“Dear Spike,
I can’t believe you actually went to Griffonstone! I was going to say I’m jealous, but from what you told me, I’m not missing anything. Good job getting that idol, though.
Everything’s fine here in Ponyville. It’s been hard keeping things on track at the library without you, but I’ve managed. Rarity hosted a small fashion show for all our pets, and Fluttershy helped out. I’ll show you the pictures we took when you get back.
I’m glad everything’s okay. It’s a good thing there are some griffons who are willing to help other creatures.
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I shot up from my bed. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. I noticed I was in the sleeping chamber of the train.
My thoughts recollected themselves. I remembered buying a train ticket from Griffonstone to the closest station near Starlight’s village. I knew it was a long journey, so I got a room on the train to sleep. I was feeling tired from my time in Griffonstone so I went to bed early…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Is somepony in there?!” A voice called out.
“Y-yes! There is!” I responded.
“Well, you need to get out! This is the last stop!”
Last stop? I don’t remember...oh no!
I quickly got my things and left the train. Once I stepped onto the platform, my fears came true.
Instead of plains and mountains, I saw nothing but tall buildings all around. I shook my head in denial. I ran over to the ticket stand.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” I said. “But what city is this?”
“This is Fillydelphia, my child,” the ticket clerk replied.
I slapped my forehead. I overslept on the train and now I missed my stop!
“Is everything alright?” the clerk asked.
I pulled out my map. “Is there a train that stops near here?” I pointed to where Starlight’s potential town was.
“There is not. At least not one that is from this city.”
I sighed. My only choice now was to walk.
“Thank you,” I said.
I followed the train tracks until I was at the outskirts of town. I opened my map and placed my compass on a flat surface.
“Okay...” I said to myself. “Since Fillydelphia is here...and Starlight’s village is over here...”
I checked the distances, and I found that traveling to the village from where I stood was going to be a challenge. Despite the gap being only a fraction of the space between Ponyville and the Dragon Lands, the mountains on the map weren’t added for decoration. I didn’t want to head back into the city and wait until another train came. I wasted enough time missing my stop.
I put the map away and strayed off the tracks to follow the compass. I was grateful the plains were flat for the time being.
Sadly, my relief with the minor slope came to an end when the ground became rockier and steeper. I was definitely at the mountains, and climbing them wasn’t as easy as stacking blocks of cobblestone under my feet.
I did my best to conserve my energy and climbed only if there was no alternate path. I kept a firm grip on the metal device pointing north. I was thankful my hoodie was still on, as the air was getting as cold as Griffonstone, maybe even colder.
It feels like I’m climbing Mount Everhoof.
My travels through the mountain range was a real chore. I took careful steps, jumped over gorges, and climbed cliffs that I was sure was safe. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any sign of Starlight’s village, the train tracks near it, or even a sign of life that could tell me where I was. The only thing the compass told me was the direction I was going, and there weren’t any significant landmarks on the map to help me.
Equestria needs to invent a GPS soon.
I sat on one of the cliffs. I was running out of steam. I pulled out my snack pouch when…
“Whoops! NO!!”
The pouch slipped out of my hands. It slapped on the edge of the cliff and spilled its contents. I quickly grabbed the bag and closed it, but the majority of my food trickled down the mountainside like a colorful avalanche and disappeared down below.
“Augh! Son of a Diamond Dog!”
I sighed and looked into my pouch. Only a handful of gems remained along with half a loaf of Griffonstone bread. I ate what few gems I saved. I also broke a piece off the bread. It wasn’t hard as a rock, but with its toughness I couldn’t tell if the bread was freshly baked, over done, or just left out in the open too long.
After my small “meal,” I put my pouch away and put my pack on. I continued my climbing as usual.
If I’m too late, at least I could order some of Sugar Belle’s muffins. It would be better than nothing.
I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though.
I lost count of how many cliffs I climbed and how many mountains I passed. The sky was so cloudy, I couldn’t see the sun. I don’t know if it was going to rain. The lack of thunder was promising.
I sat at another cliff and reconsidered my options. I felt like traveling to Starlight’s town was a waste of time. I had no idea when she took that stone, and for all I know, she probably did it way before I even thought about going on this journey. I could still find that cave and destroy that rock to release all the cutie marks, but I’d be on Starlight’s bad side if she found out. Then again, she’d be upset regardless of when I found that stone.
