"-and you will not help them!" Celestia said as she galloped quickly throughout the castle, Veretus keeping pace with some light jogging.
"You described the antithesis of all that I embody, And you want me to stand aside!?" Veretus said back, raising his voice over the wind resistance.
"Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are more than ready for-"
"The couple barely survived Chrysalis! And she wasn't trying to kill anybody! you expect that an ancient threat that had no qualms about not only enforcing his will but killing others is not more trouble than they can handle?" he interrupted her as they stopped in the throne room.
"Veretus has a point sister. Sombra is a formidable foe who will be as powerful as he was a millennia ago. Our combined might barely equaled his back in the day, for all we know, he is stronger now, and us, weaker." Luna interjected, already present, presumably having felt the same as both of them.
"Shining armor has grit Celestia, I will admit that, however, grit and power are two different things. Cadance has barely come to terms with her immortality, I understand the city is her right, but you are placing unnecessary pressure on them." He said calmly now that they all stopped, raising his eyes for emphasis.
"They are up to the task, now please, should they be unable to banish him, I will also send twilight and her friends-"
"To do what? I understand you have faith in our ponies sister, but Veretus makes good points, and for once he is offering his help. both of us know Sombra won't let them use the elements."
Celestia paused, the frustration on her face was visible, and Veretus almost found it cute, that small thinking pout and cross stare at her sister. Her hesitance was noted, and oddly, he felt that he should... console her? He placed a hand on her wither, she tensed for a second before relaxing and looking at him.
"I shall compromise, I will go with the two, they will secure the city, and I will deal with the tyrant of fear." He could see Celestia thinking, and Luna visibly relaxed. As much as she knew he was right, Veretus knew Luna hated arguing with her sister, it always worried her, reminded her.
"Very well," Celestia said, sighing in defeat. "However, you will not assist them with controlling the city, this must be the culmination of her lessons, Shining is an experienced captain, he shall assist her where she falls."
"Agreeable, My only want is to destroy the tyrant, I have little interest in the city." She shook her head sadly at his words.
"One of these days Veretus you must stop isolating yourself."
He shook his head, their talk was done, and he had to begin flying. As much as their civilization was advanced to rely on little magic, their transportation was still too slow.
"Trust me Celestia, it is better for your citizens that I do." And with his parting words, the throneroom doors closed, separating them.
Spike was feeling off. It wasn't the girls, they were safely in the cart, chatting and talking about the urgent matter Celestia had summoned them for. He didn't know why he tagged along, he usually didn't. Saving the world was their thing, not his. sure, he had been training, but unless he suddenly grew ten hooves he wasn't going to be seriously fighting any of the villains they usually fought.
He looked out the window once more, watching Ponyville down below grow more distant as they ascended the mountain. He was wringing his claws, and he probably looked nervous, but he just didn't know why.
"-ike, Spike?" The words from twilight shook him out of his trance, he looked up to the group looking at him worredly. "if you want to go back-"
"No, no need, just uh... comfy, is all, let's get going." He hopped down, wondering why he lied. they rushed through the city, and he barely realized that for once, he kept up with the girls without riding on twilight back, he was out of breath, but he kept up. They rushed through the castle, where he did finally get levitated up to her back, and they burst through the throneroom doors.
"Princess Celestia, we're... here... oh, princess Luna." Twilights words halted as she took in the fact that her mentor wasn't even present, Luna was sitting on the throne, and seemed surprised that they had entered so quickly."
"Twilight and friends, we didn't expect you for another few minutes..." Luna looked around, the room felt awkward. a few attempts at conversion were made before Princess Celestia finally entered.
"We appreciate your haste my little ponies, apologies, but I was waylaid by a minister."
"Well, yer majesty, what's the matter? Twilight said it was direly urgent." Applejack spoke up, and both of the princesses looked at each other.
"We said to come with haste, but we did not say that the situation was dire." Twilight sheepishly laughed as Princess Celestia continued. "Two days ago, Veretus, Cadance, and Shining armor went to the north."
"For what reason? There's little up there but just dreadful weather." Rarity asked.
"An ancient empire has returned, along with a foe we always feared..." Princess Celestia looked away, composing herself. "Veretus went to the north to fight him, while Cadance and Shining armor went to assure the city."
