very few call him Al’Gorath.”
Twilight leaned back slightly, allowing the new information to properly settle. “Oh,” was all she could really say. “That… explains why you and Princess Celestia called him Al’Gorath and Luna called him Mal’Gorath.”
Spike nodded, taking another spoonful of the soup. “Hey, this is really good,” he said, looking down at the bowl.
Twilight felt a blush creeping up to her cheeks, allowing herself to smile faintly at the compliment. “Thanks… I’ve had to learn how to do things a little better around here the past year.”
The alicorn sniffed, unsure of how tears had gotten into her eyes. She jumped slightly as a purple palm touched her shoulder. She looked up to see Spike smiling gently at her.
“Hey, I’m here now.”
The tears disappeared as she felt a warmth grow in her chest at his smile. Unable to muster the strength to reply, she just smiled back.
***** *****
After they had finished lunch, Spike had quietly excused himself and buried himself in Twilight’s library.
She had opened a public library a few months ago, delegating somepony as a proper librarian. Even so, the alicorn had kept a private collection of the rarer tomes and scrolls, more to feed her bibliophile tendencies than anything.
Twilight stood in awe at the doorway as the dragon pulled books off of the shelves, skimming through their contents before neatly discarding them into piles around him.
“...Spike?” She gently asked, scared of interrupting his zen. Before he was given to Mal’Gorath, the only type of book he would willingly touch or read were comic books. To see him so fervently sifting through and absorbing all the information…
Twilight tried repressing the cold pit of worry in her stomach. The dragon before her… was it really still Spike? A year was a long time to teach an impressionable mind.
A sob was creeping up her throat when a disgruntled noise broke her train of thought. “Yes, Twilight?” Spike asked, leaning back to peer around one of the few towers of books.
“Oh - I, er… was just…” she stammered nervously. “I was just wondering what you were looking for?”
“A book.”
Twilight blinked a few times, Spike apparently taking her silence as a satisfactory answer and resuming his hunt for whatever information he was looking for. She spluttered a few times before finally gathering her senses again.
“Wh - what book are you looking for?”
This time, without popping his head out, he replied. “An old history book. I’m looking for some stuff.”
Twilight waited a few seconds for him to elaborate. When no further answer came, she let out a slight sigh of frustration before making her way over to the dragon. His nose was buried deeply inside of one of the books, eyes darting left and right as he absorbed the texts.
“Pah!” He grunted softly, setting it on top of another growing pile.
“What… kind of stuff are you looking for, Spike?” Twilight asked. She tried to keep her voice calm and slow and hide her irritation. This was getting her nowhere slowly. Why was Spike so engrossed?
Very slowly, the dragon turned and looked at Twilight dead in the eye. “When I was with Al’Gorath he taught me a lot about magic, and more importantly the history of magic.”
Twilight’s ears perked up at this. She took an eager step forward.
This time Spike actually seemed to register her eagerness and continued. “I can’t use normal magic, Twilight. So he was able to create a hybrid of pony and dragon magic for me.”
He picked up another book, flipping it over as he skimmed the contents page before discarding it again. “A...hybrid magic?”
“Yeah, pretty cool, right?” he asked rhetorically. “And I learned some history of some really old magic, some that doesn’t exist anymore.”
Twilight found herself riveted to the spot. “But… I’ve studied almost every kind of magic out there. I’ve read about every type of spellcasting from runic to holy chants.” Her face contorted slightly in further confusion. “How can magic stop existing?”
Spike sighed softly, shifting his body around to face her properly. “Al’Gorath is old, Twilight. Like, really old. He was friends with Princess Luna when she was young.”
He paused for a few moments to let the weight of his implication sunk into the alicorn. Understanding started to dawn on her face before Spike continued. He had probably lived to see civilisations die… to see the birth of archmages and their rise and fall.
To see the first inventor of magic, and to witness the death of its last user.
“If you want to know history, why not ask those who have lived it?” Spike offered, raising one of his eye-ridges. “It’s not like we don’t know two immortal alicorns who’ve lived history.”
Twilight paused for a few moments, blinking owlishly. She had… never really thought about asking Princess Celestia about world history. She had always figured that it would be a waste of Celestia’s time.
And the last time she had pressed Celestia about something, she had been sent to Ponyville to make friends.
‘And save the world, too,’ she idly thought to herself.
The two fell into an awkward silence, Spike taking the opportunity to turn back around and continue his research. Twilight couldn’t help but simply watch him flip through pages with such zealous determination, before setting aside and taking a new book.
He had an odd sort of rhythm as he worked. Even as his pointed digits paged through swiftly, he kept a flowing gentless that showed care for the knowledge within the pages.