As I rubbed my head, my stomach grumbled. That meal of gems and bread did nothing to hinder its hunger. I clutched onto it and shushed.
I wonder if these mountains have any gems.
I was about to dig into the mountain with my bare hands, but suddenly I heard music. It was very quiet, but it sounded like it was nearby.
I climbed the cliffs a bit more, and the music got louder. I then noticed the music didn’t sound like it was from an instrument.
Is that...someone singing?
Once I got to the top, I peeked over a rock to see a bunch of Diamond Dogs digging into the ground.
“I am a dog and I’m digging a hole,” one of them sang. “Diggy diggy hole, digging a hole.”
“Will you knock it off, Chase?” Another asked. By her femine voice and slightly curvy figure, it was safe to assume this one was female.
“Come on. Can’t I lighten the mood for once? The sky isn’t doing any favors.”
Next to the trio of dogs was a minecart full of gemstones that caught my eye. My stomach growled again, and I quickly grabbed it. All I had left was bread and tiny gems, and my chance to refill my tummy and pouch were right in front of me.
Maybe I could ask the Diamond Dogs to share a few gems? No, they wouldn’t give any to a random dragon.
Despite my hunger, I had an idea. I grabbed a large pebble and threw it over the dogs’ heads. It smacked the ground on the other side.
“What was that?”
The dogs lifted their ears and turned to the sound of the impact. Since the minecart was no longer in their field of view, I made a break for it. I slid behind the minecart with none of them the wiser.
“It was probably nothing,” I heard Chase say. “Hang on.” The sound of sniffing was heard. “Do you guys smell that?”
“Smell what?” The female dog asked.
“It smells like there’s a dragon here.”
I gulped.
“Dragons used to come here all the time,” the third one said. “Of course it’s gonna smell like there’s one here. We should be lucky to even find this many gems on the mountain in the first place.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Chase said.
I silently sighed. I peeked over to make sure none of the Diamond Dogs were looking back here. None of them were, so I quickly grabbed a few handfuls of gems and placed them into my bag.
Celestia, forgive me for succumbing to thievery, but it’s for the sake of survival.
Suddenly, the sound of creaking metal filled my eardrums. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the minecart was moving. I quickly zipped up my bag, jumped off the cart, and hung down off the ledge of the cliff.
“Huh? Hey! The cart’s rolling away!” The female diamond dog shouted.
From where I was hanging, I could see the minecart sliding down the tracks. A few moments later, the three diamond dogs were running after it.
“You were supposed to apply the brakes, Marshall!” Chase yelled.
“I did! You can’t blame me for using a rusty old cart!”
Once the voices were well out of earshot, I climbed back up into the cliff. I didn’t know how long it would take until the group returned, but I didn’t want to wait around to find out. I munched on some of the gems I stole and hurried in the opposite direction. I climbed down the rocks and spotted a mineshaft entrance. I could hear more voices from inside.
I should’ve known I wandered into Diamond Dog territory.
I quickly ducked behind a rock and listened in. It sounded like one of the Diamond Dogs was significantly younger than the others.
“Please, just one gem,” the pup pleaded. “That’s all I ask.”
“Look, I’m sorry, kid,” a bigger Diamond Dog said. “We’re not allowed to just give away our gems. I know you’ve been through a lot, and I pity you, but it’s against the rules here to directly hand gems over to a random dog. Now, hurry out of here before our boss sees you trespassing again.”
I peeked over the rock to see a Diamond Puppy exiting the mine. He was around the same height as me, and his fur was a light grey with some white spots on his muzzle and belly. Just like the other Diamond Dogs, he wore a spiked collar and a dark-colored vest. He sighed heavily as he walked. I had to do something.
“Psst! Psst!”
The puppy’s ears perked up. I appeared from behind the rock. The pup gasped, and I pressed my index finger on my lips and motioned him to come over. He looked around and came my way. We both hid behind the rock.
“Here.” I pulled out some gems from my pouch and handed them to him. “You need them more than I do.”
“Oh, thanks,” the puppy said as he grabbed them. “These are real, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. None of the grown-ups would help me. I just needed something to pay for food.” He shoved the gems into the pockets of his navy-blue vest.