"Then we got nothin' to worry bout, That guy's tough as nails, maybe even tougher than me, he'll kick flank, and return in no time." As Rainbow Dash spoke, Spike's stomach fell. The feeling had returned, was it something to do with the north, normally, he'd be commenting about how such a sense was cool, like a superpower out of his comics, but his mouth was dry, and he felt that if he opened his mouth, nothing would come out.
"Normally, we would think so, but we received a letter from them this morning... Veretus is indisposed, they are safe, but they requested help... We will be sending you, please hurry as fast as you can, they were brief and provided little detail, and I only worry about what is going on up there."
"We're on it princess, if my BBBFF and Cadance need our help, we're glad to go." Spike barely remembered what transpired after. They thankfully didn't notice his state, and time flew by before he absently looked out the window of the train that had gotten on. Aside from the conductor, it was only them, and it had grown dark. Snow battered against the windows heavily, leaving the outside looking like hyperspace.
And then the sky lit up in bright firey gold. The pit in his stomach filled for a moment before falling again. The girls had crowded around the window in awe, chatting excitedly, wondering what the golden light was. Their discourse was stopped by the train coming to a screeching halt. They all got off as the train reversed, it would return in a week when hopefully everything was solved.
They soon noticed a figure through the heavy snow, all of the ponies were bundled up, and he only wore a scarf, thanks to being a dragon.
"Twilight?" The voice of Shining armor came from the figure, he was also heavily bundled, ski goggles included, as he approached.
"Shining!?" Twilight yelled over the raging snow in surprise, none of them had expected him to meet them, he didn't even know when they were coming.
"It's not safe out here currently, quick, we have to go before another-" And in the middle of his sentence, the sky lit up once more, this time accompanied by a loud crack, like thunder, which hurt everypony's ears. Everypony except spike, not because he was a dragon, but because he was no longer in the tundra.
"And yet you're still this weak, you can't kill me." The voice of veretus came from in front of him, except he was different, his eyes were black instead of the multicolored hue they normally were. Instead of his six different wings, all six of them were black and feathered. He sounded disappointed as he sat on a stone throne, oh, and he was twice as tall as he normally was.
"Stop the invasion! Millions are dying! Everything we worked for is disappearing!" Veretus's voice also came from behind him? He couldn't turn his neck, he felt stiff, and a rumble filled his chest... was he bigger?
"And yet you're still so weak! Perhaps they do deserve it, I may as well kill you, start over, of course, I will have my second death." The Not Veretus stood up, and in a blink, his hands were filled with a scythe, long and menacing, it was clearly not a harvesting instrument, at least not a conventional one.
And then Spike could barely follow. His own head moved about wildly, there was Veretus, he had his set of dragon wings, but he had two sets of white feathered wings instead of one black and one white. Fighting alongside him was a large upright elephant covered in armor? as well as a short, barely half Veretus's height short, creature slinging spells like a wizard in Ogres and Oubliettes, you know, it was exactly like in Ogres and Oubliettes!
Eventually, by realizing how his stiff body moved without his attention, he realized he was large, about as large as the elephant creature, he was a quadruped, and he was definitely a dragon. His scales were red and reflected every bit of light that shone on them, what took him hours of polishing seemed to come naturally to whoever he currently was.
The battle grew more intense, The elephant guy, which he learned was named Kardak when the other two shouted out his name as the Not Veretus's scythe burrowed into his chest. Like some sick game of sports, he swung back and threw Kardak's body off his scythe, he lost track of it as his body focused instead on trying to fight. Yet each blow seemed to only encounter a solid sheet of air.
"You can't kill death, not now, not yet." He spoke, parrying Veretus's twin swords, both made of black metal, with his scythe as he swung his scythe around, hitting the little green creature, Greesh from Veretus's panicked shout, in the stomach, where he flew out of his sight.
Spike's horror was mounting. He wanted this dream to stop, he had no control, no agency! He willed himself to wake up, anything to make this scene stop. It wasn't like his comics, they were stories. Sure he sometimes dreamed about being one of them, and every superhero needed a low point in their story, but this? This felt real, it felt bloody, and it was vivid...
Veretus was losing, with every exchange he lost ground, he stepped back, and the body he was in was being ignored, at one point it even opened up its jaw and tried to bite the Not Veretus, and still, it was blocked by some barrier. This guy was cheating!
Eventually, Spike was knocked away, more like an annoying fly than like one of the other combatants. He recovered his wits, or rather his body did, and it opened its eyes to see Veretus disarmed, Spike willed the body to do something, to move, to run! To get in between them before Veretus was killed just like the others!