Twilight wasn’t sure when he had set down the last book, or when she had laid down on the crystal floor to watch him, but the exasperated yell Spike gave as he leaned back jolted her out of her stupor.
“What’s wrong, Spike?” she asked. The sudden cry had caused her to jump to her hooves, ears swiveled forward in alert.
“I can’t find anything I’m looking for!”
The alicorn gave him a blank look for a few moments. She made an odd ‘snrk’ sound while hiding the reluctant smile behind a hoof. “S - Spike… maybe you’re not looking hard enough?” she managed without giggling.
The dragon leveled a flat stare at her before getting up. Twilight frowned, her wings ruffling slightly. “Hey, you’re not going to forget about putting all these books away, are you?”
The alicorn had to hold back a grumble as Spike rolled his eyes at her. The audacity! There was proper protocol to be adhered to; rules to follow and overall just general good practices.
“Spike, I know you spent a year away from all civilisation, but I still expect you to hold a certain level of standards and etiquette when working with books and literature.
A deep rumble reverberated throughout the room. Twilight could feel the tingling crawling up her hooves through the floor as the bookshelves themselves seemed to quiver in fear of the unsettling noise.
It took her a few moments to realise that the sound was coming from Spike’s chest. Her wings unfurled slightly as she recoiled, before Spike spat out a tiny lick of flame into an open palm.
She blinked a few times before looking closer at it. It was… a small shard of gemstone. The flames dancing around it were too intense for her to determine the type of stone it was. “What are you doing, Spike?”
The dragon responded by clenching his eyes tightly, clenching his teeth seemingly in concentration. A few moments later the shard glowed more so than it was, floating upwards and hovering slightly above his palm.
Twilight could only watch in horror as the gem shard splintered into even tinier versions, the flames still very much alive and burning. In an instant, they zipped around Spike, creating an inferno that slowly swept through all of the books lying on the floor behind him.
She was half-way through casting a spell when she recognised the tell-tale signatures of arcane magic. No, it wasn’t just arcane; it took her a moment to realise that several other strands of magic were delicately interwoven into the spell. No wonder she hadn’t picked up at first.
Spike still held his eyes closed as the spell-shards simply picked up the tomes and texts, before neatly slotting them into the book shelves.
Her jaw went slack at watching the display. A small part of her brain was screaming to fetch a quill and paper - after all, she was witnessing magic she had never even thought to have existed.
The more rational parts of her brain were barely held in check by the sheer fascination of Spike’s magic - considering that they were enveloped in arcane fire.
A few minutes later, all the books were back in their respective spots unharmed. Spike breathed a sigh, offering a smile to the still-gaping alicorn. “Phew, that cost about two days.”
“Spike!” Twilight almost yelled. “What in tartarus were you thinking! Books and fire don’t mix well together!”
He gave her an incredulous, somewhat wide-eyed look of disbelief. “Relax, Twi. I had it under control.”
“Also, what do you mean by two days?”
He tapped a digit against his chest, before releasing a puff of black soot from his mouth. “That tiny gem would’ve lasted my furnace about two days.”
Instantly, Twilight’s incredulity was replaced with fear as she zipped forward, wings outstretched in alarm. “No! You can’t do that! What if it goes out again?” Her voice cracked suddenly with her worry, her face twisted with concern.
“Relax, Twi!” Spike said again, gently pushing her away. “I have it under control. I’ve eaten enough gems to last me two months at least, provided I don’t have to send any letters or burn anything.”
Twilight felt a cold pain through her chest as she looked down at the floor. It was like a needle through her heart, jabbing at the memory from exactly a year ago.
“Twilight, are you alright?” Spike asked, his voice now also filled with worry.
“I… it was all my fault, Spike,” she said, barely a whisper. “I didn’t take care of you properly and you almost died.”
She jumped slightly as she felt scaly arms enclose her. “But I didn’t, and I’m alive Twilight.”
“...Celestia doesn’t know yet.”
“Come again?”
“Celestia doesn’t know you’re back,” Twilight said. “I… I promised her I would send a letter, or visit her when I... “ she hesitated, before swallowing noisily. “When I found out what had happened to you.”
The embrace tightened. “She was like a mother to me, for a while,” Spike said softly. Twilight couldn’t see his expression but the pain in his voice was clear.
“Hey, Spike, I have an idea.”
He nodded, Twilight picking up on the motion.
“You still need to find what you’re looking for and I know that Canterlot’s library is far more extensive than what I have to offer here.” Spike remained silent, only pulling away from the hug as he kept his claws gently gripped on her shoulders. He maintained a pensive look. Swallowing, Twilight continued her train of thought. “We could visit Princess Celestia at the same time.”
Spike kept eye contact with her before nodding once.
