The Legend of Spike: Discord's Mask

by DiabloGuapo


Healing

A crowd of ponies were gathered both inside and outside of Golden Oaks Library. They were curious to hear how the baby dragon had miraculously returned from the dead. Whispers and murmurs filled the air as they shared rumors about the subject. Those who were nearest to the young dragon and the Elements of Harmony were only able to gather bits and pieces of information from their conversation. While they chattered, the door opened and Princess Luna walked out to address the crowd.

“Spike is fine,” the Lunar Princess announced. “He is now resting. Please respect their privacy.”

“But what happened?” a pony from the crowd asked. “Where was he this whole time?”

“All I know is that he was sent to another world,” she told the curious crowd. “You will have to wait until he awakens to hear more on the matter. Now please, disperse.”

Though they were barely satisfied with the Princess’s answer, the crowd left the library. The continued to gossip as they walked away and Princess Luna reentered the library. The only ponies that remained were the Elements of Harmony, their families, and closest friends. Fluttershy fretted anxiously on the couch and Pinkie Pie was already planning a welcome home party for Spike. Applejack watched Rainbow Dash as she hovered back and forth over the main room of the library.

“Rainbow!” the farmer shouted at the blue Pegasus. “Would ya just sit down? You’re makin’ me dizzy with your pacin’.”

“Augh! I hate waiting!” Rainbow Dash griped. “I want to know what happened!”

“Um, Raindow Dash…” Fluttershy meekly interjected. “Maybe you could lower your voice just a teensy little bit? I mean, Spike is trying to rest and we should keep voices down. Um… That is, for Spike, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Rainbow Dash replied as she rolled her eyes. “But we spent three days worried sick about him. I just want to know what happened and where the hay is this ‘Trotina?’”

“All we know is that it is another world,” Princess Celestia as she sat gracefully in the living room. “Apparently, it is a parallel dimension and that he was there for eighteen days.”

“How could he be there for that long if he was only gone for three days?” asked Dash.

“The amulet which he had was enchanted to allow the wearer to travel through time up to two weeks,” answer Princess Luna, holding the watch. “It seems he has used all of the amulet’s power.”

“What’s a parallel dimension?” asked Apple Bloom.

“A parallel dimension is a separate world from ours,” the white Alicorn. “It is similar to ours, but there are differences. There may be different version of ourselves there, but they live different lives than we do here.”

“Is that what he meant that there was another ‘us’ there?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“I wonder if we had our cutie marks there,” wonder Scootaloo.

“Ah wonder if we can find out how to get there,” said Apple Bloom. “We could be…”

“Cutie Mark…” the trio began to cheer together.

“Whoa now, don’t y’all even think about it,” Applejack scolded.

“Aawww, but…” the fillies began to whine.

“No ‘buts’, youngins,” Granny Smith told them. “Y’all are forbidden to go out and getting’ yourselves lost in some ‘parallel dimension’ whatchamacallit.”

“But…” they tried one last time.

“Eenope,” Big Macintosh said sternly as he stomped a hoof. The fillies gave up, for they knew that when big Macintosh puts his hoof down, the argument is over.

While the Cutie Mark Crusaders were beginning lectured about the dangers of traveling through time and space, Rarity was standing silently at the foot of the stairs. The violet maned Unicorn had been staring up to the bedroom ever since Twilight Sparkle had taken Spike up there so that he can rest. She longed to be up there, but Twilight Sparkle and her family were in the bedroom and she wanted to give them their privacy. As she continued to stare, she placed her hoof on the fire ruby that was hanging around her neck.

In the bedroom, Twilight Sparkle had placed Spike in her own bed and tucked the young dragon in as her parents, her brother, and sister-in-law stood behind her. Night Light and Twilight Velvet felt a swelling of pride inside themselves as they watch their daughter motherly caring for the small dragon. Ever since their daughter’s entrance exam, she had been the child’s caretaker. At first, they thought of the relationship as a child with her pet, but as they discovered that the dragon was actually sentient, they came to realize it was something more. Now it was clear to them the relationship between their daughter and the dragon was that of a mother and her child. That would mean Spike was their grandchild. Their daughter, who was barely an adult, was a parent herself. Suddenly, Night Light and Twilight Velvet felt incredibly older.