It seemed this it could get behind. With fluid grace, they moved as the scythe swung back underhanded. it was all a blur, he wanted to get there, move Veretus, Despite being little more than a dream he was trapped in, no, a nightmare, he willed it to happen.
The pulse of pain surprised him, he hadn't felt much, it felt like getting a flu shot, then he felt cold, the world blurred, and he could barely hear anything, but one thing came in clearly.
"Son! Son..."
"Spike! Spike!" Spike blinked as the tundra was back. Twilight was shaking him, the others looked worried. Their outfits looked frazzled, and he realized his scarf was missing. Then he noticed he was laying down on grass. The world was spinning, and he grasped for coherency.
"I'm... okay?" He didn't mean it to be a question, and he was sure it didn't ease their worry. He cleared his thoughts and tried again. "I'm fine, really."
"Yah sure? Yah dropped like apples off the tree." He waved off Applejack's concerns.
"Well, okay, but one more time and we're doing... something?" Twilight warned with confusion, and he felt her confusion himself, they could confine him to bed rest, but he doubted that'd help at all. Something was going on, something strange and horrible, but he just didn't know what to do.
After meeting Cadance, they split up, Rarity and Applejack went to ask ponies questions, and the rest of them found the library. Their goal? Find something to stop Sombra, as they guessed Veretus was only fighting to a standstill. It didn't settle right with him, Veretus had talked about his powers multiple times, and it was no secret that he even made a desert into a verdant prairie! Maybe he was weakened, did god's get the flu?
The girls crowded around a book while he was distracted once more, oddly enough, he had grabbed a book about crystal pony mythology, as rare as it was. When you had alicorns and powerful foes once a month, along with raising and lowering the sun, he supposed they didn't really have a need for religion. At least not like Veretus described it.
He looked at the odd creature sitting on a pile of gems, gold, and wealth on a random page he had flipped to. another boom shook the sky, the gold swirled- not again!
"They're not my problem." The deep rumbling voice came from his own throat, it was low and baritone, and had a background noise like crumbling rocks, he was laying down, probably in the same body, only a little smaller, as he looked down on... Veretus? the face was right, if quite young? Except he only had a single sword, and he wore a red hooded cloak atop chainmail instead of the plated suit of metal he normally wore. He also had none of his wings.
"They helped build this, every citizen that helped you is in danger." He gestured to the gigantic pile of gold coins, gems, and trinkets Spike was laying on.
"Then they can defend it as well. The city is not my concern." Apparently, that was the wrong thing for this body to say, as Veretus launched himself at Spike. Before his form could do anything, however, Veretus held one of his horns and forced his head to the carved stone ground with a heavy thunk.
"Just because you own half the city, doesn't mean you can abandon them in their time of need. I raised you better." He let go, but Spike's body didn't raise its head as Veretus walked towards a staircase. "I'll be at the city walls. If you don't show up... I no longer have a son."
The door atop the stairs slammed shut, and spike shot up to his feet. The girls looked at him strangely, but he didn't care as he closed the book. He felt he had an inkling of why he kept having these dreams, or... visions? something. He ran towards the door, halting at twilight's voice.
"Wait, Spike! What are you doing?" He paused, what was he doing? He started moving and felt like he was going somewhere... The city walls? no, the Crystal kingdom, the name of the city they were in, didn't have city walls, the houses gave way to plains thanks to Cadance and Shining's magic, and then to tundra... to Veretus he realized. Something there kept calling him.
"I'm going to help." He said without turning around, he didn't want to show the concern and worry on his face. He had no idea how he could help, but whatever was calling him thought he could.
"But we just found mention of the fair, and a crystal heart, how could you-"
"Please twilight... All I can say is I'm going to help." He took in a large breath and turned around. He hoped he looked confident as they locked eyes, she searched him for what felt like an eternity, and then Twilight nodded.
"Okay, I believe in you, You never failed me before, my number one assistant." He didn't know how much he needed to hear that as he marched outside. His back was tall, as much as it could be since he used a tail for balance. He marched out of the city, most of the ponies were grey and downcast, so they didn't stop him. He marched through the cold tundra eastward. He didn't rely on any specific sense to know he needed to go this way, but rather some feeling inside him.
