Opening Act
Ponyville was like it was every other day. Beautiful. Clouds cleared from the sky, thanks to the Pegasi. The sun shined across the bright, blue sky, sending light toppling down onto the village in a lovely warmth.
The grass brushed the small, purple dragon's cheek. He sat on the very edge of Ponyville, resting his back against a grassy hill. His green eyes scanning the open sky above him. Nothing seemed amiss to his dragon eyes.
But he knew more than he was letting on. Twilight was to return to Canterlot in a few days. For how long, the little dragon had no idea. He was not looking forward to the trip, because as Twilight said... This time could be goodbye.
No matter how hard Spike tried, his mind was glued to the gem of his eyes, the only pony he would do anything for. Rarity had been the only thing he could think of. Ponyville had been his home for years now, his friends where here. His life was here. Canterlot may have been the first place he had called home, but this was the place that Spike felt was his home. It was close in his heart, deeply embedded into the tissues of his heart. To only visit would be... Horrid.
Twilight had become a princess, and she needed Spike's help, or so she claimed. Spike also saw a change in the alicorn. The princess had always been serious, focused on her studies and her friends. Now, Spike often saw her staring out the library balcony, her mind obviously focused on other things. She didn't change just mentally, but physically too. She had become taller, her legs and body growing more slender. She resembled a small Celestia in shape. Her hair and horn longer, and her wings larger, and more graceful. It had been three years since she first became an alicorn, and since then, everything changed.
A small breeze swept over the dragon's sun heated scales. It swayed the grass around him, and gave Spike chills. He would miss this place, and most of all, he would miss Rarity.
A part of him said he should tell her how he felt, like the day greed took over his body. When they drifted down to the ground, falling through the air of that day. She had changed him back. He tried to tell her, tell her how he loved her. But then her perfect hoof had touched his lips, stopping those words just before their admittance. Had she known? She gave the impression she did. Her long lashes surrounding those gorgeous blue eyes. Eyes he often got lost in. They had indented in, softly, closing them slightly. A soft expression of understanding. Maybe it was just a wish to not hear words that where spoken due to the thought they would die. She didn't want to hear his famous last words.
"Spike?"
His muscles froze. Her voice wound itself around him, making him sit up slowly. The next breeze carried her scent, a lovely mix of perfumes and shampoos, even the sent of gems seemed to cling to her.
Spike turned his head and looked at the unicorn. Her oval, beautiful blue eyes, they seemed to scan him. No smile covered her soft lips. Her ears tilted down only slightly.
"Spike, I've been looking for you." She said as she galloped closer to the small dragon. Her steps silent on the soft grass of the hill.
"Really?" Spike asked as he gazed at her. His slit pupils stopping for a moment to see the red ruby heart against her neck, surrounded in the gold necklace in which she wore it. "Why?" As far as Spike knew, the news of their departure hadn't been heard by anyone's ears but Spike's and Twilight's.
"I just wanted to ask if you'd enjoy a - stroll." She gave a smile as her head tilted slightly. Her purple mane fallowing the light movement, the curls bouncing as they moved.
Spike stood to his small, clawed feet. A chill sent a shiver up his scaly spine. Spike didn't know if it was from another cold breeze, the scents of Rarity washing over his snout, or the invite itself. "Yeah," was all he could get out, he felt himself become slightly flushed on his purple cheeks.
"Fallow me." She said with a smile as she walked to the top of the hill, looking back to gaze upon Spike. Then she walked closer to Ponyville.
Spike climbed up the hill quickly, careful not to slip back down the hill. He soon stood by her side, his eyes falling upon her face with a smile.
"I've been thinking." She began softly as she walked back into town. Spike wasn't exactly sure where they were headed, but he didn't care. "You and Twilight have been cut off from the rest of us. We miss you. I went to speak with Twilight myself," She put one of her front hoofs to her chest for a moment before shaking her head and placing it back onto the ground to walk, "But she ignored me."
"She's been busy," Spike added softly, rubbing his right arm as his eyes scanned their surroundings. Ponyville seemed to be enjoying the weather, the shops bustling and ponies trotting through the dirt roads of the town.