***** *****
Twilight had to admit that the journey to Canterlot was a lot less exciting than she had anticipated. The current compartment was empty save for herself and Spike. Then again, being a Princess did afford her quite a few perks, one of which was the ability to have a first-class cabin - even if she had insisted on travelling normally.
Her friends had all offered a teary farewell, with Pinkie Pie determined on throwing an extra-extra special ‘so-glad-you-aren’t-dead-and-have-come-back’ party.
Twilight had a hard time giggling at that.
Some of the ponies had given Spike a wide berth and a wary look, but they seemed to release a collective breath when they saw him accompanying a Princess.
Twilight had opened her mouth several times in order to try and strike up conversation but had fallen short every time, instead maintaining the silence between them.
Even when the train had come to a stop at Canterlot Station, Spike kept a determined look and simply strode to his destination. The only thing stopping the guard from intervening was Twilight nervously smiling and waving them away.
Eventually, after having stopped the third group of patrol guards, Twilight took wing and landed in front of the dragon.
“Spike, what has gotten into you?” she hissed in a low voice, all too aware of the various judgemental looks being shot their way by the various nobles.
She flinched at the cold stare he leveled, before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Like a clock unwinding, his shoulders slumped as he breathed out slowly. When he opened them again, they were soft and… normal, again.
“Sorry,” he breathed, “I’m just… I just want to see the Princess really badly.”
“I do, too, Spike.” Twilight’s face was creased with worry as she slowly forgot the ponies around her. “But you’re charging in there like she’s wronged you somehow. Why do you want to see her so badly?”
He blinked a few times, before shaking his head and sighing again. “I just have a question or two I wanted to ask her.”
**** ****
By the time they had arrived at the castle proper, the entire guard were at high-alert. Guards had been posted at every corner of every corridor; and what unsettled Twilight the most was that every single one of them kept a keen eye on her and Spike.
There were still a few nobles mulling about despite the extra security although they did carry nervous looks about them, mostly aimed towards the extra security. They had barely even noticed Twilight and Spike almost marching through the halls towards the Solar Court.
Twilight wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not when the two found the throne room empty except for its usual occupants: a few Royal Guard and Princess Celestia herself. The knowing look Celestia leveled at her told Twilight all she needed to know.
They were expected.
The guardsponies bowed as they entered, a light pink blush touching Twilight’s cheeks as she smiled nervously at them.
“My dearest Twilight Sparkle, and Spike the Dragon,” Celestia began warmly. “I’m so glad to see you two again, and in good health.” She paused, her eyebrows lowering down into the slightest of frowns. It was the type of frown that you didn’t use when angry, but rather when concerned. “Although, I must admit that you seem to be in such haste.”
Twilight couldn’t remove the nervous grin she was wearing, now feeling the sweat bead up against her fur and face. Spike never lost the determined frown on his face. Even before he took his first step forward, Twilight saw the guards shift their focus towards him.
“What’s wrong, Spike?” Celestia asked.
The young dragon glared at the alabaster alicorn for a few moments. Twilight could feel her heart beating in her throat as she resisted the urge to shuffle and prance her suddenly itchy hooves.
“How long?” he asked in a low whisper.
Celestia responded with a neutral and silent look.
“How long did you know?” he asked again, his left claw clenching tightly into a balled fist. “How long did you know about me? About Twilight?”
Princess Celestia closed her eyes and let out a measured sigh, before turning to her personal guard. “We require a moment alone, please.”
The guards responded with a salute before filing out of the room. Celestia’s magic gently closed the door, before the aura intensified for a moment. Twilight’s eyes went wide, her heartbeat quickening as she recognise several warding and shielding spells being cast around the room.
When she opened her eyes, they focused on Twilight who could only let out a tiny whimper. “Twilight, what do you remember of Spike’s hatching?”
“I...what?” she stammered, blinking a few times. Celestia simply waited with a patient look on her face. Even Spike slowly turned his attention towards Twilight. She felt very suddenly in the spotlight, except she didn’t know what she was on stage for.
Celestia made no motion to explain or repeat her question, only raising an eyebrow slightly.
Twilight’s brow wrinkled slightly as she started jogging her memory. “I… remember that after feeling like a failure -,” Celestia tittered slightly, but otherwise didn’t interrupt her, “ - the sonic rainboom startled me so much that a magic surge took hold and I hatched Spike’s egg.”
Celestia nodded knowingly. The gentle smile that followed did little to ease Twilight’s thoughts, as she felt herself take a step backwards. “That is a very good summary of the events of that day,” she said. “But what actually happened? With you?”
The lavender alicorn’s eyes darted between Celestia and Spike, both with an expectant look on her face. She swallowed noisily, managed a nervous smile.