He paused only shortly as he could make out some darker blackness in the night sky, and as he reached ever closer, another loud boom, and golden flash lit up the sky. He saw it through that flash, a large wall of inky blackness, like an impenetrable fog. it corralled whatever made that flash, only letting the occasional wave through. He took a deep breath and plunged head-first into the cloud.
He was scared, lost, and alone. He had wandered the inky blackness for hours, maybe days? Twilight would be disappointed he failed, she'd leave him, call him worthless- he paused, the entire cloud lit up in a golden hue that passed by him before disappearing, and he wiped away his tears. Twilight wouldn't do that, those were just his own fears and doubts, and suddenly it struck him.
His favorite comic quote went, "The ignorant have no fear, but bravery is acting despite that fear." Nothing had happened to him but his own fears, he had only been in here for minutes, not hours. He walked on and wondered what Veretus was afraid of, that had to be the reason he hadn't kicked this Sombra's flank by now.
He paused as another golden glow appeared, but it didn't pass him by, instead, it circled him, surrounded him until he couldn't see, and when his eyes cleared, he gulped, in front of him was perhaps the most terrifying thing he had seen.
The dragons he knew were like him, but just bigger, maybe some were quadruped, but some were bipedal like him, and their scales were monochrome but dull... This dragon was five times as big as Spike, his red scales shown in the inky blackness, Every part of this creature was built for war, sharp claws, sharp teeth, strong scales, piercing eyes, goring horns...
"Go away, before I burn you." It said in the same rumbly low baritone he had heard in his vision, he was shaking, his body wanted to turn around, but he refused, he was going to help, he had to help.
"I... R-refuse." He said, and mentally kicked himself, why did he choose today to be stubborn, sure, he had a hero streak, but this was different... he could die.
"Turn back, or die." The red dragon repeated once more. The bigger dragon's eyes narrowed as he reared back, inhaling deep before golden fire washed over Spike. He held an arm in front of his closed eyes, hoping his fireproof scales would protect him...
And it didn't hurt, the golden fire washed over him harmlessly, and the dragon stood there looking menacing as spike brought his arm down.
"You're not real, are you?" He asked with sudden realization.
"Indeed I am not, a fact my father laments every moment." The dragon said softly, regretfully.
"Are you a memory?"
"In a sense..." The red dragon lowered its head down to spike's level, Each ridge and bump, curve and scale seemed too real... "The workings of an immortal are much more complicated than a simple mortal, which is why he needs your help..."
"How- no, why does he need my help? He's a god, isn't he?"
"It is because of that, that he needs your help. They have used against him the only thing he cannot overcome... Himself." The red dragon craned his neck, nearly twisting it fully around as he looked up as another boom crackled out. It should have deafened spike at this range, instead, it was soft and quiet, lighting the dark mist he was in golden.
"I... I can't. I'm not strong, and every weapon he's trained me in I wasn't good at." Spike struggled not to avert his eyes as the bigger dragon suddenly craned back down and stared him down. He had been awful at every weapon, which to be fair, he hadn't been training long, but Veretus said some weapons should just... click.
"You are a dragon are you not?"
"yeah, but-" He was interrupted by a huff of golden smoke.
"You are a dragon, in this realm, your teeth sheer diamonds, your scales are heat resistant and hard, your kind bathes in lava, and your claws, if you didn't dull them, would rend through rock. tell me, why do you fight with weapons?"
"Because Veretus said to... and I'm still not strong, I can't lift a lot, just some books,.."
"A stack, which is larger and heavier than you, you keep your wants and desires in check, barely unleashing them, stifling yourself." Spike was beginning to think this... memory, whatever he was, could read his mind, his own memories.
"I... I nearly hurt my friends when I get greedy. I nearly hurt, and really scared Rarity last time. And all my friends, and ponyville..."
"The dragons of this world are truly worthless..." Spike frowned, he didn't like the other dragons, they were jerks, but he was being a bit harsh, wasn't he? As if sensing his displeasure, the dragon continued.
"Do not misunderstand, they have decided that greed and avarice are power, they take what is not theirs, and call it power. It is inefficient and wasteful, and most importantly, not theirs. A dragon takes, yes, but they do not steal like foxes, they challenge, dominate, and earn what is rightfully theirs. They desire, and the world capitulates..."
The dragon suddenly reared up, standing tall and looking down at spike. "If I teach you to be a dragon, if you truly wish to help him, understand that you will be hated, not be friends and family, but by your kin, by your world... because you will have chosen a foreign path, one which this world doesn't agree with..."