“I still have some food, actually.” I gave him some of my bread. “Straight from Griffonstone. It’s a bit crunchy, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Thank you.” The puppy checked the bread and quickly munched on it. “You’re really kind for a dragon. What are you doing here anyway? I thought dragons didn’t come to this area anymore.”
“I was just passing through. I didn’t know the Diamond Dogs would be working here. So you guys use gems to exchange goods?”
“It’s how we pay for food and stuff sometimes.”
“Okay, now I’m starting to feel guilty about eating your currency.”
“Don’t be. Since gems are very common, we don’t have to worry about losing any, and we sometimes use bits as well.”
“If gems are so common to find, then why were you turned down when asking for some?”
“Oh, you heard that. They said they had to figure out which gems are worth using as money before sending it out, which I think is silly.”
“I guess that makes sense. They didn’t want to give you something useless like a piece of quartz by mistake. Believe me, I tasted one before. It was like eating an ice cube without the coldness.”
“Yeah, but still. I can tell what gems are good or not.”
“Well, I can assure you all the gems I gave you were good. What’s your name by the way? My name is Spike.”
“Heh. Mine’s Tyke. That kinda rhymes.”
“Yeah, it sure does. So why were you begging for gems? If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a family?”
Tyke sighed. “Not really. I used to have one. A big one. But my parents got sick and went away, and my siblings and I grew distant with each other after that.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I know. Sometimes I wanted to leave this place and explore, but...”
“But what?”
“I’m...afraid of ponies.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. What happened that made you fear them?”
“Not ponies in general. I’m just worried about their reaction to me. I’m afraid they will attack me because I’m not a pony.”
“They won’t do that, Tyke. Sure, some ponies get skeptical of other creatures, but they wouldn’t flat-out attack them unless it was in self-defense.”
“How do you know?”
“Well...” I rubbed the back of my head. “I guess I can tell you. I was actually born and raised in a pony town.”
Tyke widened his eyes. “Really? They weren’t afraid of you?”
“No. I was only a baby, so I didn’t do any major damage. Some ponies didn’t mind that I was a dragon. I’m sure the same would go for you if you ever visited. Heck, you might even make some friends like I did.”
“I don’t know, Spike. I really don’t want to take chances.”
“Hmm...Have you heard of Ponyville?”
“Yeah, it’s about a couple miles west of Rumbling Rock Ridge, right? South of Canterlot?”
I nodded. “That’s the town. If you ever visit the place, look for a giant library tree in the center of town. You’ll find a pony named Twilight Sparkle who lives there. She’s purple with wings and a horn, and her cutie mark is a bunch of sparkles. She’s very friendly even to non-pony creatures, and I’m sure she’ll be friendly to you. I’ll let her know about you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. It was really nice meeting you, Spike. I never thought I could talk to a dragon for the first time.”
“I never thought I could meet a Diamond Puppy, either. Guess that makes two of us.”
“Say, speaking of pony towns, do you know anything about the one nearby?”
I raised an eyebrow. “What one nearby?”
“There’s one about a few miles north from here...”
I pulled out and unfolded the map. “Can you find it on this map?”
Tyke pointed at the one I circled. “They just started building there. I heard there was nothing important there, though, so I don’t think it would cause any trouble.”
“Actually, that’s where I have to go next. Thank you for telling me, Tyke. I have to go now. It was nice meeting you.”
“Same here. Be careful out there, and thanks for the gems and food.”
I waved goodbye and quickly snuck away from the dogs. Once I got down the mountains, I dashed across the fields until I spotted some train tracks.
“Thank goodness! Starlight’s town should be nearby,” I said to myself.
I pulled out the map and checked my compass. I followed the direction away from the rails. After traveling for only a few minutes, I could see the town right in front of me.
This must be the place.
I put the map away and looked at the small town. It looked like it was under construction. The ponies there didn’t have equal cutie marks or creepy smiles, so I knew I wasn’t too late. I sighed with relief.
Now, to find Maud.
I climbed up the mountains once more and found just the pony I was looking for.
“Hey, Maud,” I called out. “Fancy meeting you here. Say, you still know a thing or two about rocks, right?”
“Yes,” Maud bluntly replied, not looking up from her notes.
“Great. Twilight wanted to study some sort of stone that can manipulate cutie marks, so she sent me out here to find one. Has there ever been a stone like that?”