“Come on, they need some time alone,” Twilight Velvet whispered to her husband, her son, and daughter-in-law. They nodded and filed out of the room and down the stairs to rejoin the others. Twilight Sparkle hummed soothingly as she stroked the side of Spike’s head with her hoof. Her son was home. He was taken from her before she fully understood what he had meant to her, and by some cosmic act of mercy, he was returned to her. She could hardly wait for him to awaken so that she could tell him how she felt about him. She desperately wished that he saw her as a mother as she saw him as a son. Seeing him snug in her bed, breathing heavily as he dreamed, brought back those precious memories of when he was a mere baby. She smiled and kissed his forehead before heading back downstairs.

Her friends and family were talking amongst themselves about what Spike could have been doing in the parallel world and what he saw there. As Twilight walked down the stairs, she saw Rarity awaiting her at the bottom. From their conversation the day before, the lavender unicorn knew that her fashionista friend cared deeply for Spike. She was even wearing his gift to her. Twilight knew that Spike loved Rarity, and it appeared that she returns the feelings.

“How is he?” Rarity asked with an almost pleading tone.

“He’s fine,” Twilight told her. She looked around the library and saw that all eyes were on her. “He’s asleep.”

“It’s getting late,” announced Applejack as she noticed that it was nighttime. “We should all get some sleep ourselves.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Princess Celestia said as she stood up and began to usher the group out of the library. “Let’s give Spike time to rest.”

Everypony nodded and began to leave. Twilight’s family bid her farewell as they left to catch the train to return to their homes. Applejack scooted Apple Bloom out the door as the Apple Family returned to their farm. Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a lift and flew out of the building. Fluttershy and Pinkie also returned to their homes, but Rarity and Sweetie Belle lingered.

“Come on, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle called to her elder sister from the door, but Rarity was hesitant. She knew she needed to leave and let Spike rest, but she desperately what to make things right again. She wanted to tell him something important.

“But, I…” Rarity started to protest, but Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“It will be okay, Rarity,” Twilight reassured her friend. “You can tell him when he wakes up.”

Rarity gave her a look of surprise, but it changed to a smile as both mares gave each other understanding looks. They both knew what she wanted to say, and Twilight was in support of it. That gave Rarity comfort and she left after giving her friend a quick, grateful hug.

When everypony was gone, Twilight headed back up stairs. To her delight, her precious child was still there, confirming that this wasn’t a dream. She carefully lifted the sheets and got into the bed next to the dragon. She gently pulled him into her body so that he would snuggle up against her. Spike stirred uncomfortably in his sleep, disturbed by the movement. She soothingly shushed him as she caressed his head with her hoof. She remembered how she used to sing to him on nights he had troubled sleeping. She knew various lullabies, for her parents sang a few to her when she was a filly. Spike never cared for any of them, not even ‘Hush Now,’ expect for one. It was the only lullaby that seemed to be able to get him to fall asleep. As Twilight Sparkle cradled Spike, she started to quietly sing,

“ You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When the skies are gray
You'll never know dear
How much I love you
So please don't take
My sunshine
Away”

The song worked and Spike once again relaxed. Twilight smiled at the sleeping dragon that was curled up against her and started to fall asleep herself. However, not all was right.

Spike found himself atop the clock tower in Trotina. He looked up and saw moon falling right at him. He turned to flee, but saw that he was surrounded by an army of statues. They were of him, but they stood in a rigid stance. They had forced grins on their faces and their eyes were dead. They raised their stiff arms and marched towards him. He backed away, but tripped over the edge and fell to the plaza below. Instead splattering across the pavement, the ground shattered like glass and he fell into an abyss. As he fell, he saw the images of clocks, their hands spinning wildly. Cuckoo birds popped out of them and hooted in his face almost in a mocking manner.

Two yellow and red eyes appeared followed by a grinning mouth of fangs. The disembodied face laughed at him. A long, forked tongue snaked out and wrapped around the falling dragon. The slimy tongue’s tip licked Spike’s face and then swirled around in one of his ear frills. Spike shouted in disgust and the face cackled at his discomfort. The tongue snapped and tossed Spike downwards. He landed on the floor of Golden Oaks Library. The dragon looked around and saw Pinkie Pie sitting on her haunches with her back to him. Her mane was flat, but she was giggling.