“Please, Twilight,” Celestia insisted.
Her mouth felt very dry as she pressed her lips tight for a moment. “I...I felt like a failure that morning,” Twilight started, her voice just above a whisper. “My whole world was crumbling down, like everything I had believed in was falling apart. Wh - when the rainboom happened, I had thought it was some divine retribution to punish me for my failure and I… just lashed out. I didn’t think about what magic I casted, I just… did it.”
“Tell her, properly, Princess,” Spike firmly interjected.
“Tell me what?”
Princess Celestia let out a small sigh as she bowed her head. Her eyes were closed and Twilight could see she was facing a difficult decision. “Spike’s egg was cold and infertile and by the time of your test, was well over a century old - yet you managed to hatch it.”
It took Twilight a few seconds to puzzle out what they were trying to imply. As the realisation hit, she could only feel a cold pit empty out in the bottom of her stomach as her eyes went wide.
“Spike, by all means, was brought to life purely by your magic, Twilight Sparkle.”
“By some miracle of the arcane, you brought back the dead,” Spike added.
The marble floor very suddenly rushed upwards in Twilight’s vision as she passed out.
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Infertile? I'm a little confused by that as infertile is normally used to talk about a female being unable to produce a child. Never heard eggs called that...did you mean unfertilized egg?
But if you did mean unfertilized that would mean Twilight did more than bring back the dead, she made Spike more or less period. Or at least made the I suspect formless very old egg goop inside, turn into actual flesh and bone. Since we all know what the inside of an unfertilized egg is like...just crack open one of your chicken eggs to see what I mean.
But I am using normal egg logic here, dragon eggs could be crazier in how they work since they be dragons and here be magic.
This was a new twist on things...
7444167 Think it was meant to be more of a stillborn type rather then unfertilized.
Not the first time I see that particular twist here, but certainly one of the more effectively written scenes.
As in unfertilized? Congratulations, Twilight, YOU are the Daddy!
Oh so Spike is a dracolich good to know
So in essence... Twilight is a virgin-mother?
7444167
Infertile is not quite the right word, but unfertilised is wrong too. As I understand, the egg had been fertilised and later died/failed to hatch.
The title of this series seems to match its most recent update pretty closely. I am tempted to approve.
As others had stated; infertile is an incorrect word. Dead is more simply apt. The egg was fertilized, but long since devoid of any life.
Also....if he's only got 2 months of furnace fire left....just lock him in a room full of gems! =P
Other than the improper use of the word infertile this chapter was kinds bizarre in a way.
In the previous story, Dying Flame, Al'Mal'Gorath mentions that Spike's mother was cursed to be never able to have children.
Although, I realise that the use of 'infertile' is probably incorrect here as well.
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7445506 Hmmm their is no doubt a term for when an embryo in egg dies and yet for the life of me I can't figure out what it would be. The closest I can find is "Dead in shell" and that's used to describe when a fertilized chicken egg fails to hatch into a chick for a failure in the incubation process which results in the embryo failing to develop sufficiently.
But it seems whatever the case Twilight, in Dungeons and Dragons terms managed to cast wish and then used it to cast resurrection on dear old Spike, except it wouldn't deal with something dead for that long but I'll chalk that up to Equestria.
7445525
There is a very specific reason and method that Twilight used, that she didn't know she was using.
Of course, this will be explain and explored in other chapters a little better.
And for anyone thinking that Twilight passing out is a bit too much considering her personality, then all I have to say is that more details will be shared in the next chapter....one year later.
Brilliant as always
hmm...depending on how the universe works here, Twilight either
A. created a new soul for Spike
B. yanked a random soul from the afterlife/wheel and shoved it into the egg
or C the spell searched for whichever soul was meant to go to the egg and led it back to the egg
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I certainly hope that it isn't another year before the next update.
This reminds me of a past story I wrote with Darth Link 22 (Project Ascension) where it was found out Spike's egg was a fake (a doll egg) and Twilight's magic caused a part of her heart to give birth to a new heart/soul for the dragon shell thus giving birth outside the womb and Spike being Twilight's biological son via magic...
Now what does Spike's egg being dead have to do with this?
7446026 because she created life which is impossible
So not quite necromancy, as that is merely animation of a corpse. Necromancy is essentially the same as making a golem, except that you don't have to go through the expensive and technical process of building the body as it's already made for you.
Instead, it's more like biomancy: the generation and stabilization of life.
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Spike's statement literally made the entire comment xDDD
Sounds like Celestia's got some 'splainin' t'do.
Is this dead?
7615975 Not dead.
Just... working slowly on it.
7616685 Yay!
7616685 Take your time
Wow.
That's quite a twist!