//------------------------------// // Old Stories - Action, Drama // Story: Krizak's Compendium of Concise Chronicles // by Krizak //------------------------------// “But I’m not tired, really!” the purple dragon protested as he begrudgingly got into his bed, glaring as defiantly as he could at the one forcing the issue… which pretty much just meant a pout with his young features. “Why doesn’t Pinkie get to stay out as late as she wants and I have to go to bed early?” “Because Pinkamena is a teenager, and you’re just a baby dragon, Spark,” the much larger dragon replied, a smirk travelling the full length of his snout. “And as I always heard when I was younger, baby dragons need their sleep.” He lifted himself onto his hind legs as he drew closer to the whelp’s bed, his massive claws delicately handling the blanket as he tucked in the younger dragon. “But if you’re not tired, perhaps a bedtime story is in order…” “Aww!” Spark scrunched up his face at the suggestion. “I’ve heard all of your stories a hundred times, Dad! Aunt Twilight was cool and all, but even her adventures are getting kinda old.” Spike paused for a moment at his son’s words, trying not to show how much they hurt him. It wasn’t Spark’s fault that he didn’t truly understand what Twilight meant to him, to Equestria, to the whole world and all its inhabitants. It wasn’t Spark’s fault that he didn’t know just how much the memories of his namesake meant to Spike. But perhaps there was a story that would convey that meaning. “Alright, then, Spark, since you’re insisting that you’re old enough to stay up, maybe you’re old enough to hear this story.” Spike settled down next to Spark’s bed, bringing his head close to the young dragon. “You haven’t heard it before, not just because you were too young, but because… because it’s rather painful. But it’s important that you hear it at some point, so…” “This is how your Aunt Twilight died.” Spark’s face was a picture of rapt attention and awe as Spike launched into the tale he wouldn’t soon forget. “As you might have heard once or twice, Twilight lived for a very long time; to this day, there’s no pony who has lived as long, save for the Princesses. Some say that it was the Element of Magic that kept her alive so long, but I still think it was just because she was that stubborn; she wouldn’t die as long as she had a reason to live.” Spike frowned. “And I think I was the reason she kept going as long as she did, that she didn’t want to leave me alone. Even after your Aunt Pinkie died – Twilight was devastated for months, and I totally thought that I’d lose her as well, but she eventually pulled through. She was never the same after that, but… she kept going. “And then he returned.” Spike noticed the horrified look on his son’s face and silently chastised himself for putting so much anger into those words. Even now, decades later, the hatred he felt burned in his heart hotter than his deadliest flame… but that was no reason to scare his son. “The Elements cannot be passed down until all the bearers have passed on, so Twilight was the only Element of Harmony left, and that weakened Discord’s seal enough so that he could escape and wreak havoc once again. And he had learned his lesson this time; he made a beeline straight for Twilight and me, intent on dealing with the only pony capable of stopping him. “It was a terrible battle; half of Ponyville was demolished, and if it weren’t for Twilight’s evacuation plans, a lot of ponies would have lost their lives. Some still did, even with the plans in place.” A few that had been newer friends of his. A couple that chose to try to help in the fight, only to be overwhelmed by the level of magical power being idly tossed around. But Spike decided to leave those parts out for now; this story was sad enough as it was. “I lent my strength and my flame to the battle, but I was barely a match in the wind compared to Twilight’s century of magical study and Discord’s blatant disregard for anything resembling the laws of reality. She tried so hard, so very hard, but he was just too much, and in the end, he stood gloating over her. “And then, somehow, despite everything he had done, despite her age, despite everything, Twilight stood up defiantly, her tiara appearing on her head. And Discord just laughed as she floated into the air, her eyes taking on that glow they did sometimes when Twilight was one with her magic. And at the time, I wondered why he was laughing, but I figured it out afterwards: he couldn’t see them.” “See who, Dad?” Spark asked, his enthusiasm palpable. “The other bearers. Twilight’s friends. In her final hour, they answered her call one last time, four of them floating beside her, and Pinkie right behind her, holding her. The rainbow beam shot forth like it had nearly a century earlier, and I don’t know how Twilight did it, but Discord didn’t turn to stone like he had in the past. This time, when the rainbow faded away, a statue of pure diamond stood there. It will never crumble. It will never collapse. Twilight managed to do what even the Princesses could not: seal Discord forever. “Afterwards, her friends didn’t disappear. They were still around Twilight, beckoning to her, and—” Spike paused as he wiped at his eyes, dealing with his tears as they began to form. This had been the same place he had teared up when he’d told Pinkamena. “Twilight turned to me. The look on her face… she was still worried about me. So I did the only thing I could. “I smiled, and I nodded.” As Spike reached the conclusion of his story, he realized that he wasn’t the only dragon in the room trying desperately not to cry, but Spark wasn’t faring quite so well. “P-Poor Auntie Tw-Twilight…” he sputtered as he tried to brush away his sadness. “Poor Twilight?” Spike shook his head. “No, Spark, she finally found her happiness again that day, reunited with the mare she loved and all of her friends.” He lifted a claw to wipe away a tear Spark had missed. “And I never moved her from that spot. That’s where she lies to this day, within the monument I built with my own claws. That’s where both Twilight and Equestria found the peace they deserve.”