//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: True origins // by Digitalis //------------------------------// Author's notes: This chapter will include some names that are taken from The Elder Scrolls, they are no property of mine. I only took them and used them in the story, please don't be mad because of it. Spike woke up with the first light of the morning. He groggily sat in his bed and yawned. Just then he noticed that he was feeling strange. He felt his shoulders a bit heavier, and his back was itching a bit. He stretched an arm, and his eyes widened in surprise as he felt the cause of the itching in his back. “What the…? Are those wings?!” Indeed, he had now a little pair of dragon wings growing from his shoulder blades. He tried to shake them, and the wings fluttered slightly. Still, they were too small to lift him off the ground, although it didn’t matter for the young dragon for now. “This is so cool! I’ll be able to fly! I can’t wait to show Twilight these… Oh, right.” He then remembered that he wasn’t with Twilight anymore, and sighed. It wouldn’t be easy to live without the unicorn. Spike stood in the huge bed for a moment, feeling a bit sad. A knock from the stone and a voice door caught his attention. “My Prince, are you already awake?” It was Sarr. “Yeah, come in.” The blue dragon opened the tall door and entered the room. “I hope you have slept well.” He said with a pleasant tone. “Yeah, it wasn’t so hard.” Spike took a look to the bed. It was dragon-sized, like the rest of the room, and made of stone. A thick blanket of what it looked like thick threads of wool covered it, making it less hard to sleep on. “Err, I think there’s something you should see…” He added pointing at his back. Sarr inspected Spike and noticed the tiny wings, he also noticed that the little dragon was now a little taller than before. “Oh, interesting.” His tone was curious. “I’m not sure, but I could guess that being with your kin and learning about the true nature of dragonkind could be stimulating your body and spirit, helping you develop faster than expected.” “Really?” Spike was now curious about this situation. “But I thought that could happen only due to greed.” Sarr shook his head. “Greed is not the only way a dragon becomes an adult. That is not the way we choose in our kingdom. But enough talk.” The dragon mage stood up and headed to the door. “Your father is waiting for you in the dining room. Better not make him wait.” They got to the dining room, where Kiguroth was alone. Spike took a seat next to his father. “Good morning, dad.” “Good morning, my son.” Kiguroth replied with a smile. “I hope you have slept well.” “Sure I did.” Spike quickly ate his breakfast, which once more consisted on gems. “So, what are we doing today?” “Of course, today.” Kiguroth sighed. “I hoped that today we could continue teaching you about our culture. However, I must hold court for the rest of the day, so I won’t be able to.” “Don’t worry about that, Your Highness. I can help if you need it.” Sarr quickly said, willing to help. Kiguroth nodded. “Yes, that’s why Sarr will become your tutor from now on. Listen to what he says and don’t get in trouble.” “Yeah, yeah.” Spike answered pretty annoyed. “Very well, now I must leave.” Kiguroth got up and headed to a hallway but was stopped briefly by Sarr. “Are you sure you will be okay without my help for the rest of the day, Your Majesty?” He asked a tad worried. “Don’t worry about that, I can handle myself. Have a nice day both of you.” And with that the Dragon King left, leaving the dragon mage and Spike alone. Sarr looked at Spike and grinned. “Very well. Shall we go?” The day had been pretty fruitful. Sarr had shown Spike several places in the city, and taught him about dragon society. Spike had learned several things that seemed odd, comparing to what he thought he knew about dragons. Dragons in Draconia were far more civilized than any other dragon he had met before. As far as he knew, Draconia was the only civilized dragon society, the rest lived everywhere in the world, alone or in small groups, with no rules and no leader but the strongest of that group. All the cities in Draconia were mining cities, they dug for gems and minerals for subsistence or in exchange of other products with countries and kingdoms in the south. But this was maybe the oddest: no dragon in Draconia seemed to be like the ‘outsiders’ as they called them; here they rejected the savage lifestyle of any other dragon outside the kingdom’s borders. No dragon had a hoard, as such act was considered barbarian. Here dragons had rules and laws, and they stuck up to them. Right now Sarr and Spike were going up the stairs that led to Ice