//------------------------------// // Acceptance Cycle: Day One // Story: The Legend of Spike: Discord's Mask // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// Dawn of the First Day- 72 Hours Remaining The watched chimed as Spike found himself standing in Clock Town as Big Macintosh. Spike changed back into his natural dragon form and looked at the magic gauge on the side of the amulet. The green meter was low, only having enough magic left for one more three day cycle. Spike reset the watch and prepared himself for the next assignment. Well, after this, we only have three more days, Spike said to his companions. What are we goin’ to do about Sweet Apple Acres? asked Big Macintosh? Or Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash? Soarin added. If we went back in time, that means the Diamond Dogs still have Scootaloo! We can’t worry about that now, said the Unicorn Spike. We have a job to do. Don’t forget, we still have another cycle after this one. He is right, another voice said in Spike’s mind. Princess Celestia? Spike recognized the voice of the Solar Princess. He was surprised that the portion of her power had chosen to remain inside of him instead of appearing before him as a ball of light. What are you still doing in here? Shouldn’t you rejoin with your body? I will, but I need to talk to all of you, the voice explained. I understand that you all are concerned for your friends and families, but they will have to wait. Don’t worry, all will be fine. For now, you must help Spike through this next ordeal. I have saved it for last, for it is the most dangerous. Where’s the next Element? Spike asked. The Element of Loyalty rests in my home, the eastern canyon. Long ago, it was a fertile valley, but a usurper named Sombra tried to overthrow Luna and me. We easily subdued him, but he refused to submit. He placed a curse upon the Crystal Ponies which he had enslaved. The curse bounded them to Sombra even in death. Even though he was gone, they were still his slaves and they became the undead. Luna and I were able to seal them away, but I fear that they might have been released by Nightmare Moon. The valley has become a haunted place, where only a few dare to settle. I remained in the valley to insure that the restless souls don’t escape. You mean that there are zombies there!? Spike exclaimed. And worse, I’m afraid, the voice confirmed. I know you’re frightened, but if you don’t retrieve the Element of Loyalty, all of Trotia is doomed. I… I understand, Spike responded. Prepare yourself, Spike, for you are about to face horrors that you can only imagine. With that, the ball of light Spike and headed to the north. Spike was paralyzed with fear. Ever since he read that comic where zombies ate those ponies’ brains, he has been terrified of the thought of the creatures. It was also one of the reasons why Twilight Sparkle didn’t approve of him reading comic books. Spike headed to the east gate, but was stopped by the Pegasus guard stationed there. Spike remembered that this was the first guard that tried to stop him on his first three day cycle. As the guard ranted on how he couldn’t let a small dragon pass, Spike kicked him in the shins. The guard shouted in pain and Spike ran around him. Spike saw the dark clouds over the hills to the east. With the ominous clouds and the story he just heard, Spike was intimidated by the sight of his next destination. He followed the road to the valley, dreading what he might find around every corner. So far so good, Spike cautiously commented. He saw that there were ruins of ancient buildings scattered around the path. Large stone pillars and blocks that were once the foundations of a grand city were now eroded by the unforgiving passage of time. The portion of Celestia’s power had said that the valley was once fertile, but Spike only saw dust and rocks. The wind howled as it funneled through the canyon. There’s no sign of zombie ponies here, observed the other Spike. Maybe Nightmare Moon didn’t released them. I hope you’re right, said Soarin. I don’t want to die twice in one week. Eeyup, agreed Big Macintosh. Spike heard something and looked to the side of the road. He saw a strange sight; there was a pony wearing a dragon costume. The costume looked like the one he had worn during the previous Nightmare Night. The pony was carrying a shovel and was headed down a path that branched off of the main road. That was a pony wearing a dragon costume… Spike commented, stunned at what he saw. Carrying a shovel in a haunted wasteland… added the alternate Spike. Okay, I’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here, requested Soarin. Eenope, Big Macintosh said to the Pegasus. Big Macintosh is right, we need to follow him, the other Spike said. Oh sure, let’s follow the weirdo in the costume. What could go wrong? Soarin sarcastically asked. Spike followed the pony down the trail and he came to a graveyard. The cemetery had crumbling mausoleums and eroding