"Are you two leaving?"
Rarity's question startled Spike. His lips clenched up. Had their sudden avoidance, their change in personality, how they lingered on accepting future parties from Pinkie finally given them away. Spike found himself unable to answer, his clawed hand suddenly gripping his upper arm. His eyes meeting the dirt road bellow.
Rarity sighed, obviously his actions had given the situation an answer. "I thought so." She paused. Spike couldn't see why at first. Her expression was something he wondered. Was she sad, confused, conflicted? His curiosity overruled his fear, and he glanced up at her.
A smile had arose from her muzzle as she stopped and sat. "So your going back to Canterlot?"
Spike hesitated, drawing out his letters as he looked at her, "Yeah?"
"Good," She began, taking one of her hooves and knocking the large curl of her smooth, purple hair to the side. "Then when I become a high, elite designer, I'll see you two again."
Spike hesitated, "Yeah, I guess you will." He hadn't thought about that, and he felt warmth spring back into his dragon heart. She would be in Canterlot with them soon. He had hope that maybe they would still have a chance together.
"So I'll be with you as long as I can..."
Something loud ripped through the calm air. Ponies scrambled past them, their hooves clomping across the hard ground. Dust flew into the air, and Spike and Rarity turned to see what everyone was running from.
An explosion, one of the buildings had been ripped into pieces. What could have cause of such destruction. Then a loud rumble shook the dirt ground beneath their feet. A building next to them exploded, rubble blasting in all directions. Pieces landing near their feet.
"Rarity!" Spike shouted as he grabbed one of her legs, "We need to go, Now!"
Rarity didn't even nod, she began to run with Spike, close by his side. That was, until Spike began to fall behind. Rarity paused and looked back, picking Spike up with her magic and put him onto her back. She glanced back just before another explosion tore through Ponyville.
"What's going on!" The startled voice left Rarity's lips in a drift. Her head whipping from side to side as she tried to find something, anything positive in this time of darkness.
"I-I don't know!" Spike called back, holding on tight to the mare's white back.
"Rarity! Spike! Over here!"
Both of them turned their heads towards the voice. Spike sighed relief as he saw Twilight Sparkle a few gallops in the distance.
"Thank Celestia," Rarity uttered as she turned her trot towards the princess. Her speed seemed to slow slightly, or maybe it was Spikes imagination.
"Twilight, what's going on?" Rarity spoke as she finally reached the smaller Alicorn.
Twilight shook her head, "I have no time to explain, I need to get you and the others to safety, fallow me!" Twilight turned and ran, and Spike heard Rarity give off a distressed groan before fallowing behind her friend.
They ran for what felt like hours, clearing Ponyville in a matter of seconds. But truly time had only been a few moments.
Unexpectedly, Rarity jumped over a log knocked astray. Spike's grip slipped, and he soon found himself in the air. He hit the ground hard, rolling from impact, dirt and grass burning against his skin from the high impact. When he finally came to a rest, Spike turned to see Rarity gone.
"Spike?"
Spike turned the other direction, and was surprised to see Twilight's face. The Alicorn's magic surrounded him as she lifted him off the ground, onto his feet.
"Why are you out here?" She looked around the area, then back at Spike.
Spike felt more confused. Rarity and Spike had fallowed her out to this area far from Ponyville. Why was she here? She had been heading the opposite direction. A not tied in his chest... A dark thought creeping into this mind.
"Have you seen Rarity?"
Those words made Spike dizzy. They had been lead by someone pretending to be Twilight. Rarity had been fallowing this imposter. Rarity was still fallowing this imposter. "She was- we where fallowing you..." Spike finally choked out, only to see the terror form in Twilight's eyes.
"Spike, are you sure?" She sounded panicked, and Spike only felt the knot tighten.
"Yes."
Twilight closed her eyes, "We have to go." She said finally, as if the answer was something they wouldn't want to leave their lips. "We will have to figure this out in Canterlot... Right now... The changlings are attacking."