Heart Tower, headquarters of the Order of the Ice Heart. “The Order of the Ice Heart was formerly created after the foundation of Draconia. Before that the mages were assembled in a formerly secret brotherhood. They didn’t share their secrets with anyone, and were often regarded with fearful eyes, until they officially joined the government after the foundation of our glorious kingdom.” Sarr was explaining with a glint of pride in his eyes. “Since then, the Order has been an almost common part of society. We also founded the most prestigious university of the kingdom, as you have already seen.” Spike nodded. The University was a place where only the best could study, a place that could put Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns in shame. From there, novices were recruited to join the Order of the Ice Heart, and learn the ancient secrets of dragon magic. The Tower itself was a forbidden place to everyone that wasn’t a member of the brotherhood, except for novices, or in this case, a guest of the Great Archmage himself. The Tower consisted of three parts; the lower part of it was where novices and members of lower rank lived; in the middle part were the classrooms and other facilities; and the upper part was home of the high ranked members of the Order, along with the library. The library was enormous, it made Canterlot Library, the biggest and most important library in Equestria, look like an old bookcase, or so it seemed to Spike. Thousands of ancient books and scrolls rested in tall stone shelves that went up to the ceiling. However, as impressing as the place was, the two dragons didn’t have much more time to admire it, as Sarr decided to keep on. “Let’s go, my Prince. This way. I would like to show you something else before we go back with your father.” They left the library behind, and entered in another room. This was pretty small and round but it seemed old, an very important. Sarr closed the door behind him, and everything went silent. “Where are we?” Spike asked curious. “This is the most sacred place in the city. Here is the oldest representation of our kind’s history.” Sarr pointed at the walls. “Look around.” Spike looked around and saw it. In the walls were several carvings, showing what it seemed many different dragons in different moment in history. In these carvings, was the history of Spike’s people. “I brought you here to tell you about the history of Draconia.” Sarr said solemnly. “How we came to be and how we stood against our own kind to prevent the destruction of our world.” As he said this, it seemed that the light was diminishing, until they were almost surrounded by darkness, the only light were the few torches in the walls. “In the beginning, there was nothing, but two beings of immense power. Despite their aspects were different, they were brothers, as they shared the same essence. One of them was Akatosh, the First Dragon. The other was Chronus, the First King.” Spike looked at the carvings Sarr was looking at. One of them was a dragon, Akatosh definitely, but the other looked like… a pony. More specifically an alicorn. Spike decided not to bring that up. “One time, they slept. And they dreamed.” The mage went on. “They dreamed of life, of a world filled with the essence and the breath of the Two. And when they opened their eyes, their dream had taken form, and our world was born.” “However, it wasn’t the world they had dreamed of. It was dark and barren, and life could not bloom in it. In their infinite wisdom, they understood that they had to make it the world they wanted it to be. And so, they worked. They filled seas and lifted mountains, and breathed the air we still breathe.” “In the climax of their work, Akatosh comprehended that this new world would need guardians to protect it. The Two were not the only beings in the Void, and there were other things that fed of the Void and opposed the Two. Although Chronus offered himself to watch over it, they would also need an army. And so Akatosh took a part of his great powers, and created a race of guardians according to his own image. These were the dragons, the First Born. All the first dragons were majestic and powerful creatures, but there was one that surpassed the other, one whose majesty, power and loyalty to the Two had no equal. One that was titled the Firstborn of Akatosh… and also the one that became one of the biggest threats to the world.” Sarr stopped and took breath. “Who was him?” Spike asked, his curiosity reaching critic levels. Sarr grimaced and looked another carving. It depicted a black dragon followed by an army, facing the Two, Akatosh and Chronus. It was a dark chapter in the history of his people. “The World Eater. Alduin.”