“Pinkie?” he called out to the pink mare. She slowly looked over her shoulder at the dragon and Spike was startled by what he saw. She had no eyes or a mouth! Suddenly, her face trembled and the skin where her mouth should be stretched. The flesh ripped opened to an unnaturally wide, razor sharp fanged filled grin. Blood dripped from the torn opened mouth and she continued to laugh like a schoolfilly. She stood up and approached him, blood dripping onto the floor.

Spike turned to run, but saw Fluttershy standing in his way. Her mane covered face like a veil as she looked down at the ground. Her head jerk up and her mane billowed above her head, revealing a bare skull. The fleshless head shrieked at him, causing him to run toward the door. The door seemed to pull further away from him more he tried to reach it. Suddenly, it lurched forward and he slammed into it, knocking him down.

You may have used the Elements of Harmony to defeat me, the voice of the combined Discord and Nightmare Moon echoed in the room. But you’re in my world now…


Spike could see an image of Discord throwing a dark blast of evil magic at the head of a gigantic version of himself while they were in the moon. Whatever it did, it was causing this nightmare.

The hardwood floor of the library rippled and Spike started to sink into it like it was water. He splashed around in the liquid wood and looked for anything to grab on to. Then a blue dorsal fin with a lightning bolt cutie mark swam passed him. He tried to swim away, but a shark with a rainbow mane swallowed him whole. He opened his eyes and found himself in the wedding chapel of Canterlot. Rarity was wearing a long, flowing white dress and she was standing next to Prince Blueblood before Princess Celestia.

“…I now pronounce you Stallion and Mare,” Celestia declared. “You may kiss the bride.” Spike gawked in disgust and the crowd cheered as the newlyweds kissed. The kissing went from gentle, to passionate, to lustful, and then to lewd. They groped each other’s body and ran through each other’s manes with their hooves. As the kissed, their bodies melded together to create an abomination made up of limbs and body parts. The thing opened its mouths and let out a roar as it charged Spike. Before he could run away, a lasso wrapped around his neck. The rope strangled him and he look back to see that Applejack’s corpse was reeling him in. Beside her, the demonic Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy appeared. The Rainbow Dash shark circled around him in the ripple floor and the Rarity-Blueblood beast joined the others.

Before the fiends could close in and devour him, they suddenly froze and retreated when the sound of singing filled the chapel. Descending from the ceiling was Twilight and she was singing the words of a lullaby. The sound of her song dispelled the awful scene and the monsters changed back into his friends. They smiled warmly and came closer to Spike. The young dragon looked around and noticed that they were in a field outside of Ponyville. He was surrounded by his friends and he couldn’t be happier.

Oh no you don’t… growled a dark voice.

As Spike smiled at his friends, he noticed that they looked a little older. With each passing second, their colorful coats faded and their manes grayed. Their joints became wobbly and their faces wrinkled. Spike watched in horror as they lay down and became still. Spike reached out a claw to brush Twilight’s mane, but she crumbled into dust before he could even touch her. He then saw the others crumble into dust and he began to weep. A strong breeze blew and the dust was carried away.

“No!” he cried as he ran after the floating particles. “Don’t leave me!” He came to a hill that overlooked Ponyville. He could see the citizens of the town running about doing their daily business. They also began to age, lie down, and crumble into dust.

“I told you,” a dark voice said behind him. Spike turned around and saw the Nightmare Discord towering over him. “I would make you understand. Their lives are meaningless. No matter what you do, they will abandon you. Nothing but pain will come from knowing them. You will see things my way soon enough.”

“No, I won’t,” Spike defiantly told him, but Discord only laughed. “You won’t trick me!”

“I’m not tricking anyone,” Discord denied. “I’m only here to show you the truth.”

“You’re lying!” the young dragon yelled. “I already know the truth. The Elements of Harmony showed it to me.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?” question the chimerical monster, doubting the dragon’s resolve. “How do you feel of being alone for the most of your long, miserable life?”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll make new friends. The Element of Laughter showed me that.”

“And you believed it?” Discord howled in laughter. “Oh, how priceless. Don’t you realize that what it showed you was a lie?”

“No, it wouldn’t lie to me!” Spike claimed, but Discord only laughed harder.

“It’s not the Element of Honesty. It’s the Element of Laughter, the element of pranks, lightheartedness, jokes, and silliness. Being serious and truthful is against its nature. It was deceiving you, playing a sick prank on you, feeding you false hopes. Do you really think that ponies would ever accept a dragon into their communities? They’ll only see you as a monster.”