headstones. Crows sat on the branches of dead trees, watching the dragon as he entered the graveyard. Spike looked up at them and noticed the black birds’ heads slowly turning as he walked by. It was though they were waiting for something. They gave him the creeps, watching him with their dark eyes. Spike ignored the birds and saw the pony dressed as a dragon digging with the shovel. Spike walked over to the digging Earth Pony. He could see that the pony had a white coat, a small beard, a red nose, squinted beady eyes, and a cheery expression on his face. For some reason, Spike didn’t trust this pony. He looked too suspicious for Spike’s liking. “What are you doing?” the dragon asked the odd pony. Celestia said that only a few would dare come to this place, so was there a pony here digging a hole in a graveyard? “Oh, what’s this?” the pony exclaimed as he noticed Spike standing beside him. He dropped his shovel and turned his attention to the dragon. “Scales… Spines… Sir, could you, by chance, be a dragon?” “Um, yeah…” Spike stated as he raised a brow at the pony. Isn’t it obvious? “My name is Tingle!” the dressed up pony introduced himself with a bow. “I think I am the same as you, sir. A dragon!” Okay, he’s crazy. Let’s get out of here, Soarin suggested. Oh, Come on. Give him a chance. He might have something important to say, the other Spike defended the Earth Pony. “My father tells me to grow up and act my age, but why? Even though I may be a thirty-five year old Earth Pony… Tingle is the very reincarnation of a dragon!” The pony started to prance about like a little foal. “Lucky! Lucky! You’re so lucky to be born a dragon!” … Okay, he’s crazy, admitted the other Spike. Crazy? Try nuttier than squirrel droppings, Soarin snidely remarked. Eeyup, agreed Big Macintosh. “I know! I know! We should be friends!” the eccentric pony giggled as he danced. “Um…” Spike wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. “Yes! Yes! In exchange, I will sell you a map for cheap as a sign of my friendship. Will you buy one of Tingle’s maps for only forty bits?” “Forty!?” Spike exclaimed at the high price. “Err… I mean… No thanks. I’m good. So… Why are you digging holes in a cemetery? Are you the caretaker?” “No, I’m searching for treasure.” “Treasure?” “Yes! Yes! As the dragon that I am, I love treasure!” Tingle explained. “I heard that there is treasure buried in this ancient graves and Tingle is going to dig them up!” He’s not just crazy, he’s also a grave robber! Spike thought in disgust. “Well you help me? I’ll give you ten percent of my find,” Tingle offered. “No,” Spike rejected. “Well then, more for Tingle.” He spun around and tossed out confetti from his pockets. “Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah!...These are the magic words that Tingle created himself. Don’t steal them!” Spike slowly backed away from the lunatic as he continued to dig. He looked over to a mausoleum and saw the Royal Seal of Celestia engraved over an opened vault. Despite, his better judgment, Spike headed over to the tomb. He noticed that the stone door was moved aside, but the strange thing was that a breeze was coming from inside the tomb. This caught this dragon’s interest and he cautiously peeked inside. The room was empty. If this was a tomb of somepony, where was the sarcophagus and where was the breeze coming from? Come inside… a voice seemed to call to the dragon. At first, Spike was frightened and jumped back. Come inside… I have information… Spike could now hear that it was the voice of an elegantly spoken mare. Even though his common sense told him to run, the voice sounded so inviting. Spike walked inside and pulled out the Lens of Truth. Something must be hidden in this tomb. He looked through the lens and a doorway was revealed on the back wall. Spike entered the dark tunnel and pressed onward. Thanks to his draconic eyesight, he could see better in the dark than any pony could. At the end of the tunnel was a chamber. There was a suit of armor holding a large battle axe. Light from an opening in the ceiling surrounded the armor in a circle of light. Behind the suit of armor was a stone casket. Spike walked towards the grave, passing through the circle of light. Wait… Don’t enter the circle… the elegant voice warned as Spike took a step into the light; too late. The suit armor violently shook and came to life! The pieces of armor seemed to clad an invisible pony, which held the battle axe in a combat stance. It spun the axe around its head and brought it down at the young dragon. Spike shouted as he jumped back and the axe imbedded itself into the ground. The phantom knight struggled to pry the axe head from the stone floor. Spike ran to the door, but a stone slab slammed in front of him, sealing him inside with the warrior. He looked behind him just in time to avoid being decapitated by the large axe. Spike rolled away from the attack and ran behind a stone pillar. The invisible warrior brought down its axe as