“There’s one that can store them after they’re removed from a pony.”
“I think that’s the one. Where is it?”
“In the big cave.” Maud pointed to a cave just over yonder.
“Thanks. By the way, did anypony else come by to talk to you?”
“No.”
“Okay. Just curious.”
I quickly dashed into the cave and looked around. Sure enough, I found a stone that looked out of place. It was more brightly colored than any of the other rocks around here.
That must be it.
I took the stone, and I did the only thing possible to get rid of it and its powers. I ate it. It tasted very bland. The Griffonstone bread had more flavor than this, but it was the only way to get rid of it. I bit half of it off when it made a dying hissing sound. Its color vanished instantly.
As I exited the cave, I saw a pink pony with a purple mane running towards me. It was Starlight Glimmer. The pony who thought cutie marks were bad and nearly ruined Equestria when she traveled back in time. What luck I had to encounter her in the nick of time.
Let’s hope my silver tongue works.
"YAHHH!!" Starlight yelped when she noticed me.
“Relax, I’m not that kind of dragon,” I said as I continued munching on the stone.
“You scared me! Is...this your cave?” Starlight asked.
“Nah, I’m just roaming around looking for a bite to eat. I couldn’t afford a place like this.”
That’s when Starlight noticed the rock I was holding.
“What is that?” she asked, concerned.
“Oh, this? Just some random rock I found. I couldn’t find any gems, so I decided on this.” I then chuckled. “But get this, some mare told me that this kind of rock is capable of storing cuties marks. Can you believe that? I think she got hit in the head by some of the boulders or something.”
“No! No! NO!!” Starlight fell to the floor.
I put the last piece in my mouth and swallowed. “Something wrong? Did you actually want the rock?”
“That rock was supposed to help me! Ugh! Now what am I going to do?!”
“Wait...you wouldn’t happen to be Starlight Glimmer, would you?”
“How do you know my name?” Starlight raised her head.
“I was hanging out with this guy in the Crystal Empire. He told me a lot about you.”
“What did this guy look like?” Starlight squinted her eyes.
“Uh, gee, uhm...He was a unicorn. He was orange, with some white spots. Let’s see...he was wearing glasses and a cape. And...he had a red mane and beard.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know,” Starlight took a deep breath, “what his cutie mark was, do you?”
“I think it was some sort of sun? I couldn’t tell, he was always wearing that cape. I think his name was...Sunny? Suntan? Sunburn?”
“Sunburst,” Starlight growled.
“Yeah, that’s him. He told me all about you. How you two used to be together.”
“Used to be...” Starlight looked away.
“Right, you somehow disappeared from Sunburst’s hometown. After he flunked out of that School for Gifted Unicorns, he wanted…”
Starlight’s ears perked up. “Woah! Woah! Woah! Wait, what? He flunked out?!”
“Apparently. After getting his...you know what, his parents immediately sent him to that school. But he told me he was so bad at casting magic that the school board decided to kick him out. He said he wanted to look for you, but his mother kept getting in the way.”
“Sunburst...still cared for me?”
“Yes, and he still does. He even has a picture of you two as fillies. It’s one where he’s levitating blocks. Anyway, Sunburst said that after his folks celebrated, he wanted to thank you for helping him find his special talent, but he never got the chance. He was put in really hard courses thanks to his mom, so he couldn’t even send a letter.”
“Parents always tend to screw things up.” Starlight sighed.
“So you thought that after Sunburst got his cutie mark, he didn’t want to see you anymore. I bet that’s probably why you hated cutie marks so much. You’ve had a bad history with them.”
“How’d you figure that out?”
“When Sunburst told me how you two were close friends and how he was taken away after his cutie mark, I put myself in your horseshoes. If one of my best friends got their cutie mark and left town without so much as a goodbye, I too would get upset. There was also the fact you wanted the rock that stores cutie marks.” I burped a little. “Excuse me. For somepony to want it so desperately tells me that they wished to dispose a nearby town of their cutie marks. Finally, the way you reacted when you said the C-word yourself has led me to believe you don’t like saying it, let alone admitting it exists.”
“All this time I thought Sunburst didn’t care about me. I was upset with him when he left, but even I wouldn’t want him to get expelled from Princess Celestia’s school. And now I find out he still remembers me.” Starlight rubbed her face. “What do I do?”
