//------------------------------// // The Forest Team // Story: The Element of Magic // by PlutoMilo //------------------------------// Translations of the Shakespearean will be at the bottom. Thank you for reading. She should’ve known better than to let Nova out of her sight. Her sweet naive child was too eager to explore. Nightmare Moon understood. Of course, she did. Every time her horseshoe scuffed against the dirt or brushed past the grass it made her breath catch in her chest. All of it was so alien compared to the bone-chilling ache of being stuck in between death. Every breath was savored before being exhaled. Over a thousand years ago, if someone told Princess Luna that she would find breathing to be taken for granted, she would’ve thrown her head back and howled with laughter. Nightmare Moon breathed in, letting the air swirl in her chest, fanning the flames of terror and anger. How dare her sist -- no, that heartless alicorn did not deserve to be called her sister. Not anymore. Not after what she has done and what she will continue to do. How dare the Queen steal her child away. Precious Nova, who did not know much of anything except the freezing cold and hard rock, starving and unable to breathe but not dying. Yes, Nightmare Moon was beyond anger. The alicorn breathed, letting her pacing settle. Her eyes landed on her newest companion. Spike Sparkle was a small conundrum. He’d been so very brave at the Ceremony, defending a drakon from her her full wrath. But now he was listless, tear tracks dried on his muzzle, and staring off into nowhere. His little vest was filthy from the dust of the chandelier. The only good thing, she supposed, was that his eyes flickered when she entered his field of vision. “Art thee good now? I can't has't mine own captain of the guardeth be-est weak.” She tried her hardest to restrain her voice to a manageable level after noticing he constantly flinched when she used the Royal Canterlot voice. “If it be true thee wanteth, I can showeth thee where thee can catch but a wink?” Spike Sparkle whimpered but nodded, hiccuping slightly as he spoke for the first time since he’d stepped hoof in the old castle, “You talk like Shakespeare. You’re lucky Mom made me study him. I wouldn’t understand without that.” “I knoweth not of this Shakespeare thee speaketh of,” the alicorn admitted as she led the colt through the broken halls, pleased he was showing signs of incredible intelligence. She pushed open the door of what used to be the barracks and winced at the destruction. The roof was just flat out gone and vines crept in from the cracks in the walls. The beds, if they even deserved to be described as such anymore, were nothing more than rotted flaps of questionable material suspended by rusted iron framework. It used to be grand. Home to a battalion of Thestrals and Ponies that loyally served. Back then they were simply called the Royal Guard. She could still name her closest officers. Shadow Prancer, Black Thorn, Night Flight, Silent Owl. “I’m sleeping here?” the boy’s voice was soft as if she would explode and curse him for asking a simple question. He quickly added upon seeing her narrowed eyes, “I don’t mind of course. I’d be happy to sleep here.” “Nay, of course not. I wast simply did strike by nostalgia.” She glanced down at him and snorted, “It isn't wise to forswear to thy Master. Doth not doth it again.” Spike Sparkle flinched and the alicorn pushed away the flare of rage that accompanied the action. Whoever raised this child had not done so correctly. Who was she kidding? The entire society that surrounded this child was wholly wrong, to begin with. A simple sweep of the gathered ponies at the Celebration revealed mainly unicorns. She would not stand for it when she took the throne proper. She would search the deepest ravines and the highest of clouds to find the remnants of her Thestral Guard. They had to exist somewhere. Unless the Queen had seen fit to eradica-- no she would not think like that. Her Night Children were alive. She did not raise cowards and weaklings. “Bid me,” the alicorn said, startling the colt in the quiet that fell as they walked, “What didst thee doth to earneth thy second nameth? Bid me thy knightly escapades.” “It’s my mom’s.” Spike Sparkle said, carefully picking his words, “I was uhh, birthed…? Yeah, let’s go with that. I was birthed in a shower of sparkles.” The child was lying to her again. But then again, it had been quite a personal question. She would not punish him for sparing her something embarrassing from his colt-hood. She hummed in response, finally cracking open a door that revealed a somewhat nice room. A quick spell fixed up the mattress and a second spell scrapped all the dust in the room into a small ball that she banished. The child walked in and turned in a circle, looking curiously at the carved Runes and Sigils on the walls. Before the alicorn could open her mouth to tell him not to touch, lest he accidentally activates the thief alarm, he pressed his hoof into the stonework and pressed his Magic into it. Instantly, the room warmed and the colt sighed in relief. “Ever not doth something liketh yond again. Thee couldst've been hath killed!” Her voice echoed in the small room. Spike Sparkle jumped like he’d been struck by lightning, ears folding flat on his head. “I can read some of them. I knew what that one would do.” “Yond is nay colours. Doth not, ever.” Nightmare Moon said coldly, heart beating wildly at ‘what if’s. “Yes, Master.” And it was the way he said it, with that hopeless tone tinged with resignation. She swallowed the bile that threatened to escape the confines of her mouth and bade him a good rest. She closed the door and teleported back into the Throne Room, mane shimmering and fluttering like blue flames. As upset as she was, she still had work to do. First thing first, she had to somehow fix a damnable Leyline. She pushed her frustration away. She was Nightmare Moon; if anyone could fix a Leyline, it would be her. For Nova. For Spike Sparkle. For her Night Children. Or she would die trying. The alicorn set to work. The Magic of the Everfree hung like a haze over the trees. The Magic here was like Canterlot’s in the sense that it smothered all it encompassed. But mostly the Magic was different. Canterlot’s was bright, blinding, and almost completely overwhelming to the dragon. The Everfree’s was more natural and slightly easier on the senses. It didn’t chase away Twilight’s pounding headache though. The dragon hissed through her teeth as Fluttershy poked and prodded at