Spike braced himself. The weapon got lodge halfway through the pillar and the knight tried to pull it out. Seeing an opportunity, Spike shoved the pillar with all of his might. The pillar leaned over and crumbled on top of the suit of armor. When the dust cleared, the dragon saw the armor crushed underneath the fallen pillar. Spike sighed with relief and headed over to the grave. Above the casket, a figure materialized. It was sophisticated-looking Earth Pony mare with a gray coat and a flowing black, mane. She had a cutie mark of a clef note and she was holding a cello and her eyes seemed to glow. “I am Octavia,” the mare introduced herself. “I am the cellist of the Royal Trotinan Orchestra. My partner, Vinyl Scratch, and I came to the valley to discover the secrets of the ancient royal symphonies.” As she spoke, Spike noticed that she had two fang-like teeth. “When we arrived, we saw Nightmare Moon. She placed a curse on the land. Due to this curse, my friend and I were changed into vampires. If you somehow lift the curse on this land, you will lift the curse on both of us, restoring us to our normal selves. Will you please help us?” “Of course,” Spike replied. “What do you need me to do?” “On the other side of the canyon lives a family of rock farmers. They too have fell victim to the curse. My friend is in a cave near their home. While I can somewhat control my thirst, she has given into her blood-lust. The Princess’s castle is also located over there. I sense that a dark presence has been awoken and has claimed the palace as its own. What I ask you to do is to bring my friend to her senses. Play this song to remind her of who she is on your flute.” The mare played a song on her cello which Spike followed with his flute. After he played the song, Spike heard thunder and rain started to fall through the hole in the ceiling. After a minute, the rain stopped. “This is a song spell that Vinyl and I discovered. It is called ‘the Song of Storms.’ It is a spell that can imitate the power of the Pegasi and cause nearby clouds to rain. According to legend, Princess Celestia wrote this song a thousand years ago when she banished Nightmare Moon. ‘The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger!’ is what the Princess had written along with the song.” As she talked, light from the ceiling dimmed. “Go, the sun is setting and I won’t be able to control myself. I will seal myself in this chamber. Now hurry, save us from this curse.” The vampire entered the sarcophagus and Spike turned to leave the chamber. As was leaving, a stone slab covered the hole in the ceiling. When he exited the chamber, the stone slab once again slammed shut. Spike headed down the tunnel and exited through the hidden doorway in the wall. He left the empty mausoleum and saw that Tingle was still digging. Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head at the crazy pony’s greed. He was halfway between the tomb and Tingle when Spike heard a rumbling sound. Looking around the cemetery, the dragon saw that the headstones were shaking. A rotten hoof shot out of the ground! Spike watched in horror as more hooves sprung out of the graves. “Tingle! Get out of there!” Spike called to the pony wearing a dragon costume. However, he didn’t hear Spike, for he was too caught up in his plans to get rich to notice the dragon. As he fervently dug deeper into the grave, the skeletal head of a former Crystal Pony burst forward out of the ground and shrieked at him! Tingle screamed and fell onto his back. He crawled backwards, trying to get away rotting corpse that was now clawing its way out of its grave. Another hoof shot out the ground and grabbed one of Tingle’s legs. Panicked, he tried to pull free from the hoof as its owner’s head emerged from the dirt and let out a shriek. The withered remains of the pony that was coming out the grave crawled on top of the Earth Pony and opened its mouth that contained yellow and black teeth. The creature lunged at Tingle’s neck and Spike screamed in horror at the grisly scene! This was like one of comic books, but this was infinitely many times worse. Another undead pony joined the other two and Spike ran back to the mausoleum. The young dragon panted as he ran. Suddenly, an undead Crystal Pony lunged out of the ground in front of him. Spike could see through its ribcage and what little flesh it had barely covered its bones. It opened its mouth to shriek and its jaw opened unnaturally wide, for the flesh that connected the bottom jaw to the top jaw had almost completely decayed away. When it shrieked, Spike could smell the rancid smell of death coming from its breath. It had no eyes, but two red pinpoints of light glowed within the empty sockets. Spike sidestepped as the ghoul lunged at him with its gaping maw. The creature missed its mark and landed on the ground as Spike made a break for the mausoleum. As he ran, more zombie ponies rose from their graves. Spike ran inside the tomb and slid the heavily