Spike paused, to be a dragon? He didn't like what those jerks were like, but this seemed different, although, was it just more of the same? The dragon admitted that his kind also stole, but he made it seem as if they did it honorably... and then he thought of what he saw in the visions. Their world was harsher, but he was also Veretus's son... or the memory of him... didn't this also mean this was Veretus offering? But... What could he do if he refused? Nothing.
"I... I want to be stronger."
"Then you have already started. prepare yourself, because it will wholly depend upon you." upon that, the Red Dragon opened its mouth wide, and breathed golden flames upon him once more. He was blinded, so he didn't see the crown of horns, made of purple and brackish fire atop his head, fit over him like a circlet.
"Roar your name to the world, tell it your name, and thus your desires..." The dragon's voice was barely a whisper, fading every moment.
"I-I'm Spike?" He stammered out in confusion.
"Roar it out wyrmling..." the voice came, smaller.
"I am SPIKE!" He shouted out, yet nothing happened.
"That is shouting, take a breath, close your eyes, and think on your name and desires, then roar. it. ou..." And the voice was gone, the place was still, and the oppressive black mist made it hard to think, he constantly feared failing, he no longer had guidance...
And so he took a deep breath and thought. He didn't want this Sombra to win, and that was a desire, wasn't it? He thought of why, He thought of Twilight, He cooked and cleaned, he loved it, because he loved his sister. She was rash, whenever she saw knowledge, she forgot everything, sometimes to her detriment.
Rarity, the diamond of his eye, the first thought was of her generosity, she was prim and proper, like those in Canterlot, which she idolized, but was still down to earth. It was part of his Crush, which he knew she used him for, but nopony was perfect, it might not go anywhere... but he'd chase it as far as he could.
Fluttershy, soft and gentle, kindness itself. She'd talk as gently to a bear as she would to a squirrel. She was getting braver every day, and he wanted to do the same.
Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer. She was fearless and headstrong, she wasn't afraid of failure, because she never failed. If she fell, she got right back up, and he wanted to do the same.
Applejack, honest and hardworking. She sweated and toiled and barely complained, and you'd find no one prouder of their work than her. And no one more honest to themselves.
Pinkie pie, the ever-energetic party pony. He didn't think she could hate anypony, even if she tried. Maybe dislike, but hate? never. She probably already knew what he was doing, readying a party for the city, for him and Veretus on their return.
Veretus... He was unflappable. That was what he wanted to learn. Spike didn't care much for fighting, despite his fantasy of being a knight in shining armor, large and muscular. Despite his comic books. The others saw him as a child. Honestly, he probably still was, he liked comic books and Ogres and Oubliettes. He was sometimes scared, but he was also grown up in other ways.
And that was why he saw Veretus as his teacher, Veretus cared just like him, he never spoke badly of anypony, not even Chrysalis. He'd say what they did was bad, sure, but Spike could tell he never hated anypony for what they did. He loved to help, but held himself back, and he just... wasn't surprised by anything, he wasn't scared...
And Spike now knew why, he wasn't unflappable, he was scarred. He had healed, over and over, and Spike couldn't even imagine losing Twilight, but he lost his son...
And then Spike knew himself. He was helpful because it was the right thing to do, and he was kind because he could be, he loved cooking and cleaning, he had friends who liked him, he had Twilight, Shining, and all of the family as his family. He was getting closer to big mac, thinking about introducing ogres and Oubliettes to him, maybe that weird science guy at the school as well? Although they didn't hang out much.
He knew what Sombra would do, and his want was to stop him from ruining everypony's life. Then, it was a whisper that he was barely conscious of... "Spike..."
And he could taste his name, not like it had a flavor, but that he knew what it was made of. His wants, his desires, his selflessness and greed. His past and his present were there too. He never realized that names, even his, were so simple, yet so complex.
If he had his eyes opened, he would have seen it. The oppressive fog retreated, not smoothly or quickly, but jaggedly and stuttering, it parted not from the air or some sort of force, but because it felt fear. It was afraid because its own wants and desires were lesser, it wanted ruin and destruction, it wanted fear...
And this little dragon's ambition had conquered fear itself. Spike didn't grow, he didn't need to, and he didn't want to. He was a child, and a child he'd stay, just a little bit longer, optimistic at the world.
And he opened his eyes and walked through the parting fog... Forward, to save his friend.