“I’ll show them that I’m not dangerous.”

“Ha! Oh that is rich,” Discord mocked. “Ponies will fear you. Not matter what you do or say, they’ll be terrified of you. Look…” Discord snapped a claw and they were transported to a large cave filled with treasure. On top of the pile of gems and gold was a mighty dragon. “What do you see? Monstrous in size, ghastly teeth, terrible claws, and breath that can reduce a pony to ash in a second; this is the embodiment of terror.”

“But I won’t be like that dragon. I won’t be greedy. I’ll be generous and nice. I’ll show them that I’m not like that.”

“It doesn’t matter how ‘nice’ you are,” scoffed Discord. “They’ll never see past your terrifying appearance. Besides, you will become a monster both on the outside and in the inside.”

“It’s not true!” Spike yelled. “I’m not like other dragons! I won’t be like them!”

“Fool, you don’t have a choice,” the dark draconequus sneered as an overpowering agony took over both Spike’s body and spirit.

“W-What are… you doing… to me?” Spike groaned in anguish as he suffered physically and emotionally.

“I am only bringing out the pain that you’ve so desperately tried to hide,” Discord gloated.

“No… I won’t let it… consume me…” the dragon said as he writhed on the ground.

“Brave words,” Discord said in feigned admiration. “But nothing more. You can put on a brave face and claim to be strong, but you have been carrying so much pain and sorrow in your heart. Actually, I’m doing you a favor. I’m allowing you to embrace it so that you can live the life that other dragons do; a life of solitude, greed, and freedom from the petty concerns of love. You’ll thank me one day.” The dark draconequus laughed as the dragon’s body shifted and stretched.

The sun shone through the window of Twilight Sparkle’s bedroom. When the morning light hit her closed eyes, she stirred and awoke. She looked to the window and stretched. A wave of panic shot through her when she felt an empty place next to her in the bed. She jumped out of her bed and urgently looked around her room for Spike. Not seeing him upstairs, she ran down stairs and gasped in horror. Something large had burst through the front door and left the library during the night. She ran outside, looking all around for her baby dragon, but only saw ponies walking the streets of Ponyville.

“Twilight?” She turned her head to see Rarity walking up to her still wearing the fire ruby. The white Unicorn looked at the shattered door and a dread filled her heart. “Where’s Spike? Did something happen? Did something break into your home?”

“I… I don’t know…” confessed the lavender Unicorn and she looked at the remnants of her front door. “It looks like something big broke out instead of in.” She looked up and continued to scan her surroundings for any clue on the whereabouts of her missing dragon. She then spotted something out of place in the sky. There was a wispy, black cloud in the horizon. All the other clouds in the sky that surrounded it where fluffy and white. She followed the black cloud to its source with her eyes and saw that it was coming from a mountain. “We need to get the girls, now!”

While Rarity ran to get Fluttershy, Twilight ran to Sweet Apple Acres to retrieve Applejack. She was fortunate to find that the orange Earth Pony was already awake and running about. As a farmer, Applejack was accustomed to rising early in the morning.

“Twilight, what brings you here this early?” Applejack asked as she saw her friend running towards her. When she saw the look on her friend’s face, she knew that something was wrong. “Is it Spike? Did somethin’ happen?”

Twilight explained as they ran to Sugarcube Corner. When they reached there, they found Pinkie Pie helping the Cakes preparing the bakery for another day of work. As they were about to tell her the situation, Rarity came in along with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

“Spike’s missing again,” Twilight explained. “There’s smoke coming from the mountain where that red dragon tried to take a nap in that one time and something large broke out of the library. I think it’s Spike.”

“Has… Has he succumbed to the greed growth again?” Rarity asked with concern as she raised a hoof to her mouth in shock.

“I… believe so,” confessed Twilight. They gasped and looked to each other.

“W-W-What are we going to do?” Fluttershy stammered.

“We need to go to him and bring him to his senses,” declared Twilight.

“But how?” asked Applejack. “It was by luck that Rarity snapped him out of it last time.”

“Yeah, and he nearly flattened Ponyville before she did,” Pinkie reminded.

“We just have to hope we can break through to him,” Twilight told them.