stone door across the entrance. Spike saw the creatures approaching the tomb and he barely managed to shut the heavy door before they could reach him. The zombies scratched at the door and walls of the tomb, but the stone prevented them from burrowing their way in to get the dragon. Spike could hear the muffled sounds of Tingle screaming. He could hear the awful noise of the monsters feasting. Tingle’s screams became a gurgling sound and then silence. Spike sat against the wall facing the door and hugged his knees. He cried as he trembled with fear. He pulled out the flask of blue potion and took a drink, knowing it we keep him awake through the night. He had longed for a decent night’s sleep ever since he arrived in Trotina. Tonight, he dared not to. Ponyville- Day 3, 10:00 A.M. As Twilight Sparkle was doing research on what her dreams could possibly mean, she heard a knock on the door. “Hello, Twilight?” she heard Rarity call from outside. The door opened and the white Unicorn entered the library. She looked at her lavender mare, who was surrounded by piles of books, and gave her a concerned look. “Twilight, have you been up all night again?” “No, I got a few hours of sleep in last night,” Twilight honestly answered her friend. “I had a dream and I think it’s a premonition or a vision of sorts. I’ve been doing research to see if I could find something, but I haven’t had much luck yet.” “Twilight,” Rarity gingerly started. “I need to tell you something.” “What is it, Rarity?” Twilight asked as she looked up from her books. The white mare bit her lip and knitted her brow. Whatever it was, it had to be hard for her to tell Twilight. “It’s all my fault!” Rarity blurted out, practically yelling. “Huh?” Twilight said in confusion. “What are you talking about?” Rarity threw herself around her friend’s hooves and started to cry hysterically. “It’s my fault that Spike ran away!” Rarity sobbed. Twilight was stunned by her friend’s sudden hysterics and helped her to stand back up. “Rarity, calm down and tell me what happened,” she told her friend as she led her to the couch. Rarity tried to regain her composure, but she would still whimper and sniffle ever few seconds. “The morning I went to Canterlot, Spike came by the boutique,” she recounted the story after taking a few deep breaths. “I was invited to the home of Count High N’Mighty. He said he wanted to get to know me better and I agreed to go to his estate. As I was packing, Spike came over and he wanted to tell me something, but I was too caught up dreaming of what it would be like to be a countess. He finally got my attention and tried to tell me that he loved me.” “And how did you respond?” Twilight calmly asked. “I told him I was flattered, but I told him was going to meet somepony. I gave the excuse that he was younger than me. I told him that I thought he was nice, and then I said that I was a Unicorn and he was a dragon, and that had really hurt him. I don’t know why I said those things. It really doesn’t matter what he is. He is a hundred times the gentlecolt that despicable Count High N’Mighty could ever hope to be. He always treated me like a lady and would do anything for me, but I rejected him in favor of a sexist scoundrel! I was too busy chasing after my idea of finding the perfect stallion that I was blind to what I already had! Maybe I was scared of my own feelings. Maybe I thought too much of what others would think. Maybe I cared too much about what I thought that I wanted.” Rarity placed her face in her hooves and cried. Twilight placed a foreleg across her distraught friend’s shoulders. She tried to take in all what her friend had said. “I don’t think he would’ve run away because of what you’d said,” Twilight told Rarity. “How do you know?” Rarity asked, looking up from her hooves. “He’s run away before.” “That’s because he thought I didn’t love him anymore,” she explained. “You see, Spike might be rather mature by pony standards, but he’s still a baby by dragon standards. Baby dragons imprint on their mothers and I believe that he sees me as his mother, whether he realizes it or not.” “Spike sees you as his mother?” Rarity asked in astonishment. “It would appear so. When he thought that I was replacing him with Owlowisious, it hurt him. He felt like I was abandoning him and that scared him. When we were in King Sombra’s castle, we faced a door that shows you your worst fear. His was that I told him I didn’t need him anymore and sent away.” “But how do you know he didn’t run away?” “The last time I saw him, he sounded alright. Sure, he seemed a little depressed, but he was still willing to deliver something to Zecora for me. Later, Zecora told me that he never came by her place.” “So where could he be? Fluttershy couldn’t find and trace of him in the Everfree Forest.” “I… I don’t know,” Twilight admitted as she hung her head. Her thoughts returned to her dreams. Did they mean that Spike was in trouble? Was he in pain? Would she ever find her son?