Spike swallowed hard, Twilight using her magic once more as she put Spike onto her back. Spike realized the worse as he wings spread and she flew off, staying close to the ground as she headed for a small carriage in the distance. Whatever took Rarity, that fake Twilight... It was a changling. Rarity was gone... For how long? Would we be okay? These questions ripped through his mind in thick waves. He tried to focus on these facts but they all seemed to slip from his mind. Answers seemed out of reach, hope just out of the grasp of his claws.
They reached the Carriage and Twilight put Spike inside as she climbs in after him. Spike looked around the carriage's inside, to see it already full. PinkiePie, RainbowDash, Fluttershy, and Applejack already inside and seated.
"Where's Rarity?" Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight as she spoke, looking confused as Twilight shut the carriage door and ordered the castle guards to pull the carriage.
"The Changlings took her."
Silence seemed to roll over everyone. Rarity may be hurt, trapped, or worse...
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The cool air brushed over Spike's scales. He let out a groan as he slowly rolled from the red blankets around him. His green eyes scanned the smooth castle walls. The bed once again suffered claw marks from yours truly. He let out a cough, smoke beckoning from hi throat as he rolled out of the messy bed.
That dream had surrounded him once again. He had been having it for a long time, but now, of the last month, it has happened every night. They had to continuously fix the sheets and pillows, due to Spike's thrashing in the dream.
But a dream, that was a harsh thing to call it. How he wished it was a dream. But this dream, vivid, lifelike, was only so surreal because it had happened. That was the day war waged onto Equestria. The day everything changed for Spike and everyone else.
The war had started almost a thousand years ago. Destroying Ponyville and much of the rest of the world. The Changlings had concluded much of the land. Destroying and capturing ponies to their liking. The safest place was now Canterlot, and only a few pony villages where left, all in radius of the Pony Capitol.
The heart, Canterlot had become a beckon of the war. The sun was forced up everyday and the moon seemed to come with more ease. The city had changed. Hell, Everypony had changed. No longer where the streets filled with the rich and the cheerful. Rich still dwelled here, but so the world dwelled in a more thick, dirty gloom that seemed to have seeped into every pony's soul.
New businesses sprung open. Many trying to bring more cheer to the sunken souls of every pony in Canterlot. Brothel like entertainment house where anypony can come and sing for those willing to listen. More theaters, shops, and restaurants opened up, though few contained a light of life to be shared.
The Brothel brought in the largest amount of coin. Swooping in travelers and residents with a hollow spout of life, giving some joy that was greatly needed to lift the souls of the existing ponies.
"Spike?"
Twilight Sparkle's voice drifted through the empty room. The notes seemed to drift off the walls, winding around his scales to his ears.
He stood up to his clawed feet, his hands meeting the floor too. His appearance taking on the stereotypical dragon. His tail lashing against the stone ground.
The door shimmered with magic as it opened. The door poured light into the dark room, blinding Spike for a moment. He blinked rapidly, his eyes quickly attempting to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden change.
At first she stood like a tall shadow, her wings spread and her crown glistening slightly with reflected light. Then as his eyes adjusted, he could make out the purple fur of her body and her long, dark mane. Everything about her seemed to have changed. She stood tall, her horn long, and her wingspan several yards wide. Her muzzle was a bit longer, yet her face seemed so unfamiliar compared to that from the memory.
"Finally awake?" She said with a smile as she strolled into the room. Her hooves made a smooth clop on the ground, a bit more prominent due to the gold shoes upon her hooves. When Spike gave no response, she smiled a bit more, "You seem dazed. I must have woke you up?"
Spike shook his head. "No, I woke up myself."
The dragon felt bad as he noticed her smile disappear, returning to a professional, expressionless face. Spike hadn't realized how blunt he was with his remark, and he noted to try and be more relaxed.
"Anyways." She began as she walked around Spike, heading back towards the door. "The war is at a standstill, still." She reached the door, turning to leave the room and Spike behind, "I have royal business to attend to... But everything else is under control, so feel free to enjoy the day."