They headed out of Sugarcube Corner and went up the trail that would lead them up the mountain. This was the third time this mountain was used as a dragon’s lair. The first time was by a dragon that was covering Equestria in smoke as snored during his hundred year long nap. Spike had used it when he grew at an unnatural rate due to greed fueled growth spurt. Now, Spike was possibly using it again and was about to cover Equestria in smoke as well.

The journey to the top was quicker than it was before, for Fluttershy wasn’t slowing them down with her phobia of dragons. As they approached the cave at the top, they could clearly see the smoke rising out of it. There was a rumble as a snore sounded through the air. The six mares paused in front of the mouth of the cave and braced themselves for what they may find inside. They cautiously stepped into the cave, preparing for the worst. In the dimness of the cave, they could see a large figure resting in the back of the cave. It was laying on a small hoard of gems that it had clawed out of the walls of the cave. It had a bulky body and curved spikes running down its back. Twilight illuminated the cave with her horn, revealing that the large figure was indeed Spike. As before, he was affected by the greed growth, making him a mindless beast of avarice.

“Spike, can you hear me?” Twilight asked the dragon as they six mares slowly approached him. The dragon snarled and huddled over his hoard protectively. The ponies halted because of the threatening noise, but then dared to step closer to the dragon. “Please Spike, you have to fight…”

A deafening roar that shook the mares to their cores filled the cave. The Elements of Harmony scurried away from the angry dragon and stared at him with fear. Fluttershy trembled like a leaf caught in the wind, Pinkie Pie and Applejack clung to each other, and even Rainbow Dash was rattled. Rarity and Twilight were standing in front of the others with pained looks on their faces.

“We need to try… We have to do something,” Rarity said. Twilight nodded and carefully approached the dragon. The dragon growled, but not as loudly as before.

“Spike, it’s me, Twilight,” Twilight began again. The dragon merely blinked at her. “Spike, please listen to me. You have to fight this. You have to remember who you are. You…” She breath caught in her throat as she began to cry, but pressed on. “Spike, I love you… You are my son…” Her friends listen to her in amazement, but accepted her claim of motherhood. “Please… come back to me…” Spike’s eyes widen a bit as he looked down at her. “Spike… Rarity is here and she wants to tell you something…”

“Spike,” Rarity said as she walked up next to Twilight. Spike only slightly growled. “I was wrong. I don’t care that you’re a dragon. You are the kindness, gentlest, most honorable, generous fellow I have ever had the pleasure to know. Spike, I love you. Please, come back to us.” Spike’s brows knitted together with emotion and his snakelike pupils widen. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash came forward to join the two Unicorns. This time, Spike didn’t growl. However, he wasn’t shrinking back to his natural size. Twilight Sparkle noticed this and was worried.

I don’t understand it, why isn’t he changing back? she thought. We clearly reached him, so why is he still so large? This doesn’t make sense! It’s like a curse has been placed on him. She looked up at his sad eyes and noticed the pain and sorrow within them. Maybe it is a curse… She suddenly remembered the song she had read in the book of spell songs. It was her only chance to help him.

She started to sing the spell song to her son and its soothing notes filled the cave. Her friends looked at her in confusion, but as she began the second verse, the cave rumbled. Spike had started to hum along with her singing. As they continued their duet, vapors of dark magic left his body. Tears of relief fell from the mighty dragon’s eyes. Twilight Sparkle was also crying as she saw the evil curse being lifted from his body. She nuzzled against his snout as she sang with her son. When they completed their song, Spike’s body returned to normal and he was being hugged by his mother.

“Did you mean what you said?” Spike asked Twilight Sparkle. She cried tears of joy and kissed his forehead.

“Every word,” she reassured him. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Mom,” he said back to her. Pinkie Pie burst into tears of joy by watching the touching scene.

“Hey!” Pinkie suddenly exclaimed cheerfully. “This calls for a party! Let’s head to Sugarcube Corner so we can have the ‘welcome home’ party!”

“Now you’re talking!” Rainbow cheered as the group headed out of the cave.

“I also meant every word that I said,” Rarity told Spike as they walked.

“Really?” Spike asked with stars in his eyes. To answer his question, she leaned down to him and gave him a kiss. His face lit up as he smiled dreamily and a blush formed on her cheeks. Twilight smiled approvingly at them as she followed behind the blushing pair. “Boy, do I have a story to tell you all when we get to Sugarcube Corners!”