“We can travel to the Crystal Empire if you want to make amends with Sunburst,” I said.
“No.” Starlight shook her head. “No, I...I don’t know if I can. Ever since I ran away, I never made friends with anypony else.”
“Well, you’re in luck, because I know a mare in Ponyville who can help you.”
Starlight stood up. “If we're gonna travel, then I'll have to talk to the town, first. I needed to anyway.”
“Take your time.”
After Starlight and I went down the mountain, she told her town that she was stepping down from being their ruler. Confusion and shock filled the air. I was in the crowd with my hood up. I felt like a hidden assassin.
“I know that this is all sudden,” Starlight announced, “but for the longest time I led you all to believe we could achieve greatness without the aid of cutie marks. However, that can no longer be the case.”
“How come?” A stallion asked. I was sure it was Party Favor, but it was hard to tell because of his mane.
“Because I learned the idea of removing one’s cutie mark, let alone an entire town’s, is not the answer to a lifelong problem that plagues the mind of ponies. Equality cannot be achieved by denying special talents.”
“But if you’re not gonna lead us, who is?” A mare asked. I think it was Sugar Belle.
“That is up to you all to decide. Whether you lead independently or vote on a new leader does not matter to me anymore. I wish you all the best of luck running this town, and hope that you will all thrive with your cutie marks intact.”
I quickly left the crowd and hurried to the edge of town. Starlight came up to me biting her lip.
“I have to say, that must’ve been pretty sudden to the townsfolk,” I said.
“So was the fact that Sunburst still remembered me.”
“Touche.”
Starlight and I left the town and took the train back to Ponyville. I was surprised to see a train stop at the end of the tracks. I thought in the show, Twilight asked the driver to stop there.
As we rode on the train, Starlight looked out the window.
“And you say this mare will help me?” Starlight asked.
“Of course,” I replied. “She’s the Princess of Friendship, and she’s really talented with magic, just like you.”
“Wait, you can tell?”
“You wanted a stone that can store cutie marks, and not one that removes one. That made me think you knew a spell that can do that. I’d let the others know about that if I were you. Also, Sunburst told me you were skilled as a filly.”
“What else do you know about me?”
Might as well tell her.
“You have a strong interest in kites,” I replied. “You’re a bit of a daddy’s girl, but you wish you weren’t. You grew up in Sire’s Hallow with Sunburst, and he was the only friend you ever had.”
“And...Sunburst told you all that?”
“Not all of it. I’ve got a good eye for detail, and can draw sufficient conclusions.”
“You’re pretty smart for a baby dragon.”
“When you’ve been raised in a library, sometimes you soak up information from the books.”
After a long train ride, the locomotive halted in front of Ponyville. I was glad to be back in Ponyville. Starlight and I hopped off and went to the library.
Starlight looked around the place. I bet she was eyeing at the cutie marks. Her look of worry and regret was obvious even to those who were blind. To see everypony getting along regardless of their cutie mark must have given Starlight some confusing emotions.
Once we got to the library, I knocked on the door, and Twilight answered.
“Spike! You’re back!” Twilight hugged me. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”
“It’s good to see you again, Twilight,” I said. “Oh, and...somepony wants to talk to you.”
Starlight awkwardly waved hello.
“Come on in, miss,” Twilight said.
The three of us entered the library. I unpacked everything and relaxed on my bed.
Later, Starlight told Twilight everything about her past, her old friend, and what she was going to do if I didn’t eat that rock. Twilight sighed.
“I thank you for telling me all this, Starlight,” Twilight said.
“What should I do?” Starlight asked. “I don’t think I’m ready to head back and see Sunburst again. I don’t even know how to interact with an old friend.”
Twilight rubbed her chin. “If you're willing to learn, then I'm willing to teach you what I know about friendship.”
“Really? Then...where do I start?”
“Starting is easy,” Twilight said. “All you have to do is make a friend! And you've got two of them right here.”
“And a bunch more coming your way,” I added.
And that was the end of my journey, and another major villain reformed. I was glad to help Griffonstone and reform Starlight Glimmer. So the premiere and finale of Season 5 would not happen. I was sure “The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone” would still happen, but it’d be somewhat different than in the show.
Now all that was left was to wait for Tirek.