Spike prepared to apologize for being blunt. He knew she had a lot of stress on her shoulders. So much had been put into her care in such a short matter of time. This war thrust onto her shoulder's without any warning. She had to do this all by herself. All the other Princesses where gone.
Celestia had vanished a few hours into the war. Luna had vanished about a month after her sister. The rumor around Canterlot is that Crysalis had killed the princess as a sign of their war. While others theories are more dark, but more logical.
Discord had moved into the castle before the war. He had assisted Celestia in many of her royal duties, and the two had become very close. Rumors spread across the land, and it was heard that they may have been even closer than friends.
Some believe Celestia's disappearance had to due with this factor. That Discord had never been on the ponies' side. Betrayal had been on his mind from the very beginning. Some believed he used his powers to take down Celestia, stabbing her in the back, and disappearing into the dark of the war.
But who would know the exact truth. Believing Celestia was out there somewhere seemed harder than believing she was dead. This war was ruthless, and no one was safe. So she was either dead, or being tortured.
Luna had left in an attempt to find her sister. Spike remembered seeing the determination on the night pony's face. No one tried to stop her. They watched as she took flight. As the dark pony flew into the night. It had been the last time anyone had seen her.
Now Twilight had to raise the sun and the moon. It was hard, and Equestria was in darkness for a long time before the young princess learned the spell to raise the sun. To this day it's a difficult process, and on very stressful days, Equestria has to endure the darkness.
Princess Cadence had also been cut off. Just like the other two Princesses, no one knows if she's still alive. All communication from the Crystal Empire had been cut off several days into the war. Many believe it may still be intact, and once again protected by the spell that kept it hidden for so many years.
Spike groaned, stretching out his tired muscles as he slinked out the door and into the castle. Light poured in from the window, splashing onto the floor in pools of colored lights. The halls where white, just like the days before the wars. The attempt to maintain that calm feeling showed obvious through the perfectly polished walls. But it's attempt failed.
Spike passed maids, guards and butlers on his way to the front door. Helmets where just as common as black and white uniforms. Jobs ran thin, coins ran short, and any job available was taken quickly. Most of the guards positioned themselves around the castle, and the rest waged at the war.
As Spike's head poked out the door, his eyes gazed upon the town. They seemed to seek for a better place. Maybe they hoped to see a town like that in the memory. The happy ponies of Ponyville, the busy, cheerful shops. Maybe... Maybe he was hoping to see her... To see Rarity.
He shook his massive, purple head as his feet carried him down the front steps, cascading down onto the dirty stone street.
The buildings passed like a dull side thought. Nothing caught his eye, nothing seemed important. There was no hope that flushed through this city like the first years. This war had continued for ages. All of these ponies had been born in this time, and this was all they knew. Some ponies passed by. Even their manes and fur seemed completely dull compared to those of the memory. It was as if someone had taken them and ran them through the wash a thousand times.
Spike swallowed hard as he realized where his feet had taken him. Scanning the large, wood building, it still seemed much bigger inside. The windows where covered, and the door guarded by a single stallion.
He sighed. The truth was he did spend a lot of time here. The exact reason escaped him, and he often did seek answers to the reason he came to the Brothel so often. The ponies didn't satisfy him as they did other visitors. Music usually lifted his mood slightly, but not enough for him to return so often. But the best reason he could think of... One he could not loop away from...
His eyes drifted down, finding a puddle in the ground. But for a moment he did not see purple scales and green spines. He saw soft, white fur, and a gorgeous, long, curled purple mane. Long lashes blinked over stunningly beautiful blue eyes.
Then the reflection changed, the water inside reflecting The dragon's face. He had changed as much as Twilight Sparkle. His body larger, made of more muscle then before. Greed was the secret to his growth. Through vigorous training, he had learned to control his size to a pony sized dragon, allowing easier movement around the city and castle. Though Spike did sometimes find himself small again, enjoying the way he had been in those days.
His eyes turned up once more towards the Brothel. Before heading inside, he glanced at the puddle, almost hopping to see that angel he missed so much's face once more.