the broken scales along her back. A bitter-smelling salve already coated most of her back, leaving the slimy cooling sensation to cover the most damaged parts. It was itchy. Her limbs twitched as she fought her instincts to get up and start running again. “Stop moving, child,” a voice boomed kindly, “Thank you, Fluttershy. I can take over from here.” “Oh, Donnie. No problem. I already finished with the salves. You probably know more about this than I do.” Twilight twisted her head around, jaw dropping open in surprise at the much larger earthly-toned dragon that appeared. The dragon trailed chains and his scales were cracked and dull. One of his eyes was white and milky. He had no wings and a long serpentine body. The dragon laughed without opening his mouth. In fact, his mouth was bolted by a band of Magic suppressing titanium strapping it mostly shut. The metal was a void, an abyss threatening to suck Twilight down. Everything had Magic to it, no matter how small there would be trace amounts. The metal was nothing, had nothing, and would continue to take and take. Twilight shuddered. “You have done well, dear. Leave it to old Don. Go on, eat, rest. Bring me Lady Applejack after. After!” he chided again when Fluttershy opened her beak. The hippogryph smiled before leaving. “What happened to you?” Twilight rasped to the older dragon before she could even think, “How come your…” she trailed off, embarrassment making her voice die. Donnie’s eyes crinkled, “This, child, is what happens when our kind go out to see the world. Zero out of ten, I would not recommend. Now!” he clapped his hands, adopting a professional air, “I am your assigned Healer. I am De-lóng, in Ponyish. Don or Donnie is acceptable. No introduction is needed, Taskmaster Sparkle. Let’s see what can be done for you.” “...Did someone hurt you?” The dragon shot her a rather flat look that made Twilight quail, but his voice was kind and patient when he spoke again, “You’re showing signs of hoard withdrawal so be sure to spend some time in your den when you’re done here.” “What withdrawal?” Twilight croaked and the old dragon frowned. It was a frightening expression with his bushy eyebrows drawn low over his eyes and his mouth turning down at the corners. “Oh, dear child. Where were you hatched? I might go to your Tribe and have words with them about educating their hatchlings properly.” he sighed, sitting next to her bed of leaves, “Hoard withdrawal happens when dragons like you -- by which I mean a more Western type like you -- don’t spend enough time with your hoard. See your limbs child? They have an energy to them, don’t they?” Twilight nodded, mind whirling faster than a tornado and clenching her claws to keep them still. “Your body is telling you to return to it.” “I wasn’t hatched. I don’t have a hoard,” Twilight responded slowly. “I don’t have a Tribe. I don’t have any of those things, you see. My Mother and Father are-” The dragon snarled and growled suddenly making Twilight snap her mouth shut. The rumbles in his chest and throat made the bed shake with minute tremors. His single eye looked at her expectantly. He chuffed and hissed and Twilight flinched. Then his expression became blank. “You did not understand.” After hearing his growls Twilight finally realized he was Magically projecting what he wanted to say to the area around him. No wonder the words were so clear. She needed to learn how to do that. But his statement wasn’t a question. Donnie looked over her again, “Child,” he said impossibly gently, “Do not fret. Tell me your story. There are not enough dragons left in this world, I will not harm younglings. I can see you will not be resting. Tell me your story so that I may understand.” Twilight wanted to roar and rip at her bedding. She didn’t have time for this, but the old dragon’s expression brokered no argument. She wasn’t foolish enough to try and disobey him when he could very well wrap a single hand around her throat with ease. So, Twilight took a deep breath and began, “I was born to unicorns Twilight Velvet and Night Light in the Capital…” Dear Queen Celestia, To begin, I hope you are well. I don’t know if this letter will appear to the intended recipient, but I hope so. Honestly, I do not know where to begin with this. Many things have happened in a very short amount of time. I am currently resting before setting out to find Spike. As you know already, probably, the alicorn Nightmare Moon has made her return along with Princess Nova. Truthfully, I am still slightly dubious about their claims. If they were alicorns, you would’ve mentioned them at some point. Is it true Nightmare Moon is your sister? The beings here in Ponyville have been so kind to me even though I’ve been ruder than I would’ve liked. The stress of the Celebration really got to me. Many sources in this town say they must submit paperwork to Canterlot every year and that the fines are astronomical. Do you know anything about that? The town is still in debt from a mistake in the system, something about lost papers, from decades ago! It’s quieter here in Ponyville. There are not even enough unicorns to have a Leyline form. Imagine that, my Queen. It’s very different from the hustle and bustle of Canterlot. My limbs are all restless from being away from Spike. I’m sorry if the legibility of this letter leaves much to be desired. A mentor of sorts has informed me that it’s called hoard withdrawal. I didn’t even know it was possible for someone like me to have a hoard! That makes it kind of dangerous since my hoard is a living breathing pony. My mentor promised to show me how to slowly detach from all that later on. It’ll be much safer for everyone involved. Books or scrolls would be cool hoarding materials I reckon. Did you know that Dragons have their own Magic? I’m not sure if I can tap into it since I’m so attuned to Unicorn Magic. My mentor said it’s supposed to come naturally, so I’m not sure how that’s supposed to go. It sounds like a worthwhile project to start on when everything is all done and dusted. I miss you and I hope you’re in hiding like a sensible pony. If you’re in a position to do so, would you be able to send someone to check on my parents and my brother? I may or may not have lost my mind a little after Spike was taken from me. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up. Do you know what became of the rest of my family? I hope no one was hurt. Don’t you worry, I’ll report back to Canterlot as soon as I have recovered and ensured Spike’s safety. Your pupil, Twilight Sparkle, Student of the Sun